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Manchester Orchestra Set List:
Simple Math
Everything To Nothing
I Can Barely Breathe
April Fool
Pride
My Friend Marcus
Pale Black Eye
Bananas
I’ve Got Friends
Shake It Out
100 Dollars
Pensacola
Colly Strings
The River
Only One
Encore:
Virgin
Where Have You Been?
Now That You’re Home

Viewing from the bar, the frighteningly disturbing murals of Renaissance painter Hieronymus Bosch which covered the walls and the sanguine hued lights which engulfed the stage gave one the impression that they were at the gates of Hell rather than at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood.  Yet there was no thought of escaping. In the final show of their North American tour, Grinderman reminded Los Angeles how relevant and raw Nick Cave still is.  Throughout his set of strictly Grinderman material, Cave spat out his often dark and sexual lyrics while shifting between a black electric Telecaster, an electric piano, and even an acoustic guitar for one song.  The energy Cave forced upon the crowd caused those in the front to draw their arms toward the stage like lost souls reaching for one last morsel of salvation. And this was no average sized crowd. Grinderman sold out the show months ahead and every inch of dance floor, bar, and balcony was fought for and conquered by those with the deepest fanaticism. Throughout the set, Cave howled and thrusted like the rabid wolf on the cover of Grinderman 2.  Backing him up, Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey, and Jim Sclavunos resembled Greenwich Village bearded beatniks (say Ginsberg or the Fugs) and they were rhythmically the tightest backing band I have seen, which makes sense since they have all been with Nick Cave in the Bad Seeds since the mid-90s.  The multi-instrumentalist Ellis was a star of the show, switching between violin, electric guitar, maracas, and two electric Mandocasters (an electric mandolin which resembles a Fender Stratocaster). On one song, he would dance like a mad gypsy while wailing away at the violin, and the next, he would crash his maracas into a high-hat cymbal to provide some auxiliary percussion. On the song “Evil,” off of Grinderman 2, Ellis rolled on the floor and literally did crunches while belting out the chorus line.  The band preformed most of the songs from their two self-titled full-length albums and after an encore they departed the stage to let the damned return to their lives.

—Daniel Clodfelter

This band doesn’t play often, let alone do a North American tour, but with the release of their first album in over four years, we could hope that this was reason enough to come out of their shell and share their new works. Sure enough, the Music Box at Fonda was packed full of anticipating cultist fans ready to experience the visual counterpart to their aural enlightenment.

The duo, Paul de Jong and Nick Zammuto, sat on the stage joined by newcomer Gene Back, the prodigy-like guitarist who was able to reproduce some of the sounds The Books have created over the years, allowing them to play some songs live for the first time! The three of them worked seamlessly together to bring the songs to life, using string instruments and samples to create what I would call an accurate representation of the unquestionably complicated sounds on their recordings. Each song was paired with a video that brought the experience into the third dimension, adding layers of depth, meaning, humor, and absurdity to each mathy string outburst or colorful sample.

Standing there, you laugh at the absurdity of it all, nearly overwhelmed with soundscapes swirling together with artfully chopped and mixed video gems. Then, sit silent as you ponder the deeper meanings. Nobody really moves in this show, but you feel your whole body begin to gyrate with the oscillations of their hypnotic sound collages. The band makes snap comparisons which catapult your inner consciousness into new realms of thought. You begin to ponder the relationship of the human body to cities, cardiovascular systems to suburban roads to water slides to hardwired computer mainframe layouts to a cloud of floating jellyfish in the dark sea. Then you realize we are all fish battling a pulsing tide. Then you realize you’re at the Fonda and everyone else around you is thinking the same.

If you have no idea who The Books are but want to get into it, I’d recommend starting at The Lemon of Pink an working your way back through time and then forward in time. While you’re at it, look up the video for “Chain of Missing Links” for a crash course.

—Danny Sway

The Drums

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Surfer Blood

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The colorful and theatrical CocoRosie captivated the Music Box Wednesday night.  Sierra Casady’s operatic and Bianca’s childlike and unique vox blended into a perfect concoction that was reminiscent of their recent show at the Orpheum.  Highlight of the night was the jaw-dropping solo by beatboxer Tez.  Also strong to the family were pianist Gael Rakotondrabe and Marc Lacaille on drums/percussion. Photos by Debi Del Grande

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I’m sorry I didn’t pass along this gem prior to the BJM’s L.A. show—the last of their tour—at the Music Box in Hollywood June 22. I could have saved some ears, and saved some lovely ephemeral sonic art from overmodulating washout purgatory—a real shame when you consider how tight and nuanced this version of the BJM (which includes Matt and Joel and over a half-dozen stringed instruments going rather constantly, half-turned-away Anton subtly conducting the whole thing).

Playing a set that seemed shorter than its nearly 2 hours (maybe just ’cause they’ve got such a great body of work at this point), the band treated the sellout (in the good way) audience to nice versions of “Nevertheless,” “Super-Sonic,” and a couple newbies from 2010′s Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?; “Servo,” may be the coolest song on Earth that never comes off right live; and a smattering from a list of albums not including My Bloody Underground (alas).

But it was the three-song sequence “Sue,” “Oh Lord,” and “That Girl Suicide” where the band got transcendent. The latter two were the night’s premiere dance moments (even if the refrain of “That Girl Suicide” dragged a bit).

But “Sue” stole the show. Situating themselves between Velvet Underground and The Cure during the verses, just as on the original recording they brought on the distorted lo-fi jam. But what came next is wholly a product of the BJM of 2010, as the jam sped up, evolved, morphed sonically into a pulsing hi-fi swirl that was the longest climax you’ve ever had. Glorious.

And then a Music Box employee began shutting off the three PA speakers out where I was on the smoking patio (indoor/outdoor seating, a big-screen projection of the stage, a beautiful SoCal summer-solsticetime evening, a stringy blond guy you think you saw in DiG! (i.e., “Creepy Dave,” who they say is not creepy and indeed did not seem so), and the most pristine sound in the whole place). “This area is closed!” the gal called to us, and she seemed genuinely surprised that several of us told her she was rude, annoyed as we were at being unceremoniously taken out of the show’s best moment. You couldn’t wait 30 seconds? Oblivious.

—Greggory Moore

Radiohead will play a surprise show at the Henry Fonda Theater this Sunday and are auctioning off tickets starting tonight at 8 PM to “raise as much money as possible” for Oxfam Haiti. More details From the band themselves:

We’re doing a show this Sunday (24th January) to raise funds for the relief effort in Haiti. The venue is The Music Box Theatre at The Fonda in Los Angeles, doors at 7pm. All proceeds are going to the Oxfam Haiti relief fund. We’re trying to raise as much money as possible, so tickets will be sold by auction at this site from 8pm tonight until 11am Saturday (PST):

http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/09004434FC1C86AC

We’re in the middle of recording at the moment, so you’ll be catching us on the fly…. but if you’re up for it, then we are too.

Just to clarify times for ticket sales

Auction starts Thursday 21st January 08.00 pm PST
Auction ends Saturday 23rd January 11.00 am PST

Well, that’s all clear now….

x
Philip

Concert goers lined up as much as a block against the red brick wall, ringing around the Henry Fonda. All of them waited powerlessly for Vampire Weekend’s sold out release show for their sophomore album Contra under XL Records. Just the previous night, New Yorker’s Ezra Koenig (lead vocals, guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Chris Tomson (drums, percussion), and Chris Baio (bass guitar, vocals) performed on the Tonight Show with Conan. It was also the same day that Myspace friends received notifications that Vampire Weekend’s page was about to be deleted. False alarm. Very Be Careful Opened, but soon made way for Vampire Weekend. The quartet looked spiffy in button-down polos. Ezra was post-Christmas preppy in red and green, but was a present nonetheless. They performed amidst the background of their album cover with a mysterious polo-loving muse, looking rather unkempt with dilated pupils and a candid smirk. It’s so Ivy League, which is fitting for the college band, offering their music to the muse. Vampire Weekend opened with “White Sky,” which showcased their traditional sound. “Holiday” elevated the energy level with Ezra’s yelps and falsettos. The drums and guitars riffs then changed pace and range, while Ezra made introductory zoo noises to “Cousins.” “Run” sounds like a nostalgic and bouncy Hellogoodbye theme. Afrobeat was evident in “Diplomat’s Son.” Eventually, Vampire Weekend concocted a cocktail of new and old tracks, taking the crowd back to where it all started with “A-Punk.” Before ending the 80-minute show with “Horchata” and “Walcott,” the crowd was just getting warmed up by the new tunes, since they invested more energy into the throwback songs. Vampire Weekend have proved that they’ve graduated from their college band image.

—Katrina Guevara

Download: Passion Pit “Moth’s Wings”

(from Manners out now on French Kiss)

Passion Pit is straight from glam-synth heaven. They’ve come a long way from the infamous Valentine’s Day mixtape to the release of their first full-length Manners, and they continue to sell out shows all over the world with their undeniably unique sound. Despite their busy schedule, drummer Nate Donmoyer was kind enough to spare a few minutes. This interview by Keldine Hull.

What would finally have to happen to you in order for you to think that things couldn’t get any better?
Nate Donmoyer (drums): I think if we did play a live show that we were all really happy with—once we finally get to where we want to be playing together. I still think we’re very young and learning a lot to put together the best live show. We’re just gonna keep trying to improve our live stuff and be the best live band we can be. And I think it takes a lot of time and a lot of shows. Maybe in a few years we’ll be able to get back in the studio and make a new record.
I’ve heard comparisons of your group to the Bee Gees—what would Saturday Night Fever have sounded like if you soundtracked it?
Nate Donmoyer: It probably would have sounded like the more dance-y songs on Manners like ‘The Reeling’ and ‘Little Secret.’
Who could you never say no to if they ever asked you to collaborate?
Nate Donmoyer: Radiohead. And I think that they don’t really collaborate that often with people so it’d be an honor.
What would be the most diametrically opposite way to describe Passion Pit?
Nate Donmoyer: Metal. We’re not metal at all.
What’s one question that you always expected to be asked but were never asked?
Nate Donmoyer: Maybe that question. I’m not really sure. We’ve been asked a lot of questions—some pretty random and obscure ones. I guess when people ask us stuff like what kind of food we like or that kind of thing—that has nothing to do with music at all.
And this all sort of started with a Valentine’s day gift.
Nate Donmoyer: I think it’s kind of funny how it went from a kind of inside joke to everyone kind of listening to it—it’s surprising and pretty funny. I think it’s a pleasant surprise. It’s kind of a dream come true for everyone. No one could really expect how fast things have gone, you know?

PASSION PIT WITH TRANZ-KUNT-INTENTAL AND E-603 ON TUE., OCT. 14, AT THE HENRY FONDA THEATER, 6126 HOLLYWOOD BLVD., HOLLYWOOD. 8 PM / SOLD OUT / ALL AGES. GOLDENVOICE.COM. PASSION PIT’S MANNERS IS OUT NOW ON FRENCH KISS. VISIT PASSION PIT AT PASSIONPITMUSIC.COM OR MYSPACE.COM/PASSIONPITJAMS.

From snot nose to gray hair, baggy to nut tight pants, heels to chucks, backpacks to purses, The Henry Fonda was body to body absorbing sound in the name of a Los Angeles beat freaking by none other than Gaslamp Killer, Daedelus, Flying Lotus, Nosaj Thing, Jogger, Post Feotous, Josh One, Lazy Brown and the only lady on the lineup Tokimonsta, who, according to GLK, had a couple of bangers! Having seen a few of the artists at individual gigs, it was worth the standing room only admittance as they each smashed energetic stratums throughout the night’s nonstop hype; an excitingly continuous audio sensory feeding to an applauding frenzy.

It’s always dope to witness people pulsating together when music is the coalescence, especially when one beat is humming beneath another track and slowly rises with audience cheers. Having only checked three of six hours, a high vibrational moment occurred during unexpected special guest Nosaj Thing’s performance. He stood compacted like knots over his apparatus, while the sound of his remixed Flying Lotus track heavily clouded above him as Flying Lotus walked on stage and of course later cranked some signatures. It was the oddest perfect timing.

Though GLK’s audio assassination and Daedelus’s showmanship were missed, the aural satiations were enough to thrive upon until the next Destoy L.A., which of course, if you follow these heads, is happening all the time in L.A.

—Porschia Baker