Moe. @ Club Nokia

Credit: Moe. Official Website

As I am writing this Moe. [Vinnie Amico, Rob Derhak, Chuck Garvey, Jim Loughlin, Al Schnier] will be taking over Flagstaff, Arizona at the Orpheum Theatre, and their show at Club Nokia Friday night will only be but a dream. And for a dream, I remember amoebas of sensory stimulus. Not just because I can remember lots of colors, sounds, and smells, but because I managed to take notes throughout their two-part set list and magically translated it here.

For being on the 2^nd leg of their Winter Tour, Moe’s sound was an all out sensory experience. The band and the fans had so much energy pouring out of them that I immediately knew they were magical. From the moment I walked in the door (by myself) I noticed a young woman about my age walking toward me. She quickly caught my attention and fixed her eyes straight into mine. Her name was Vanessa and she said “Your first Moe show right?” I nodded and awkwardly felt her getting closer to me. She gave me a hug and got real close to my face and said, “I feel you’re a nice person. You’re going to have a great time!” and quickly parted ways into the crowd with her intensely accepting eyes.

Grabbing a Stella to take a bit of the edge off, I overheard two older men about forty years old talking about how many times each of them had seen Moe. One scraggly fellow said, “Twenty five times.” The other, “My second.” I couldn’t help but butt in their conversation out of shock that the scraggly one had seen them that many times. They looked at me and said, “Yes”, and left it at that. I walked off to the smoking balcony. Out there alone, two men met my far off stare with a wave of hello. Pat and Michael, two friends who traveled to see the show with a starting point somewhere in the mountains, both of them together seeing Moe more than thirty to forty times (the details are hazy). The loyalty to this band was starting to become heavily clear at this point and also a great sign that I was in for a guaranteed night of auditory and visual musical improvisation.

The band took stage and had suited up for the occasion. Was it a tongue and cheek message or just a night for suits? I remember beams of light, with hues of the rainbow making the crowd shout out that their trip was ascending with the opening song, “Skrunk”. In my notes I make references to a percussive tribal rhythm and guitar solos that take on legendary languages. I speak of yellow sun bulbs radiating red bristles of light leading into “Lazarus” and “Brent Black”. These two songs were funkier, like walking down the street on a summer’s day. There was an instrument change, perfect for their drummer to take on his own life! What a solo! The stage, a black cosmic swirl with luminescent streaks and beams, transported us into a drum roll. Magically the men returned from wherever they disappeared to. Next they played “Water” and flowed into “Hector’s Pillow”. This is where I felt like I was being strutted into deep space by the bass line and sharp guitar stabs. There were harmonics and xylophone trills and my nose began to pick up the mixture of very kushy and homegrown aromas being shared. This was an interesting show of some of the people in the crowd – The New Hippies and the OG Hippies. “Timmy Tucker” was the last song for Set I. At the close of this set they brought their all. Everyone descended and then teetered together in the warm afterglow of a much needed rest and refill.

Set II began with “Don’t Fuck With Flo” and my new mountain friend Michael appeared out of nowhere. He danced off into the pit crowd where he greeted the rest of the swaying sea of morphing bodies with his smile. This set began really mellow and I just had to close my eyes and sway. I can’t remember the last time I felt safe enough to close my eyes at a concert. The next song was “Tailspin” which was a body fire starter. Everyone bugged out along with the fluttering bass. With a maniacal and beautiful beginning “Zed Nought Z” spaced into “Wind It Up” which powered on through to “Sticks and Stones”. In between “Sticks and Stones” and the last song of Set II “32 Things” I heard them get stronger. They didn’t weaken at all. Their vibrations were still encasing me and the bodies dancing, sparking together and creating nebulas all over the dance floor. When the music ceased one of the men joked, “You guys sound worn out. We’re doin’ all the work up here!” The crowd laughed and cheered them to party on! Some people left, while those who knew better stayed.

Alas, the ENCORE! The after party, if you will. Or, the after dinner mint. Moe helped carry the cosmic party into hyper overdrive with “Understand” and “Godzilla”. At this point in time every note, every strike, and every breath blurred into claps and screams leaving me with this all over feeling of “Til’ we meet again, friend” in a collective release of bodies sent back on the ground from the sky they were dancing on.

Special thanks go out to Phantasy Tour for helping me out with the set list!

Check out more Moe. on their Official Website!

Daniel Merriweather Plays Intimate Acoustic Set @ The Viper Room

Credit: Daniel Merriweather Offical Site

Daniel Merriweather held a spontaneous acoustic show at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, Monday February 22^nd. Merriweather, who is best known for his vocal collaboration on Mark Ronson’s adaptation of The Smith’s song “Stop Me”, has just released a new album, Love & War, released by JRecords/Allido Records, on February 23^rd.

As The Viper Room’s signature black curtain opened Daniel Merriweather stood center stage alongside his acoustic guitarist and piano player. He was wearing a tan, red, blue, and white patterned button up shirt that brought me back to the 1990s when a group like Boys to Men reigned over the charts.  The only difference, Daniel Merriweather is a one man group.

Merriweather humbly and softly introduced himself, his band mates, and the first song “Change”. The piano keys began their signature cascade and his voice lured us all in. La La La La La-ing. Immediately, his vocal delivery came out flowing like a vocal pauper to all of us looking up at him while his uplifting, soulful voice entranced me into being an immediate fan.

Like a fresh breath of 1960s soul the song “Cigarettes” was up next. Daniel played story teller and explained that it was based off of making a mess out of a relationship after a night of heavy drinking. He managed to take a song about infidelity and reconstruct it into an intimate and heart pumping experience.

It wasn’t hard to tell from the audiences faces that “Red” was the most emotionally moving songs of the evening. From beginning to the very end Merriweather’s voice sent chills up everybody’s spine. No one looked away from him. It was amazing. I’ve never felt more crooned in my life. Even more amazing to see really manly men get misty eyed. This man can SING. Better yet, he can LEAD and command an entire rooms attention at the drop or peak of any note. Standing two people from the stage I could feel the vast power coming from his lungs and I could FEEL the notes on my skin.

“Impossible” was the last song of his set and a very memorable ending to the night. It is about doing anything, going to any length, for whom and what you love. The accompanying guitar and piano set the dramatic tones and the audience off. Fans sang “Impossible” word for word. The intense loyalty and devotion Merriweather had to the moment made everyone in the room feel like he would do anything for them. And he did. He gave his all and we held onto every moment.

I am going to say right here and now that Daniel Merriweather will rule the airwaves. I know that he can go toe-to-toe with Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake in vocal ability, strength, sex appeal, and definitely has more street-cred than the two chart toppers combined. Merriweather is what the music industry needs right now – a strong and passionate male voice with a loyal fan base like the one seen in Los Angeles. I know for a fact that he will blow up BIG in the states and around the world. Daniel Merriweather has staying power and is in it for the long haul. And as a live music writer and a music lover I am so fortunate to be able to say that I was there to see him bear his soul in an intimate show at The Viper Room before his first album hit Los Angeles.

Daniel Merriweather’s album Love & War is out NOW! GO BUY IT!

He is scheduled to appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live! On ABC Friday February 26^th, and will be performing in Portland, OR, Seattle, WA, and San Francisco, CA in the month of April.

For more information and updates on Daniel Merriweather check out his website!

It’s About To Get Loud @ The Dragonfly

Credit: The Dragonfly

01.29.10, Los Angeles – Wil Ridge, Winchester Rebels, Stoic Ideal, Rust, The Hot Moon, and Circus Minor are each promising bands, but, while at the venue, The Dragonfly, I couldn’t hear most of the songs quite properly. Everything was distorted because of the volume of the music. It didn’t matter if it was in between bands or during the actual gig, the shit was LOUD. So much so that I had to reference every song title numerically instead of by its actual name. I guess I shouldn’t let the sound guy at The Dragonfly take all the heat for the free double ear drum popping. I too accept half responsibility for being unkind and un-protective of my most valued asset as a live show writer and music lover. I should have brought ear plugs. Writer lesson learned.  

The opening band Wil Ridge (Wil Ridge – guitar, vocals, harmonica), Ray Fortune – guitar, Todd Rosenberg – drums, and Graham Palmer – bass) was as intense, sweet, and down home country alt-rock inspired as the wine they are named after. Wait, that’s Wood Ridge. Either way, I would say that Wil Ridge was the only band I heard clearly, albeit it was sort of LOUD. They had a lot of heart, diving into their set without an introduction and a quick locomotive rise in tempo as the songs progressed. It was around the second song that I realized that their lead singer has a voice to be reckoned with. He had a little bit of Bruce Springsteen but had his own voice. Toward the middle of the set, maybe the fourth song, there was a song about being a young boy and about having a backbone which I thought was Bob Dylan-esque lyrically and in vocal delivery and of course with the harmonica and acoustic guitar. The motion of their set kept an upbeat vibe and each song flowed into the next. The only signifier of a transition was the slinking bass line and drum solo in the sixth song.  It’s too bad that this band was the first to go on because they deserved a bigger audience.

Winchester Rebels (Nick H. – vocals, Tyson – drums, John – bass, Nick F. – guitar, James – guitar) reminded me of a harder and darker version of Incubus with a dab of David Bowie. Hang in there, whoever’s reading this. I’ll explain myself. Had the singer learned to better imitate his voice like Brandon Boyd maybe he could have pulled that persona off. To explain the Bowie sound I refer to their opening song for which I couldn’t hear. I liked how the guitar parts sounded like “Man Who Sold The World”. I know there are similar sounds in music and music borrows from each other through influence, but this is way too much usage. Just saying.  As their set continued to the third song I felt they became more “Crazy Train” heavy and catchy and transitioned into a more fluttering Incubus inspired route. My ears needed a break from the loudness, not the band itself. I went outside and noticed that not only could I hear the band better, but I could also get a vodka tonic and people watch. The last two songs were bellowing from the inside and the sound can only be described where System of a Down met Led Zeppelin, and then…I finished my drink.  Between band takedown and setup a bustling crowd formed and they all headed for the bar.

 Stoic Ideal (Tony – drums, Ed Lazos – vocals, Luis – guitar, Willy – bass) took over and dedicated their first song to “those of you who don’t have work tomorrow!” Susanna, CWG photographer, leaned over to me and yelled “They sound fun!” She was right! Their first couple of songs had a hard rock feel that sounded like At The Drive In and the Mars Volta are some of their influences. Around the middle of the set they began to lean into more of a faster dirty blues direction like that of the Black Keys. The closing of their set was dreamy, ethereal, and had the darker notes that are signature of the Deftones.

After a long set up Rust came on stage and I immediately felt that they were going to be easier on the ears. They were clearer and focused on their sound. The first song sounded influenced by Weezer “Say It Ain’t So” because of the distinct plucking and the second song was more upbeat because of the focus on the drum beat. In my notes it says the second and third songs reminded me of Sea Wolf. Maybe it’s the drum hits and serious tone. The fourth song the second guitarist acted as a singer and I thought that the switch between the two singers was done well. The fifth song I noticed a guitar change. What a pretty red electric with a white pick guard. Closing the set they thanked Jason their manager and I thought that was pretty awesome of them. They closed their set on a more upbeat and catchy tune. I managed to catch some of the lyrics: “I wanna sing a song to you” and “You’re so right, so wrong”. Rust was a great energy to have lead into the crescendo known as The Hot Moon.

The Hot Moon (John Paul Labno – electric guitar and saxophone, Sasha Pfau – keyboards and vocals, Jovi Butz – bass guitar, Jason Hooper – drums, Brad Lee – trumpet) were a shimmering funky surprise coming out of the depths of the darker rock melodies seen throughout the evening. The lead singers voice and lyrical deliverance reminded me of a combination of Gwen Stefani (experimental), Zoey Deschanel (simple), Jenny Lewis (story telling), and Betty Davis (funky, honest, and strong). The first couple of songs were powerful and the usage of keyboard, saxophone, and trumpet turned the night upside down. The audience members seemed to thaw from the heat of their instruments. Our blood began to pump and our feet began to move again! Starting  at the fifth set I began to get that awesome feeling when Motown and artists like Sam Cooke begin to come to mind. Even a little Janis Joplin circa “Cry Baby” vocals, trembling and sultry, began to rise everyone’s Friday night spirit up from the ashes. Don’t worry, she wasn’t like Lily Allen or Amy Winehouse – she had class and style (loved her red top and black tights, reminded me of a rocked out ring leader). At one point their saxophonist was so into playing he had a saxophone and a guitar in both hands. I appreciate their musicianship! It was so refreshing.

Circus Minor (Daniel Denton – vocals and bass guitar, Sean Simmons – guitar, Adam Alt – drums) took the stage at the end of the night and by this time I was ready to go. My ears were bleeding (sarcasm) and my head felt like it was going to fall off. Basically this band reminded me of Joy Division and Black Sabbath. They had a table-trembling and bass-heavy style coupled with atmospheric and drifting melodies. They had a hazier, darker, and experimental sound that left my body shaking from the core while I walked out of The Dragonfly and back onto Santa Monica Boulevard from whence I came.

Wil Ridge: Myspace

Winchester Rebels: Myspace

Stoic Ideal: Myspace

The Hot Moon: Myspace

Circus Minor: Myspace/Website

Luke Sundquist Of Jalopy Goes Solo @ Room 5 Lounge, Los Angeles

Photo Credit: Jalopy

01.12.10 -- Luke Sundquist, co-guitarist and singer of the acoustic rock-Americana band Jalopy, put on a very solid solo concert for a Tuesday night at Room 5 Lounge. The audience sat with what seemed like a room of unblinking spectators holding domestic brew, sipping merlot, downing Jack N’ Cokes, listening to the sounds of “Breakin Down My Mind” and a tasty new jam, “All I Need Now”.

The songs “When You Can’t Find Love” and “Days That Disappear” sent me reminiscing about a familiar sadness while being in love or finding it. “Right Where You Begin” lured the audience into a vulnerable and honest outlook on love, giving the audience some ear cuddling hope “where even losers win”. Luke dedicated the song “My Love” to a friend in the audience who had Luke sing it at his wedding. The glow radiating from each of the glass kaleidoscope candles was helping everyone get a little gushy and sentimental. Like if someone was to take a picture and blurred its edges with Room 5’s familiar warm wood feel and rich red furnishings.

To balance all this sentiment we were led into the more laid back and catchy tone of my favorite song, “Calihustle”. The feel of the song sent me into a memory of Jack Kerouac’s novel “On The Road” and uplifted the room into a more playful turn of events. Three cover songs were played – Lyle Lovett’s “If I Had A Boat”, Jamey Johnson’s “In Color”, and Ray LaMontagne’s “Jolene”.  Luke introduced Lovett’s “If I Had A Boat” as a “cowboy song” and dedicated “Jolene” to “the sound man and the bartenders”. How graciously Ryan Adams (circa Whiskeytown) of him.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/jalopymusic