2/21/10 - We Were Promised Jetpacks, Bad Veins, Burning Hotels

...at Hailey's

The Burning Hotels opened. If it wasn't for their sheer greatness, I'd definitely be in danger of reaching Burning Hotels burn-out status, having now seen them 3 times in as many months. But they are great, so I enjoyed the set, as usual.

Bad Veins (Cincinnati) was up next, and I absolutely loved 'em. Two dudes on stage - guitar and drums, plus a good ol'-fashioned reel to reel, providing everything else. Dark, lush, fuzzy indie pop. Awesome. The Les Savy Fan's verdict: "they're like the Killers, if the Killers weren't douchebags". So there you go.

We Were Promised Jetpacks (Glasgow) headlined. No exaggeration - this was one of the best sets I've ever seen. Label-mates with another favorite band of mine - Frightened Rabbit - they explore the same anthemic territory, but add a more powerful, beefier edge. My gawd, that dude can belt it out and make you believe, ya know what I mean? Just a totally enveloping, emotionally draining yet satisfying experience (at least, for me). Did not want the set to end. Truly phenomenal.

1/9/10 - The Burning Hotels, Marquis of Vaudeville, They Were Stars, Companion

...at Trees. Yea, so their myspace page said "Burning Hotels/Cowboys watching party", so I headed down early so I could watch the game with the multitudes, only to be greeted by a crowd consisting entirely of Trees' staff members. So the five of us sat at the bar and stared at the TV together. Good times, good times.

At half-time, Companion got things started. Squeaky-clean christian emo. Not terrible, but not at all my fing, baby.

Threatening to out-number the audience, They Were Stars was up next. Upwards of 7 people on stage, if I counted right. Completely loved this band. Led by Collin Cable (of Collin Cable fame), they played an awesome set full of catchy, crunchy powerpop tunes. Really good stuff. Will definitely look to catch them again.

Next up was Marquis of Vaudeville, formerly known as Wonderfool, which means this was my second time to see them. Really dug these guys (again). Some very well done, spacey, psychedelic, glam-y rock. Very tight & very polished - you can tell these guys have been playing together for a while. Love the voice on the lead. Check 'em out, for realz.

Last up was The Burning Hotels, who I've seen and loved many times, including just weeks ago. So - "ditto".

11/19/09 - The Burning Hotels, Ishi, The Polycorns

…at Trees. Never thought I’d step foot in the new Trees, being as how the booker only seems to book the same crappy bands that used to play at Firewater, but the good folks at 102.1 The Edge (never thought I’d say THAT) sponsor a free local show every Thursday night at Trees, so’s I went. Thought the venue was pretty nice, with really great sound (bleeding from the ears is a definite possibility).

The Polycorns opened. Loooved the Polycorns. Three-man band, lead switching between guitar and keys. Very unique voice on lead – sometimes very Thom Yorke-ish, which I love. Very unique song structures, really dug it. Bought the CD, which in my estimation, suffers from over-production on the lead vocals, but is otherwise aces.

Ishi was second. These guys were a riot. Really only two "musicians" on stage – a guitar player (who had double-duty as the laptop clicker) and a drummer. Two singers rounded out the band – one gal in 70’s costume plus a dude who I swear is the sound guy at the cavern. Anywho, these guys have the whole electro-dance thing down pat. I deemed it "music that drunk people dance to". Very fun set, that’s for sure, including a cover of "Walk like an Egyptian", in which every hot chick in the audience was encouraged to hop on stage and well, walk like an egyptian. Good times. Not really what I usually go for, but it was damn fun, I can tell you. Wouldn’t hesitate to catch them again.

The Burning Hotels headlined, and goddam, are they good. I’ve loved these guys for a while now – they never fail to put on a great show. Very polished, very catchy tunes, great showmanship. You absolutely MUST check them out, if you haven’t already. Great stuff, indeed.

4/26/08 - Red Monroe, Green River Ordinance, Burning Hotels, AM Ramblers

on the second night of my three-day live-music bender, i headed out to haileys to catch their end-of-school free show (gawd bless you, mr hailey).

first up were the AM Ramblers, a folk/bluegrass outfit wif 2 acoustics, a mandolin, a banjo, and a stand-up bass. good stuff. love the four-part harmonies. was hopin they'd do a dirge-like number (dono why, i was just in the mood for it), but alas. i dont know bluegrass too well, but i enjoyed their stuff, and they really seemed to be good at what they do.

talked to Jamie from Green River Ordinance and his (smokin hot) wife between sets. really nice dude. i cant remember much what we chatted about, but i can tell you he's a cool dude.

tons of short people in attendance, once again. tried to document it with my camera without gettin my ass kicked. the pics didn't come out - yer just gonna have to bleebe me.

next up was the burning hotels. seen these dudes before at the cavern (see writeup here). totally loved it. again, heard radiant sometimes. some great jangly stuff sometimes, too. could swear their last song (stuck in the middle) was a cover (i said the same thing the first time i saw 'em), but they told me it was theirs. i swear to gawd i've heard that song before, but i'll be damned if i can figure out where. one of these days i'll figure it out. anyhows, all of that nonsense aside, i totally fuckin loved their set.

btw, definition of a Really Bad Sign - i run out of coke, but i'm so far gone that i drink the vodker straight outta the flask. really cheap vodka, mind you. ack.

Green River Ordinance - also awesome. very polished, very tight - more so than your typical local band (apparently, they've been signed, and they recently sold out the house of blues). some great guitar-based indie pop, some songs with a tinge of alt-country. definite third-eye-blind influence. really loved it. plus which, these guys win the award for having the Highest Percentage of Drunk-ass Hot Chicks Dancin in the Audience. best turnout i've seen in a loooong time. thanks for that, boys.

Red Monroe - kicked my ass as usual (seen them too many times to count). their set is now entirely composed of their new stuff, except for Blue Mountain Air (one of my faves). love the new stuff, but miss the old stuff, too.

Black Tie Dynasty was up next, but they aint my thang, so i split.

11/1/07 - White Rabbits, Red Monroe, Record Hop, Burning Hotels

Went to the Cavern on a thursday night - never seen lowest greenville that dead, but there was actually a decent crowd at the cavern.

First up was the Burning Hotels from Ft Worth - 4-man, 2 guitars (mostly). guitar work sometimes reminded me of U2, songs sometimes reminded me of Radiant. all 3 guitarists sang at some point, sometimes all together (love that), great interplay between vocalists, nice harmonies. noticed the drummer workin overtime back there, trickin it up, great job (i don't normally notice the drummer). closed w/ cover. some really nice songs. would definitely see again.

Next up was Record Hop from denton (who i'd never seen before, despite all my trips over there), and holy shit were they good - fuckin incredible, on a totally different level. 4-man (no keys) - just dirty, grungy, bluesy, raw, the kind of stuff that just grips you by the balls, pulls you in, and doesn't let go. the word that kept coming to mind - visceral. this is not the kind of stuff i usually listen to, but damn, was i sold on these guys (and gal). speakin of that, i usually don't care for the female lead vocalist (in a rock band), but ashlee absolutely destroyed my bias on that front. fantastic set - wanted it to go on all night. definitely look forward to catching them again.

Third was Red Monroe, the band that was the main reason i had gone to the show ( i had yet to catch them since their second cd release). their first cd is easily one of my favorites out of all the cd's from local bands that i've accumulated over the last year, so i was looking forward to hearing the new stuff. i have to say, tho, that the new songs just didn't grab me like the old ones. the new songs share the same jangly guitars and whine-shout vocals, but they just seemed to be missing the hook or groove that i came to love from the first cd. it's probably because i'm much more familiar with the old songs, but whenever they played a song from the first cd, it just seemed like it was infinitely better. for some reason, the same vocal stylings that i dug on the first cd grated on my nerves on all the new songs. i don't understand that, but that's what i felt. still plan on gettin the new cd.

headlining was White Rabbits from NYC, who showed (in my opinion) why they deserve the hype (they've been on letterman). these guys are highly skilled songwriters and musicians. 6-man band, usually two drummers (and sometimes a third), giving almost an animal collective feel at some points. really cool songs.

spotted ringo starr in the crowd, i could swear. lotsa sister pants and pointy black shoes, too. seemed like everyone there was either in a band, or a friend of the band.

for the first time in a long time, made it thru the night without "using" the bathroom. yay, me.