She Wants Revenge at the House of Blues San Diego

The Nylon Magazine tour kicked off in San Diego with a quadruple line up of The Switches, The Virgins, Be Your Own Pet and She Wants Revenge.


The Switches








I seem to keep missing The Switches when they come through town and was determined to catch one of their shows. The Switches play a brand of tightly wound electro pop rock songs that employ equal parts of rambling guitars, slinky synthesizers and topped with a helping of vocal harmonies. "Message From Yuz" got the crowd moving early with razor sharp guitars from Matt Bishop (Vocals/Guitars) and Ollie Thomas (Guitars) who were armed with their Fender guitars. The microKorg keyboard screamed as the band worked through "Snakes & Ladders" before breaking down into a very Queen like bridge. They quickly lived up to my expectations and I had only heard two songs from their set. The crowd started to clap along in time to the wiry guitars of "No Hero" as Matt showed off his impressive falsetto. I detected some Weezer influence as they played a new song entitled "Lady" which could have easily been a track from the Weezer album Pinkerton. Matt provided some humor during the set when he explained that they were the only band from England on the tour and did an impromptu version of "So Lonely" by the Police. "Lay Down The Law" and "Drama Queen" punctuated their thirty minute set and I went to the merch booth to pick up their album Lay Down The Law.


The Virgins






I honestly didn't know what to think about The Virgins at first. "Private Affair" opened their set with its propulsive bass as their New York sound was extremely evident after a few singing notes from Donald Cumming (Vocals/Guitars). It would be easy to lump them in the category of the Strokes but as their set progressed, other bands like the Cars and Buddy Holly started to ruminate as reference points. Wade Oates (Guitars) looked like a character from "Happy Days" until I saw his retro Air Jordan III sneakers. Wade had the flashy guitar chops to prove he had substance to match his style as his fingers danced over the neck of his Fender Stratocaster. Erik Ratensperger (Drums) did an excellent job propelling their songs as he frequently smashed his cymbals and kept a steady backbeat. Wade also won points in the guitar department for working in his Electro Harmonix Stereo Memory Man pedal with Hazarai to the intro of the dance rock song "Rich Girls". Their debut self-titled album hits the streets on June 3rd.


Be Your Own Pet






Be Your Own Pet was also another band that I seem to always miss when they come through town. I was especially sad to miss their recent tour with the Raveonettes as I had a concert conflict on that particular night. If you could harness the energy that Be Your Own Pet puts out on stage during their show, I think you would solve the energy crisis. Jemina Pearl (Vocals) was all over the stage running into band members and crashing into microphone stands as they ripped through more then fifteen songs as most numbers border on the two minute mark. John Eatherly (Drums) earns his paycheck every night as he was drenched in sweat after a few songs. Jonas Stein's (Guitars) hands were a constant blur all night as he rapidly downstroked power chords like he was in the Ramones. "Heart Throb" from their new album Get Awkard would be the perfect song for the gym if you were trying to run a mile in two minutes. "The Kelley Affair" was fast and furious as I barely could keep up with the lyrics as Jemina raced through the song. Be Your Own Pet finished up their set in a flash as Jemina was writhing on the stage floor possibly for effect or due to exhaustion. I was sold either way.


She Wants Revenge






I remember seeing She Wants Revenge at the Troubadour back in 2005 and thinking that the band would ascend the ranks propelled by the catchy synthesizer programming and dark vocals of Justin Warfield (Vocals/Guitars). Once "Tear You Apart" garnered major airplay on KROQ and Indie 103.1, She Wants Revenge would later find themselves playing Coachella and opening for Depeche Mode. She Wants Revenge released their second album This is Forever that didn't seem to be too heavily promoted as some of my friends didn't even know the album was released.

She Wants Revenge recently released a new EP Save Your Soul that the band previewed during the show. The icy guitar lines of "Sister" gave way to the driving bass line as Justin swayed in front of his microphone to the delight of the screaming girls in the front row. Adam 12 (Bass/Synthesizers) was decked out in black with his hat shielding his eyes as he played his Fender Bass. The sexually charged "These Things" really had the crowd dancing as I enjoyed the lonesome hollow sounding guitar riff. "Sleep" from their new EP had a biting bass line as Thomas Froggatt added various sound textures on his Gibson hollowbody guitar. "Save Your Soul" matched "Sleep" in energy and sharpness as the new songs were very catchy. It had been awhile since I had seen She Wants Revenge and I can attest that they have sharply honed their live sound. "Written In Blood" absolutely rocked as Scott Ellis (Drums) worked the cowbell as Justin continued to dance across the stage. Adam also seems to have traded his Moog Little Phatty keyboard in for a Korg MS2000 but still frequently used the Roland Phantom X8. The band received a huge ovation from the San Diego crowd prior to closing out their set with a blistering version of "Tear You Apart". She Wants Revenge finish up their tour with a date at the Wiltern on June 21st. I will try and add the show to my upcoming show list as I don't think I have reviewed an opening and closing show of a tour.

The Morning Benders at the Echo

The debut full length album from The Morning Benders has finally arrived and was celebrated with a record release show at the Echo. Talking Through Tin Cans is currently in heavy rotation on my ipod and I was looking forward to catching them prior to their sold out cross country tour opening for the Kooks.

Rumspringa




An illuminated bass drum and an assortment of percussive instruments on a stand were cluttered on the stage as the dynamic duo of Rumspringa appeared on stage. Joey Stevens (Guitars/Vocals) plucked out ringing notes on his Fender Telecaster with the help of some metallic finger picks for a dirty scratchy tone for their Americana inspired rock. The interesting twist they provided was Joey's adept use of 2 Boss Looping pedals that would sample various phrases as he would stack his loops to provide a slice of the psychedelic. Itaru de la Vega (Drums) kept the music floating along with a steady cadence. Rumspringa had a strong contingent of fans stationed in front of the stage cutting loose and dancing around. I may have to check out their residency at the Echo in June to get another dose of their rollicking tunes.

Dawes



Dawes looked and sounded familiar from the start. It turns out that Dawes is a good majority of the band Simon Dawes who I previously saw open for Wolfmother in Las Vegas. Taylor Goldsmith (Guitars/Vocals) led Dawes through a sharp Americana influenced rock set as he coaxed some bittersweet solos from his Fender Stratocaster. Wylie Gelber (Bass) was situated close to the drum kit to lock in his bass lines. One of the many songs that caught my attention was "When You Call My Name". Dawes only has one song posted on their Myspace page but I assume are working on a full length album as they played an eight song set.


Morning Benders






The Morning Benders continue to impress me every time I see them. Talking Through Tin Cans will most likely fall into the top 10 indie albums of the year as each song on the album packs a healthy pop punch. Tim (Bass) has switched from a Fender Bass to a super slick black Rickenbacker bass to give the Morning Benders a sharp rounder low end sound that meshes perfectly with the duel clean guitar attack from Chris Chu (Vocals/Guitars) and Joe Ferrell (Guitars). The Morning Benders worked through a good portion of their new album along with a few B-sides. "Patient Patient" was one of the many highlights for me as I enjoy the wobbly rotating Leslie speaker simulated guitar solo. "Waiting For A War" was fierce as Tim stepped on his Boss Turbo Distortion pedal during the song that forcefully shook the Echo. "Boarded Doors" pure ear candy as Chris would rake his guitar strings while Joe filled in the blank spaces with some Rhodes keyboards. In my interview with Chris and Joe, I mentioned how much I liked the recording of the drums so I will have to give credit to Julian Harmon for replicating the consistent shuffle that is on the album in a live setting. Since The Morning Benders will be opening for the Kooks on their US tour, I imagine they will continue to win over many new fans. It will be interesting to hear them on some decent soundsystems as they have a lot of nuances in their sound that sometimes gets lost in the mix. I hope you have your tickets to one of their shows because most of the dates are already sold out.

Mezzanine Owls at Spaceland

I thought April was a busy month. May is ridiculous with Le Switch at the Echo and Mezzanine Owls at Spaceland every Monday as well as the usual stacked line ups for the Indie 103.1 sponsored Check One.Two. at the Viper Room. I often wish I can have be at three places at once. This particular line up at Spaceland was too good to pass up as the inclusion of Minipop tipped the scales in favor of showing up at Spaceland.

In Waves




I made sure I was at Spaceland early to catch In Waves. I have closely followed the progress of In Waves since I saw them in December of 2007 at the Viper Room. Unfortunately, Jimmy Strange (Guitars/Vocals) was feeling under the weather and his vocals were not one hundred percent. Even though the vocals were not up to normal strength, the music continues to improve as their new drummer Delano Duran seemed more confident as they played a sharp set. The drowning reverb of "Careful Talk" bounced around the room as Tim Gregorio cut loose on his Fender Bass. Jimmy was creating his usual dense clouds of sound on a Fender Mustang as they worked through a number of songs from their debut album due in the summer. I imagine they will quickly get their own residency shortly after its release. The haunting echoes of "Sometime After" closed their set as I still found myself hoping they would have played one more song.

Wait Think Fast




I was not to familiar with Wait Think Fast but I figured if they are endorsed by the Mezzanine Owls I would give them a chance. Wait Think Fast combines multiple influences into a varied musical stew. Some of the possible reference points would be a female fronted Echo and The Bunnymen and The Smiths with an ethnic twist. Jacqueline Santillan's (Vocals/Keyboards) vocals hover like clouds above the firmly rooted post punk influenced guitars. They are playing the Echoplex with Helio Sequence and Talkdemonic on June 14th, which is one heck of a bill.

Mezzanine Owls




I knew it wouldn't be long before the Mezzanine Owls would get their residency at Spaceland. Their latest release on Jaxart records is painful only in that it is too short and I am aching for a new full length release.

Bundles of blue lights shone across the stage as the droning notes of "Drift" floated throughout Spaceland as Pauline Mu (Drums) added cymbal splashes to the fill out their dense sound. Their version of "Ghost Ship" was the most rocking version to date with Jonathan Zeitlin (Guitars) adding wobbly tremolo guitars to the fast paced rocker. "Lightbulb" was one of my favorite songs from 2007 and Jack Burnside (Vocals/Guitars) nailed it spot on. I would also like to add Jonathan didn't have his Roland Space Echo but was tweaking a batch of pedals on his sonic wizardry workbench obscured from my view. "Moving Ground" also followed an accelerated pace as Jonathan switched over to his Korg MS2000 to provide ambient washes of sound. "Wake Up" floated between calm and stormy as the metal slide guitar work was out of this world with extra delay and feedback added to my delight. A new song from the Mezzanine Owls was instantly memorable with layers of synthesizers and guitar feedback mashed together like a tasty smore. "Snow Globe" punctuated a set as I spotted a dance pit break out during the song. Mezzanine Owls will play with Film School in San Francisco as they both open for Swervedriver on May 29th. If I didn't already have tickets for The Cure in Santa Barbara, I would make the trip up north.

Minipop





It is hard to believe the last time I caught up with Minipop was back in February of 2007. Minipop played to quite a large audience for the late slot at Spaceland. Those who chose to stick around were treated to a delightful sugar spun set from Minipop. "A New Hope" is their latest release and sparkles with crystalline guitars and the lush vocals of Tricia Kanne (Guitars/Vocals). Matthew Swanson (Guitars/Keyboards) was a busy man switching between triggering samples and the occasional synthesizer riff while playing his hollowbody guitar. The lights were extremely low for their set but I noticed some intriguing patterns projected on Tricia. I looked up to see various images from the classic movie Tron. The tortuous and swirling guitars of "Like I Do" intoxicates and delights at the same time as they perfectly frame the passionate vocals of Tricia. The proverbial cherry on top was a jaw dropping cover of "Black Metallic" by Catherine Wheel as Tricia strummed the dreamy chords on her Fender Telecaster with a capo on the second fret. I can only say that those who stuck around were absolutely floored.

The Heavy at the Bordello

The Bordello was out of control as The Heavy stopped by for a Playboy sponsored "Rock The Rabbit" bash. There were Playboy bunnies running around chased by a costumed wolf as the Heavy oozed out a batch seductive soul infused rock tunes that absolutely thrilled the packed house.




The Heavy are touring to support their new album Great Vengeance and Furious Fire that could be the new Marvin Gaye inspired soundtrack for the indie generation. "Coleen" had the crowd howling as Swaby (Vocals) worked the females in the audience with his natural showman skills. A sampled horn section compelled the audience to sway and dance as Swaby sang "Do You Wanna Make Love?". The temperature in the Bordello was rising extremely fast with no signs of cooling off.




The cowbell was being rocked by Chris Ellul (Drums) as the guitars and bass entangled each other for an stunning version of "Set Me Free". Little Hannah Collins (Keyboards/Vocals) was adding her silky background vocals to the track as Swaby continued to encourage female audience participation. Swaby is a natural born performer and his stage presence is galvanizing. He would alternate between a normal microphone and a CB microphone to add some distortion to his vocals.




"In The Morning" kicked up the temperature a few degrees as the bouncing piano keys made you jump up and down as Spencer "Big Daddy Spence" Page kept the low end grooving. Dan T (Guitars) started off "Girl" with his marching palm muted power chords as Swaby dived headfirst into the storytelling lyrics of the song as Hiromi Oshima bunny hopped at his side. The jazzy horn samples of "That Kind Of Man" along side samples of blasting air horns kicked things into a even higher gear. Everyone in the Bordello was drenched in sweat at this time. The audience howled for an encore that quickly wrapped up their all too brief thirty minute set. It was a howling good time as you can tell by the pictures.