Went to The Virus on Friday.. FUCKED SHIT THE FUCK UP IN THE PIT.
I have so many bruises and scrapes I look like a penitent flagellant.. so cathartic. so worth it. I LOVE good underground punk shows. The scene is so unique. Maybe I'm nostalgic for the days when I could be so free, so liberated, so not giving a fuck. I can't live that chaos life, but it sure was fucking fun those years I could.. I am a born saboteur, punk was the epitome of that for me.. Its totally misunderstood. All that physicality I don't think can properly be called violence, because its all LOVE. Punk shows are probably more fun, more friendly, more positive feeling than EVEN REGGAE SHOWS.. I missed that so much. I wish I could get back into the scene, but those days are past. I got to get up for work and teach a bunch of kids all the time, can't afford to get drunk and stay up all night partying..

I get the privilege to go to like, one good punk show a year, and the last time at Subhumans I couldn't get in the pit because I had a broken rib.. well. I got into the pit, but I didn't last long and couldn't get that into it. Friday? I think I went all out and stayed in for almost every song to make up for it...

Oi Polloi is going to rip it up next week.. looking forward to getting some more bruises.

Horse Latitudes and Conan.
HEAVIER FUCKING METAL.

missed mac demarco cause I was sick
damn

Just returned from Lubomyr Melnyk in Cologne. He played in a tiny venue which used to be a strip club apparently, on a tiny standup piano. I arrived kind of late, 10 minutes before the start, and the only place left to sit was the best place in the house! On the floor at 1 meter next to the piano. Those Germans are so weird :D



If you ever have a chance, go see this man!

I went to see How To Dress Well for work, I had to record it and man was he awful.

M favorite part about punk shows is that its just one big chorus, everybody is always singing along every word together


Oi Polloi fucking destroyed it! This bar was way too crowded, and worth it.

This was hardly even a circle pit, more just total chaos, but when it was a circle it was good enough for Deek to notice and mention how they don't have circle pits at punk shows in Scotland.. They even sang two songs in fucking Gaelic yo! The best part about watching videos from a different perspective is the random people diving off the stage about 100 fucking times.. epic. I always love the opportunities to see obscure and rare international bands playing and shit clubs in LA on weeknights. Its almost historic. And what is more important, total fun!

"Cheers.. Cheers.. uhh.. thank you very much indeed, I think I speak for everybody and say this is the best fucking concert we've done in fucking years! we're very touched and very thankful.."


Word, we were equally as touched, it was all time good punk, like I ain't been to in ten years at least

here is more

I just fucking love oi punk.. really any anarcho, crust, and some crusty street.. too much fucking fun! I want to go to TSOL/Anti No-Where League next week buts its about 100% guaranteed that some Boneheads will be there..

^sounds grand.



The Knife fucking killed it tonight. the opener was a dood who 'warmed' up the crowd for the show. he was amazing. got everyone moving...quite literally....and really got the crowd involed with not only the show but with each other. we we're talking, singing, dancing, and holding eachother.....ALL during the 'opener'. He really made everyone not give a fuck what they were about and get ready to really just have a great time....and it worked. people were groovin'(including yours truly) and had an awesome time at the show it seemed. I loved it.
(thanks cakes)

Mogwai was crazy good last night. I haven't listened to their two newest albums but I really enjoyed those songs. "Mogwai Fear Satan" was massive. My ears hurt today but I overheard their sound guy saying they're normally much louder.

saw htrk a couple of nights back, one of the better shows I've seen them play (having seen them play maybe 10 times since they moved back from europe??). played exclusively from the new album, presumably because they really are pushing this as a whole new iteration of the band, with the sound being very rich with a FUCKLOAD of bass, actually quite a loud show even by their standards. also nice to see them play in such a big venue, baby's got traction once more...

Loop delivered.
Easily one of the best things I have ever experienced in my life.

Acid Mothers Temple


The Dandy Warhols


Pink Mountaintops

^Nice pics!
Just got back from the second day of the Austin Psych Fest. Got up close for Bardo Pond which was very moving. This was my first time getting to see them, I only wish they could have played longer. My girlfriend and I made a little sign while we waited for them and got to give it to one of the brothers.
We saw Mono, another we haven't seen before. Really enjoyed that one, very powerful.
Then we went back for Acid Mothers Temple. Crazy, crazy, crazy. At the end Kawabata lit his guitar, and the cymbals on fire.
Bardo and AMT all played on a stage in front of a creek. For AMT they had a huge projection onto the trees on the other side of the creek. Very trippy.
On another note, Sonic Youth by far had the most shirts worn at the festival. Nothing I haven't seen in their store except for a green Confusion shirt.

Lucky you getting to go......what a gorgeous setting.

must spread rep.

Fucking awesome. YOu met Makoto! They'll be here next month I think?

lots of music over the long weekend.
highlights:

Bill Orcutt playing acoustic set in a church at edition mego showcase at donaufestival. First time I've seen him live... big yes!
Compound Eye were good.
Jackie-O were surprisingly enjoyable too.

Best thing about the festival where the art installations though.
Spent a good hour in Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie Music Temple:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2Fb7Oktyrc


The Macular Parsec is a good machine too!


Huge fucking dreammachine...
http://vimeo.com/76590337

downside:
Blixa and Fennesz both were dissapointing + they start to really look alike.

I like it and yet I'm conflicted, human musicians could have done something just as interesting musically, but I guess that is sort of the opposite of the point isn't it? This is electronic yet acoustic music simultaneously, as an art piece it is brilliant. As a musical composition? Its just ok..

I disagree. I think you can't really separate the music from the source here. Spent an hour at the installation and the music was never the same (no repetition - of course, the structures were the same, but always differently mixed together, and very well mixed at that).

Went to a performance last night....stuff from composer Kotoka Suzuki.
piano con moto was performed. Shimmer, Tree(piano and electronics) was also performed. Trickling piano keys started the piece gently, but the end became really intense with cluster'd notes and glitches. There was also a piece performed with a recorder, and another with a cello. The recorder piece was better than expected, and the cello was great. The piece was very quiet, but sooo serene. Enjoyed it very muuch.

andy stott. was sick. comprised of predominantly new material, a lot of it very heavy on junglist breaks applied to the drugged out techno aesthetic he's made his own in the last few year. also a fair few millie & andrea joints made their way into the set.

Hi!

Saw the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion yesterday.
They played at la Machine du Moulin Rouge, in Paris.
I didn't know the place - a lovely place, with lots of nooks and crannies on the way to the stage. Lee Ranaldo'll be playing there tonight.
We stood at the top of the 4 steps that lead to the pit, and clearly saw everything (including that big haired guy turning around every 30 seconds to shout something to a future ex-friend who lost patience after 40 minutes and slapped him away from him before exiting the place).

Camilla Sparksss opened. She wants to be loved. What she has to offer didn't convince me.

French 2some band Catfish followed, and were more appreciated. He plays the guitar and percussions at the same time, she sings, plays bass (only on one or two songs) and drums. A deep voice. Their heads haven't blown out of proportion.

Spencer was in a very good mood.
In 1998 their show was excellent, I was a Judah Bauer worshipper then.
Then they started recording not-so-good albums with that producer who's a friend of Keith Richards. Their show for the Plastic Fang tour wasn't too disappointing, but Bauer looked like just any professional guitar player.
They reformed and toured in 2011. In Saint-Brieuc, Spencer seemed mad at Bauer for being, what, too slow to follow him? not as involved as he wished him to be?
In Nantes, in 2012, it was slightly better, as Spencer's main complaints concerned the soundmen.

So, yesterday: no sound problem, room for Bauer to show he's good. Still, Judah didn't connect much with Spencer. Spencer didn't act like he wanted to be the man who had to be the main focus though.

They played new stuff, unless the material on Plastic and Damage is not as plain as I remember (haven't played these albums much). Something that might be called "Talk about the bass" was quite good.
They played the Beastie Boys "She's on It".
Russell Simins sang a whole song, pounding his drums.
They opened with "2kindsa Love", played "Feeling of Love-Sweat-Get Your Pants Off" in that succession, during the main set. Some ad libs as the audience responded well. "Black Mold" was brilliant. I liked a new song that sounded different but can't tell you how.
The encore comprised "Afro", "Bellbottoms", "Identify", nada off Acme, "Fuck Shit Up" and that talk about the bass thing that was fine.