LIVE REVIEWS

The Ettes, The Bruises at the Silverlake Lounge - March 21, 2005
Another show with two really good bands. I had seen the Ettes open for Tsar a 
few weeks ago so I decided to check them out again during their Monday night residency
at the Silverlake Lounge. They rocked again with their short but sweet hook filled
songs. If I have to compare them to someone, I'd say they are like a slighty less
loud and more melodic version of Bangs. It's especially fun to watch the drummer who
just attacks the drums with reckless abandon, almost knocking over her cymbal numerous 
times and just looking like she's having fun playing drums like a maniac. The Ettes
will be at the Silverlake Lounge for one more Monday on March 28.

The Bruises were more or less in the same vein as the Ettes but a bit more in the
Sleater-Kinney mold with a two-guitar attack and no bass. They also had two singers
who traded off vocals. As they continued to play, it seemed like more of the crowd
got closer to the stage, realizing that a pretty darn good band was onstage even if
it wasn't the band they were necessarily there to see. 

Phranc 'N' Stein at the Parlour Club - March 18, 2005
Good to have Phranc playing again. No regular Phranc set happened as advertised,
unless it happened really late after I left. But we did get her Phranc 'N' Stein
project which I had never seen before. Bascially, it's Phranc's multi-media
interpretation of Gertrude Stein's writings. This incarnation had an all-star cast
of musicians joining Phranc on the small stage: Jody Bleyle (Team Dresch, Hazel,
Infinite X's) on bass, Tamala Poljak (Longstocking, Automaticans, Infinite X's)
on guitar, and Sarah Dale (the much-missed Rizzo) on drums. Phranc played acoustic
guitar and sang songs about asparagus, umbrellas, and other common objects that
Stein apparently wrote about. Phranc will be playing April 1 through 3 at Highways
in Santa Monica to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her Folksinger album. Details
at www.pholksinger.com.

Frausdots, Margo Lee at the Detroit Bar - March 17, 2005
Two more bands who I have no records by so I don't know song titles or 
anything but two great sets. Frausdots played a short but sweet seven song set, 
made up primarily of songs from their Sub Pop album I assume including the ultra-
catchy one that keeps repeating the album title. Brent Rademaker, of Beachwood
Sparks fame, displayed the ultimate Silverlake coolness onstage as his 80's 
influenced songs were backed by a band that had three keyboardists. Hopefully some
more OC shows and some longer shows are forthcoming for Frausdots.

Margo Lee was a great, pleasant surprise. I had heard very little of this band
but was really blown away by their excellent songs. Jessica, the singer, fronted
the band with confidence but a down-to-earth quality that made them really likeable.
She also displayed amazing skill on guitar during the mostly fast paced pop songs.
Once or twice they slowed it down, including a great song with her and her guitar
just accompanied by some keyboard. I believe they are from OC and you should definitely
be on the lookout and check out any upcoming shows they have.

Pony Up! at Spaceland - March 14, 2005
I hadn't heard much of Pony Up!'s music going into this show. All I knew
was their song on a split 7" with Ben Lee and I actually thought that song
was alright but a bit cheesy. So this was a pleasant surprise of a show. The
foursome from Montreal showed a great knack for sweet pop songs highlighting
the keyboards and vocals of Laura Wills. I don't know any of the song titles
to pass along but not a song from this set was disappointing. They are definitely
a band with a bright future.

The Soft Lightes at the Detroit Bar - March 10, 2005
Ron Fountenberry, formerly known as Incredible Moses Leroy, is back with his
new band, The Soft Lightes. The trio started out with a great, Imperial Teen-like
song declaring that this "could be our time of the year". From there, the melodic
pop songs just kept coming one after the other. The best aspects of Ron's former
band are dipslayed wonderfully in this band. Catchy, poppy songs and Ron's smooth 
voice that blend together so well. But don't worry, this band can rock when they 
want to as they did on the closing song (I'm not sure of the title but it talked a
lot about people being evil) that left the crowd wanting more.

Coachella Festival - May 2, 2004
   I'm sure you've heard by now how hot it was out at Coachella over the weekend
as the festival celebrated its fifth year, so no need to get into that part of it 
any further. So we'll get right to the music.
       The first tough choice of the day was who to see at 1:00, Thelonious Monster
(who I've seen about a dozen times) or Pretty Girls Make Graves (who I've never seen
live). I opted for Thelonious Monster since they are one of my favorite bands of all 
time and I was curious to see how they'd be received by the festival crowd. Playing 
almost the identical set as they had played at El Cid earlier in the week, they were
definitely appreciated by the crowd, many of whom I'm sure had not previously heard
them before. It didn't hurt their case that Flea joined them onstage for several 
songs and bounced about the stage in his usual way. Bob Forrest's son joined the band
onstage near the end which was a nice touch. As always, Bob's commentary during the
show was of interest. He named off all the bands that he had seen or was going to
see during the weekend. He also asked how many in the crowd were born in 1984 or after
before they went into one of their older songs (I think it was Try) that was written
before much of the crowd had even been born. This was a great way to start off the 
long day.
       Next it was on to see !!!. They definitely knew how to get the crowd involved,
with the singer showing off his goofy dance moves and getting everyone to mimic them.
They put on a decently entertaining show but the music just didn't do it for me too
much. But there's worse ways to kill part of the afternoon.
      We missed Elefant and heard Muse from very far away in order to stand in line
to get Belle and Sebastian's autographs. What a long line that was. Thankfully we
made it to the front before they had to leave. Not knowing that autograph sessions
were going to be going on, we didn't have any Belle and Sebastian items for them to
sign (and I wasn't about to buy a CD that I already owned from the Virgin tent). So
my friend and I came up with the brilliant idea to have them sign on the Morrissey
article in the free issue of Spin that was being given out. It has hard to tell how
much they were really annoyed by that or if they were just kidding. They faked like
they were going to deface Morrissey's picture in my magazine and I told them that they
could. So they ended up drawing a moustache on Morrissey in my friend's copy. Sorry
about not having any of your own items to sign guys, but oh well at least I got the
autographs.
      Next it was over to one of the tents to see the Thrills who I had heard of but
not actually heard before. Most of their songs were very likeable upon first listen.
Not the most brilliant band but I enjoyed the set.
      Belle and Sebastian was up next, the main reason why I had wanted to go to 
Coachella in the first place. They put on a great show as they had the other times
I'd seen them. They mostly played songs from their latest album, Dear Catasprophe 
Waitress. The highlight of the set was the great rendition of the classic The Stars
of Track and Field. I've only seen Belle and Sebastian three times but it doesn't seem
like it'd ever get old seeing a band that seems to have so much fun playing live as 
they do and who utilize so many instruments at once and have it come across so well 
live.
      Over to the second stage for Bright Eyes. Wow, how crowded it was to see them.
A far cry from the first Coachella when going over to the second stage meant seeing
a band with just a handful of people. I don't know their songs well enough to know 
which ones they played and we were so far away but they sounded great. 
      After a bit of Air, we decided it was time to go. It was an enjoyable day, 
although a bit too hot and too crowded. It would've been nice to have seen Black Rebel
Motorcycle Club, the Cure, and especially Le Tigre but it would've taken hours to get
out of that place at the end of the show so we had to make the sacrifice and leave 
early so that we could actually get a few hours of sleep before work on Monday.
       
Thelonious Monster at El Cid - April 27, 2004
I suppose this was both a record release party as touted and a rehearsal for 
the band's Coachella appearance later in the week. Whatever the reason for the show, it
was one of the best Thelonious Monster shows I've seen. They played a great set of songs
from their new album California Clam Chowder along with a lot of their best songs from 
many years gone by. They started it off with the classic Walk on Water and a few songs
later broke into Sammy Hagar Weekend which was amended to be a Jack and Meg White Weekend
featuring changed lyrics like "got a Radiohead t-shirt" and "sitting in the parking lot
at Indio Polo Grounds". Then it was on to the Gun Club song from the new album, definitely
as good of a live song as any of their old classics. Late in the set, an amazing version
of Hang Tough (a song I'm not sure if I've ever seen them do live or at least not for
a long time) was played, highlighting Dix Denney's awesome guitar playing. Union Street
and Try led up to the closing Elton John song and the end of a fantastic show. 
(Thelonious Monster at Amoeba at 7PM on May 20, 2004).

Morrissey at the Wiltern - April 24, 2004
Every Morrissey show, and I've been to over 20 of them, is a wonderful event. Even
when they are average for a Morrissey show as this one was. I'm very happy that he's 
moving forward and spent much of the night playing songs from his new album, You Are The
Quarry. However, since the album hasn't been released yet, the show lost some momentum
when the majority of the crowd was hearing these songs for the first time. None of them
really grabbed my attention too much upon my first time hearing them (save for the ones
that he played on the last tour like First of the Gang To Die and The World is Full of 
Crashing Bores). As for the older songs that he played, hits like Everyday is Like Sunday
and Hairdresser on Fire received the frenzied response from the crowd as expected and 
they sounded as great as ever. I Know It's Gonna Happen Someday probably sent the biggest
chill up my spine of all the solo songs played during the night, with Morrissey's voice
sounding so full of passion. As he has done on the last few tours, a few Smiths songs were
thrown in again, and a good choice of Smiths songs. Unfortunately the band was really
only able to pull off two of them with great success. I thought that the Headmaster Ritual
and A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours were lacking in musical competency. However,
There is a Light That Never Goes Out and the encore Hand in Glove sounded tremendous and
were definite highlights of the show. With the album coming out in a few weeks and all 
the publicity that Morrissey has been getting, we'll hopefully see him back in LA a few
more times this year and he can put on not just a great show but an incredible one.
(Morrissey at Lollapalooza at Ventura Fairgrounds on July 22).

Tsar at the Good Hurt - April 17, 2004

I hope the Good Hurt has some money for a new roof since Tsar blew theirs off
tonight. After a good but slightly off show at the Detroit Bar a week or so before, 
Tsar was at the top of their game tonight. In front of a bigger crowd than their 
previous Good Hurt show, they ripped through 10 songs in 33 minutes that literally
left me breathless at the conclusion of the set. Wanna Get Dead and Straight were both
played at breakneck speed but with no less precision than normal. The infrequently
played Songwriter! was a nice addition to the set tonight along with the regulars such
as Wrong, Straight, and I Don't Wanna Break Up. Here's hoping word spreads and next
month's show here is even more packed. (Tsar at the Good Hurt again on May 14).

Tsar at the Gypsy Lounge - March 19, 2004
Another chance for Tsar to show off their brilliance in front of a crowd mostly
unacquainted with their music. Again, they played with amazing intensity and showed
why they are the best live band around . Thanks to the light show onstage courtesy
of the Gypsy Lounge, those in attendance got a taste of how the Tsar live experience
may be in the near future if they are awarded with the rock-stardom that they more than
deserve. (Tsar at Moose McGillycuddy's in Pasadena on April 1, the El Rey on April 5 
and the Detroit Bar on April 8).

Alain Whyte at the Knitting Factory - March 16, 2004
Alain Whyte is most well known as one of the guitarists in Morrissey's band and
he made sure not to disappoint the Morrissey fans in attendance tonight. Surely
he was aware that most of the crowd only knew him through Morrissey's music and 
many didn't even know that he had his own songs. Right off the bat, he satisfied
the crowd as he played the first few seconds of This Charming Man but stopped abruptly
and played Suedehead in it's entirety. The other Smiths and Morrissey songs that he
played throughout the show were That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore, What Difference Does It
Make?, Everyday Is Like Sunday with the end of I Know It's Over tacked on to the end, 
and a great rocking version of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. But besides 
displaying his ability to sing Morrissey songs reasonably well, he showed that he's got
songwriting skills of his own. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of Whyte's
original songs. A few of the early ones in the set, Stuck and Crushed, were overflowing
with melody and held the crowd's interest as much as any of the Morrissey songs that
he played. Hard Times, played during the encore was a louder, punkier song that rocked
hard thanks to the very able drummer and bass player that he had backing him. While
everyone, myself included, is looking forward to seeing Whyte up on stage backing
Morrissey in the near future, here's hoping there's some more solo shows in the future
so that Whyte can get some more exposure for his own work.

Mary Lou Lord at Spaceland - March 13, 2004
Due to a throat ailment, this was not one of the best Mary Lou Lord shows I've 
seen over the years. Not for a lack of effort on her part though. Her voice came and
went throughout the show but she still put in a valiant effort to make the best of it.
She could've called it quits after 40 minutes and everyone would have understood but 
she stuck it out for around an hour and a half. And despite the problems, the show still
produced some great moments, particularly when she was joined onstage by opening band
Gingersol. Toward the end of the show, they helped her rock Spaceland after a nice set
of acoustic songs. The songs with Gingersol included Stars Burn Out from the new Baby 
Blue album and a great version of Some Jingle Jangle morning. Highlights from the
acoustic parts of the show were the always great 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, the
classic Western Union Desperate, and a hauntingly slow version of Elliott Smith's
The Biggest Lie. Hopefully Mary Lou will be back to LA soon at full strength. 

Tsar at 14 Below and Detroit Bar - March 7 & 8, 2004
Two identical sets but totally awesome as always. Not much more I can say about
Tsar that I haven't said below. It's been nice to see them playing some different areas
of Southern California so they can try to expose their music to more people. Both shows
seemed to have some Tsar fans but also some bystanders who probably didn't know who Tsar
was. But both crowds reacted very positively so hopefully they won over some new fans.
(See the upcoming shows page for Tsar's two OC shows next week).

The Butchies at the Knitting Factory - March 4, 2004
This was the second of two nights for the Butchies at the Alterknit Lounge and what
a great show they put on. This one has a chance to be on my list for top 10 shows of the
year come December. A good share of the songs were from their upcoming album which most
of the fans in attendance probably have not heard yet. But this did not stop the crowd
from being whipped into a frenzy most of the night, not wanting the band to leave when
the time came. Make Yr Life, the title track from the new album, and a smoking rendition
of Send Me You were highlights from the new songs. The show ended with the best song of
the night, More Rock More Talk, and then a cover of the Outfield's hit from the 80's,
Your Love. The Butchies continue to put on one of the best shows in rock with Kaia's
rock star poses and forays into the crowd for guitar solos along with Melissa and
Alison's exceptional work on drums and bass. They should be back in LA in a few months
so check them out.

Liz Phair at the Galaxy Theatre - February 27, 2004
It had been quite some time since I'd been as curious about a show as I was
about this one. Liz Phair's most recent album has been the subject of much debate, with
its much more commercial sound. How would she respond in front of a crowd of new fans
mixed with those who had been following her for a decade? Well, she certainly displayed
little if any of her well-chronicled stage fright. Concentrating almost entirely on 
songs from her latest album and Exile in Guyville, her debut effort, Phair put on
a solid show that seemed to please most of the crowd at the Galaxy. The highlights for
me were no doubt the older songs, most notably the very rocking version of Supernova
and a sublime 6'1". The solo take of Stratford-On-Guy during the encore was great too.
And if there were any thoughts that Phair's newfound mainstream success would tame her
choice of songs in her live shows, they were put to rest early as she opened with the
provocative Flower while later bringing out F*&! And Run and H.W.C. As far as the new
songs go, most of them went over well live. Favorite, the weakest song on the new 
album for my money, didn't hold up to the other songs she played. But on songs such
as Firewalker and My Bionic Eyes, it was almost impossible to tell whether they were
new songs (which they are) or old favorites. Phair has insisted that her new album is
exactly the album she wanted to make and she is proud of it. Based on the swagger with 
which she played them and the way she seemed to enjoy being up on stage, she was 
convincing in that argument. But she also showed that she is not too proud to reach
back to the old favorites. 
Tsar at the Good Hurt - February 23, 2004
Another great show by Tsar, showing the Westside how it's done. Not nearly the
size crowd they'd get in Silverlake but better than I was fearing. Seemed like some
diehard fans there. They had lots of technical problems, mostly with Jeff Solomon's
bass going in and out. Also, Jeff Whalen had trouble hearing his guitar. Even so,
they rocked like always. The only song different from most of the recent shows
was Songwriter! from their King Of The School EP. If you haven't seen Tsar, see them
soon. You won't be disappointed. (Tsar will be playing at 14 Below on Mar. 7, the
Detroit Bar on Mar. 8, and the Liquid Den on Mar. 16).

The Vacation at Spaceland - February 16, 2004
This was my first chance to see the much-hyped Vacation live. They certainly
had plenty of energy. However, I'm not sure if I've seen another band where I 
have such mixed feelings on their songs. About half of them, mostly the more subtle
ones where they sounded more Strokes-like, I liked quite a bit. But some of the other
ones veer into the hard rock/metal area a bit much for my taste. My favorite song
of the night was No Hard Feelings, which is also my favorite from their They Were
The Sons EP. I can definitely see them having some success and outgrowing clubs
this size. It was worthwhile checking them out even though I'm not totally sold on 
them yet.

Tsar at the Derby - February 10, 2004
Mostly the same set list as the show a few nights ago. They substituted
Calling All Destroyers and You And Jim Will Hit It Off for MONoSTEReo and the 
"tripping on acid" song. Again, they rocked. For a Silverlake/Los Feliz crowd,
people were really into the show. After Tsar left the stage, they returned to 
chants of "tsar, tsar, tsar" from the crowd, which is not something that I had 
heard before. So hopefully this is a good sign that they've got some momentum
and good buzz going on as they prepare to release their second album in the spring
and try to conquer the world outside of LA.

Dealership at the Detroit Bar - February 9, 2004
Since I've only got one of their older albums I didn't know too many of the 
songs that Dealership played tonight. But this didn't stop this from being an
enjoyable show at all. Dealership does the poppy song with girl/boy vocals better
than anyone this side of Imperial Teen. Miyuki Jane Pinckard and Chris Groves
shared vocals on most of the songs with the drummer joining in from time to time.
The Detroit Bar crowd seemed to appreciate the catchy hooks and the occasional
hard rocking song even though many of them were probably there for the headliner
Satisfaction. The cover of Justin Timberlake's Rock Your Body (complete
with breast baring by the drummer) closed out a great first night of six LA/OC
shows this week by Dealership.

Tsar at Kozmos - February 6, 2004
Tsar proved again why it's one of the best bands around today, especially live.
Too bad more people don't know it though. At this hole in the wall Huntington Beach
bar, only a handful of people showed up compared to the crowds that turn up for 
their shows in LA. The small crowd made no difference to the band who ripped through
11 great songs with more energy than some bands show in sold out arenas. They mostly
showcased songs from their upcoming album, Band Girls Money. It's hard to pick the 
best songs of the show because there isn't a bad one in the bunch. My favorite of
the new crop of songs is Wrong which will be all over the radio when it's released
if there is any justice. Other new ones were Straight, the Creature in Disguise,
Everybody's Fault But Mine (not sure if that's the real title), Wanna Get Dead, and
The Love Explosion. They mixed in a few great ones from their self-titled debut also,
MONoSTEReo and I Don't Wanna Break Up. It doesn't matter if you haven't heard them yet,
just go see one of their upcoming shows (Feb. 10 at the Derby, Feb. 23 at the Good Hurt,
Mar. 7 at 14 Below).


John Easdale at the Derby - February 5, 2004
I can't believe that it had been six years since I'd seen John Easdale live.
He didn't disappoint this longtime fan except with the short set of 7 songs 
which was probably out of his control at this DIY Convention related show. Backed
by Mark Englert from Dramarama on guitar and three other band memebers, John got
the show off to an amazing start with a great rendition of the Heatmiser-era Elliott
Smith song Not Half Right. Halfway through the song, it turned into another song
(Easdale-penned or another cover, I'm not sure), and then went smoothly back into
the ending of Not Half Right. Other highlights were Rollerskating on Rattlesnakes
from John's one solo album and the Dramarama classic Fireplace, Pool, & Air 
Conditioning. John and the entire band seemed to be enjoying playing live as much
as ever which bodes well for the upcoming Dramarama shows.

Los Superelegantes at the Silverlake Lounge - September 25, 2000
It seems that each year there's one or two LA bands that I find myself going
to see every chance I get. A few years ago there was Longstocking and OtherStarPeople.
More recently, Miss Spiritual Tramp of 1948 and Tsar. Add Los Superelegantes to the
list. I had seen them twice before and enjoyed them each time, but during the middle
of this show I found myself wondering where and when they'd be playing again. 
Describing the music of Los Superelegantes is not an easy task. They are an octet that
plays mostly Spanish type music that rocks, using guitars, drums, and a couple of horns.
The vocals are handled by one guy and one girl in back and forth fashion with plenty
of emotion. These are almost more soap operas being acted out than songs, mostly done
in Spanish, with a bit of English and even some French thrown in. The female singer
called their music romantic pop. It is at once romantic, dramatic, sexy, and extremely
entertaining.

Elastica at the Roxy - September 21, 2000
If there's one thing that Elastica does not lack in their live show, it's 
energy. Even the songs from their slightly disappointing second album, The Menace,
were quite enjoyable tonight. Generator, the best song off the aforementioned album,
definitely rocked. The rest of them were a slight lull between the older songs at 
worst and great compliments to them at best. However, the true highlights were the
poppy punk songs off their self-titled debut, including Annie, Line Up, Connection,
and Car Song. While this show wasn't quite up to their amazing 1995 Whiskey 
appearance, it has been quite a while since I've seen a band get a crowd this riled
up. 

The Bangles at Spaceland - September 1, 2000
As a warmup to their upcoming reunion shows, the Bangles played this secret
show at Spaceland, thier first live performance in eleven years. They started it
off with an energetic but shaky Hazy Shade of Winter. Fortunately, they got in
a groove after a few songs and put on a good show for what they called "a public
rehearsal". Never a diehard Bangles fan (in fact I don't own any of their 
albums), I went into the show thinking I'd only know a few radio hits. I was
soon reminded of three songs that I had forgotten about; If She Knew What She
Wants, In Your Room, and Eternal Flame. Manic Monday and my favorite Bangles 
song, Hero Takes A Fall, both sounded great. I was surprised that they played
megahit Walk Like An Egyptian given the emotional baggage that it supposedly 
carries (hey, I watch Behind The Music too!). The four of five new songs even
sounded quite decent. I have no point of reference as far as Bangles shows go,
but they put on a fun, entertaining show and the diehards there gave it a 
rousing approval so I take it this was a good one.
  

Tsar at The Liquid Den - July 1, 2000
How Tsar ended up playing in a Huntington Beach bar with surfboards hanging
as decorations and most people wearing shorts and t-shirts (if not Hawaiian
shirts), I'm not quite sure. For a while I wasn't sure if anyone here even knew
who Tsar was, but eventually it became clear that they did have a dozen or two
fans here. Not the same turnout that a Spaceland show would get, but that didn't
stop the guys from rocking. Playing a majority of their debut album, they roared
through Calling All Destroyers, MONoSTEReo, and Silver Shifter, eliciting cheers
from all in attendance which was great to see. They ended the night with a great
rendition of Kathy Fong Is The Bomb, much to the delight of the devoted in the
room. With an opening slot for Duran Duran around the corner and the release of
their album, it might soon be a memory when you could see Tsar in a little place
like this.


Eleni Mandell at Silverlake Lounge - June 20, 2000
Apparently there's been a buzz about Eleni Mandell for quite a while, but
I have just begun to catch on. Clad in a gown fit for a prom and armed with
just an acoustic guitar, Mandell played a ten song set in front of a devoted
and supportive throng that packed the small bar. The PJ Harvey comparisons that
I had heard are not unwarranted. A few of the slower songs could remind one of
Harvey's more subtle moments. The country feel to a few songs also brought Carla
Bozulich circa the Geraldine Fibbers days to mind. But enough comparisons. 
Mandell's songs and her chanteuse singing style proved that she is her own 
woman. At one point, she tossed an Eleni Mandell t-shirt to someone in the 
crowd and playfully stated that it would be worth a lot of money in a few years.
I had a feeling that in the back of her mind she wasn't kidding around and that
she knows exactly where she's headed.


OtherStarPeople at Spaceland - June 17, 2000
There must be some type of conspiracy against OtherStarPeople. They've
played lots of shows over the last few years to gain a following, released
a darn good album, have former members of well known bands, and seem to have
good connections and management that gets their music great exposure in movies,
tv shows, etc. Yet, the turnout tonight at Spaceland bordered on the pathetic.
Maybe because they've played so many shows in LA, people don't feel the need
to rush out and see them because they know they'll have another chance. But I
still expected to see more people. On top of the small crowd, the band was only
allowed to play for about thirty minutes. They wanted to play five more songs
near the end but were told that they could only do two, even though they were
the headlining band and it wasn't even midnight yet. This is the same club where
Beachwood Sparks didn't even hit the stage until almost 1 AM the night before.
I just don't get it. Regardless of having everything working against them, the
band still put on their usual good show. I just fear that they aren't going
to deal with the apathy of the people much longer and that they'll decide to
move on to other ventures.


Juliana Hatfield at the Troubadour - June 13, 2000
Beginning with 1995's Only Everything, I started falling off the Juliana
Hatfield bandwagon just a bit. It's not that the subsequent material has been
bad, but it just hasn't done much for me the way that her first few solo albums
and the Blake Babies stuff did. Tonight didn't really do too much to change 
that unfortunately. Hatfield put on a decent show that consisted mostly of
by-the-book versions of songs from her simultaneously released latest albums, 
Beautiful Creature and Total System Failure. After a while it was hard to
distinguish one song from the next though. Again, not that they were bad. Just
nothing amazing. Somebody Is Waiting For Me was one of the few new songs that
did stand out. Hatfield's 1993 hit My Sister ended up getting the biggest 
reaction, so perhaps I wasn't alone in my feelings. Being a longtime fan, I
still have a soft spot in my heart for Hatfield and I have trouble not rooting
for her. Perhaps with the Blake Babies regrouping, she will write some songs
that bring me back among the most devoted.


Bangs at The Foothill - June 10, 2000
Despite being perilously close to Orange County, where indie rock shows go
to die, this show was very well-attended. Sure, many were there to see 
headliners The Makers while others came to see local openers The Fabulous 
Tuscaderos. Still, it was good that so many got to see the show that Bangs puts
on. Roaring through short, explosive new songs like Fast Easy Love and Sweet
Revenge and older ones like Tiger Beat, Bangs surely converted some of the 
uninitiated tonight. Loud, loud guitars and dual vocals from Sarah Utter and 
Maggie Vail take Bangs shows up to rarely matched decibel levels. Yet, the pop
in their songs still comes through. Do yourself a favor and go see a Bangs show.
Bring some friends and bring some earplugs.


Elliott Smith at The Palace - June 8, 2000
Any thoughts that Elliott Smith, saddled with a reputation as a fragile
soul, would back down from a challenge were put to rest tonight at the Palace.
First, just four days after the Lakers' big Game 7 win over the Portland 
Trailblazers, Smith and bassist Sam Coomes both donned Blazers gear (Smith in
a Steve Smith t-shirt and Coomes in a Stoudamire jersey) as if to dare the LA
crowd to put down their team. And second, Smith proved that he can rock when 
he wants to. Much like his last tour with the full band, Smith tore through
his harder hitting, but still melodic, numbers. Independence Day, Bled White,
and Ballad of Big Nothing proved to be as engaging as the acoustic versions
from previous shows. Among the highlights from his latest album, Figure 8, 
were In The Lost and Found and Can't Make a Sound, during which Smith was for
the most part accompanied only by piano, allowing his voice to stand out. The
second encore, which included acoustic renditions of Say Yes and Between The 
Bars, was also impressive. Tonight, Smith proved once again that there are many
sides to his music.


Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile at The El Rey - June 7, 2000
One of the most pleasant things about Sleater-Kinney's ascent over the last
few years is that their live show has not suffered from the move to much more
cavernous venues. The energy and intensity were there tonight just as it was
when they would play at Jabberjaw and No Life. The fact that they've given
themselves consistently good material from which to choose hasn't hurt either.
And it was from their latest release, All Hands On The Bad One, that many of
tonight's songs were culled. The rocking dual guitar attack from Corin Tucker 
and Carrie Brownstein powered Youth Decay and You're No Rock n' Roll Fun, while
the more subdued The Ballad of a Ladyman and Milkshake n' Honey were played 
with the proper subtlety, aided by Janet Weiss' always superb drumming. They 
also weren't afraid to go back into the vaults and play some songs that newer
fans might have found unfamiliar. Little Mouth, from 1996's Call The Doctor, 
was among the most powerful songs of the entire set. A set that proved that
Sleater-Kinney are still on top of their game live as they are on record.

I was very curious to see how Bratmobile would be live. I had not seen them 
during the early days before they took a few years off. But I had seen spinoff
band Cold Cold Hearts and had been rather disappointed. This was not the case
tonight. While not all their songs really translate to the live setting that
well, Allison Wolfe's largely unparalleled confidence on stage and Erin Smith's
guitar work made for a good show. I had to reach back deep to remember some of
these songs, having not listened to them for quite some time. But they came 
back quickly as Bratmobile went into ripping renditions of Love Thing, Cool 
Schmool, and Panik among others from their one full-length album, Pottymouth.
Repeated requests for Cherry Bomb ended up being futile, but this crowd seemed
to come to the same conclusion that I did. It's good to have Bratmobile back.


Lou Barlow at Spaceland - June 5, 2000
When attending a Lou Barlow solo show, especially one as casual as tonight's
first of three straight Mondays at Spaceland, you never know exactly what you're
going to get. I'm a sucker for Barlow's catchiest of songs but those were few
and far between tonight. The show didn't start out with much momentum as Lou
played two covers and four or five new songs over the din of the excessively
noisy crowd by the bar. He later went into Mechanical Man and a few other songs
that even he admitted sounded all alike. The only ones that ended up coming from
my list of favorites were Brand New Love, Think (Let Tomorrow Bee), and Free To
Go. No Ocean, Rebound, Magnet's Coil, Weird, Flame, or Skull. But the beauty of
Barlow's hefty repertoire and varied fan base is that the guy next to me may 
well have thought that tonight's set was just perfect. With Soul and Fire, 
Vampire, and Ratt's Round and Round already promised by Lou, next week's show
will surely have its own unique feel.


Gene at The Troubadour - June 1, 2000
Why did I have this strange feeling that I was at a reunion show of some
band that hadn't played for years? I guess the fact that Gene kind of fell
off the radar screen the last few years had something to do with it. They
haven't played in the US for quite some time and their third album has never
been released here. It was no surprise then that the crowd went nuts for 
the old songs, especially tunes from their debut, Olympian. For The Dead, Sleep
Well Tonight, and London Can You Wait were warmly greeted by the fans and
were highlights of the show. But the newer material was met with a good 
deal of indifference except by the regular britpop diehards. This new material
also seemed much weaker than the older stuff, which made the show drag much
of the time. I could also do without Martin Rossiter's constant prodding of
the audience to applaude. If you're good, they'll clap. Tonight Gene showed 
some flashes but weren't nearly as good as their shows back in 1995. They 
seemed more like a band on their last legs who brought out the old hits to
make the fans happy.

  
Supergrass at The Viper Room - May 20, 2000
I think I missed the memo that Supergrass is the hottest band around
these days. Not that I don't think they are worthy, I just didn't realize
that they could sell out the Viper Room, the Roxy, and the Troubadour over
a four day span, much less appear on the Tonight Show and open for Pearl
Jam. But they proved themselves tonight at the packed Viper Room in front
of a frenzied crowd. The less manic pace of their third album did nothing
to slow down their amazing live performance. Gaz and the boys sprinkled in
songs from each of their three albums, with Alright, Strange Ones, and Lenny
from their debut I Should Coco being among the best received. But Moving,
Jesus Came From Outta Space, and Pumping On Your Stereo also drew approval
from the crowd, proving that their fans are ready to follow them in new 
directions and up the rock 'n' roll ladder.


OtherStarPeople at Spaceland - May 4, 2000
While it's good to see OtherStarPeople playing shows around LA again,
I had hoped to hear some new songs. None of those showed up, but a new
bass player did in place of Junko Ito. Whether this is permanent or not,
I don't know. Anyways, OtherStarPeople still put on their customary good
show. Their onstage antics and theatrics were a bit toned down from past
shows but they still played their hard rocking pop songs with as much 
zeal as ever. Fortunately the "jelly in the donut" song is still being
included in their live set (when will this one be put on a record??) as
well as most of the songs from last year's debut album. Here's hoping
we'll hear some new ones soon.


Versus, Sissy Bar at Spaceland - April 28, 2000
I have a few Versus albums but never really listened to them much. 
But for the second time in as many shows (the last a few years ago at the
Roxy), they blew me away live. I can't even tell you any song titles, but 
I was told by someone in the know that it was a good mix of songs from their
new EP and from their first few albums. Whichever songs they were, Versus
delivered them with a fierce melodicism that would impress even the 
uninitiated. It certainly made me realize that I better go find some of 
those other Versus albums that I don't own.

Opening the show was LA pop stalwart Sissy Bar. Concentrating on songs from
last year's Songs For Peeps album, including the classic Smiley (We Become), 
Sissy Bar delighted the crowd with their poppy tales as always. Their final
song, a cover of Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice, brought down the house. Well, 
maybe it didn't quite bring down the house but I never tire of hearing their
saccharine take of life on the street.







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