All I can say is wow. Band of Skulls really tore it up and I love seeing UK bands in Oklahoma. They actually had the floor moving with their enormous sound. The bass player was incredible and I loved their bluesy rock sound. Very classic rock influenced. The crowd was moving and so was I. Great, great show. I recognized one song, but didn't know it was theirs. I love discovering new bands, at least new to me.
BRMC put on an incredible show. As many times as these guys have been to OK, I have never seen them live. I have always heard how good their shows were, though, and was really looking forward to this one. They played for an hour and a half and didn't stop (technically) until the encore. No audience chatter. Just solid playing. Serious endurance. In addition to the incredible music (the bass player, Robert Levon Been played the bass like a guitar at several points in the music, providing the melody), they had a great light show. The strobes nearly put the audience into convulsions, luckily, only the music did that. Fantastic show, I highly recommend putting this band on your 'must see live' list.
Went to the Granada in Dallas for St. Patrick's Day to see one of my musical idols, Jason Lytle, perform live with his new band, Admiral Radley, for their first show. Jason has joined forces with former Grandaddy drummer, Aaron Burtch and former Earlimart members Aaron Espinoza and Arianna Murray. It is the perfect fit between these new bands. I was a little apprehensive of their new sound because they were wedged between two folk acts, The Fox and the Bird and The Low Anthem. However, they did not disappoint and it's nice having a female influence in the group. Jason and Aaron took turns on lead vocals and it's just like having Grandaddy's awesome lo-fi surf rock sound back again. I have missed Grandaddy a lot since they disbanded about five years ago. During The Low Anthem's show, I was able to meet Jason and Aaron out in the lobby and there is nothing like getting to meet your musical hero for the first time. Huge, huge fan!! In addition, the Granada is probably the best music venue I have ever attended. What an outstanding concert site. All my needs were met and I couldn't have been more satisfied. I tried to post my videos to the blog, but blogger wouldn't let me, so you'll have to settle for this stripped down version and some pics. I also can't post a song, because they have not released an album yet. You can follow their shenanigans as they play 'Where's Waldo' before the album is released. There's a link to the website below. Enjoy.
In addition, I also got to witness two remarkable folk bands. The first is The Fox and the Bird. A six piece folk band from Dallas that captivated the hearts of the audience. I hope we get to see them here sometime soon.
The headliner for the night (but not my headliner, obviously) was The Low Anthem. These guys had just been at Rose State opening for The Avett Bros. I was skeptical at first, because The Avett Bros. lean a little too country for me, but I was pleasantly surprised by their Appalachian mountain music. I was even more fascinated by the instruments they were using. Some of the most unusual were the harmonium, a saw, a refurbished WWI pump organ that used to be taken into battle and the crotales, which are a cymbal percussion instrument, but instead were used with a bow to produce a strange feedback sound. Very somber and beautiful music.
Once more, I am unable to take off of life to attend SXSW, but really wish I was there. There are, as always, some amazing shows to be had. However, the benefits of staying behind are the incredible number of good shows that come through OKC, Norman and Tulsa on their way to Austin. I thought I would highlight some of these shows and, while I can't make them all, maybe you can and help support Oklahoma getting better bands to come through here and more often. I would have posted last night's show by Xiu Xiu, but haven't had time at the blog till now. So, unfortunately, that one got missed, but the festivities continue. Check this out.
Friday, March 12th
David Bazan (formerly Pedro the Lion) Headlights @ The Opolis, Norman
David Bazan used to one of the two part project called Pedro the Lion. He's from Washington and very acoustic. He's a very talented songwriter, even with the Christian overtones. Headlights are from Champaign, Illinois. I have loved every LP they have put out. This is their third tour through OKC, and I finally get to see them on this tour. I liken them to Canadian rockers Stars. They just released this new video for 'Secrets'
There is also a Penny Hill CD release party at Speakeasy. I saw Penny Hill a couple weeks ago open for Breathe Owl Breathe. While I will not be able to attend this, I look forward to getting their new CD. I love the direction this band is going.
Saturday, March 13th
Ali Harter CD release at the Conservatory with Samantha Crain there as well....this should be a great show.
Ali Harter is a local girl with a beautiful voice and she always has an incredibly raw performance. I love watching her live. Samantha Crain is also a local girl who has received some moderate national success. I have a couple CD's from both and can tell you that this is a show worth attending.
Jaguar Love, Gentle Ghost and Depth and Current at the Opolis
Don't know much about these bands...Last.fm says Jaguar Love is an experimental, post-core, art-rock band w/ no electronica influences, but I beg to differ. I find a newwave punk/electronica bent and I like it. The other two bands are from Norman and supposed to be really good, but I have yet to hear them play. They will both be at Norman Music Fesitval
MP3: Jaguar Love: Polaroids and Red Wine Not Available
Monday, March 15th
Vivian Girls, Abe Vigoda, Male Bonding, Lovvers, Shitty/Awesome @Opolis...this show will start earlier because of all the bands.
Vivian Girls are part of the Brooklyn music scene and have a strong indie following. Abe Vigoda was here about six months ago, and are an experimental, tropicali punk rock band from LA. Lovvers are a band that escape pigeonholing, so I'm looking forward to seeing them live. I'm not sure about the other two.
MP3: Vivian Girls: Wild Eyes Not Available MP3: Abe Vigoda: Animal Ghosts Not Available MP3: Lovvers: Society Jam Not Available
Sunday, March 21st
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with Pretty Black Chains and Band of Skulls at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa Pretty Black Chains are a local band that consider BRMC as one of their major influences and have had a lot of local success. They put on a great show and consider it an honor to open for their idols. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is originally from San Francisco and now reside in LA. They have gone through some minor lineup changes since their inception in 1998, but still put out classic rock, blues, gospel, garage rock goodness. I've never seen them live before, so I am amped up to see this show, I have heard great things about it.
Love Burns not available
Monday, March 22nd
The Cave Singers @ Opolis
The Cave Singers are a modern folk band from Seattle and while the press considers them to be American folk, I find a lot of British influence in their music. I love the dark melodies of this band and am looking forward to seeing them live as well.
I discovered Sparkelhorse with my penchant love for Grandaddy. Walked into Size one day and told Jim that I loved Grandaddy and Elbow and he recommended Sparklehorse's 'It's a Wonderful Life'. I listened to this album over and over again. My first trip to ACL, I got to see Sparklehorse perform live in the afternoon and bought 'Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain'. What a phenomenal album. Next year I went to Coachella and watched Mark perform at night in one of the canopies in a very intimate performance with red and blue lights as the backdrop. It was a very dark and eerie performance and I will never forget it. 'Don't Take My Sunshine Away' has been one of my favorite songs for years and always gave me hope. His music has always been dark and soulful. I've known he's battled with depression and chemical imbalance for years, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. I was hopeful because he was producing and doing so much collaborative work. Truly sad to see such an incredible artist go. His music has always impacted me either creatively or emotionally. Truly sad.
The debut album from these young kids from West Palm Beach is worth taking a listen. While their name and locale incite memories of Brian Wilson, it is only in the skeleton of their music that this reference even holds true. Incorporating many styles such as, Smashing Pumpkins, Pavement, Vampire Weekend, and Echo and the Bunnymen, this band has it all. A breath of fresh air, it will definitely make you want to 'swim until you reach the end.' They were supposed to play at the Conservatory next week, but cancelled their show for some reason. Really bummed about that, luckily their music picks me up from that gloom. I won't hold it against them.
Thanks for stopping by. I listen to entirely too much music and love sharing music almost as much as I love listening to it. The purpose of this blog is to do just that and bring you along the journey with me.
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