November 28, 2007 - November's lone show. The Cold War Kids. 930 Club. Wow. They sounded as good as they did this first time I saw them this year. They played all the
favorites, the Hospital Beds and the Hang Me Out to Drys. The crowd was a mixture of hipster types and young girls, who probably heard of them through MTV or some other
medium, but they could not ruin my fun. Except for two in who thought every song was a sing and dance and get in my way-along. The sound was crisp and perfect. The light
effects were very subtle. I think I enjoyed their first show of the year at the club better, but mainly because Tokyo Police Club opened for them. Another highlight of this show were
the new tracks they were playing. If this is any indication of their next album, they already got a hit on their hands.
October 27 2007 - I enjoy the shit out of She Wants Revenge. They have a sound that is all theirs. Their first Cd is a classic, and the new one has been on repeat in my stereo for
weeks. I missed the opportunity to see them a couple of times, and i vowed, never again. I arrived as one of the openers, Kenna, was performing. I had never heard Kenna
before, and I liked what i was hearing. He announced he was signing after his set, so before She Wants Revenge started, I got Kenna's Cd and got it signed by him. It is a
awesome Cd, and he was a good performer and nice guy. She Wants Revenge played a set heavy off their new Cd. I hadn't quite got into it as much as I have now. Good energy
from those guys, and a great performance. The sound at the Black Cat did not disappoint that night.
October 22, 2007 - The Shins with Spoon. I got tickets for this WAY in advance, and ended up scoring tickets dead center, and just a couple of rows behind the GA pit. First up
was Spoon. Spoon played a great set, but it was plagued by one huge problem. A buzzing noise. They had a constant low freq buzz going through out their whole set. It really
took away from the experience for me. Other than the incessant buzz, it was a very good performance. But on to the stars of the show, the Shins. They played songs old and new,
a very mixed set that seemed to please most of the crowd. I was worried about their indie sound filling up the whole Merriweather Post Pavilion, but it was more than enough. The
sound was incredible. It gave me new perspective to a lot of the tracks, and I find myself listening to them more and more.
October 8, 2007 - Tonight I saw the Klaxons. I was unable to catch the opener, Washington Social Club, due to other obligations. Sorry guys, maybe next time. The Klaxons more
than made up for being the only band I saw that night. They rocked hard and sounded good. They played the entirety of their Mercury Prize winning debut, Myths of the Near Future.
The rave rock had the kids dancing at the show. The front of the club jumped along to every song, from the single Golden Skans, to my favorite, Gravity's Rainbow. Their set also
included two songs I was unfamiliar with. It was nice to see that kind of music played on just a guitar, a bass, a drum set, and a keyboard. The harmonies of all of the signers
together was awesome. I'm already ready for their next DC show. Hopefully it will be at the 930 club again, it was the perfect one to show case the band and their sound.
October 6, 2007 - Today was Voxtrot show three of the year for me. Voxtrot has risen steadily on my list of favorite bands, and I am glad I was able to catch this show. It was an all
right show, definitely not one of my favorites. Unfortunately, Ramesh the front man was sick that night. I read later that he required surgery a few days later. Hopefully all is well.
Ramesh was trooper that night though. He and the band played through their catalog of EP's and their excellent self titled debut LP. Most of my favorites were performed
including Your Biggest Fan, Raised by Wolves, and Brother in Conflict. Other than the short set time, i believe it was about 45 minutes long, which couldn't be helped due to
illness, I had one more problem with the show. The sound. Black Cat can be sketchy with its sound sometimes. Most of the places I go the band will be mixed well and sound
great, but at the Cat that night, it sounded pretty band. The bands jangley, tight sound was muddied into a distorted mess. If I didn't know the band and their songs, I might have
left. That being said, it was still a descent show, and a good time. Hopefully next time they can play a different venue and are not sick.
September 25, 2007 - What a great show. Attendance was low, the sold ticket list at the door only listed 30 tickets, and the club looked like it had maybe a couple more than that
there. I didn't catch the opener. Fujiya & Miyagi did a solid hour set with an encore of Collarbone. The cord that was there got into there music and people were (almost) dancing.
They played most, if not all of Transparent Things, and a few other tracks. A couple of the tracks were from their first Cd Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style, but I think the crowd
had the biggest reaction to their new single off their forthcoming album, called Uh. That song could be a big hit. They also had their own sound guy there, and the Ottobar sounded
better than it has any other time I have been there. I definitely recommend checking them out the next time they come around the area.
September 19, 2007 - Regina Spektor at Ram's Head in Baltimore. This show was one for the girls. The only guys in the crowd were either gay or with a girl. There was no
groups of just guys. The girl to guy ratio was at least five to one. This show was a birthday present to my girlfriend, or I probably wouldn't have been there. The crowd was annoying.
They talked the whole time. And the rest of the crowd seemed to be shushing them, making more noise.
Her performance was great. It was a little better than her set at virgin fest. I think the more intimate setting did her music better justice. She again was solo. She played piano on
most songs, and played guitar on two songs. One song also had her playing the chair and piano at the same time. She also did a song with the opener (i think, i missed the
opener), and he beat boxed while she sang. She put on a solid hour and 30 set, with a 5 song encore. The encore included a cover of john Lennon and fidelity. Judging by the
crowds reaction to fidelity, it was the song everyone had came to see.I also really dug Ram's Head and plan on going back. The sound was great and i can't wait to see the
Polyphonic Spree when they play there later this year.
August 8, 2007 - This must be my year... I get to see another one of my new favorite bands for a second time this year. This time the repeat band was Tokyo Police Club . I saw
them at the Sonar nightclub in Baltimore. I was surprised to find out that the show was going to be held in the little room at the club, i was expecting the big room to host it. The
size of the room didn't matter, as the small room had a lot of people, but it was in no way full. The opening band was Ra Ra Riot. This was my first exposure to the baned, and I
really enjoyed them. They played an indie sort of rock, one that included a cello and a violin. I saw about 5 songs of their set, and then bought their excellent ep. Tokyo Police Club
came onto stage a little while later. They played their whole EP, and also new songs that I hadn't heard, or if i heard them earlier this year, I forgot about them. Not that they weren't
good, that was just a while back. I am very excited to get their full length, whenever it drops. They played a solid set, and the crowd was getting into it. I am pretty sure most the
people there were fans, and didn't just go to a random show that hot August night.
August 7, 2007 - Let us play some catch up. How could I go from August to December without writing about the excellent Band of Horses. I started listening to them the year
before, and missed their 930 club gig by a week. It would have been nice to see them play strictly tracks from their first cd, but this show was good too. I was able to hear tracks
for the first tiem that everybody else was hearing for the first time. they played a nice mix of tracks from, their first cd and from the new one, Cease to Begin. The new tracks were
all good. as soon as I got the new cd, I recognized half of them. Their set was a mellow affair, and i will definitely catch them again. The singer has the best beard in rock.
August 4, 2007 - Virgin Fest Day 1!
August 5, 2007 - Virgin Fest Day 2!
July 17, 2007 Voxtrot again! And not even the last time this year, I am also going to see them at the Black Cat later this year. This time I saw them at the Ottobar in Baltimore. This
was a great show. Voxtrot have steadily risen to the top of my list of favorite bands. This show did not disappoint. I missed/do not care about the openers, so lets skip to the main
act. Voxtrot played a lot of songs that night off of all of their records. All three EP's of theirs were represented as well as their self titled full length. They played all of my favorites. It
was also the bassist Jason Chronis birthday, and a cake with candles was brought out to him. After the show I asked Voxtrot singer Ramesh Srivastava what their song Your
Biggest Fan was about. I thought it was about a band my friend Matt thought it was about a girl. Turns out it was about neither. It was actually about a transvestite air to some huge
corporation. Or something like that. I was a little drunk by the time. I did not have a camera that night, but here are a couple of pictures form that nights performance. The pictures
were taken by Robbie Fearless.
June 30, 2007 - This was one of my favorite shows ever. The Polyphonic Spree! What a great band. If you don't know who they are, they are a group that has over 20 members in
it, and they love the sun. They performed for an hour or so, playing mostly new songs off of the excellent third Cd, the Fragile Army, but they also played some old fan favorites and
even a Nirvana cover, which can be found on last years EP. I wasn't sure how they were gonna fit 24 people onto the stage at the 930 club, but they did. The choir of 7 girls was in
the back, on two platforms, then a line of musicians, then the band leader Tim. The show was a joyous affair, and one of th only times i have ever seen the hipster 930 club crowd
dancing. But maybe it want a hipster crowd at all, but genuine fans... I saw tons of people singing every word. One thing to mention is they have forgone their traditional robes for
a military look. Its an evolution that has seen them go from white robes, to colorful robes, to now wearing black fatigues with peace type patches on them, and Lil gold name
tapes. The band was incredible. The sound was rocking, and i think them bringing their won sound guy with his own equipment was the reason. I didn't know how well the club
could mike and mix 24 people, but the bands sound guy deserves mucho kudos. This show had me feeling good about life, and it made me want to go join the Fragile Army and
tour the world with them. Since the show, the Cd has been in constant rotation in my Cd player, and now i can sing along to ALL of their songs. Come back to DC Spree, come
back.
June 13, 2007 - Voxtrot. Along with Favourite Sons and Au Revoire Simone. This was the second time I missed Au Revoire Simone, the first time being a Peter Bjorn and John
show from a couple of weeks ago. Favorite Sons were pretty bad. I couldn't tell what style they were going for. You can check the link for yourself to see what you think about them.
They kind of have an alt country feel about them. Anyways, on to the main event, Voxtrot. Wow! What a great show.... On a scale of one to ten, I would definitely give the show an 8, it
would have been higher if the show was at a better venue. The Black Cat is a good enough venue, but the sound kind of sucks. I would way rather see them at the 930 club, or
even at the Ottobar, (where they play next month!) I pick the 930 due to its set up and its sound, and the Ottobar, due to its intimate feel with its small size. But back to the show.
They played a good chunk of their Cd, Voxtrot, and threw in a few songs off of their E.P.s. I had a great time, a recommend this upcoming band to all. They are an indie group, but I
can't pick a band that they sound exactly like. They have a great sense of melody and almost could be considered pop.
May 4, 2007 - Nick Swardson. The man himself. I bought tickets for this show for me and my girlfriend's 2 year anniversary. I got her other things, but this was a fun little gift,
since we both love Nick. Nick, if you didn't already know, is an amazing stand up comedian, comedy writer, and actor. He has appeared on his own Comedy Central special,
Nick's Arcade, the movies Grandma's Boy, the Benchwarmers, and Malibu's Most Wanted. And there he was, at the Lisner Auditorium, bigger than life. The opener's name
escapes me, but he was OK. Nick's set, was more than OK, it rocked hard as hell. He was up on stage for an hour or so, and only maybe five e minutes of his material was old,
the rest was new. He talked about all kinds of stuff, from his character Terry on Reno 911, to working on Grandma's boy, and the copious amounts of pot consumed while filming.
He has a Cd coming out this year, so stay tuned!
April 30, 2007 - Peter Bjorn and John. Another great show. But for one band, fujiya & miyagi. They rocked the hardest of all, and wow. I am still sad that i missed half of their shirt
set, but that was OK, they still kicked major ass. They have a style all their own. Its like a French disco indie rock hybrid, or something like that. They have three members in their
band, a guitarist, a bassist, and a keyboardist/computerist/beat player (no drums, all beats were prerecorded.) If you don't own their Cd, Transparent Things, you are wrong and
need to go to the store soon. Peter Bjorn and John were all right. They played old and new songs. The crowd was younger, probably people who heard of them through Grey's
Anatomy. I got kind of bored and left before their set was finished. I get to see them again at Virgin Fest but I plan on seeing a different band while they play.
April 19, 2007 - mc chris show!!! So anyways, this was my 8th or 9th (I have lost count) mc chris show, and he was in top form as always. This was also my only Mid-atlantic
chance to see him , since there was no DC or VA show on the schedule. He toured with a couple of bands this time, with piebald and someone else whose name escapes me. I
came in during the first band, and immediately went to the bar. I stayed there through piebalds set also, but I could hear a bit of their set and they sounded nice. I was alone that
night, even though I had bought 4 tickets. My friends bailed on me. I got their tickets signed , though, and gave them the mementos. I was paid back for the tickets in poker money,
at our Tuesday night game. But back to the show. mc then took the stage, sans dj john (aka dj assgold.) Chris handled both mc and dj duties, and he seemed to manage just
fine. The set was a mixture of tunes from all of his albums, and a couple of tracks were remixes, done by fans. He played one of my all time favorite chris remixes, dq blizzard, by
Optimiss. mc announced the last song, at which time i went back to the merch table to get my tickets signed. mc signed all three tickets, and even took a copy of my demos and
remixes cd, which i have hosted here. I also left about thirty copies around the club, and hopefully someone got some use out of them.
April 14, 2007 - I am a little behind in posting and now have two shows of late to mention. The first took place on April 4,2007 at the 930 club. The show was for the band
Sebadoh, and the opener was the Bent Moustache. First, the Bent Moustache was seriously the worst band i have ever seen live and thats that. The crowd hated them, and it
showed. No one really cheered, and even one guy left the stage during the last song. It wasn't even end time. Then Sebadoh came out. They even mentioned that the BM said we
were the worst crowd they ever played in front of and we needed to go buy their shit as penance. Yeah, well, if they hadn't sounded like a bunch of noise with screaming over it,
then OK. Not that it isn't a good sound, Sebadoh themselves do it, ad do Sonic Youth and others. But anyways, back to Sebadoh. This was their reunion tour, the first time the
original band had toured together in 10 years. They played about 25 or so songs, and mentioned that thud had learned 60 for this tour. Songs came off of all of their old albums,
Smash your Head on the Punk Rock, III, Harmancy, the Sebadoh, and my favorite, Bakesale. I waited all show to hear something off of Bakesale, and all I got was Give up, the first
song of theirs that I ever heard, until the end, when they did a 3 or 4 song set of Bakesale tunes. They sounded great. A lot of the songs were done on acoustic guitars, but
whatever effects they had them running through made them sound electric.
Next show was April 10, at 930 club. The band was Low and their opener was Loney, Dear. The show was actually taped and broadcast for NPR, for a concert series they are
doing, and the audio can be downloaded here. I cant say too much about Loney, Dear, I missed most of their set. Low, however, was awesome. Their music almost puts you
into a trance, in its indie ambient glory. They played almost all of the songs off of their new Cd, Drums and Guns. I watched this show right next to the stage, due to the low turnout
there. They kept the onstage banter to a minimum, but when the singer did talk, it was something entertaining. All in all an awesome experience, and you should definately
download the audio for it at the above link.
March 31, 2007 - I have decided to turn this front page into a mini blog. The first topic to discuss is the Cold War Kids show I went to on the 27th at the 930 club in DC. What an
amazing show. The show openers were Delta Spirit and Tokyo Police Club. I had not heard of Delta Spirit, and only caught two of their songs. The two songs I heard were very
cool, they had a bit of a country twang to them. A little while later, Tokyo Police Club took the stage. I had already heard of them, and had bought their very excellent EP, A Lesson In
Crime. They played all of the songs off of that, and also a few new ones. Their upcoming album is definitely on my to buy list. They had a bad ass stage presence, with a guitarist,
a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist/tambourine man. They all really seemed to enjoy their music and looked like they were having a blast playing it. Last up was the Cold
War Kids. The club was packed with their fans, and the singer even commented that this was the biggest crowd they ever played in front of. I have their Cd, Robbers & Cowards,
and I think they played all of it or at least most of it. They kicked some ass. The singer kept transitioning from piano to guitar, and sounded excellent on both. On a side note, the
guitarist had been in the crowd before the show, and my friend and I commented on his hat, thought it was kind of goofy, then they start playing and he is on stage. He had a
transition of hat, sweater vest, and shirt, to hat and shirt, to just t shirt by the end of the show. The highlight of the show had to be St. John. Cold War Kids brought the members of
the opening bands onto the stage with them to play percussion. There was all kinds of extra drums, and they brought the house down. All in all, an excellent show, from three
excellent bands.
favorites, the Hospital Beds and the Hang Me Out to Drys. The crowd was a mixture of hipster types and young girls, who probably heard of them through MTV or some other
medium, but they could not ruin my fun. Except for two in who thought every song was a sing and dance and get in my way-along. The sound was crisp and perfect. The light
effects were very subtle. I think I enjoyed their first show of the year at the club better, but mainly because Tokyo Police Club opened for them. Another highlight of this show were
the new tracks they were playing. If this is any indication of their next album, they already got a hit on their hands.
October 27 2007 - I enjoy the shit out of She Wants Revenge. They have a sound that is all theirs. Their first Cd is a classic, and the new one has been on repeat in my stereo for
weeks. I missed the opportunity to see them a couple of times, and i vowed, never again. I arrived as one of the openers, Kenna, was performing. I had never heard Kenna
before, and I liked what i was hearing. He announced he was signing after his set, so before She Wants Revenge started, I got Kenna's Cd and got it signed by him. It is a
awesome Cd, and he was a good performer and nice guy. She Wants Revenge played a set heavy off their new Cd. I hadn't quite got into it as much as I have now. Good energy
from those guys, and a great performance. The sound at the Black Cat did not disappoint that night.
October 22, 2007 - The Shins with Spoon. I got tickets for this WAY in advance, and ended up scoring tickets dead center, and just a couple of rows behind the GA pit. First up
was Spoon. Spoon played a great set, but it was plagued by one huge problem. A buzzing noise. They had a constant low freq buzz going through out their whole set. It really
took away from the experience for me. Other than the incessant buzz, it was a very good performance. But on to the stars of the show, the Shins. They played songs old and new,
a very mixed set that seemed to please most of the crowd. I was worried about their indie sound filling up the whole Merriweather Post Pavilion, but it was more than enough. The
sound was incredible. It gave me new perspective to a lot of the tracks, and I find myself listening to them more and more.
October 8, 2007 - Tonight I saw the Klaxons. I was unable to catch the opener, Washington Social Club, due to other obligations. Sorry guys, maybe next time. The Klaxons more
than made up for being the only band I saw that night. They rocked hard and sounded good. They played the entirety of their Mercury Prize winning debut, Myths of the Near Future.
The rave rock had the kids dancing at the show. The front of the club jumped along to every song, from the single Golden Skans, to my favorite, Gravity's Rainbow. Their set also
included two songs I was unfamiliar with. It was nice to see that kind of music played on just a guitar, a bass, a drum set, and a keyboard. The harmonies of all of the signers
together was awesome. I'm already ready for their next DC show. Hopefully it will be at the 930 club again, it was the perfect one to show case the band and their sound.
October 6, 2007 - Today was Voxtrot show three of the year for me. Voxtrot has risen steadily on my list of favorite bands, and I am glad I was able to catch this show. It was an all
right show, definitely not one of my favorites. Unfortunately, Ramesh the front man was sick that night. I read later that he required surgery a few days later. Hopefully all is well.
Ramesh was trooper that night though. He and the band played through their catalog of EP's and their excellent self titled debut LP. Most of my favorites were performed
including Your Biggest Fan, Raised by Wolves, and Brother in Conflict. Other than the short set time, i believe it was about 45 minutes long, which couldn't be helped due to
illness, I had one more problem with the show. The sound. Black Cat can be sketchy with its sound sometimes. Most of the places I go the band will be mixed well and sound
great, but at the Cat that night, it sounded pretty band. The bands jangley, tight sound was muddied into a distorted mess. If I didn't know the band and their songs, I might have
left. That being said, it was still a descent show, and a good time. Hopefully next time they can play a different venue and are not sick.
September 25, 2007 - What a great show. Attendance was low, the sold ticket list at the door only listed 30 tickets, and the club looked like it had maybe a couple more than that
there. I didn't catch the opener. Fujiya & Miyagi did a solid hour set with an encore of Collarbone. The cord that was there got into there music and people were (almost) dancing.
They played most, if not all of Transparent Things, and a few other tracks. A couple of the tracks were from their first Cd Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style, but I think the crowd
had the biggest reaction to their new single off their forthcoming album, called Uh. That song could be a big hit. They also had their own sound guy there, and the Ottobar sounded
better than it has any other time I have been there. I definitely recommend checking them out the next time they come around the area.
September 19, 2007 - Regina Spektor at Ram's Head in Baltimore. This show was one for the girls. The only guys in the crowd were either gay or with a girl. There was no
groups of just guys. The girl to guy ratio was at least five to one. This show was a birthday present to my girlfriend, or I probably wouldn't have been there. The crowd was annoying.
They talked the whole time. And the rest of the crowd seemed to be shushing them, making more noise.
Her performance was great. It was a little better than her set at virgin fest. I think the more intimate setting did her music better justice. She again was solo. She played piano on
most songs, and played guitar on two songs. One song also had her playing the chair and piano at the same time. She also did a song with the opener (i think, i missed the
opener), and he beat boxed while she sang. She put on a solid hour and 30 set, with a 5 song encore. The encore included a cover of john Lennon and fidelity. Judging by the
crowds reaction to fidelity, it was the song everyone had came to see.I also really dug Ram's Head and plan on going back. The sound was great and i can't wait to see the
Polyphonic Spree when they play there later this year.
August 8, 2007 - This must be my year... I get to see another one of my new favorite bands for a second time this year. This time the repeat band was Tokyo Police Club . I saw
them at the Sonar nightclub in Baltimore. I was surprised to find out that the show was going to be held in the little room at the club, i was expecting the big room to host it. The
size of the room didn't matter, as the small room had a lot of people, but it was in no way full. The opening band was Ra Ra Riot. This was my first exposure to the baned, and I
really enjoyed them. They played an indie sort of rock, one that included a cello and a violin. I saw about 5 songs of their set, and then bought their excellent ep. Tokyo Police Club
came onto stage a little while later. They played their whole EP, and also new songs that I hadn't heard, or if i heard them earlier this year, I forgot about them. Not that they weren't
good, that was just a while back. I am very excited to get their full length, whenever it drops. They played a solid set, and the crowd was getting into it. I am pretty sure most the
people there were fans, and didn't just go to a random show that hot August night.
August 7, 2007 - Let us play some catch up. How could I go from August to December without writing about the excellent Band of Horses. I started listening to them the year
before, and missed their 930 club gig by a week. It would have been nice to see them play strictly tracks from their first cd, but this show was good too. I was able to hear tracks
for the first tiem that everybody else was hearing for the first time. they played a nice mix of tracks from, their first cd and from the new one, Cease to Begin. The new tracks were
all good. as soon as I got the new cd, I recognized half of them. Their set was a mellow affair, and i will definitely catch them again. The singer has the best beard in rock.
August 4, 2007 - Virgin Fest Day 1!
August 5, 2007 - Virgin Fest Day 2!
July 17, 2007 Voxtrot again! And not even the last time this year, I am also going to see them at the Black Cat later this year. This time I saw them at the Ottobar in Baltimore. This
was a great show. Voxtrot have steadily risen to the top of my list of favorite bands. This show did not disappoint. I missed/do not care about the openers, so lets skip to the main
act. Voxtrot played a lot of songs that night off of all of their records. All three EP's of theirs were represented as well as their self titled full length. They played all of my favorites. It
was also the bassist Jason Chronis birthday, and a cake with candles was brought out to him. After the show I asked Voxtrot singer Ramesh Srivastava what their song Your
Biggest Fan was about. I thought it was about a band my friend Matt thought it was about a girl. Turns out it was about neither. It was actually about a transvestite air to some huge
corporation. Or something like that. I was a little drunk by the time. I did not have a camera that night, but here are a couple of pictures form that nights performance. The pictures
were taken by Robbie Fearless.
June 30, 2007 - This was one of my favorite shows ever. The Polyphonic Spree! What a great band. If you don't know who they are, they are a group that has over 20 members in
it, and they love the sun. They performed for an hour or so, playing mostly new songs off of the excellent third Cd, the Fragile Army, but they also played some old fan favorites and
even a Nirvana cover, which can be found on last years EP. I wasn't sure how they were gonna fit 24 people onto the stage at the 930 club, but they did. The choir of 7 girls was in
the back, on two platforms, then a line of musicians, then the band leader Tim. The show was a joyous affair, and one of th only times i have ever seen the hipster 930 club crowd
dancing. But maybe it want a hipster crowd at all, but genuine fans... I saw tons of people singing every word. One thing to mention is they have forgone their traditional robes for
a military look. Its an evolution that has seen them go from white robes, to colorful robes, to now wearing black fatigues with peace type patches on them, and Lil gold name
tapes. The band was incredible. The sound was rocking, and i think them bringing their won sound guy with his own equipment was the reason. I didn't know how well the club
could mike and mix 24 people, but the bands sound guy deserves mucho kudos. This show had me feeling good about life, and it made me want to go join the Fragile Army and
tour the world with them. Since the show, the Cd has been in constant rotation in my Cd player, and now i can sing along to ALL of their songs. Come back to DC Spree, come
back.
June 13, 2007 - Voxtrot. Along with Favourite Sons and Au Revoire Simone. This was the second time I missed Au Revoire Simone, the first time being a Peter Bjorn and John
show from a couple of weeks ago. Favorite Sons were pretty bad. I couldn't tell what style they were going for. You can check the link for yourself to see what you think about them.
They kind of have an alt country feel about them. Anyways, on to the main event, Voxtrot. Wow! What a great show.... On a scale of one to ten, I would definitely give the show an 8, it
would have been higher if the show was at a better venue. The Black Cat is a good enough venue, but the sound kind of sucks. I would way rather see them at the 930 club, or
even at the Ottobar, (where they play next month!) I pick the 930 due to its set up and its sound, and the Ottobar, due to its intimate feel with its small size. But back to the show.
They played a good chunk of their Cd, Voxtrot, and threw in a few songs off of their E.P.s. I had a great time, a recommend this upcoming band to all. They are an indie group, but I
can't pick a band that they sound exactly like. They have a great sense of melody and almost could be considered pop.
May 4, 2007 - Nick Swardson. The man himself. I bought tickets for this show for me and my girlfriend's 2 year anniversary. I got her other things, but this was a fun little gift,
since we both love Nick. Nick, if you didn't already know, is an amazing stand up comedian, comedy writer, and actor. He has appeared on his own Comedy Central special,
Nick's Arcade, the movies Grandma's Boy, the Benchwarmers, and Malibu's Most Wanted. And there he was, at the Lisner Auditorium, bigger than life. The opener's name
escapes me, but he was OK. Nick's set, was more than OK, it rocked hard as hell. He was up on stage for an hour or so, and only maybe five e minutes of his material was old,
the rest was new. He talked about all kinds of stuff, from his character Terry on Reno 911, to working on Grandma's boy, and the copious amounts of pot consumed while filming.
He has a Cd coming out this year, so stay tuned!
April 30, 2007 - Peter Bjorn and John. Another great show. But for one band, fujiya & miyagi. They rocked the hardest of all, and wow. I am still sad that i missed half of their shirt
set, but that was OK, they still kicked major ass. They have a style all their own. Its like a French disco indie rock hybrid, or something like that. They have three members in their
band, a guitarist, a bassist, and a keyboardist/computerist/beat player (no drums, all beats were prerecorded.) If you don't own their Cd, Transparent Things, you are wrong and
need to go to the store soon. Peter Bjorn and John were all right. They played old and new songs. The crowd was younger, probably people who heard of them through Grey's
Anatomy. I got kind of bored and left before their set was finished. I get to see them again at Virgin Fest but I plan on seeing a different band while they play.
April 19, 2007 - mc chris show!!! So anyways, this was my 8th or 9th (I have lost count) mc chris show, and he was in top form as always. This was also my only Mid-atlantic
chance to see him , since there was no DC or VA show on the schedule. He toured with a couple of bands this time, with piebald and someone else whose name escapes me. I
came in during the first band, and immediately went to the bar. I stayed there through piebalds set also, but I could hear a bit of their set and they sounded nice. I was alone that
night, even though I had bought 4 tickets. My friends bailed on me. I got their tickets signed , though, and gave them the mementos. I was paid back for the tickets in poker money,
at our Tuesday night game. But back to the show. mc then took the stage, sans dj john (aka dj assgold.) Chris handled both mc and dj duties, and he seemed to manage just
fine. The set was a mixture of tunes from all of his albums, and a couple of tracks were remixes, done by fans. He played one of my all time favorite chris remixes, dq blizzard, by
Optimiss. mc announced the last song, at which time i went back to the merch table to get my tickets signed. mc signed all three tickets, and even took a copy of my demos and
remixes cd, which i have hosted here. I also left about thirty copies around the club, and hopefully someone got some use out of them.
April 14, 2007 - I am a little behind in posting and now have two shows of late to mention. The first took place on April 4,2007 at the 930 club. The show was for the band
Sebadoh, and the opener was the Bent Moustache. First, the Bent Moustache was seriously the worst band i have ever seen live and thats that. The crowd hated them, and it
showed. No one really cheered, and even one guy left the stage during the last song. It wasn't even end time. Then Sebadoh came out. They even mentioned that the BM said we
were the worst crowd they ever played in front of and we needed to go buy their shit as penance. Yeah, well, if they hadn't sounded like a bunch of noise with screaming over it,
then OK. Not that it isn't a good sound, Sebadoh themselves do it, ad do Sonic Youth and others. But anyways, back to Sebadoh. This was their reunion tour, the first time the
original band had toured together in 10 years. They played about 25 or so songs, and mentioned that thud had learned 60 for this tour. Songs came off of all of their old albums,
Smash your Head on the Punk Rock, III, Harmancy, the Sebadoh, and my favorite, Bakesale. I waited all show to hear something off of Bakesale, and all I got was Give up, the first
song of theirs that I ever heard, until the end, when they did a 3 or 4 song set of Bakesale tunes. They sounded great. A lot of the songs were done on acoustic guitars, but
whatever effects they had them running through made them sound electric.
Next show was April 10, at 930 club. The band was Low and their opener was Loney, Dear. The show was actually taped and broadcast for NPR, for a concert series they are
doing, and the audio can be downloaded here. I cant say too much about Loney, Dear, I missed most of their set. Low, however, was awesome. Their music almost puts you
into a trance, in its indie ambient glory. They played almost all of the songs off of their new Cd, Drums and Guns. I watched this show right next to the stage, due to the low turnout
there. They kept the onstage banter to a minimum, but when the singer did talk, it was something entertaining. All in all an awesome experience, and you should definately
download the audio for it at the above link.
March 31, 2007 - I have decided to turn this front page into a mini blog. The first topic to discuss is the Cold War Kids show I went to on the 27th at the 930 club in DC. What an
amazing show. The show openers were Delta Spirit and Tokyo Police Club. I had not heard of Delta Spirit, and only caught two of their songs. The two songs I heard were very
cool, they had a bit of a country twang to them. A little while later, Tokyo Police Club took the stage. I had already heard of them, and had bought their very excellent EP, A Lesson In
Crime. They played all of the songs off of that, and also a few new ones. Their upcoming album is definitely on my to buy list. They had a bad ass stage presence, with a guitarist,
a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist/tambourine man. They all really seemed to enjoy their music and looked like they were having a blast playing it. Last up was the Cold
War Kids. The club was packed with their fans, and the singer even commented that this was the biggest crowd they ever played in front of. I have their Cd, Robbers & Cowards,
and I think they played all of it or at least most of it. They kicked some ass. The singer kept transitioning from piano to guitar, and sounded excellent on both. On a side note, the
guitarist had been in the crowd before the show, and my friend and I commented on his hat, thought it was kind of goofy, then they start playing and he is on stage. He had a
transition of hat, sweater vest, and shirt, to hat and shirt, to just t shirt by the end of the show. The highlight of the show had to be St. John. Cold War Kids brought the members of
the opening bands onto the stage with them to play percussion. There was all kinds of extra drums, and they brought the house down. All in all, an excellent show, from three
excellent bands.
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Concert Reviews 2007
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