Category: Music

Looking back, I hardly recognize the person who loved music this much and went to so many shows. I wrote these reviews to put eyes on these artists and to try to find a community of people who shared my passion.

Posted on

Concert Review: The Shins @ The Electric Factory

Performance Date: Saturday, May 16th
Opening Act: Delta Spirit

My wife scored tickets for the Shins after her sister informed her they were coming to town. The show was sold out so we had to get tickets via StubHub, but thankfully we didn’t pay much more than street value, which was refreshing.

[Delta Spirit]

I don’t know much about Delta Spirit. I had read an article about them in Rolling Stone which proclaimed them the next big thing and I promptly ignored it. The lead singer came out wearing a fedora and I immediately wanted to punch him in the face. This isn’t the 90’s and you aren’t in the Squirrel Nut Zippers. My initial reaction was not changed by the opening song – the singer was just growling and mumbling.

Most of the set was spent with the singer screaming at the top of his lungs and the bass player flailing around the stage. All kidding aside, the band sounded good, but the singer needed to stop with that screaming and moaning shit. Overall, not a pleasant experience. I think these dudes will get better, but I won’t be sitting around waiting for it to happen.

If they sounded like this during the concert, it wouldn’t have been that bad. But the screaming…

[The Shins]

The Shins sounded great. The band was tight, the sound levels didn’t make my head bleed, the lighting was interesting and enhanced the show BUT….

The set list was not put together well. They opted to play several heady, long, slow paced songs that killed the mood in the crowd. Their faster paced songs were far and few between and by that point I was done. I applaud the band for introducing new material and attempting to set a mood, it was just the mood sucked.

The Shins are still a great band, the sounded great, but they need someone paying attention to the pace of their concerts and how the songs translate to a live audience.

Posted on

Concert Review: The Avett Brothers @ Bottle & Cork

The first time I heard The Avett Brothers, I knew they were channeling a very strong and different energy than most bands. Their music respects the music of America from centuries past and yet they make it modern without comprising its core. I had seen youtube clips of the band and knew that their live act was all energy and I was excited to see it. The boys from North Carolina did not disappoint.

The band got on stage around 10:15 PM and immediately got the crowd going with a new song (sorry I didn’t know the title), but then they kicked into what I am assuming to be their most well know song “Die, Die, Die”. It was excellent, but the best part was they had a cello player that came in from the back that looked like the Japanese wrestler The Great Muta and actually played a cello like I think Muta would have played. This guy was fucking awesome.

A recurring theme throughout the night was Scott Avett breaking banjo strings, I think he was up to 15 or 20 by the end of the night. It didn’t stop him at all. The band just kept belting out songs. I am guessing the band put in some newer material (that they didn’t announce) or I just didn’t know the songs, but they had a different tone, it was like Alt-Country New Wave and a synthesizer was thrown into the mix, the songs were good, I don’t know if it fit in with their overall theme and presentation, but tunes were good and a little change was okay.

If you noticed in the last few concert write ups I make it a point to discuss the location and the crowd. We have been very lucky the last year with venues and crowds, our luck ran out in Delaware. The tickets said the show starts at 8 PM. The band didn’t get on until 10. I don’t think it was the bands fault as I did some reading and that is common place at the location, they just wanted to sell booze because it is a bar first and concert venue 50th. The Bottle & Cork concert area is outdoors and quite dirty. I have been to a ton of shows in Philadelphia’s concert pier and that place was 20 times cleaner than the concert area of B&C. It was disgusting. The crowd certainly added to the filth. I have never seen so many people under 30 smoking in my life. All these cute girls walking around and talking with cigarettes hanging from their hands – they all looked like babies smoking. Anyway….

The band sounded great and the concert was fully energy the whole night. If you want to see some old time style music with a modern flare and high energy performance, see the Avett Brothers.

Links:

Posted on

Concert Review: Feist (4.23.2008)

I had the chance to catch Feist at the Academy of Music on 4.23.2008. I thought Feist was good going into the concert, now I think she is great; a true artist. Simply put, she has become a better musician and artist since she released her last album “The Reminder”.

Before I get to the main event, I will say that her opening act Hayden played his own special brand of “kill yourself” music for 55 minutes… Horrid. I will say that he seemed like a nice guy, and had good stage presence, but his songs were pure drudge – I was counting the minutes until he was off stage.

After the stage crew did their jobs (I have never seen a stage crew take so long to set up a drum set – Damn Canadian Teamsters!), Feist took the stage. Leslie Feist is the daughter of Canadian artist Harold Feist, so I was expecting something visual, but she exceeded my expectations. The show incorporated two people doing interesting visuals using an overhead projector, and the opening song featured Feist behind a screen so you could only see her silhouette, which complimented the overhead presentation.

Feist’s performance was excellent.

She took elements of her records, fleshed them out and expanded them. Her four piece back up band was outstanding… bright and tight. Like Liam Finn, Feist employed a audio capture and looping device so she can add her own vocal layers during the performance, she used it well and it enhanced the experience.

I could go on about how much I liked the show, but you get the hint. Another great aspect of the event was the venue. The Academy of Music was beautiful, comfortable, and classy. Great place to see a concert. If you get a chance to see Feist, do it, you won’t regret it.

Posted on

Music Review: Neil Cleary – I was thinking of you the whole time

Jack deLaurentis gave me a CD on Friday and I have been enjoying it so much (I actually can’t get the songs out of my head) I wanted to share it will my loyal three readers.

Jack passed on Neil Cleary’s “I was thinking of you the whole time”. The album is a poppy and bright but the lyrics run deep and echo with sentiment. There are quite a few musical influences that I picked up on – there are shades of Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet, and even The Beatles (although I hear that Neil isn’t the biggest “Fab Four” fan).

Neil does a nice job blending all the styles together but definitely has his own sound. I recommend you take the chance and listen to his music right now. AND HERE’S THE PLUG:

Buy his music on iTunes
Neil’s Myspace Page

Simply put – Neil’s music is exactly how pop music should be. Sounds great with a hint something else going on in the words if you listen hard enough. I suggest you do.

Posted on

Concert Review: Crowded House @ the MANN

In my early college years, it was a guarantee that a Crowded House or Neil Finn CD wouldn’t be too far away from me; they were and remain one of my favorite bands. Most people would remember them for their big hit in the 80’s “Don’t Dream its Over”. America may have forgotten about Crowded House, but the rest of the world continued to enjoy their brilliant output for many years. In 1997 they called it quits seemingly for good. Neil Finn went on to make two excellent solo albums and did a few projects with his brother Tim Finn as well. Last year, Paul Hester passed away and Neil and the boys got back together for a handful of benefits that ballooned into a new record and tour; tonight I got to see for myself what makes Crowded House one of the best bands of our time.

The evening started off by Finn’s son Liam who has been putting together a career for himself as a solo artist and with the band Betchadupa. The younger Finn steals a page from Howie Day by utilizing looping effects to make his solo performance sound fuller. I would be lying if I didn’t say that Liam sounds just like his old man vocally, but has a brasher, younger sound (without totally forgoing his father’s melodic sensibilities and ability to write interesting analogies). Finn switched between guitar, drums, and a variety of electronic devices during each of the songs – the kid definitely worked for his paycheck. Overall I was impressed with his performance: He bantered with the crowded with ease (something more seasoned performers have issues with), his loopingmulti-instrument approach was a treat to see, and he didn’t squander my pre-good will since I was pumped to see his dad play.

Pete Yorn quickly followed Finn and played a quick set. Yorn has lost a lot of credibility in my book for his last album which I found to be simply terrible. He opened with a song from that album, so I decided it was good time to buy Liam’s CD and take a piss. When I came back I was amused to find a totally zoned out lady in her late 40’s doing the “white girl dance” (reference: Chappelle Show episode with John Mayer – Click here to see it ). I could not take my eyes off this train wreck and then her two buddies came over to join her (they were from Pittsburg BTW – I hope they read this). To be fair to Pete, he sounded good but his band was stepping on each other a bit (I thought he had too many musicians on stage – 2 guitar players, himself (playing guitar), a bass player, and a drummer). He ended his set strong with “Life on the Chain”, “Strange Condition”, and a Neil Diamond cover (the name escape me at this late hour).

After a long wait, Crowded House finally took the stage immediately going into “Locked Out” which charged up the already excited crowd. Afterwards Neil retold a story about Nick (Seymour – Bass) being locked out his hotel room last night in Philly. The banter between Neil and Nick was outstanding throughout the evening. I was pleasantly surprised to see Liam Finn playing acoustic guitar in the background. I am not going to rifle through the entire set list, but they played all the classics and they knocked them out of the park. I was especially pleased with “Distant Sun”, “Recurring Dream”, and “Pineapple Head”.

The band’s performance was definitely enhanced by the fantastic MANN music center. This was my first time at the theater and this is hands down the best music venue I have been to in the Philadelphia area. You can actually get decent food, the atmosphere is pleasant and clean, the acoustics in the theater are excellent, and the stage allows the band members to move into the audience. It was an absolute joy to see a show there.

If you read this and still don’t know who Crowded House is, do yourself a favor and pick up an album I suggest “Recurring Dream: The Very Best of Crowded House” for beginners and “Woodface” once you get to know them). If you do remember Crowded House but for “Don’t Dream its Over” and “Something So Strong”, do yourself a favor and checkout their other albums. Crowded House was and is a fantastic band that never got their proper dues in America, see them live if you have the chance, they won’t disappoint.