Good For What Ails You

Twilight Singers show was last night. I was tempted to skip it because I still have moving things to do, and I didn't feel that great. We had quick cold front come through a couple days ago and every time any kind of front comes through I get headaches. I took some Advil and then felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day, but my head felt better. Anyway, I had already will called the ticket and figured I would have to eventually feel better by the time the concert started. It worked kind of...about five songs in I was fairly painless. I attribute it to Dulli and company.

I'm not going to go through a whole review, because I've already done it too many times. I will say that last night's crowd wasn't as good as the crowd at the Avalon. The crowd at the Avalon is probably the best I've seen with the Twilight Singers. One of these days I'd like to see them some place else than LA, because on a whole LA crowds blow. Why go to a concert if you are just going to stand there like you're a five year old waiting to see the dentist? On the other hand I had a trio of near fifty year old guys playing air guitar (which is fine) and bumping fists after every other song (not fine). It was clearly a case of the Twilight Singer fan that invited his two drinking/working buddies. One buddy was there because he didn't have anything better to do except sit at home drinking Zima and working out. Besides his friend said they were better than Creed and Creed is pretty good. The other buddy was there for one reason: college age girls. So we had one guy bumping fists because he wanted to show how much the Twilight Singers rock. The other guy bumping fists because that's what men do and he can't express himself any other way except for high fives and flexing. Finally, the other guy was fist pumping because he finally found some girls who aren't completely disgusted by his leering. He knew buying that black shirt would do the trick.

Anyway, the highlights of the concert was Dulli singing the first verse of "Amazing Grace" before launching into "King Only." Clearly Dulli feels blessed to still be alive after his battle with addiction. Mark Lanegan was featured more in this show than previous ones. He was brought out mid-show and then for the encore where they blazed through the song "Boogie Boogie." I don't think I've ever seen them rock that hard.

Great show overall, and again I suggest you give them a shot when they come to a town near you.

Now back to packing.

October 25th, 2006
Twilight Singers: Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues

Teenage Wristband
Im Ready
Bonnie Brae
Too Tough To Die
Live With Me
Ill Take Care Of You
Sideways in Reverse
Amazing Grace
King Only
Esta Noche
Theres Been an Accident
Shine On You Crazy Diamond/Candy Cane Crawl
Papillon
Sublime
Thats Just How That Bird Sings
Martin Eden
Fat City

Encore:
Lovestoned/I Think She Knows/The Killer/Wolf Like Me
Boogie Boogie
Flashback
Underneath the Waves

Hot Night with the Lips. Too Hot.

Last night was a couple firsts for me. In my six years of living in LA, it was my first concert at the Hollywood Bowl as well as my first Flaming Lips concert. I know many of you consider that a travesty on both counts. What can I say? I'm a small venue kind of guy. Though it was the combination of the spectacle of a Flaming Lips concert tucked into the Hollywood Hills that made me willing to deal with park and ride, and the 17 thousand in attendance. On the whole, I'd say the night was hit and miss.

The biggest problem was that LA is in an unprecedented heatwave. It was ridiculously hot last night. When you are willing to pay for water what you would for a beer, you know it's hot. Big ups to Tamara who brought the samaches and enough water to last till the sun went down.

The Theivery Corporation was the opening act. They brought their bohemian dirty hippie vibe to the concert. There's nothing as frightening or as enthralling as dancing dirty hippie girls.

But the real reason the people were at the sold out Bowl was for The Flaming Lips. I personally was expecting a giant spectacle. The first good news was that they were shooting this concert for a DVD. That meant they would go all out with the spectacle. At least I originally thought it was a good sign. My second thought was why would they shoot a concert at the Hollywood Bowl? It visually is a stunning venue, but you have no idea what kind of audience you are going to get. Did they really expect the people who paid thousands of dollars for the box seats to be that involved while eating their olives and brie? You also have the snobby LA fan factor. There are many LA concert goers that refuse to get involved in a concert. It's very much a be there to be seen kind of mind set. Third, (again) it was hotter than most Los Angeleans are used to. All that lead to an audience that wasn't going to go all out even if they were going to be in a concert film.

[I'm pretty sure if you are ever going to shoot a concert film you have to shoot it overseas. They go apeshit over there simply because when a US band perform over there it's a once in a lifetime thing. How can you not go crazy?]

Anyway, all this led to Wayne Coyne wasting time before and after every song with requests that eventually became begging pleads for the audience to stand up and get involved. In LA? At the Bowl? In this heat? Not going to happen.

Still as a spectacle it was highly entertaining. You had your dancing santas and aliens. You had Wayne in the bubble. There were the mermaids/aliens? in body paint wandering the venue. There were numerous giant white balloons released during the first song, "Race for the Prize." They passed out glowing necklaces that Wayne then asked the audience to throw at him during "Yoshima Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 2." You also had numerous cannon shots of confetti covering the crowd. All this to say that while it was all visually fantastic (There's nothing like seeing thousands of glowing necklaces flying through the air) it was all maybe too much. When the giant balloons were released, more people where enthralled by knocking them around than the band performing on stage. It had me wondering: Where's that line in which the spectacle overshadow the music? I realize that The Flaming Lips have become this merger of visual set pieces and their music, but were more people there to see Coyne walk across the crowd in a bubble or hear the song that accompanies that visual? As a self admitted music snob, I would have gladly sacrificed some visuals if it meant more than a 10 song set. The kid in me did appreciate the eye candy at moments. Particularly, once the sun set and the crowd got involved which was right around the encore.

In fact, it was that encore of "War Pigs" that saved the show for me, and had me feeling happy and entertained as I was herded along with the mass exodus. Driving home, though after the glow wore off, I was wondering if "War Pigs" was simply an indication of how good the show could have been. It seems that last night I simply got a taste of how fantastic a Flaming Lips concert could be.

Here's What I Meant to Say about the Twilight Singers Concert

Twilight Review

Updated: LA Setlist

06.23.06

I'm Ready
Esta Noche
Too Tough to Die
Bonnie Brae
66
Fountain and Fairfax
King Only
Teenage Wristband
Dream On
Love
Annie Mae
There's Been An Accident (featuring Joseph Arthur)
Candy Cane Crawl
Let's Get It On
Papillon (w/When We Two Parted)
Martin Eden
Forty Dollars

encore:
The Killer
Crazy
Underneath the Waves
Live With Me (featuring Mark Lanegan)
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (feat. Mark Lanegan)
Black is the Color (featuring Mark Lanegan)
Deep Hit of Morning Sun (featuring Mark Lanegan)

I'm Too Old for This. (Not That it Ever Stops Me)

I feel tremendously old today. It seems I can no longer pull off back to back nights of genius. I'm sore, tired, and simply burnt out. Would I do it again? Damn straight I would. Tuesday I experienced the spandexed debauchery of Lucha Vavoom as shown in the pictures below. I tell you there's nothing like nearly being flattened by a large man in spandex. Last night was the sweat and debauchery you can only experience at a Twilight Singers show. I can say that last night they were at their absolute best. But before I get to the main act let me talk a little about the opening acts: Jeff Klein and Afterhours. Greg Dulli had a hand in both of their latest albums. This definitely gave the whole night a kind of Dulli with his extended family vibe.

Jeff Klein is a young singer songwriter. I know there are probably some Ryan Adams comparisons that he probably hates, but I can see how those comparisons could be made. I will say that Klein's world is darker almost noir like than Adams'. Actually it's the same world Dulli's music lives in. Last night his performance was just him and his guitar. Most of his set involved him creating the percussion, rhythm guitar, and strings with his guitar. While the looping and the songs were great, there was more impact to the performance when the Twilight Singers came out backed him up on a song. Still a solid performance.

Then all hell broke loose when the Afterhours came out. Afterhours are an Italian band that Dulli met years ago when touring Europe. First of all they flat out rocked. Second they performed with so much energy and honest joy it was impossible for the crowd to not partake. These guys clearly enjoyed just playing rock and roll. It was an absolutely great set. I'd pay just to see them in concert.

Now let me talk about the Twilight Swingers. Living in LA I basically got to see the first and last concert of their US tour. Yes, the first one was really just a "practice" show, but it was the first time they performed the new songs in front of an audience. Last night was the last stop of their US tour which meant they could pull out all the stops. They pulled out every last one.

One of the bad things about living in LA is that the concert audiences often suck. They just stand there and watch with absolutely no investment in the show. Last night was one of the rare time the audience got involved, expect for the two wet blankets right in front of me. I actually credit Afterhours for doing what an opening band should. Clearly the Twilight Singers were feeding off this. I have to give it up for the audience since they usually just stare and clap.

Another bonus is that they played at the Avalon. Usually, I've seen the Twilight Singers perform at small clubs like Spaceland. The intimacy of those shows is great, but performance wise the band's sound is too big for such venues. The Avalon was the perfect venue and it was packed.

The cast was the same as the last concert I went too, except that the Afterhours lead singer played keys this time. The guitarist Dave Rosser was even better this time around. Maybe it was because he had room to move or simply having a full tour with the band and the the material. Bobby MacIntyre proved once again he's one of the best drummers currently in rock. Scott Ford deserves a lot of credit that I don't think he gets from the fans. Scott Ford is so steady and solid he almost disappears. Dulli was of course Dulli. Dulli's finally kicked the drugs and it shows on the stage. Yes, the always enjoyable rambling is kept short and sweet but this is the best I've seen and heard him.

It's hard to pick out the highlights. An obvious one was when they dusted off the Whig's classic Fountain and Fairfax. The crowd erupted. Fountain and Fairfax is a corner in LA. It's one of the first places I went when I moved out here. When he brought out Joseph Arthur to join him in singing "There's Been an Accident" was cool too. Arthur has such a cool voice that compliments Dulli's so well. Dulli did his soul man strut during Candy Cane Crawl and then did a crowd pleasing rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On." They did a great cover of Gnarl's Barkley's "Crazy." "Forty Dollars" closing out the set was fantastic. For the encore they brought out Mark Lanegan to close it out with a few songs. It added to over 2 hours of Twilight Singers playing their hearts and souls out. With Klein and Afterhours that's four hours of brilliant music.

I can tell now I haven't done this show justice here. I've said it before I'll say it again. Do what you can to see these guys when they come back around. Even if you aren't familiar with their music, I promise you will enjoy yourself.

Which One Are You?

Last weekend Southern California was graced with the presence of M.O.L. Jr. Saturday night, M.O.L. Jr., bobby, and myself went to the Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers at the Roxy. It was a great show, and the first time I'd ever been to a concert with bobby. (I think) Anyway, while I was doing a little people watching I started categorizing everyone. No matter what concert there are always these types of people there. So which one are you?

Front Row Mom: When men hit their mid-life crisis they buy sports cars, hire young attractive secretaries, and dye their hair. Women in their mid-life crisis end up at the front row of concerts. They usually are hammered, and trying to touch the crotch of every person on stage.

The Female Hardcore Fan: She too is in the front row, and usually leaning on lead singer's monitor singing every word to every song. You go through the whole catalogue of emotions in one night. They often travel in pairs or with Front Row Mom.

The Crazy Female Hardcore Fan: Ohmigod! Ohmigod! Ohmigod! I looooooooove this band! Sob. Sob. Sob. They mean so much to me. Sob. Sob. Sob. Eek! I love this song! I don't know why I'm crying. I would do anything for them. Sadly, you often do end up doing anything.

The above categories come in a Skank version as well.

The Stoic Male Hardcore Fan: He is a few rows back. He nods to the beat during the whole concert. Occasionally he'll sing along. He smiles when the band changes something up from the previous 15 shows he's been to. He always hopes they play that one song from that German import EP he got six years ago for $40, but they never do. His only distraction is the cute girl to the left who sings along. If he only had the guts.

The Crazy Male Hardcore Fan: Take everything about SMHF and add flailing of the arms and a lot of screaming. Everyone in the venue hates him, even the band.

The Judge: Not to be confused with the Stoic, even though you have the same records that Stoic has. The difference is you hate the band now. They've never been as good since they got rid of their original guitartist. This new direction the band has taken sucks. You don't sing along except for when they play that first single from their first record, but you eventually catch yourself and feel guilty about it. Some might ask why you are even there or why you still buy every album. You'd give an answer, if you knew yourself.

The Party Girl Fan: As far as you are concerned the band isn't the only show in the building. You are there to drink and dance away the worst week you ever had at work. Heaven help anyone that gets in your way. No boys tonight (unless they are really really cute) just you and your girls. They can sometimes turn into...

The Grinders: Sometimes a couple and sometimes a couple of strangers. Drunk off of your ass you and your partner seem to think that the lack of light allows you to begin the mating ritual. Everyone around you is extremely disgusted, but you're too drunk to care. How you don't rub your hips raw, I have no idea.

The Non-Fan: You can't believe you got suckered into this. Does your life suck this bad? Are you this desperate to please your girlfriend/wife? The band sucks, but your significant other loves them. So you pay your dues for the hope of a little something something afterwards, if she gets drunk enough. The bar is your refuge from the crap on stage. You want to beat the shit out of CMHF.

The Creepy Touchy Drunk: Man, the world is great, man. Man, I love you, and you, and you man. These guys rock, man. Man, you're beautiful, baby. Can I touch your boobies? People are frightened by you. They pray you won't touch them, or that you will stop touching them. Problems really arise when you touch the wrong person. Why would anyone punch someone who loves them so much? You also probably need a ride home.

The Frat Boys: You aren't really a fan. You just heard this band is hot (according to Spin and/or Rollingstone). If they say they are an "it" band they must be right. In your glove compartment your real music collection consists of Creed, Dave Matthews Band, and Candlebox. You also hope there will be some hot chicks. You and your friends travel in packs hitting on anything with heels. You are the one that still thinks it's funny to yell, "Freebird!" You are usually the one punching CTD when he touches you. You hate fags.

The Scenester: You aren't a fan either. You only show up at the concerts of bands who appear on the cover of magazines. You are there to be seen, and hope someone recognizes you. You spend the whole concert chatting and chatting and chatting. When you get home you check Gawker.com to see if anyone puts you up there. You're still waiting for the background work on Saved by the Bell to payoff.

The Rest: You want to have fun and listen to good music. Unfortunately, you often have to deal with those listed above. God bless you.

I will admit sometimes I fall into the Stoic Hardcore Fan category.

Ebay Gold!

This is the greatest thing I've ever gotten off ebay.

Another Uptown Lights Review

Here's another Uptown Lights review. This one's from Rhino.com.

Bastards!

My memory seems to be slipping even more as I get older. I have no other reason for not suggesting the Heartless Bastards yesterday. They are even from my home state Ohio which is rich in musical talent. The Heartless Bastards fit into that garage rock soul that apparently seeps up from the ground. The band is great, but Erika Wennerstrom’s voice is where it’s at. The lady can howl as in Robert Plant howl with the best of them. I also love saying “Bastards.”

For a lost gem of an album I recommend The Outfield's Play Deep. You may remember the Top Ten hit "Your Love." You should remember the whole album. It's great 80's Brit-pop.

Here is a decent review in Now Playing of the last two Uptown Lights concerts.

Concert Bill

Uptown Again

Up there in my top ten reasons I’m happy to live in LA is that Greg Dulli lives here too. The benefit is the Uptown Lights. I got to see them again last month and even persuaded a co-worker to experience the gospel of Dulli. The highlight of the show was Dulli going into full on soul man mode during his rendition of O.V. Wright’s “Ace of Spades.” It was also a bonus hearing two tracks from the upcoming Twilight Singers album Amber Headlights. Dulli said this was the last Uptown Lights show which leaves me a little torn. The music fan in me believes he should tour the country with the Uptown Lights so that all may enjoy. The music snob in me gets a little thrill that I got to see the two shows Uptown Lights ever did even though I may be the only one to care. Below is the set list with the original artist.

From the Uptown Lights page at Myspace -

Punish Me - Margie Joseph
Ain’t Nobody - Chaka Khan
All Along The Watchtower - a la Jimi Hendrix
Get Ready - Temptations
Follow Me - Cee-lo
Tell Everyone - Ronnie Lane
Ace Of Spades - OV Wright
I Want To Be Free - Joe Tex
Hercules - Aaron Neville
So Tight - Amber Headlights
Tell Me What’s On Your Mind - Cyril Neville
Red Hot Mama - Funkadelic
Come To Mama - Ann Peebles
Wang Dang Doodle - a la Willie Dixon
Back Stabbers - O'Jays
I’ll Be Around - Spinners
Lost In The Supermarket - The Clash/Stand By Me - Ben E. King
Cigarettes - Amber Headlights
Ooh La La - Faces

For updates on Twilight Singers and Uptown Lights I suggest the following links.
Dulli's Inferno
Summer's Kiss

I've come to the final conclusion that I must be getting old because new music just isn't doing it for me anymore. I find myself buying fewer and fewer new albums. I always thought I'd be one of those guys who would be able to adjust. There have been a couple purchases though that I offer up to you.

The first is a hesitant recommendation simply because the singer's voice is an acquired taste. The Hold Steady are the rock band I need at the moment. Yes the singing is more talking in tune rather than actual singing, but the bar band rock and spectacular story telling makes Separation Sunday my record of the year so far.

My second suggestion will take a little effort to find becuase it's an import. Katamari Damacy is the soundtrack from the PS2 game of the same name. If you aren't familiar with the game, shame on you because you are missing out on a simple trippy joy that needs to be experienced. That same simple trippy joy is found in the music as well. I would describe it as Japanese pop, but then it's more than that. You could go find it for sale on some website, but I recommend using bittorrent to get a hold of it, and then buying it if the guilt gets to you.

Finally I recommend the power pop compilation Yellow Pills: Prefill. Jordan Oakes, who is responsible for power pop magazine Yellow Pills in the early 90's, is rightfully the man to compile this two disc set of lost power pop gems. Fans of Jellyfish, The Exploding Hearts, and dangerously catchy hooks will be fans of this set. My only complaint is the doubling up of artists on the compilation, but it's a minor complaint. I do offer this warning some of these songs are dangerously catchy.

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow will be a baseball post. So how ever that effects your reading take notice.

The Uptown Lights

Concert Poster

Going Downtown to see Uptown (Lights)

Uptown Lights at Spaceland, Silver Lake, CA 2/19/05

Uptown Lights are:
Greg Dulli/Vocals
Scott Ford/Bass
Mathias Schneeberger/Keys
Jon Skibic/Guitar
Bobby MacIntyre/Drums

When I first heard of this concert back in early January, I rode a wave of giddiness that then crested down to apprehension in about three seconds. The Uptown Lights are Greg Dulli (lead orchestrator of the Afghan Whigs and Twilight Singers) getting together some of his friends from the Twilight Singers recordings and doing a show of all R&B covers. It’s one of those too good to be true moments that made me thankful again that I live in LA. I’m not one for high hopes or expectations, but I was already pegging this concert as “Concert of the Year.” This of course made me feel like I was jinxing the whole thing. Surely I’m setting myself up for a big disappointment. By the day of the show I was hesitant to even go. Welcome to my world of anxiety.

But I went. I was able to convince myself that I couldn’t miss out on the “Concert of the Year.” And that guilt beat out my apprehension of jinxing the show. So I drove to Silver Lake in the apparent flood season in LA. Yes, I took the downpour as a sign of impending doom for the show.

Of course the show was spectacular. When Mr. Dulli stepped up to the mic and the band went into the first chords of “Get Ready” my fears were washed away. Dulli is one of those few artists that can cover a song and make it sound like it’s all his own. It’s tough to pin down highlights from the “Concert of the Year.” The opening combo of “Get Ready” and “Ain’t Nobody” was just kick start my heart badass. Being an Ohio boy I always like it when another Ohio Boy (Dulli from Cincy) pays compliment to other Ohio Boy’s (Black Keys from Akron). There wasn’t much Dulli banter this night. That can be seen as both pro or con depending on who you are. But Dulli was Dulli at his cigarette tinged howling best. I didn’t even mind risking life and limb while I hydroplaned back home to Long Beach.

A side note: I am not musically gifted no matter how much my mother tried to impose it upon me. But I'm pretty sure Bobby MacIntyre is one of best drummers I've ever seen. After going to a few Twilight Singers shows and this one.Mr. MacIntyre has garnered himself a little following among Dulli fans. The man is seriously good. I wish I could tell you why.

Uptown Lights setlist

get ready/temptations
ain't nobody/chaka khan
under tha influence (follow me)/cee-lo green
tell me what's on your mind/cyril neville
what becomes of the broken hearted/jimmy ruffin
i wanna be free/joe tex
ace of spades/o.v. wright
tell everyone/ronnie lane
stay cool/sylvio delacroix
red hot mama/funkadelic
come to mama/ann peebles
backstabbers/o'jays
i'll be around/spinners (tagged Blame Etc./Afghan Whigs at the end)
come see about me/supremes
i'll be your man/black keys
a love supreme/coltrane
please stay/marvin gaye
black is the color/nina simone
ooh la la/the faces

Pictures from the Show