Halfway Through October

Wow, lots to talk about. Let's start with concerts.

Since my last post, I have seen the following acts live:

Umphrey's McGee
Carolyn Wonderland
Heartless Bastards
The Dodos w/The Ruby Suns
Sunny Day Real Estate w/The Jealous Sound
Dear & the Headlights w/Kinch


Carolyn Wonderland 09/25/09 @ Dan Electro's

First of all, Dan Electro's kicks ass. It was my first time going, and I can't wait to go back. There's plenty of room outside to take a break, and a nice intimate setting inside with a full bar and free treats for all. The people attending the show ranged from college-aged to maybe-too-old-to-be-out-so-late. Nice, eclectic group. There were tons of good-looking girls (surprisingly), but I only danced with one EXTREMELY forceful old woman who I finally had to ask to please let go of me (not surprisingly). The old lady creeper put a slight damper on my mood, which made me leave a little early.

The show itself was great. Carolyn is an incredible musician. I saw her play a mean guitar, lap steel, and also trumpet and whistling. I mention whistling bc she has perfect pitch/tune, which is pretty impressive. She played a mixture of old and new bluesy/rock songs and really kept the energy going. She looked a little rough, and her band seemed pretty wasted the entire time, but they managed. Go check her out if you can.

Heartless Bastards @ HoB (Bronze Peacock Room) 10/01/09

The smaller, cozier, more intimate setting of the Bronze Peacock Room really made this to be a good show. I didn't even know this room adjacent to Pete's and HoB existed, so it was a nice surprise. There is a full bar, plenty of space, a good layout, good acoustics, and not too pretentious layout. Due to the lighting scheme and intimate setting, for a while I really felt like I was just in an open room with the band. This place has a killer terrace, too. It's designed like I imagine a wealthy Indian villa terrace would look like. It's open to a good downtown view, and there are huge couches and drawings of Buddha. It's not quite an open balcony, so you feel like you are in a VIP room. Pretty sick.

The show was fantastic. I have been wanting to see Heartless Bastards for quite some time after missing them at ACL 08. As you may have noticed, I have a newfound affinity for frontwomen. Erica Wennerstorm is one rockin chick. She had so much energy, but seemed so nice and normal. She didn't have that bullshit attitude most female rock n rollers do. She seemed like she could be the rocker cousin of Gillian Welch. The band would play these raw rock tunes that seemed kinda garagey at first, but transformed into straight rock jams. Erica's voice punched through and went over the top of the raw instrumentation. It's hard to describe what makes this band unique, but the best I can do is say that they have a real, raw feel to well-written/well-performed rock jams.

The Dodos w/The Ruby Suns @ Mangos 10/03/09

Mangos is a pretty cool spot. It was a little crowded and a little hot, but it had the feel of an old Mexican restaurant or something. It's nice to mix it up and be uncomfortable at a show sometimes. It was a rainy night and I walked to the show from Gray and Bagby in Midtown. I showed up pretty wet and got kissed on the neck by a homeless man who I gave $5 to (PRIOR to the neck kiss). Um, mixed feelings about that event...

Anyway, The Ruby Suns were okay. The sound in Mangos may not have done them justice. Plus, I was more interested in getting dry and getting some drinks in me at the time. They seemed interesting enough, and I had some words with one of the dudes afterward, who seemed like a cool enough guy.

The Dodos were fantastic. They played a relatively short set bc they had to drive to Austin right after for ACL duties. The lead guy, Meric Long, played a beat up f-holed acoustic/electric in mostly open tunings. He had it hooked into what sounded like lo-fi pre-amp speakers or just moderate fuzz effects. It sounded like cheap fuzz, but my God he played the hell out of it. There was also a vibraphone/glockenspiel player and a drummer. The Dodos are one of my newfound favorite bands. They play kind of psychedelic folk jams, but Meric is just an amazing lyricist. They tauted some impressive renditions of some of their best songs. I enjoyed every minute of it. I walked out with their newest LP, Time to Die, which I carried back to Midtown with me in the rain and to the bars. It was an excellent night, and I highly highly highly recommend The Dodos to anyone that likes good music.

*I'll get the rest of the live reviews up shortly.