Metallica at the Honda Center

Check out my photos of Metallica at the Honda Center over at OC Weekly.

Winston Calling Benefit at the Echoplex

Check out my photos from the Winston Calling Benefit at the Echoplex over at Stereogum.

Morrissey at the Fox Theater in Pomona

Check out my photos of Morrissey at the Fox Theater in Pomona over at OC Weekly.

Morrissey at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel

Check out my photos of Morrissey at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel over at Stereogum.

The Cranberries at the Pearl Theater

The number of reunions this year has been staggering. In terms of unexpected reunions, I was stunned when The Cranberries announced they would reunite for first time in seven years. I strategically plotted a Las Vegas trip when I saw they would be stopping by the Pearl Theater at the Palms.

The Cranberries first album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? was in constant rotation for me in the college years, as they found a magical combination of Noel Hogan's guitars, Dolores O'Riordan's siren vocals and the slick production of Stephen Street.

The Cranberries



I only managed to see The Cranberries once when they opened up for Duran Duran in the 1990's and was astonished by how well they recreated their songs live. Noel Hogan's minimalist guitar playing is superb as he plays just enough notes to make the songs breathe. I fully approve of his guitar rig which is nicely diagramed on his Gohan Records website.

"How" was the perfect opener with its loud and quiet moments, as I could barely see Fergal Lawler's head peering over his drums. Dolores was still as energetic as ever, running across the stage without missing a note. I was surprised that they played "Linger" so early in their set, but it made sense since they had so many good songs to cover.




The Cranberries also tackled some of Dolores's solo material as they played "Ordinary Day". I was extra excited whenever they played material from their first album as "Still Can't" sounded pristine with Micheal Hogan (Bass) quietly standing in the back methodically plucking away like clockwork. Dolores did mention how she could never live in Las Vegas cause she would be a "Gambler and rambler".

Dolores managed to play guitar sporadically on some songs including "Dreaming My Dreams" from No Need To Argue. The doo-wop vibe of "When You're Gone" brought back some memories as Noel had his back turned to the audience and was hunched down in front of his amplifiers. I only remember this characteristic because I always try to figure out what guitar chords he was playing. I did however note they played the song with a capo on the third fret.




Noel brought out his ebow for the sustained notes of "Daffodil Lament". "Can't Be With You" seemed to have been sped up as it went by extremely quick. Dolores mentioned how attractive all women are before nailing the high notes of "Pretty". The hits just kept coming as they had the crowd singing along to "Ode To My Family" and "Free To Decide". The tempo never really seemed to slow down with a short and sweet rendition of "Salvation".

Dolores did manage to take a rest as she laid down on the stage for "Ridiculous Thoughts" which transitioned to "Zombie" before ending their main set. An acoustic propelled "Empty" featured bongos and Dolores's voice still didn't waver as they were nearly twenty songs deep into their set. The crowd really let loose during the shimmering chords of "Dreams" as the reverb and delayed vocals perfectly accentuated the jangling chords. I hope some people catch their show at Club Nokia. You will be impressed how well the songs sound live and stand up after seven years.

Nightmare Air at the Echo

A sonically adventurous group of bands were expertly assembled by Kevin Bronson of Buzz Bands at the Echo to celebrate "Decembering". Square on Square, KAV, Hellen Stellar and Nightmare Air each had something unique to offer for the intrepid music fan.

Square on Square

Headed up by Evan Slamka who used to front Marjorie Fair, Square on Square delivered a cinematic swirl of a set with multiple layers of keyboards and floating guitars. Definitely check out "Found" on their myspace page for a good representation of their sound.

KAV

KAV was the pleasant surprise of the night with a galloping set harkening the likes of Oasis and Primal Scream. KAV used to play guitar in the Happy Mondays and his British background easily shone through with the rambling "Blaggers N' Liars". Cheers indeed!

Hellen Stellar

Guitars were heavily emphasized throughout the evening and it was no exception for Hellen Stellar. It was their first show in quite sometime and it was the debut of their new guitarist. Check out "Flutterby" on their myspace page with its droning guitars and escalating vocal lines.

Nightmare Air

Nightmare Air went on criminally late, but for those who stayed will easily agree they were blown away. It was a colossal avalanche of sound as Dave Dupuis (Guitars/Vocals) was toe-tapping across his two pedalboards. Swaan Miller (Bass/Vocals) anchored the bass lines while James Smith (Drums) provided the propulsive drumming for "Who Who Lies".

"Shock Of The New" utilizes both the vocals of Swaan and Dave as the song starts off reminiscent of Lush before blasting off into another dimension and returning to the clouds with the ethereal vocals of Swaan. Nightmare Air will be embarking on a short tour of the East Coast and I implore you to check them out. Bring your earplugs and prepare for aural awesomeness.

Dum Dum Girls at Spaceland

Check out my photos of Dum Dum Girls at Spaceland over at Stereogum.

Julian Casablancas at the Downtown Palace Theater

Check out my review of Julian Casablancas at the Downtown Palace Theater over at OC Weekly. The slideshow for OC Weekly is here.

Dokken at the House of Blues Anaheim

Dokken reunion at House of Blues Anaheim. Check it out over at OC Weekly.

I was pretty stoked when George Lynch of Dokken came out last year with the Smashing Pumpkins at the Gibson Amphitheater.

Pablove Benefit at the Avalon

It was an emotionally charged night as Jeff Castelaz celebrated the end of his 3,000 mile bicycle journey across the United States to raise awareness for the Pablove Foundation. The Pablove foundation was instituted in remembrance of Jeff's son Pablo who tragically passed away due to Wilm's disease which is a rare form of cancer. The Pablove foundation helps raise awareness of how cancer can affect everyone regardless of age. The evening was superbly hosted by Justin Meldal-Johnsen.


Jarrod Gorbel


Jarrod Gorbel had played his last show with The Honorary Title the night before in New York and flew to L.A. to kick off his solo career with an acoustic 3 song set.

Sea Wolf




I loved the first Sea Wolf album and still haven't had a chance to pick up the new release White Water, White Bloom. After a pristine version of "You're A Wolf", Sea Wolf unveiled their lastest single "Wicked Blood". It immediately reminded me that I need to see a full set of Sea Wolf. It just so happens they will be at the Roxy on December 17th for a KROQ locals only show.


Shirley Manson





The crowd was definitely buzzing when the alluring Shirley Manson hit the stage bringing in producer/drummer extraordinaire Butch Vig and Tom Gabel from Against Me! After dedicating a song to Pablo, she did a heart wrenching cover of "Life On Mars?" by David Bowie. It was one of the many emotional moments of the evening

Butch Walker




Butch Walker (formerly of Marvelous 3) was flanked by Chapin Sisters for a handful of acoustic songs. Butch told a story of how he had reached out to talk to Jeff out of the blue after hearing about Pablo and that they quickly had become friends.

Rooney




Rooney were the surprise guests of the evening. Another emotional moment was when they altered the lyrics of song "If It Were Up To Me" to include Pablo's name.

Tom Gabel




Tom Gabel from Against Me! was full of fire and brimstone as he ripped through "High Pressure Low" and "White Crosses". Butch Vig and Justin also came out to accompany him on a tune. It was another short but sweet set.

Josh Rifkind



The levity of the night came in the form of Josh Rifkind who is the driving force behind Songs for Kids. Josh pulled a rabbit out of his magic hat to make the crowd sing along to "The Wheels On The Bus". You had to be there to experience it.


Black Rebel Motorcycle Club





It has been awhile since I last caught up with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. They sounded great backed by a new drummer as they used a duel acoustic guitar attack on "Shuffle Your Feet", "666 Conducer" and "Ain't No Easy Way". They recently released Live on Vagrant records and I am anxiously awaiting any news of a new album.

I regrettably had to leave prior to Tom Morello and Band of Horses but heard they were both exceptional. It would have been interesting to see Tom pull off "Guerilla Radio" live with an acoustic guitar. The evening seemed to go by in seconds as the short sets and quick changeovers didn't leave much downtime. If you missed this amazing night, you can still make a contribution to the Pablove Foundation to show your support.

Thrice at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my review of Thrice at the House of Blues Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

KISS at the Honda Center

Check out my review of KISS at the Honda Center over at OC Weekly.

As an added bonus, they posted a picture of me in KISS makeup when I was 4.

Peter, Bjorn & John at Club Nokia

Was it a birthday party? Was it a concert? Actually, it was both. Peter, Bjorn & John stopped by Club Nokia to celebrate their ten year anniversary as a band with a career spanning set and a few special guests.

Peter, Bjorn & John






I double timed it down to Club Nokia to barely catch the opening chords of "Amsterdam" from their breakthrough album Writer's Block. The song was rearranged to a moodier version that suitably matched the scant lighting on the stage. "Far Away, By My Side" has a bigger punch live as Peter Moren (Vocals/Guitars) banged away at his Fender Telecaster Deluxe.

Bjorn Yttling (Bass/Vocals) did a fine job recreating the vocal effects of at the beginning of "The Chills" while laying down the wobbly bass line. John Eriksson (Drums) tapped the rims of his drums for the clicklity clack opening of "Living Things while Peter had switched to a Gibson SG for the slippery guitar riff. "It Don't Move Me" is easily my favorite tune from their new album with Peter switching to bass and Bjorn handling the keyboards. The Miike Snow remix of the song is pretty stellar in case you haven't checked it out.

"Just The Past" is where things really got interesting as the LA Ladies choir came out for the floating background vocals. The LA Ladies choir also stuck around to replace the child background vocals of "Nothing To Worry About" as Peter busted out the harmonica for a solo. The surprises didn't stop as Lykke Li came out with her highly kinetic dance moves for "Young Folks" along with Boom Bip on the bongos.

Things took a turn for the experimental when they played "Needles and Pills" from their Seaside Rock album to which Peter hoped that everyone brought their earplugs. Matt from Foreign Born came out with his guitar to assist the various instruments like cowbell, saxophone and trumpet that appeared on stage. It had seemed like a short set when they ran off stage but I didn't expect a six song encore.

"Stay This Way" was another highlight with the LA Ladies choir making another appearance and Bjorn manipulating the delay pedal for a spacey keyboard solo. "Let's Call It Off", "It Beats Me Everytime" and "(I Just Wanna) See Through" had me thinking that Peter, Bjorn & John might actually play all night. Bjorn did a public service announcement telling everyone to listen to The Feelies as they tore through "Fa Cé-La".

Peter thanked the crowd for helping them celebrate their birthday party and closed the evening with "The Object of My Affection". My only quibble is they didn't play "Up Against the Wall" but it is hard to complain after getting sixteen song setlist with multiple surprise guests. I guess you could say Peter, Bjorn and John had their cake and ate it too.