South San Gabriel, One (1) Baptist General, Centro-Matic (11.19.08)

the Band: South San Gabriel, One (1) Baptist General, Centro-Matic
the Date: Wed November 19, 2008
the Venue: Rock and Roll Hotel (DC)

(Photo credit to Ash Crowe and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/ashcrowe/)

South San Gabriel opened. Now, that’s a bit misleading because South San Gabriel is actually an offshoot project of the headliner, Centro-Matic. The difference here being they take four core members of Centro-Matic and add a few additional members to go for a more subdued sound. Their set was well played and a great way to start out the night.

The lead singer from the Baptist Generals, a small indie band from Centro-Matic’s hometown of Denton, Tex-ass, played solo acoustic next. Get it? He was just One (1) Baptist General. Ha! Anyways, I don’t know much about the Baptist Generals, but I like what I heard.

(Photo credit to Ash Crowe and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/ashcrowe/)

Centro-Matic took to the stage around 10:30 and played a full hour and a half. The band consists of Will Johnson (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Danbom (vocals, violin, keyboards, bass), Mark Hedman (bass, guitar), and Matt Pence (drums). These guys have been making killer music for some twelve years and they played killer music tonight.

This was probably the best Centro-Matic show I’ve seen. Will and the band were in good spirits and kept referring to their joy over the recent Obama win. Ahhh, another reason I love these guys. I feel like they played just about all of my favorites. They even performed the English Beat’s Save it for Later in their encore that took everyone by surprise and blew most of us away.

Full setlist: Love You Just the Same / Fountains of Fire / Call the Legion in Tonight / Flashes and Cables / Good As Gold / Mighty Midshipmen / The Rat Patrol and DJs / Quality Strange / I, The Kite / Covered Up in Mines / Calling Thermatico / Saving a Free Seat / Supercar / Blisters May Come / Strahan Has Corralled the Freaks /ENCORE / Save It For Later (The English Beat cover) / ?

just a reminder to all of us
that you ain’t the superstar
that we once thought you were ...

the Warlocks, the Black Angels (07.02.08)

the Band: the Warlocks, the Black Angels
the Date: Wed July 2, 2008
the Venue: Rock and Roll Hotel (DC)

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

The Warlocks opened. We caught only part of their set. It was nice. They’re friends of my future brother-in-law’s band, the Vandelles … I think.

Anyways, the Black Angels were awesome! They’re also friends with the Vandelles … who isn’t, right? I first caught wind of this band when I started dating my fiancé a few years ago. She told me about her brother being in a band and how they’re on this Psychedelica compilation CD. One of the other bands on the CD was the Black Angels. I must have listened to Black Grease a million times. We’ve seen them a few times before, including under the blazing sun at Lollapalooza 2006 and down in Austin at a small club during the Austin City Limits Festival 2006 (Austin is where they’re from by the way). Needless to say, we love ‘em!

This show did not disappoint. It was loud, pulsating, and full of energy. This little quintet from Tex-Ass is nothing short of pure psychedelic rock and roll. Many of the songs were from their recent release, Directions to See a Ghost. My favorites were Black Grease (of course), Manipulation, Doves, and The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven. I’m sure the rest of the crowd left the club as I did, with ringing ears and a grin on my face. Thank you, Black Angels … thank you.

Full setlist (as best I can figure): Manipulation / You On the Run / The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven / Mission District / Black Grease / Doves / Science Killer / Young Men Dead / Surf City (revisited) / Never/Ever / ENCORE / The Return / You in Color

TURN ON, TUNE IN, DRONE OUT (from the Black Angels’ website) ...

These United States, the M’s, Centro-Matic (06.18.08)

the Band: These United States, the M's, Centro-Matic
the Date: Wed June 18, 2008
the Venue: Rock and Roll Hotel (DC)
 

(Photo credit to Jeremy Johnson and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/specialedge/)

There were two opening bands, These United States and the M's. We totally missed These United States, but caught the last half of the M's set. They were pretty darn good. I think they're from Chicago. There were a lot of fans there just to see the M's I think, cuz the crowd thinned a bit after they finished … what fools they were!

Centro-Matic came on stage around ten-ish and simply rocked the socks off of everyone there. The band is from Denton, Texas and consists of Will Johnson (lead vocals, guitar), Matt Pence (drums), Mark Hedman (guitar), and Scott Danbom (synthesizer, bass guitar). Just so you know, these guys have another band called South San Gabriel made up of the same foursome but adding a few additional friends to the mix. Will Johnson has also put out some solo work and in 2006 toured around with the indie rock "supergroup" known as The Undertow Orchestra, which included members David Bazan (of Pedro the Lion), Mark Eitzel (of American Music Club) and Vic Chestnutt.

I've been a big fan of Centro-Matic for some time now … ever since I saw them open for My Morning Jacket in a little club in Houston called the Engine Room back in 2004. They have been around for something like twelve years and just released their 8th album Dual Hawks (a split/double album with their alter-ego South San Gabriel), that's aside from the 4 Centro-Matic EPs, the 3 South San Gabriel albums, and the 2 Will Johnson solo albums. These Texans have put out a whole heck of a lot of music!

(Photo credit to Bill Ellison and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billellisonphotographer/)

The show was nothing but entertaining. There were sweet serenades and kick-you-in-the-crotch rock and roll tunes. No matter what, Will's raspy singing and signature kicks carried us through the nearly two hour set. The setlist itself was a perfect blend of the new and old tunes. My favorites were To Unleash the Horses Now, Flashes and Cables (simply AMAZING), Rat Patrol and DJs (nice tune), Supercar (absolutely must be heard live), The Blisters May Come (they completely rocked the crap out of this song), and of course All the Lighting Rods (which Will sang solo with an acoustic guitar). What a show! Please, Will, bring your trucker cap full of rock and roll back to DC … we'll keep the porch light on for you.

Full setlist: Post-It Notes from the State Hospital / Fountains of Fire / To Unleash the Horses Now / Flashes and Cables / The Mighty Midshipman / Rat Patrol and DJs / I, The Kite / Argonne Limit Co. / All Your Farewells / Calling Thermatico / Strychnine, Breathless Ways / Guillotines Hung Together / Supercar / Huge in Every City / Strahan Has Corralled the Freaks / The Blisters May Come / ENCORE / All the Lightning Rods

if we found the time
if we found the merriment
if we found the words
we'd scratch them in new cement ...

Ambulance LTD (04.07.08)

the Band: Ambulance LTD

the Date: Mon April 7, 2008

the Venue: Rock and Roll Hotel (DC)

 

(Photo credit to Keri Beckwith and Spin.com)

Over three years have gone by since the NY-based band played to a DC audience (at least since I saw them play at the Black Cat with Elefant back in August 2004 … but I guess they opened for the Killers at the 9:30 Club in October 2004 – I didn't see that show). However long it has been, the boys in Ambulance LTD clearly did not forget us. Well, I should say singer Marcos Congelton (the only remaining member from the original group) did not forget us. Their set, like the band itself, was a mix of old and new. Of course, they played fan-favorites like Heavy Lifting, Stay Where You Are, Anecdote and Primitive (The Way I Treat You). They also played plenty of new tunes like Upsetter, Dark Energy, and Ivy … you can listen to some of these new tunes at their (a-hem) MySpace Page or at their website. The show was grrrrreat; an absolute solid performance that had everyone tapping their toes and bobbing their heads (which everyone knows is practically a standing ovation for any DC crowd). We left the club happily looking forward to the band's next visit. When does their new LP come out? Oh yeah, as their MySpace page declares, very, very soon …….

I suppose I should mention the opening acts. We completely missed the first band, Bear Hands (no offense, guys). The second band, Wild Light, was shite. I don't think it was due to equipment malfunctions either (despite their petulant cries to the contrary). Oh well, we were there for one band and one band only … Ambulance LTD.

So, relax ... don't think about it ... the way I treat you . . .