Sondre Lerche once again puts out a compelling video for Siamese Twin. Shamir addresses "white washing and queer bating in media” with his intimate video for Straight Boy. Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton has an equally impactful video for Legend of the Wild Horse.
Bonus: ANOTHER Jon & Roy video. I just can’t get enough of these guys.
I (still) totally agree.
"Albums still matter because they tell the unique story of who a band is at a specific moment of time that one or two singles just don’t have the ability to do. Imagine if the songs from Nick Drake’s Pink Moon or The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band were released one at a time over the course of a year. Yes, the songs would still be incredible, but the meaning of these hugely important albums would be far less impactful. Whether it’s a concept album or not, good albums feature some sort of story or larger narrative whether it’s in the lyrics or instrumentation. Singles can’t tell the stories albums can."
Fischerspooner is back (!) with a new video for Togetherness feat. Caroline Polachek from Chairlift! MGMT is finally back with a new video for Little Dark Age, and hopefully some new album details soon. Bomba Estéreo has a fun video about traveling the world with Internacionales.
Bonus: People have been talking about this Disco Tits by Tove Lo, and I can see why (NSFW).
After stopping by the Lou Harrison Centennial performance at the Cleveland Museum of Art, it was fun to pivot to a whole different experience at Negative Space. We weren’t there long, but was able to catch Formwave. Definitely some unique stuff. Was glad to finally make it to Negative Space for a performance as well!
So there was a last minute decision to stop by the Cleveland Museum of Art’s at Gartner Auditorium to see the Lou Harrison Centennial, and I’m glad we did! Very much in the new music strain that I’ve been enjoying, and it was fascinating to learn the story about the composer and the instruments! Gorgeous stuff. Here’s a couple sneaky pics I grabbed (no video though).
After a charming first album, Wild Ones are back with a new album and video for Standing In the Back at Your Show. Little Dragon teamed up with Faith Evans for this non-album track, Peace of Mind. Estelle is coming back, and hopefully with an album soon - until then we’ll have to be satisfied for a Love Like Ours (feat. Tarrus Riley).
Bonus: No word on a new album yet, but this split-screen video for First Aid Kit shows us how It’s a Shame sometimes.
I can’t believe it’s been nearly 10 years since last seeing Wolf Parade at the Beachland, and nearly 13 years since seeing them the first time with Modest Mouse. I dove back into their limited catalog and was reminded of how much I love these guys - and also discovered how good their new album is! I was a little surprised to see them at the House of Blues this time around, as I’m guessing was the audience (which was lacking at HOB). Still, the energy of the band, the light show, and their sound being in top form made for an excellent night. Keep the albums coming guys (and the side projects too!).
Generationals have a new single and video out for Catahoula Man, with no apparent full album release on the horizon. I’m not sure what’s going on in this new Ezra Furman video for Driving Down to L.A., but I’ll take it. St. Vincent releases a burner, with this new Los Ageless video.
Bonus: I can resist Big Freedia and I'm glad to see she’s still Queen.
This past Saturday I was at the Cinematheque to watch this amazing documentary on the New York Public Library, called Ex Libris. It was over 3 hours long, but very much worth it. Rather than going straight home, the University Programming Board of Case Western Reserve University was hosting a band at the bar on campus - the Jolly Scholar. I’ve been to some of these shows before and they’re never great. Same thing this time. The band, the space, the audience… none of which appealed to me, other than it being right next to my Library and on my way home. Still, I post.
Perfume Genius knocks it out of the park with another great video, this time for Wreath. Jon & Roy are back again (!) with an animated video for How The Story Goes, which is great because I just can’t get enough of these guys. ibeyi has been everywhere lately, most recently putting out this video for Me Voy feat. Mala Rodriguez.
Bonus: Sam Smith is Way Too Good at Goodbyes in this gorgeously shot video.
It was Friday the 13th, so of course Disco Paradiso would bring out some of their best for Gialloween Pt. II. The basement of Now That’s Class has it’s own kinda charm, but totally fit this aesthetic. LOVE.
So I’m embarrassed to say that I never put together than Istvan Medgyesi was someone I would recognize from working at the Beachland! I knew they had some cool people working there, but this just confirms it again. His set was atmospheric and weird, and a little outside my comfort zone. I loved it.
I would even say the same for Aerial Ruin, who I also enjoyed.
Oh, and credit to the guy who was running all the visuals! Bravo.
This post should really be titled The Modern Electric (10/7/17) since they were the official headliners. I was kinda surprised they were! No shade, but I’d seen them enough and was thrilled to swing in and just catch Tristen. I’ve really been enjoying her new album. She was a delight as always.
It was such a pleasure to see the venerable Vanessa Rubin back at Nighttown, this time with proper seats! She and Don Braden played an excellent night of jazz, with some of my highlights being her covering of Besame Mucho (in the video!).
I love getting press passes at the House of Blues. For all the problems I have with that place, when a press pass comes my way, I’m thrilled to be going. This is because of the pit access for the first 3 songs per band. I’ve been a casual fan of Against Me!, though I’m probably more familiar with the trans rights efforts by their lead singer Laura Jane Grace. Still, it was a great pop punk show and I was so happy to be able to shoot it! Also, check out the Tom Petty cover in the video, which even made Stereogum (not my version)!
Opening was Bleached, who I was pleasantly surprised to be seeing perform with Against Me!
After catching the excellent Mandolin Orange show in the Ballroom, we were able to slip into the Tavern to catch a glimpse of this Greyhounds show. These boys know how to play.
Night 3 of 3. At first listen, I knew that Mandolin Orange would be a great show to see live, and they were! Super clean, clear vocals and audio, along with the audience playing their role (silence), made for an excellent night of folk & americana music. Check them out.
Opening was Kate Rhudy, who’s new to me but I’ve really been enjoying. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for her future releases.
In what was my 2nd of 3 consecutive nights at the Beachland, I showed up to see Cold Cave in the Ballroom. Surprisingly, they’d been moved to the Tavern! Not so great for them, but a score for those of us there to see them! Very heavy 80’s synth wave music, as I was expecting - and of course that goes along with a notoriously difficult show to shoot & record. Hopefully they’ll be touring on an album soon (which may help concert attendance - fyi).
Opening was Ritual Howls. I can see why Cold Cave had them on tour.
While I’ll admit to have collected their albums (there’s some decent stuff there), I’ve always been a little skeptical about seeing The Lone Bellow live. I didn’t have to think about it much since I was able to run into some free tickets. We got there early and checked out Mt. Joy who wasn’t half bad!
There was a simultaneous show happening in the Tavern that we split from Mt. Joy to see (The Midnight Slander), which we finished that set (so good!). Came back to The Lone Bellow and unfortunately none of us were really moved by this band. PLENTY of people were moved (very drunk straight cis men hugging and being affectionate). It was almost like a religious-less revival of sorts. Just not my thing, but maybe it’s yours! Check it out…
While I was having a mediocre time over at The Lone Bellow show, we popped over to the Tavern. I’m so glad we did! I caught one of my new favorite local bands, The Midnight Slander. The voice, the energy, it was mesmerizing. Oh, that reminds me I need to go like them on FaceBook! Enjoy.
IngenuityFest was back again, this time at The Hamilton Collaborative. A cool space, which I think really aided the festival this year. Our visit was more of a breeze through to check things out, and it was cool enough to keep me interested and still considering attending next year. I hope this event makes it back to a must-attend status in the future!
A random series of events brought me to Now That’s Class to see the sold out Dead Boys show (I’m still not sure how we got in). Still, I could tell this show was something special by the energy of the crowd.
"Formed in Cleveland in 1976, the Dead Boys were one of the first American acts to play what would come to be known as hardcore punk. Young, Loud and Snotty, their 1977 debut, featured the blistering underground hit ‘Sonic Reducer.’
The band broke up in 1979 but reunited for a few shows in the 1980s. After the death of singer Stiv Bators in 1990, the band members have rarely played together.”
(Via Reunited Dead Boys to Bring Their Anniversary Tour to Now That’s Class | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)
I’ve been excited for this show for MONTHS. I first caught wind of Helado Negro coming to Cleveland, which I was thrilled about. I was over the moon when I found out he was opening for Sylvan Esso! They’ve been such a solid band with elements of pop and dance, with folk sensibilities. Check out the video!
Helado Negro was just as good - such a great stage show and an excellent pairing for Sylvan Esso.
On this long stretch of concerts, I couldn’t think of a better way to end it than with Ben Sollee. I’ve been a long time fan, and his stuff is always upbeat and insightful. Always a delight.
Wolf Parade is coming back to Cleveland tomorrow! They’ll be at the House of Blues, but it’ll totally be worth it. Check out their new video below!
!!! (chk chk chk) is one of those party bands that you should always see live. Well, I used to think that. A very high energy show, but their sound/effort felt a little forced. I understand that can be the case when you’re putting out that level of party night after night, I’ll give them that. Next time they come around, I’ll need a surprisingly good new album that drives me back to their live show.
I will say that one of the parts of this night was getting to see Mourning A BLKstar again, as well as Algiers.
