Blonde Redhead and Autolux at the Wiltern Theatre

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a big fan of Blonde Redhead. Their latest album "23" will easily fall into the top 5 releases of 2007 with Kazu Makino's dreamy lush vocals, Simone Pace's extraordinary drumming and Amedeo Pace's distinctive guitar playing. The album has a rare must buy recommendation from the Amateur Chemist.

I thought it wouldn't get much better after seeing Autolux and Blonde Redhead at Sunset Junction. I was wrong when they announced Blonde Redhead and Autolux at the Wiltern.








Autolux needs to make their sophomore album soon. It is torture hearing how good these new songs are and not being able to listen to them on my ipod. "Finders Fee" is one of these new songs that had Greg Edwards (Guitars/Vocals) providing feedback and extraterrestrial guitar noises on a silver Fender guitar. "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" puts you into a narcotic induced haze with its haunting sampler triggered opening that morphs into Greg's complex guitar chords. "Blanket" sounded flawless with Carla Azar's steady drumming and Eugene Goreshter leading the way on vocals. Autolux closed their set with another new song that started with Eugene singing and Carla taking over as the song shifted up and down. The song ended with a super fuzz bass breakdown that punctuated an electric set. All I want this holiday season is a new Autolux album.







I never get tired of seeing Blonde Redhead live. They haven't had a proper Los Angeles headline date on this tour but I caught them at the House of Blues San Diego, Sunset Junction and the Glass House back in August. When the opening chords of "Dr. Strangeluv" ring out, I quickly become captivated. Bright yellow beams of light projected behind them adding a sharp visual component in addition to their intoxicating audio presentation. Kazu Makino is playing her white Gibson SG as she sings while Amedeo plucked out the ringing notes on his Gibson Les Paul Double cutaway. Amedeo shined brightly as he delved into "Spring And By Summer Fall". The pit was not too crowded and allowed everyone to sway in time to "23". Kazu switched her guitar to sit in front of her Nord keyboard to play "The Dress". "In Particular" had Amedeo tapping his guitar bridge while holding down a guitar chord for the percussive intro while Kazu handled the squiggly guitar lines. "Equus" had Kazu walk to the front of the stage and passionately sing as she engaged the audience. Their set went by lightening quick as took a short break before the encore. A good percentage of people missed out when Blonde Redhead came back out for a second encore that was dedicated to Autolux. "Melody" sounded hypnotic with its phaser drenched keyboards. I was glad I would catch them once more at Vegoose before they head to Europe to open for Interpol.

Blonde Redhead Setlist for the Wiltern Theatre (10/25/07)
"Dr. Strangeluv"
"Spring and By Summer Fall"
"23"
"Falling Man"
"The Dress"
"In Particular"
"SW"
"Equus"
"We are a Real Team(Harry and I)"
"Silently"
"Melody of Certain Three"
"Misery Is A Butterfly"
"Melody"

Blonde Redhead at the Glass House

In order to break up the drive out to the Glass House in Pomona, I stopped by Disneyland to find out it was Bats Day. Bats Day is when a bunch of goths, industrial kids and parents walk around the park dressed in black. It must have been really hot to walk around in black clothes all day in the sun. It was not nearly as hot as Blonde Redhead's performance though.




Midnight Movies opened again for Blonde Redhead and was well received by the audience. I don't think I have ever seen a band headline a show on one night and then see them the next day as an opener for another band. Congratulations to Midnight Movies for earning that rare distinction. Midnight Movies played a similar set as they did the previous night. I forgot to mention they closed their set with "Parallel Paramour" that quickly morphs into "Wild Thing". I did spot Kazu Makino from Blonde Redhead off to the side of the stage observing the Midnight Movies set.








I think the last time I saw the Glass House as packed as it was on this particular night is when Ladytron played. I had secured a good spot up front and was ready to take in Blonde Redhead's best performance of the weekend. Kazu Makino(Vocals/Guitars) was downright intoxicating as she strummed the opening chords of "Dr. Strangeluv". She was whipping her hair around even more compared to the Sunset Junction performance and was frequently smiling. Kazu even made the comment about how they loved to play in Pomona. Amedeo Pace (Guitars/Vocals) was equally arresting toying with his assortment of boutique pedals. Amedeo's pedal board had some interesting stuff on it which included an Electro Harmonix Holier Grail Reverb and an Eventide Time Factor. These pedals are the building blocks of Blonde Redhead's outer worldly sounds. Kazu did a splendid job behind her Nord Electro keyboard as she pounded out the piano riff for "SW". When she wasn't behind the keyboard she was playing her white Gibson SG. Simone Pace did his usual stellar drumming job functioning as the glue that holds the delicate songs together. Some of the highlight songs included "Top Ranking", "Melody" and "Failing Man". The set was the quickest ninety minutes of my life. I only ask you do two things. Buy "23" from Blonde Redhead and buy yourself a ticket to see them at the Wiltern on Oct 25th with Autolux.

Blonde Redhead Pedalboard


Blonde Redhead Setlist for the Glass House (8/19/07)
"Dr. Strangeluv"
"Spring and By Summer Fall"
"23"
"Falling Man"
"The Dress"
"Publisher"
"In Particular"
"Equus"
"We are a Real Team(Harry and I)"
"Melody of Certain Three"
"Top Ranking"
"Silently"
"Melody"

Blonde Redhead at the House of Blues San Diego

One of my top concerts of all time was the ticket stub from above. It featured a new band from Brooklyn called Blonde Redhead who were extremely loud and noisy. I was there to see Hum but the fact that I can remember their set from that long ago signifies that it left a lasting impression.  Blonde Redhead's latest offering "23" is simply stunning. This will be in my top albums of 2007 guaranteed. I was hoping they would play a smaller venue but was eager to catch them at the cozy House of Blues San Diego to start off my mini Blonde Redhead tour.



Traffic was horrendous on Friday night and I missed most of Midnight Movies but I managed to snag a few shots as they were wrapping up their set. I was disappointed because the soundsystem at the House of Blues is excellent and did well to differentiate all the sonic layers of Midnight Movies. My only recourse is I was lucky enough to see them at the Detroit Bar the next night and at the Glass House.









The curtains were drawn and the House of Blues was filled to capacity when Amedeo Pace (Guitars/Vocals) started to pluck the opening notes of "Dr. Strangeluv". Simone Pace (Drums) quickly followed in with his jazz influenced drumming as Kazu Makino's (Guitars/Vocals) voice emanated over the speakers quickly intoxicating the audience. "23" is a stellar album that gives praise to both Kazu and Amedeo but I think Simone is the unsung hero on this album as the drums stick out. I usually listen to albums and latch onto the guitars then the vocals. In this case, the subtle flourishes and different kinds of percussion on the album made my ears perk up. Throughout this concert I payed special attention to Simone and his drumming. He had a Roland electronic drum pad that he used for his multitude of drum samples. Amedeo stepped up to the microphone and sang "Spring and by Summer Fall" which has a beautiful counter melody played by Kazu in contrast to the louder, urgent guitar stabs played by Amedeo. The chemistry between all three members was very palpable and one could see them lock eyes throughout the set. Kazu did have some trouble remembering "Misery Is a Butterfly" but so sweetly apologized for it that you almost mistook it for part of the show. She was hugged by Amedeo to which the crowd greeted with a resounding sigh of compassion. They closed the show with "Equus" which helped me commandeer enough strength to brave the masses for Saturday.