Mooney Suzuki, Jimmy Fallon, the Strokes (11.26.02)

the Band: Mooney Suzuki, Jimmy Fallon, the Strokes
the Date: Tue November 26, 2002
the Venue: DAR Constitution Hall (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Mooney Suzuki was the first opener. I totally missed this set. Bummer!

Then Jimmy Fallon performed … yes, the guy from Saturday Night Live. He just sang a bunch of songs in a super-high pitch, wearing white pajamas. I chuckled at the first tune, but then the rest of his set was just annoying. Not sure why he was touring with these bands.

Then, the Strokes finally took the stage. They started with Last Nite and the crowd went nuts. The show was fun. The band seemed a little tired of playing the same tunes. They were way more energetic when I saw them in Houston back in January. Still yet, it was a good show.

Full setlist: Last Nite / The Way It Is / I Can't Win / Is This It? / Hard to Explain / New York City Cops / Ze Newie / The Modern Age / You Talk Way Too Much / Someday / Alone, Together / Trying Your Luck / Meet Me in the Bathroom / Barely Legal / Soma / Take It or Leave It

on top of this I ain’t ever gonna understand . . .

the Bennies, David Lovering, the Reid Paley Trio, Frank Black & the Catholics (11.23.02)

the Band: the Bennies, David Lovering, the Reid Paley Trio, Frank Black & the Catholics
the Date: Sat November 23, 2002
the Venue: Black Cat (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Holy Crap! I totally missed the opening acts including, the Bennies, the Reid Paley Trio, and David Lovering, who performed his magic/science show!! For those who know their Pixies history, Lovering was the band’s drummer. I heard his show was something between a mad scientist and performance art. Cool! I picked up a couple of cds for the Bennies and Reid Paley at the merch table, but I was still bummed to be so late.

Frank Black & the Catholics were amazing. Great show. I think I still enjoyed the time I saw them in Houston back in April a bit more, but this was a great show. They were supporting their two recent albums released simultaneously, Devil’s Workshop and Black Letter Days. My favorites of the evening were Cactus, Monkey Gone to Heaven, All My Ghosts, and 85 Weeks. It was a long set … awesome!

Full setlist: All the Tired Horses / Gouge Away / Freedom Rock / There Goes Nadine / How You Went So Far / Cactus / Men in Black / Black Letter Day / Steak n Sabre / Monkey Gone to Heaven / Bullet / Southbound Bevy / California Bound / Cold Heart of Stone / Manitoba / Whiskey in Your Shoes / Velvety / Hermaphroditos / I’ve Seen Your Picture / Horrible Day / All My Ghosts / Solid Gold // ENCORE // Farewell Blend / Valentina & Garuda / 85 Weeks / End of Miles / Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl cover)

Sitting here wishing on a cement floor
Just wishing that I had just something you wore . . .

Groceries, Division of Laura Lee, the Dismemberment Plan, the (International) Noise Conspiracy (10.28.02)

the Band: Groceries, Division of Laura Lee, the Dismemberment Plan, the (International) Noise Conspiracy
the Date: Monday October 28, 2002
the Venue: the Engine Room (Houston)

(Photo credit to Jaakko Suomalainen and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/87903450@N00/)

I decided to go to this show only because I knew of the local band, Groceries. Little did I know that I was about to witness one of the best collection of live acts I’ll ever experience.

Groceries opened the night. They are absolutely the best indie band in Houston. The band is made up of Matt Brownlie (vocals/guitar), Erik Bogle (guitar), Blake Powell (bass), and Thomas Clemmons (drums). They did not disappoint this night. Great opening.

Division of Laura Lee came on next. They are a post-punk band out of Sweden. The members are Hakan Johansson (drums), Per Talberg (guitar/vocals), Jonas Gustafsson (bass/vocals), and David Fransson (guitar vocals). They were wild! Awesome!

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

The Dismemberment Plan was third. They are an indie band out of Washington, D.C. D-Plan or The Plan is made up of Eric Axelson (bass), Jason Caddell (guitar), Joe Easley (drums), and Travis Morrison (vocals/guitar). I had never heard of these guys before, but they completely rocked the Engine Room. Their stage presence is just awesome. I really liked how they switched up who was playing what during different songs. Who knew that I’d have to go to Houston to find one of the best D.C. bands?

(Photo credit to Shoko Ishikawa and her Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/shokoishikawa/)

Finally, the (International) Noise Conspiracy finished off the night. The (International) Noise Conspiracy are the anti-capitalist freedom fighters of the Swedish garage rock revolution. The members are Dennis Lyxzen (vocals), Inge Johansson (bass), Lars Stromberg (guitar), and Ludvig Dahlberg (drums). They were un-freakin-believable! Easily one of the best live acts I’ve seen. My favorite tunes were Smash it Up, Up for Sale, Born into a Mess, and, of course, Capitalism Stole My Virginity. I even loved the propaganda, their best story was about how some right-wing magazine in Sweden ranked the best and worst songs about freedom … the best was some song by the Scorpions … the worst song? … Capitalism Stole My Virginity by the (I)NC! Damn, I wish I were a Communist! Power to the People! Long live the (International) Noise Conspiracy!

Full setlist for the Dismemberment Plan: Gyroscope / Ellen and Ben / Angry Angel / Time Bomb / The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich / You Are Invited / The Other Side / The City / A Life of Possibilities / OK Jokes Over

Full setlist for the (International) Noise Conspiracy (not from this show, but from a show around this time … best I could do): A Northwest Passage / Bigger Cages, Longer Chains / Up for Sale / Smash it Up / Born into a Mess / Capitalism Stole My Virginity / Will it Ever be Quiet / A New Morning Changing Weather

What have we done? Money’s on the lookout for number 1 . . .

Guster, John Mayer (09.03.02)

the Band: Guster, John Mayer
the Date: Tue September 3, 2002
the Venue: DAR Constitution Hall (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

I was more interested in seeing Guster than John Mayer, but let’s be honest … I am a closet John Mayer fan. Both performances were entertaining. I was drawn to the Guster show, but that may have been because the crowd was overwhelmingly teenage girls who were there to see John Mayer … a part of me just didn’t want to connect with that group.

Anyways, this was the first time I had seen Guster after enjoying their CDs. The band, Adam Gardner (vocals, guitar), Ryan Miller (vocals, guitar) and Brian Rosenworcel (drums), really put on a great show. I’m just amazed that Brian played the drums entirely with taped-up fingers. Ouch!

My favorites from Guster were Happier, Barrel of a Gun, Airport Song, and Fa Fa.

My favorites from John Mayer were Why Georgia, My Stupid Mouth, Your Body Is a Wonderland, and Neon. Yeah, they’re all kind of sappy. Oh yeah, and his cover, or rather tease, of the Pearl Jam tune, Yellow Ledbetter, was pretty cool too.

Full setlist for Guster: What You Wish For / Happier / New Song 2 / Great Escape (Brian’s bday rap) / Mona Lisa / Demons / Homecoming King / Either Way / Barrel of a Gun / I Spy / Airport Song / Center of Attention / Fa Fa

Full setlist for John Mayer: No Such Thing / Why Georgia / Back 2 You / City Love / Covered in the Rain / King of Pain >Intro intro >83 / (JM keyboard solo) Lenny > Man on the Side > Yellow Ledbetter (Pearl Jam cover) > Man on the Side / Love Song for No One / My Stupid Mouth / This Will All Make Perfect Sense Someday / Your Body is a Wonderland / 3 x 5 / Neon

goddamn you movie star
can’t you just stay a minute more? . . .

Poster Children, Imperial Teen, the Breeders (08.12.02)

the Band: Poster Children, Imperial Teen, the Breeders
the Date: Mon August 12, 2002
the Venue: Numbers (Houston)

(Photo credit to me)

I had just seen the Breeders a few days ago in DC, but I decided that it was definitely worth seeing them again … now in Houston. Just as a quick refresher, the Breeders are Kim and Kelley Deal, Mando Lopez (bass), Richard Presley (guitar), and Jose Medeles (drums).

Before I get carried away, it’s worth noting that the opening acts, Poster Children and Imperial Teen, were okay … not really my thing. I was bummed because I had heard that my favorite local indie band, the Groceries, were going to open for the Breeders, but I guess that was just a rumor. I regrettably picked up a few Poster Children CDs and a DVD at the merch table … obviously, the result of the Jack Daniels and Diet Cokes. Oops!

The newly reunited Breeders started the show with Tipp City from the Amps days. Awesome! The band continued their set taking selections from Pod, Last Splash and Title TK. As in DC, the Buffy theme and Angry Inch from Hedwig and the Angry Inch were played.

My favorite part of the night was when the Breeders were playing and I quickly phoned my best friend, Joe, and held up my cell phone so that he could hear the show … this caught the attention of Kelley and she mouthed the following to me, “Who’s that?” and I quickly responded by mouthing the word, “Mom” … this made Kelley smile. That made my night!

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … sorry, best I could do): Tipp City / Huffer / Saints / Little Fury / Flipside / Head to Toe / I Just Want to Get Along / Off You / Cannonball / Safari / Hellbound / No Aloha / Full On Idle / Son of Three / Pacer / Drivin’ on 9 / The She / Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/ Fortunately Gone / Angry Inch // ENCORE // Divine Hammer / Iris / I Don’t Care About You

no bye, no aloha
gone with a rock promoter . . .

the Breeders (08.07.02)

the Band: the Breeders
the Date: Wed August 7, 2002
the Venue: Nation (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

The Breeders, newly reunited after taking a break in 1995 and now consisting of twin sisters, Kim and Kelley Deal, backed by bassist Mando Lopez, guitarist Richard Presley, and drummer Jose Medeles, put on an amazing show. While some of the focus was on their new release, Title TK, many of the tunes came from the 1993 album, Last Splash.

It was a great show. My favorites were Cannonball, Divine Hammer, Fortunately Gone, Hellbound, and of course Drivin’ on 9 when Kelley did her best to play the violin. They also played the theme song to the TV show Buffy the Vampire Killer and Angry Inch from the glam-rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. For Angry Inch, they had Michael Cerveris, who has handled the title role in the actual musical, act as guest vocalist. That was awesome!

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … sorry, best I could do): Tipp City / Huffer / Saints / Little Fury / Flipside / Head to Toe / I Just Want to Get Along / Off You / Cannonball / Safari / Hellbound / No Aloha / Full On Idle / Son of Three / Pacer / Drivin’ on 9 / The She / Theme from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/ Fortunately Gone / Angry Inch // ENCORE // Divine Hammer / Iris / I Don’t Care About You

does daddy have a shotgun
he said he’d never need one . . .

Victims of the Modern Age, GoGoGo Airheart, Groceries (07.02.02)

the Band: Victims of the Modern Age, GoGoGo Airheart, Groceries
the Date: Tuesday Jul 2, 2002
the Venue: Mary Jane’s (Houston)

(Photo credit to me)

Victims of the Modern Age was the opening act. They were cool.

Then, came GoGoGo Airheart from San Diego. The band, made up of Mike Vermillion (vocals), Ashish Vyas (bass), Ben White (guitar), and Jay Hough (drums), was great.

The Groceries were the main attraction. These local boys, Matt Brownlie (vocals/guitar), Erik Bogle (guitar), Blake Powell (bass), and Thomas Clemmons (drums), are the champions of Houston’s indie-music scene. I absolutely love these guys. It was an amazing show, even though the band skipped playing Kid Chemical … they did play Age of Calypso, Ferocious Vanilla, and Steambathcity. Awesome!

The world adores a simulated collision . . .

Garbage (05.16.02)

the Band: Garbage
the Date: Thu May 16, 2002
the Venue: Verizon Wireless Theater (Houston)

(Photo credit to ROCKZONE.com http://www.rockzone.com/pictures/garbage-051602.shtml)

Randomness, drew me to this show. Absolutely deciding at the last minute to go, I’m certainly glad I did.

I can’t say I know too much about Garbage. I had heard their songs played on the radio and I enjoyed Shirley Manson’s voice well enough. This show made me a fan … er, rather, this show made me realize how I was already a fan, a huge fan … of Garbage.

The show was truly a lot of fun. My favorites were Push It, Special, I Think I’m Paranoid, Stupid Girl, #1 Crush, Only Happy When It Rains, and I Just Want to Have Something To Do (Ramones cover). Who would have guessed … Garbage could be so beautiful?

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … sorry, best I can do): Push It / Temptation Waits / I Think I’m Paranoid / Special / Cup of Coffee / Til the Day I Die / Not My Idea / When I Grow Up / Hammering My Head / So Like a Rose / Shut Your Mouth / Parade / Stupid Girl / You Look So Fine / Thirteen (Big Star cover) / Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go!) / Vow / ENCORE / I Just Wanna Have Something To Do (Ramones cover) / Milk / Only Happy When It Rains

I feel good when things are going wrong. I only listen to the sad, sad songs . . .

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (04.30.02)

the Band: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
the Date: Tue April 30, 2002
the Venue: Numbers Night Club(Houston)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Russell Simins on drums. Juda Baeur on guitar. Jon Spencer on vocals. This is Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (JSBX). Punk/Blues Rock at its finest. These boys utterly destroyed Numbers.

Awesome, awesome show. Many of the tunes revolved around their latest release Plastic Fang. JSBX still mixed it up with older tunes as well. My favorites were She Said, Wail, and Afro. Later in the show Jon indulged in some of his trademark theremin play. Wacky, but he spoke to my soul with that theremin.

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … sorry, best I could do): Tore Up and Broke / Ghetto Mom / Afro / Point of View / High Gear / Wail / Money Rock ‘n Roll / Mother Nature / Hold On / She Said / Down in the Beast / Shakin’ Rock ‘n Roll Tonight / Attack / Blues X-Man / The Midnight Creep // ENCORE // Chowder / Sweet n Sour / Mean Heart / Like a Bat / Magical Colors / Killer Wolf

baby, have mercy

please don’t be unkind . . .

Frank Black & the Catholics (04.22.02)

the Band: Frank Black & the Catholics
the Date: Mon April 22, 2002
the Venue: the Engine Room (Houston)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Believe it or not, I’d never been to a Pixies show! I found myself in Houston for work (again) and Frank Black (a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. Charles Thompson) was performing in a small club. I was a HUGE Pixies fan and to be honest, I blamed Charles for their demise (who else was to blame?). Nonetheless, I was interested in catching a Frank Black show. I figured, it would be the closest I would ever come to seeing the Pixies.

The show was nothing short of AMAZING! Frank looked and sounded great. The Catholics were then made up of David Phillips (guitarist), David McCaffery (bass), Eric Drew Feldman (keyboard), and Scott Boutier (drums). The set was a perfect mix of “Catholics” material, Frank’s solo albums, and Pixies tunes. The entire set was superb, but my favorites included Headache, Nimrod’s Son, Holiday Song, Gouge Away, and Monkey Gone to Heaven. The absolute highlight of the night was a long version of Where is My Mind? … my absolute favorite song of all time.

your head will collapse and you’ll ask yourself … where is my mind? . . .

Tenacious D (04.17.02)

the Band: Tenacious D
the Date: Wed April 17, 2002
the Venue: Verizon Theater (Houston)

(Photo credit to ROCKZONE.com http://www.rockzone.com/pictures/tenaciousd-041702.shtml)

Tenacious D, the self-proclaimed greatest band in the world, rocked Houston … and, rocked it hard. Jack Black (J.B.) and Kyle Gass (K.G.) make up the acoustic, metal, rock duo. They began the night with the theme song from Flash Gordon (NICE!) and then continued to play for over two hours! They covered pretty much everything from their self-titled, debut album and the show included a couple of short films. Ridiculous! Fun! Amazing show!

Full setlist (not from this show, but from one around this time … sorry, best I can do): Flash (Queen cover) / Wonderboy / Kielbasa / Explosivo / The Wind / Karate / Kyle Quit the Band / Friendship / Dio / Lee / The Road / Tribute / Cosmic / Rocket Sauce / Fuck Her Gently / Rock Your Socks / Double Team / ENCORE / Star Trek (Alexander Courage cover) / City Hall / Beatles

It doesn’t matter if it is good, it only matters if it rocks . . .

the Big Wu, Robert Randolph, Strangefolk (04.06.02)

the Band: the Big Wu, Robert Randolph, Strangefolk
the Date: Sat April 6, 2002
the Venue: 9:30 Club (DC)

(Photo credit to Stu Karp and his Flickr page http://www.flickr.com/people/stukarp/)

This was my first tour into hippie-jam-band-land. I think it was a split-billing between the two bands, the Big Wu and Strangefolk … with a solo artist in the middle. First up was the Big Wu, made up of Chris Castino (guitar, vocals), Andy Miller (bass), Terry VanDeWalker (drums, vocals), and Al Oikari (keyboards). Then, a solo act, Robert Randolph, took the stage with his pedal steel guitar. The last act was Strangefolk who consists of Jon Trafton (lead guitar, vocals), Erik Glockler (bass, vocals), Luke “Patchen” Montgomery (rhythm guitar, lead guitar, vocals), Don Scott (keyboards, vocals), and Luke Smith (drums). I didn’t know any of the songs (well … except for the Fat Albert theme in Strangefolk’s set and I think I heard the theme for Sanford and Son in Robert Randolph’s set) or really even the bands, but the entire night was full of great energy, good tunes, and lots of dancing. The 9:30 crowd absolutely loved it! So, peace, love, and happiness, DAMNIT! I’m off to buy some Birkenstock’s.

Full setlist for the Big Wu: Break of Day / Ray Charles Can See / Boxing Day / Shoot the Moon / House of Wu / Mean Spirits / Two Person Chair / the Weight / Chateau in the Know / Roo / All Good

Full setlist for Strangefolk: Fat Albert Theme Song / All the Same / Get You Movin’ / Anchor / Water / Porch Song / Escalator / I Wish (with Al, the guitarist from the Big Wu) / Go to a Show / Paint / Carry On / ENCORE / Lines and Circles


na, na, na, gonna have a good time, hey, hey, hey . . .

the Strokes (01.24.02)

the Band: the Strokes

the Date: Fri January 24, 2002
the Venue: Verizon Wireless Theater (Houston)

(Photo credit to ROCKZONE.com http://www.rockzone.com/pictures/strokes-012402.shtml)

I was in Houston for work (I was always in Houston for work) and looking for something to do. Even though I was pretty sick with a cold, I didn’t want to miss this band that I had heard so much about. So after a little pharmaceutical strength (thank you, Sudafed), I made my way downtown to the Verizon Theater. It was all worth it.

The Strokes are from New York. They were relatively new but there was a near-hysterical buzz about them and their debut album, Is This It?. The band is made up of Julian Casablancas (vocals), Nick Valensi (guitar), Albert Hammond Jr. (guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass) and Fab Moretti (drums).

The show was great even though it was short and quick. I think they played every song in their catalog, even the “controversial” tune, New York City Cops. That was part of the excitement. These guys were so young, just starting out, and they were playing everything they had. It was perfect. I didn’t leave the show wanting more because I knew there was nothing more give. What was given was full-on Rock and Roll.

(Photo credit to ROCKZONE.com http://www.rockzone.com/pictures/strokes-012402.shtml)

This show deserves a special note: around this time, I was growing disappointed with the music scene. Though I loved the music from my college days (1990-94, fueled by DC’s 99.1 WHFS), I felt the late 90’s had little to offer … too much Offspring, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit and other screeching rap-rockers. Where did rock and roll go? Needless to say, my interest in music was fizzling out … I even started listening to a little country music. Gasp! Then, my buddy Roy made a mixed-CD for me. It contained a track from the Strokes. It was awesome! I must have played that track dozens of times. This band absolutely woke me up from my music listening slumber. Thanks, Roy … oh and thanks, Strokes, you scruffy-looking saviors of rock, you. I’m awake now.

Full setlist: Modern Age / Someday / Ze Newie / New York City Cops / Soma / Is This It? / Hard to Explain / Last Nite / Alone Together / Barely Legal / When it Started / Trying Your Luck / Meet Me in the Bathroom / Take it or Leave it

And girls lie too much
And boys act too tough
Enough is enough ...