Stars at the Glass House

Montreal has been a hotbed of musical acts. One of the frontrunners of the Montreal scene would be Stars who have been together for ten years producing their songs about love, anguish, ghosts and death. Led by duel vocalists Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, Stars is touring in support of their new album The Five Ghosts.

Geographer




Hailing from San Francisco, Geographer used an intriguing setup of cello, guitars, drums and synthesizers. "Kites" from their Animal Shapes EP was definitely the highlight of the set. Unfortunately, Geographer seemed to be really hitting their stride by the time their set concluded. Definitely a band to watch.

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart





The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have jangling guitars that stick in your head for days. Their self-titled debut album was one of my favorites from 2009 and the fact that half of the band is in The Depreciation Guild gives them even more bonus points. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart recently released a new 7 inch vinyl with two tracks "Say No To Love" and "Lost Saint". I was completely lost during their set swaying to the dueling guitars of Kip Berman and Christoph Hocheim.

Stars






With white roses adorning the stage, Stars received a warm welcome from the appreciative fans as they kicked off their set with "He Dreams He's Awake". Millan's sugary sweet vocals kicked into high gear for the synthesizer drenched "Elevator Love Letter" with Campbell energetically offering a contrasting style of vocals in between playing his microKorg keyboard.

Instead of using fog or smoke to add atmosphere to their shows, Stars fired up their bubble machine during "Wasted Daylight" which immediately brought smiles to the faces of those in attendance. Sonically, Stars sounded perfect from the propulsive bass line of "A Thread Cut With A Carving Knife" to the bouncy piano of "Bitches In Tokyo". Campbell and Millan beautifully blended their voices together during during "Undertow".

One of my favorite songs "Ageless Beauty" was performed masterfully as a stripped down acoustic version with Millan sitting on a bench center stage. Campbell's love of the Smiths was apparent during "Take Me To The Riot" improvising some lyrics from "Half A Person". Stars also had an impressive keyboard setup on stage employing some heavy Moog synth bass for "We Don't Want Your Body".

"Fixed" encapsulates the overall sound of Stars with its lush harmonies, sugary synthesizers and hooky melodies. A double shot of "Set Yourself On Fire" and "Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" continued to thrill the audience as more bubbles floated around the Glass House. For their encore, Millan came out by herself for a haunting version of "Celebration Guns".

The pace and energy continued to quicken during "Reunion" as Millan threw out roses to the crowd. A hopping bass line for "Soft Revoultion" had the glass house dancing with Campbell perched on the monitors singing along as strobe lights fired off in the background. Hopefully Stars will be back soon in April for Coachella.

Roger Waters at the Honda Center

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

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Night Two at Gibson Amphitheater

Check out my photos of KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Night Two at Gibson Amphitheater at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Night One at Gibson Amphitheater

Check out my photos from KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Night One at Gibson Amphitheater over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Passion Pit at the Fox Theater in Pomona

Check out my photos of Passion Pit and Mister Heavenly with Michael Cera on bass at the Fox Theater in Pomona over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Roger Waters at Staples Center

Some of my earliest music memories involve becoming influenced by listening to my brother's records. Pink Floyd's The Wall was definitely one of those guiding forces. The opportunity to see Roger Waters perform The Wall in its entirety is an opportunity that music fans and concert lovers should not miss. Waters brought his massive stage production to the Staples Center for the first of five Southern California appearances (11/30 & 12/5 at Staples Center and 12/13 & 12/14 at Honda Center).



Immediately upon entering Staples Center, your eyes dart to a menacing partial built wall which spans the width of the arena. A lone spotlight shone through the crowd to highlight an unkempt man pushing a shopping cart. The man soon lofted a pink dummy onto the stage as the pyrotechnics start to ignite across the stage during "In The Flesh?". Roger Waters emerged from the smoke to don a black leather jacket and aviator sunglasses.



A replica airplane soon stormed from the back of the arena to bust into the wall and explode in flames. It was a spectacle to behold and the show had barely started. The delayed guitars of "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1) are unmistakeable and energized the audience. The transition from "Happiest Day Of My Life" to "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) was punctuated by a group of kids wearing t-shirts stating "Fear Builds Walls" dancing along pointing to a massive puppet hanging from the rafters.



The guitar solo was impeccable with the backing tracks of a man screaming adding a sense of paranoia. A double shot of the acoustic laden "Mother" to the hopelessness of "Goodbye Blue Sky" captivated using a combination of superb musicianship and mind-boggling visuals. It was a full sensory assault. Things heated up with the sultry visuals of "Young Lust" paired against its hip shaking bass line and Waters singing "I Need a Dirty Woman". Analog type synthesizers poured over the audience for "One Of My Turns".



Ominous tones of "Don't Leave Me Now" were matched with a prey mantis creature and paint dripping visuals. "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3)" incorporated pictures of political talking heads with glass smashing over their faces as the wall visually appeared to be peeling away. Waters walked in front of the wall and slyly waved his hand to place the final brick to close the first half of the album to a large ovation from the crowd.



A sliding fretless bass riff kicked off "Hey You" and immediately you were transfixed. The wall soon started to peel away for "Is There Anybody Out There" with sound effects seemingly swirling around the arena in full surround sound. A section of the wall would lower and reveal a hotel room with Waters reclining in a chair singing the piano driven "Nobody Home". Messages of peace and anti-war sentiment were transmitted with footage of soldiers returning home to their children during "Vera" and "Bring The Boys Back Home".



One of the many unforgettable moments was "Comfortably Numb" with Waters trading vocals with Robbie Wyckoff topped off with a blistering faithful to the recorded version guitar solo. The band had hastily assembled their gear in front of the wall for "In The Flesh" as a floating pig soon traversed across the Staples Center emblazoned with propaganda and slogans. "Run Like Hell" was phenomenal with its heavy bass and space delayed guitars with the crowd chanting "Run! Run! Run!". Stomping hammers flashed across the wall for "Waiting For The Worms" with Waters employing a megaphone for parts.



A puppet fell from the top of the wall for "Stop" as the band quickly exited off the stage as operatic tinged "The Trial" continued to enthrall the crowd. Chants of "Tear Down The Wall!" soon emitted from the crowd as the wall crumbled in grand fashion. Waters and his band would soon stand in front of the crumbled wall for an acoustic strewn "Outside The Wall". The whole evening was mind blowing. It would be easy to rate this as the concert of the year but Roger Waters's performance of The Wall is in a class all by itself.

Faith No More at the Hollywood Palladium

Check out my photos of Faith No More at the Hollywood Palladium over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Weezer at the Gibson Amphitheater

Check out my photos of Weezer at the Gibson Amphitheater over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Upcoming: Passion Pit at the Hollywood Palladium

After successfully opening a slew of dates for Muse, Passion Pit come back to Southern California for their own show bringing their set of synthesizer drenched tunes to the Hollywood Palladium on 12/7. Get your tickets here.

Matt Costa at the House of Blues Anaheim

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

Blonde Redhead at the Music Box

It should be no surprise after seeing Blonde Redhead at the Glass House and the first night at the Music Box that I would return for one more helping. Penny Sparkle is a compelling synthesizer soaked new direction for Blonde Redhead that in the live format translated into aural enchantment.


A slow pulsating electronic beat kicked off "Black Guitar" as Amedeo Pace softly spoke the opening lyrics. Kazu Makino would take over vocal duties in the middle of the song as she swayed back and forth in a white mask with hair blonde extensions protruding from each side. Amedeo turned his attention to his Virus TI synthesizer for the swirling lushness of "Here Sometimes".


Interweaving "Dr. Strangeluv" into the set got the crowd moving as Makino grabbed her white Gibson SG to add sonic layers to Amedeo's refined guitar playing. Makino soon switched to bass for the ethereal "Love or Prison" that ended in a jazzy drum flurry by Simone Pace. Amedeo would return to the vocals and synthesizers for "Will There Be Stars" with Makino also behind a synthesizer.


Amedeo displayed more of his guitar talents for "In Particular" closing out the song by summoning a scratchy feedback storm to end the song. Urgent piano notes played by Makino wrapped themselves around Amedeo's vocals for "SW". Makino extended her vocal range for the dreamy "Spain" which slithered in the smoke coming from stage.


"My Plants Are Dead" maybe the most minimalist track on the new album but somehow manages to be my favorite song with small musical hooks appearing at the precise moments. Makino would don her mask again for "Penny Sparkle" to close their main set. "23" was a perfect selection for during their encore with its propulsive beat. Covering three nights of Blonde Redhead was definitely worth it and I'm guessing they will come back for a Coachella appearance.

Blonde Redhead at the Music Box

Check out my photos of Blonde Redhead at the Music Box over at Stereogum.

Blonde Redhead at the Glass House

Check out my photos of Blonde Redhead at the Glass House over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Helmet at the Key Club

How many times have I reviewed Helmet? This would be my thirteenth. As long as Page Hamilton continues to devastate with his trademark ESP guitar, I will be there. While the idea of fighting Sunset Strip traffic on a Friday night was daunting, I had to see Helmet's last show prior to their departure for a European tour.



Seeing Eye Dog is Helmet's latest release and falls in line sonically somewhere between Aftertaste and Meantime. Helmet did an excellent job of mixing in new songs with older classics. "Swallowing Everything" kicked off their set that didn't relent. "Birth Defect" continued to stir the mosh pit with its blaring guitars and rock steady drumming by Kyle Stevenson.



Helmet was energized playing their new songs like "So Long" and "Algiers" that doesn't stray from the classic Helmet formula of crushing your skull. A double blast of "See You Dead" and "Ironhead" had me watching my back as the circle pit had expanded to the front of the stage. Their new bass player Dave Case was dialed in to the band using his G&L bass to replicate Henry Bogdan's trademark bass sound.



The inclusion of "Black Top" from Strap It On definitely appeased older fans with its sheer viciousness. Jagged knife sharp guitars continued with "Repetition", "Tic" and the set closing "Milquetoast" that had Hamilton adding some extra noise variations. "Crisis King" is one of my favorite songs from Aftertaste and sounded flawless for the opening of the encore. "Wilma's Rainbow" and "In The Meantime" perfectly closed the evening as the band will continue to tour in Europe.

Face To Face at the House of Blues Anaheim

Check out my photos of Face To Face at the House of Blues Anaheim over at OC Weekly.

My review is also over at OC Weekly.

Brandon Flowers at the Wiltern Theater

Check out my photos of Brandon Flowers at the Wiltern Theater over at Stereogum.

Brandon Flowers at the Fox Theater in Pomona

Check out my review of Brandon Flowers at the Fox Theater in Pomona over at OC Weekly.

Gary Numan at the El Rey Theater

After seeing Gary Numan join the final Nine Inch Nails shows at the Henry Fonda, the Wiltern, the Echoplex and the Palladium, I knew I had to see a full show by Gary Numan. His addition to the Coachella line-up was one of the high priority targets on my list but ultimately erased due to the Icelandic volcano ash. When it was announced that Numan would return to perform his highly influential album The Pleasure Principle in its entirety, my calendar was immediately cleared.



Seeing two Virus Access TI keyboards placed at the front of the stage along with two synthesizer stations in the back, it was difficult to contain my excitement. The swirling sounds of "Airlane" were hypnotic and still sounded fresh even though the song was recorded thirty years ago. Flashbacks from some of the Nine Inch Nails occurred during "Metal" with its sawtooth synthesizers and metallic overtones. Numan's voice sounds just as good if not better than the recorded version with him belting out the lyrics.



Switching the order of the album, the pulsating tones of "Engineers" were augmented by the propelling live drumming beats that gave the song a greater sense of urgency. "Films" continued the barrage of synthesizers as the crowd at the front of the barricade enthusiastically sang along. I wasn't surprised to hear a security guard scream out "Basement Jaxx!" when the characteristic bass synth line of "M.E." pumped out of the speakers since the song was sampled by the band.



The instrumental "Observer" sounds extremely close synthesizer patch wise to "Cars" but was tweaked nicely in the live format. A dynamic shift of energy in the room occurred when the undulating waves of synthesizers for "Cars" blared throughout the El Rey Theater. It was interesting to see that the tambourine made an appearance during the song as this could possibly be influenced by his live appearances with Nine Inch Nails.



After the astounding completion of The Pleasure Principle, Numan still had plenty of firepower left in the arsenal as the "Rock" portion of the show started with a fiery version of "The Fall". A brooding intro for "Down In The Park" became an electronic dirge with Numan occasionally waving his arms back and forth. Crunchy guitars roared for "Jagged" before transitioning to menacing synthesizer pads. Possibly the pinnacle and highlight of the evening was an anthemic spine tingling version of "Are Friends Electric?" with a majority of the crowd chanting along.



A three song encore of "I Die:You Die", "Zulu" and "Prayer for The Unborn" had me wishing I bought a ticket to the next night to take it all in again. Numan easily proved why he is considered a synthesizer pioneer. I have no reservations saying that this was the best synthesizer show of the year.