Gwen Stefani at the Pearl Theatre

I figured I would rest in Las Vegas on Friday prior to Vegoose. All of this changed when I saw Gwen Stefani was playing the Pearl Theatre at the Palms. I have been a No Doubt fan for many years. I remember seeing them in a warehouse in Orange in 1995 prior to the release of "Tragic Kingdom". I also have an original copy of "The Beacon Street Collection" that they self released.






Gwen Stefani is wrapping up her "Sweet Escape" tour with a few chances left to catch this elaborate show. Sirens blared over the soundsystem as Gwen's dancers were clad in robbers outfits and police uniforms as they crept across the stage. A giant illuminated "G" lit up the stage and the crowd started to buzz. When Gwen appeared on the stage, the crowd erupted. Gwen sounded just as dynamic as I remembered and easily worked the stage as she smoothly delivered "The Sweet Escape". Gwen changed into a cape that was adorned with her trademark "G" patterned across the silky fabric. "Rich Girl" was another showcase for Gwen's sticky sweet vocals. I was impressed how much she was running across the stage and still hitting every note. "Yummy" had another costume change as Gwen worked the audience. She played a set that covered both of her solo albums extensively. It is difficult to decide whether I want Gwen to tour more or have her make a new No Doubt album.





Gwen Stefani setlist for the Pearl Theatre (10/26/07)
"The Sweet Escape"
"Rich Girl"
"Yummy"
"4 In The Morning"
"Luxurious"
"Early Winter"
"Wind It Up"
"Danger Zone"
"Hollaback Girl"
"Wonderful Life"
"Now That You Got It"
"Twisted-Breakin'Up"
"Cool"
"Orange County Girl"
"Real Thing(Acoustic)"
"What You Waiting For"

Blonde Redhead and Autolux at the Wiltern Theatre

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a big fan of Blonde Redhead. Their latest album "23" will easily fall into the top 5 releases of 2007 with Kazu Makino's dreamy lush vocals, Simone Pace's extraordinary drumming and Amedeo Pace's distinctive guitar playing. The album has a rare must buy recommendation from the Amateur Chemist.

I thought it wouldn't get much better after seeing Autolux and Blonde Redhead at Sunset Junction. I was wrong when they announced Blonde Redhead and Autolux at the Wiltern.








Autolux needs to make their sophomore album soon. It is torture hearing how good these new songs are and not being able to listen to them on my ipod. "Finders Fee" is one of these new songs that had Greg Edwards (Guitars/Vocals) providing feedback and extraterrestrial guitar noises on a silver Fender guitar. "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" puts you into a narcotic induced haze with its haunting sampler triggered opening that morphs into Greg's complex guitar chords. "Blanket" sounded flawless with Carla Azar's steady drumming and Eugene Goreshter leading the way on vocals. Autolux closed their set with another new song that started with Eugene singing and Carla taking over as the song shifted up and down. The song ended with a super fuzz bass breakdown that punctuated an electric set. All I want this holiday season is a new Autolux album.







I never get tired of seeing Blonde Redhead live. They haven't had a proper Los Angeles headline date on this tour but I caught them at the House of Blues San Diego, Sunset Junction and the Glass House back in August. When the opening chords of "Dr. Strangeluv" ring out, I quickly become captivated. Bright yellow beams of light projected behind them adding a sharp visual component in addition to their intoxicating audio presentation. Kazu Makino is playing her white Gibson SG as she sings while Amedeo plucked out the ringing notes on his Gibson Les Paul Double cutaway. Amedeo shined brightly as he delved into "Spring And By Summer Fall". The pit was not too crowded and allowed everyone to sway in time to "23". Kazu switched her guitar to sit in front of her Nord keyboard to play "The Dress". "In Particular" had Amedeo tapping his guitar bridge while holding down a guitar chord for the percussive intro while Kazu handled the squiggly guitar lines. "Equus" had Kazu walk to the front of the stage and passionately sing as she engaged the audience. Their set went by lightening quick as took a short break before the encore. A good percentage of people missed out when Blonde Redhead came back out for a second encore that was dedicated to Autolux. "Melody" sounded hypnotic with its phaser drenched keyboards. I was glad I would catch them once more at Vegoose before they head to Europe to open for Interpol.

Blonde Redhead Setlist for the Wiltern Theatre (10/25/07)
"Dr. Strangeluv"
"Spring and By Summer Fall"
"23"
"Falling Man"
"The Dress"
"In Particular"
"SW"
"Equus"
"We are a Real Team(Harry and I)"
"Silently"
"Melody of Certain Three"
"Misery Is A Butterfly"
"Melody"

Interpol at the Forum

Life is full of difficult choices. In terms of concert conflicts, this was the hardest decision to make all year. Do I go to see Jesus & The Mary Chain with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Evan Dando at the Wiltern or do I go to Interpol and Liars at the Forum. Since I had already got my tickets for Interpol, I opted for Interpol hoping I would be able to see Jesus & The Mary Chain at 4th & B in San Diego the next night.



Liars started the evening with their art damaged industrial infused indie rock. Angus Andrew (Vocals/Bass) was decked out in a white suit as he sporadically bounded across the stage. "Freak Out" had me fooled that I was at the Jesus And Mary Chain concert with its wall of sound guitars. I was impressed by Julian Gross (Drums) who was playing some off kilter drum patterns and infusing it with some electronic drum sounds. The drumming was reminiscent of Ministry and Nine Inch Nails. The crowd was really chatty during their performance and It was difficult to get into them due to the expansiveness of the Forum. I will have to check out their own show at a smaller venue to get the full vibe.

The Forum has never been known as a sonically pleasing venue. Muse turned it up to 10 and played one of the top shows I have seen at the Forum back in April. I was hoping Interpol could make the best of a bad venue.

With the fires raging all over Southern California, the sky was strewn with ash coloring it red and stifling the air. This show would have been canceled if it was outdoors. The somber mood provided an interesting backdrop to Interpol's icy detached tunes. "Pioneer To The Falls" sounded even better then I remembered from the last time I saw Interpol in Vegas. It was funny to see Daniel Kessler(Guitars) with two small Fender guitar amps and his trademark Epiphone Hollowbody rocking the Forum proving that it is not the size of your amplifiers that counts. "Obstacle 1" accelerated the pace and got the crowd moving with its slick guitar lines. "Pace Is The Trick" is one of the better songs off their new album "Our Love To Admire" and sounded solid live. "Say Hello To Angels" nicely showcased "Sam Fogarino's clockwork drumming. "Mammoth" continued to accelerate the pace and Paul Banks(Vocals/Guitars) was emoting the lyrics extremely well.

Since I have seen Interpol many times before I know what to expect in that they don't move around and let the music do the talking.They did have some light panels scattered across the stage with various red, blue and white lighting shining on the stage.

"Slow Hands" was a huge crowd favorite and the people in front of the stage were bouncing in time to the disjointed guitar lines. "The Lighthouse" was an odd choice in my opinion and dropped the mood back to somber. I was hoping they would play another new track like "Who Do You Think". The reverb on the guitars during "The Lighthouse" was pretty intense though. "The Heinrich Maneuver" was sadly ironic as Paul asked "How are things on the west coast?". The crowd sang along loudly to "Evil" as Daniel shuffled across the stage while nailing the guitar parts. "Not Even Jail" was fantastic live as they did an extended noisy intro into the song with some spring reverb effects. The tension within the song was palpable and exceeded the recorded version. Interpol came back for a three song encore from their first album that was nicely capped with "PDA". Interpol will be embarking on a European tour with Blonde Redhead. I think I need to go to Europe again.


Interpol setlist for the Forum (10/23/07)
"Pioneer To The Falls"
"Obstacle 1"
"Narc"
"C'mere"
"Pace Is The Trick"
"Say Hello To Angels"
"Mammoth"
"No I In Threesome"
"Slow Hands"
"Rest My Chemistry"
"The Lighthouse"
"The Heinrich Maneuver"
"Evil"
"Not Even Jail"
"Untitled"
"Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down"
"PDA"

Jesus And The Mary Chain at the House Of Blues Anaheim

Jesus and The Mary Chain have returned. After a triumphant show at the Glass House, I was hoping to see them again. When I saw they were playing the House of Blues Anaheim, It was a no brainer.

Speaking of brains, Creature With The Atomic Brain opened the show with their blend of early Queens of The Stone Age rock and Screaming Trees vibe. I imagine they were sad that Mark Lanegan(Screaming Trees/Queens of The Stone Age) and his new band The Soulsavers didn't open as they were originally scheduled. The sound mix was fair but I still couldn't hear the vocals. Aldo (Vocals/Guitars) had a Fender Stratocaster that he was rocking out with and I suspect used an Electro Harmonix pedal a few times for some burning synthesizer leads during the songs. They have a new release entitled "I Am The Golden Gate Bridge" that appears to only be released in Holland. I was going to pick up their cd at the San Diego show but it was cancelled due to the devastating fires.

Evan Dando was up next and I will admit I am a big fan of the Lemonheads. I still think "It's A Shame About Ray" and "Come On Feel The Lemonheads" were some underrated albums of the nineties. Evan had his white Gibson SG and was accompanied by another guitarist as he strummed and strolled down memory lane. Some of the highlights from his set included a wistful version of "Down About It" with a capo on the 2nd fret. I was wishing Juliana Hatfield would have come out for her backing vocals during the track but no such luck. The deceptively simple guitar chords of D-A-G rang out as Evan gave a foot stomping rendition of "Into Your Arms". Evan played a solid set that also included "My Drug Buddy", "It's A Shame About Ray" and "The Great Big No". Evan will be back as the Lemonheads in December and I will try to catch a full set from him in the future.

The Jesus and Mary Chain(JAMC) appeared on stage and even though I saw them at the Glass House, it still seemed surreal. I remember breaking many guitar strings back in the day trying to emulate the sheets of noise that JAMC produced on their records. They opened with "Never Understand" and seemed to be in good spirits. Mark Crozer (Guitars) had a shirt that was emblazoned with the logo "Jim Fixed It for Me". I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw that. Loz Colbert (Drums) had a shirt that said "Shoegaze" on it which I also thought was funny. "Head On" was next and it looked like I was in for a repeat of the Glass House show which would be nothing to complain about. These notions were quickly put aside when they tore into "Dead End Kids" which was a Jim Reid solo song. Jim Reid (Vocals) sounded excellent and the band sounded very cohesive. William Reid (Guitars) was in front of his Orange Amplifier stack with a Gibson Hollowbody guitar providing his trademark fuzz. I was really impressed by Loz's drumming on this particular night as he nailed every track. The true highlight for me was hearing "Sometimes Always" with Miranda Lee Richards on background vocals. Mark switched to a 12 string Rickenbacker guitar that recreated the chimey textured chords of the song. Jim even remarked that it had been fifteen years since they last played it. They closed with "Reverence" and I was still torn that I would miss them with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at the Wiltern. I had already had tickets for Interpol but thought I would see them again in San Diego. Even though the San Diego show was canceled, I hope they reschedule. I assume they omitted "Catchfire" from their setlist due to the Southern California fires.

Ken Andrews at the Troubadour

My mini tour of Ken Andrews concluded as the "Never Say Never" tour sadly came to a close in dynamic fashion at the Troubadour. I was still in disbelief that Tim Dow from Year of The Rabbit came out to drum during "Lie Down" and was thinking that it would be hard to recreate that magic for this show. I am so glad I was wrong.



First Wave Hello opened with another solid set that features songs of their upcoming EP release and latest album "The Lord & It's Penguin". I noticed Jacob Turnbloom (Guitars/Vocals) had ditched his pedals and had a shiny new Boss GT-8 that is similar to Ken Andrews Boss GT-3. I didn't notice any tonal differences but I imagine it would be difficult for him to tweak his tone on the fly. They played another lightening quick set but I will keep checking their concert calendar to see a full set from them.
 


Charlotte Martin gave a spirited performance in San Diego, but I was slightly annoyed with some of the talkers in the back of the Belly Up. At the Troubadour show, the crowd was very respectful and Charlotte had a very strong contingent of fans in front of her keyboard setup. I was intrigued when I saw that Charlotte had a Ground Control Pro Midi switcher for all her Keyboard patches. I have seen the Ground Control used for guitar setups but never for keyboards. She played selections from her latest offering "Reproductions" and knocked "Civilized" out of the park with an assist from Ken Andrews and First Wave Hello. She had another surprise for the crowd as she brought out her friend Beth Katte for additional vocals on "Veins".
 
Charlotte Martin setlist for the Troubadour (10/21/07)
"Angel"
"Limits Of Our Love" 
"Cut The Cord"
"I Am Stretched On Your Grave"
"Civilized"
"Something Like A Hero"
"Cherry-Coloured Funk"
"Revival"
"Keep Me In Your Pocket"
"Veins"
"Obstacle 1"







Kellii Scott from Failure

The Troubadour was a perfect setting for the finale of the Ken Andrews and Charlotte Martin "Never Say Never" Tour. The Troubadour felt extra cozy on this particular night as if it was a family reunion. Ken Andrews played another solid set that had a few surprises. During the Year of the Rabbit portion in his set, Ken added the cover of the Stone Roses "I Wanna Be Adored" that was originally on the Hunted EP by Year of The Rabbit. The opening bass line of "I Wanna Be Adored" is classic and can haunt your memory for days. During the Failure portion of the set, I think Ken and Jacob tuned their guitars down by 1 and 1/2 steps to C sharp to get the low sharp riffs on "Sergeat Politeness" and "Dirty Blue Balloons". The encore is when things went from amazing to mind blowing when they played an ear splitting version of "Stuck On You". This was topped by a spine tingling version of "The Nurse Who Loved Me" that had Ken bring out Kellii Scott who used to be the drummer for Failure. Kellii and Adam both pounded the drums on seperate kits and you could feel the electricity in the air. I still am shaking my head thinking I have been fortunate enough to catch four Ken Andrews shows this year. I hope he tours again soon.


Ken Andrews Setlist for the Troubadour (10/21/07)
"Allergic"
"Does Anybody Know"
"Secret Things"
"Up Or Down"
"In Your Way"
"Lie Down"
"I Wanna Be Adored"
"Absent Stars"
"Soluble Words"
"Something"
"Magnified"
"Sergeant Politeness"
"Dirty Blue Balloons"
"Stuck On You"
"The Nurse Who Loved Me" with Charlotte Martin and Kellii Scott from Failure on Drums!

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"

Ken Andrews at the Belly Up

When I interviewed Ken Andrews about a future reunion with Failure, he said "I never say never". I found this ironic as Ken embarked on another tour this time bringing his wife Charlotte Martin dubbing it the "Never Say Never Tour" that descended upon the Belly Up.



First Wave Hello was up first and were sporting a new line up as Coner Seargeant and Christian Cummings left the band. The band had new members of Adam Barker (Drums) and Chris Kolek (Bass) who were very capable of filling in. First Wave Hello dived into some new material by playing "Two Propellers" off their soon to be released EP "God Bless, Devil You". The song opens with some Rhodes electric piano before sheets of noise from Jacob Turnbloom's Fender telecaster come raining down. They reworked their song "Lay Down" to give it a atmospheric vibe with an assist from Ken Andrews on vocals. "Our Best Policy" sounded excellent with its storm of synth lines and distorted guitars. They finished their set in a lazer quick thirty minutes but I could have used a few extra songs.




 
Charlotte Martin was next. She has a new release entitled "Reproductions" that is a cover album of some excellent songs from the likes of Interpol, Cocteau Twins and New Order. I have missed her shows at the Hotel Cafe and have been meaning to catch her show. I was immediately taken by her vocal range and her obvious opera training. When I wasn't dazzled by her vocals, she adeptly worked her Yamaha S90. Charlotte gave a splendid performance that was well received by the San Diego crowd. The highlight of her set was when Ken came out and sang on "Civilized". Ken's smoky baritone voice coupled with Charlotte's airy sweet vocals served as a dynamic contrast and had me thinking that they should definitely record an album.
 
Charlotte Martin Setlist for the Belly Up (10/19/07)
"Angel"
"Limits of Our Love" 
"Cut The Cord"
"I Am Stretched On Your Grave"
"Lost and Found"
"Veins"
"Song To The Siren"
"Revival"
"Pocket"
"Civilized"
"Obstacle 1"






The opening synthesizer squalls of "Allergic" filled the Belly Up as Ken Andrews put on his Fender Stratocaster. First Wave Hello was his backing band as they ventured into a handful of songs of Ken Andrews latest solo album "Secret of The Lost Satellites". I still would like to hear the song "Tripped Up" live as it is one of my favorites from the album. Jacob Turnbloom added some good background vocals to the songs and blew out his Fender Amp head midway into the set. The blown amplifier didn't slow the momentum as the band easily picked up where they left off and quickly stepped into the Year of The Rabbit time warp. I was pleasantly shocked when Ken mentioned he wanted to bring out a guest for one of the Year of the Rabbit songs. Tim Dow, the former Year of The Rabbit drummer appeared on stage and showed no signs of rust as he handled "Lie Down". I didn't expect Solomon "Walker" Snyder (Year of The Rabbit bassist) to appear since I saw him a few days ago touring with Morrissey. "Absent Stars" sounded top notch with Jacob easily handling the intertwining guitar leads. When Ken switched gears to Failure, Jacob turned to a Gibson Les Paul and Ken switched to a Fender Telecaster. I admit that I still get the chills every time I hear the opening notes of "Undone". It is such a well written song and it filled the whole Belly Up with lush phased guitars that collapsed into driving drums and churning guitars. They closed the night with a stunning version of "The Nurse Who Loved Me" with Charlotte Martin assisting on vocals. I was lucky that I still had the Troubadour show to go.

Ken Andrews setlist at the Belly Up (10/19/07)
"Allergic"
"Does Anybody Know"
"Secret Things"
"Up Or Down"
"In Your Way"
"Lie Down" with Tim Dow from Year Of The Rabbit on drums
"Absent Stars"
"Soluble Words"
"Something"
"Undone"
"Magnified"
"Sergeant Politeness"
"Dirty Blue Balloons"
"Stuck On You"
"The Nurse Who Loved Me" with Charlotte Martin