Wild Flag – Romance[Video]
Posted: September 6, 2011 Filed under: Videos | Tags: Music, Romance, Wild Flag Comments OffI really wish more bands and songs, sounded like this. Rockin’, fun, and full of energy. If they did the world would be a better place.
This Week In Davis – 9/5/11
Posted: September 5, 2011 Filed under: This Week In, Upcoming Shows | Tags: Bike 4th, Black Whales, Buk Buk Big Ups, Charles Albright, Cheap Time, Davila 666, Davis, Davis Bike Collective, DJ Carribean Pygmy, Jake Mann, Jake Mann & The Upper Hand, Music, Nick Jaina, Righteous Acid, Robin Bacior, Simi, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen, The Dazzling Strangers, The Spires Comments Off
Wednesday, September 7th – 8:00 PM: Davila 666 w/ Cheap Time and Charles Albright @ Davis Bike Collective (1221 1/2 4th St.) - I’ve been wanting to see Davila 666 for a while now and it’s great that I get a second chance after I missed their show at The Hub. The band’s high energy garage punk should not be missed. What’s sad though is that, again, I have to see emails and messages about how the show is not attracting as much attention/selling as many tickets as it should up to this point. What’s the matter Davis “music lovers”? Too busy buying booze, weed, and saving up for that new piercing/tattoo that you can’t actually pay to go to a show?
Thursday, September 8th – 8:00 PM: Righteous Acid w/ Buk Buk Big Ups, Simi and DJ Carribean Pygmy @ L and Duke St. - To put it simply, the song I heard by Righteous Acid by following a link from Undietacos did not make me want to see the band. Buk Buk Big Ups are pretty good, or at least they were the last time I saw them, so go see them instead.
Friday, September 9th – 9:30 PM: Jake Mann & The Upper Hand w/ The Spires and The Dazzling Strangers @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen - Ah, I think after such a long break from shows [ED: hey, two weeks is a long time for me!], seeing a great songwriter and craftsman of good ole’ Americana is going to be a treat. Jake Mann is A’OKAY in my book.
Saturday, September 10th – 9:30 PM: Nick Jaina w/ Black Whales and Robin Bacior @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen – I haven’t gotten around to seeing Nick Jaina yet even though, I have heard good things from the others around me. Maybe it’s because I have a memory of Sophia’s posting a somewhat bland acoustic song to their website to promote the show. Now the song up there is solid, so I have no reason not to do it.
Appetite w/ Sands and Hello Mtn @ Sophias – 8/19/11
Posted: August 30, 2011 Filed under: Great, Shows | Tags: Appetite, Davis, Hello Mtn, Music, Sands, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen Comments Off
[ED: Now with new iPhone only posting format!] Okay so it’s been quite a while since I tried writing around here, so let’s see what I can remember about the show. I can remember a packed porch, two terrible jackets, and a guy trying to hard to look “vintage” [ED: That guy is distinct from the two guys with the jackets]. I also remember telling a bad joke after seeing Teddy Briggs of Appetite eating at the bar. It sort of writes itself if you think about it. I love bad puns!
Appetite hails from Sacramento and is helmed by Teddy Briggs, who usually plays solo, but these days he’s taking a full band around with him. I prefer the full band over the Teddy’s previous loop pedal performances as they were sometimes troubled by technical difficulties and, even though Teddy was good at it, looping never truly captures live what a band can do. The music was spot on as usual with Teddy’s rambling lyrics coming out clear over the well composed, highly rhythmic pop music. One of my favorite moments was getting Teddy to “sing” the opening bars to a Korn song. I think it was “Freak On a Leash”?
Appetite – Scattered, Smothered, Covered
Posted: August 16, 2011 Filed under: Great, Reviews | Tags: Appetite, Music, Scattered Smothered Covered Comments Off
An artist who can keep me interested in the music they’re playing when they’re using a loop pedal or backing track must have something special going for them. Such is the case with Teddy Briggs, aka Appetite, who, despite the loop pedal handy-cap, played music that was interesting, engaging, and made me look forward to his début release. Now that the album, Scattered, Smothered, Covered, is here I can say that I was not disappointed in the slightest. The newest artist on Davis’ own Crossbill Records has put together a record that is varied and scattered, yet holds its own and comes together into what can be described as a great record.
The standout aspect of the record is Teddy Briggs’ rambling, run-on-sentence lyrical and vocal style. Each line in the songs feels like it’s running into, and overlapping in a sense, the next. When the lyrics are laid on top of well crafted and head-bobbingly repetitious music, the effect is almost hypnotic, much in the same way, to make a cross genre comparison, that a rap artist with a good flow and good beats can mesmerize. The music itself is satisfyingly rhythmic and composed of the gambit of pop-music instruments, from the simplest acoustic guitar riff to the most bleep-boop of synthesizer sounds. All these elements are dropped together with the utmost care and production that makes the album one to remember. Favorites are “Molecules” for the blubble-ly synth line, “Joining The Team” for the shuffle of the drums, “Little While” for its sentimental feeling and outro, and “Over Food” for the great guitar riff that almost contrasts with the rhythm of the lyrics.
This Week In Davis – 8/15/11
Posted: August 15, 2011 Filed under: This Week In, Upcoming Shows | Tags: Appetite, Babe Fest, Babe Lincoln, Babe Ridge, Babelton Jive, Bright Archer, Calling Morocco, Crow Canyon, Davis, Davis Art Center, Downhill From Here, Exhale, Gay Babes, Hello Mtn, Monterey Babe Aquarium, Music, Parie Wood, Sands, Shenandoah Davis, Smack Jupiter, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen, The Men Upstairs, The Shack, Uncle Tony, Villanova House, Yesway Comments Off
Thursday, August 18th – 7:00 PM: Calling Morocco w/ The Men Upstairs @ The Shack (213 C St.) - The last show at The Shack for its current residents, though maybe in the future some other show savvy person will pick it up. Local favorites Calling Morocco and Shack favorites The Men Upstairs should give it a proper send off. Semper fi…
Friday, August 19th – 9:30 PM: Appetite w/ Sands and Hello Mtn @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen - Wait was last Thursday show of the year or is it gonna be this Friday? I’m confused. I can’t wait to see Appetite as a full band and after their album has come out. Should be great. Sands seems like some good epic sounding dark-folk music and Hello Mtn was great the last time I saw them.
Saturday, August 20th – 5:00 PM: Smack Jupiter w/ Crow Canyon, Parie Wood, Downhill From Here, Uncle Tony and Exhale @ Davis Art Center - Advertised as the “Third Annual DAC Summer Art Attack!”. Actually, in terms of a lot of things I could do in the Davis music scene, seeing a bunch of teenagers play in their rock ‘n’ roll bands, sounds kind of fun. Plus, if any of them are as good as Dog Party it would be an awesome time.
Saturday, August 20th – 7:00 PM: Babe Lincoln w/ Monterey Babe Aquarium, Gay Babes, Babelton Jive and Babe Ridge @ Villanova House – “Babe Fest” at Villanova House. I was hanging around when I first heard about this idea months ago, a night of all bands with “Babe” in their name. The conversation devolved into possible and present “Babe” band names. I suggested “The Babe Area”, but I think I’m the only one who thought that was a good one. You’re gonna need a beer and a good bud to get through this one, me thinks.
Saturday, August 20th – 9:30 PM: Bright Archer w/ Shenandoah Davis and Yesway @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen – Bright Archer is a contributor to both the bands AgesandAges and Loch Lomond so I guess I’ve technically “seen her before”. The music she’s got online sounds well composed and not anywhere near the kind of sleepy folk I hate. Shenandoah Davis shares this upbeat folk/americana sound but Yesway seems to verge to close to the folk’s slower kin. Yesway’s voices are good, though, so we’ll see.
Vetiver w/ Waters and Sea of Bees @ Sophia’s – 8/11/11
Posted: August 15, 2011 Filed under: Good, Shows | Tags: Davis, Music, Sea of Bees, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen, Vetiver, Waters 1 Comment »
Thankfully I was able to hold it together tonight and make disparaging comments about a band’s song to their face [ED: Really sorry, again, guys.] Overall it was a good show and one that should be pinned on the cork-board of the collective memory of the Davis music scene. Lots of people on the porch, though, annoyingly, a lot of them wouldn’t shut up during Sea of Bee’s set. Apparently there were problems with the sound on the night as there was some popping during Sea of Bee’s set. That went away for the rest of the bands and I didn’t notice any other problems as I was close enough to hear the mix on the monitors instead. Overall, it was a pretty damn good night.
Though they were the headliner of the night, San Francisco band Vetiver were not may favorite act of the evening. It’s possible that after Waters’ rock ‘n’ roll ‘plosion, I just couldn’t bring my self down and wanted something more upbeat. What I got was subdued folk-rock that, while well crafted and executed, didn’t quite fit my fancy at the moment and really ran together from song to song. I wouldn’t be against giving their live show another go, I just didn’t have that much of an interest in it this time around.
A B & The Sea w/ The Fling and Flowerss @ Sophia’s – 8/5/11
Posted: August 10, 2011 Filed under: Good, Shows | Tags: A B & The Sea, Davis, Flowerss, Music, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen, The Fling Comments OffFun times after somewhat of a hiatus from shows in town. This is a bitcontrary to what you would think would happen because I now live much closer to downtown. Oh, well, gives me more spending cash so I can buy all that crap I’ve always wanted. The crowd this evening was appreciative and ready for a good time, which are always the best crowds. They also hung around for a while after the show which is a rare thing. Some of the people I interacted with afterwards, however, were more than a bit terrible and weird in a not-endearing-and-pretty-lame sense, though. Par for the course in Davis I’m afraid.
I’ve seen San Francisco’s A B & The Sea about four times now. Most of those were with them as an opening act for another band I was there to see. They definitely filled the shoes of “headliner” quite nicely with their 50′s/60′s-esque beach-pop. The band played a lot of new songs, and the majority sounded really good. Just as good, in fact, as the song that I first heard by them, and the first they played on this night, “Bone Dry”. I do have to apologize to the band though, as said to them that I did not like their latest single “Sunshine”. Sorry, guys. The rest of the new stuff sounds great though.
This Week In Davis – 8/8/11
Posted: August 8, 2011 Filed under: This Week In, Upcoming Shows | Tags: Audacity, Austin Reitz, Awahnichi, Babs Johnson Gang, Big TV, Brett Webber, Charles Albright, Christmas Island, Christopher Robert Jones, Cowabunga Babes, DAM Haus, David Dondero, Davis, Davis Bike Collective, Dustbowl Revival, Godspeed 209, Joe Espena, Justin Farren, King Tuff, Loner, MLE, Music, Oh Foot, Sea of Bees, Sophia's, Sophia's Thai Kitchen, The Stud Lounge, Vetiver, Villanova House, Waters, West Nile Ramblers, Wounded Lion, yOya Comments Off
[ED: Don't have time to listen too and write up comments or recommendations this week. Guess ya'll are off the hook this week for the most part.]
Monday, August 8th – 7:00 PM: Austin Reitz, Brett Webber, and Christopher Robert Jones @ Villanova House (802 Villanova Dr.)
Wednesday, August 10th – 8:00 PM: King Tuff w/ Audacity and Babs Johnson Gang @ Davis Bike Collective (1221 1/2 Fourth St.) - Babs Johnson Gang is coolio and King Tuff sounds good despite talking them up as the “best glam-punk band from Vermont”.
Thursday, August 11th – 8:300 PM: Vetiver w/ Waters and Sea of Bees @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen - Going to this one and it is claimed by Sophia’s to be the “Show of the Year”. We shall see.
Friday, August 12th – 8:00 PM: Christmas Island w/ Cowabunga Babes and Loner @ Big TV (712 7th St.) – The description of Christmas Island and Cowabunga Babes of garage pop sounds good, however, Loner’s description as “Davis Experimental Weirdness” guarantees I’m going to show up late to the show if I go.
Friday, August 12th – 9:30 PM: Dustbowl Revival w/ West Nile Ramblers @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen
Saturday, August 13th – 7:30 PM: Wounded Lion, Charles Albright, and Godspeed 209 @ DAM Haus (503 E St.)
Saturday, August 13th – 9:30 PM: David Dondero w/ yOya and Awahnichi @ Sophia’s Thai Kitchen - Probably going to this one too. I think I remember wanting to see David Dondero last year or something similar.
Sunday, August 14th – 8:00 PM: Justin Farren w/ Oh Foot, MLE ,and Joe Espena @ The Stud Lounge (1004 Cypress Lane)
The Bargain Bin: Big Star Books & Music pt. 2 – 7/6/11
Posted: August 5, 2011 Filed under: The Bargain Bin, Travel | Tags: Big Star Books & Music, Helium, Let's Get It On, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Music, Panda Bear, Person Pitch, Prince, Purple Rain, Santa Fe, The Dirt Of Luck, Thriller Comments Off
I just showed up in Santa Fé without a plan, but with the knowledge that much of my day would be taken up by conference proceedings, presentations, and what-not. Before everything got rolling, though, I had a day to myself and spent it wandering around the city. I tried to find a venue that friend, of The Seedy Seeds fame, Margaret had told me they played at on their way to the west coast. Unfortunately the venue had closed, leaving me in a part of town with not much going on. Fortunately, on my way back downtown, I ran into Big Star Books & Music which, probably, gave me one of my best hauls ever. They had a surprising amount of good stuff for a place that was mainly just a used book store. I guess Santa Fé just isn’t into used music. *shrug*
- Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On: After putting on this record I wish I had a fire-place to sit at next to a lady with a nice glass of wine, just the way I like it baby. I would sit in front of the fire smiling tenderly while the list of songs on the Time-Life compilation scrolled by and played softly. Oh yeah, baby.
- Helium – The Dirt of Luck: I’ve seen the lead singer of Helium as part of her new project with members of Sleater-Kinney, Wild Flag. She rocked the house then and had I own this record before, I would have had a much more knowing reaction. Their début album, The Dirt of Luck, is damn good mid-90′s thinking man’s [ED: and woman's] punk music.
- Michael Jackson – Thriller: Aw yes, Thriller, the former, and in my heart still, reining champ of album sales and #1 singles. If only Michael had kept making music like this instead of going into pop la-la land and singing about saving the children and universal love or some crap. One can dream. Maybe he would have made “Captain EO II”? Though, honestly, that was heading in the bad Michael direction already with the Capta’n.
- Panda Bear – Person Pitch: I can definitely hear how this record was referred to, by someone with opinion of merit, as being influential. You can definitely hear all the laid back, “chill out”, and expansive sound that’s big amongst the kids today all over the record, but before that shit became so hot. Like what happens much of the time with originators vs what they influence, the original is good, the influenced just sounds same-y and uninspired. [ED: Not all though, but I really don't need to hear another chill-wave band for quite some time.]
- Prince – Purple Rain: “Dearly Belove’ed, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” Honestly, screw Prince’s whole “I hate record companies but now I’m on their side because people are stealing my music. Boo-hoo” crap, this album is amazing and should be hung prominently in the Smithsonian.
The Bargain Bin: Big Star Books & Music pt. 1 – 7/6/11
Posted: August 3, 2011 Filed under: The Bargain Bin, Travel | Tags: Big Star Books & Music, Blonde Redhead, Blonie, Boris, Fleetwood Mac, Her Wallpaper Reverie, Penny Sparkle, Rumours, Santa Fe, The Apples In Stereo Comments Off
God, damn. I don’t think I could even attempt to stomach something that tries to pass it self off as Southwestern food again, without turning up my nose knowing at all the great stuff I ate while in Santa Fé [ED: Not pictured]. I don’t think I’ll be able to down much of the mexican food around these parts without thinking it’s just re-fried-bea-colored slop. I think I ended up liking the red chili a bit better, but, I’m not against getting green or “christmas”. Swear I’ll write about the “record shop” next time, but of what I remember Santa Fé and New Mexico for, it’s the food.
- The Apples In Stereo – Her Wallpaper Reverie: Beatle-esque songs from the Elephant Six era of the Apples In Stereo. They even got some of the weird interlude stuff down pat with only 50% of the drugs need for the Beatles’ weirdest stuff. Also has “Benefits of Lying (With Your Friend)” which is a bombastic song.
- Blonde Redhead – Penny Sparkle: I really don’t know why I didn’t jump on this record as soon as it came out considering how much I loved the previous effort, 23. It’s electronic-beat heavy dark pop designed to soundtrack the saddest marry-go-round ever.
- Blondie – S/T:New-wave classic, which sounds like an oxymoron. Maybe we should just ban the word “New” from genre’s so this doesn’t happen again? It’s got “Man Overboard” on it but not the song where Deberra Harry controversially “raps”. Oooh.
- Boris – Pink:This past year I learned that a native Japanese man sings some of the best “dusty roads”/”singing cowboy” country, now I’ve learned that a Japanese band makes some of the best post-rock/doom-metal/whats-it around. What’s the deal America? You’re losing to the Japanese again!
- Fleetwood Mac – Rumours: Let’s see, it’s got the song Bill Clinton used in his election campaign and the song I’ve heard at Karaoke too many times. Though some would argue that hearing a song karaoke once is hearing it one too many times at karaoke. I also hear Fleetwood was pretty drugged out when they made this record. Awesome.
