Bloodcat Love and The Happy Hollows at the Detroit Bar

Bloodcat Love has been on my radar dating back to October 2006 when I saw them open for Jet at the House of Blues in Anaheim. When I saw the flyer announcing a Bloodcat Love residency at the Detroit Bar, I knew were I would be spending my Monday nights for the month of July.

The Happy Hollows




Are you a card-carrying member of "The Hollowbodies"? The Hollowbodies are a burgeoning collective of dedicated Happy Hollows fans that attend multiple shows. I would like to think I qualify, as this was my fifth time catching the Happy Hollows. They played an astonishing set at Spaceland during the Afternoons residency. "Meteors" had jangly guitars shower the room as Sarah Negahdari dipped into her vast array of stage moves. "Flower Children" is an explosive jam that borders on punk rock with a Happy Hollow twist and space age keyboards. Another unreleased tune "Shark" was caffeine fueled varying time signature romp that had Sarah blow me away with a batch of guitar harmonics reminiscent of Burning Airlines. "Colors" had the requisite tambourine toss mid song as the band was roaring in overdrive. "My Wet Tongue" and "Lieutenant" was worked into the set before they closed it out with a blazing version of "Monster Room". The Happy Hollows will be dropping by the Prospector on July 19th with the Transmissions and Forcefield On.

Bloodcat Love





It is hard to fully appreciate Bloodcat Love until you have seen them live. Only Dreamers Left Alive is their debut EP and delivers the soundtrack to a high-speed car chase from the era of Kojak. Myles Hendrick (Vocals) is a compelling performer who sweats out his soul on the stage. After a few members shake ups, Bloodcat Love looks primed and ready to take on the world with their dirty martini secret agent rock tunes. The bass drum started to thump followed by a grooving bass line as "Dirty White Fingernails" kicked off their set. The dueling guitars of a Fender Jazzmaster and a Fender Telecaster seared the ears of the audience as Myles was frantically dancing and moving around the stage. "Get Me Out of Here" continued the furious pace as the crowd from the Detroit Bar had started to move in closer to check out all the action. "Yeah Yeah Sweet" starts off as a mid paced number before it burns into overdrive during the fiery chorus. "I Promised You A Lie" was a new tune that they debuted to the crowd that showed they have quite a few musical tricks in their bag. The cowbell never gets old as they bolted through the infectious melodies of "The Fever". I try to make it to a number of different residencies in the course of the month but I need another fix of Bloodcat Love on July 21st with Rumspringa.

Coldplay at the Forum (7/14/08)

My review of the show for OC Weekly is here. My pictorial slideshow is located here.

Coldplay setlist at the Forum (7/14/08)
"Life in Technicolor"
"Violet Hill"
"Clocks"
"In My Place"
"Viva la Vida"
"42"
"Yes"
"The Scientist"
"Chinese Sleep Chant"
"God Put a Smile Upon Your Face"
"Square One"
"Speed of Sound"
"Trouble"
"Lost!"
"Strawberry Swing"
"Yellow"
"Death Will Never Conquer"
"Fix You"
(a portion of)"Talk"
"Lovers in Japan"
"Death And All His Friends"
"The Escapist"

My Bloody Valentine at the Santa Monica Civic

Photos Courtesy of ©vg/sb/flashofeden 2008

Update: Click here for pictures and a review of the show.

I am thankful to my faithful readers in Europe as they have checked in with some photos and a preliminary report of how amazing My Bloody Valentine was recently in Manchester. Rumor has it that Kevin Shields (Guitars/Vocals) has numerous amps on stage with racks of reverb processors. I strongly recommend you catch them on Oct 1st or Oct 2nd at the Santa Monica Civic. I also recommend you bring your earplugs as the decibel levels at My Bloody Valentine shows are historically known to be off the charts.

Film School, The Henry Clay People and The Parson Red Heads at Little Radio

Little Radio knows how to throw a party. Ten dollars for three bands and all you can drink? It was the perfect way to wind down the July 4th weekend.

The Parson Red Heads





The sunny weather was a perfect backdrop for the summer soaked tunes of The Parson Red Heads. A fewer number of Parson Red Heads hit the stage which actually enhanced their particular set as the focus shifted to Evan Way (Vocals/Guitars) who gently strummed his Fender telecaster as he led the band through some songs from their album King Giraffe. The Parson Red Heads also played "Out To Sea" and "Got It All" from their recently released EP Owl & Timber. "Punctual as Usual" was one of the stand out tracks of their set with the backing vocal harmonies and organ keyboards creeping along in the background. The Parson Red Heads will be heading out with Earlimart for a west coast tour stopping by the Detroit Bar on August 9th with the Henry Clay People.

The Henry Clay People





The Henry Clay People continue to blitz Southern California playing just about every week at some location. Things are looking up for The Henry Clay People as their next full length release will be on Aquarium Drunkard's label Autumn Tone records. I am still enjoying their most recent release Working Part Time on Jaxart records. The Henry Clay People usually have a drink or two prior to hitting the stage but fact that free alcohol was flowing at Little Radio only enhanced the chaos that would unfold on stage. It didn't take too long before empty Colt 45 cans littered the stage as attempts to supply the band with water were feeble. "Working Part Time" was one of the few recognizable songs from their catalog as their other tracks were impromptu covers of the Traveling Wilbury's "Handle With Care" , Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Neil Young's "Rockin' In The Free World". I think multiple hepatocytes were obliterated during their set.


Film School





After wrapping up a successful campaign opening for Swervedriver, Film School is about to embark on another vast U.S tour to support one of my favorite albums of 2007 Hideout. I looked back in the archives and found out that I have covered Film School twelve times. So feel free to check out all my prior reviews of the band. I would like to point out that Dave Dupuis's (Guitars) pedalboard has been reconfigured as he has added an Eventide Time Factor and a Death By Audio Interstellar Overdriver Supreme. I am still researching the make of his vintage green tremolo pedal that had a massive swirl of sound. Film School is playing Spaceland on August 6th to close out their tour and you can bet I will be there.

Afternoons at Spaceland

I was flattered when Spaceland took my review of The Afternoons to promote their Monday residency at Spaceland. I was hearing reports that the Afternoons had packed Spaceland every week. I can confirm Spaceland was packed on this particular night.

The Boxing Lesson



The Boxing Lesson are space rock purveyors hailing from Austin, Texas. They were an intriguing trio with just guitars, keyboards and drums. Paul Waclawsky (Vocals, Guitars) had a Fender Jazzmaster dialed into his Roland Space Echo with a bizarre Triwave 4ms pedal in his signal chain. Paul's guitar tone would switch from light breeze to Texas tornado as he had a wide spectrum of frequencies to cover since they don't have a bassist. Jaylinn Davidson (Synthesizers) would not be outdone by Paul as she had a Korg MS2000, Novation keyboard and a MiniMoog Voyager. Jaylinn had her left hand on the Moog playing bass lines while using her right hand for atmospheric pads, and leads. The Boxing Lesson played a majority of songs from their new album Wild Streaks & Windy Days. "Dark Side Of The Moog" had hints of Failure, The Album Leaf and Airiel as the band soared through different galaxies with dense melodies. It was good to see Texas representing with some space rock.

The Happy Hollows





Was this The Happy Hollows Spaceland residency? No, but The Happy Hollows played liked it. The room was nearing maximum capacity as the Happy Hollows blazed through a set that was peppered with new and old songs. Some of the new songs such as "Labyrinth" and "Shark" were atypically typical tunes that whetted my appetite for a new album from the Happy Hollows. "Colors" was a crowd favorite as all band members chanted the various colors named off in the song. Sarah Negahdari gives Juliana Hatfield a run for her money as she wielded her Gibson SG like a battle axe. It is up for debate if the band is trying to keep up with Chris Meanie (Drums/Vocals) or if he is trying to keep up with them. Charlie (Bass/Vocals) crushed his vocals on "Delorean" to slam dunk the ending of their ferocious set. I see many big things ahead for the Happy Hollows once they release their next album if the thunderous applause and chants for an encore are any indication at the end of their set. I am excited to see them again in a few days with Bloodcat Love at the Detroit Bar on July 7th.

Afternoons





I got a feeling watching Airborne Toxic Event at Spaceland that they were going to break out into the national scene. The Airborne Toxic Event were playing as if their life depended on it. I got this feeling once again after watching Afternoons demolish the stage at Spaceland. Afternoons charged right out of the gates with "Love Is A Western Word". Claire Mckeon (Vocals) voice crosses over into Theremin territory with its astounding vibrato. Afternoons mastery of the guitar jangle was evident during "The Intervention of Daniel Fields". The gentlemen of Afternoons have intently studied the playbook of Johnny Marr and John Squire. "Say Yes" rivals Arcade Fire in intensity of performance as some members of the Silversun Pickups assisted by banging on some drums. I also have to mention the multiple keyboards on stage including an Arp String Ensemble. "Line Em Up" had Claire's haunting background vocals meshed against interweaving guitars and bashing drums. The Afternoons will be opening for Tokyo Police Club at the Hammer Museum on July 24th. Tokyo Police Club better bring their "A" game or Afternoons are going to steal the show.

The Movies





The late night slot at Spaceland can often have some people make their way to the exit. This was not the case for The Movies. It is hard to believe I haven't seen the Movies since February 2007 at the Echo. Timothy James (Vocals) is a natural born front man that commands your attention. Sporadic jumps, a cadre of bizarre faces and jerky moves are some of the many tricks in Timothy's arsenal. Jessica (Bass) seemed to have lost herself in her performance as she pounded on her Danelectro bass. Brian Cleary (Keyboards) has augmented his Kurzweil keyboard with another Yamaha keyboard as he pulled out a variety of intriguing patches to go with their quirky songs. "Rock In The Slingshot" welcomed the audience into the bizarre indie rock of The Movies. "Nam" was just as hilarious as I remembered it, but even better in the dynamics department. The stuttering keyboards of "Missed Opportunities" played like a call to arms as the song could actually be used in a motion picture. Based On A True Story is The Movies soon to be released album that may prove to be too smart for the average listener. I also need to check out some of their side projects Tables and Chairs and Very as well as helping out Adeline and the Philistines.

Sunny Day Sets Fire at Spaceland

The London based collective of Sunny Day Sets Fire descended upon Los Angeles for a batch of dates to promote their latest release Summer Palace on IAMSOUND records.

The Monolators




It has been awhile since I last checked in with The Monolators. I previously reviewed their show at the Echo when they had a release party for their EP You Look Good On The Train. Eli Chartkoff (Guitars/Vocals) led The Monolators through an infectious power pop/punk set. Eli had a baby blue Rickenbacker that magically mixed together with the spiky guitar lines from Tom Bogdon (Guitars) who was using a Harmony guitar. Ashley Jex (Bass) kicked off her shoes as she deftly navigated the fretboard of her Gibson Thunderbird bass. The Monolators were significantly faster and tighter compared to the last time I saw them. Eli would frequently go back to the drum set to check on Mary Chartkoff (Drums) as they were locked into the rhythm of their songs. The Monolators will be back at the Echo on July 16th with Pizza!, the Rolling Blackouts and The Growlers.

Sunny Days Sets Fire





Sunny Day Sets Fire played an impressive set from start to finish. Their brand of psychedelic sunny pop was perfectly recreated in a live setting. I can't remember the last time I saw a Guild 12 string acoustic guitar on stage as Mauro (Guitars/Vocals) added spools of texture to their songs with lush chords. "Teenager Talking" was a beam of sunshine from the band with Max (Guitars) pulling out rays of light on his Fender Telecaster. Onyee (Vocals/Synthesizers) was switching between her Nord Electro and Roland SH-201 and occasional sprinkles of xylophone. "Stranger" accelerated the pace and knocked me over with a hypnotic guitar solo and soaring vocal harmonies. Mauro demonstrated his broad vocal range with "Wilderness" as I was impressed how full the band sounded. The feel good vibe of "Hollywood" permeated the room as Spaceland seemed to transform into Sunny Day Sets Fire's playground. "Mandarins" was probably my favorite tune of the evening as some Spaceland patrons were actually dancing to the music. Onyee took center stage for a spastic romp of "Map Of The World". Things are looking sunny for Sunny Day Sets Fire. I suggest you catch some rays and pick up their album.

In Waves



A theme of sun soon changed to water as In Waves drenched the crowd with waves of reverb. This was the fourth time I have caught In Waves and they continue to impress me. Jimmy Strange (Vocals/Guitars) had his Schecter hollowbody back in action after previously using a Fender Mustang. Tim Gregorio (Bass) still firmly anchored their songs as Delano Duran (Drums) looked extremely comfortable behind his drum kit. A new release is tentatively due in summer so any day now I expect their full length album to come out. I also should mention I need to check out Jimmy's other project with the members of Foreign Born entitled Fool's Gold.