Random: Finally...

I knew it...

Live Review: White Rabbits/Walkmen/Spoon

Ok, so, it has been almost a week since the show and I'm just getting around to the review...cut me some slack, I've been busy. Anyway, the show was in Cincinnati at a venue called Bogart's. Anyway, when we get there I realize that I (yet again) have forgotten my camera that I brought to school for this sole purpose. Anyway, I stopped at the local walgreens and got the worst disposable camera in the history of ...er disposable cameras. So bear with me...

white rabbits rockin... pics get better

Finally we get to Bogart's and get patted down on arrival (oh cinci...), which I've never seen happen before. So we rush to the stage to get as close as we can for the white rabbits, all of us being big fans. There seems to be a hole where no one is standing, so we *obviously* decide to occupy that spot. After about 30 seconds or so I feel something hit my shoulder. The roof was leaking *sigh in Cincinnati's direction*. We didn't want to lose our once decent spot so we strategically position ourselves to avoid the rainwater. We figured once the band came on people might scoot up, which they did. Anyway, white rabbits rocked, as they always do. I love the intensity of their live show. The keyboardist puts everything he has into the songs, it's really neat. They played about 3/4 of the songs on fort nightly and then a few new ones. I cannot wait for their next release. I'm telling you guys, they are the real deal. Go see them live.

the walkmen...photoshop action to cloak the shitty-ness of the picture...ITS ART DAMNIT!

Next, the walkmen came on. I had seen them at the basement alongside the white rabbits a few months back and was not that impressed. However, I was pretty unfamiliar with their material. This time around they were so much better. Not only did the sound system improve (the basement did them no justice), but I recognized a lot of the songs. And this time, I can honestly say I really enjoyed their performance. Like I said, at the basement the singers voice was like ear-piercing, but this time I found it full of emotion. They are definitely an odd band to see live, but pretty impressive the second time around. Their performance lies directly on the singers shoulders, as he is, aside fromt the drummer, the energy source of the band, and he nailed it at bogart's.

spoon.

A while back, hmm, lets say late fall quarter, I saw spoon with great northern, and it was great... But, I never did a review or put up any of the gazillion pictures/videos I took. It just seems so dumb that I'm putting up this silly black and white photo when I have a ton of really good ones. Anywho, they were sweet yet again. Although, they seemed to have added a slight bit of electronic effects to their show. I mean they had some before, but this kinda gave some of the songs a psychedelic rock feel, which was sweet. Spoon plays one of the most impressive sets I have seen, that is if you are a fan. They play so many songs, and it is just amazing if you know them and can sing along. These guys have made so many pop gems over their career, it is truly impressive. The set they played at Bogart's was slightly longer since they were headlining a bigger tour, and I think they encored either two or three times. Although this time around their tickets weren't 5 bucks, it was still a great show.

keep on keepin' on,
tony

Animal Collective - Water Curses

So, n case you didn't know...

Animal Collective's new song "Water Curses"off their upcoming Water Curses EP due out may 6th.

check it out here ...

Live Review: Maps and Atlases

Yo, finally found a way to upload the pics from my camera due to my failing card reader. Anyway, last Thursday I went to the Maps and Atlases show at Monster House. You may be asking what the Monster House is, and frankly, I did the same thing. Well, there are about 5 or so houses throughout Columbus that put on shows to support independent culture. For examples, bands passing through who need money for gas or whatnot. Anyway, the place is just a house and the show was in the basement. I was really impressed how organized these guys were, with a schedule and everything...real cool stuff.

Anyway, my buddy, who is a huge Maps and Atlases fan, saw the event on their myspace page. None of us had heard of Monster House but figured we would go check it out. When we got there (10th street) we met the guys who rent the place and they were real cool. They said that three other bands would also be playing. They included: Six Gallery(indie), The Dopamines(garage punk), The Pharmacy(psychedelic indie), and Maps and Atlases(math rock). I had only heard of Maps and Atlases, but I was really impresses with both Six Gallery, who I believe were from Columbus, and The Pharmacy, who reside in Washington.

The Pharmacy...

The first band to go on was Six Gallery. They played very technical rock, I would consider them math rock as well, but the flier said indie, so I'll roll with it. So do yourself a favor and run a search or two on them. Next up were the Dopamines. Punk rock would be the only description I can come up with. Not really my cup of tea, but still enjoyable, pretty entertaining guys. I really liked the fans they brought, pumping their fists and wearing their jean jackets, pretty admirable. Then the pharmacy came on. The guy who lives at the house was attempting to describe their sound, but he concluded that we would have to just experience them. He was right, they were very interesting. Lots of reverb, white noise and rockin', I really liked their set. Elements of psychedelia, with a bit of an indie sound.

Guitarist from maps and atlases... (no encores, lol)

Then came Maps and Atlases, a band I was pretty familiar with due to my friend who really digs them. They are extremely talented and put on a hell of a show. They use a lot of guitar tapping, and the drummer is ridiculous. They played an amazing set, every song on their album and a few more that I had seen either through my friend listening to them or on youtube. It was insane to see a band like this in such an intimate place like the basement of someones house accepting only donations so they can continue their tour. That, my friends, is what music should be all about. I kinda felt bad, I only had 4 bucks on me, they deserved so much more. Also, this basement probably held about 30 people comfortably, so we were forced to scoot up as far as we could to the band. Due to some strategic positioning, me and a few of my friends were a matter of inches away from the drummer and the guitarist was about 2 feet at most. I was actually in fear of the drumstick smacking me in the face. I completely lost control and went into jam mode for a solid 45 minutes. An amazing experience.

Drummer from Maps and Atlases ( cymbol was like 3 inches from mah face)

The "awesomeness" that took place in that basement is pretty challenging to put into words. I was running late working on a lab assignment only to come home to this note on my desk. Although slightly inappropriate, I think it does an excellent job at describing how great they were. Use your imagination.

ha, thanks bob, you were soooo right.

One last treat for you guys....Check out the video I took. The quality isn't anything to write home about but still cool. I'll get get on that Spoon/Walkmen/White Rabbits write up here in a little. Stay Tuned....

***yeah so apparently the blogger video upload makes it small as hell (quality=dead), so at least enjoy the sound, sorry it was dark there. Go to the actual youtube page so you can see it fullscreen, you can actually see things then.

<3tony

Playlists: OHIO.FM 4/8/08

alright, I have two shows that I should be giving a live review of, however, still need to find someone with a card reader because mine is having driver problems ever since I upgraded to xp (;P).

I think I'm still on track for not playing the same song in 5 shows, correct me if I'm wrong... Anyway, here is the playlist from last night in case you missed it.

Queens of the Stone Age - Burn the Witch
The Rosebuds - Get Up Get Out
The Thermals - Power Doesn't Run on Nothing
Radiohead - 15 Step
Pavement - ...And Carrot Rope
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
Rilo Kiley - The Execution of All Things
Evangelicals - Bellawood
Kanye West - School Spirit
Animal Collective - Derek
White Rabbits - I Used to Complain Now I Don't (live)
Wilco - Side With the Seeds
Of Montreal - Suffer For Fashion (live acoustic)
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tick Motion of the Head to the Left (live)
The Apples In Stereo - Man You Gotta Get Up
Common - Driving Me Wild (feat Lilly Allen)
Foals - Red Socks Pugie
Rage Against the Machine - Know Your Enemy (live)
British Sea Power - No Lucifer
The Black Keys - Modern Times
The New Pornographers - Unguided
Kanye West - Spaceship
The National - Secret Meeting


Pretty good stuff imo, lemme know if you'd like to hear any, I could arrange something.

<3 tony

Random: Cold War Kids Vid

Hey, first off, I'd like to apologize, I went to a Maps and Atlases show thursday and haven't yet put up any pictures or a review. Also, I just got back from the Spoon/Walkman/White Rabbits concert in cinci. I'm having some camera trouble so I'll be working on that....

Until then, here is something to hold you over.

A take away show by the Cold War Kids

1 AN - COLD WAR KIDS - We used to...
by lablogotheque

Playlists: This Weeks Playlist (4/1/08)

Welp, here it is in case you missed anything. 4/1/08

Ohio.FM

Apostle of Hustle - "My Sword Hand's Anger"
TV on the Radio - "Tonight"
Elvis Perkins - "While You Were Sleeping"
Colour Revolt - "Change Your Face or Change Your Name"
The Strokes - "Someday"
Yael Naim - "New Soul"
ABX - "Punk Your Mind"
Yeasayer - "Sunrise"
Cold War Kids - "We Used to Vacation"
Evangelicals - "Midnight Vignette"
Wilco - "Heavy Metal Drummer"
British Sea Power - "Lights Out for Darkier Skies"
White Rabbits - "Beehive State [Randy Newman]-> Fort Nightly"
Radiohead - "A Wolf at the Door"
Feist - "My Moon My Man"
Man Man - "Mister Jung Stuffed"
Dax Riggs - "Night is the Notion"
Spoon - "Finer Feelings"
Destroyer - "Dark Leaves From A Thread"
MGMT - "Kids"
Foals - "Cassius"
Black Keys - "Girl Is on My Mind"
Frank Zappa - "I'm the Slime"
The New Pornographers - "From Blown Speakers"
Radiohead - "Jigsaw Falling into Place"
Of Montreal - "The Past is a Grotesque Animal"

Take Care,

tony