Old Man Markley @ The Troubadour (06/26/09)

i'm almost embarrassed to write about this one because not only was it almost two months ago but also i really enjoyed the show i should have blogged about this one the morning i returned from the show. however, "time is but the stream i go a-fishing in" cut to present day and i can't say anything else about this bluegrass band because it's all been said by everyone else. i pride myself of being an unoriginal one of a kind but along w/ the many who have attended an old man markley show you're among the rest havin one hell of a good time. you don't know the american foxtrot, NO PROBLEM! you're subconscious will guide your body. you leave your worries at the door because they have no problem kickin your a$* (with their music) if you're not having a good time. they're that good.

enjoy the music.

Nouvelle Vague @ The Henry Fonda Theater (06/20/09)

almost three years ago i went to europe specifically paris, france, die, drance, lourdes, france, barcelona, spain, all around italy. half way through the trip i received an email from my dad in which he says, "have a safe clean fun!!!" from the three exclamation points i think he knew i just got a wrist tat. i was traveling and often confused about the direction in which my life is going and it was unanimous vote a compass. it is my first and only (to date) tattoo. the tattoo artist was a strapping barcelonian man who could have put any image on my body mostly because i don't know the spanish word for "no" (dangerous i know) so he provided a distraction to ridiculous pain sensation along my left arm. but there was also the music that played. it was a cover band. or at least the same words and somewhat the same beat to my catchy songs. i believe the specific song was "on the boardwalk" as soon as the tat was finished i somehow managed to find the direction i was heading to exit (the adrenaline was still kicking so it was somewhat a challenge to focus) a flight a stairs later i asked the receptionist/other tattoo artists what the name of the band that was just playing. they mumbled something in catalan/spanish/english which after scribbled on some flyer for a week-long electronic music festival (a week too early): Nouvelle Vague. she even offered to give me the cd but i declined (again the adrenaline was kicking and in hindsight it would have been a great souvenir. however, i didn't have anything to give her which i would have felt bad unless she would have accepted a half eaten powerbar and/or a crumbled metro map of paris. but she did tell me where i could purchase the cd, but unable to listen to the cd until i got home i waited to get the album. still, their music stuck. and as soon as i got home i got their self titled album along with their second album called bande a part. the subsequent until present day nouvelle vague has always and mostly continue to be on any traveling playlist or even enjoy the day any day playlist. however, nouvelle vague a parisian band doesn't travel much this side of the atlantic. the closest they've been to me (in california) has been new york city. and that was a couple of years ago. which spurred the idea of a destination concert night. i would travel to a city just to go to a concert. it didn't come to fruition however maybe someday. it was somber friday and i just read that nouvelle vague was performing on saturday at the fonda. i couldn't believe i didn't see this coming. on the heals of the release of their third studio album i still didn't think they would perform in california. but to my surprise they came I saw and they CONQUERED!!! it was everything i came to expect and love about nouvelle vague. they take a previously recorded song and make their own. even though not completed a considered (at least in my humble opinion) a cover song they still create something that keeps you in without boring you with predictability. "3" their third studio album is a delight if you looking a nouvelle vague twist to bluegrass country. i highly recommend investing in an evening with nouvelle vague specifically Oh La LA: The French Music Festival in California october 24, 2009. C'est ci bon!!

enjoy the music.

Camera Obscura @ The Henry Fonda Theater (06/11/09)

on occasion when i'm at a concert and i'm not familiar with a band (probably 75% of the concerts i attend i'm not too familiar with their music - i call it an adventure) i'll write myself memos on my phone to remind me of the concert going experience. since i don't know the new songs (the two hour crash course of the band before the concert doesn't help all that much) i'll write memorable lyrics or whatever i'm observing (my inherited addhd leaves no time for stillness) Camera Obscura was no different. i didn't "know" the band all that well but i wanted to go on an adventure so off to the henry fonda theater we went and from the looks of it i need to shop at urban outfitters a lot more...in any event here's what i wrote during the concert:

"Perfect Smile
Stuck on You
i wanted to control it but love, i couldn't hold it
if you were in the 60 holding a martini
shaken and maybe stirred they would be on the transmitter
on more than two occasions (trend?) they're smackin their chewing gum...sounds disinterested if not in this situation in thought...maybe?
i thought i knew you well dreams
tell me
heartbroken
brent and tim were here"

i like to keep it short because i don't want to be that girl who's texting on her cellphone at a concert but you get the hint.

upon my research on camera obscura its the first time i've heard the music genre term called chamber pop which is described as "an emphasis on melody and production, as artists layered their baroque, ornate songs with richly textured orchestral strings and horns, all the while virtually denying the very existence of grunge, electronica, and other concurrent musical movements." alright i've learned something new today (captain's log monday july 20, 2009 11:54p.m. sherman oaks, ca 91423).

enjoy the music.

Metric @ The Wiltern (06/09/09)

one of the benefits of randomness most often than not you'll be introduced to enjoyable music. i find myself in a state of unexpected surprise when a new band is introduced to me because i'm looking for a particular sound or genre because of a particular mood. its like taking a bug in the mouth as your out on your afternoon jog. it was a few months ago and i had a car rental to get me to point A to point B. i didn't have my five disc cd changer that was accustomed to but one cd to get me through the tragic morning commute and the gentle evening commute. the mp3 cd was given to me by a coworker friend who subsequently took me to the Metric concert. for a good two weeks i listened to Metric to and from work (I will NOT listen to the radio!)

nothing memorable about the show except one or two songs. i haven't listened to metric since then so i can't say it's on my list. i did, however, enjoy the concert maybe someday i'll be in the mood for synthesizer and drum-machine driven sounds of metric.

enjoy the music.

Little Joy @ The Troubadour (06/05/09)

highly anticipated concert of the year. it's only june but i'm calling it to be one of the best live shows i've been to. unless noted otherwise i'm sticking to it with fists in the air ready to defend. i couldn't tell you who opened for Little Joy because not really much of a concern to me, however, one has to think what the "success" rate of an opening band to become bigger and better than the band they once opened for. i can only think of no doubt and christina aguilera but that was way before becoming a concert enthusiast. maybe Black Kids to Mates of State (personal commentary)? in any event Little Joy is why I went and why I breathe (a "little" dramatic...maybe, but i'm proving a point). quality over quantity has been a mantra long before i was introduced to the all you can eat buffets in vegas. composed of Rodrigo Amarante, Fabrizio Moretti, and Binki Shapiro you'll get hints of their Los Hermanos and The Strokes bands respectively. but altogether you'll get something soothing to the soul sweet and enjoyable when your life is good. their live show was just as charming...from their simple tunes to Fabrizio himself (albeit Fabrizio's performance limited to the maracas and beer in hand) Little Joy is a chill summer day with your friends.



the summer is here!

enjoy the music.