Queens of the Stone Age at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Queens of the Stone Age at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Iron and Wine at the Wiltern Theater

As a fan of the Postal Service, I picked up their CD single Such Great Heights which contained an acoustic cover of the title track by a band called Iron and Wine. After a few spins, I was enveloped by Sam Beam's soft fingerpicking acoustic guitars and velvety vocals.

My first live encounter with Iron & Wine was at the Knitting Factory in support of his album Our Endless Numbered Days. It was a show that had the whole crowd completely enraptured and you could have heard a pin drop.



Iron and Wine's latest album Kiss Each Other Clean finds Beam expanding his sonic palette with an assortment of multilayered songs. A lone spotlight shone upon Beam as he plucked away on his Taylor acoustic guitar with a capo attached at the 4th fret to play "He Lays in Reigns".

Assisted by Rosie Thomas and Marketa Irglova on background vocals, "Naked As We Came" soared above the clouds with its lush vocal harmonies. The rollicking guitar riff of "Big Burned Hand" was hypnotic as a shroud of silence covered the patrons of the Wiltern.



Sliding his capo down to the 5th fret, "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" showcased the broad vocal range of Beam that concluded with a raucous ovation. Dipping back into Our Endless Numbered Days, "Teeth In The Grass" was rearranged from the album version due the utilization of various brass instruments.



Picking up the pace, "Love and Some Verses" was electric as Beam picked up a Gibson SG to strum the chords while his backing band filled the Wiltern with sound. "Sodom South Georgia" also benefitted from the backing band that continued to liven up the audience. It was impressive seeing Beam command a crowd by himself as well as with a full band.

"Boy With A Coin" and "Cinder and Smoke" wound down the main set that seemed to flash by in seconds. Beam would reappear by himself for an enthralling rendition of "The Trapeze Swinger" that had the audience just as quiet as I had remembered at the Knitting Factory. It wasn't surprising that this was the second sold out night.

Them Crooked Vultures at the Wiltern Theatre

As 2009 winds down and "Best of" lists start to appear across the internet, Them Crooked Vultures should be perched high upon those lists. If you could enter the equation of John Paul Jones + Josh Homme + Dave Grohl into a calculator, the calculator would and should explode. This combination exploded in real life on stage at the Wiltern, as they celebrated the release of their magnificent eponymous debut album.

Mini Mansions




I didn't hear who was opening the West coast dates for Them Crooked Vultures but quickly surmised it would be Mini Mansions since they opened up the East Coast dates. I previously saw Mini Mansions twice when they opened for Autolux at the Detroit Bar and enjoyed their '70s flavored psychedelic pop.

I was busy shooting the first three songs but did enjoy "Majik Marker". As a reminder, it is Michael Shuman from Queens of the Stone Age playing drums, guitars and vocals. Tyler Parkford shares the vocal duties while laying down the haunting piano chords while Zach Dawes switches between drums and bass. They have an 8 song EP that you can get here.

Them Crooked Vultures



The cheers from the capacity crowd at the Wiltern were deafening when the members of Them Crooked Vultures emerged from the shadows. The sonic boom you may have heard last night was the introduction to the sludgy "No One Loves Me and Neither Do I".

It was hard not to take my eyes of John Paul Jones who was playing a custom bizarre bass made by Manson basses. I recognized the contraption since it has a Korg Kaoss Pad installed in the body just like Matt Bellamy from Muse. John was creating some out of this world alien screams with the help of a slide.

"Dead End Friends" could have been a lost "A-side" from the Queens of the Stone Age's Songs for The Deaf with its boozy start and stop swagger. Speaking of booze, "Mind Eraser, No Chaser" sounded like a full on bar room brawl with thunderous drumming courtesy of Dave Grohl. One must really see Dave drum live in order to fully appreciate how hard he slams his drums. I am surprised the drum kit was still standing at the conclusion of their set.




The howling metallic guitar screams of "Scumbag Blues" punctuated the marching drum beat and stomping bass line. I have attended many shows at the Wiltern and this by far was the loudest. "Elephants" starts a little bluesy but quickly devolves into a runaway freight train before the brakes are applied for a groovy coasting pace.

While formal introductions didn't necessarily need to be made, Josh introduced the band. It was appropriate that John Paul Jones got the loudest ovation with Josh quipping "He's my favorite too". Dave Grohl demonstrated his drum mastery again with the walloping intro of "New Fang".

I was surprised to see Josh play a Fender Telecaster during some of the songs as he did for "Reptiles" as Dave Grohl assisted on background vocals. "Gunman" just plain rips with its memorable face melting riff and hi-hat crush. I could easily take a full album of "Gunman" type songs.




John Paul Jones took a turn on the organ for "Caligulove" while Josh and Alain Johannes attacked your eardrums with their massive guitar riffs. Josh's vocals were soaked in delay and reverb for the hallucinogenic "Spinning with Daffodils". The encore seemed took on an extended jam session vibe as they deconstructed "Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up". At the conclusion of their set, I know Them Crooked Vultures will be placed high on my year end lists of memorable concerts.

Them Crooked Vultures Setlist at the Wiltern (11/17/09)
"No One Loves Me & Neither Do I"
"Dead End Friends"
"Mind Eraser, No Chaser"
"Scumbag Blues"
"Elephants"
"Highway One"
"New Fang"
"Reptiles"
"Gunman"
"Bandoliers"
"Interlude with Ludes"
"Caligulove"
"Spinning in Daffodils"
"Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Wake Up"

Phoenix at the Wiltern Theatre

I started to worry when I saw the update from Twitter that Phoenix had cancelled their show the day before in San Francisco due to illness. Could they rise in time to perform at the Wiltern? It turns out Phoenix soared by turning in a buzzworthy performance with palpable electricity in the air.

Amazing Baby





Amazing Baby by the way of Brooklyn started off the evening with their straight up rock set. It was nice to see two half stacks of Orange Amplifiers power their dual guitar attack. Rewind is their debut album released on Shangri-La Music. I wasn't familiar enough with their material to cite which songs they played but they touched upon elements of psychedelic and sludge rock.

Phoenix






I can't recall the last time Phoenix played Los Angeles. It has been a few years between their album It's Never Been Like That and their latest release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix but the wait has been worth it.

Following high profile appearances on Saturday Night Live and David Letterman, I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw the billboards in the lobby of the Wiltern indicating that this performance was going to be filmed for NBC. My suspicion is that it was being filmed for the Carson Daly show.

The soft swirl of synthesizers of "Liztomania" was quickly followed by the bouncing beats of Thomas Hedlund (Drums) who was literally leaping out of his chair propelling the songs. Thomas Mars (Vocals) may have been sick the evening before, but his voice showed no ill effects as he was hitting all the notes.

A mini-barrage of my favorite songs from It's Never Been Like That with the crooked guitar jangle of "Long Distance Call" followed by the toe tapping infectious "Consolation Prizes". Laurent Brancowitz (Guitars) was playing a hybrid Fender Telecaster morphed with a Fender Mustang pickguard. It wasn't difficult to deduce they were sponsored by Fender since I spotted their backline was filled with Fender amplifiers.

Phoenix picked off even more gems by deftly dispensing "Lasso" and "Napoleon Says". It was vocoder heaven with Phoenix reaching back to their debut album United for "Funky Squaredance". The ovation that the band received after each track was deafening. I glanced up into the balcony to see a good majority of the people dancing and standing.

Thomas Mars even held out his microphone into the crowd to amplify the applause before engaging the silky smooth feel of "Armstice". "Love Like A Sunset" did give Thomas a chance to rest his voice and lie down on the stage while the band effortlessly played the dancing groove.

The crowd hysterics continued during "Run Run Run" as a female stage invader provided the awkward moment of the evening by hopping on stage and couldn't decide whether to dance on stage or attack Thomas Mars. Despite the awkwardness, I was impressed by the sounds of soft synth pads emanating from their Yamaha keyboards on stage.

Highlights throughout the evening kept pouring in as "Sometimes In The Fall" was taken to new heights with the spectacular drumming by Thomas Hedlund. "Rome" was rose and fell epically with synthesizers dominating the song during the mid section.

Phoenix returned to another standing ovation prior to their encore of "If I Even Feel Better" and the delectable dance floor burning "1901". I already have September 16th circled on my calendar when Phoenix and Metric return to the Greek Theater.

Phoenix setlist at the Wiltern Theatre (6/28/09)
"Lisztomania"
"Long Distance Call"
"Consolation Prizes"
"Lasso"
"Napoleon Says"
"Funky Squaredance"
"Rally"
"Girlfriend"
"Armistice"
"Love Like A Sunset"
"Run Run Run "
"Too Young"
"Sometimes In The Fall"
"Rome"
"If I Ever Feel Better"
"1901"

Wilco at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Wilco at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Grizzly Bear at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Grizzly Bear at the Wiltern over at Stereogum.

Animal Collective at the Wiltern

Check out my photos of Animal Collective over at Stereogum.

The Breeders at the Wiltern

"Divine Hammer" and "Cannonball" are worth the price of admission alone to see The Breeders at the Wiltern on Monday. Get your tickets here. Check out the photos and review here.

Mudvayne at the Wiltern Theatre

While I wished I could have attended Mudvayne at the Wiltern, I sent my Heavy Metal loving brother who checks in with the following report:

It is my pleasure to review Mudvayne, as the Amateur Chemist was too busy to attend [ed note: I was at the Echoplex for Earlimart and the Afternoons]. Having seen them many times before, I was really looking forward to watching them play Los Angeles. I bought my ticket early as the Hollywood Palladium, in my opinion, is a “small venue” for them, only to find out the venue was changed to an even SMALLER Wiltern Theatre. Must be a sign of the times.

I have to say that I think Mudvayne is one of the most underated Metal bands next to Armored Saint. Each band member is a phenomenally talent artist is their own right and I’m surprised they don't have a larger following.

Snot/10 yrs – I remember seeing Snot open up for Machine Head for the The More Things Change tour, System of a Down were also on the bill and were selling demos with "War" (which were sold out before I could pick one up). I wasn't surprised to see Shavo Odajian backstage cheering them on. Snot did a great job and had the crowd really pumped as they closed out their set.

I hadn't heard of 10 Years before, so was interested to see what they had to offer. Sorry, but not impressed. I was trying to think of how to describe their sound and elements of Tool came to mind although not a good version. I wasn’t surprised when I saw the guitarist bring out a Gibson Les Paul Silverburst like Adam Jones (Guitars).

Having seen HellYeah kick a$$ on their tour last year [ed note: Hellyeah at the Grove was sick], I was really excited to see the Mudvayne gang back together. The tiered Wiltern is a great venue to check out bands, making any spot a good seat. I was wondering how much new material would be played given the new album “The New Game” won’t be released until November 18th. I streamed it a couple of times and like it so far.

Chad Gray (Vocals) came out in an all red furry suit, read VERY HOT, with his face painted in vintage "Dig" music video styling on one side. I was thinking he would don the suit for a couple of songs, but he finished the entire show with it. Very impressive.. or very stupid. They put on a great show and I was glad to see them play a lot of tunes off of L.D. 50.

As an ardent student of the bass, I was in awe watching Ryan Martinie (Bass) jam away throughout the night. Freaking crazy! They need to have some Mudvayne songs on Guitar hero or Rock Band! Chad seemed to be getting his voice back and struggled at times throughout the show, but still held his own. I am always impressed with Greg Tribbett's (Guitars) efficiency as both his hands seem to move very little, but he gets great sound and speed out of his rig.

Overall a great show with a solid setlist. I would have kicked myself if I missed this one.

Mudvayne setlist at the Wiltern Theatre (11/11/08)
"Not Falling"
"Silenced"
"-1"
"Death Blooms"
Do What You Do"
Fall Into Sleep"
"Cradle"
"A World So Cold"
"Nothing To Gein"
"Prod"
"Happy?"
"Dig"

OT – As an avid Deftones fan, I also had the pleasure of attending the Deftones secret show at Spaceland with the Amateur Chemist. Sending my best wishes to Chi Cheng. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Cold War Kids at the Wiltern

Cold War Kids have had a banner year. In January, I saw them at Spaceland. They rocked the El Rey in February. KCRW featured them at the Sounds Eclectic evening in April. I correctly predicted they would sell out the Wiltern after seeing them at the Echoplex in June.

We Barbarians





We Barbarians opened up the show at the Wiltern and played a blistering set. I was blown away seeing their first show at the Detroit Bar. They played like seasoned veterans as Davey Quon (Vocals/Guitars) led the charge with a passionate performance leaving nothing left on stage. Derek Van Heule (Bass) was pounding his Gibson ripper bass and pacing back and forth as Nathan Warkentin (Drums) added background vocals to his clock like drumming. I correctly predicted back in September that they would have a Detroit Bar residency which will occur in February. I will definitely check out some of those shows and I suggest you do the same.

Cold War Kids





A large backdrop and sparse stage lighting set the background for the Cold War Kids. They received a hearty hometown welcoming as they gathered their instruments. The opening notes of "Tell Me In the Morning" off their debut album "Robbers & Cowards" filled the Wiltern and the show began. When bands start playing larger venues sometimes they lose the hunger and energy of playing small clubs. This was not the case as the Cold War Kids simply owned the stage with a gripping performance by Nathan Willett (Guitars/Vocals) and company. The rattlesnake shake of "We Used To Vacation" led in the rambling piano and slow played guitar lines. The stage went black except for a few spotlights for "Robbers" as the Cold War Kids pointed their lights to spotlight the crowd during the song. Jonnie Russell (Guitars) nailed the tin can hollow reverb solo portion of the song. Don't Let Your Love Grow Away (from me) from their EP "Mulberry Street" was a nice surprise. "God, Make Up Your Mind" had Nathan singing in a higher falsetto compared to the recorded version and showed that Nathan really knows how to sing. Matt Maust has switched his Rickenbacker bass for a White Fender bass as he launched into "Hang Me Up To Dry". The night was capped with performance of "Saint John" unlike any version I have witnessed before with 10 people total on stage including members of We Barbarians and the Sparrow Love Crew banging various drums, cans, and cymbals. The Cold War Kids have made a lot of good noise this year and look to continue their ruckus in 2008.

Silversun Pickups at the Wiltern Theatre

The Silversun Pickups have had a spectacular year. They opened for the Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails in Ireland and made high profile appearances on late night television. It is fitting that they played to a packed house at the Wiltern on Saturday night. I remember when they played a sold out show at the Echo and Brian Aubert (Vocals/Guitars) had a certain look of disbelief when he appeared on stage. I saw this look of awe again when the Silversun Pickups came out to a large ovation.


The Silversun Pickups have been supporters of the local music scene and had the Happy Hollows from Los Angeles open the show with their spastic uptempo pop rocks influenced indie rock. Sarah Negadari (Vocals/Guitar) was ferocious onstage. When she wasn't two handed tapping on her guitar like Eddie Van Halen, she was running into the drum set and commanding your attention. Charlie M. (Bass/Vocals) was handling the bass lines but also managed to work out some synthesizer action on his Alesis Ion. Some audible influences include the unhinged moments of Sonic Youth, Pixies songwriting dynamics and a smidge of Pavement angular guitars. I am regretting missing their recent residency at the Echo.


I think I have seen Midnight Movies about five times this year. The Midnight Movies opened for The Silversun Pickups before last year at the Troubadour and it was nice to see that the Silversun Pickups offer them the opening slot again. The Midnight Movies are still touring behind their album "Lion The Girl" and seemed very comfortable on the Wiltern stage as it gave them the space to recreate their psychedelic headphone mandatory tapestries. Gena Olivier (Vocals/Keyboards/Drums/Guitars) hit up almost every instrument on the stage and pulled it off without a hitch. Larry Schemel (Guitars) must have had smoke coming from his Fender Telecaster Deluxe when he did the guitar solo. Ryan Wood (Guitars/Keyboards) had his mysteriously blue box theremin working overtime during the beginning of "Patient Eye". I need to find a picture of his mini noise making box. The crowd received them well and they will be playing a free show at Hollywood and Highland on November 3rd.









The Silversun Pickups were beaming when they hit the stage. I have been to the Wiltern many times and would say that this was the most intimate show of the year. Brian Aubert (Guitars/Vocals) had his Epiphone Hollowbody guitar ready to go as he strummed the opening chords of "Melatonin". I have mentioned it in prior write ups but will reiterate that his guitar tone is in the upper tier of guitar players. Brian's guitar tones are widened with the atmospheric overtones of Joe Lester's keyboard work and Nikki Monniger's bitting Gibson Thunderbird bass lines. Christopher Guanlao (Drums) was hitting his drums so hard that his super hi-hat cymbal fell over during the show. Paul Wilson (Snow Patrol) came out to add some extra fuzz on "Lazy Eye" and "Common Reactor". Brian was pacing the stage and seemed right at home as he would occasionally recognize people in the pit below. The Silversun Pickups played all of their phenomenal debut album "Carnavas" and reached back to their "Pikul" ep for an extended rousing encore. They ended their set a cover of The Movies "Creation Lake" that features Nikki's sweet vocals. They left the stage giving high fives to the audience members in the pit making it a night to remember for all those in attendance.

Silversun Pickups setlist at the Wiltern theatre (10/20/07)
"Melatonin"
"Well Thought Out Twinkles"
"Dream At Tempo 119"
"Rusted Wheel"
"Waste It On"
"Little Lover's So Polite"
"Future Foe Scenarios"
"Kissing Families"
"Three Seed"
"Lazy Eye"
"Common Reactor"
"All The Go Inbetweens"
"Checkered Floors"
"Comeback Kid"
"Creation Lake"