(ESQ Tribal dress, Vintage metal belt, Siren gladiator heels, F21 cuff)
Monday, December 13, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Young Empires @ Steamwhistle Brewery, Toronto (November 19, 2010)
Robert Aaron Ellingson of Young Empires: photo by Michael Ligon
I went to check out Toronto electro-rock outfit Young Empires several weeks back at the Steamwhistle Brewery part of the venue's UNSIGNED Indie Music Series. My interest had been piqued by the band's song "White Doves" and after missing multiple opportunities to catch them live when I was in New York City in October for CMJ I vowed to drag myself out on a blistery Friday night down to the Steamwhistle Brewery.
I caught the tail-end of opener DVAS's set and missed the headliner Rich Aucoin, mistakenly thinking that Young Empires were the headliner, so it was a short and sweet night for me. After seeing the band live, what I wrote back in October about my impressions of the band still stood true - "White Doves" remains their piece de resistance, "a fully realized slice of melodic electro post-punk" as I put it, and that makes it one of the best singles/songs of 2010. As a band they did exude a certain amount of energy onstage, with exhuberant guitar playing and keyboard noodling from member Matthew Vlahovich being most notable. While singer Robert Aaron Ellingson made a valiant effort to maintain the urgency of the performance, it seemed he lost track of his vocals because he seemed out off-key at times. I'm interested in seeing what this young band may bring and if they tighten up the loose ends they may just live up to the hype.
Eye Weekly and Lithium Magazine have reviews of the show.
Untold City has uploaded a video clip from the show.
Photos: Young Empires @ Steamwhistle Brewery, Toronto (November 19, 2010)
MySpace: Young Empires
Summerdaze
This weekend was spent between a festive family gathering at my cousins amazingly quaint home (with the gorgeous pool), a lovely roast with my friends and spending quality time with the boy. How could i ask for more? With the weather being so pristine, I'm so ready and rearing for the beautiful summer ahead! No more miserable winter nights with my slippers next to the heater. I want to spend all summer in the water and the sun. So far I'm making plans for the Christmas/new years period and I can't wait for the celebrations to begin!
I simply cannot believe how fast this year has gone, how much I've changed and how much i have to look forward to. I have big plans for next year and just hope i stay focused enough on my goals, no matter how scary they seem. But for now, I'm content with good food and great company.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Faith No More in LA - part one
So, I've decided to start with the most epic night first and work my way backward. Believe me, I have many more Hollywood tales to tell - after all, I was there for pretty much a week and every day I did something fun...at least I would hope so since I averaged about 3 hours of sleep a night.
But anyway, have to start with the best:
Tuesday, November 30th. Woke up in my kitschy cool Best Western Hollywood Hills Hotel Room - those of you who know my obsession with classic films and Jimmy Stewart will appreciate this.
Went for breakfast with my friends at the equally kitschy cool Cafe 101 downstairs. Talked about how excited we were for the show, what we've been doing over the past few days (I'll get to it!).
Lots of my friends went to go wait in line for the concert even though it was like 3PM and the doors were at 7PM. Normally, I would have joined them as I did at the Warfield. Nothing like being at the front barricade. But because I had my photo pass and would be in the photo pit for the first three songs, there was no point. I'd be sorta screwed out of a good spot afterward anyway.
So I went and met up with some other friends at the bar Dillons at Hollywood and Vine - some I hadn't met before, some it was a reunion... it was fun, and $3 Blue Moons can't steer you wrong... OR CAN THEY?
Anyhoo, after that I went to meet another friend of mine at the W hotel and had some more beers with him and his neat friends in the lobby. Then it was off to get my photo pass at the venue. So much excitement in the air! Then everything was extra exciting when I was given my all access working pass - Xmas came early!
After a quick jaunt to Baja Fresh for much needed food (hadn't been able to eat much all week due to nerves), we went into the venue through the back.
First things first though - I had to pee! And where was the nearest washroom? Why in the band's dressing room. There was no one in there so I figured, why not? And you know what? The rumours are true... there really were a shit ton of fluffy white towels all over the place. It was also pretty cool to see those suits hanging along the wall of the room, waiting to make their final appearance that night.
Anyway, after using FNM's loo, we made our way downstairs to the stage where we saw Bill watching the openers Creepy Creeps. We said our hellos, then decided to catch the opening action from the VIP balcony. More free beers thanks to my overly generous friends.
Then it was showtime - into the photo pit I went. By the time they played Everything's Ruined as their third song, I was in a tough dilemma whether to rock out or take photos... I did a bit of both.
After my three songs were up, I was faced with the new dilemma of where to watch the show. The crowd, though a bit lackluster, was swarming and I didn't feel like getting moshed on with all my equipment. And so, I had the chance to watch the band again from the side of the stage, just as I did in Finland.
This wasn't my first choice... you do feel a bit removed from this position, however the side stage at the Palladium is very open so I had a nice unfettered view of the band - really couldn't get any better than that. Plus, no one squishing into me.
Except Kirk Hammet of Metallica, Scot Ian of Anthrax, Matt Wallace (who produced The Real Thing, Angel Dust, among others) his sweet wife Melodie (perfect name, eh?), Danny Devito and Jerry Cantrell.
Yes, that was my company. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water! I actually texted my bf while I was standing next to Jerry. Now my bf does not get starstruck over ANYONE but he loves Alice in Chains and Jerry, so he texted back "OMG TELL HIM I LOVE HIM AND I LOVE HIS GUITAR TONE!"
Naturally I told Jerry this. He was very appreciative, a very nice man. Hasn't aged a day, looks great.
Also had a chance to talk to Matt's wife who promised to share me studio stories about the making of Angel Dust, how Faith No More reunited in her living room, how she's known Patton since he was a 21 year old punk... really cool stuff.
Then of course there was Danny Devito. He was standing next to me at the end. And I couldn't help but tell him how much I loved him in Ruthless People (shut up, it's a good film - Judge Reinhold!) and of course Romancing the Stone et all. He was nice though I was probably distracting him from the concert. Then I said "So can't wait to see Always Sunny in Philadelphia at Coachella" and he said, "Yup, we'll be there."
There's a scoop for ya! Though I thought their appearance was pretty much guaranteed.
More memories from side stage... watching everyone wave their arms for "Just a Man" and being absolutely floored by Patton's performance of "This Guys in Love With You."
Oh, I did manage to take this cellphone photo*...
Then the show was over - party time! We waited for the band to be ready (waiting with Metallica, Anthrax, Alice in Chains.. kind of surreal...I'm not gonna lie) and piled into the little back room they had for the friends and family. This was a fairly small event which was cool. I remember seeing all of Bill's family there which was neat - his brother is super nice and I was like, "well you've got to be Bill's brother." Looks exactly like him.
Funny moment - I was reaching for chips and dips just as Puffy was. I said hello and was about to say "Remember me" when Puffy said (in that utterly sly way of his) "I remember you! You tried to get our lead singer drunk."
PHffff. Where did he get that impression from?
Oh right. Well, I didn't force him to drink the stuff.
Anyway, from this point in I had more beer and my memory gets a little spotty. But here's what I do remember: I remember talking to my friends who were also backstage with passes, I remember talking to Tim about this and that, Finland, our crafty friend Svetlana, I know I was discussing something interesting with Patton (when I wasn't standing with my back to him for most of the night - yeah, I don't know what was wrong with me). And yes... he remembered me. This time.
We were all backstage for a very long time... in fact my friend and I were the last to leave with Patton and Tim and we walked back to the hotel together. I totally thought a crowd of people would have been waiting outside for Mike when we left but no one was there, which was kind of strange. So, back to the hotel...that's when the crew thought it would be a good idea to get the hotel to open the bar... even though it was almost 4AM. THANKFULLY the hotel had the sense to not open the bar at that hour for a group of drunk rockstars (and a drunk rock journalist). That would have been chaos.
It was late anyway... I was walked home back to my hotel at about 5AM. An epic** night.
*I know this post is lacking in photos - would you believe I just didn't take any? Even though I had several cameras on me lol. I guess you could say I was soaking it all in, which isn't a bad thing, but it turns out... I really should have taken some photos, just to remember the little things. Oh well. My friend did take photos... me backstage talking to people (Patton, maybe, I don't know), and I know there's a photo of me on the side stage with Jerry Cantrell. But I think the photos are being held for ransom ;P
I did take some pictures the last night though... and that post is coming up soon.
**need to stop using this word.
PS Did I mention I finished writing the sequel to my book while I was in Palm Springs (right before I left for LA)? 92,000 words baby! I'm a super proud parent... can't believe I've written TWO books in the course of one year... that's nutty! Maybe I'm not the epic** procrastinator I thought I was. Nah...
But anyway, have to start with the best:
Tuesday, November 30th. Woke up in my kitschy cool Best Western Hollywood Hills Hotel Room - those of you who know my obsession with classic films and Jimmy Stewart will appreciate this.
Went for breakfast with my friends at the equally kitschy cool Cafe 101 downstairs. Talked about how excited we were for the show, what we've been doing over the past few days (I'll get to it!).
Lots of my friends went to go wait in line for the concert even though it was like 3PM and the doors were at 7PM. Normally, I would have joined them as I did at the Warfield. Nothing like being at the front barricade. But because I had my photo pass and would be in the photo pit for the first three songs, there was no point. I'd be sorta screwed out of a good spot afterward anyway.
So I went and met up with some other friends at the bar Dillons at Hollywood and Vine - some I hadn't met before, some it was a reunion... it was fun, and $3 Blue Moons can't steer you wrong... OR CAN THEY?
Anyhoo, after that I went to meet another friend of mine at the W hotel and had some more beers with him and his neat friends in the lobby. Then it was off to get my photo pass at the venue. So much excitement in the air! Then everything was extra exciting when I was given my all access working pass - Xmas came early!
After a quick jaunt to Baja Fresh for much needed food (hadn't been able to eat much all week due to nerves), we went into the venue through the back.
First things first though - I had to pee! And where was the nearest washroom? Why in the band's dressing room. There was no one in there so I figured, why not? And you know what? The rumours are true... there really were a shit ton of fluffy white towels all over the place. It was also pretty cool to see those suits hanging along the wall of the room, waiting to make their final appearance that night.
Anyway, after using FNM's loo, we made our way downstairs to the stage where we saw Bill watching the openers Creepy Creeps. We said our hellos, then decided to catch the opening action from the VIP balcony. More free beers thanks to my overly generous friends.
Then it was showtime - into the photo pit I went. By the time they played Everything's Ruined as their third song, I was in a tough dilemma whether to rock out or take photos... I did a bit of both.
After my three songs were up, I was faced with the new dilemma of where to watch the show. The crowd, though a bit lackluster, was swarming and I didn't feel like getting moshed on with all my equipment. And so, I had the chance to watch the band again from the side of the stage, just as I did in Finland.
This wasn't my first choice... you do feel a bit removed from this position, however the side stage at the Palladium is very open so I had a nice unfettered view of the band - really couldn't get any better than that. Plus, no one squishing into me.
Except Kirk Hammet of Metallica, Scot Ian of Anthrax, Matt Wallace (who produced The Real Thing, Angel Dust, among others) his sweet wife Melodie (perfect name, eh?), Danny Devito and Jerry Cantrell.
Yes, that was my company. Talk about feeling like a fish out of water! I actually texted my bf while I was standing next to Jerry. Now my bf does not get starstruck over ANYONE but he loves Alice in Chains and Jerry, so he texted back "OMG TELL HIM I LOVE HIM AND I LOVE HIS GUITAR TONE!"
Naturally I told Jerry this. He was very appreciative, a very nice man. Hasn't aged a day, looks great.
Also had a chance to talk to Matt's wife who promised to share me studio stories about the making of Angel Dust, how Faith No More reunited in her living room, how she's known Patton since he was a 21 year old punk... really cool stuff.
Then of course there was Danny Devito. He was standing next to me at the end. And I couldn't help but tell him how much I loved him in Ruthless People (shut up, it's a good film - Judge Reinhold!) and of course Romancing the Stone et all. He was nice though I was probably distracting him from the concert. Then I said "So can't wait to see Always Sunny in Philadelphia at Coachella" and he said, "Yup, we'll be there."
There's a scoop for ya! Though I thought their appearance was pretty much guaranteed.
More memories from side stage... watching everyone wave their arms for "Just a Man" and being absolutely floored by Patton's performance of "This Guys in Love With You."
Oh, I did manage to take this cellphone photo*...
Then the show was over - party time! We waited for the band to be ready (waiting with Metallica, Anthrax, Alice in Chains.. kind of surreal...I'm not gonna lie) and piled into the little back room they had for the friends and family. This was a fairly small event which was cool. I remember seeing all of Bill's family there which was neat - his brother is super nice and I was like, "well you've got to be Bill's brother." Looks exactly like him.
Funny moment - I was reaching for chips and dips just as Puffy was. I said hello and was about to say "Remember me" when Puffy said (in that utterly sly way of his) "I remember you! You tried to get our lead singer drunk."
PHffff. Where did he get that impression from?
Oh right. Well, I didn't force him to drink the stuff.
Anyway, from this point in I had more beer and my memory gets a little spotty. But here's what I do remember: I remember talking to my friends who were also backstage with passes, I remember talking to Tim about this and that, Finland, our crafty friend Svetlana, I know I was discussing something interesting with Patton (when I wasn't standing with my back to him for most of the night - yeah, I don't know what was wrong with me). And yes... he remembered me. This time.
We were all backstage for a very long time... in fact my friend and I were the last to leave with Patton and Tim and we walked back to the hotel together. I totally thought a crowd of people would have been waiting outside for Mike when we left but no one was there, which was kind of strange. So, back to the hotel...that's when the crew thought it would be a good idea to get the hotel to open the bar... even though it was almost 4AM. THANKFULLY the hotel had the sense to not open the bar at that hour for a group of drunk rockstars (and a drunk rock journalist). That would have been chaos.
It was late anyway... I was walked home back to my hotel at about 5AM. An epic** night.
*I know this post is lacking in photos - would you believe I just didn't take any? Even though I had several cameras on me lol. I guess you could say I was soaking it all in, which isn't a bad thing, but it turns out... I really should have taken some photos, just to remember the little things. Oh well. My friend did take photos... me backstage talking to people (Patton, maybe, I don't know), and I know there's a photo of me on the side stage with Jerry Cantrell. But I think the photos are being held for ransom ;P
I did take some pictures the last night though... and that post is coming up soon.
**need to stop using this word.
PS Did I mention I finished writing the sequel to my book while I was in Palm Springs (right before I left for LA)? 92,000 words baby! I'm a super proud parent... can't believe I've written TWO books in the course of one year... that's nutty! Maybe I'm not the epic** procrastinator I thought I was. Nah...
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
NYC & CMJ (October 23-24, 2010)
School of Seven Bells @ Santos Party House, NYC: photo by Michael Ligon
For the record, let's wrap up my fifth and final day in NYC and CMJ, which took place over a month ago. Perusing some of the notes I jotted down in my iPhone, time and datestamped 2 am on October 24, I wrote:
"Today it was Broadway and back to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the Brooklyn Vegan day party and wandering, the back to the Lower East Side to the Cake Shop, a walk on the
While the previous four days all had it's high points, the fifth day/night was a near perfect experience to end off my trip. The Brooklyn Vegan day party at Public Assembly in Williamsburg began for me with a satisfying solo set from Ted Leo, with the added bonus of Ted asking me to hand him his drink part way through which I did successfully without dropping it and making a fool of myself. I stayed at Public Assembly for a few more set including a satisying though energetically muted set from Australian indiepop group The Crayon Fields with lead vocalist Geoff O'Connor mentioning that their setlist was written up on napkins then made a humourous remark (in his slightly fey, dry tone) that the set would be 'very clean' (or something along those lines). Injecting the festivities with a good dose of energy was Nashville's Heavy Cream featuring a 3/4 female membership who played a thoroughly enjoyable set of old school punk rock and a snarling female lead vocalist. Met a girl who worked at Criminal Records in Atlanta who I chatted with in between sets and then I headed out to the main room which was packed to catch what I could of Titus Andronicus' set. Back to the Lower East Side and Cake Shop I went to try to catch an afternoon set from A Classic Education who's set I either missed or never happened so I grabbed a beer before heading out to wander the neighbourhood. I took a relaxing walk to the middle of the Williamsburg Bridge as the sun went down, then grabbed a delicious pulled pork sandwich at Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop part of which I'd scarf down as I waited for the first band to come on at Santos Party House, for The Windish Agency CMJ showcase.
That final night, while featuring some more than decent acts, also included some sporadic socializing and I guess when one's in a strange city all by one's self, it does somehow motivate one to come out of one's shell. So yes, I did get to talking briefly with a cute Asian local girl with a camera and then a lengthier conversation with a bubbly Chicagoan lovely who I was standing beside near the front of the stage. The music was almost an afterthought, but overall the band lineup made for a musically varied and satisfying evening. Although the first band Los Angeles' Superhumanoids I thought had a terrible name, they did prove to be a satisfying musical act with boy-girl vocals and a dreamy pop sound to boot. Knoxville, Tennessee trio Royal Bangs seemed hell-bent on bringing the rock after the first band, and somehow live seemed a little less interesting than what I'd heard on their MySpace. Local up and comers Cults were the first band I was interested (and as it seemed so were many others in the audience also eagerly awaiting them) this night in seeing live and their stripped down brand of Motown-ish indie pop did impress in the end.
Rounding out the night were two Brooklyn acts that really need no introduction to most of you, first with dream-pop shoegazers Asobi Seksu who played a blistering set with the stage enguled in purplish and reddish hues, then rounding out the night was School of Seven Bells(the duo of Alejandra Deheza and Benjamin Curtis, with touring drummer Zachary Saginaw) with their sultry, rhythmic, electro-fied, guitar driven dream pop, who could very well be my new favourite current band if only I ever get around to buying their most recent album, this year's Disconnect From Desires. The occasion was made even more special as the band's drummer Zachary Saginaw announced to the audience that he had something important to ask his girlfriend, and after several tense minutes of waiting for his girlfriend(who was apparently backstage somewhere) to come on to the stage, everyone knew what was about to happen and he asked her to marry him to which she did say yes. The band continued on with an encore, and then it was over. I decided to end things off on that high note, so no late night sets for me since I had to get up the next morning to pack and get to the airport. Much thanks to the random people I met, to all the bands I saw during the festival who put on great sets, and to well the New York City for being it's wonderful, diverse and spectacular self. We shall meet again.
Photos: NYC & CMJ (October 23-24, 2010)
MySpace: Ted Leo
MySpace: The Crayon Fields
MySpace: Heavy Cream
MySpace: Superhumanoids
MySpace: Royal Bangs
MySpace: Asobi Seksu
MySpace: School of Seven Bells
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