NAMM 2009 Day 2 at the Anaheim Convention Center

More madness from NAMM.

Indie 103.1 Debacle

I received a flood of text messages during NAMM on Thursday that Indie 103.1 had folded. I couldn't believe it. The economy continues to take its gruesome toll.

Mr. Shovel has been very supportive of Amateur Chemist dating back to August 2007 when I covered a slew of Check One..Two nights at the Viper Room. The nights he helped curate at the Viper Room made going to the strip fun. Even though the Viper Room botched the idea, The Echoplex was smart enough to keep the flame alive with Check One Twosdays.

Mr. Shovel recently granted the Daily Swarm an interview setting the record straight about the "New Indie 103.1". I look forward to seeing what is Mr. Shovel's next move. You can't keep a good man down.

I now look to Kat Corbett and her KROQ Locals Only show to bear the terrestrial flag of our burgeoning music scene in Los Angeles and Orange County. Locals Only are sponsoring the Local Natives residency at the Silverlake Lounge with a ton of good supporting acts in February.

This would also be the perfect time for Little Radio to do some opportunistic recruiting.

NAMM 2009 at the Anaheim Convention Center

The madness has begun. Here is just a sample of what you will be seeing for the next couple of days.

Afternoons at Spaceland

I have enjoyed my week off from concerts and stored up some energy to tackle 2009. My self imposed vacation didn't last too long when I saw the line up of Eagle And Talon, Xu Xu Fang and Afternoons at Spaceland.

Eagle and Talon





A sullen Casio keyboard riff percolated through Spaceland with Eagle And Talon garnering the attention of the crowd. Eagle and Talon are primarily a two person project with assistance from various band members. Kim (Vocals/Guitars) alluringly strummed her guitar for the noisy "Hot Caught" with her partner in crime Alice (Drums) adding a shuffling beat. Eagle and Talon thrive on dissonance and force together notes and harmonies that normally don't mesh.

"Palm Springs" played like an ode to Sonic Youth with its underlying tension, scratchy guitars and Kim possibly channeling her hero Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth. Eagle and Talon automatically got points for incorporating a theremin in there set. The world needs more theremin. "One Lark and "Moisturizer" had Alice and Kim exchanging their instruments, as they debuted a number of songs from their upcoming album Thracian. I wouldn't be surprised if they book a residency soon.

Xu Xu Fang





Xu Xu Fang look to make even more noise in 2009. Their EP The Mourning Son was one of the stronger releases from the Los Angeles music scene in 2008 with its fogged washes of psychedelic guitars. Xu Xu Fang are at it again by issuing Seven Days Now, which includes their cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street".

Xu Xu Fang excels in the live show department. Their performance at Spaceland was spot on. "Ni Hao" said a lot more than hello with its storming three guitar assault. Barbara Cohen (Vocals) seemed to materialize out of the fog to lend her soaring vocals to "The Mourning Son". "Good Times Have Gone Away" would be Xu Xu Fang's call to arms as the song builds from a slow marching to a full charging anthem. The watery guitars and keyboards of "Seven Days Now" immediately reminded me of Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter" but much more hallucinogenic. Xu Xu Fang is perfectly poised for a residency to help broaden their fanbase. I hope they hit South By Southwest so other folks can catch on.

Afternoons




Afternoons had one of the more successful Spaceland residencies in 2008 back in July. The freight train that is Afternoons continues to gather steam. Afternoons just released their debut digital single "Saturday Morning (After The Funeral)" on itunes through Spaceland Recordings.

A slow cooking stew of synthesizers gave way to the glorious harmonies of "Love is a Western Word", as Afternoons immediately captivated the Spaceland audience. Brian Canning (Vocals/Guitars) dialed up his swirling jangling guitars with assistance by Steven Scott (Guitars/Vocals) and his Rickenbacker guitar. Tom Biller (Bass) whipped up a thumping bass line for "Graffiti Artist" when Claire Mckeown (Vocals) added her atmospheric vocal flourishes. "Saturday Morning (After The Funeral) blew me away with its subtle incorporation of bouncy electronic threads of synthesizers woven into the hook of the song. "Say Yes" is guaranteed to send shivers up your spine with its ridiculously catchy chorus. I predict Afternoons will headline the El Rey theatre by the end of the year.

Metallica at the Forum with Ross Halfin

One of the interesting caveats of photographing Metallica at the Forum was I saw Ross Halfin in the photopit. Ross is the longtime photographer of Metallica and renowned concert photographer. I snapped a photo of him onstage at the end of the show which he posted in his January 7th blog.

Hum at the Double Door (1/1/09)

My review of Hum on New Years Eve is here.

Seeing Hum after twelve years was a dream come true. I didn't schedule my flight back to Los Angeles right away just in case they added an extra night. I continued to peruse the Double Door website and immediately got a ticket for the second show on New Years day. I didn't expect to hear any different songs but was excited just to see them again.

The atmosphere was more subdued for this show since everyone was probably hung over and it wasn't an open bar show. Hum did switch up the setlist by starting off with the shimmering "Isle of The Cheetah". The overall sound mix was improved as the blending of Matt Talbott (Vocals/Guitars)and Tim Lash's guitars was flawless. Tim gave me a scare early when he was tuning up an ESP Guitar. I thought he beat up Fender had finally gave out. Tim's magical Fender would finally surface when Hum took the stage.

"The Pod" was fierce but didn't include the phasing like the recorded version on You'd Prefer An Astronaut. The guitars would really roar during the ending of "Iron Clad Lou" with both Matt and Tim crushing the repetitive Drop-D tuned riff.

A trifecta of Downward Is Heavenward tunes in the form of "Green To Me", "Ms. Lazarus" and "Afternoon With Axoltols" simply destroyed as I still was in disbelieve that I got to see Hum twice. Even though I have a test pressing You'd Prefer An Astronaut on vinyl, I was unfamiliar with the song "Inklings" which is a B-side from Downward Is Heavenward era. Does anybody remember the song "Overthruster"? They played it in England when I saw them in a small club when I happened to be on vacation.

Even though I have heard "Stars" way too many times with the Cadillac commercials, seeing it live is something to behold. The crowd went crazy again just like the night before. "Comin' Home" tore up my eardrums as Matt switched between his screams and spoken vocals. I still remember seeing the video on 120 minutes on MTV. Check out Youtube for some footage of Hum on 120 minutes when they played "Stars" and "I Like Your Hair Long"

The setlist had "Double Dip" or "Winder" written down as the encore. Hum went for the riff heavy "Winder" from Electra 2000 which pleased a number of old school Hum fans. I wanted to hear "Dreamboat" but still was glad that they played "I Like Your Hair Long" to close their set. I also purchased two Hum t-shirts and two different posters from each night. The icing on the cake was when I caught one of Bryan's drum sticks to cap my memorable trip to Chicago. I would like to personally thank Hum and the Double Door for making 2009 a year to remember.

Hum Setlist at the Double Door (1/1/09)
"Isle of The Cheetah"
"The Pod"
"Iron Clad Lou"
"Pewter"
"Suicide Machine"
"Green To Me"
"Ms. Lazarus"
"Afternoon With Axoltols"
"Inklings"
"Stars"
"Shovel"
"Comin' Home"
"I Hate It Too"
"Winder"
"I Like Your Hair Long"

Hum at the Double Door (12/31/08)

My review of Hum on New Years Day is here.

At the stroke of midnight, the impossible happened. I witnessed a devastating set by one of my all time favorite bands, Hum. The last time I saw Hum was almost twelve years ago in England of all places. Out of all the concerts I have reviewed on my site, I never would have dreamed of seeing Hum. The Cadillac commercial gave me a glimmer of hope and I had wishfully thought they might reunite back in September of 2007.

The bombshell would come in October 2008 when a commenter stated Hum would play the Double Door for a reunion show. I immediately booked my flight and was determined to go. The icing on the cake was when they added a second show on 1/1. Even though it was 23 degrees and I could possibly get snowed in, I was willing to take the chance.

It seems that Hum still had all of its original equipment as Tim Lash (Guitars) was still playing his battered Fender guitar through a Hiwatt amplifier and Matt Talbott (Vocals/Guitars) was using his Gibson Les Paul Studio into two Orange Amplifier heads. Jeff Dimpsey (Bass) was rocking a G&L bass through a Trace Elliott amplifier.

"Afternoon With The Axoltols" transported me back instantly as I was simply amazed how good Hum sounded. The guitar tone of Matt and Tim was exactly like I remembered it. Bryan St. Pere (Drums) was pulverizing his drum kit and tossing in some stick twirls like the good old days. The driving intro of "The Pod" was pure aural bliss, as I still couldn't believe I was witnessing Hum. Matt would frequently smile and look at Tim, seeing that the crowd in front of the stage was going insane. I overheard people in the front coming from such places as North Carolina, Dallas, California and Florida.

"Iron Clad Lou" from Electra 2000 was a blast from the past as Matt dug deep to scream the lyrics. The double shot of "Green To Me and "Comin' Home" convinced me that this trip was worth every penny as the guitars roared in unison behind the clamped down rhythm section of Jeff and Bryan. Tim also would flick the strings on his headstock for some metallic overtones. I highly recommend you pickup Tim's other project Glifted that is primarily a guitar frenzied masterpiece.

"Ms. Lazarus" was as razor sharp as possible with the smoke machine on overdrive billowing smoke on the stage. It seems like Hum rehearsed quite a bit as they effortlessly recreated the same magic on stage. I always thought Hum was ahead of their time and still think their music sounds even better today compared to a good majority of bands from the nineties.

The requisite "Cadillac Song" (ie "Stars") was played and the crowd lost their minds. My spine tingled during Matt's ultra heavy palm muted "solo" breakdown. Matt nailed every note perfectly. Hum closed out the evening with my top song "I Like Your Hair Long" in its Drop-D guitars full throttled glory. I was hoping for "Dreamboat" but was still fortunate to witness such a riveting set. The bar for 2009 is starting extremely high and I don't know who is going to top these two shows. I can only hope Goldenvoice ponies up some cash for Hum to play Coachella in April.

Hum Setlist at the Double Door (12/31/08)
"Afternoon With The Axoltols"
"The Pod"
"Iron Clad Lou"
"Little Dipper"
"Green To Me"
"Comin' Home"
"Suicide Machine"
"The Inuit Promise"
"Ms. Lazarus"
"Shovel"
"Inklings"
"Stars"
"I Hate It Too"
"Isle of the Cheetah"
"I Like Your Hair Long"

Matt Talbott Guitar Pedals