Silversun Pickups at the Greek Theater

Check out my photos of the Silversun Pickups at the Greek Theater over at Stereogum.

The Henry Clay People at Fingerprints Records

The Henry Clay People have long established themselves as darlings of Los Angeles music scene with their tireless gigging. I can't think of a local venue the band hasn't played in the last two years. While most bands stick to the immediate Silverlake locales, The Henry Clay People did a residency down in Costa Mesa at the Detroit Bar to geographically widen their fanbase.


I first caught Henry Clay People at the tiny Prospector in Long Beach in February 2008 and knew big things were in store for the band. Some of the various puzzle pieces that came together include being managed by C3, scoring a deal with TBD records, and support from Aquarium Drunkard who released their full length album For Cheap or For Free on Autumn Tone records.


Things continue to shine brighter for the Henry Clay People as they are in the midst of a national tour supporting Silversun Pickups. Prior to their departure, the Henry Clay People celebrated with a packed record release party at Spaceland and treating the folks at Fingerprints Records for a free performance in support of their latest album Somewhere On The Golden Coast.


The stage at Fingerprints couldn't contain all the members of the Henry Clay People as Jordan Hudock had his keyboard stationed to the side of the stage while drummer Eric Scott was obscured behind bassist Jonathan Price. Henry Clay People shows are renowned for being fueled by lots of energy, volume and topped with a shot of whiskey.


Andy Siara displayed his slide guitar skills for the woozy "Slow Burn" while his brother Joey Siara jangled away on his Rickenbacker guitar. "End of An Empire" is a straight ahead rock song highlighted with its frantic piano notes. Taking requests from the crowd for cover songs, "Can't Hardly Wait" by the Replacements and "Knowledge" by Operation Ivy were easily tackled by the band. Henry Clay People will be back in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater on 8/6 so make sure you show up early and sneak in your metal flask.

Everest and Henry Clay People at the Echoplex

It was an impressive turnout for the reboot of Indie 103.1's Check One.Twosdays at the Echoplex last week with Earlimart and the Afternoons. This week boasted another strong assortment of bands with Nico Stai, The Henry Clay People, Everest and Dazzler.

Nico Stai



After a prolonged soundcheck, The Echoplex opened nearly thirty minutes late to throw off the evening's festivities. Luckily, it didn't take too long for before Nico Stai hit the stage. It has been quite awhile since I saw Nico Stai earlier this year at the Paul Gleason Theater. The Victory Of Miss Friday How To Bury Your Heart and Five Songs To Die For is the longest titled EP of the year and contains five songs.

The weathered jangle of "You Came Around" filled the Echoplex, as Nico seemed more comfortable with his full backing band compared to his stripped down performance at the Paul Gleason Theater. "Covered Too" was another propulsive guitar jangle jam accented with Nico's smokey vocals. Nico Stai will be opening for the Movies during their Spaceland Residency on December 15th.

The Henry Clay People





I regretted not attending the Spaceland record release party for The Henry Clay People. One can almost smell the whiskey in the air that permeates from their new album For Cheap or For Free released by Aquarium Drunkard's record label Autumn Tone.

My prior reviews of The Henry Clay People at Little Radio, The Echo and the Prospector were alcohol fueled furies. Realizing that they were heading down the fast path to cirrhosis, The Henry Clay People played a sobering set that demonstrated how well their songs are carefully crafted.

The ragged guitars of "Rock and Roll has Lost Its Teeth" had plenty of bite as the Henry Clay People delivered a large helping of boozy rock. Joey Siara (Vocals/Guitars) was switching between two homemade Fender Telecaster shaped guitars while Andy Siara (Guitars) was in full rock twang mode on his Fender Telecaster.

"This Ain't A Scene" had Andy coming up with the bluesy metal slide riff, as the song could easy fit on a Tom Petty record. An extra speedy version of "Working Part Time" convinced me that the Henry Clay People need to be packaged on a national tour to take their message to the masses. The Henry Clay People will join up with the Pity Party for a New Year's Eve show at Spaceland that is guaranteed to start your 2009 on the right foot.

Everest





It might be an understatement to say that Everest has had a whirlwind year. Their year started quietly by opening up for The Parson Red Heads during their residency at Spaceland. Everest would later open for the Radar Bros at the Echo in February. I also caught their prior appearance during a Check One Two show at the Viper Room in May. Everest would later tour with My Morning Jacket and Neil Young.

Ghost Notes will be criminally overlooked on many best of lists for 2008. An animated backdrop of falling snow juxtaposed the warm guitar tones of "Stumble Waltz". Jason Soda had a drool worthy twelve string Epiphone hollowbody guitar that cemented their way of sound. The soft twang of "Trees" was hypnotizing, as Russell Pollard (Vocals/Guitars) seemed to be happy to be playing in front of a hometown audience. Everest was extremely well rehearsed and worthy of their opening slot for Neil Young.

It was a nice surprise to see the Watson Twins assist Everest as Jason and Russell used to perform in their band. There is a reason why "Rebels and The Roses" has 62,000 plays and counting. Your extra credit homework assignment is to give it listen, preferably with headphones. Everest will be playing the El Rey Theatre with Delta Spirit on January 16th and I suggest you get your tickets soon.

Film School, The Henry Clay People and The Parson Red Heads at Little Radio

Little Radio knows how to throw a party. Ten dollars for three bands and all you can drink? It was the perfect way to wind down the July 4th weekend.

The Parson Red Heads





The sunny weather was a perfect backdrop for the summer soaked tunes of The Parson Red Heads. A fewer number of Parson Red Heads hit the stage which actually enhanced their particular set as the focus shifted to Evan Way (Vocals/Guitars) who gently strummed his Fender telecaster as he led the band through some songs from their album King Giraffe. The Parson Red Heads also played "Out To Sea" and "Got It All" from their recently released EP Owl & Timber. "Punctual as Usual" was one of the stand out tracks of their set with the backing vocal harmonies and organ keyboards creeping along in the background. The Parson Red Heads will be heading out with Earlimart for a west coast tour stopping by the Detroit Bar on August 9th with the Henry Clay People.

The Henry Clay People





The Henry Clay People continue to blitz Southern California playing just about every week at some location. Things are looking up for The Henry Clay People as their next full length release will be on Aquarium Drunkard's label Autumn Tone records. I am still enjoying their most recent release Working Part Time on Jaxart records. The Henry Clay People usually have a drink or two prior to hitting the stage but fact that free alcohol was flowing at Little Radio only enhanced the chaos that would unfold on stage. It didn't take too long before empty Colt 45 cans littered the stage as attempts to supply the band with water were feeble. "Working Part Time" was one of the few recognizable songs from their catalog as their other tracks were impromptu covers of the Traveling Wilbury's "Handle With Care" , Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World". I think multiple hepatocytes were obliterated during their set.


Film School





After wrapping up a successful campaign opening for Swervedriver, Film School is about to embark on another vast U.S tour to support one of my favorite albums of 2007 Hideout. I looked back in the archives and found out that I have covered Film School twelve times. So feel free to check out all my prior reviews of the band. I would like to point out that Dave Dupuis's (Guitars) pedalboard has been reconfigured as he has added an Eventide Time Factor and a Death By Audio Interstellar Overdriver Supreme. I am still researching the make of his vintage green tremolo pedal that had a massive swirl of sound. Film School is playing Spaceland on August 6th to close out their tour and you can bet I will be there.

Radars To The Sky at the Echo

The line up was stacked high for the Radars to Sky residency Monday night at the Echo. I was feeling a little under the weather but was determined to catch one heck of a line up.

The Transmissions



Christian Biel (Guitars/Vocals) has to be one of the more expressive guitarists/vocalists in the Los Angeles area with his compelling performance leading The Transmissions through a tight set. Christian manages to fill up their sonic landscape with a mixture of howling overdriven and space tinged guitar tones from his Fender Telecaster. Corey Lyons (Bass) and Denise Duncan (Drums) did an excellent job keeping pace with Christian's hyper-kinetic riffs and movements. Christian also had a bevy of effects pedals including a Electro Harmonix POG and sampler to help propel his sound into another galaxy. "Over Saving Mountain" had a prog like feel with it pulsating laser keyboards as Christian methodically sprayed guitar notes throughout the song. I will keep a close eye on the Transmissions.

The Henry Clay People






The pictures above can only partially explain the event that is The Henry Clay People. The Henry Clay People didn't really need to expand their sound but added Joe Napolitano from Le Switch on keyboards and Jonathan Price from I Make This Sound to really hit the audience over the head. Andy and Joey Siara are the local version of the Gallagher brothers with their penchant for antagonizing each other on stage and general debauchery. You couldn't help but raise your whiskey shot to the air as the band ripped into "Working Part Time" as the guitars jangled at high volume. Andy Siara (Guitars/Vocals) was sporting a shiny Fender Telecaster Deluxe in lieu of his Fender Jazzmaster and coaxed some rocking twang from his amp. I also appreciate the random cover songs they throw into their sets as they tackled the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care" and Andy did his best impersonation of Roy Orbison. The band also coaxed the audience into a barrage of well timed jumps whilst rocking out. The Henry Clay People will be visiting the residencies of Le Switch and Mezzanine Owls next month so make sure you catch at least one of those shows.


Radars To The Sky





The Henry Clay People are a tough bunch to follow but Radars To The Sky proved to be extremely worthy of their residency at the Echo with a compelling performance. They list some of my favorite bands as influences like Archers of Loaf, Pavement, Grandaddy and The Smiths. Andrew Spitser (Vocals/Guitars) has a distinctive voice that slightly reminded me of the Smoking Popes. "Victoria" was a dynamic blast of frantic guitars and bouncy keyboards that were pulled together nicely by Andrew's longing vocals. "Sunk My Teeth" had plenty of false starts and stops with excellent contrast between Andrew's Fender Stratocaster clean guitar blasts and Seamus Simpson's slightly distorted Les Paul. I was highly impressed by their Pixies cover of "Alec Eiffel" as this song does not immediately jump out as one to cover but Radars To The Sky nailed it. "Selfish Kids" was a new song that reverberated loudly and bounced around the Echo. "Wave By The Sun" has to be one of the more off kilter tunes in their catalog as the guitars ricochet around your skull as the song has a slight Pavement alt country vibe. I will try and swing by their last night of their residency at the Echo on April 28th.

Death To Anders





I was excited to see Death To Anders as I still have their album Fictitious Business in constant rotation. Rob Danson (Guitars/Vocals) got immediate points for being one of the few Los Angeles guitarists with a Paul Reed Smith. This is not to take away anything from Nic Ceglio (Guitars/Vocals) who was strumming his red Fender Telecaster. Death To Anders played a quiet set that capped the night perfectly. As much as I was dying to hear "Ghost Rock", it wouldn't have fit the mood of their set. "Doll" had a sharper edge to the song as it closed out with a fury of squalls. "Camera Lens" sounded even more fractured and urgent with its angular guitars. I was hoping Sarah Negahdari from the Happy Hollows would jump up on stage but she was busy dancing in front of the stage and cheering them along. I need to catch them again to hear the elusive "Ghost Rock".

The Henry Clay People at the Prospector

The Henry Clay People have been a causality of numerous concert conflicts as I even inexplicably managed to miss their residency at the Detroit Bar. It was also difficult to miss their show with Death To Anders, The Happy Hallows and The Transmissions last week. I made amends to the good folks of The Henry Clay People as I dropped in at the Prospector to catch their show.

The Year Zero



Despite what you might originally suspect The Year Zero are no way related to the highly overlooked latest album from Nine Inch Nails. I had heard from LA-Underground how amazing The Year Zero was and it turns out they are correct. I was hoping for some Jawbreaker action seeing a lefty Gibson Les Paul but instead was happy to hear lush dream pop that shimmered and shined like the stars in the sky. "New Day Dawn" was stunning with its moonlight shiny guitars and sweet vocal harmonies. "Counting Planes" was another dose of dream pop that had me sold. I will have to check them out again.

Forcefield On





I last briefly caught up with ForceField ON when they played the Viper Room in December of 2007. The horn section was scaled down to two for this performance but the energy level was not. Jesse Wilder (Vocals/Guitars) led the charge with his heart on a sleeve lyrics and backed by the trombone section. Jesse Sisk (Guitars) was channeling moments of Burning Airlines and Hey Mercedes with his guitar riffs. "Adios Victrolas" is a good example of their unique mix of horns and slide guitar work. Forcefield On has a new album due out in March and will play the Prospector again on March 22nd.

The Henry Clay People





I can only say that The Henry Clay People gave a spirited performance. It was full of spirit and spirits if you catch my drift. I will concur with Reid's concert review that the set was a whiskey fueled good time. The vibe was eerily similar to The Hold Steady's show at the Detroit Bar. The Henry Clay People started the evening with a rambling version of "Working Part Time" which was recently released by Jaxart records. Joey (Vocals/Guitars) was pointing his Fender Telecaster in the sky like an antenna trying to broadcast his guitar sound across the world as he rambled through the song. The spirit of their performance was intoxicating as you couldn't help but be in a good mood while watching them destroy the stage. When they requested cover songs from the audience, I was tempted to yell out some Archers of Loaf but the Replacements and Pavement requests got through very quickly. Their cover of "Summer Babe" by Pavement would have made Stephen Malkmus smile as they out paved Pavement. "Andy Sings!" was other rollicking good time as the antics continued to be chaotic. I should have requested Dinosaur Jr. as Andy was playing a Fender Jazzmaster with a Big Muff distortion pedal. Joey would later ask the audience if anyone could play guitar to which an audience member willingly helped out and played the chords "A" and "E" on a song that reminded me even more of the previously mentioned Hold Steady show. I have to give credit to Noah (Bass) and Eric (Drums) for being the sober rhythm section and keeping pace with Joey and Andy. The hang over from the Henry Clay People still hasn't subsided.