Cut Copy at Club Nokia

I predicted that Cut Copy would be playing larger venues when they go on tour again. I didn't expect it to be during this tour, as the show was moved from the Henry Fonda Theater to Club Nokia due to capacity issues the night before.

As bummed as people were about the Henry Fonda Theater show ending early due to the fire marshal pulling the plug on the show, don't forget about the tragedy in Rhode Island during a Great White show. Remember, safety first.

Matt and Kim






It wasn't shocking when I spotted Kim at the Starbucks coffee prior to her set at Club Nokia. Matt and Kim played a hyper-caffeinated set that stirred the pot of dance ready crowd. I think every picture I took of Matt and Kim had both of them grinning like the Cheshire cat. Their smiles are as infectious as Kim's rollicking beats and Matt's quirky synthesizer squeaks.

Grand is the latest release on the Fader label that ends almost quicker then the buzz you get from slamming a Red Bull. Matt and Kim did dip back into their self-titled debut album for the buzzy "Yea Yeah" and "5k". I especially had to chuckle when they did a partial cover of the keyboardtastic "The Final Countdown" by hair metal masters Europe. "Silver Tiles" capped their set as the crowd was sufficiently warmed up for Cut Copy.

Cut Copy






I couldn't have been more excited to see Cut Copy at Club Nokia. I twittered that they absolutely destroyed the Glass House on Monday. Since the show was moved to Club Nokia, there was ample room to move around but the dance floor in front of the stage was stuffed.

I came to the conclusion during the Glass House show that Tim Hoey (Guitars/Keyboards) is a severely underrated guitarist. Tim was abusing his Fender Jazzmaster by scraping it over his Vox amplifiers for washes of noise during the rousing build-ups. I can't help recall some similarities to Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore when he grabbed a drumstick and beat on his guitar strings.

The neon trim lights of Club Nokia happened to coincide with the large multi-colored light setup that pulsated along with their dance grooves. I had a difficult time shooting "Hearts On Fire" because the floor was literally bouncing. Club Nokia wasn't completely full but the screaming fans on the floor would have fooled you otherwise.

Dan Whitford (Vocals/Keyboards/Guitars) was primarily stationed behind his drool worthy Dave Smith Prophet 08 keyboard dialing up shimmering synthesizer tones. I don't remember him picking up a guitar on the prior tours but he was armed with a Fender Jaguar during some songs in the set while Tim switched to an acoustic guitar.

"Far Away" had Tim go over to his makeshift percussion station tackling various electronic drum pads while coming back to the microphone to sing the harmonies. The ambient synth pads of "Visions" soon melted away into the heavily arpeggiated synths of "Nobody Lost, Nobody Found". "Saturdays" from album Bright Like Neon Love has been remixed into a dance floor banger that continued to keep the bodies on the floor moving.

The gliding bass notes of "Unforgettable Season" crashing against the textural scrapes of guitar noise were perfectly sublime as Dan's vocals floated throughout the venue. Synthesizers came back to the forefront with the '80s nostalgic tinged "Out There On The Ice".

During the encore, Dan gave the crowd one last chance to slow dance by playing "Strangers In The Wind". "Lights & Music" brought the house down as the whole crowd was bouncing and screaming. I only can hope they record that third album quickly so they can come back and tour again.

Cut Copy setlist at Club Nokia (3/11/09)
"Hearts On Fire"
"Far Away"
"Visions"
"Nobody Lost, Nobody Found"
"Autobahn Music Box"
"Sands of Time"
"Saturdays"
"Feel The Love"
"Unforgettable Season"
"So Haunted"
"Out There On The Ice"
"Right On Target"
"Strangers In The Wind"
"Future"
"Lights And Music"

Slipknot at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario

One of the more polarizing tours in the metal world descended on Ontario at the Citizens Bank Arena. Slipknot, Coheed & Cambria and Trivium brought metal to the Inland Empire on a Tuesday evening.

It was quite the trek out towards Ontario and Trivium hit the stage at a non-rocking time of 7:00pm precisely. This cancelled out the bonus of the free parking at the arena. I heard a small bit of Trivium and will have to refer you to the time I saw them at the Grove of Anaheim back in March of 2007.

Coheed & Cambria





When I referred to this tour as polarizing, you either love or despise the bands on the bill. Coheed & Cambria caused quite the stir on the Slipknot web forums as many folks didn't think Coheed was "metal" enough. Claudio Sanchez (Vocals/Guitars) looked and sounded metal enough to me with his white Gibson explorer and his stack of Mesa Boogie Amplifiers.

Coheed wisely chose their fastest and heaviest songs by opening with "Welcome Home" from the album Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Vol.1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. Claudio and his mop of hair whipped around for the unbridled guitar fury of "The Velourium Camper III: Al the Killer".

Regardless of whether you can take Claudio's high pitched vocal delivery, he definitely knows how to shred. Travis Stever (Guitars) was no slouch either working overtime on his Gibson Les Paul. Whether or not you like the songs, the musicianship of Coheed & Cambria is top notch. I am sure some of the Slipknot fans were pleased to see the giant tarp with the quote "God Will Not Save You".

Coheed & Cambria setlist for the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario
"Intro"
"Welcome Home"
"The Velourium Camper III: Al the Killer"
"No World for Tomorrow"
"The End Complete III: The End Complete"
"In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3"


Slipknot



Do you remember being handed cassettes when you exited various concerts back in the day? I don't remember which specific show I was at, but I do recall being intrigued by a cassette tape from a new band called Slipknot on Roadrunner records. The recording was also helmed by Ross Robinson who had helped Korn capture the earth rumbling sound of their seven string guitars.




I was floored by the cassette. Could they reproduce this madness live? I highly doubted it. Slipknot was the first band on stage for Ozzfest 1999 and I was blown away. I was lucky enough to see Slipknot at the Key Club in Hollywood in 1999 and it was absolute chaos. I would later see Slipknot at the Glass House in Pomona which was an equally disturbing show. Slipknot was a nine headed fire spitting hydra of heavy metal.



Fast forward ten years later, Slipknot is still filling the arenas and many of those who cast the band as a gimmick will have to answer to the legions of their fans who are endearingly titled "maggots". The crowd started to churn and grow restless. "Runnin' With The Devil" by Van Halen made a fitting choice for the warm up music to the band's entrance on the stage.



The red velvet curtain would eventually raise and I found myself in front of a menacing looking Jim Root (Guitars) with his custom Fender Telecaster. The sampled screams foreshadowed the blitzkrieg assault of "(Sic)". I was immediately transported back to the days of the Key Club/Glass House as I was inches away from the chaos on stage. I made it a point to try and capture all nine members of the band.



"Eyeless" stirred the crowd into a frenzy. The amount of crowd surfers started to outnumber the amount of security as I ended up getting kicked out of the photo pit during the pummeling riff of "Wait and Bleed". It was a visual and aural spectacle watching Shawn "Clown" Crahan rise into the air on his hydraulic drum riser.

Corey Taylor (Vocals)still has one of the more distinguishable voices in the world of metal and ripped through "Get This". Slipknot know how to give the fans their money's worth with a full on rock show. After a fourteen years in the game, it doesn't appear that Slipknot is slowing down anytime soon.

Slipknot setlist for the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario
"(Sic)"
"Eyeless"
"Wait and Bleed"
"Get This"
"Before I Forget"
"The Blister Exists"
"Dead Memories"
"Left Behind"
"Disaterpiece"
"Frail Limb Nursery"
"Purity"
"Everything Ends"
"Psychosocial"
"Duality"
"People=Shit"
"Surfacing"
"Spit It Out"

Jimmy Eat World at Club Nokia

Jimmy Eat World know about the dangers of being on a major label. Their brief tenure on Capitol Records eventually worked out in their favor as they recorded Bleed American on their own dime and released the album on Dreamworks records to breakthrough to the mainstream.

Jimmy Eat World has wisely kept in touch with their fans via Twitter along with a very active online fanbase. Jimmy Eat World pleased many fans by announcing a series of shows celebrating the ten year release of their cult classic album Clarity which they would play in its entirety. It was no surprise that the brief tour across the states promptly sold out.

No Knife




I honestly don't remember No Knife from back in the day. Apparently, they toured with Jimmy Eat World during the Clarity years. What I do know is that Mitch Wilson (Guitars/Vocals) can effectively rock a Fender Jazzmaster. No Knife cut through with their sinewy guitar driven tunes. It was a solid set that will have me investigate their back catalog.

Jimmy Eat World







Jimmy Eat World was winding down their tour by the time they hit Los Angeles. This was beneficial in that they had refined and mastered performing Clarity in its entirety.

One thing I don't see mentioned that often is how well the combined guitars of Tom Linton (Guitars) and Jim Adkins (Vocals/Guitars) blend together. It should also be noted Jim plays his beautiful custom Fender thinline Telecaster. Tom was rocking a Gibson Les Paul that really howled during the drop-D tune "Blister" which seemed to be one of the crowd's favorite tunes of the evening.

"Lucky Denver Mint" rivals "Blister" as my favorite tune for Clarity and was recreated flawlessly. The evening seemed to fly by in minutes as they ripped through "Your New Aesthetic" with the well placed bass notes of Rick Burch (Bass). Clarity was sequenced very well and the songs weaved together seamlessly.

Other interesting musical gear notes include Jim using a loop station for the cycled feedback wash for the beginning of "12.23.95". I also spotted a Boss Space Echo in Tom's pedal chain. It was evident that Jimmy Eat World meticulously reconstructed the tones from the album.

Some other amusing notes included Jimmy Eat World twittering about the current state of the Capitol Records building and Club Nokia got into the Twitter act by enthusiastically quoting song lyrics throughout the evening. Jimmy Eat World closed out the evening with some deeper cuts like "No Sensitivity" and a few radio staples "Work" and "The Middle" to a rapturous applause. So do I hear a ten year anniversary tour for Bleed American in 2011?

Cut Copy at the Glass House

Check out my photos of Cut Copy at the Glass House over at OC Weekly.

Cut Copy plays the Henry Fonda Theater tonight and tomorrow. Don't miss them.

M83 with the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

Check out my pictures of M83 with the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall over at Stereogum.com.

My photos and review of M83 with the School of Seven Bells at the Henry Fonda Theatre is here.

M. Ward at the Henry Fonda Theater

Check out my photos of M. Ward at the Henry Fonda Theater over at Stereogum.com.

Dick Dale drops by the Guitar Center in Fountain Valley on 3/5

Dick Dale at NAMM 2008

The legendary Dick Dale will be dropping by Guitar Center Fountain Valley tomorrow on March 5th at 7:00pm for a little Q&A and performance. This is a great opportunity to ask various obscure questions on the different aspects of reverb, tremolo picking and dialing in that sweet surf tone. I would personally ask him about the decision to string his lefty Fender Stratocaster upside down. Maybe for easier tremolo picking?

Ra Ra Riot at the El Rey Theatre

Check out my photos of Ra Ra Riot, Cut Off Your Hands and Telekinesis at the El Rey Theatre over at Stereogum.com.

Ra Ra Riot at the Detroit Bar

Check out my photos of Ra Ra Riot at the Detroit Bar for OC Weekly.

Upcoming shows: Cut Copy at the Glass House and Henry Fonda Theater

Next week is your last chance to catch Cut Copy before they head back into the studio to follow up their magnificent album In Ghost Colours.

I have documented Cut Copy's ascension as the they rocked the Echo in March 2008, blew up the Echoplex in June 2008 and teamed up with the Presets for a blazing set at the Glass House in October 2008. I also was lucky enough to interview Tim Hoey to talk about keyboards and guitar pedals.

Cut Copy plays the Glass House on March 9th and the Henry Fonda Theater on March 10th and 11th. Don't miss these shows as I am sure they will play larger venues when they come back around.