9/30/09 - The Airborne Toxic Event, Henry Clay People, Red Cortez

...at The House of Blues.

Red Cortez, from LA, opened up. Really enjoyed it. Sometimes very U2-like, but most songs were high-energy, bluesy garage-y rockin tunes. Very entertaining.
Next up was Henry Clay People, also from LA. Meh - not so much. Also very high-energy rock, but a little less melodic, less structured, and not as aurally pleasing as Red Cortez (at least, to me).
The Airborne Toxic Event headlined. My third time to see them. Gawd, I love this band. And what an absolutely killer live show. See here and here for prior write-ups, so I don't have to repeat myself. Amazing stuff.

3/17/09 - The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, Henry Clay People

headed to the Loft, mainly to catch the greatness of The Airborne Toxic Event. knuckles came with.

first things first - for the love of all that is holy, will someone please install a goddam exit to Lamar from west-bound I30? dear gawd, what a pain in the ass. my map and instructions had so many moving parts it made my head hurt.

anywho, Henry Clay People, from LA, was up first. some nice, good-timey rock-n-roll, with a touch of the south. 'twas pretty good, tho not exactly my thing. got peeved when they closed with a cover of 'Honkytonk Women' - can't stand it when a band closes with a cover.

Alberta Cross, from Brooklyn, was up next. Some soulful, good-timey rock, maybe a bit darker than HCP. definite hints of CSNY. 'twas pretty good as well.

The Airborne Toxic Event headlined, and omg, this is now my Favorite New Band (move over (ever so slightly), Frightened Rabbit). what an awesome performance. an amazing collection of soaring, dark, catchy, anthemic, beautiful songs. absolutely wonderful violin playing, love the deep voice on the lead. my gawd, what a fantastic, uplifting experience. i was in heaven for the whole set. even knuckles was clapping along and woo-hooing for the band, something i'm not sure i've ever seen. it was just that damn good.

9/28/08 - The Fratelli's, The Airborne Toxic Event, Electric Touch

headed to the HOB for the first time on sunday to catch airborne toxic event and the fratelli's.

knuckles and the piledriver came with - woo hoo! look out, ladies!

no pics this time - apparently no one takes the "absolutely no cameras" rule seriously, as i was about the only joker in the place to not have one. bouncers didn't care at all, at least until the fratelli's played. weird.

'twas really an awesome night, probably one of the best shows i've ever been to. not that all 3 bands were exactly my taste, but you gotta love a show in a "real" venue, with an actual stage, incredible sound system, and cool light show. but i really think the difference was the crowd - there's just somethin great that happens when the whole crowd gets into it, and they're not afraid to actually move around a bit, or throw their hands up in the air and clap with the band. yea, i know this is old news to you folks that have been to a lot of "big" shows, but it was a revelation to me. i dono, i thot it was just a great vibe that night. maybe it was cuz i was plastered, but i don't think so. (i was getting peppered with some rather salty text messages the whole night, which definitely added to the excitement).

first up was Electric Touch, from austin. absolutely loved these guys. very beatles-esque, i think. bunch of young punks, super-cocky, incredible stage presence, snarly, strutting, doin the whole "usin your guitar as a phallic symbol" thing, all to great effect. wasn't expecting to like these guys, but goddam i did. great set full of fun-time rock-n-roll. about the lead singer's british accent, knuckles says "man, i gotta get me one of them".

next up was the highlight of the night for me - The Airborne Toxic Event, from CA. totally in my wheelhouse - moody, anthemic, beautiful, haunting. i was in heaven. definitely have a weakness for a band with strings. didn't want it to end, couldn't get enough.

headlining was The Fratelli's. i was not necessarily a huge fan of theirs goin in (that's the piledriver), but i absolutely loved their set. very polished, very talented. played an hour and a half, changin guitars every damn song ('sup with that?). no matter - they were great, and the crowd really seemed to know their stuff, which made for a really fun set.

i was prepared to hate the HOB - i'd heard about the security checkpoints, expensive parking, expensive drinks, ticketbastard charges, sterile environment, etc., but i have to say, i loved it there. about the only complaint was the ticket "convenience charges" (what a racket). everything else was no problem - i found a meter right in front, i did my drinkin before i got there, security was no big deal, and it was smoke-free. i'm not givin up my trips to deep ellum or denton any time soon, but i won't hesitate to go back to the HOB either.