Xu Xu Fang and The Human Value at the Viper Room

The fog rolled into the Viper Room as Xu Xu Fang was celebrating the release of their album The Mourning Son. The Viper Room was closed for a few weeks for renovation but only had some subtle differences to the inside decor as it largely retained its darkened vibe. The future of Indie 103.1 Monday's Check One..Two Viper Room shows seems to be up in the air as a new booker has been hired. They have some big shoes to fill as I have witnessed many amazing line ups at the Viper Room.

The Sagittarians



There was something familiar about The Sagittarians that I just couldn't put my finger on. A trio of musicians had gathered on stage led by Neil Busch (Keyboards/Vocals) who plotted through a handful of brooding piano riffs. I would later uncover that Neil used to play bass in And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead. The Sagittarians would fall on the polar opposite of his prior band with references to older bands as The Doors and the cabaret element of The Dresden Dolls. The new shroud of the Viper Room complimented the darkness of their accompanying tunes very well. I didn't see any news of a full length album but there are quite a few tracks on their Myspace page.

Xu Xu Fang




Xu Xu Fang seemed right at home on stage at the Henry Fonda when they opened for Swervedriver. The Viper Room stage could barely contain the members of Xu Xu Fang but the smaller stage meant a greater effect for the fog machines as the fog crept across the stage. It was so foggy that I was unable to get any pictures of Bobby Tamkin (Drums) who is the engine in the muscle car that is Xu Xu Fang. The Xu Xu Fang immersed the crowd in sound with a fuzz wash of "Sweeten The Ride". The trio of guitarists continued to lay the foundation by conjuring up the walls of psychedelic drone for "The Mourning Son". The lighting dimmed after a few songs as the Fang really found their groove and I found myself lost in a swirl of noise. One of the many highlights of the set was the incorporation of a Z. Vex probe that was mesmerizing and had me green with gear envy. "These Days" was another hypnotic jam that slowly navigated through a maze of haze. I anxiously await the next Xu Xu Fang experience.

The Human Value





The fog had quickly lifted as the hurricane trio known as The Human Value took to the stage. The Human Value impressed me a few months ago when they closed out Spaceland during The Pity Party Residency. The Human Value should be releasing their album Push & Pull domestically and played a large portion of material from the album. Hiram Fleites (Guitars) was all over the stage rocking out on his Epiphone guitar covering a wide sonic spectrum by splitting his signal. Turu (Vocals) was completely unhinged from the first note immediately captivating your attention. "Hold Of Me" had winding guitar riff that was immediately dragged in fuzz as Turu would grab a drumstick and start tapping on any object in her path along with the beat. The swirling phaser action of "Pleasant Town" was hypnotic as Turu would end up writhing on the floor while singing. The Human Value will be playing the Prospector on June 24h as well as the Beauty Bar in San Diego on July 16th with the Pity Party.

The Pity Party and Mezzanine Owls at Alex's Bar

I try to cover as many venues as humanly possible but was still astounded that I haven't had a chance to review a show at Alex's Bar in Long Beach. Alex's Bar is a tad larger then the cozy Prospector but with its own distinct vibe. Both institutions serve the Long Beach community well and tirelessly support the local scene. It was apparently chaotic at Alex's a few weeks ago when some band played a secret show.

Coco B's


Coco B's have been on my radar and I walked in to Alex's just as they were starting their set. I immediately detected some influences of Archers of Loaf and Pavement in their jangle driven indie rock. Upon further investigation, Coco B's run a nice little blog on their site that highlighted The Helio Sequence, No Age and New Order so I gave them extra points for good taste. The Coco B's also released a split cd with the snowy Eskimohunter on Grand Theft Autumn Records which is a label run by the gentlemen of Hey Mercedes who used to be in Braid. I unfortunately didn't catch any song titles but was intrigued enough that I will catch a future show.

The Pity Party



Fresh from storming the U.K. and appearing in NME was The Pity Party. I caught them prior to their departure to the U.K. and could sense they were ready to conquer the British. The Pity Party was ginsu sharp as they sliced through a tight set. M (Guitars/Vocals) has dissassembled his massive Ground Control Pro system to a handful of pedals. His mastery of the Rocket was evident throughout the night as he frequently added some extra fuzz sauce to their spicy songs. "H.O.T.S" was performed at a feverish pace and Heisenflei (Drums) was drumming up a tornado. The Pity Party will be playing a show at the Echo Curio on July 3rd with Chase Frank to support Ronald Dzerigian who provides all the bizarre artwork for their EP "Orgy Porgy". I heard whispers of a return to the U.K. but I hope I will have a full length album in my hands before they leave.

The Secret 6


The Secret 6 played a hometown show celebrating the release of their full length album Close Enemies. It has been a while since I last caught up with The Secret 6 when I saw them open for Eskimohunter at Spaceland. James Thompson (Vocals/Guitars) still had his trusty Fender Stratocaster howling through his Orange halfstack as they tackled a few numbers from their new album. I didn't see the Nord Lead in their setup but saw a Roland keyboard in its place. I imagine they will tour more locally to support their album's release.


Mezzanine Owls



After a successful Spaceland residency, the Mezzanine Owls had the good fortune of opening for Swervedriver at the Fillmore. I still frequently listen to their Jaxart 7 inch EP release which I highly recommend your purchase here. "Drift" opened the festivities as the Mezzanine Owls showcased their tight sound and dream fuzz guitars. Jonathan Zetlin (Guitars) has morphed his sound from what I described in prior reviews as a "twilight sparkle" into a newly coined "twilight supernova" as he has added a few secret pedal weapons to his overall sound. Dan Horne (Bass) was holding down the low end and did the requisite beer chug during the breakdown of one of their songs. I was really impressed with the two new songs they played on this night as I remembered hearing them at Spaceland during their residency. The Mezzanine Owls don't have any scheduled upcoming shows so I hope they are working on a new album.

The Helio Sequence at the Detroit Bar

My schedule tentatively had me in Las Vegas for Stone Temple Pilots but I was unable to paste it together at the last minute. The consolation prize was hefty in that I was able to catch The Helio Sequence again at the Detroit Bar. The Helio Sequence is wrapping up their tour to support one of my favorite albums of the year Keep Your Eyes Ahead.



I walked into the Detroit Bar as the lofty chords of "Lately" floated through the air. Immediately I was reminded how sharp they are live when I last saw them at the Detroit Bar. The various electronic bleeps and blips filled the Detroit Bar as Brandon Summers (Vocals/Guitars) tore into a ripping harmonica solo for the intro of “Harmonica Song”. Brandon didn’t let up as they extended the song with a epic space age guitar solo. A circus like synthesizer arrangement nicely contrasted the hyperactive drumming of Benjamin Weikel (Drums) as “Don’t Look Away” was expertly executed. “Can’t Say No” is a song that demands an automatic download from itunes as it could very well be the official song of the summer with its sunny guitars and the soothing vocals .


The Helio Sequence brought it down a notch with the quiet hypnotizing guitar melodies of “Shed Your Love”. Reaffirmation and redemption prevailed in the lyrics of “You Can Come To Me”. An off kilter drum beat of “Keep Your Eyes Ahead” tightly hugged the weaving guitars that went into outer space as Brandon activated his George Dennis pedal for some huge phasing during the chorus. Brandon stood alone with his acoustic guitar as he rendered a blissful version of “Broken Afternoon". If The Helio Sequence signs on the right tour or placed in the next itunes commercial who knows what heights they would reach.

Brandon Summers Pedalboard


The Helio Sequence Setlist at the Detroit Bar (6/20/08)
“Lately”
“Captive Mind”
“Let It Fall Apart”
“Harmonica Song”
“Don’t Look Away”
“Can’t Say No”
“Shed Your Love”
“You Can Come To Me”
“Keep Your Eyes Ahead”
“Hallelujah”
“Broken Afternoon”
“Everyone Knows Everyone”

The Black Angels at the Troubadour

It is no secret that fuzz and reverb are two of my favorite musical effects. The pairing of Darker My Love and The Black Angels would be an aural onslaught of both effects as the Troubadour served as a perfect setting for a psychedelic set from both bands.

Darker My Love






Darker My Love have been on my radar dating back to 2006 when I saw them with Asobi Sesku at the Detroit Bar. I even caught them at the Orange County Museum of Art back in January 2007. Darker My Love is gearing up for the release of their 2nd album thoughtfully titled "2" on Dangerbird records. "Blue Day" is their fuzzy lead off single from the album and is punctuated with funky wah stabs and swirling vintage organ sounds. Rob Barbato (Bass/Vocals) had his trusty Gibson hollowbody bass booming as Jared Everett (Guitars) still had his Guild hollowbody screaming through his Z.Vex super duper. Their set included a good majority of tunes from the new album which had a lot more organ action from Will Canzoneri. The new songs were very distinct such as "Fresh Cream" in that the pace and moods varied greatly. I am looking forward to the new album release on August 5th. I would recommend you check out their show at the Echo on July 18th with the red hot Crystal Antlers.

The Black Angels







The methodical drumming of "Mission District" from their new album Directions To See A Ghost was expertly executed by Stephanie Bailey (Drums). Welcome to the hazy kaleidoscopic world of The Black Angels. The tambourine continues to make a sweeping comeback as Alex Maas (Vocals) shaked his way through "Deer-Ree-Shee". The guitar tones were divine as I spotted some key components to the Black Angels sound in the form of Electro Harmonix Memory Man and Holy Grail Reverb. I was also impressed by their selection of a Death By Audio Interstallar Overdriver. The characteristic drone of "Young Men Dead" elicited cheers from the crowd as the psychedelic visuals started to kick into high gear. A fuzz bomb went off as the huge bass line of "Science Killer" rumbled throughout the room. The Troubadour has a no smoking policy but I started to detect a few illicit substances wafting in the air. It also could have been the mind blowing combination of the music and visuals.

"Vikings" mellowed things a bit as I was amazed how well they recreated the haunting guitar textures of the song. Fuzz and reverb were interlocked in a massive battle of supremacy for a wall of sound version of "The Return". As I mentioned in the OC Weekly review, the appearance of an electric sitar automatically wins me over as it adds alien metallic textures to their songs. The projections throughout the night were a mix of old photos and various oils placed in water to amplify the intensity of the songs. I was glad I had a chance to see them the next night at the Ink-N-Iron festival with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The Black Angels are currently touring across the states with The Warlocks and I highly recommend you catch them live.

The Cure at the Cox Arena

My Southern California tour of The Cure came to a close with one final stop at the Cox Arena in San Diego. Since my photos from Santa Barbara were used in OC Weekly for my review of their Shrine Auditorium show, I was looking forward to offering both the photos and review of their San Diego on my site.

65daysofstatic





The instrumental bludgeoning sounds of 65daysofstatic continued to grow on me with each successive live show. It was tough for me to appreciate their noisy racket in Santa Barbara because they were playing in the direct sunlight. Their dark and foreboding tunes fared much better in the vast confines of the Cox Arena with minimal stage lighting. 65daysofstatic released a new EP entitled The Distant and Mechanised Glow of Eastern European Dance Parties which is a pulsating electronic whirlwind of synthesizers and programming. 65daysofstatic opted for some of their more metal tinged instrumental tunes for the crowd. I recommend you listen to "Retreat! Retreat!" which is from their album The Fall Of Math for a good representation of their sound.

The Cure


The epic lead off song from Disintegration, "Plainsong" sparkled as bright as the background stars projected against the towering screens behind The Cure. The Cox Arena was electric on this particular night as they stood and cheered throughout the nearly three hour set. The fluid guitar lines of "Prayers For Rain" poured over the audience and drenched everyone in sound as Simon Gallup (Bass) dialed up some jet engine flanging on his Gibson Thunderbird Bass. A screaming wah pedal lead was quickly backed by Simon's pulsating bass line as The Cure embarked on "The Walk".



Jason Cooper(Drums) showed off his drumming skills with the syncopated beats of "To Wish Impossible Things" with Simon's bass quietly creeping along in the background. The stuttering bass line of "Pictures of You" was hypnotic as Porl Thompson (Guitars) added coats of atmosphere with his 12 string guitar. It was a spine tingling moment as the cheers from the crowd were deafening after Robert completed his first verse. Robert Smith's songwriting skills have been well documented but his tremolo picking during "Lullaby" was strong enough for me to appreciate his guitar technique. "From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea" had Robert on his custom Schecter acoustic guitar as Porl shined with a wild shredding solo.



The Cure have been releasing new songs around the 13th of every month. "The Perfect Boy" is one of The Cure's new songs that I anxiously await as it is could have been included on Wish. "Hot Hot Hot!!!" had a loose almost funk feel to the song as Porl was frequently using his wah pedal. I already downloaded the new Cure song "The Only One" as it is an instant classic with its propelling bass line and shimmering guitar lines. "The Blood" was a nice surprise in the setlist with its seductive guitar lines as Robert had a nylon string guitar.



Another spine tingling moment of the show was the back to back wallop of "In Between Days" and "Just Like Heaven". The Cure didn't stop as they continued to play hit after hit. The windy visuals of "Jumping Someone Else's Train" perfectly fit the hyperactive bass line. Robert Smith used a glass slide to replicate the screams of "Lovecats". The multiple encores kept coming with "A Forest" perfectly capping the night. I have to give a lot of credit to the enthusiasm of the San Diego audience for making this the best of the three Cure shows that I saw.

The Cure setlist for San Diego at the Cox Arena (6/3/2008)
"Plainsong"
"Prayers For Rain"
"A Night Like This"
"The Walk"
"The End Of The World"
"Lovesong"
"To Wish Impossible Things"
"Pictures Of You"
"Lullaby"
"Fascination Street"
"From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea"
"The Perfect Boy"
"Hot Hot Hot!!!"
"The Only One"
"The Blood"
"Sleep When I'm Dead"
"Push"
"In Between Days"
"Just Like Heaven"
"Primary"
"Shake Dog Shake"
"The Baby Screams"
"One Hundred Years"
"Disintegration"
"Boys Don't Cry"
"Jumping Someone Else's Train"
"Grinding Halt"
"10.15 Saturday Night"
"Killing An Arab"
"The Lovecats"
"Let's Go To Bed"
"Freakshow"
"Close to me"
"Why can't I be you?"
"Play For Today"
"A Forest"