Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Gauntlet Hair (4/26/12)

Going to the Grog Shop this night was as much for me to show off the venue to a visiting cousin, than really for the bands.  I'd seen Gauntlet Hair before and knew they'd be decent.  What surprised me though was how much I liked A Lull.  I had seen them before too, at Case - but it was nice to see them at a real venue.

A Lull (4/26/12)

Gauntlet Hair was fine, but honestly, by this point of the night, we were just being social.

Gauntlet Hair (4/26/12)

Make sure you catch A Lull returning to Cleveland (the Beachland) on July 25th!

Ani DiFranco (4/22/12)

I also squeezed in a trip to Buffalo for a long weekend - primarily to see Ani DiFranco in her "home" venue (Babeville).  Also, just to check out another rust-belt city that I've never been to before.  Having to do this cheap, I found myself a hostel!  The city was pretty great, though I have to admit that it did make Cleveland seem pretty cosmopolitan.  :-)

It was also being in a place where everyone actually knows who Ani DiFranco is - and acknowledges her without an immediate judgement of "oh, that angry lesbian" (which is so off the mark).  The old church venue was gorgeous.

Ani DiFranco (4/22/12)

Ani was great as usual.  This performance was just her on stage, playing a lot of new stuff as usual.  It was such a great time/space/place to be for me (except no damn cameras allowed).

Ani DiFranco (4/22/12)

Tanlines (4/18/12)

Well this is embarrassing.  I saw Tanlines over two months ago!  So let's move along quickly so I can get caught up… I got to the Grog early this night, wanting to catch this new local band called Wild Orphans.  These guys have a LOT of potential… the beats were slick and they sounded pretty good live.

Wild Orphans (4/18/12)

 Here's one of my favorite songs, of which you can download their entire album for free on SoundCloud

I was pretty excited about seeing Rewards, but have to say they fell kinda flat.  They're cute and all, but meh.

Tanlines (4/18/12)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

San Francisco Bound!

San francisco skyline 9313

Thought I would drop a line here, letting you know that on Thursday I'm heading out West for a week!  I'll be visiting some friends in San Francisco as well as seeing some shows (and of course Amoeba music!)…  I'm hoping I'll be working on my blog while I'm there, but honestly - no promises.  It is vacation after all...

Here's what I'm seeing:

  • Plants & Animals at the Independent.  This is one of the most exciting shows I can imagine. Not only am I adoring their new album, but I'm excited that this is my first show in SF and at this venue!
  • Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the Independent.  This is the closing show for my visit, and couldn't ask for a better way to end what I'm sure will be a memorable trip!

(there's also a last-minute possibility for seeing Best Coast in Oakland… hmm…)

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Video Tuesday

Some favorites here...  New MEN with Make Him Pay.  And thanks to JD (of MEN) I had discovered Lovers - who I'm anxiously waiting on new stuff, but I'm happy with a new video for one of my favorite songs, Igloos for Ojos.  Finally, a new GRIMES video for Nightmusic.  And don't forget to stick around for the bonus.

Finally, I lost track of Bodies of Water for a while, but glad to be reintroduced.  Artsy video!