Spoon’s tight set at the Hollywood Palladium was a true gift to their fans, including tunes from their Soft Effects EP as the first of two encores, appearances by Jon Brion on Cherry Bomb and The Underdog and a full horn section.  Frontman Britt Daniel, Jim Eno (drums), Rob Pope (bass) and Eric Harvey (keyboards) continue to forge ahead on the indie rock scene and tonight we got to hop in the car for the ride. Photos by Debi Del Grande

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Just when you think summer’s over, a heat wave comes to L.A. and Waved Out 2 comes to the Echoplex, to hose us down with the reverb-soaked sounds of teenage noise pop, chill wave, surf punk and psych-folk. I didn’t know what to expect. The only bands listed on the bill whose names I recognized were the trippy headliners, the Entrance Band and Dungen, who were playing the first show of their US tour.  Sponsored in conjunction by the Aquarium Drunkard music blog, KXLU and L.A. RECORD, the all-day event featured an eclectic assortment of West Coast bands on two stages, a vegan tamale stand, DIY silkscreening station, and tarot card readings.

Kicking off the event, the Zig Zags played the loft at Origami Vinyl. Hailing from Oakland, California, the two piece won my heart with their lo-fi surf punk jams, reminiscent of the Wipers but with Beach Boys harmonies. The highlight of the Zig Zags set was what I think was a Big Star cover (“I was outta my mind…”) and an original tune they ended the set with “It’s What I’m Looking For,” a sludgy garage punk singalong. Zig Zags don’t seem to have any releases yet, but I hope they record some demos with their friend Greg Ashley soon, because I’m hooked!

Next up were Young Prisms at the Echoplex. The aptly-named San Francisco quintent plays loud, wall-of-sound shoegaze bathed in prisms of light. Stef’s haunting vocals blend perfectly with Matt and Jason’s layers of fuzzy, droned out guitar. Although I had them pegged them for 17, they are indeed very young (21-24) and sure enough, they met in high school. Now, why weren’t there any My Bloody Valentine fans at my highschool?

Summer Darling at The Echoplex; this taut, angular 4-piece plays angsty, post hardcore indie rock ala Hot Snakes, Clinic and Spoon. Not what I was in the mood for, but an energetic performance nonetheless.

In between beers, I hung out with Oliver, (the Young Prism’s bearded schnauzer), photographer extraordinaire Sarah Morrison snapped pics of the local kids we met, and I got an unbelievably spot-on tarot card reading by the lovely and talented Marcella. While the tarot cards clearly spelled out my destiny (romance and creative pursuits on track, whew!), she failed to tell me I was missing a great band. I ran up the stairs and back to the sweaty loft at Origami Vinyl just in time to catch the end of a short and sweet set by So Many Wizards!  Hailing from Long Beach and L.A., this 3-piece plays jangle pop heavy on the reverb. I definitely see more of So Many Wizards’ magic powers in your future!

Now Shannon & The Clams was the 1st performance of the evening that blew my mind.  Imagine the Ventures meets King Kahn & BBQ Show and you’re half way there. Fronted by a statuesque blonde who looks like she stepped out of a John Waters movie, the voluptuous female vocalist/bass player Shannon is the Anita Eckberg of cowpunk, commanding the stage with all the star presence of Dusty Springfield or Peggy Lee, but with the pipes of Wanda Jackson. Man can that girl sing! Sharp dressing and impish guitar player/male vocalist Cody is like a post modern Link Wray or John Doe, all elbows and knees, playing tawngy 60s seaside guitar riffs. Their set highlights include wild covers of Del Shannon’s “My Little Runaway” and Dion’s “The Wanderer” and catchy original garage punk numbers like “Hunk Hunt” that got the whole crowd rollicking.

I caught Hanni El Khatib, a two-piece consisting of guitar and drums of spirited post rockabilly garage in the tradition of Alan Vega and the Gun Club. Then, the very handsome John Carpenter took to the Origami stage, starting his set playing a solo set of folk ballads with hushed vocals reminiscent of Leonard Cohen, lulling his rapt audience with dreamy story songs. Carpenter dispensed with the acoustic vibe as his set went on, wailing on an electric guitar and screaming like The Yardbirds.

Hailing from Brooklyn by way of New Jersey, doe-eyed singer-songwriter Sharon Von Etten played pretty heartfelt songs with a breezy sincerity. Sharon has a beautiful, bird-like velvety voice and an easy rapport with her audience, consisting primarily of girls, many of whom sang along to her standout songs like “Sick of Trying,” an ode to her family, Sharon explained, “and dealing with my Pisces-ness. Is that a word?”  Uh oh, Lillith Fair, watch out! We have a contender!

Kicking off their tour with Dungen, The Entrance Band was in top form at the Echo, playing new material including “Masquerade” and “Spider.” Between Guy’s wild gesturing and Paz’s free-spirited hopping and barefoot strutting, The Entrance Band are one of the most highly original psych bands to come from L.A., evoking a whirling dervish take on 1960s rock, informed in equal measure by Eastern influences and Nuggets flashbacks.  Through heavy touring, The Entrance Band has definitely evolved and become a more sophisticated and tight unit. Paz has to be one of the most exciting bass players today—her body is her instrument—all legs, swaying brown hair, and hypnotic rhythms. Their set highlights included an inspired cover of Arthur Lee & Love’s  “A House is not a Motel” and “Temptation” on which Guy channeled Jason Pierce of Spaceman 3.

The Entrance Band Sarah Morrison

by Gather fanboys now for Dungen! Starting off their set with an oldie but a goodie, their breakout U.S. single “Festival”, the Swedish psych-folk/acid jazz pioneers whipped their bespectled fans into a frenzy.  Some of us even tried to sing along. Good luck! In broken English, frontman Gustav announced: “We will now play some new stuff—in Swedish!” You gotta love them Swedes! One can’t help but remark how perfect it would have been for Dungen to score a remake of The Wickerman. Dungen continues to release epic, sprawling records that deserve subtle contemplation, but I’m not sure if American audiences are ready yet to stand watching a 15 minute set of extended flute playing in a rock club. Unless you are really, really stoned. That said, Gustav’s virtuosity is remarkable, and his vocals in Swedish are unreal. Switching from flute to piano, with unusual song structures closest to free jazz, Dungen is the kind of band that would make Ornette Coleman proud.  Me on the other hand, I was all waved out.

—Zoë Bower

Thursday night the Echo hosted Lemon Sun’s album and video release party, with Red Arrow Messenger and Leopold and His Fiction joining as openers. The Echo was almost empty when Red Arrow Messenger started playing. Their blues-tinged folk-pop and tight harmonies were lost on the Echo, as few people were there to hear it. The handful of  people who were there refused to come anywhere near the stage, with the exception of one guy who danced alone right in front of lead singer Jesse Nolan, screaming the words to every song, much to Nolan’s amusement.

Leopold and His Fiction followed, and with frontman Daniel James’ arrival on stage came tons of girls shrieking and vying for his attention. This San Francisco-based blues-rock trio played a strong, high-energy set that inspired the crowd to dance. James’ moody vocals brought to mind Jack White of the White Stripes backed by twangy ’60s era rock guitar. I was baffled by how bassist Micayla Grace could play a rock show in high heels. I guess she’s just that good.

Red Arrow Messenger and Leopold and His Fiction were fun and all, but the show was all about Lemon Sun, no question about it. Lemon Sun’s effortless charm instantly hooked the crowd. The members of Lemon Sun are confident, seasoned performers who know how to bring an audience together. Lead singer Rob Kolar’s voice was strong, reminiscent of Britt Daniel of Spoon. Lauren Brown of He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister came on stage to tap dance, but unfortunately her tap dancing was entirely drowned out by the music. Highlights from the set include “Touch the Lightning,” a cover of “Melt With You,” and the closer, “Three Words.”

After their show, Lemon Sun premiered their new stop-motion video for “Touch the Lightning,” directed by Emily Wilder and featuring lead singer Rob Kolar and a very persistent suitcase full of lightning. The song itself is incredibly catchy. “Touch the Lightning” is inspired by Graham Hancock’s Supernatural, a book about the evolution of human consciousness and connecting with the spiritual world through various means of mind expansion. Wilder’s interpretation involved an ungodly amount of still photographs painstakingly pieced together into a three-minute long video.

—Lainna Fader (words + Lemon Sun photos)

Julian Casablancas’ distinctive voice makes it difficult to avoid comparisons between his solo project and that other band he’s in, The Strokes. A heavier emphasis on electronic instrumentation and a slightly wider stylistic range than The Strokes’ dance floor-ready garage rock saves the effort from being a placeholder between Strokes albums.

In the next tent over, sylph Charlotte Gainsbourg impressed with songs that alternated between lilting, Belle & Sebastian-esque romps and harder tracks with bowing guitar riffs and ominous-sounding samples as percussion. The influence of producer/mixer/co-writer Beck is heavily apparent to fans of his work, and one wonders how it would be appropriate to dole out credit for Gainsbourg’s sound.

Spoon took the Coachella stage just as Gainsbourg’s set was ending. The Austin darlings injected their sort of pretty fare with a little more grit in the live version, while Sly delivered his first disappointment of the night when it was announced to gathered fans that his set would be pushed back a full two hours, at least. The news was greeted with boos and mumbled expressions of dashed hope, “I knew it.”

Phoenix and Infected Mushroom were there to pick up the pieces, before Pavement took over with an enthusiastic, jangly tribute to their past. All the aural and visual assaults of the past two and a half days made the contrast between the spectacle and Pavement’s homey performance lit by ropes of bare lightbulbs all the more drastic, but the simplicity of their show was also its strength, even though, as LA Font frontman Danny Bobbe put it, they were “the worst-dressed band at Coachella.” It can be mildly disappointing when your idols turn out to be dorks.

Thom Yorke took the reins just as Pavement ended, and treated tired concertgoers to over an hour-long set. Alas, they were not to rest. Yorke’s solo effort cum all-star band, Atoms for Peace, interspersed slow jams and the occasional Radiohead nod (“Pyramid Song”) with beats so dance-worthy even Yorke couldn’t hold himself back from losing himself in an eyes closed, unabashed, Flashdance-style multi-song dance party, priming the dwindling crowd for Gorillaz merciless final onslaught of beats so good you can’t sit still.

They opened with the Snoop Dogg track from collaboration-heavy new album, Plastic Beach. Snoop spoke to us in one of his pimpalicious getups, projected across three giant screens behind the stage with the caption “GORILLAZ” on each, just in case you forgot. Little Dragon singer Yukimi Nagano, who performed Friday night with Dragon, was conveniently available for a cameo on the trippy “Empire Ants,” a track that sounds like ripples in the glassy water at a tropical robot beach at sunset.

Sly disappointed fans again by engaging in his now infamous shenanigans – basically involving different iterations of not being able or willing to perform because he is too incoherent due to the abuse of one substance or another. After staggering through a few songs, Sly stumbled off stage in the wrong direction and had to be led off by security.

As much as the heat and the gross bathrooms and trash and expensive food and constant hordes of moving people can irritate, Coachella is a jumping off point for all different kinds of acts. Bands of middling popularity in the U.S. or those that are completely unknown here come to announce themselves. Several years running have seen well-loved veterans kick off highly anticipated reunion tours or do one-off performances just because they can. Bands come here with balls out and hearts on their sleeves, and those willing to suffer through a little sweat and dirt and, I admit, a relatively heft price tag for one weekend of shows, invariably walk away excited and invigorated by all the incredible music that’s being made.

Concert Stage Path:
Coachella (Yo La Tengo)  Mojave (Julian Casablancas)  Gobi (Charlotte Gainsbourg)  Coachella (Spoon)  Gobi (Sly Stone)  Sahara (Infected Mushroom) - Outdoor (Phoenix)  Coachella (Pavement)  Outdoor (Thom Yorke)  Coachella (Gorillaz)

—Ayse Arf

In light of today’s weather, we’re putting the rest of the tickets for the Spoon show on sale today at 2PM Pacific Standard Time on Groovetickets.com. ONCE THESE SELL OUT, ABSOLIUTELY NO TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE BOX OFFICE.

Monday, January 18, 2009

SPOON with DEEP SEA DIVER

STRICTLY 21+

DOORS at 8PM

EL CID

4212 West Sunset Boulevard

Los Angeles, CA 90029

White Rabbits need to get a new opening band, because Local Natives just showed them up. More on that later.

White Rabbits love percussion. In fact, if you know any of their songs, you probably know “Percussion Gun.” I won’t say that going to a White Rabbits concert is like getting shot in the face with that gun, but maybe bonked over the head with the handle of it, say.

This works both for and against them. I mean, who doesn’t love a loud, thumping beat that makes your body move in ways your brain couldn’t come up with? However, if your percussionist is more captivating than your lead singer, you may have a problem.

Stephen Patterson sits at his piano for 90% of the show, and while he sweats and strains his neck till veins pop out, there’s only so much energy you can exude while seated. Matthew Clark, on the other hand, jumps around in the back whacking his drums with tambourines and maracas—he’s exciting!

They played a few fun ones, like “Percussion Gun” and “Kid On My Shoulders,” and then a cover of “Instant Karma!” with Spoon’s Britt Daniel at the end, but the real showstopper took place before White Rabbits even took the stage—Local Natives.

Local Natives are a mustachioed crew from Silverlake who made me feel like I’d stumbled onto buried treasure. I guess other people have discovered this treasure too because they played at SXSW this year, so maybe an unburied treasure, but still—what a great surprise. Their stage presence just oozes band, which only enhances their sweet harmonies and tight instrumentals. Best track of the night was “Wide Eyes” from their new album (only available in the UK currently), Gorilla Manor. Be sure to watch these guys, and White Rabbits: be sure to watch your back.

—Amber Hollingsworth

The Weather Underground
Bird in the Hand EP
Self-Released

This third EP for the Weather Underground is a collection of short stories, each told by a different character. First: “Fight Song for the Desalojos,” a mariachi-esque song born from a recent trip to Guatemala that sounds like a great street festival and uses about every type of percussion and wind instrument to propel the party. The EP was written around the second track, “Trainwreck,” a strong, straight-forward rock anthem that pleads passion to the masses, with a feel like the Shys “Call in the Calvary” or many of the Walkmen’s up-tempo songs. The title track is a slower, more reflective piece that tells a personal story of learning to move on when your life is turned upside down, and the record closes with a somber, more gospel-inspired “All Ye People.” The band evidently believes that things happen in threes, so Bird in the Hand is the third and final EP for a while, though they are looking toward to releasing a full-length album late this year. There’s obvious inspiration here from artists such as Spoon, Delta Spirit, Tom Waits, Otis Redding and any old soul music they can get their hands on, and the spirits of each float comfortably throughout this record.

— Julia Swanwick