Show Reviews

So what if both the Silversun Pickups and Smashing Pumpkins share the same acronym, have cute chick bass players and lead singers that sound sing alike and have singles that are somewhat identical (“1979” and “Lazy Eye”).  The Pumpkins are long gone, as Corgan tries to reinvent the cherub rock with Jimmy Chamberlain, but the Silversun Pickups are now, and they certainly are gaining some steam following their Coachella appearance.

State Radio graced a sold out, hometown crowd at Boston’s Avalon Ballroom to an energized set of riff-fused neo-ska-rock that showcased an onslaught of Chad Urmston’s post-Dispatch material, as well as a few well executed covers.

DJ Shadow announced a completely impromptu concert a few weeks back for a hometown audience in San Francisco at the legendary Fillmore Theater. The show quickly sold out; partly due to the fact that Shadow has only performed in the Bay area three times since his latest album (The Outsider) was released last fall.

For the uninitiated, a Cloud Cult show is a thing of beauty: the music takes on a surprisingly aggressive, almost frenetic energy, complemented by both video show and live painters, the entire package an engaging event.  Their recent gig at Seattle’s Neumo’s was no different, with the six-piece group providing an appreciative crowd with music from their most recent album, The Meaning of 8, as well as from its predecessor, Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus.

You gotta wonder how many guys have admitted – “I’d give my left nut to sing like Chris Cornell.” The former Soundgarden/Audio Slave front-man holds a Rock-God voice that ranks up with Robert Plant, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose and Roger Daltrey. Touring in support of his forthcoming second solo CD, Carry On ( June 5), Cornell played an intimate show at the Celebrity Theater, comprised of songs from three bands, two solo albums and a few special rarities.

An eclectic mix of solemn indie rockers and enthralled teenage girls made up the crowd at Celebrity Theater on Wednesday, April 11. While many shows in Phoenix fail to draw the numbers expected by avid music fans, The Shins were welcomed by a lively sellout audience for an "in the round" performance.

Seattle band The X-Ray Eyes put on a solid show recently at Chop Suey, adroitly playing songs that were clearly familiar to the audience while still making time for newer material. Their sound grounded solidly in straight-ahead rock with just a tinge of folk, the three-piece act put on a polished show.

Early on in Son Volt’s performance at The Pageant, a few things stood out that this was not going to be your run-of-the-mill Jay Farrar and Co. experience. For starters, the usually silent Farrar was talkative early on, explaining that this was a “homecoming” for him and thanking the packed house for making the trip.

Toots and the Maytals performed a hits filled set at Boston’s Avalon Ballroom, letting anyone in doubt know that this age old act is still alive and kicking. Toots Hibbert, has led the group through trials, tribulations, and plenty of lineup changes over the years, but with a catalog of genre defining songs, Toots and Co. have clearly stood tall through musical decades.

Griffin’s performance at The Pageant during her current tour supporting her new album, Children Running Through, helped further reveal to me what she is all about. She rocked in high heels.  She sang alone with her acoustic guitar.  She was passionate and humble for every moment—sitting at the piano, sliding in her heels, smiling at and with her band, feeling overwhelmed by an appreciative crowd.

Celebrating the 49th anniversary of Club Passim, John Prine performed a heart-felt performance at Sanders Theater, an age-old converted church that provided everyone in attendance with an environment that offered near-perfect acoustics, and cozy intimacy that set the mood just right.

I've wondered about their staying power and ability to emerge from behind the long shadow of Fela Kuti and assert a fresher, more developed sound. At their album-release party (for Security) at the Warsaw in Brooklyn on March 10th, all doubts were laid to rest.

Bloc Party, the U.K. band currently touring the U.S. in support of their latest album A Weekend in the City, are known for giving live performances that possess the fury of The Clash or The Buzzcocks in their prime.

As always, Benevento ranged across the keys, exploring melodies, harmonies and healthy doses of dissonance with equal skill and abandon. In the middle, Mathis anchored the sound, keeping the pace as Benevento and Dillon jockeyed for position. A consummate bass player and musician, Mathis served as the glue for the shape-shifting drums and keys.

Chris Difford, formerly of Squeeze, has written songs with the best. In addition to his longtime writing partner, Glenn Tilbrook, Difford has worked with legends Elvis Costello and Elton John. Now, out on his own with several releases to his credit, Difford made his first U.S. tour in ten years, culminating at Shank Hall in Milwaukee.

Ben Kweller recently opened for British stars Gomez at Seattle’s Showbox club, and the openers put on a show that, while technically skilled (and at times, even, intriguing), unfortunately did little to raise the heartbeat of this reviewer.

It’s hard to believe that Sonic Youth – whose two lead members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon live in nearby Northampton, MA – haven’t yet made the trip up Interstate 91 to play in Burlington, Vermont. The stars aligned and the seminal indie band made a first-time trip to the Green Mountain State for a visit to Higher Ground.

The Slip's switch from loose jazzed-out odysseys towards verse/chorus/verse-oriented songwriting has played a big part in their recent break into the mainstream. This same progression is what has led many critics in the blogosphere to obsess over the aspect that they have gone from the “Jam-scene” to the “Indie scene.

During the final day of February 2007, New Yorkers were treated to Sparklehorse’s second show in Manhattan in six months, a feat considering it took five years for 2006’s astonishing Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain to finally be released.

With a clearly undersold US Airways Center for The Who, following a Tuesday night’s sold out serving of Bob Seger, the The Who’s name couldn’t have been more relevant in Phoenix. Hello? The Who just happen to be a title contender for the “world’s greatest rock band ever” – right up next to The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Who know, maybe it’s just a Wednesday night thing. However, this is The Who, and whether its rock operas, drug overdoses, operatic falsettos, windmill guitar riffs or the long awaited new album (Endless Wire), The Who’s name speaks for itself.