The west coast has been traumatized and I think I'm the only one still alive...

There are albums that you enjoy, listen to occasionally, and introduce to others casually. All is well with them. But then there are albums that become cornerstones of your life. With songs that bring back instance vivid memories of times gone by. These albums are secrets that you only share with a select few until the time is right.

Jimmy Eat World's Clarity is one of those latter albums for me. Saturated by the angry testosterone of Korn, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, etc. I was introduced to Clarity in the summer of '99. Walking into the Zia Record Exchange in Tempe while working a summer job in Phoenix, I was drawn to that record for the main reason most guys are drawn to stuff, because of a girl.

Listening to this record day in and day out, memorizing each lyric, chord, and beat, it was the record that apparently made me a romantic. She and I bonded over this record for the next two years deeply, quoting lyrics, humming the chorus in each other's presence, singing along loudly while driving in the deserts of Arizona basking in its clear night sky. This record and I have an intense relationship that sadly last longer than the one with the girl, but that's another story for me to tell when I am the right amount of buzz with the appropriate company.

So standing in the crowd at the 9:30 waiting patiently for Jimmy Eat World (JEW) to come onstage to play Clarity in its entirety for its 10th anniversary was a tense period. What will I remember, what will I forget, what the heck was I doing here attempting to relive the past in my feeble head. I was ready to leave. But when the house lights went down, I looked towards the stage, at the minimalist backdrop of black and white glowing in the deep blue light, JEW walking onstage and I stayed. With little wait, JEW jumped right into the slight hum of "Table for Glasses," followed by the drums and them all singing in unison..."It happen too fast, to make sense of it, make it last..." Truer words have never been spoken so clearly, the night was a rush.

So many things were different from the recording, the bass was louder and more intimate, the guitars were looser and reverbed a bit more, the cymbals crashed a bit longer, and Jim and Tom's voices warbled and vibrated more so. Directly going into "Lucky Denver Mint," the rhythm guitar chords were more pronounced and I could feel every string vibrate. The drums were steady, but warm, as was the bass. "Your New Aesthetic" was rife with angst and energy not present on the record. It had more life here, and a bigger following. "A Sunday," with its child-like intro, was like a warm, comforting hug that engulfed the crowd. And the crowd knew to sing loudly from the start of "Just Watch the Fireworks" just like she used to, myself included. And the riffage of "Clarity" was a whole 'nother beast, with their backs bent, sweat dripping from their brow, arms pumping into the guitars. And the crowd shaking in their stance, just waiting for that chorus to release "I don't know, but I know I want out!"

This all led up to the most intimate moment of this year for me, experiencing "Goodbye Sky Harbor" live. What can I say, the lyrics, the acoustic guitars, the drums, the fragility and yearn in Jim's voice as he sings "you are smaller, getting smaller, but I still seeeeee yooooouu." It was like having a long, intimate dinner with someone you thought was the one and you're getting reacquainted after a long period apart; with the background music sponsored by the lingering instrumental ending of "Harbor." And then it was over.

Thankfully, JEW came back after playing Clarity, playing "Work" and "Pain" fluidly from Futures, as well as "The Middle" and "Sweetness" from Bleed American, which garnered the loudest singalong from the venue. And like a message from above, "No Sensitivity" was on the set list and I sang with my entire body, eternally grateful to JEW for playing the song that helped me get over that girl.

In the end, it was organic, spacious, exhilarated all the senses, and made me close my eyes, breathe deeply, and take one giant leap forward, towards closure. Yeah, I'm melodramatic, I know.

Elegance in simplicity

With the stage awashed in hues of purple, red, blue and green, Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, seductively mesmerized the crowd with not only her beauty, but with her awe inspiring voice as well.

Backed by the Memphis Rhythm Band, Cat Power swayed across the stage, back and forth with no sense of urgency. Playfully coy with the crowd and well at ease, she crooned the night away to her latest covers record, Jukebox. No longer the so-called "unpolished" live act who had no rhyme or reason to her performance, Cat Power was subtle, brilliant, and appreciative.

Saying very little throughout the set, the show was focused on the music. And with the soul and heart that Cat Power emotes, in addition to the proficiency and adaptive nature of the Memphis Rhythm Band, no other thing was needed. With a chilling rendition of "Metal Heart," I was whisked away from the confines of the 9:30, only experiencing contentment that I have not felt in a while. And the buildup of "Lord, Help the Poor and Needy," slowly evoking memories of riding with my mother as she would listen to her gospel tapes from the car stereo, rising up to the potency of many of the "punk" bands I listen to, I was floored at where she started, and where the song took her.

On and on this went throughout the night until it could go on no more. Cat Power simply sang one great song, passed a bouquet of flowers to the front of the audience, was gracious in voice and smile, and walked off the stage seemingly happy. I left the venue, retrospective, glad, and forever in debt to Cat Power and what she gave me that night...simply a wonderful evening of heart, soul, grace, and beauty.

Check-ch-check-check-check-ch-check it out

The day before change. In a dimly light room, the heat, the smell, the sound of the crowd, and the huge, frakking sandwich I had to eat while holding a cup of beer, this is what I was in before the Beastie Boys came on stage. But when they did, laying down the track and vocals to "Root Down," everything else faded away, if only for a moment. In the confines of the 9:30 club, I experienced the majesty of a Beastie Boys for the second time in three months. If nothing else, this presidential election has afforded me this.

Now, the boys did not arrive alone, being in tow Citizen Cope and Sheryl Crow, this lineup was one of the most interesting since the last Beastie concert.

Citizen Copy, being the second time I have seen him live, is still just as mellow as the first. Only recognizing songs from his first album under Dreamworks Records, "Let the Drummer Kick" and "Bullet and a Target" were stripped down affairs consisting of only his guitar, voice and limited backtracks. They were mildly refreshing and rewarding. In a smaller venue, I believe his performance would be greater appreciated.

As for Crow, a good rock show as always. She was optimistic about our new President and rightly began her set with "A Change Would Do You Good." Slightly less political since the last show I saw her at, it was nice to focus on the music a little more this evening. "If It Makes You Happy" was a highlight for me, the intro guitar riff, the huge sing-along chorus, the drums, they were all top notch. Closing her set with a cover of "Higher Ground," it reaffirmed that the Red Hot Chill Peppers did a much better job covering that song, but she did her part in making the night enjoyable.

Now, after a seemingly long delay, The Beastie Boys came on and basically had fun for an hour. The interaction with the crowd and with each other were top notch. After 20 plus years in existence, I still feel great energy and vibe from the boys. Sticking mainly with their Capital and Grand royal years, "So Whatcha Want," "Intergalactic," "Sure Shot" still sound fresh after all those years. And taking it back to their first album, "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" was a audio delight, cutting in some new tracks and beats throughout the song, I enjoyed the travel back in spirit and time. Closing out on real instruments, they rocked an instrumental from The Mix Up, and rightfully closed out the show with "Sabotage" on all cylinders. It was great seeing them play that song live.

It was a great time, this was a sub par review, but overall, I am more than glad to see and write about the Beastie Boys.

Think Locally.........

So there I was, weary from New Year's celebrations. But from the first note of the their set, Gogol Bordello had the majority of the crowd pogoing around.

I don't remember much of the songs that whizzed left and right around me, but I do believe "Sally" was the song that kicked off the festivities. The drum beat and violin going back and forward, it provided the heartbeat of the evening. Joyous, slightly weird, but comforting and chaotic at the same time. A living oxymoron.

"Immigrant Punk" on the other hand, provided the manifesto for the evening. Showcasing heritage and pride, but without being boastful. GB were simply happy to be there playing music and that enthusiasm fed the crowd into a frenzy. "When the Trickster..." was another highlight that lasted for hours, while, in my mind. The entire band threw themselves in this song, and the crowd responded with their own fury.

It had been so long since I've been to a show like this, but the crowd was up and down, left and right, each of us sweating on each other, but never really minding. I felt 10 years younger. Still showing restraint as to not scare my company, but if given free reign, I am quite sure that my stamina and endurance would have been tested to the max.

Especially at the end when controlled chaos occurred with "Start Wearing Purple." The entire place sang along from the first verse and chorus, heads banging up and down, the crowd merged into one organism and from that point on, this would be one of the greatest encores I've witnessed.

In the end, at the end of a long tour, Gogol Bordello gave everything and I reveled in it. Truly an amazing show to begin the new year on. I am sure it will only go downhill from here, but hopefully not as well.

You fu*king Jerk!!

So, after many years and missed opportunities, I have finally seen DJ Shadow spin live. And as an added treat, Cut Chemist was there as well. Touring their final leg of the "Hard Sell," I think I chose a good time to finally be available to see them create textured soundscapes to retreat and revel in.

I came a little late to the show because I'm old and tired now after I come back from work. Adulthood really does slow you down a bit. But once I stepped up to the ticket window and picked up my will-calls, I felt young again, rad.

As I stepped through the double doors, there they were, Shadow on the left and Chemist on the right. And in front of them, eight turntables, effect boards galore, and foot pedals to ensure they just would not stand bored with their hands busy.

After a short intro video on the history of the 45, they jumped right in, slowly at first, building and removing, sort of like an architect with a pencil and pad, drawing out designs and modifying and deleting as necessary. It would be a little challenging for some, building and destroying, moving forward and turn back, to the side, up, down, all around. Then, they hit the groove on one record and off we went to music nirvana.

Now, if you haven't seen or listened to their collaborations in the past, you should know they have some sort of foundation. With Brainfreeze and Product Placement, they stuck to soul, or Funk 45s, limiting themselves so they can truly experiment with what they got and build from there.

With this tour, they stuck to 45s, but expanded their palette to include hip hop, r&b, rock, etc. And it was good. Everything from the Beastie Boys to Foo Fighters to Metallica to Aaliyah to De La Soul was included. I do not know how they found a path to go from one to the other, but it was there and they took it.

Chemist seemed a little more reserved than usual, and Shadow was being Shadow, but I guess they were mainly focused on the music. Overall, it was a good 2 hours of sounds, blips, beeps, and portable DJing that helped me escape the monotony of a Wednesday night.

so go away....

The evening was wonderful; certainly a lot better than how my day was going that Monday.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Envy Corps. They were a young group who need a bit more time to polish their sound, but what I heard that night provided a solid foundation for them to grow on. I do not know any of their songs by name, but the last and third to last song were visceral and provided a nice ambiance to counteract the band to follow. I did buy their album, so I'm anxious to listen and learn more about this band. I would be up to seeing them play again.

Vedera were okay. The lead singer was a cutie as stated earlier, their songs were pleasing. I think I might need a little more time to absorb their sound, but what I heard piqued my interest. I grabbed a copy of the free EP, so I'll give that a spin and if I like what I hear, I'll be sure to get their "official" EP off iTunes.

Myriad and I just didn't seem to mesh well together that night. Not to discredit them, but they reminded me too much of Thrice. I like Thrice, but Myriad did not distinguish themselves too much for me to identify with them. If their song came on the radio, I wouldn't rush to change the station, but I would most likely push the song into the background. Not really a general criticism, more of a "not my cup of tea" band at the moment; although the viola bow playing did remind me of Sigur Ros and Jimmy Page.

Now, Eisley was good. This was my first time seeing them live, and I was not disappointed. They played all the songs I wanted, which was nice. Highlights for me were "Golly Sandra," "Marvelous Things," "Many Funerals," "Taking Control," and "Ten Cent Blues." A little less talkative than I had hoped, but I did enjoy their focus on the music. Their younger sister performed well on an intro into a song, and I thought it was cute to see Sherri left her up. And the little vocal solo by Chauntelle was the highlight of the evening for me.

All in all, a good night of live music. I would have liked to talk with them after the show, but a show on a Monday night does not live much time for hanging around afterwards when you need to catch the last Metro home.

Unless it kicks man....

First of all, Neko was there, but she was sick and couldn't perform, that sucked. Secondly, I am in love with Kathryn Calder. Third, Okkervil River was inspiring.

Monday concerts are tricky, I mean it's Monday, so that's already a strike against the band. But Okkervil River removed the stigma of Mondays and provided a timeless environment to perform in. Digging right into the setting of DC, they began with "The President's Dead" with conviction. Seriously, I do believe I took a step back to absorb all this in. And then the politics of the evening were done with and it was just about the music. This is where the set really took off.

"It Ends With A Fall" provided romantic fodder for the couples in the crowd, and it even made my heart beat for a moment or two. "A Girl in Port" was a solid selection that only emphasized their latest album, The Stage Names, is their best yet; seriously, if you do not own this album, after reading this, go out and buy this now or download it from emusic.com.

Their strength and the greatest closing sequence of songs began with "Our Life is Not a Movie, Or Maybe." The band put their entire bodies into this song, I actually thought the drummer's head would fall off because he was banging his head so hard. This was followed by "So Real," which only added more majestic respect from me for this band. I have never heard this song with such intensity before, I still play it in my head as much as I can. And this was followed by an even better song, "Unless It Kicks." This song has more plays than any other song for the past couple of months. This song rejuvenates my love for music and even humanity because sometimes it can create such beauty as this song. And to close it all out, "Westfall." This song is ...... I can't describe it, you just have to listen to it over and over and over. The subject matter may be a bit of a downer, but I don't care because this one has heart, which I so desperately need in my life.

Now, after all this, I still had The New Pornographers to listen to. They were good, but to follow up Okkervil River is a tough task. If only they had Neko to help them bring it, but she was recovering, reminding me that musician are human to; I hate that. But Kathyrn was there to cover all the bases, and she did. She even earned a new superhero nickname of "Super Sexy Girl." And that she is, with a near even split of vocal duties, she did not disappoint and was one of the highlights of the night. She did her own spin on "Challengers" and "From Blown Speakers." It was a good night for them with her around. And I did enjoy the onstage banter Carl and her provided, the interaction between the whole band was superb.

I know I am not giving the New Pornographers justice in this one, but Okkervil River was god-like that night. See them both.

I'm just a happy kid, with a heart of a sad punk...

Now, I've seen Nada Surf multiple times, most often in tiny venues where the show is extremely intimate. This would be the first time I would see them in a larger setting with a large crowd of hopeful fans. And what do I do, I nearly miss the show; but it was for a good reason, I would've been hanging out with friends if they didn't fall asleep because they're "mature."

Anyways, I make it to the show about 30 minutes late, once again missing the opening act, and missing the first third of the set of Nada Surf. Yeah, I was a little miffed at myself for doing so. But it was also a good thing, because what song do they immediately play after my arrival. Only my most favorite song in the Nada Surf catalog, "Inside of Love." It's song selection like that that make feel like a big softie, my solution, I try to listen to as much Mastodon and Dillinger Escape Plan, yeah, I'm hardcore.

Continuing on, "Inside of Love" was just awesome in that huge setting. Seriously, I am glad I made this show and saw Nada Surf in their huge rock 'n roll environment. I thought they were good in small venues, but they owned the stage at the 9:30 club in a sold-out show. Every song sounded huge, every person in the club was feeling it and gave as much back to the band as the band was giving it out.

They even had a fox hat for their song, "The Fox." Yeah, I know, it would seem too easy, but the song is dark, yet hopeful, a nice balance of comedy and maturity.

Their encore was probably the second best collection of songs played live from one band. It mostly came from Let Go. "Blizzard of '77," "Blonde on Blonde," "Always Love," and "Blankest Year." Blizzard and Blonde were performed with musicianship that rivaled any other band I've seen. But "Always Love" had the sound and soul that for a moment of time, was unbeatable compared to any band on the planet that night. I fell in love with that song all over again like meeting a girl at a record store and she has all the albums you hate, but you're attracted to her for some reason; I hate it when that happens. But they did cap off the night with fun, hopefulness, and the energy of youth. What other song can you just sing-scream "ah fuck it!" and let it be so carefree and nonchalant? I miss that show already.

"I saw a swarm of fruit flies, I took the bag downstairs....snowflakes in the air, I'm sorry, I got no where to go...."

Virgin post

Yep, it's my first post. Here goes....

I have just completed my musical concert odyssey for March and April. It was sweet.

First off was Stephen Malkmus and the Jinks. It was a fuzz bucket of guitar riffs and minimalistic classic rock and roll that was rooted in the foundation of coolness and slacker-dom, while maybe not the slacker part.

As someone else stated, this is not your typical "dad-rock" ala Coldplay. Even though Stephen is now a father and an adult, he is still able to write and perform epic songs that seemingly drag on, but at the end of the journey, all you can say is "whoa." "Dragonfly Pie" was a scuzz soundscape that the band took to the next level and transcended the mere mortal recording on the album.

Janet Weiss is a wonderful and necessary addition to this land. Although I will forever wish to see her play with Sleater-Kinney over and over, she roots this band and sound with maturity and soul.

I wholly recommend you see Stephen Malkmus and the Jinks live and get the album now, if only for the epic-length "Real Emotional Trash." It not only summed up to me a typically day of life, but experienced live, brings a new definition to accepting parenthood and taking the next step in life.