Corey Feldman and the Angels. Buffalo Rose. 06.23.17 The Goonies and Stand by Me are two of my favorite films from childhood. The Lost Boys is right up there as well. Corey Feldman was the coolest kid I never knew in those formative years. But then Gleaming the Cube happened. Sure, it was an awful movie, but you couldn’t convince… Read more →
Clams Casino. Cervantes. 09.17.16 DJ sets have always been an enigma to me. They make sense in the context of encouraging people to dance in a club, or creating the proper atmosphere at a party, but when DJs setup on stage at a venue that primarily caters to ‘live’ acts, it always seems false to me. There are exceptions though.… Read more →
LCD Soundsystem. Red Rocks. 08.02.16 / 08.03.16 When Chuck Klosterman interviewed James Murphy prior to LCD Soundsystem’s farewell performance, he presented the idea that while bands (and people) are mostly remembered for their collection of successes, they are defined by their singular failure. When Murphy was posed with the question of his own defining failure, the film cuts to footage… Read more →
Sufjan Stevens. Red Rocks. 07.18.16 As his voice rose to the heavens above Red Rocks, “because he is the Lord, cause he is the Lord,” massive feathered wings grew from the back of Sufjan Stevens. Reaching for the full moon above, they spread open to receive the night, while Stevens’ angelic voice mesmerized the congregation. And then the dancers grew… Read more →
Santigold. Ogden Theatre. 03.24.16 In real life, Santi White is a 39-year-old mother who lives in a Brooklyn townhome with her snowboarder/musician husband and 2-year-old son. She prefers comfort to fashion, but loves shopping the latest styles for her toddler. To the rest of the world, she is Santigold – a star of the underground who is oblivious to the… Read more →
Autre Ne Veut. Lost Lake Lounge. 10.16.15 Arthur Ashin was slouched down in a puddle of his own emotions while singing into his arm – “No way, no way, no way you’re gonna be my baby” – the words were slightly muffled as he buried his face all the way to the brim of his backward baseball cap. The man… Read more →
alt-J / TV on the Radio. Red Rocks. 07.27.15 Every Red Rocks show comes with a ‘Rain or Shine’ disclaimer. The 2015 season has seen its share of rain (and wind, and thunder and lightning, and flooding, and downright frigid temperatures), but it has been lacking in the shine department. All of that changed last night. Rain slickers and beanies… Read more →
2014 was a very good year in music. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it was very good. There were only a few perfect albums, but there were countless attempts that came close to hitting the mark. It was the year of introspection. It was the year of the singer-songwriter. It was the year of stories (as is evident from my… Read more →
When Sam Herring spoke of breaking the artifice last night, before closing the set out with “Little Dreamer”, I couldn’t help but wonder what he meant. Everything about Future Islands is honest. Their songs and stage presence are pure life. There is something primal about what they do – something essential. Everything about the band, and the face that represents… Read more →
On March 8th, 1994, two bands released their defining albums. Trent Reznor brought his industrial project to the mainstream (and dancefloors) with a song about fornicating like an animal, while Chris Cornell solidified himself as the voice of the heavier side of alternative rock. Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden both had a following before these albums were released, and some would even say The… Read more →
The photo above best represents the image in my head of what The Knife would look like on stage. My skewed perspective came from the media that surrounded the album that first introduced me to the masked Dreijer siblings. The visual companions to Silent Shout were extremely dark and they portrayed Karin and Olof as anonymous figures in a variety of… Read more →
