On November 19th in Portland, Dawes shook down the Doug Fir Lounge. es plays with a hauntingly precious blend of Laurel CanyonIf you don’t know Dawes, get on it. A four-piece band of young whippersnappers from Los Angeles, none older than 23; Daw harmonies, Americana soul, and dash of rock n’ roll.
To those who get a glimpse of Hollywood and some of its residents through reality shows and supermarket tabloids, the place must seem like a bottomless pit of shallowness. While there is plenty to validate such thoughts, it’s a big town that also caters to those looking for something with substance. Many of these types could be found at the Music Box on November 5th, where Gov’t Mule brought their annual west coast run to a spectacular close.
Seated on stools at either side of the stage with third member Arthur positioned in the middle, they were three equals; more like friends jamming together at a local bar; with not Harper or Dhani being the focus of the evening. If anything Arthur played perhaps the larger role, handling a good deal of the vocals and banging occasionally on drums when not playing his guitar.
Lately when Bob Dylan plays his adopted city he has chosen to do so in theaters or gardens, but the smallish Terminal 5 was the perfect choice this Thanksgiving season; you could tell the intimacy added to the legends performance. With the consistent rhythm of Tony Garnier the band flowed along, allowing Charlie Sexton to roam free before sliding into duals with Dylan’s keyboard. More of a bluesman then most would like to admit, the roadhouse style of rollicking was on display plenty tonight.
what Scott Stapp actually did was pull himself up by the bootstraps and prove to the people standing in the Hard Rock that he was a man who has not always been a saint but who cares enough about them that he would sit on a stage and give them every ounce of energy he had to send them home satisfied.
7 Walker's chemistry was magical, both the old and new material came alive, and the intimate setting put the audience right in the middle of it. For Papa Mali, this band might be the greatest project he had been a part of. For Matt Hubbard, it’s a great opportunity to showcase the music scene his talents. For George Porter Jr., it’s a chance to explore a whole new sound. For Bill Kruetzmann, it has already proven that there is surely life after The Dead.
Yeah, the Gorillaz threw down and it made for of those shows that went by too fast, as the visual and audio stimulation was non –stop. These studio caressed songs weren’t built for touring, but Gorillaz did a masterful job of reproducing these complex songs into live A+ winners.
While the Aladdin’s sound is crystal clear and is a wonderful place to see a concert, the number of empty seats impacted the energy. Only a third full, the Mazda2 tour could have rolled into the Doug Fir Lounge and blown up. However, “beggars can’t be choosers”, or “haste makes waste”, whatever mom used to say. Mayer Hawthorne and the County are movin’ on up.
A crisp autumn breeze swept the streets just outside the El Rey Theater where indie fans were beginning to gather. Anticipation growing along with the hum of riffs to come emanated from them. They had come prepared to dance their way into the early hours of Halloween. Some people took notice of this special occasion and dressed appropriately. A proven fact as a guy wearing a pig nose walked to the back of the line shortly followed by Minnie Mouse. But these people were not here to see silly costumes, little did they know they wouldn’t have a choice. No, they had come to see Portugal. The Man.
As I listened to Kevin Lyman speak, I couldn’t believe that New Noise Santa Barbara was only in its second year. His conference session was informative and entertaining, just like the others. The founder of Warped Tour engaged his active listeners into the history of his famous tour, and stated that the current music industry is much like it was 15 years ago.
