Hum at the High Dive

Check out my photos, setlists and some interesting new tidbits from Hum who played the High Dive and A.V. Club Festival over at Stereogum.

Band of Horses at the Wiltern Theater

Check out my photos of Band of Horses at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Incoming: IDentity Festival at the Hollywood Palladium

For those of you who need an electro fix this Labor Day weekend, the IDentity Festival will be held at the Hollywood Palladium this Saturday September, 4th. A sampling of the line up includes the Crystal Method, Booka Shade, Hercules and the Love Affair, Jason Bentley, Pretty Lights and Steve Aoki. Get you tickets here because you have Monday off anyways.

Serge Gainsbourg Tribute at the Hollywood Bowl

Check out my photos of the Serge Gainsbourg tribute at the Hollywood Bowl featuring Beck, Ed Droste, Zola Jesus, Victoria Legrand, Sean Lennon, and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt over at Stereogum.

Weezer at the Fantasy Springs Special Event Center

Check out some photos and my review of Weezer at the Fantasy Springs Special Event Center over at OC Weekly.

Helmet at the Slidebar

Check out my photos of Helmet at the Slidebar over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Red Hot Chili Peppers at Club Nokia

Check out my photos of Red Hot Chili Peppers at Club Nokia over at Stereogum. This show raised $1 million dollars to support the Silverlake Conservatory of Music.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks at the Village Recorder for KCRW

Check out my photos of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at the Village for KCRW over at Stereogum.

Death Cab for Cutie at the Greek Theatre

After catching Death Cab for Cutie down in San Diego, I opted to catch their second night Greek Theatre in hopes they would mix up their setlist and potentially dust off some old favorites. Of course, Death Cab For Cutie came through to deliver a sparkling high energy set.

Frightened Rabbit







Rising among the likes of such great Scottish bands as Mogwai, The Jesus and Mary Chain and Teenage Fanclub, Frightened Rabbit will win you over with their heart on a sleeve lyrics and clever melodies. Touring tirelessly behind their latest release The Winter of Mixed Drinks, Frightened Rabbit are known for winning over fans with their compelling live show.

Opening their set with "The Modern Leper", Scott Hutchison strummed his Fender guitar as his brother Grant Hutchison started to form the percussive backbone of the song with his steady drumming. The guitars would really rumble during the opening of "Nothing Like You" as Scott's Scottish accent adds extra charm to the song.

Scott apologized to the crowd implying he had a rough night of drinking the evening prior but it didn't seem to impede his performance on stage. The propelling riff of "Head Rolls Off" continued to ensnare the attention of the fans in the audience as it was difficult to deny their embracing tunes. "Keep Yourself Warm" was a perfect set closer and left the fans wanting more. I'm sure Frightened Rabbit will be headlining bigger venues with their next album.

Death Cab For Cutie






A dimly lit stage awash in red lights set the mood for the ominous opening bass line of "I Will Possess Your Heart". Ben Gibbard sporadically used an E-Bow on his G&L telecaster guitar adorned with a Seattle Mariners logo to build the feedback swells at the beginning of the song.

Gibbard would quickly drop his guitar to run over to the keyboards while the band were tightly interlocked in the rhythm of the song. "Crooked Teeth" presented a shift in mood and lighting as the four LCD screens vividly lit up and a full on rock show commenced.

The irony of "Why Would You Want to Live Here?" was addressed later in the set as Gibbard admitted that since he has lived in Los Angeles for three years that he can complain about the city he inhabits. Shifting gears to their latest album Codes and Keys, "Doors Unlocked and Open" had Chris Walla focus his energy on his Korg MS-20 for the haunting synthesizer bass line.

"Long Division" sounded noisier than the recorded version with a shoegazey breakdown. Chris Walla added some Rhodes like keyboards to "Grapevine Fires". A deep bending sustained guitar line was played by bassist Nick Harmer for "Codes and Keys" supported by Gibbard's uplifting vocals.

Gibbard took center stage for a solo haunting acoustic version of "I Will Follow You Into The Dark". The hits just kept coming as the band effortlessly worked through "Soul Meets Body", "A Movie Script Ending" and "The Sound of Settling". The encores for the evening included my personal favorite "405" and the epic closer of "Transatlanticism".

Death Cab For Cutie will return on October 14th to play the Fox Theater in Pomona with Release The Sunbird and October 15th with Explosions In The Sky at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Odds are I will be attending both.

Death Cab For Cutie at Rimac Arena

Check out my photos of Death Cab For Cutie at Rimac Arena over at Stereogum.

Big Audio Dynamite at the City National Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Big Audio Dynamite at the City National Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

The Get Up Kids at the Satellite

File under a show I will regret missing, The Get Up Kids are playing the Satellite tomorrow on 8/13 with The Henry Clay People opening. Get your tickets here and let me know what I missed.

Big Audio Dynamite at Club Nokia

Check out my photos of Big Audio Dynamite at Club Nokia over at Stereogum.

Zola Jesus Portrait Session

Check out my photos of Zola Jesus for a progress report about her new album over at Stereogum.

Deerhunter at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Deerhunter at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Devo at the City National Grove of Anaheim

Check out my photos of Devo at the City National Grove of Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

My review is also at OC Weekly.

MGMT and Surfer Blood at the US Open of Surfing

Check out my photos of MGMT and Surfer Blood at the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach over at OC Weekly.

Weezer at the Pacific Amphitheater

Check out my photos of Weezer at the Pacific Amphitheater over at Stereogum. The picture above is Rivers rocking my hat during "Surf Wax America".

LA Rising at the LA Coliseum

Check out my photos of LA Rising at the LA Coliseum featuring Rage Against The Machine, Muse, Rise Against, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Immortal Technique and El Gran Silencio over at Stereogum.

A Perfect Circle at the Gibson Amphitheater

Check out my photos of A Perfect Circle at the Gibson Amphitheater over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Thurston Moore at KCRW Studios

Check out my photos of Thurston Moore at KCRW over at Stereogum.

Cold Cave at the Ukrainian Cultural Center

Check out my photos of Cold Cave at the Ukrainian Cultural Center over at Stereogum.

Soundgarden at the Forum

Check out my photos of Soundgarden and The Mars Volta at the Forum over at Stereogum.

Rock It OC! at South Coast Plaza

Check out my photos of Rock It OC! at South Coast Plaza presented by Music for A Cure over at OC Weekly.

Puro Instinct at the Detroit Bar

Check out my photos of Puro Instinct and John Maus at the Detroit Bar over at Stereogum.

Eddie Vedder at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach

Check out my photos of Eddie Vedder at the Terrace Theater in Long Beach over at Stereogum.

Blonde Redhead at the El Rey Theatre

Penny Sparkle was one of my favorite releases from 2010. Blonde Redhead continue to modify and adapt their musical style while retaining their characteristic sound. The album is chock full of oozing synthesizers floating over sparse shimmery guitars. Touring for close to a full year, I previously caught Blonde Redhead at the Music Box for two nights (Night 1 and Night 2) and at the Glass House.


Bass Drum of Death




It is gutsy to call your band Bass Drum of Death and not include a bass player. But these boys from Mississippi knew how to kick out the jams utilizing a twin fuzzed out guitar attack supported by rapid fire drums to amuse the audience. Their debut album GB City was released by the venerable Fat Possum label barely clocks in over thirty minutes.

The Luyas





The Luyas scored points just by busting out Moodswinger which is a 12 string zither that conjured ambient stacked overtones. Hailing from Montreal and using such eclectic instruments as the French Horn and a stack of analog synthesizers, it was difficult not think of Arcade Fire.

Lead singer Jessie Stein was absolutely delightful working through a batch of songs. Their latest release Too Beautiful To Work was added to my stack of albums that garner a closer look.

Blonde Redhead




The trademark red curtains of the El Rey Theatre pulled back as the haunting pads of "Black Guitar" soon ricocheted around the venue as Amedeo Pace traded vocals with Kazu Makino. Having been on the road for so long, Blonde Redhead were super tight and the sound was perfect.

Simone Pace's dexterous drumming superimposed on a skeletal electronic drumbeat hypnotized as "Here Sometimes" continued to seduce the audience. The winding staircase guitars of "Dr. Strangeluv" were entrancing as Makino swayed with the music.

Makino would grab her white Gibson Sg and assist Amedeo in the sonic department for "Spring and By Summer Fall". Whipping her hair around, Makino swayed in time to the dark keyboards and percussive beat of "Not Getting There".

Under the cover of dark blue light, "Spain" had the perfect combination of melting guitars and whirling keyboards. Amedeo used a whammy pedal for some deep guitar bends during "23" as Makino's vocals echoed. Makino would grab her Teisco six string bass for the Amedeo led vocals of "Falling Man".

"Silently" and "Penny Sparkle" closed out their encore which still didn't satisfy the crowd. The crowd desperately clamored for more, but having seen Blonde Redhead multiple times they always leave you wanting more.