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.

Athlete at the Troubadour

Athlete is a band you should know about. Athlete plays compelling self described "Quirky, Indie Britpop" that has yet to break out here stateside but their second album "Tourist" went number one in the UK of the strength of the song "Wires". Athlete is touring in support of their album "Beyond The Neighborhood".

Gemma Hayes



Gemma Hayes by the way of Ireland was backed by a single guitarist as she unfolded her wistful acoustic ballads. Gemma was very proficient on her Gibson acoustic guitar and debuted some songs off her yet to be released new album that was recorded here in Los Angeles.

Athlete







I downloaded Athlete's song "Wires" from itunes as a free download of the week almost two years ago. I immediately purchased the album and have been a fan ever since. Athlete mixes their Britpop songs and infuses it with catchy piano and keyboards while Joel Pott (Vocals/Guitars) captivates you with his voice. I would classify them in the realm of Coldplay, U2, and Keane but with a bigger nod in the keyboard department. They opened the night with the bouncing piano riff of "Tokyo" off their latest album "Beyond The Neighborhood". Tim Wanstall (Keyboards) had a cool little setup of a Oberheim MC 3000 and a Minimoog Voyager. "Hurricane" sounded fantastic with its overdriven guitars and catchy synth beeps in the background. Joel was having a good time in his Raiders of The Lost Ark T-shirt and thanked the crowd many times. "Wires" was one of the many highlights of the nights. It was interesting to note that a capo was used for "Wires" on the 11th fret. Joel punctuated "Shake Those Windows" with a rare stage dive into the audience. I left the Troubadour wondering why Athlete wasn't huge in America.

Gliss at the Viper Room

Monday night's Check One,Two at the Viper Room boasted another fabulous line up with Gliss throwing a cd release party for their album "Love The Virgins". Gliss recently returned home from their cross country trek with the Raveonettes.

Shiloe


Shiloe started off the evening with a sound heavily influenced by the Pixies mixed with some Sonic Youth. Ken Ramos (Vocals/Guitar) had a vocal delivery that resembled Thurston Moore and was squeezing a sharp fuzz from his Gibson SG. Melissa Pleckham (Bass) had a Rickenbacker bass that was filling the room with low notes. Their latest release is "Please Remove Your Teeth From My Neck" which you can download from itunes. I will have to check them out again.

The Morning Benders



The Morning Benders came out with a handful of sunny sky pop songs in the vein of The Shins mixed with The Little Ones and Cold War Kids. Chris Chu (Vocals/Guitars) used his Fender Telecaster to draw up some wistful guitar tones. Joe Ferrell (Guitars/Keyboards) would alternate between his reverb punchy tone and playing some Rhodes keyboards. They have a self released cd coming in Spring of 2008. I particularly enjoyed the song "Damnit Anna". They have a few songs on their Myspace page for your perusal and listening pleasure.

Gliss







Gliss captured my attention almost a year ago when I saw them here. Gliss was celebrating the release of their album "Love The Virgins" which comes highly recommended if you enjoy Black Rebel Motorcycle Club or Jesus and The Mary Chain. Martin Klingman (Vocals/Guitars/Bass/Drums) has a compelling voice that meshes well with the dark alley dynamics of their music. Gliss also played some new songs that show even greater promise with one of the songs entitled "Love Songs" which had a spacey vibe to it. I will keep you posted when their cd is available in the stores.

The Idyllists





Idyllists got my attention early with the keyboard setup of a Virus Access TI and a Nord Lead 2x. Their music is a nice homage to Brit pop coated with synthesizers. Ian Webber (Vocals) wasn't confined to the stage at the Viper Room as he interacted with the audience and climbed on some speakers. When I wasn't being dazzled by the various synth effects, I was captivated by the jangly guitars that were heavily influenced by Johnny Marr and John Squire(Stone Roses). "Oblivious" and "My Mind Has Changed" are two songs I recommend you check out on their myspace page.

The Walkmen at the Troubadour

The Walkmen had a large amount of buzz surrounding their "Bows+Arrows" release in 2004. "The Rat" was one of the more popular songs off that album and had many critics billing them as the next big thing. "A Hundred Miles Off" was released in 2006 and didn't generate as much buzz but after repeated listens I have learned to appreciate the album much more. The Walkmen stopped by the Troubadour to debut some new songs and play a smattering of old tunes.


The Hugs



The Hugs reminded me of a lot of things right off the bat. Danny Delegato (Vocals/Guitars) looked very similar to a young Ben Kweller with his floppy ears hat. In the sound department, The Hugs fall into the category of The View, and The Kooks. The difference is that The Hugs hail from Portland, Oregon instead of the United Kingdom. It was no surprise later that I find out that the band is heading off to England for a handful of shows in order to break out in the U.K. before coming back across the pond. One of the shows they will be playing with The View incidentally. It was interesting to see Danny thrash all over the stage and manage to pull his microphone stand apart.



The Subjects



The Subjects by the way of Brooklyn, New York were next and displayed a more subtle sense of melody. They reminded me of a cross between Death Cab for Cutie and The Weakerthans. David Sheinkopf (Vocals/Bass) propelled their catchy numbers with his Gibson SG Bass. Their latest release is "With The Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings" is out now on Pretty Activity records.


The Walkmen






I have seen The Walkmen a few times before and know they put on a solid show. I once saw them at the House of Blues in Las Vegas a few years ago opening for The Killers. The Walkmen came out and took care of business. Hamilton Leithauser (Vocals/Guitars) has a towering stage presence and belts out the tunes as you can see the vein in his neck come close to exploding. Hamilton would occasionally play his Gretsch Hollowbody guitar to add some thickness to their songs. Paul Maroon (Guitars) had a Fender Pro Reverb amp hooked up to his Rickenbacker guitar to get his trademark hollow reverb drenched sound. Walter Martin (Keyboards/Bass) and Peter Bauer were alternating between keyboards and bass. They pulled out a Vox bass that had a warm roundness to it. The old piano they had on stage also added to their throwback sound as if the piano was from the 1800's in a western saloon. "Louisiana" and "All The Hands and The Cook" were crowd favorites. I wasn't surprised they didn't play "The Rat" and "We've Been Had" as they have been known not to play some of their popular songs. The new songs sounded okay but I would have to hear them again to form a stronger opinion.

Control by Anton Corbijn

I usually don't have time to see movies because I am working or at a concert. I managed to sneak out on Monday to see Control by Anton Corbijn and I was completely floored. If you have Joy Division or New Order music in your collection, you must see this film. The cinematography is stunning and Sam Riley's portrayal of Ian Curtis borders on spooky. Anton shot the entire movie in black and white and the bleakness comes through. Ian Curtis suffered from epilepsy and Anton's attention to detail was amazing as it showed Ian having an absence seizure during one of his school classes. It also talked about the side effects of some of the medication Ian was prescribed like Dilantin(Phenytoin) which causes gingival hyperplasia(an excessive growth of the gums). The movie would later show Ian looking in the mirror checking his gums. Control also worked in Joy Division songs into the movie perfectly setting the scenes and giving them more weight. I might even go see it again.

Another movie I am looking forward to is Beautiful Noise which documents the sonically dense bands of My Bloody Valentine, Jesus & The Mary Chain, and many others for their contribution to current music. Some of the artists in the movie already are Trent Reznor (NIN), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Ulrich Schnauss, Adam Franklin, Kevin Shields, and many other musical heroes.

Film School at the Beauty Bar in San Diego

After seeing a stripped down set at M-Theory Music, I was ready for a full volume set of Film School at the Beauty Bar. Film School is winding down their cross country tour with Eulogies and stopped by San Diego prior to their homecoming show at the Echoplex on November 15th.





Eulogies opened up with their straight ahead indie rock set. Peter Walker (Vocals/Guitars) had his Orange Amplifier growling as he churned out the riffs on his Gibson guitar. They had a slide carousel set up that would show various slides projected on the bass drum throughout their set. "One Man" showcases Peter's heartfelt vocals and solid backing melodies from his band. Lorelei Plotczyk from Film School also came out to help sing "If I Knew You". Their self titled debut album is out now on Dangerbird records.







The Beauty Bar in San Diego is an interesting venue in that the stage is located in a seperate area that is covered with a canopy. I was worried that the open air would restrict the volume levels at the show but this was not the case. The familiar strains of "Garrison" blared over the soundsystem as Film School took the stage. The ending of "Garrison" slowly melted and morphed into the delay drenched opening of "Compare". It did not take long for the band to hit full stride as they filled the room with the dense hurricane swirls of "Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl". It was very obvious that the band has been extensively touring and they sounded extremely sharp. Lorelei started the huge bass line of "Lectric" as James Smith (Drums) came in with a tricky drum shuffle. Jason Ruck (Keyboards) added the synth strings to "Two Kinds" that will have you nodding your head and tapping your foot at the same time. "Deep Lake" is one of my favorite songs off their previous album and is beyond description because it sounds so huge live. The audience did not move after Film School announced it would be their last song. After a quick check with the club to see if they could play another song, Film School gave the audience a knock out punch with "Dear Me". I hope I recover in time for their homecoming show on November 15th at the Echoplex.