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)

Eulogies at the Hotel Cafe

It was Dangerbird Records night at Hotel Cafe with La Rocca, Eulogies and Ed Laurie. Eulogies was celebrating the release of their new EP Tempted To Do Nothing.

La Rocca




The Baillie brothers of La Rocca played a short but sweet set debuting some tracks from their new album OK Okay. Bjorn Baillie (Vocals/Guitars) was strumming his acoustic guitar and demonstrated his broad vocal range with "Non-Believer" as his brother Simon (Bass) impressively held down the background vocals, foot stomping and the melody driven bass line. Bjorn would later hop over to the piano for "Love Under Key" that resonated well with the attentive Hotel Cafe audience. If they were this good without two members of their band, I will need to check them out with the full line up.

Eulogies





I have reviewed Eulogies four times now and have never been disappointed by any of their sets. The stage was cramped as Eulogies has augmented their line up by adding Drew Phillips (Guitars) for another shade of sound. Tempted To Do Nothing is their new four song EP that is available as an awesome vinydisc that is a combination of analog(Vinyl) and digital(CD).

Eulogies exceeded the usual decibel levels at Hotel Cafe with a fully plugged in set. Peter Walker (Guitars/Vocals) led the charge with "Bad Connection" off their new EP as he played his Gibson hollowbody guitar plugged into an Orange amplifier. A few tracks from their debut album were mixed into the set as I enjoyed "Running In The Rain" and the jangling guitars of "Life Boat". The strategic wandering guitars of "Is There Anyone Here?" meshed well with Peter's lyrical content. Eulogies is heading out for a couple of shows back east for CMJ.

Ed Laurie





Having recently seen Jose Gonzalez and his nylon string guitar wizardry, I didn't know if Ed Laurie could measure up. I quickly realized that Ed is in a class by himself with his earnest heart revealing sincerity. Meanwhile In The Park is Ed's latest album and "Julia" was captivating as his songs fit the mood of Hotel Cafe. "Down To The Sea" made you forget about his nimble guitar work as Ed's voice pulled in the audience. There was a cone of silence after Ed finished his set because everyone seemed speechless. Dangerbird Records has a lot of good things going for them.

A Place To Bury Strangers at the Viper Room

I have been to a few Viper Room shows this year with Gliss, The Minor Canon, The Pity Party and Gliss once again. I cleared my schedule when I saw the line up of A Place to Bury Strangers, Eulogies, In Waves and Forcefield On.







Oliver Ackermann (Guitars/Vocals) provided the best infomercial ever for Death by Audio pedals by a white hot demonstration with his band A Place To Bury Strangers. The Viper Room was stuffed at 9:15 when A Place To Bury Strangers suffocated the audience with their sheets of noise. "I Know I'll See You" was a great example with a bass line that would make Simon Gallup from The Cure proud. I wonder if it is a coincidence that Jono Mofo (Bass) plays a Gibson Thunderbird bass just like Simon Gallup. A white backdrop of old film footage projected behind them as they played in darkness. This would change near the end of the set as white strobe lights went off like paparazzi flashes to finish off your eyes since your ears were already screaming for help. Oliver emphatically ripped the strings off his white Fender Jaguar at the apex of the song and was drowning the audience with feedback. I had major guitar tone envy at this point. I asked Oliver if he was going to be at NAMM in January to which he unfortunately said no. I guess this means I will have to go find a store who sells Death By Audio pedals.





Eulogies was next on the bill and the trademark Viper Room lights had been restored. It was the fourth time I have caught Eulogies and I can attest they play a solid set every time. "If I Knew You" still stands out as one of the many examples of their formidable songwriting skillls. Peter Walker (Guitars/Vocals) had switched out his TV yellow Gibson Les Paul Jr. for a slick Gibson Hollowbody. "Life Boat" also stook out on this particular night as they performed a blazing rendition of the song. Check out their latest self-titled release on Dangerbird records.






In Waves lived up to their name sake as they submerged the audience in waves of delay and reverb as if you were bobbing up and down in the ocean letting it guide you wherever. Tim Gregorio (Bass) had a Fender Bass working overtime as he really propelled the songs. Jimmy Vincent (Vocals/Guitars) had a distinctive guitar style that culled from many heroes of the Brit pop era. With a quick glance aroud the audience, I noticed a lot of people closing their eyes and getting lost in the music. The song that particularly impressed me was "A walk". I will watch for their upcoming shows very closely.




Forcefield On from Long Beach closed out the night with their horn filled indie rock. The stage could barely hold all the seven members of the band. I was quickly reminded of The Minor Canon after catching a few songs. I may have to catch them again when they play the Prospector in Long Beach on January 31st.

Film School at the Echoplex

Film School wrapped up their US tour with a dense sheet of noise at the Echoplex. I was excited to see this show because the Echoplex offers a louder soundsystem compared to the last time I saw them at the Beauty Bar.

Eulogies



Eulogies opened with their indie rock storytelling songs. Kevin from Buzz bands wrote a good piece on them here. I noticed Peter had a Vox cabinet for his Orange Amplifier. I am still listening to their self-titled album which is available on Dangerbird records. Their song "One Man" is very catchy and deserves some serious airplay. Lorelei from Film School came out and did a gorgeous rendition of "If I Knew You" that even had a audience member scream out to find out the title of the song. I will be catching Eulogies again when they play the Viper Room on December 3rd.


Division Day





Division Day are touring in support of their album "Beartrap Island". They put on a toe tapping show when I caught their release party at the Echo back in October. Seb Bailey (Bass) would switch between his bass and a slick Orville guitar that I don't think I have ever see on stage before. "Ricky" and "Colorguard" stood out as the highlight tracks from their set. I downloaded their album from itunes so I could get their bonus track "Chorisia" which has an excellent piano riff. They will be playing with Voxtrot at the Henry Fonda on Dec 3rd.


Film School






Are you starting to get the impression that I really like Film School? I can't really say enough good things about the band because their latest album "Hideout" is just stunning. It is the perfect marriage of swarming guitars, swirling keyboards, cavernous reverb, and strong songwriting. It would be wrong to classify them as shoegazer in terms of live performance because Dave Dupuis's hyperactive guitar playing easily dismantles this notion as well as Greg Bertens(Vocals) scraping his Fender Telecaster deluxe on his amplifier for additional feedback. The Echoplex was loud and so was Film School. "Lectric" was electric as Lorelei had her Fender Mustang bass rumbling as Dave and Greg dialed up the walls of sound. Colm O'Ciosoig from My Bloody Valentine was in attendance in case you had any doubt how good Film School is.