Damone, Further Seems Forever, the Juliana Theory, the Ataris (04.28.03)

the Band: Damone, Further Seems Forever, the Juliana Theory, the Ataris
the Date: Monday April 28, 2003
the Venue: 9:30 Club (DC)

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

Damone opened. They are a Boston band consisting of Noelle (vocals/guitar), Dave Pino (guitar), Vazquez (bass), and Dustin Hengst (drums). They put on a nice rock show. I picked up their E.P. at the merch table.

Then came Further Seems Forever. These guys, Jason Gleason (vocals), Josh Colbert (guitar), Derick Cordoba (guitar), Chad Neptune (bass), and Steve Kleisath (drums), put on a great show.  I can't say I'm a huge fan, but it was entertaining.

Next up, the Juliana Theory played a great show. The Juliana Theory is Brett Detar (vocals/guitar), Chad Alan (bass), Joshua Fielder (guitar), Josh Kosker (guitar), and Josh Walters (drums). I was a little familiar with this band as I had picked up their 2001 E.P., Music From Another Room, some time ago while cruising the music stacks of Cactus Records in Houston. I liked the E.P. and really enjoyed seeing them live.

The headliners were the Ataris. The Ataris are made up of Kris Roe (vocals/guitar), John Collura (guitar), Mike Davenport (bass), and Chris Knapp (drums). They were touring to support the release of their recent album, So Long, Astoria. They put on a great show. They’re not really my thing (a little too pop-rock), but frontman, Kris Roe, is from Indiana, so I felt obliged to see this show.

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … best I could do): Unopened Letter to the World / 1.15.96 / IOU One Galaxy / So Long, Astoria / I Won’t Spend Another Night Alone / Between You and Me / In This Diary / Your Boyfriend Sucks / Make It Last / Summer Wind Was Always Our Song / The Boys of Summer (Don Henley cover) / All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know / ENCORE / The Saddest Song / Teenage Riot / San Dimas High School Rules / Astro Zombie

If I die tomorrow
Will this song live on forever? …

the Flaming Lips (04.20.03)

the Band: the Flaming Lips
the Date: Sunday April 6, 2003
the Venue: 9:30 Club (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Ridiculous! Fun! Amazing show! It was rock theater at its quirkiest! It was the Flaming Lips!

The Flaming Lips, consisting of Wayne Coyne (vocals/guitar), Michael Ivins (bass), Steven Drozd (drums/guitar/keyboard), and Kliph Scurlock (drums), is a rock band out of Oklahoma. To call the performance by the Flaming Lips at the 9:30 Club a concert is like calling the Mona Lisa simply a painting. This was an event that felt like the rock’n’roll equivalent of a revival meeting. There was video playing nonstop on a giant screen behind the band, giant balloons bouncing among the crowd, confetti cannons, crowd surfing inside a giant plastic bubble, fans in animal costumes danced on the stage, weird hand-puppets that made you feel uncomfortable, smoke and lights filled the air … it was one bizarre circus!

The Wayne and the boys were touring to promote their recent album, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, so much of the set pulled from that album, but there were a lot of tunes from the Soft Bulletin album as well. They even got the crowd to sing Happy Birthday to some of the attendees! My favorite tunes of the evening were Race for the Prize, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1, Do You Realize??, Waitin’ for a Superman, She Don’t Use Jelly (an oldy-but-a-goody), and my new favorite, Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber Optic Jesus that You Gave Me). The most memorable part of the evening was seeing Wayne crowd surfing inside a giant plastic bubble … INSANE!

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

Full setlist: Race for the Prize / Fight Test / Thank You Jack White (For the Fiber-Optic Jesus that You Gave Me) / The Gash / Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1 / Lighting Strikes the Postman / In the Morning of the Magicians / Happy Birthday / She Don’t Use Jelly / Do You Realize?? / Waitin’ for a Superman / A Spoonful Weighs a Ton / ENCORE / What Is the Light? / The Observer


Do you realize that happiness makes you cry? . . .

Portastatic, Yo La Tengo (04.19.03)

the Band: Portastatic, Yo La Tengo
the Date: Saturday April 19, 2003
the Venue: 9:30 Club (DC)

(Photo credit to Sam and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/sammich/)

Portastatic opened. This is the solo project of Mac McGaughan (formerly of Superchunk). Missed them … er, I mean him.

Yo La Tengo, consisting of Ira Kaplan (guitar/vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums/vocals), and James McNew (bass/vocals), has been around since the dawn of alternative music (i.e., the early 80’s). They were touring to promote the release of their tenth album, Summer Sun. I fell asleep during this show. I mean, I literally dozed off and almost dropped my beer. Gasp! Sorry, gang, this is just not my thing.

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … best I could do): Beach Party Tonight / Georgia vs. Yo La Tengo / How to Make a Baby Elephant Float / From a Motel 6 / Madeline / Winter A-Go-Go / Season of the Shark / Today is the Day / Tiny Birds / Don’t Have to Be So Sad / Little Eyes / Autumn Sweater / Moonrock Mambo / Deeper into Movies / I Heard You Looking / Nuclear War (Sun Ra cover)/ Let’s Save Tony Orlando’s House / You Can Have it All / Griselda / Time Fades Away (Neil Young cover)

the Music, the Vines (04.15.03)

the Band: the Music, the Vines
the Date: Tuesday April 15, 2003
the Venue: 9:30 Club (DC)

(Photo credit to someone on the internet)

The Music (that’s the name of the band) was the opening act. They were cool. I missed part of their set but I picked up one of their CDs at the merch table.

The Vines were the main attraction. They are an Australian alt-rock band consisting of Craig Nicholls (vocals, guitar), Patrick Matthews (vocals, bass), Ryan Griffiths (guitar), and Hamish Rosser (drums). They were obviously supporting their debut album, Highly Evolved. The set was fun and I danced around a bit. I especially liked Get Free, Outtathaway! and the band’s take on Ms. Jackson, a hallmark of rap duo Outkast.

I’m sorry, Ms. Jackson, I am for real . . .

Ex-Models, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (04.06.03)

the Band: Ex-Models, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
the Date: Sunday April 6, 2003
the Venue: Black Cat (DC)

(Photo credit to Peter and his Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/people/peter_skinnywolves/)

I missed the ex-Models completely. Oops.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, consisting of Karen O (vocals), Nick Zinner (guitar), and Brian Chase (drums), are the quintessential minimalist, lo-fi, New York indie band. They were awesome and perfectly suited for the intimate Black Cat.

Karen O was outrageous! Songs like Date with the Night and Rich although great on the recent album, Fever to Tell, seem to gain new life as Karen danced her way through them. Describing Karen as energetic barely does justice to what she actually achieves on stage. It’s like watching a punk rock superhero as she whizzes from corner to corner; crawling, leaping, high-kicking. Everyone in the crowd fell head over heels in love with her, myself included.

My favorites of the night were Date with the Night, Y Control, Our Time, and of course the big hit, Maps.

Full setlist (not from this show, but from a show around this time … sorry, best I could do): Shake It / Kiss Kiss / Cold Light / Date with the Night / Bang / Rich / Art Star / Mystery Girl / Man / Black Tongue / Y Control / Maps / ENCORE / Blow Hard / Miles Away / Our Time


Wait, they don’t love you like I love you . . .

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 swapped instruments 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 . . .