Sunday, September 20, 2009

Outside Lands, Day 1: San Franciscoachella

Now is the time on ITIHSTDWO when we talk about Outside Lands! I know, finally. Luckily I have one of those good memories you always hear so much about, so it's still very clear in my mind. Outside Lands was exciting to me for a lot of reasons, but other than some of my favorite bands the main interest was in going to a multi-day festival that wasn't Coachella. So, basically, I was looking forward to sub-100° days; a festival where I wasn't hiding from the sun constantly. San Francisco is known for its cold winds and overcast weather, so I figured I was in good shape. 

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

NIN Wave Goodbye at the Palladium, 9/2/09

I go to a lot of shows, as you may have gleaned from even a cursory examination of this blog. Most of them are good, very few are bad, some are great, and a handful get the chance to be historical, transcendent, mind-blowing in that way that most music fans should be lucky enough to experience. Yep, you guessed it--this was one of those type shows. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Been Around The Blok

As my radio silence unfortunately continues (hey, moving is time consuming), I wanted to point out that my review of Free Lions and Blok from a month ago ended up on Blok's MySpace blog. I'm excited that they would do that, especially since it wasn't a completely glowing review (though ultimately kind, as they say in the post). Thanks, Blok! And for the record, I've seen them again since that show and have come around even more. Just a really fun live act, and I suggest you see them when they play Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on September 29th.

Also, Sons of Anarchy has its Season 2 premiere tonight, and I'm just counting down the hours until 10 PM. The show is about an outlaw biker gang in the fictional town of Redwood, CA, led by Clay Morrow (Ron Perlman) and his stepson, Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam). The first season had a vaguely Hamlet structure, with Jax as Hamlet and Clay as Claudius, but it evolved into a very gripping crime drama about the motorcycle club as a whole. Not quite up to Mad Men levels, but it's one of the best on TV right now. I may write about it from time to time, but who knows. In any case, do yourself a favor and watch.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Dead Weather at the Wiltern, 8/25/09

It seems obvious to say that you have to see a band live to fully appreciate them, especially since the live experience is where they show their true mettle; much like a Mexican restaurant with bad salsa, and band with a lackluster live show is just not worth the time. But what about a band that already has an unstoppable record and still manages to make it seem tame in person? That is a lot more rare and special.