Longwave at the Casbah

Longwave can't seem to catch a break. As the year wraps up and a number of best-of lists unfurl, many people will overlook their strength of their new album Secrets Are Sinister. I have been waiting forever to see Longwave and previously had to settle for seeing Steve Schiltz (Vocals/Guitar) play guitar for Albert Hammond Jr.

Eulogies





Eulogies are embarking on a mini-tour opening up for Longwave, as they continue to support their new EP Tempted To Do Nothing. Apparently, the Casbah is not known for starting on time but Eulogies hit the stage at exactly 9:00 to the sparse but appreciative crowd.

Eulogies weren't restricted by volume like when I caught them at The Hotel Cafe. The hopscotch bass line by Tim Hutton (Bass) for "Under The Knife" kicked off Eulogies rock solid set. I have to echo my prior observations that the additional guitars by Drew Phillips rounds out their collective sound and gives Peter Walker (Guitars/Vocals) a chance to focus on his vocals and rhythm guitars. "Running In The Rain" was another polished rocker from their self-titled debut album released on Dangerbird records.

Drew displayed some momentary tambourine skills for "Is There Anyone Here?" as Chris Reynolds (Drums) added a shuffling beat. "Bad Connection" is my choice track from the their new EP as the lyrics seem to resonate with me. Eulogies also set up a slide projector displaying vintage slides from the '60s or '70s that provides a visual aesthetic to their show. Catch Eulogies on December 16th at Space 15 twenty when they headline "A Pablove Supreme" which is a benefit show for Pablo Castelaz who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Wilm's Tumor at CHLA.

A Beautiful Noise




Local San Diego space psychedelic troupe A Beautiful Noise had a collection of five video cameras filming their textural performance. A Beautiful Noise overcame some gear problems prior to their start as the white backdrop for their projections wouldn't stay attached to the back wall and they had to borrow a guitar from Longwave. Luckily, these hurdles didn't hinder their psychedelic swirl. I was already thinking they sounded like Spacemen 3 before they proceeded to perform a cover from the band. I didn't catch any names of their songs but it will be interesting to see if they release their performance on DVD.

Longwave





After listening to the new album Secrets are Sinister twice on the drive to San Diego, I was convinced that Longwave would need keyboards to fill out the textures in their effort to recreate the sprawling sounds that they recorded. I shouldn't have underestimated the guitar playing of Steve Schiltz (Vocals/Guitars) and Shannon Ferguson (Guitars).

"Sirens In The Deep Sea" howled from the start, as Steve should be mentioned with the likes of Adam Franklin and Kevin Shields for his tremolo abilities on the Fender Jazzmaster. Jason Molina (Drums) quipped he was having a "bad snare day" when his snare snapped during the beginning of "No Direction". Steve proceeded to summon a storm of feedback as Jason quickly changed his snare drum and stormed back into the song.

Shannon was playing a Fender Telecaster deluxe into a Vox AC30 to compliment Steve's Marshall amplifier and Hiwatt cab setup. I would venture to say Shannon's secret weapon in his pedal board would be a vintage DOD analog delay that was absolutely intoxicating. "Wake Me When Its Over" had Longwave venture back to its first album and was outstanding as Morgan King (Bass) had a fat cutting round bass sound that carried the atmospheric guitars.

The palm muted guitar notes of "Eyes Like Headlights" added some tension to the song before Steve went into a noisy feedback freak out. Steve prefaced "The Devil And The Liar" by stating they were asked to license the song for a Lubriderm commercial. Since Longwave isn't super huge yet, I have to support their creative ways of earning income as long as it helps them make more music.

The guitar instrumental "Daysleeper" was replicated perfectly in the tone department and washes over you when it reaches its noisy apex. Longwave landed the knockout punch with a double dose of "Tidal Wave" and "Life Is Wrong" to close out the evening. I wasn't too surprised they played nothing from their second album There's A Fire, but still think "Underneath You Know The Names" is one of their stronger songs. I think the new Longwave album Secrets Are Sinister will be the stocking stuffer for my friends this year.

Longwave setlist at the Casbah (12/09/08)
"Sirens In The Deep Sea"
"No Direction"
"Wake Me When It's Over"
"I Don't Dare"
"Eyes Like Headlights"
"The Devil and The Liar"
"Daysleeper"
"Satellites"
"Everywhere You Turn"
"Shining Hours"
"Tidal Wave"
"Life Is Wrong"

Longwave Pedalboards:

Shannon Ferguson Pedalboard


Steve Schiltz Pedalboard (note: Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man not shown)

Holy F*ck and A Place To Bury Strangers at the Casbah

I honestly could not pass up the opportunity to see Holy F*ck and A Place To Bury Strangers again. It was unfortunate that most of my San Diego friends would be at the Foo Fighters show at Cox Arena but the swirls of intoxicating fuzz, feedback and noise made this a must see show at the Casbah.

Run Run Run



Run Run Run opened the evening with their elaborate light and smoke show. I have managed to catch Run Run Run two other times at Spaceland and the Detroit Bar. Run Run Run continue to impress me with the tightness of their live show as they really take care of business on stage. Run Run Run did an atmospheric cover of Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" as well as play a few songs from their new EP "Good Company". They closed their set with "Song And Dance" that had Xander Smith (Guitars/Vocals) emphatically screaming "Run Run Run" as they had their dual guitar assault wailing away. Run Run Run is now heading down to SXSW before embarking on another national tour.

A Place To Bury Strangers






A Place To Bury Strangers destroyed again with their auditory and visual feast. I knew their set would be different in comparison with their Spaceland show and I was correct in that I heard a few different songs. "Alive" was full of guitar hysterics as Oliver Ackermann (Guitars/Vocals) frantically strummed his guitar strings on his headstock to get some metallic overtones before diving headfirst into a garage rock punk jam. The volume was as high pitched as the feedback as Oliver was frequently abusing his tremolo arm on his battered Fender Jaguar."Deadbeat" sounded like a punk fringed crime romp that could easily be on the soundtrack to the "Dark Knight" soundtrack with its ear splitting feedback and massive bass line drilling a hole in you skull. "I Know I'll See You Again" was spot on as Jono MOFO (Bass) managed to make his bass sound like the red hovering seeker ships from Tron. "Ocean" always makes an epic closer to their set as you get the feeling of almost drowning from the waves of noise. A Place to Bury Strangers will be heading to SXSW to continue their destruction of eardrums worldwide.

Holy F*ck






Holy F*ck admitted they are still getting used to having their usual drummer Matt Schulz but I couldn’t tell as they concocted another wild dose of stirring electronic bleeps and squeals. Their set is so experimental that it seems they only have a loose guideline of what song they are going to play but freely experiment with different tempos and effects during the songs. It is easy to say that no Holy F*ck show will be the same. "The Pulse" is the usual starting point as the drums accelerate and the bass drops into the tune as the various Casio keyboards start to round out the songs with their beats and blips. "Milkshake" was slightly harsher with a more industrial and metallic vibe as Brian Borcherdt (Vocals/Keyboards) would use his distorted vocals to add a spacey effect to the tune. Some of the sound effects in the song sound like they were actually taken from the Disneyland ride "Space Mountain". "Royal Gregory" features the distorted vocals of Graham Walsh (Vocals/Keyboards) as he simultaneously tweaks his vocals and plays keyboards in real time. "Super Inuit" had a more frantic and higher caffeine level as the song was performed at a faster pace. "Lovely Allen" was a crowd favorite with the whole audience nodding their heads along with the beat as some people up front started to dance. They closed their set with a Casio fueled burning drum sequence that had Matt working overtime to keep up with the keyboard. It was a battle of man versus machines during the whole set but Holy F*ck knows how to tame their machines.

Filter at the Casbah

“Filter is back!” were the words straight from Richard Patrick (Vocals/Guitar). As a fan of Nine Inch Nails, I remember seeing Richard Patrick in the classic “Head Like A Hole” video and that he would later leave Nine Inch Nails to form a solo project entitled Filter. “Short Bus” was Richard’s first album and it was a classic blast of heavy detuned guitars and electronic programming. “Hey Man, Nice Shot” would propel Richard into stardom as I caught Filter opening for White Zombie back in the college days. Filter would later release “Title of Record” that would solidify their status in alternative rock with the acoustic tinged “Take A Picture”. “The Amalgamut” was the third Filter album and was a more industrial laced return to form as the lyrics were darker and the guitars were heavier. I had a ticket to see Filter at the Wiltern to see their tour for “The Amalgamut” but the tour was canceled as Richard entered rehab. Richard would later form Army of Anyone with the guys from Stone Temple Pilots but with the Stone Temple Pilots impending reunion, Richard resurrected his Filter project.


I was shocked when I found out that Filter would be playing the Casbah to kick off their tour. I guess Richard wanted to avoid the hype from doing a Los Angeles show for a return. The San Diego audience was extremely thankful as they thoroughly enjoyed every song Filter had to offer. “Welcome To The Fold” served as a slap in the face to anyone who forgot how hard Filter rocks as the chugging detuned riff crushed the audience. Richard sounded better than ever and paced the stage like a caged animal as he had little room to move around on the tiny Casbah stage. "American Cliche" quickly brought a smile to my face as Filter nailed the song with Richard gripping the microphone with both hands to steady it for his vocals blasts. "Trip Like I Do" had a dual guitar assault as Richard dedicated the song to the Crystal Method who were apparently in the audience as they helped collaborate with him on the song when it was featured in the "Spawn" movie soundtrack.


Filter has a new album due on May 13th entitled "Anthems For The Damned" that looks like it will be just as loud as his prior efforts judging by the new track they played called "The Wake" which could have easily been on "Short Bus". Another new track "Soldiers Of Misfortune" was dedicated to the men and women serving our country in IRAQ. I have to tip my hat to Richard Patrick and company as they are heading to Kuwait to play a show for the soldiers. Richard's backing band was highly capable as Mitchell Marlow (Guitars) had a small fleet of custom Fender Telecasters stamped with the Filter logo on the 12th fret. I don't even want to think about the extensive Marshall rack setup he had with two Marshall JMP 1 racks.


The atmosphere of the show was a bunch of rabid fans at the front of the stage frothing at each song and every note from Filter as they slayed on "Captain Bligh". They knocked "Hey Man, Nice Shot" out of the park as I remembered crushing the Drop D riff at high volumes back in the day on my tiny Peavey amp and Fender Squire Stratocaster. They closed the night with the acoustic staple "Take A Picture" and I will say that I took quite a few pictures that night because it will be last time I see them at such a small venue as they will be hitting the bigger venues very soon.