Silversun Pickups @ Club 6

So last night Element Skateboards and Vestalife put together a launch party at Club 6 for some new product they have collaborated on, the Ladybug. I guess it's like a speaker system that looks like a ladybug...duh. So for the party they had Silversun Pickups come play. The show wasn't an announced show, Silversun Pickups made a myspace bulletin yesterday morning, but other than that you had to be on the lookout for the fliers and other ways that it was announced. So after standing in line for about 15 mins. I got into Club 6 and the party had a cool vibe. They had live artists doing art on the walls and then in the next room, "The Dark Room," had the stage set up. Club 6 is quite small, definitely not a venue like the Fillmore where Silversun Pickups played last time they were in town (and sold out super quick). As you can bet, the place was packed and after about an hour or so, Silversun came out after being introduced by the founders of Element and Vestalife. So SIlversun Pickups came out and played one hell of a set. I hadn't seen them in a long time and I forgot how good they were live. The first song coulda used more vocals and some leveling, but that was taken care of and from there on out it was a lot of fun. Everyone was having a good time and then just my luck football practice starts right in front of me by a group of bros. Overall I had a really good time and it was great to see them in such an intimate venue once again. Funny how people go ape shit for Lazy Eye, as it being played all over the radio. Even the band noted how people from the bay love them and therefore they love playing here. They also noted that they are in the process of writing a new album and took the time out of that to play this show for Element. Overall a lot of fun...and hey, apparently I'm back to doing this Blog...so look for semi-regular updates.

Oh...just hangin out in Europe

So I've been in Ireland the last three weeks. I have done an awful job updating this thing, but oh well, I've been busy and not much interweb access. So I saw 4 shows while here. I leave Monday morning, so I figured I'd write in here now.
The first show I caught was O Death, a band from NY, and a local Dublin group called Goodtime John. We went to this show b/c we met some Irish girls and they told us it was a must show to go to. You know me, I'm always down for a show and to check out different venues. So Sunday night rolled around and we headed off to Whelan's for the show. Go there, had a few drinks then O Death came on. I hadn't heard them before, but they were really good and once thier full length comes out I will definitely be picking it up. They are folk/kasmer influenced and just were a lot of fun. Goodtime John was up next and they were really good to. Kinda mellowish folk/indie stuff, but I dug them.
The next show I caught was Monday and was No Age, Mika Miko, and Cap Pas Cap at the Boom Boom Room. Cap Pas Cap played first, they are from Dublin and were really good. They fit the bill of No Age and Mika Miko perfectly. Sounds like that screamy, static rock that is coming out of LA right now. Mika Miko was up next and were fantabulous. That and the lead singer is cute and fun to watch jump around. No Age was the highlight for me though. I saw them open for Matt & Kim at Noisepop and was just blown away. They were great. Their newer stuff isn't so full of feedback and noise, but is still really good. I can't wait to get home and find all their records waiting for me.
Tues. night I went out to a place called Crawdaddy's and caught Amy Millan and One Day International. One Day International was local and really really good. Kinda along the lines of Coldplay-esque brit pop, but with a chello and piano player backing. I really dug their stuff and am interested to grab their lp when it comes out, as they are still recording it at the moment. Amy Millan was really good. I like her voice over folk music. Plus how can you not like an attractive lady who sings about heartbreak and whiskey.
Then finally last night I got to catch Tokyo Police Club at the Hub. I was bummed when I was leaving b/c they were finally coming out west and I wasn't gonna be able to catch them. Then I got over here and realized that they had a show while I was here and I was stoked. The club was really cool, not the best sound, but small and a rad vibe. The opening band, who I didn't catch the name of, didn't thoroughly hold my attention, but weren't bad at the same time. Tokyo Police Club absolutely killed it though. They were fantastic and played pretty much their whole catalogue. Needless to say it was a great show and I'm really glad I got to catch them, and see their first show in Ireland.
Well I'm off Monday morning to Brussels, then to Copenhagen, Berlin and finally to Prague...maybe I'll update somewhere in there.

And I'm Off...

So I leave for the Airport in a little over an hour...finishing packing up and gonna shower then it's to the Airport to get on a jetplane headed for Dublin. I'll be in Europe for two months so if you need me email me...love all of you and see ya in two months...

Make It Rain...and/or...This Song Is Really Hitting Right Now...

My Oh My...Where the hell have I been lately? First off, school kicked my ass this semester. I swear I wanted to keep up with this thing, and I had my intentions to do so...but alas it fell by the wayside as things seem to do in my life during different points in time. So here I am, free at last, free at last...haha, I write this from 15,000 ft. in the air on Southwest 1733 from PDX to OAK (allowing me to feel free to travel the country...or whatever their saying is). I spent the last four days of my life exploring and getting to know Portland, as well as getting to hand out with Andrew and meet some new cool people out there (Holly, Vince, SLO...among others). Portland is amazing to say the least. I totally understand why Andrew chose to follow his job there. It was great to get out of SF, I was getting restless there and as has been the routine of my life of the past five years or so, I don't tend to stay put for long...I enjoy taking a trip, even if it is for an even to see a show or an extended weekend to visit a much missed friend.

So I got into Portland Sat. afternoon/early evening. We headed to Andrew's place, which by the way is pretty dope, and dropped the luggage off and decided it was time for a beer and food. Headed across the street to Ruby Tuesday's and did just that. We then chilled out at his pad for a bit before heading down to SE Portland to meet up with the Portland crew and have drinks and let the madness to ensue. Rotture (sp?) was our first stop and was decent...minus the fact that I learned not to drink Old German beer, as PBR is totally worth the .50 cents more. Then the group split up and some headed somewhere while Vince, Andrew and myself jumped in the car and headed to The Gypsy. Not so poppin on Sat. night led us to Union Jack's. Union Jack's is the "suicide girls" strip club in Portland and it kicks the shit out of CA strip clubs...haha. First of all you can drink in that bitch, and second off, the dancers don't hassle everyone in the joint for dollars after they dance and aren't pushy for trying to get you to get a lap dance. So that was fun, and we hung out there and drank and shot the shit until the place closed down...oh by the way, did I mention PDX bars don't close till 2:30...yah, that was pretty dope. That was the conclusion to night one in Portland.

The next day we got up and got a move on and headed out to figure that city out. We spent some time in the W of Portland and then headed over to the SE side. Took a bunch of photos and got to see some dope stuff and kinda got a grasp on the city lay out and where everything was. Ended up driving up to Vancouver, WA too. Hittin up two states in one trip. You know how I do..haha. Vancouver wasn't all that crackin, but it was aight Next we headed back to Andrew's and then out to grab food. Ended up going to Buffalo Wild Wings (BW3), which was rad since I hadn't been to one since I was in Michigan a couple trips ago. That was fun and we ended up back at Andrews and just called it a night as we were both beat from being out all day and exploring.

Monday we hit up a sushi joint which was good, then we went out exploring some more and ended up over in the Hawthorne district and drinking at a bar. It was fun, then we headed back to Andrew's and plotted out our route for the evening. Hit up the Tri-Met and Max to DT and over to the Hold Steady show at Crystal Ballroom. Venue - alright, a little big for my taste and sound was decent, but overall not my fav. venue. Hold Steady were good, but they didn't play Killer Parties, which really bummed me out. Met some dudes before the show and got a drink with them afterwards...people are quite friendly up there, it's cool. Then we had to head back to Union Jack's as Andrew fell in love with a stripper and wanted to go back. It was chill and we hung out there for a while before grabbing a cab back to Andrew's and having a beer and crashing out for the night.

Woke up late this morning and just hung out, then grabbed Quizno's and headed out to meet up with Holly and her friend Zach and proceeded to Family Fun Center. Spent the afternoon driving go-karts, playing lazer tag, and mini golf. It was a fun time seeing as no one had done that sorta thing in a long while. Great way to cap off the weekend. I really wish I coulda stayed up there longer, it was a blast. And now I'm sitting on this flight reflecting and totally knowing I could move to Portland at some point in my life. But for now I'll just have to plan a visit again for after I get back from Europe.

Gotta say thanks to Andrew once again for everything even though it bums me out to think that he lives up there and it'll be a while before I get to visit him again...but I guess that's all part of growing up.

I'll be glad to be back in SF, I got a lot to do before I head to SD from the 6-13th and then to Dublin on the 16th. Lots of shows coming up which will be fun, and more updates coming soon...I promise...as well as a pic update with my sweet photog skills.

10:52 PM PST…I’m out (for now)…

OMG I'm Alive

So I kinda let this thing fall by the wayside. I had my LRW final, then Noisepop, then Spring Break, then I got slammed with school and Moot Court and papers...but fear not, I'm back, with hopefully some vengence.

I should be picking this back up with a little bit of regularity. So let's start this off.

Went and checked out Panda & Angel at the Make Out Room last night. Got there a little late and missed the opening band. Actually showed up about half way through fpodbpod's set. Took a seat at the bar and settled in for the ride.
Not gonna say too much about fpodbpod, they were alright, nothing amazing and didn't hold my interest too well, but they definitely had the draw of the bands, as about half the place emptied after they were done.

Panda & Angel are from Seatle and on Jade Tree. They are usually a five piece, but for an unknown reason to me they were only a two piece last night. Two guitars backed by laptop of drums, base and keys. I really like their sound. It's kinda all over the place, some of the songs I liked more than others, but it's a mix between indie rock, folk and some beats on certain songs. I was tired and bailed after their set was over, didn't even have the energy to check out their merch, sorry. But overall I like them and I think they could really do something if everything works out for them, which I hope it does.

I might go catch Scout's Honor tonite at the Hemlock, not sure, as I'm feeling somewhat lathargic, but we shall see...

Lily Allen @ GAMH 2-6-07

So I just got home from a very early/very weird show of Lily Allen.

Let's start out with why this was a weird show. First all, the show started at 8, had a 30 min. craptacular set from DJ Party Ben, there was a barracade in front of the stage, which I've never seen at GAMH before, and the crowd was just kinda awkward.

To top off the weirdness, there was no opening band, for a $20 show, and Lily went on at 9pm. I know from seeing her before that her sets are fairly compact especially because she really only has one album worth of material plus whatever covers she chooses to perform.

Overall, this show was good, just not as good as the last time I saw her at Mighty for the Not So Silent Night after party. Lily was dressed down, as she refered to herself as feeling lazy and mentioning how this was the first audience that has really gotten to see her ass in jeans. However, she looked just as cute as she always does. I think she is one of the most attractive ladies in music right now, but that's beyond the fact.

Lily's voice live sounds great, and exactly like her record. She is a good performer and interacts with the crowd just to the point that she leaves you wanting a bit more, but not too much to where you're sitting there thinking "I'd wish she'd just play her songs." She's witty, although she used a few of the same jokes as she had the last time I'd seen her. Overall it was a good show, although, not being a Specials fan, I was semi-bummed with her songs chosen for her encore. The first was the Special's cover, and then she ended with Alfie. I like Alfie, but it just doesn't do it for me as a closer.

Her hour long set was solid with only a few small dislikes in my opinion. I still wished the show wasn't over at 10 and they would've put in an opener instead of just DJ Party Ben, who spins horrible mashups that took me back to 2005.

I look forward to her having more new songs, even though the one new one she did play tonite was a great ballad.

As I promised...

I knew I'd get to updating this thing sooner than later. Definitely haven't slowed down at all with the new year, but at the same time neither has anything else in my life. I think I've been on the go for the past month. But anyways.

The week before Punk Rock Bowling I went to the The Independent to catch Girl Talk and Matt And Kim. Got there perfectly right before Matt And Kim came on. Wow, I liked their stuff online, but they were awesome live. I am really torn now that they have been announced to be headlining one of the nights of Noise Pop. Picked up their demo cd and haven't stopped listening to it, it's amazing. However, being as great as they were, they just couldn't top the dance party that Girl Talk brings live. He mixed everything I could've asked for and more. Definitely a fun fun fun live show. Check him out if he comes to your town, he is not to be missed.

Punk Rock Bowling was a blast. Drunk, expensive, but all around a great time, especially cause I got to hang out with my best friends and party for an entire weekend. Made it out to the Kickoff Show at the Empire Ballroom. Strike Anywhere was awesome, but the highlight of any bill with Dillinger Four on it is obviously gonna be D4. They killed and singing along, swaying back and forth is a necessity at thier show. We only stuck around for a couple Bouncing Souls. They were good, but I have seen them a ton, everyone was drunk and quite hungry so we made out way out of the venue and headed over to Fat Burger to hang out and be ridiculous.

Back in SF made it a point to catch the Avail and The Draft at Bottom Of The Hill. That show was great. The Draft played pretty much everything off "In A Million Pieces" which was fun. We showed up right as they came on and even though I love them, after the first note I missed Hot Water Music and was waiting for Chuck to pop onto stage and break into a song. I just don't think I'll ever not think of HWM when I listen to them. I've always liked Avail, but I will be quite honest when I say that I haven't listened to them in a long time. Why???? I DON"T KNOW. They are an amazing band and after their set I was soooo glad that I decided to get off my ass and take in that show, even though I had to miss Emily Haines.

Then, the other night, we once again headed out to Bottom Of The Hill, this time to catch Mac Lethal and P.O.S.. Both of these guys are on Rhymesayers, and both absolutely killed it. Mac Lethal is a very witty and comical lyricist, while P.O.S. is definitely a more thoughtful and serious MC. But both of these guys are fantastic and it definitely made me realize how much I'd drifted away from Hip Hop as of late.

Ok, that's a quick update, I'm gonna get back on show listings and more reviews in the next week or so, if I can catch my breath here soon enough.