Autolux at the Detroit Bar

Autolux continue to be a staple of my live reviews here at Amateur Chemist. I caught their show at the Detroit Bar earlier this year for OC Weekly and was blown away. I was fired up for a repeat sonic drubbing.

The Dabbers




I thought that mustache looked familiar. It belonged to Zach Wentz (Drums,Vocals) who was pounding away on his mini Gretsch drum kit while fronting The Dabbers. I remembered Zach from his stint in Kill Me Tomorrow. Shelby Gubba (Bass) was pretty in polka dots rocking a Epiphone Thunderbird bass muddied up by a Pro Co Rat distortion pedal.

"And I Was Like, And They Were All" crackled like an old tune coming from a transistor radio with Shelby adding background vocal harmonies to Zach's poem reading vocals. "Afraid of Catching" is another bass guided tune in a similar league of Death From Above 1979. The Dabbers received a pretty good response from the Detroit Bar. I wonder if this is a side project for Zach or a full time gig because it is tough to decide which band I prefer.

Mini Mansions




Mini Mansions continue to make waves. Ironically, I last caught up with them when they opened for Autolux at the Detroit Bar in April. Mini Mansions supported Autolux for the entire tour which definitely helped refine their set and improve their chemistry.

Mini Mansions worked through a few songs on their myspace page and even included an interesting cover of "Heart Of Glass". "Majik Marker" was the standout of the set with its skewed Beach Boys and Pink Floyd vibe. Mini Mansions recently scored another major gig opening for Them Crooked Vultures out on the East Coast. I will be keeping a close eye on their progress and you should too.

Autolux






The wait for a new Autolux album continues to test the patience of their devoted fanbase. After hearing a bunch of new songs on this particular evening, I think the wait will be well worth it. A syncopated drum shuffle combined with the guitar wizardry of Greg Edwards started things off with the new song "Census". The familiar guitar howls of feedback for "Audience No. 2" from their pending album Transit Transit convinced me that Autolux never lets me down in the live performance department.

One might suspect that playing material from their first album must be bordering on tedious for Autolux. I was surprised to hear some new sonic twists during "Subzero Fun". Carla would add a little extra drum fill or Eugene would add a touch of bass feedback. I grew excited to see how Autolux would rework some of their older material. "Capital Kind Of Strain" and "Plantlife" oozed with buzzsaw fuzz guitars and Eugene's ethereal vocals lifting the tunes.

Carla would take on the vocal duties for "The Science of Imaginary Solutions" after Greg triggers the guitar loop that propels the song. "Kissproof" is another new song that will blow you away. Carla was crushing her drums while Eugene added a loopy bass line amongst the guitar washes of Greg. Autolux is simply on another level.

"Robots In The Garden" and "Blanket" were revisited from the past until Carla triggered her MPC for the oblique sounding "Highchair". The characteristic drum intro of "Turnstile Blues" garnered cheers from the adoring crowd as they closed out their main set. "Reappearing" and "Headless" were the encore selections that ended the evening with Greg turning up his amps to 10 to let the audience drown in feedback as a mini ode to My Bloody Valentine. I only hope that I have the new album in my hands before I see them again.

Sunny Day Real Estate at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my photos of Sunny Day Real Estate at the House of Blues Anahiem over at OC Weekly. My review is also on OC Weekly.

Miike Snow and Jack Penate at the Detroit Bar

Check out my review of Miike Snow and Jack Penate at the Detroit Bar over at OC Weekly.

Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre (10/5/09)

Check out my photos of Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre over at Stereogum.

Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre (10/4/09)

Check out my photos of Thom Yorke at the Orpheum Theatre over at Stereogum.

Pearl Jam at the Gibson Amphitheatre

Check out my photos of Pearl Jam at the Gibson Amphitheatre over at OC Weekly.

Bon Iver at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Check out my photos of Bon Iver at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery over at Stereogum.

Extra special thanks to Rosey at sd:dialedin and Natalie at It's Too Sunny Out Here for helping me out.

Nine Inch Nails at the Henry Fonda Theater

It was during Danny Lohner's guest appearance on the stage during "Heresy" that I mentioned via Twitter that this performance would go down in Nine Inch Nails history. My intentions were to review this show prior to the "final" show at the Wiltern to avoid entering debate amongst NIN fans which show was better. Now, I must wrestle with making the judgment call.

HEALTH





HEALTH's new album Get Color will make your ears bleed. Metallic shards of noise with kinetic waves of madness are funneled into an album that makes having a nervous breakdown sound like a good time. I finally purchased Get Color when I caught them at the Troubadour and can safely say that all the pieces are coming together for HEALTH.

While "Die Slow" has a catchy tribal thump, "We Are Water" is my favorite track from the album, as I could instantly recall the panic stricken guitars when they also played it at the Echoplex. "In Heat" is a torturous vortex of post industrial noise that ends as soon as it begins. The Nine Inch Nails fans were receptive to their noisy offerings but I must say HEALTH needs to be experienced at their own headlining show.

Nine Inch Nails






Is this really the last Nine Inch Nails live review that I will ever type? Probably. There are many reasons why this show will go down in NIN folklore, but I knew I was in for a treat when the infamous sampled electronic drums of "Head Like A Hole" blared over the speakers to start the show. Was this the Pretty Hate Machine show? I couldn't believe it. "Terrible Lie" quickly followed suit and the Henry Fonda was buzzing.

The buzz subsided slightly with "Sin" realizing that we would not hear Pretty Hate Machine in its entirety but the intensity of the band was unparalleled. The Henry Fonda also sounded pristine. "March Of The Pigs" and "Piggy" were furiously dispensed and I could tell the band was in top form. "Echoplex" ironically made the setlist which wasn't played the Echoplex.

The five song set of "Head Down", "1,000,000", "Letting You", "Burn" and "Gave Up" was the biggest punch in the face to the crowd that anyone could willingly request. It was simply amazing to hear some of Nine Inch Nails's hardest and heaviest songs consecutively. I was ecstatic. "Burn" still ranks as one of my top five favorite Nine Inch Nails songs.

The appearance of an acoustic piano on stage was noted early on by my friend up front which was unusual for a Nine Inch Nails show. Was Trent going to do some solo stuff? It turned out that Mike Garson joined the band for a handful of songs adding his avant-garde piano flourishes. "The Becoming" was the standout track of this mini-set as I forgot how bizarrely appropriate the cluttered piano notes make song more demented.

Gary Numan was a fixture at the last batch of Nine Inch Nails shows and contributed with a stellar version of "Cars" featuring Eric Avery of Jane's Addiction on additional bass support. The cover of "Anthrax" by Gang of Four was a pleasant surprise with members of HEALTH appearing on stage.

My mind was fully blown when Danny Lohner appeared on stage during "Heresy". I instantly was transported back to the early '90s watching Nine Inch Nails destroy the stage at the Warfield in San Francisco. I literally got the chills hearing "Get Down Make Love" as this is a not often played b-side from the "Sin" single. Dillinger Escape Plan brought the stage chaos and destruction by throwing around their gear, lights and bodies for "Mr. Self Destruct" and "Wish".

I was saddened that Trent had abandoned "Atmosphere" at the Echoplex show but was overjoyed when the old analog synth string intro. The Joy Division covers kept coming when they shredded through "Dead Souls". When Trent reached for a black Fender Stratocaster I knew "The Day The World Went Away" was next.

The only logical closer of the evening was "Hurt" which had a few people blurt out during the song but it couldn't put a damper on the amazing setlist and performance from one of my favorite bands. I hate to think this is the last ever Nine Inch Nails review but I can take comfort knowing that this was one of best out of the numerous Nine Inch Nails shows that I have witnessed.

The Get Up Kids at the Glass House

Check out my photos of The Get Up Kids at the Glass House over at OC Weekly.

Weezer at the Roxy Theatre

Check out my photos of Weezer at the Roxy Theatre over at Stereogum.

Brian Eno at CSULB

Check out my review of the one and only Brian Eno over at OC Weekly.

The Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my photos of The Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays and Amusement Parks On Fire at House of Blues Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

The Psychedelic Furs and Happy Mondays at Club Nokia

Check out my photos of The Psychedelic Furs, Happy Mondays and Amusement Parks On Fire at Club Nokia over at Stereogum.

Blink-182 and Weezer at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Check out my photos of Blink 182 and Weezer at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater over at OC Weekly.

Phoenix and Metric at the Greek Theater

Check out my photos of Phoenix and Metric at the Greek Theater over at Stereogum.

Arctic Monkeys at the Hollywood Palladium

Check out my photos of the Arctic Monkeys at the Hollywood Palladium over at Stereogum.

KCRW Summer Nights at the Orange County Performing Arts Center

Check out my photos of KCRW Summer Nights at the Orange County Performing Arts Center with Jason Bentley over at OC Weekly.

Mew at the Detroit Bar

Detroit Bar is having one heck of a year. Autolux, Dinosaur Jr., School of Seven Bells, Ra Ra Riot, Foreign Born, Chairlift, Grand Duchy, We Are Scientists and Los Campesinos! have all rocked the Detroit Bar this year. If I were forced to crown the show of the year at the Detroit Bar, it would hands down have to be Mew.

Free Lions




It has been a year since I last caught up with Free Lions at Spaceland. Things have apparently changed as they have reconfigured their band and added some extra members. Free Lions had some family members in the audience cheering them on and they performed a variety of different songs touching elements of pop, progressive, ballads and moments of space rock. In a year, they have garnered 8291 hits to their myspace page. They should be extremely pleased that they opened for Mew.

Mew






Mew captivates live. It may take a few listens to fully appreciate their recorded material, but seeing them live is another experience. I first caught them at Street Scene in 2006 and was reeled in by the astonishing vocal range of Jonas Bjerre (Vocals/Guitars).

I was excited to see them open for Nine Inch Nails at the Hollywood Palladium and was hoping that the Nine Inch Nails fan could appreciate their ethereal space dream rock. The jangly knife sharp guitars of "Circuitry of The Wolf" bled into the swirling "Chinaberry Tree" from their album And The Glass Handed Kites to open the set.

Bo Madsen (Guitars) soon reached for his Danelectro baritone guitar for a chunky version of "Special" that trailed into "The Zookeeper's Boy". I was up at the front of the stage and water started to drip from the ceiling as the temperature was rapidly increasing. It wasn't like the oven of Nine Inch Nails at the Echoplex but comes in a solid second place.

Accompanying the members of Mew on the stage was the tour manager, a guitar tech and a sound mixer to make the stage quite crowded. The number of people on stage had a purpose though since the sound was perfectly mixed. Mew finally dipped into their new material with the tropical sounding "Hawaii Dream" and "Hawaii" from their latest album No More Stories.

"Beach" is my favorite track off their new album with its disjointed time signature changes and wobbly bass line. Mew returned to some older favorites with "Am I Wry" and "156" with a barrage of their unique visuals being projected along the back wall of the Detroit Bar. Bo Madsen would again display his guitar skills with the wrinkly riff of "Repeaterbeater".

As tired as I was from going to concerts four nights in a row, I felt a surge of energy during "Introducing Palace Players" that helped me make the drive home. By no seeming coincidence, Mew closed the evening with "Comforting Sounds" which couldn't have been anymore fitting for a banner night at the Detroit Bar.

Nine Inch Nails at the Wiltern

Check out my review of Nine Inch Nails at the Wiltern over at OC Weekly.

HEALTH at the Troubadour

Check out my photos of HEALTH at the Troubadour over at Stereogum.