Ghost B.C. at the El Rey Theatre

Celebrating the release of their latest album Infestissumam, Ghost B.C. haunted the El Rey Theatre with a ghastly set. Ghost B.C. worked through such songs as "Con Clavi Con Dio", "Prime Mover", "Elizabeth", "Ritual", "Year Zero", and "Monstrous Clock". Fortunately, I sent Todd Nakamine to take these unholy photos. Make sure to catch them this weekend at Coachella. Hopefully, they will come back around again soon.

Tame Impala at the El Rey Theatre

Check out my photos of Tame Impala at the El Rey Theatre over at Stereogum.

Pettyfest Night 2 at the El Rey Theatre

Check out my photos and review of Pettyfest at the El Rey Theatre over at Pure Volume.

Sea Wolf at the El Rey Theatre

Sea Wolf received a warm welcome for their homecoming tour finale on a chilly evening at the El Rey Theatre. Wrapping up a headlining tour in support of their excellent album Old World Romance, Alex Church and company weaved together an entrancing set.

The Donnies The Amys


I wasn't familiar with the name The Donnies The Amys at first. But instantly recognized drum goddess Amy Wood who has slayed on the kit for Big Black Delta and also helmed the drums during Fiona Apple's tour. Quite the impressive resume.

Amy had been pulling double duty as The Donnies The Amys had been opening a handful of shows on the Fiona Apple tour before linking up for a few of the remaining Sea Wolf dates. The Donnies The Amys played a delightful set and I would recommend checking out their album which is economically priced at five dollars on bandcamp.

Hey Marseilles


Hailing from Washington, Hey Marseilles worked through an infectious set of sweeping orchestral inspired pop.  They have one album so far entitled, To Travels and Trunks with a follow up album promised to be released soon.  Their music had elements of The National, The Decemberists and a touch of Arcade Fire.

Hey Marseilles used every band member effectively though and didn't include instruments just to make noise. Matt Bishop was an engaging frontman with his vocal style reminiscent of Colin Meloy. Since it was the last night of the tour, members of all the bands appeared at the end of their set for a sing along of "Rio". Keep an eye out for their sophomore album.


Sea Wolf


I distinctly remember Alex Church standing out in Irving when they opened for Silversun Pickups at the Troubadour in 2006. When he eventually formed Sea Wolf, I was onboard from the start. Earlier this year, I caught Sea Wolf's return to the stage when they played the Observatory and debuted some new material from Old World Romance.

Catching the tour finale was a good idea as they sounded razor sharp from the opening chords of "Miracle Cure". A flood of old memories came tumbling back upon hearing the familiar notes of "Winter Windows". Another familiar tune "The Traitor", kept everyones heads bobbing throughout the venue. A tremolo guitar opening for "Old Friend" melted effortlessly into the ringing picked acoustic guitar notes.

Circular guitars and dampened drum snaps dictated the pace of "In Nothing" which sounded even more formidable live. Deftly bouncing between old and new material, "Dew In The Grass" and "White Water, White Bloom" were followed by the symphonic swirl of "Priscilla". The pace quickened with "Middle Distance Runner". Turning back the clock to 2007 and their first EP, "I  Made A Resolution" was a pleasant surprise.

The sublime jangle of "Turn The Dirt Over" washed over the crowd like a cool breeze. "Kasper" haunted the audience with its snappy drums and Church's smooth vocals. The highlight of the evening was "You're A Wolf" with some guest cello from Hey Marseilles. A generous applause had Sea Wolf come out for an encore of "Black Leaf Falls". Church's aching vocals of "Saint Catherine St." were underpinned against shimmering guitars to the point of perfection. "Black Dirt" capped out an evening that seemed to go by in seconds.

Sea Wolf Setlist at the El Rey Theatre (11/ 11/2012)
1. "Miracle Cure"
2. "Winter Windows"
3. "The Traitor"
4. "Old Friend"
5. "In Nothing"
6. "Dew In The Grass"
7. "White Water, White Bloom"
8. "Priscilla"
9. "Middle Distance Runner"
10. "I Made A Resolution"
11. "Turn The Dirt Over"
12. "Kasper"
13. "You're A Wolf"
14. "Black Falls"
15. "Saint Catherine St."
16. "Black Dirt"

Bob Mould at the El Rey Theater

Check out my photos of Bob Mould at the El Rey Theatre over at Stereogum.

White Rabbits at the El Rey Theater

Check out my photos of White Rabbits at the El Rey Theater over at Stereogum.

The Lemonheads at the El Rey Theater

Check out my photos of The Lemonheads at the El Rey Theatre over at Stereogum.

Peter Hook and the Light at the El Rey Theatre

Check out my photos of Peter Hook and the Light at the El Rey Theatre over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

The Horrors at the El Rey Theatre

Check out my photos of the Horrors at the El Rey Theatre 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.

Death Cab For Cutie at the El Rey Theater

Check out my photos of Death Cab For Cutie at the El Rey Theater over at Stereogum.

Gary Numan at the El Rey Theater

After seeing Gary Numan join the final Nine Inch Nails shows at the Henry Fonda, the Wiltern, the Echoplex and the Palladium, I knew I had to see a full show by Gary Numan. His addition to the Coachella line-up was one of the high priority targets on my list but ultimately erased due to the Icelandic volcano ash. When it was announced that Numan would return to perform his highly influential album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety, my calendar was immediately cleared.



Seeing two Virus Access TI keyboards placed at the front of the stage along with two synthesizer stations in the back, it was difficult to contain my excitement. The swirling sounds of "Airlane" were hypnotic and still sounded fresh even though the song was recorded thirty years ago. Flashbacks from some of the Nine Inch Nails occurred during "Metal" with its sawtooth synthesizers and metallic overtones. Numan's voice sounds just as good if not better than the recorded version with him belting out the lyrics.



Switching the order of the album, the pulsating tones of "Engineers" were augmented by the propelling live drumming beats that gave the song a greater sense of urgency. "Films" continued the barrage of synthesizers as the crowd at the front of the barricade enthusiastically sang along. I wasn't surprised to hear a security guard scream out "Basement Jaxx!" when the characteristic bass synth line of "M.E." pumped out of the speakers since the song was sampled by the band.



The instrumental "Observer" sounds extremely close synthesizer patch wise to "Cars" but was tweaked nicely in the live format. A dynamic shift of energy in the room occurred when the undulating waves of synthesizers for "Cars" blared throughout the El Rey Theater. It was interesting to see that the tambourine made an appearance during the song as this could possibly be influenced by his live appearances with Nine Inch Nails.



After the astounding completion of The Pleasure Principle, Numan still had plenty of firepower left in the arsenal as the "Rock" portion of the show started with a fiery version of "The Fall". A brooding intro for "Down In The Park" became an electronic dirge with Numan occasionally waving his arms back and forth. Crunchy guitars roared for "Jagged" before transitioning to menacing synthesizer pads. Possibly the pinnacle and highlight of the evening was an anthemic spine tingling version of "Are Friends Electric?" with a majority of the crowd chanting along.



A three song encore of "I Die:You Die", "Zulu" and "Prayer for The Unborn" had me wishing I bought a ticket to the next night to take it all in again. Numan easily proved why he is considered a synthesizer pioneer. I have no reservations saying that this was the best synthesizer show of the year.

Teenage Fanclub at the El Rey Theater

Check out my photos of Teenage Fanclub at the El Rey Theater over at Stereogum.

A Place To Bury Strangers and The Big Pink at the El Rey Theater

The pairing of The Big Pink and A Place To Bury Strangers was not for those faint of ear. The audience collectively lost a tiny percentage of their hearing at the El Rey Theater. I severely lagged in posting these pictures but figured I would wait awhile to give everyone a reminder that they should get tickets to A Place To Bury Strangers at Spaceland this Saturday.

A Place To Bury Strangers





The Big Pink