Archers Of Loaf @ The Troubadour (Los Angeles)

Well that was a really long drive. Seriously, that's the farthest I have ever gone for the singular purpose of seeing a band play. It was a learning experience though; I learned how to get the right air pressure in tires and how to avoid the crazy drivers on I-5. I also learned that the central valley has more Christian rock stations than people, and that the tape player in my car murders tapes. It was fun though, even though it rained most of the way down and my car was shaking like a mofo for some reason most of the way. We actually ended up getting to LA like four hours before we expected (we sorely overestimated the time it takes to get there), so I called up my old roommate Max who lives in LA. We went to a record store (I got New Day Rising on vinyl), then we went to this Jewish deli and got sandwiches, then we went and hung out at the La Brea tar pits. It was pretty cool.

So me and Katherine are really tired at this point, but we can't go and rest in the hostel (which was pretty nice but also sort of expensive for a hostel). We had to go quickly, get changed, and go to the show. The Troubadour was a short drive away, but we had to spend a while looking for parking. All the parking we found was either no parking at night after a certain time, or it was permit parking only. Speaking of which, its really weird how in LA the residential areas just sort of blend in to the city. Its like a huge suburb. Anyway, we eventually found parking five or so blocks away from the venue and set on our jolly way.

After we got in to the venue, we got in line to buy merch. There was nobody selling any merch at the time, but we really had nothing better to do. We ended up talking to this guy in line for a while. His band is possibly playing the Fest this year, which I'm going to (oh yes), so maybe we'll see him there. When the merch lady finally showed up, I got a t-shirt and a poster and Katherine got a different t-shirt and poster. So the first band, Globes, plays. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been so tired and impatient, but at the time it seemed like they were playing forever. Finally they finished and after a quick(ish) set up AOL came out to play.

Don't get me wrong- I love Archers of Loaf. I really do. But I really only know Vee Vee and Icky Mettle and a little bit of All The Nation's Airports. So when they spent the first 45 minutes of their set playing stuff off of more recent albums (the only one they played that I recognized was Harnessed in Slums), I can't deny I was a little disappointed. After all, I was going to have spent upwards of 12 hours of driving time in two days specifically to see them. So I was very relieved when they started playing Plumb Line and proceeded to end out their set (minus the two encores) with mostly Icky Mettle songs. That's when things really started to get crazy. There was a guy on the floor praying; at first I thought he had passed out, then I thought he was really Christian. Turns out he just really likes Archers of Loaf. Their encores were mostly Vee Vee and Airports stuff too, so I was still pretty pumped (as was everybody else). Even the mid-30's/early-40's aging hipsters were getting into it.

So yeah, all in all it was a great trip, albeit a short one. The next day we got brunch on Santa Monica Boulevard and drove all the way home with only one short stop for gas. I'm not going to lie, my back got very sweaty from sitting so long. But if a sweaty back is the price I pay for seeing a band that I have wanted to see for years but never thought I could, then I would have gone even if I had two backs. Amen to that.

Aye Nako @ SUNY Purchase

Wow, I thought this blog was dead. Guess not. Okay then. Hey nobody (and Katherine)! Wow, I have been to hell and back (and England and back) in the last year and a half. Obviously I saw lots and lots of shows, so I can't realistically remember them all. What were some memorable ones, you ask? Well, there was the time we went and saw Lemuria and Hard Girls play together in Santa Cruz AND San Francisco last summer; on consecutive days, too. That was cool because I was way into Hard Girls at the time, especially the song Quinceneara. Now, I've been getting more into Lemuria recently; that's okay though, since I saw them at the Don Giovanni Records showcase last weekend (Interesting side note: last time I saw them [in San Francisco at Bottom of the Hill] I requested Bee Spit, and they played it this time. My doing?). We have also seen Algernon Cadwallader play several times in the last 15 months (once in the Bay Area even, over last Winter Break). They are now the band I have seen the most live. Or is it Lemuria? I'm not too sure...

Alright, enough incoherent ramblings. To the point! Our most recent show was Aye Nako at SUNY Purchase. Now, apparently, this band has been around for a couple years. However, I (and from what I can tell, a lot of people) didn't take any notice until recently, when they were joined by drummer Angie. Angie is the former guitarist/vocalist from the now defunct but perennially awesome Little Lungs. Little Lungs played at the first show I saw in New York way back in 2008, and I have been following them since then. As bummed as I am that they are no longer together, Aye Nako is equally rad, if not more so. I have been listeneing to the new Aye Nako demo since it came out last month, and am so into it it hurts.

So me and Katherine are plum shitfaced on cider and wine and London Pride by the time we get to the venue/the Stood/whatever. Drunk motherfucker that I am, I go over to Angie and ask her about the show, referring to her by her first name. She didn't say anything about me knowing her name, but it was definitely kind of awkward. Finally, after the first band finished (some twinkly band from Connecticut), it was time for them to play, so me and Katherine went into the room where the bands played. Turns out, it was just us, like two other people, and Aye Nako. So we just kinda stood there, drunkenly talking about how much we liked their band while they were setting up right in front of us. Maybe I should start looking up to more famous musicians; this would never happen at a Sting concert.

Anyway, they played their set and it was awesome. About ten more people came in when they started playing, so it wasn't as awkward as it could have been. We still were way more into it than anyone else though. After the show, we actually had a conversation with Angie. We told her how much we liked Little Lungs, and she gave us free vinyl and shirts. She was going to give us free Aye Nako tapes too, but I insisted on paying. I look at it this way- if they can make a living off of music instead of having real jobs, they have more time to write music I enjoy. Also, I've downloaded a lot of their stuff for free, so I felt kind of guilty. We told her our names, and we talked about the other times we had seen her bands. Aye Nako is playing a buttload of shows in and around New York in the next few months, so I'm sure we'll have a chance to see if she remembers us.

Shows To Come (Little bit of Forgetters)

Shows coming up (I'll probably write about at least one of them):

-11/14: Bridge And Tunnel at Stolen Sleeves (see first post)
-11/20: Algernon Cadwallader at Purchase College (of all places!)
-11/24: PIXIES!

Not many shows recently, kind of a dry spell. I did go see Blake Schwarzenbach's new band Forgetters at a record store in Manhattan though. It was pretty cool, I guess. I mean, Blake's pretty much my hero (a musician AND an English geek), but sorry, he's not likely to top Jawbreaker. I knew a couple of songs that he took over from his old band Thorns of Life, but that was pretty much it. Plus, the show was really crowded, and everyone was crammed in the aisles between the records. There were like 30 people in front of me, and I couldn't see a goddamned thing.
The opening band was The Bomb, which was fronted by the singer of Naked Raygun (which was cool). They were alright. Forgetters was cool, since Blake was talking about Shakespeare and stuff. Oh, and this lady in the back kept yelling for people to let her son through. Everyone was mostly confused about this. We saw Jeff, our Jealous Sound show buddy, on the other side of the room, but he didn't see us. We tried to talk to him after the show, but he must have slipped out. Afterwards we bought records, but were to scared to go up and talk to Blake. Plus there was a line. At least I saw him in person, though. Fancy.

The Jealous Sound @ Southpaw

Wow. Well, first of all, this happened last Tuesday, but my computer's been fucked up so I'm just writing about it now. And yes, I did see them opening for Sunny Day Real Estate on Sunday at Terminal 5, and it was unreal and awesome. I was the only person going crazy for the Jealous Sound, which was cool since Pedro Benito gave me the setlist. But yeah, anyway, Tuesday was much much awesomer.

It started out pretty normal, me and my girlfriend getting to the venue half an hour early as usual, because we STILL can't figure out that 8:00 actually means 9:00. So we show up, and we start talking to this one girl Amanda who also got there early. It was about this time that the progressive meeting of the members of the band started. I forget exactly how it began, but we ended up getting into a conversation with the new drummer. He was telling us about being on the road, and telling his boss that he was going on tour with a rock band and how he got hired and stuff. He was just generally being really friendly. Then the new bassist, Josh, shows up and we start talking to him. Basically the same stuff, us asking questions about the band and them answering it. We did get to see the inside of their tour bus (Blair's parents' RV) though.

So we go inside after a while and Amanda meets up with her friend, and we're just kind of all standing around until the opening band starts. It was pretty torturous, I'm not going to lie. A bunch of Williamsburg hipsters with a Moog singing really crappy shit that Williamsburg hipsters like. And to top it off, the lead singer was complaining about how bright the lights are. What? You're a PERFORMER, we are supposed to SEE you. But me and Katherine were both in pretty high spirits, considering how we had just met half of The Jealous Sound (admittedly, the half we knew nothing about).

After the shitty opener ended, we went outside for respective cigarettes. It was at this point that we proceeded to notice that Pedro Benito was also having a cigarette about two yards away from us. He was having a conversation with another guy (Jeff, we met him later), but I went up to him and introduced myself as the guy who was singing along at the Sunny Day Real Estate Show. He remembered me. We talked for a while (well, mostly he talked), and I learned lots of secrets. Apparently, according to him, he was partially responsible for getting Sunny Day back together with the original lineup, and for the Postal Service even existing. He also told me the REAL reason why The Jealous Sound was on hiatus for so long, but I don't think I'm at liberty to reveal that information.

After this, we went back inside the club and witnessed a truly awesome set from the band. Actually, it was the same set they opened with for Sunny Day, but the energy was much much better. And at the end, Blair played Turning Around alone on stage. When everyone else left, I thought he was going to play a Knapsack song, but whatever. I like Turning Around. Anyway, after they finished (no encore, they played every single song they had practiced) there was a line to meet Blair. But we (me and Katherine and Amanda and Jeff at this point) figured, hey, we met the rest of the band, we might as well. After a lot of awkward standing around and waiting for other people, we finally met Blair Shehan. I asked him about his old Les Paul Goldtop, and we talked about San Francisco and the Bay Area and being a musician. It was really really cool.

So, in conclusion, The Jealous Sound is an awesome band and they're all really nice. I don't think I could have lived with myself if they were assholes, so I'm glad. I don't have to kill myself. And they're officially back together and recording new stuff soon, so I'm psyched. Great night.

The Get Up Kids/ Brand New (from a while ago)

Wow its been a long time since I've written anything new here. I mean, I'm saying that as if anyone were actually reading this, obviously. But since this is more for me than anyone else, I guess its still applicable. There have been so many times where I wish I had written something here, but better late than never, I guess. So there have been a few shows I've been to since I last wrote anything, but arguably (very arguably) the most important was the Get Up Kids reunion show at the Gramercy Theater in Manhattan.

Obviously the main draw of the show for me was the chance to see a band that I love but had never had the opportunity to see live before. I've been a fan of the Get Up Kids since just after they broke up in 2005 (one of the first things I ever knew about them was that they had just broken up); and albums like Four Minute Mile and Something To Write Home About have both enjoyed borderline obsession on my part. So obviously I was pretty stoked to see them- but not as stoked as I would be... (that's called foreshadowing, kids).

One unusual thing about this show was that the opening band was not announced. Rather, most sources listed the obviously fake Matzoh's Balls as the opener. Being ever cynical, I expected the opener to be decent, but not very exciting. Reggie and the Full Effect, the one man band featuring Get Up Kids keyboardist James Dewees, seemed like the most likely candidate. With this in mind, I was rather delightfully surprised when I overheard a conversation in the venue that included the line, "Most people don't know that Brand New is opening tonight." Or something like that. It was kind of a while ago. Anyway, Brand New did indeed open that night, much to the stunned surprise of most people at the show. I was not expecting to see two bands that I really wanted to see in the same night. They played a couple hits from Deja Entendu, but mostly stuck to stuff from their newest album, The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me. However, at the vehement request of the crowd, they reluctantly ended with the classic Seventy Times Seven. I'm not gonna lie, it got kind of wild.

The Get Up Kids played a rather predictable set, which is kind of exactly what I would want out of a reunion show. While they did not play my personal favorite song, Close To Home from Something To Write Home About, they played a robust and respectable amount of their most famous songs. A little heavy on the Guilt Show without enough Four Minute Mile songs, but definitely worthwhile nonetheless. And on a side note, there's nothing more annoying at a show than people yelling the name of a band's most famous song, as if they weren't going to play it anyway. This was the case with "I'm A Loner Dottie, A Rebel," my other favorite song of theirs, and one of the only they were guaranteed to play. Anyway, I don't remember much else significant during the show. I saw it in early May, and it is now September, which is why I should have written this earlier. I do remember them seeming a little old and tired, but I don't think I was expecting anything different, and it was still a great show.

So that's kinda all I can remember. Not really, but all I care to write down right now. But I'm going to a couple really great shows in the near future, so I'll update then. In about a month, I'm going to see Sunny Day Real Estate with The Jealous Sound, and I truly believe it has the potential to be one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. I love both of those bands, and I'm super excited. Anyway, its nice to be writing here again, even though there's a good chance only one other person besides me will read it (hi, by the way).

Celebrity Autobiography

Not a music show, but pretty cool nonetheless. I just got back from the city (New York is the city), where I saw Celebrity Autobiography. For those not in the know, Celebrity Autobiography involves various comedians reading the autobiographies of certain celebrities, most of whom would have no business writing a Christmas card. Hilarity ensues. Hearing Tommy Lee describe how celery gives him a boner and Miley Cyrus talk about how unlucky she is because her "hair dryer blows" would be funny without comedians like Rachel Dratch and Will Forte reading them. But hearing them read by people pretending to take them seriously made it that much better. If I had to pick a favorite part, it would probably be Joan London's detailed description of how she can't see anything on her drive to work followed by her assertion that "it wouldn't matter if it were broad daylight, because I don't have time for the scenery." Celebrities are stupid. Classic.

In personal growth news, this is also the first time I've ever been in a situation where I have not had enough money to pay a bill. The tickets themselves were about $30 each, but there was a two drink minimum. And if someone had told me that a Coke at a comedy club in New York costs $7, well, I don't know what I would have done, but it would have been nice. Anyway, me and my girlfriend had about $25 between us. The final bill for four Cokes was $35.40. We were stuck there with less money than we owed, trying to enjoy the end of the show while both independently conteplating the consequences of skipping out on the check. That sucked. After the show ended, I had to run outside to the Citibank on the corner and get money while my girlfriend acted as small as possible so the waiter didn't notice her. Thankfully, I got the money without too much hassle, but it could have been a lot worse. I know, I've suffered so much. It was kinda scary for a second, though. I learned a valuable lesson from this; next time I go somewhere with a drink minimum, I am looking at the menu, and I am ordering the cheapest fucking thing there. I'm such a Jew.

The Appleseed Cast - Sagarmatha

Wistful, dreamy, beautiful. A sonic cloud of post-rock fluffiness. Can you guess which album I'm describing? That's right, it's obviously Mogwai's Mr. Beast. Got you. But The Appleseed Cast's new album Sagarmatha sounds an awful lot like that too. Fortunately, The Appleseed Cast has turned down the impenetrable pretentiousness knob down a couple notches since their last release, Peregrine. The paranoid soundscapes have been reduced by about 20%, and Owen-esque twinkliness, as well as some good old fashioned booming rock guitar, have stepped up to fill the gap, making for a much easier listen than the preceding album. Unfortunately, with 5 of the 9 songs coming in at over 6 minutes long, the album still feels a little more art than heart. Also, the band has a pretty impressive early catalog to live up to, and the dreamy wash doesn't come anywhere near capturing the heart-wrenching energy of their magnum opus, 2000's Mare Vitalis. Sagarmatha is an interesting album, its a pretty album, but its not something you grant permanent empty-cd-player-filler status in your car.

3.5 / 5