The National, The Antlers
LC Pavilion I Columbus, OH
August 2, 2010
Words by Adriana Mundy
It’s safe to say that I walked away wowed from The National’s show at the LC on Monday night. Not having seen them live before, and not being a fan of large shows, I was impressed at the band’s consistent energy and the crowd’s reciprocated respect. Continue reading
MP3: Panopticon
As mentioned here previously, Cleveland rock monsters This Moment In Black History recently released a new album entitled Public Square. I vaguely remember previous recordings being decent but lacking a certain something to keep me coming back. On the new album, however, I found more groove and variety than I expected. The frenzied, spastic, punky bursts of energy associated with their live show are still there, and they manage to fight through 13 songs in just over 32 minutes. However, within that time they also play some modern stoner rock, some darker “indie rock” that gives me some El Jesus vibes (see MP3 above), and they even toss in an old-school rap parody. The epic six-minute jam finale summarizes the proceedings quite well with a culmination of the multiple styles present on the record. The quartet fires on all cylinders throughout and lends the entire album an undercurrent of fiery soul. Maybe it’s time to dig out some of those older records.
Smog Veil Records has released Public Square on a pressing of 1000 records on marbled multi-colored wax (with MP3 download coupon), which you can pick up here or perhaps at a live show. Also available wherever fine MP3s are sold.
Speaking of live shows, the band will return to Columbus on Friday night at their current favorite local spot, Carabar. This show is part of another leg of their tour with fellow Clevelanders Sun God, but the show is also the 5th anniversary of the bar itself. So, more bands are surely taking part in the festivities, including a set from Blueprint with DJ support from Carabar Ron. This will be crazy and FREE, so who knows what might happen?
Posted in Columbus, MP3, Review
Tagged blueprint, Carabar, carabar ron, Smog Veil Records, Sun God, This Moment in Black History
The Dead Kenny Gs. An attention-grabbing band name for a band I never thought I’d see. As a self-respecting jazz/music nerd, I of course honored the concept of a trio doing war with the smooth jazz master. But this was also a band I actually wanted to see, as it featured the saxophonics of Skerik and the crazed vibraphone and percussion of Mike Dillon. I heard about the Dead Kenny Gs (the trio is completed by bassist/saxophonist Brad Houser) on sites like ropeadope.com but it always struck me as a Seattle-based local supergroup that would never release a record (let alone travel to our part of the globe). However, their debut album Bewildered Herd surfaced in October and was recently re-released by Ropeadope Digital. Eleven schizophrenic tracks that range from uptempo saxy jaunts to mellow vibed-out jams to distorted, disgruntled bursts of sound (that still groove). Although some limited social commentary is offered on “I’m Your Manager, I’m Your Pimp” and “Jake Brakin,'” the confrontational nature of the band name and some of the song titles seems more reflective of the attitude and feel of the mostly instrumental music than of some concrete message.
The second part of my hippie jazz fantasy come to life is realized on Thursday night as the Dead Kenny Gs open for Primus and Gogol Bordello outdoors at the LC. I only hear intense things about the Gs’ live show, so they should mix well with the other showmen on the bill. Doors open at 6, so get there early for the party.
Posted in Columbus, Music, Review
Tagged Gogol Bordello, Mike Dillon, Primus, Skerik, The Dead Kenny Gs
Photos by Ed Luna
Though I was very much anticipating this show, it turned out I really had no idea what I was in store for. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a set of only piano music, but Rachel Grimes (of Rachel’s) effortlessly filled the Wexner Center‘s performance space with composed, emotional, divine music. Between donewaiting, Benco and events that I accidentally end up attending, I find myself seeing more live music than ever these days. Though more often than not they are bands I enjoy hearing in my free time, I can’t help but secretly wish for the sets to pass quickly when I’m in attendance. This may be due to my busybody nature, but in the case of Saturday night, I was dreading the end of the show. Grimes proved to be a truly exquisite composer and performer live and translated a sense of calmness very well from music to audience. Continue reading
Posted in Music, Photos, Review
Tagged On Fillmore, Rachel Grimes, Rachel's, wexner center, wilco
After those great New Pornographers photos in the last post, these are going to seem strictly amateur. The Scorpions canceled their Columbus show this past Wednesday due to an illness (and some speculation that this was the smallest venue on the tour and therefore not worthwhile for The Scorpions to play) but opening act Cinderella stuck around and went from opening act to headliner. Not sure whose idea was it to make a free show, but by doing so, it insured that the LC was packed full of ’80s hair metal fans, bikers, college kids, and everything in between. The free show meant that people had more money to spend on beer, which they did, and I can’t remember the last time I saw so many fights and drunk people get dragged out by their friends and/or security. Despite this, Cinderella put on a great show, performing all the hits that fans expected (see set list below) and sounding rather good.
Continue reading
Comments Off on Photos: Cinderella in Columbus
Tagged Chip Midnight, cinderella, scorpions
MP3: Wicker Chair
2010 is turning out to be the year of the Super Desserts as Friday sees the boys and girls releasing their second album of the year, Twee As Folk. The new album returns to the path traveled by 2009 ‘s Barefoot in the Disenchanted Forest, with new handmade CD packaging in 7″ vinyl single size and a secret tale to be told by the entire package. Long song titles galore and another batch of pop ditties, this time with more hand-clapped BEATS. The release party is tonight at Wholly Craft at 7, featuring an opening set from none other than Jeff Fernengel.
Video for “Give Your Mom a Call” Continue reading
Here’s the thing about Earwig, they’ve been nothing but consistent during the course of their long and storied history as part of the Columbus music scene. Anybody who has been following the band since the critically-acclaimed 1999 CD Perfect Past Tense (yes, I am well aware that this isn’t the FIRST Earwig CD) knows what an Earwig CD is going to sound like probably even before Lizard McGee has started dreaming about his next batch of songs. And that’s all cool, fool.
The players may have changed over the years (the current lineup, with Matt Wagner on bass and George Hondroulis on drums, is rock solid) but McGee’s songwriting style, which has always reminded me of the North Carolina “scene” of the early-to-mid ’90s (I’ll be damned if I didn’t confuse a Small23 CD for Earwig a few years back – just check out “True Zero Hook” by Small23), remains intact. The first three tracks (“Trees”, “Star Cross’d”, “Not About You”) are vintage sounding Earwig.
Rocklahoma went more modern rock this year, the M3 Rock Festival in Baltimore is a 6-hour drive, and Rock N America is a plane flight away in Oklahoma, so the closest we come, in the Buckeye state, to a hair metal festival happened yesterday afternoon on the banks of the mighty Cuyahoga River in Cleveland.
Dokken, LA Guns, Trixter, and Danger Danger were the featured acts on the second night of Marc’s Great American Rib Cook Off & Music Festival and, as you might imagine, when you do the math (BBQ + beer + bands + $8 festival admission + Cleveland), you’ve got nothing but a good time (yeah, I realize that as this festival was going on, Bret Michaels was performing a show in Columbus).
View all Dokken, LA Guns, Trixter, Danger Danger photos. Continue reading
Posted in Cleveland, Music, Review
Tagged Cleveland, danger danger, dokken, hair metal, la guns, trixter
Photos by Kirk Kline
Pictured: Mastodon
Dear Rock on the Range,
I have totally developed a serious love/hate relationship with you over the past two years, this year was way better than last year and I had the best fucking time/the worst fucking time. I met a lot of straight up cool motherfuckers and a lot of straight up uncool motherfuckers.
Rock on the Range 2010 also solidified my belief that there are two kinds of people in this wonderful world we live in-Dudes that get it and motherfuckers that straight the fuck up do not. Guess which campground I camp at??? Continue reading
Posted in Columbus, Music, Music Festivals, Review
Tagged Deftones, Helmet, Kirk Kline, Limp Bizkit, Mastodon, Mistress Juliya, Rob Zombie, Rock on the Range 2010, Slash
Photos by me
Pictured: Band of Horses at Nationwide Arena
In a perfect world, Pearl Jam would have been my first concert way back in 1992 in Cleveland at Peabody’s Down Under. My bff’s older sister was the one that turned me on to a lot of new music, some good, some not so much. I have no older siblings, so I looked to her for recommendations. She was just coming off a hair metal trip-you know the story, grunge killed the hair metal star. First it was Nirvana, then it was Pearl Jam. She was super excited about the Peabody’s show and after having seen the video for “Alive,” I realllly wanted to go, but it was not to be (thanks parents!). What was to be, though, was my first Pearl Jam experience that took place last Thursday at Nationwide Arena. I didn’t find out until super last minute that I was going, wasn’t quite sure what to expect as PJ have kind of lost me over the last few releases, but I felt like I would be a fool to miss a “classic rock band of our time.” The band formerly know as Mookie Blaylock did not disappoint and the show was way better than I could have hoped. South Carolina by way of Seattle dudes Band of Horses opened the show (actually I guess Mike McCready played a couple/few songs first, but I missed that while waiting to be herded out to the photo pit for BOH). Continue reading
