Brand New, Thrice, & Crime In Stereo 11/14/09

Brand New, Thrice, and Crime In Stereo at the Electric Factory, 11/14/09.



This was night one of two sold out shows at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia. It was also Thrice's last night on the tour (Glassjaw joined the following night). I knew it was going to be a great show at a great venue, and I was not disappointed.

Crime In Stereo was the opening band. I'd heard good things about them, so I was interested to see them. While they had a lot of energy, none of it translated to the crowd - everyone stood stock still while they played. Their singer had a great raw voice, but he just couldn't get the crowd into it. Maybe the crowd was just saving themselves for the headliners. They did note that they were from Long Island, which is probably why they were on the tour. Unfortunately, it's not the first time I've been less than impressed with Brand New's opening act - I actually fell asleep during Colour Revolt's set a few years ago. CIS' set list was:

*new song*
Small Skeletal
XXXX (The First Thousand Years Of Solitude)
Third Atlantic
But You Are Vast
*new instrumental*
Almost Ghostless/Above The Gathering Oceans
Orbiter

I was very excited for Thrice since I've never seen them before (gasp!) and I have been listening to them for a long time. They came barreling out of the gate and hardly stopped at all. Dustin Kensrue sounded great, and their set was efficient, for lack of a better term. This band clearly knows what they're doing. I was a little disappointed that they didn't play "The Artist In The Ambulance," but I wouldn't want to play one song every night of my life either.

Of Dust and Nations
Silhouette
All The World Is Mad
The Weight
Helter Skelter (Beatles cover)
In Exile
Doublespeak
A Song For Milly Michaelson
The Arsonist
Beggars

After pushing the break between sets as far as they could, Brand New finally came on stage. It was every bit as good as it always is. Jesse Lacey's voice sounds more raw every time I see them - I'm not sure if it's for effect, or if his voice is just that torn up. They used almost exclusively their own lighting setup - white spotlights from the ceiling, the tops of their amps, and on the floor behind them, plus warmer yellow lights behind them on the side. It created a welcoming but eerie feel. About halfway through the set during "Vices," a projection screen kicked in and began showing disjointed black and white images. I'm not sure if they meant it to begin during that song, or whether that was a technical malfunction. Can anyone comment on that? However, I did this it funny that they used Lyndon Johnson's 1964 "Daisy" campaign ad during the song of the same name. They also appeared to be filming for a live DVD or something - there was one guy running around with a video camera and another with a handcranked camera.

Welcome To Bangkok
Sink
Degausser
You Won't Know
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
Sic Transit Gloria
Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
Seventy Times 7
Limousine
Vices
Gasoline
Daisy
Sowing Season
Archers
You Stole
Jesus Christ
Bought A Bride
At The Bottom
Play Crack The Sky

I think they did a great job of pulling from all their albums, especially Your Favorite Weapon. The crowd of course FREAKED OUT when we were presented with "Jude Law And A Semester Abroad" and "Seventy Times 7" back to back. I thought it interesting that they opened with "Welcome to Bangkok" since they had taken to closing with it. And while they did have a second drummer on stage with them, notably missing was the group jams with a dozen or more people. That is not to say that the show suffered because of it, but it was just different. There was still force and passion behind the songs - very much so. I felt that all the songs across all their albums flowed well with each other, despite the older songs being so different from the new songs. Brand New has learned not only to work a crowd, but how to have them eating out of the palm of their hand. As for me, Brand New shows are always a bit of an emotional experience - sometimes for just remembering what a song used to mean to me, and sometimes just for the sheer force of the music. Because of that, I will never miss a tour, even if I have to go to Philadelphia to catch it.

Say Anything, Eisley, Moneen, & Miniature Tigers 11/8/09

Say Anything, Eisley, Moneen, & Miniature Tigers at the Recher Theatre 11/8/09.

It's been years since I've been out the Recher, mostly because it takes so long to get out to Towson. Granted, I was driving there in Friday rush hour traffic, but it was worth it for this show. Say Anything and Moneen are two of my favorite bands, and I'd never seen Eisley, so I was pretty excited.

I had not ever heard of Miniature Tigers before they were announced on this tour. I got to the Recher just as their set began, and it was good. They reminded me a lot of Vampire Weekend, and they had a good time using some odd instruments (I don't think I've ever seen anyone use a rain stick before). I missed the end of their set to go get some food, so I can't tell you much about their set list.

I dashed back in time for Moneen's set. They are one of my favorite bands to see live, since they just have SO much energy. To be fair, this wasn't their best performance - a little rougher around the edges than I've seen in the past. They were still having a good time with it and it was fun to hear their new songs. I don't remember their full set list, but what I can remember is:

Don't Ever Tell Locke What He Can't Do
The World I Want To Leave Behind
Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now
There Are A Million Reasons For Why This May Not Work... And Just One Good One For Why It Will
The Passing Of America

The mood in the room got much more focused and excited when Eisley came on. Their live show was every bit as good as people say it is. The womens' voices blended beautifully together, and they recreated the ethereal feel of their recorded songs. Their set list was something like:

I Could Be There For You
Mr. Pine
The Valley
Golly Sandra
Ambulance
Smarter
Memories
Invasion
Marvelous Things
Many Funerals

I was happy to hear quite a few songs off Room Noises, and of course Max Bemis came out to sing a song he wrote with Sherri Dupree. Despite all the drama their marriage has caused, they really are a cute couple.

The room exploded when Say Anything came on. They had set pieces that looked like the buildings on the new album cover, and the tiny windows even lit up. Max was his usual flamboyant self, and he was genuinely pleased that people were already singing along with the new songs.

Fed To Death
Wow, I Can Get Sexual Too
Alive With The Glory Of Love
It's A Metaphor, Fool
Shiksa (Girlfriend)
Hate Everyone
Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat
Have At Thee!
Cemetery
This Is Fucking Ecstasy
Eloise
Woe
Baby Girl, I'm A Blur
Mara and Me
Every Man Has A Molly
Ahhh...Men
*****
Crush'd
Spores
Admit It!!!

I think they did a great job of mixing up the albums, and even if I'm not stoked on the new album, it works well live with the older stuff. The set lasted about two hours with the encore, which was quite a treat, even if I was exhausted by the end of it. I thought about skipping out during the encore, but I'm am glad I stuck around and heard "Admit It!!!" Just hearing Max's voice fall back and hearing the crowd take over was worth it. I'm glad to know they haven't lost it.

Interview - Apl de Ap

I recently interviewed The Black Eyed Peas' Apl de Ap for Corduroy Magazine's blog. You can read the profile I wrote here. Enjoy!

Interview - Sherwood

It's been about a year since the last time I spoke with California's Sherwood, so there was lots to catch up on. Read on to see what they have to say about the past year, as well as years yet to come.


PPJ: First, please tell us your name and what you do in the band.

Mike Leibovich:This is Mikey. I play keyboards and tambourine in Sherwood.

PPJ: It's been a few years since A Different Light was released. What's been going on in the meantime?

Mikey: Since A Different Light was released in 2007 we have toured America five times, toured England/Europe three times and spent two weeks touring Japan. We spent the second half of 2008 and the first half of 2009 writing and recording our new record Qu.

PPJ: How did you go about writing songs for Qu? What was the recording process like?

Mikey: For this record we wanted to have more time to flush out songs and be creative with the knowledge that we would chase a lot of dead end roads, but that we would be left with the best of the best. We rented an apartment in Oakland, CA with a sound proof rehearsal studio so that we could spend the better part of seven months writing music full time. We set a schedule for ourselves, put in at least six hours a day (often much more than that), and wrote over 85 songs. When we were finally satisfied with the best twelve songs, we moved down to LA to record with Brad Wood at Seagrass studios for two months.

PPJ: How does Qu differ from your previous releases?

Mikey: Qu is comprised of better written songs. For the first time we really started to see the collective vision for Sherwood come together. There are more vocal harmonies and melodic hooks, more diverse instrumentation, more rock and more pop. The lyrical content of the songs is also much more mature, exploring topics outside of ourselves, more inspired.

PPJ: You guys tour pretty hard for most of the year. How do you find time to create new music while on the road so much?

Mikey: When music is what fulfills you the time just makes itself available. It is difficult to balance the creative part of the job with the business and entertainment side, but it becomes nourishing and cathartic in ways that can't really be ignored.

PPJ: What is it about California that gives it so much airplay in your songs?

Mikey: California (and really the entire West Coast) has been so inspirational to us. We wrote A Different Light while living in a beach house in Mexico for six weeks and spent this record-writing up near the Golden Gate. From Lake Tahoe to San Francisco to Santa Cruz to San Luis Obispo to San Diego....specifically the rolling hills and quiet ocean towns of central California. Just so incredible.

PPJ: What is your favorite part about the whole process of writing, recording,
and touring?

Mikey: Albums have always served as a marker of time for me. Writing an album is such a personal process and marks a period in our lives as the creators. Every record that means something to me has had emotions and memories attached that I hope people will find with this album as well. I still meet people who love to tell me where they were and who they were at the time they were listening to one of our earliest songs, "The Summer Sends its Love," written back in 2003.

PPJ: Why have you stuck with MySpace Records? I don't mean that in a bad way, but surely you've had major labels knocking at your door.

Mikey: MySpace Records has been such a supportive label that I couldn't imagine trying to do what we are trying to do on another label. The staff is like an extended family to us at this point and they give us so much independence. We have really been fortunate retain control of all of our creativity.

PPJ: What happened with The Sherwood Show?

Mikey: Nothing has happened! We are recording several more episodes for a second season. Keep an eye out for them!

PPJ: Do Dan and Joe still work with We Shot The Moon?

Mikey: When Jonathan first started We Shot the Moon he did not have a band with him. Dan and Joe were always just a temporary part of the beginning to help get that first record out. He has a really great band of guys with him full time now.

PPJ: What are your plans leading up to and following the release of Qu?

Mikey: We are just finishing a two week tour supporting Better Than Ezra and begin a tour with Hanson and HelloGoodbye from Oct 1- Nov 12. Our album will be out on Oct 13th, and we may be looking at possibly doing a headline tour early next year.

PPJ: What do you hope people will take away with them when they listen to your music?

Mikey: Ha ha. I have about five cliché sentences that come to mind, about being sincere, or about being classic. But really, I think we made a really good album and I would be delighted to find out what you take away with you.

PPJ: Finally, please tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.

Mikey: Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Passion Pit. Each of their latest
records are outstanding.


Thanks again to Mikey for taking time to answer my questions, and to Gary at Stunt Company for arranging the interview. Be sure to pick up Qu on October 13th and to catch Sherwood on tour this fall.

As Tall As Lions at Jammin' Java 9.10.09

I'm pretty sure I've already said as much as I can say about the perfection of As Tall As Lions' live show, so I will just leave you with a few photographs.

Cobra Starship 8/26/09

Cobra Starship, The Audition, The Friday Night Boys, & DJ Skeet Skeet at The Rock & Roll Hotel, 8/26/09.

This is far and away the smallest venue I have ever seen Cobra Starship at, and it was every bit as exciting as past shows. Cobra’s music is built for packed rooms where everyone is wedged in, sweaty and dancing like crazy.

DJ Skeet Skeet was the first opener, playing a bunch of dance remixes along the lines of Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, and 3OH!3. The crowd was kind of into it, but clearly saving their energy for the real show.

As for The Friday Night Boys, this was a hometown show for them. It’s the first time I’ve seen them since they signed with Fueled By Ramen, and they haven’t changed a bit. They’re still dance rock, still having fun, and still not taking it too seriously. The new songs sounded good – as a whole their music has become more rock and less electronic over time. It was a bit sad that there was no "Sorry I Stole Yo Gurl," but I probably would be sick of playing that one too. The funniest part was when someone in the crowd catcalled, "My Favorite Highway is better!" which launched a discussion among the band about Andrew Goldstein’s tenure in My Favorite Highway. Their setlist was something like:

Suicide Sunday
High School
Permanent Heartbreak
That's What She Said
Molly Makeout
Stuttering

The Audition was next. Their shows are always solid, and last night was no different. I’ll be honest – I haven’t listened to them in a long time, and I was surprised at how dance-oriented their new songs were. Not a bad thing – a very good thing, in fact. They were fun, and working hard to get the crowd motivated for the rest of the night.

My Temperature's Rising
You've Made Us Conscious
Love With a Motive
Hell to Sell
Los Angeles
The Way You Move
Warm Me Up
Don't Be So Hard

After a seemingly interminable interlude from DJ Skeet Skeet, Cobra Starship took the stage to dozens of screaming and grabbing girls. Gabe Saporta was loving it, and loving playing to a small venue. I have never seen a lack of enthusiasm from these guys. Gabe dances and slides all over, spending plenty of time right at the edge of the stage. Due to R&R’s lack of air conditioning, he was quickly dripping everywhere, and so was the rest of the band. Vicky T. wore a purple tube dress that was shorter than short, and everyone was just having the time of their life.

Pete Wentz is the Only Reason We're Famous
Send My Love to the Dance Floor, I'll See You in Hell (Hey Mister DJ)
The Church of Hot Addiction
Kiss My Sass
Damn You Look Good and I'm Drunk (Scandalous)
The Ballad of Big Poppa and Diamond Girl
My Moves are White (White Hot, That Is)
Hollaback Boy
The World Has Its Shine (But I Would Drop It On A Dime)
Smile for the Paparazzi
The City is at War
Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)
***
Good Girls Go Bad
Guilty Pleasure


"Damn You Look Good…" through "Hollaback Boy" were performed as a sort of medley. It was odd that for the "Hot Mess Across the US" tour, there were only three songs from Hot Mess on the setlist. Gabe did make a comment along the lines of "this is the last time we’ll be playing some of these old songs," and kept saying the old songs were for the old fans. This tour is clearly a sort of send off for them – a gift to the fans before they head out on a couple of big name, big venue tours. Sad, but I am glad I caught this round. A few people came up on stage throughout the set, including Friday Night Boys’ Chris Barrett covering one of Travis McCoy’s raps, and a young boy named Connor who got brought up to do the "Guilty Pleasure" dance and generally just hang out on stage for being so young and in the front row.

One of the best things about seeing Cobra Starship is watching how much Gabe interacts with and thanks the crowd. He took a number of small gifts from people in the audience, and he always spends much of the banter between songs talking about how dedicated the fans are and how grateful he is that they have put the band where they are today. It’s nice to see someone give back a little like that.

Overall, Cobra was just as explosive and entertaining as always, and I can’t wait to see where they go next.

No Doubt, Paramore, & The Sounds 6/14/09

No Doubt, Paramore, & The Sounds at Nissan Pavilion 6/14/09

I was SO excited for this show. It’s been years since I’ve seen Paramore, and I had never seen No Doubt before. Sad, considering how much I love both these bands.

I got to the venue a little after 7 PM and got the nice surprise of seeing the end of The Sounds’ set – I had no idea they were playing this date. Unfortunately I only saw about a song and a half. Maja Ivarsson sounded a little screechy, but I have to commend her for being able to sprint around the stage in heels.

Paramore were their usual energetic selves, with Hayley Williams dashing around and the rest of the guys jumping and flipping all over the place. I felt that they left a few key songs out of their setlist, "Emergency" being the most notable one. They did play a couple of new songs off their upcoming record, and both were pretty fast, hard songs. Their setlist was:

Misery Business
For A Pessimist, I’m Pretty Optimistic
Pressure
Ignorance [new]
CrushCrushCrush
Decoy [new]
When It Rains
Where The Lines Overlap
That’s What You Get
Let The Flames Begin
Decode

I thought "Decode" was kind of a weak way to end the set, but probably a strategic choice due to the Twilight soundtrack. I was pleased with how long their set was – I was expecting much less.

No Doubt got on stage around 9:30 PM, and there was just so much excitement in the air. They began with their shadows projected on a white sheet, waving at the audience. It looked like absolutely everyone in the audience was taking photos of it. When the sheet dropped, they had an all white, futuristic looking setup with the band members on ramps and stands – it kind of looked like a spaceship. Even the stage floor had been covered in white material, and all of the band was dressed in black and white. There was also a big screen behind the band, showing shapes, colors, and videos in sync with the songs. Gwen Stefani sounded a little rocky for the first minute or so, but then she warmed up and sounded fantastic. She has such a powerful voice and knows how to project it.

As for their outfits, No Doubt was definitely harkening back to their early days. Stefani’s hair was tied up in knots, and she was wearing a cut off tank top and cargo-like pants. The rest of the band looked the ska/punk part too.

The set list went something like this:

Spiderwebs
Hella Good
Underneath It All
Excuse Me Mr.
Ex-Girlfriend
End It On This
Simple Life
Happy Now?
[new song]
Guns of Navarone
Hey Baby
Running
Different People
Don’t Speak
It’s My Life
Just A Girl

Rock Steady
Stand And Deliver
Sunday Morning

No Doubt is one of those bands where you think it just can’t get any better, but they keep pulling out one huge song after another. They played all their big hits, plus some older stuff – fan favorites and such. Their setup was so slick and well-produced, and the whole band seemed to be having a great time. Stefani was swaggering all over the stage, and everyone kept running up and down the ramps and jumping around.

What really struck me was how Stefani kept talking to the audience in the pit. Most bands will address the crowd generally, but Stefani kept expressing gratitude and talking to individuals who were near her. She took a few presents from the crowd, and asked people about their signs they were holding. One man had a sign asking for a hug, so she told him, "Well, come and get it." She hugged him up on stage, talked to him for a minute, and let him take a picture with her. It’s really great to see such a huge band be that kind and welcoming to their fans.

I was also blown away by the sheer number of people there. Nissan Pavilion holds up to 19,000 people. I don’t know if the show sold out, but it looked pretty close. It was just people dancing for as far as you could see.

Stefani had two costume changes – once into a sparkly silver and black minidress with black tights and boots, and the second time into a sparkly black polo shirt with bleached out jeans. The only other band member to change clothes with drummer Adrian Young, who put on a rainbow colored tutu near the end.

For "Stand And Deliver," a bunch of freestanding drums were brought on stage, and all the members of Paramore and The Sounds came out to play, with all three women singing the song. Stefani also dropped and did ten or fifteen pushups during the intro to "Just A Girl." There was a lot of call and response singing as well. If any of the band members are tired of playing these songs, you would never know it.

Overall, I was very happy with this show. It was so great to hear all those songs I love, and to see the band having a good time. It was also nice that I got to see the leg of the tour where all three bands were female-fronted – that is something that very rarely happens, especially at this level. I envy one girl in the crowd that Stefani talked to – the girl had seen 11 stops on this tour and was planning on seeing 10 more. I’d definitely love to be able to do that!