September Round-Up

UPCOMING CONCERTS IN THE LA AREA, SEPTEMBER '09

9/1-2/09- John Legend
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/1/09- Mew
Troubadour, West Hollywood

9/2/09- Nine Inch Nails
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

9/3/09- The Pretenders w/ Cat Power
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/4-5/09- John Williams: Music of the Movies
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

9/5/09- Mos Def
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

9/6/09- Warped Tour: 15th Anniversary (Bad Religion, NOFX, All-American Rejects, Katy Perry)
Club Nokia, Los Angeles

9/8/09- AC/DC
Honda Center, Anaheim

9/8/09- Collective Soul
House of Blues, Hollywood

9/9-10/09- Dave Matthews Band
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/11-12/09- Sunset Strip Music Festival
9/11/09- Agustana, HoneyHoney @ The Roxy OR Talib Kweli @ Key Club
9/12/09- Korn, Chris Cornell, Pepper, Kottonmouth Kings, Shiny Toy Guns, Shwayze, LMFAO, The Donnas, Unwritten Law, Nico Vega and many more @ the Sunset Strip

9/11/09- Paolo Nutini
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles

9/12/09- Aquabats
Glass House, Pomona

9/12/09- Flogging Molly
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/15/09- Arctic Monkeys
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

9/15/09- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Fox Theatre, Pomona

9/16/09- Phoenix
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/16/09- The Killers
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles

9/16/09- Fanfarlo
The Echo, Los Angeles

9/17/09- The Gaslight Anthem
Music Box @ the Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles

9/17/09- The Airborne Toxic Event
The Fox Theatre, Pomona

9/18-19/09- Psychedelic Furs
Club Nokia, Los Angeles

9/18-19/09- Gipsy Kings
Greek Theatre, Los Angeles

9/18/09- G. Love & Special Sauce
House of Blues, Anaheim

9/18/09- Little Boots
Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood

9/22/09- Citizen Cope
House of Blues, Hollywood

9/25/09- Sonic Youth
The Foz Theatre, Pomona

9/25/09- Portugal the Man
Troubadour, West Hollywood

9/25/09- Bon Iver
Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles

9/25/09- "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" presents The Nightman Cometh
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

9/26/09- Common, The Roots, De La Soul and Ludacris
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

9/27/09- !!! Chk Chk Chk
Troubadour, West Hollywood

9/27/09- Bon Iver (Doors open @ 12AM, concert begins @ 6AM)
Hollywood Forever Cemetary, Hollywood

9/28/09- Blitzen Trapper
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

9/30/09- Datarock
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles


I have to say, the idea of seeing Bon Iver play at sunrise in the Hollywood Forever Cemetary is heavenly...

The Diamond Light- "Krotona EP"

You know that feeling you get when a friend hands you a CD and casusally says, "Hey, this is my band, you should listen to it."...it's something akin to panic and squirmy nervousness, hoping that the CD in your palm isn't absolute drivel and you won't have to subsequently lie to their face about how much you loved it. It's an uncomfortable place to be. On the flip side, the CD could be excellent, a piece of pure genius waiting to be discovered by the masses. So you put it on the stereo and hope for the best.

Which is how I came to know The Diamond Light. My friend Brian informed me that his band's EP had debuted only a few days ago, and suggested I check it out. The aforementioned conflict stirred in my gut, but I was happy to find that this band has put out a solid freshman collection of indie rock that is simultaneously raw, polished, edgy, smooth, and above all, decidedly Los Angeles with just the right splash of southern rock. It oozes up-and-coming effervescence yet manages to sound extremely practiced. There is a lot of soul in it, manifested through gritty, lyrical wordplay, fuming guitars and damn catchy rhthyms. If anything, I would liken TDL to Cage the Elephant before they hit the bigtime and whitewashed their sound.

Here's why it's important that you check out TDL, whether it be through MySpace or one of their shows: there's legitimate talent here, and bands like this deserve your time and money far more than groups who have made it big. Music is just one big cycle of artists who start their careers in dive bars and gin joints, hoping to make it, and if all goes well eventually do. Every mainstream artist you listen to today started as a nobody just like the rest of us, and with the help of fans, reached fame. Bands like this need your support. I wouldn't put them on my blog if I didn't truly believe in the notes they've played.

Website:
http://www.myspace.com/thediamondlight

Upcoming Shows:
9-8-09 @ Viper Room, 8PM
9-9-09 @ Club Moscow, 10PM
9-27-09 @ Knitting Factory (Longhair Illuminati Fest), 5PM

Hey Noel, make up your mind.

As I'm sure everyone's heard by now, Noel Gallagher, lead guitarist of the legendary Brit band Oasis, has quit the band. Again. In his official statement released on the band's website yesterday, everyone's favorite Britpop brat simply stated:

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan."

Further statements released today elaborated even further upon the circumstances of his departure:

"Dearly beloved, it is with a heavy heart and a sad face that I say this to you this morning. As of last Friday the 28th August, I have been forced to leave the Manchester rock'n'roll pop group Oasis.

The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new.

I would like firstly to offer my apologies to them kids in Paris who'd paid money and waited all day to see us only to be let down AGAIN by the band. Apologies are probably not enough, I know, but I'm afraid it's all I've got.

While I'm on the subject, I'd like to say to the good people of V Festival that experienced the same thing. Again, I can only apologise - although I don't know why, it was nothing to do with me. I was match fit and ready to be brilliant. Alas, other people in the group weren't up to it.

In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I'll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have a family and a football team to indulge.

Thanks very much.

Goodbye.

NG."

Now, as some of you will remember, Gallagher also briefly left the band in 1994 after what he viewed as a mixed-reception in response to their first American tour. Noel and his brother Liam have long been at odds, fighting off and on throughout the duration of Oasis' career, and it's a well-known fact that both Paul Arthurs and Paul McGuigan left the band as a result of Noel's prickly disposition. All in all, he's kind of a douche. Personally, I believe this is the end of Oasis. I doubt there will be any coming back from this row, though the protests and prayers of fans currently echo all over the globe. This could potentially destroy Britpop as we know it, putting an endcap on the glorious '90s anthems we still love to blast from our car speakers. Noel, I have one last thing to ask before you kill my teenage years altogether: where were you when we were getting high?

Kings of Leon

On August 22nd, I discovered perhaps the worst feeling in the world: showing up to a concert halfway through the second-to-last song. Frustration, anger, blind rage, these words don't even begin to convey how I felt. As I went running into The Forum, echoes of "On Call" were bouncing off the walls and a sense of dread pervaded every fiber of my being. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, they're already playing." By the time we had entered the venue, the song was almost over and Caleb Followill was talking in his sexy, Southern voice about the joys of playing in LA. When he introduced "Cold Desert" as the last song of the evening, I literally almost burst into tears. It was a desperate sensation unlike any other, one of both tragic unrest and horrible sadness. $60 of hard-earned cash on 20 minutes of music and idle chat from the band. I was about to go ape shit.

Lucky for me, KoL is a solid band who puts on a phenomenal concert. After the "last" song, they played a rollicking four more, including "Use Somebody," "Black Thumbnail," and "Knocked Up." To say that I was impressed would be a vast understatement; I was awed. Seeing 5.5 songs was enough to convince me that a.) KoL is one of the best rock bands on the market right now, b.) they're even better live than they are on their albums, and c.) I would blow $60 to see them play for an hour ANY day. The brothers (and cousin) put on an amazing show; Caleb's voice was raw and gritty but always perfectly on-key, Nathan and Jared fueled the Southern beats with a heavy drum and a thick bass line, and Matthew played a mean guitar with melt-your-face-off solos. I left the arena in a heady joy, happy to have seen the snippet I did. There is no doubt in my mind that after their next album is released (and God knows they've been steadily improving since the release of "Youth and Young Manhood" in 2003), I will be first in line for a ticket. And I have never said that about any band before.

As we drove away into the night, taking in the sights and sounds of Inglewood, I absorbed two valuable lessons learned that night. First, don't go to concerts with retarded people who make liquor a priority instead of seeing the concert on time. And second, never underestimate the power of a truly great performance, regardless of its length.

August concerts worth your hard-earned dough

Sorry I've been away from the blog for a bit, I've been in hot pursuit of a real job to no avail. C'est la vie. Anyway, here are some concerts in the area that I think you should check out. Summer concerts really are the best!

UPCOMING CONCERTS IN THE LA AREA, AUGUST '09

8/12/09- Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson
Diamond Stadium, Lake Elsinore

8/12/09- Jackson Browne
Greek Theatre, Griffith Park

8/15/09- Method Man & Redman with Ghostface Killah
House of Blues, West Hollywood

8/16-17/09- Depeche Mode
Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood

8/17-18/09- Flaming Lips, Ghostland Observatory, Stardeath and White Dwarfs
Greek Theatre, Griffith Park

8/19/09- Atmosphere
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

8/20/09- Jedi Mind Tricks, Reef the Lost Cauze and MC Esoteric
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

8/20/09- Tracy Chapman
Wiltern, Los Angeles

8/22/09- EPICENTER '09 (Tool, Linkin Park, Alice in Chains, Wolfmother, Atreyu)
Pomona Fairplex, Pomona

8/22/09- Kings of Leon
The Forum, Inglewood

8/24/09- Friendly Fires
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

8/25/09- Built to Spill
Galaxy Concert Theatre, Santa Ana

8/25/09- Dead Weather
Wiltern, Los Angeles

8/26/09- Cake
Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood

8/27/09- Devendra Banhart
House of Blues, Anaheim

8/27/09- Franz Ferdinand
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

8/27/09- Pete Yorn
Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood

8/27/09- Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
Echoplex, Los Angeles

8/29/09- Band of Horses, Willoughby
Fox Theater, Pomona

8/29/09- Modest Mouse
Grove of Anaheim, Anaheim

8/30-31/09- Dredg, RX Bandits
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

8/30/09- The Mars Volta
Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood

8/31/09- Bat for Lashes
Henry Fonda Theatre, Hollywood

One concert you shouldn't see? Green Day. Know why? Because they're dead to me.

Perhaps the greatest rapper of our generation

It looks like you can't keep a good Hova down. He said he was retiring, but in the same vein as Michael Jordan's departure from basketball, one retirement party simply wasn't enough. Here's to the next round of Jay-Z's career and hoping/knowing it will be just as good as the olden days...




H to the izz-O, V to the izz-A/ What else can I say about dude, I gets bizzay...