Concert Haikus

Writing Updates

2011-10-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

While Concert Haikus remains my first and most passionate love, I have branched into different areas of writing since its closure. I figured I would be remiss were I not to link them here... just in case!

I began a weekly column called "Waxing Philosophical LA", in which I visit and write about record stores in LA, and review the records I purchase while there. It's published every Tuesday, and here are links to the first 5:

1. Wombleton Records in Eagle Rock
2. Records LA in Culver City
3. Vacation Vinyl in Silver Lake
4. Amoeba Records in Hollywood
5. Family on Fairfax

I have also been keeping a reggae podcast, which I release bi-weekly. You can check out the three most recent here:
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5

You can always catch label updates at Complicated Dance Steps or on our Facebook Page.

Miss you, haikus.

American Beauty. 7/14/2011

2011-07-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Jerry Garcia.

That's Jerry fucking Garcia singing backup vocals on this track! All of a sudden, this song, "Box of Rain", is no longer one of my friends, but someone esoteric and famous. "Box of Rain", who personally got me through one of the hardest eras of my adult life; "Box of Rain", who helped Lindsay (of Freaks and Geeks) figure out which way to turn out; "Box of Rain" who single-handedly turned a shitload of people into amateur Dead Heads. I feel as though I can love songs as I love people, and I love this song like a best friend. And yet today, as I listened to it for the thousandth time, I noticed Jerry's voice cushioning Phil's towards the end of the recording. And my heart fluttered, as though a local deity had been mentioned.

I have certainly found, in life, the way to keep myself spiritually fulfilled, and it is through describing the effect of music on my heart. I love falling in love, and each night, as I step out into this town to feast my ears upon its local delights, I get to do just that. One night, we could be watching Frankie Fairfield and Blind Boy Paxton at the Redwood, being transported instantly to the dusty, fragrant pages of an old copy of The Grapes of Wrath. The next night, we could be watching Seth Kasselman and Caitlin C. Mitchell of Warm Climate annihilate the confines of time signatures as they paint their fantastic aural cyclone around our heads. The weekend brings about Part Time Punks, where the sleekest recent period 5-pieces flaunt their competitive authenticity, and free Mondays promise the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed pop bands exerting their practiced kitschabilities.

It's happening all around us, every night. This town is electric with the efforts of thousands of artists, working in every medium of every era ever recorded. And our computers! We have these little boxes of technology that we trust like mothers, and through them we find access to everything that people ever took the time to recall, to consider noteworthy, to create, to record. We can see it, and we can hear it. We can figure out a way to find access to it. We can learn everything our brains can hold from it. We can contribute to it. We can contribute to it.

Concert Haikus has been the contents of my mind since I didn't even know what was going on in it. I have considered myself and this blog synonymous, and usually identify most with it when looking out over my artistic and record label-related projects. It has also been my way of watching my life and taste change during an intense and exciting era in Los Angeles music history. That is why, although this is sad to no one but me, I say goodbye with a heavy heart. I love describing music more than my mental thesaurus can provide words for, but I have started to reach a point where the shows I attend are no longer observed with objective ears. In each of the haikus I wrote for the blog, I tried to tell the most accurate tale of how the night affected me. If ever I came across as disrespectful to a band, please know it was meant to convey a feeling, and feelings change with the wind. I'm sorry for any offense caused, and thankful if I ever inspired any pride.

I have loved every show, every night, every band and every experience, negative or positive, because I'm starting to realize how special this moment in time is. We are lucky for the world at our fingertips. We are standing in the center of a rift in time, where the future and the past are the same thing, splayed out before us, a 360-degree universe of possibility. We have access to EVERYTHING, no matter where we are, but we have to keep looking. We have to keep contributing, keep paying attention, keep following that scent-trail of forward thinkers. There is a lot of beauty, a lot of effort, and a lot of life cradled in the folds of these additions to our culture and our legacy as a people. When our future is the past, whatever we added to this strange phenomenon could be someone else's future again, no matter what happens after we die. I am ready to contribute more than just 17 syllables a night now, and I have to honor that.

I love you for reading, and I am sorry that I used this usually concise forum to expose my thought processes. I know it's intimate and preachy, but please don't feel obligated to emotionally invest. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you for being present with me for this, for being curious about what happened at shows, for being musicians who put your heart out there on the stage for someone to describe for others later. I appreciate everyone who ever checked in, wrote comments, or critiqued my endlessly terrible spelling. I appreciate my friends for indulging this for so long. Thank you.

Los Angeles is, to me, like "Box of Rain". The city and the song are both mine, home and confidant, keepers of my most humbling secrets. Simultaneously, their legends are so crushingly huge that the whole universe can fall as in love as I am, and said expanse is provided the same intimacy. As we listeners access time in universal directions, this city transcends space. No matter where you are, when you were here, you were in L.A. with me. To say I appreciate your company on this journey is almost too inadequate to allow, but I've used all my best hyperbole over the course of the last 3.5 years on this blog, and I have tried not to bore you with repeated adjectives too often.

I'd be remiss if I departed on anything other than the blog's namesake, so without further ado, a haiku for American Beauty by The Grateful Dead, the living room concert that inspired the end of an era:

A memory is
An immeasurable clue
To a world sans time.

With love,
Christina

Yellow Magic Orchestra with Yoko Ono at The Hollywood Bowl, 6/26/11

2011-06-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

YMO

Flawless, they are,

In each imaginable way,

Especially there.

Yoko Ono

Epic, fearless, and

Above all, charming, she asked

of us only love.

Bill Callahan at The Troubadour, 6/16/11

2011-06-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of Ms. Stevie Raya

His monopoly

On placing words perfectly

Renders haikus trite.

Psychic Reality and Sex Worker at Where's Yr Child NYC, 6/3/11

2011-06-26T19:05:00.000-07:00

Psychic Reality

Soulful, sensual,

She brought perhaps the hardest

Dance groove of the night.

Sex Worker

Oozing with pain and

Candid emotion, his was

An arrow heart-bound.

Sun Araw and Matthewdavid at 285 Kent St, Brooklyn, 6/5/11

2011-06-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Matthewdavid

When he finds his sweet

Spot, the result arrests me

And demands movement.

Sun Araw

Coiled tightly around

A central notion of thick,

Serious grooving.

La Big Vic with Future Shuttle at The Kave Cafe (Vibes Mgmt HQ) in Bushwick, NYC, 6/4/11

2011-06-09T16:23:00.000-07:00

Future Shuttle

Jellyfish tunes from

Unorthodox instruments

In campfire circles.

La Big Vic

One of those upper-

Echelon bands that warrant

More syllables' praise:

I'm thrilled to have seen this band play. Their aural scope is interesting in a completely inviting way and I plan on listening to the hell out of that record this summer.

The Undertones with Exploding Flowers and The Sweater Girls at The Echoplex, 6/2/11

2011-06-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

Exploding Flowers

Familiar like

A fantasy jukebox in

A time-travel dream.

The Sweater Girls

Perhaps put best by

A bathroom goer: "Well, this

Is funny music..."

The Undertones

So abundant,

Their excellence and fervor,

Like 5 shows in one.

Sleep Over, Pure X and This Will Destroy You at the Echo, 5/17/11

2011-05-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sleep Over

Though sultry and with

Elegant intentions, their

Mix was over-soaked.

Pure X (Ecstasy?)

The humble drum kit

Made their watercolor down-

right Moby Grapeish!

This Will Destroy You

For those who have not

Witnessed Robedoor, I could

Understand the draw.

Harassor at Pehrspace, 5/16/11

2011-05-17T07:39:00.001-07:00

For such a hellish

Sound palette and attitude,

An angsty love fest.

Daughters of the Sun and Jonas Reinhardt at The Show Cave,

2011-05-07T12:42:00.000-07:00

Daughters of the Sun

HOLY HELL! They're the

Aural manifestation

Of horseback riding!

Jonas Reinhardt

They're invincible.

We were rendered powerless -

Our moves, their command.

Dam Funk at The Smell, 5/5/11

2011-05-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

Feels inherently

Right to see such music live,

Yet so rare... a treat!

Mudhoney and The Adolescents at the Echoplex, 5/1/11

2011-05-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

The Adolescents

Provided us a
Clear reminder of what high
School was all about.

Mudhoney

Their proficiency,
The sole indicator of
Their age - such a VOICE!

The Tindersticks at the Luckman Center for the Arts, 4/20/11

2011-05-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

The most affective

Public intimacy I

Have ever witnessed

Tinylittle and Plasma Centre at The Smell, 4/22/11

2011-04-27T23:05:00.000-07:00

Tinylittle

Personality
And vim radiated from each
Fireball of a song

Plasma Centre

Their magnetic lead
Singer was but one of the
Charms of their live set

The Miracles Club at Where's Yr Child at Show Cave, 4/14/11

2011-04-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

Timeless, in that I

Could forget the concept of
Time in their presence

Linda Perhacs at McCabes Guitar Shop, 4/10/11

2011-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

As reverent as
In a church pew, we soaked her
In, captivated.

HONORARY HAIKU: LCD Soundsystem at Madison Square Garden (live streamed on Pitchfork.tv), 4/2/11

2011-04-03T12:14:00.001-07:00

To this moment, I

Am hard-pressed to control the

Emotions they stir.

Thanks for the everything, LCD. Especially that Harry Nilsson cover at the end there.

Suzi Star, Fielded, M. Geddes Gengras and Sneaky Snake at The Eagle Rock Log Cabin by George, 4/1/11

2011-04-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Suzi Star

Robotic fairy

Tale of curiosity

And tender promise.

M. Geddes Gengras

Cyborg argument

Conducted over inter-

Galactic wavelengths.

Fielded

Her astute, graceful

Latticework of sound is all

I want to hear now.

Sneaky Snake

Set their morning scene,

Then vibrated it awake

With beat flirtations.

Salem, Gatekeeper and Light Asylum at The Echoplex, 3/29/11

2011-04-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

Gatekeeper

Once they crossed

That acclimation threshold,

They fucking killed it.

Light Asylum

Operatic yet

Pendulous, 'tween Soul Stirrer

And Billy Idol.

Salem

An uninspired mess

Of affected, pompous, mean-

Hearted jacking off.

Tecumseh at Pehrspace, 3/25/11

2011-03-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Dark repercussions

From inside a bell tower

Deep collective trance.

Harassor, Tenstairs, and Tenderizor at the F-Haus, 3/16/11

2011-03-17T10:16:00.000-07:00

Tenstairs

A cage of neon
Within which our minds could bounce
And vibrate brightly.

Tenderizor

The desperate screech
Of signals from pillars at
Each of Earth's corners.

Harassor (ft. Greh Holger)

A locomotive
Engine's worth of fury and
Godless momentum.

High Wolf, Robedoor and Blank Realm at Landslide, 3/12/11

2011-03-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Robedoor

Of and for the moon,

Their silver sound both soothed and

Rattled my being.

Blank Realm

A band that we've been

Subconsciously waiting for

To scratch our rock itch.

High Wolf

Bollywood and the

Seductiveness of French noise,

Watercolor jams.

The Elephant 6 Orchestra at The Satellite, 3/4/11

2011-03-05T03:20:00.000-08:00

A monopoly

Clutched in their earnest paws on

Perfect melody.

Sun Araw at The Satellite, 3/3/11

2011-03-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

The sexiest of
Grooves shifted slightly to the
Left, strategically.

Endless Boogie and Arbouretum at The Satellite, 3/1/11

2011-03-02T00:47:00.000-08:00

Endless Boogie

Delightful cock rock

Devoid of the genre's cheese-

Ball, dickish affects.

Arbouretum

Their chthonic sludge

Folk summoned the Middle Earth

Child in me to war!

Godspeed You! Black Emperor with Om at the Fox Theater, 2/22/11

2011-02-23T21:11:00.000-08:00

Gregorian groove

Setting the ominous scene

Vibrationally

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Tectonic music

The breath of a moving earth,

Climaxes in waves.

The Radio Department at the El Rey, 2/16/11

2011-02-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

I can't fault them for
The drum tracks when they insist
On sounding so sweet.

Robedoor, Warm Climate, and Alpine Decline at Pehrspace, 2/11/11

2011-02-13T13:13:00.001-08:00

Robedoor

Jagged shards of light
Slicing declaratively
Through the drone's shadow.

Warm Climate

"Exhilaration!"
Was all I could process as
My jaw hit the ground.

Alpine Decline

An emo streak a
Mile wide down the center of
Their snow-laden path.

Chelsea Wolfe at Vacation Vinyl, 2/11/11

2011-02-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

The lacy visage
Analogous for spider-
Web-intricate sounds.

Matthewdavid and Red Mir at Mondo Palazoid, 1/15/11

2011-01-20T21:07:00.000-08:00

Red Mir

A dead symphony

An orchestra of ghosts in

Climactic seance

Matthewdavid

Intimacy 'twixt

A man and his creation.

He never saw us.

Graf Orlock at Vacation Vinyl, 1/14/11

2011-01-15T02:48:00.000-08:00

A sonic junkyard.

Them: carrion feasting on

Pop culture's dark meat.

UNORTHODOX POST: Complicated Dance Steps Label Showcase

2010-12-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

Hey laureates! I started a record label called Complicated Dance Steps and we have a label showcase TOMORROW NIGHT at Vacation Vinyl in Silverlake. We have 3 bands playing, and since you probably haven't had the chance to fall in love with them yet, I have a few teaser haikus to get you excited for Friday night:

Son Fish

Shrouded enigma,

Kaoscillator wizard

Commands his machines

Sneaky Snake

Theirs is the voice of

The forest when trees fall in

Morning light, alone

Tenstairs

The subtlest and most

Dignified use of trombone

Layering we know.

I hope to see you Friday, and if you have any questions about the releases, please email! :) Happy holidaze from Concert Haikus!

OFF! at Vacation Vinyl, 12/14/10

2010-12-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Lest we forget, they're

The architects and experts

And still do it best.

Robedoor, Warm Climate, RGB and Cristopher Cichocki at Pehrspace, 12/6/10

2010-12-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

RGB

Like earth-tone lazers

Slicing through a forest fog

In strategic spots

Warm Climate

Though casual and,

Yes, a little sloppy, their

Spirit was flawless

Cristopher Cichocki

A showcase of the

Extremes of human A/V

Manipulation

Robedoor

Playful and bold, their

Fresh material heaved with

Curiosity

Jens Lekman at Skybar, 12/4/10

2010-12-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

His sunbeam of a

Voice could only combat the

Night's dark vibe so well.

Liars at Thesex, 12/3/10

2010-12-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it was the

Venue, but their performance

Felt legendary.

Roger Waters performing The Wall at The Staples Center, 11/30/10

2010-12-04T12:43:00.000-08:00

In the realm of forms,

Pure liberal beauty and zeal

Looks and sounds like this.

Young Hunting with Exploding Flowers at the Echo, 11/22/10

2010-11-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

Young Hunting

Though short, it was so

Sweet - their vocal harmonies

Are like aural drugs.

Exploding Flowers

Rare and welcome are

Effortlessly confident

And tight sets like this

Dustin Wong at Vacation Vinyl, 11/19/10

2010-11-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

King of palimpsests!

Tech skills to behold whilst he

Builds a symphony.

LA Font with Oh Darlin' at the Echo, 11/15/10

2010-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

Oh Darlin'

It saddens me that

I only hear commercials

In their repertoire.

LA Font

Solidifying

A reputation of raw

Indie aptitude

Sneaky Snake (live-scoring Predator II) at The Night Gallery, 11/14/10

2010-11-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

A marathon set:

Poetic impressions and

Apocalypse cries.

Woodsman, Speculator and Melted Toys at Bacchus, 11/13/10

2010-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Speculator

Distorted sunbeam

Targeting and warming the

Night's darker corners.

Melted Toys

Interesting to

See a band fighting a sound

So many bands grow.

Woodsman

The sheer momentum

Of drumming OR their gorgeous

Sound pallet. Both slayed.

Gestapo Khazi at Vacation Vinyl, 11/12/10

2010-11-13T14:13:00.000-08:00

On a clear mission -

They cut right to the point with

Clean execution.

Axel at Axel's House in Downtown, 11/11/10

2010-11-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

The memory of

What it's like to be under

Water in the sun.

Harassor, Expo 70, and Sean McCann at F-HAUS, 11/7/10

2010-11-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Sean McCann

Like being birthed or

Digested through the body

Of a live spacecraft.

Expo 70

His guitar recalled

Dark alley black leather of

Climate of Hunter.

Harassor

It's rare to witness

Depth like theirs born from such a

Punkish energy

Trans Am at Spaceland, 11/5/10

2010-11-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Methinks beneath those

Complex layers of metal

And prog, three jazz nerds.

Young Hunting at Origami Vinyl, 11/5/10

2010-11-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

Worth the time it took

For them to perfect their mix -

All their soundz were gold.

Deerhunter and High Places at the Henry Fonda Music Box, 11/1/10

2010-11-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

High Places

Emotionless, they

Continued to cultivate

My ambivalence.

Deerhunter

Sunbeam of a voice

A spotlight o'er an ocean

Of heavy drumming.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy with the Cairo Gang and J. Tillman at Pappy & Harriet's, 10/30/10

2010-11-01T10:48:00.001-07:00

J. Tillman

The earnest rev'rence

Of silence between notes, paired

With crazy lyrics.

Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the Cairo Gang

It leaves one at a

Loss, trying to convey his

Folksy voodoo charm.

KIT at Vacation Vinyl, 10/15/10

2010-10-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

So charming and fun,

It nearly overshadowed

Their ferocious jams!

Robedoor, Nymph, Suzy Star and Sneaky Snake at Malo Fun House, 10/10/10

2010-10-11T01:19:00.000-07:00

Robedoor

A cylinder of
Sound that isolates you from
Any world but theirs.

Nymph

A psychedelic
LP played at 45:
Groovy and frantic.

Suzi Star

In the cocoon with
Rhythm just as it's morphing
Into melody.

Sneaky Snake

Like a cold sunrise -
Optimistic wisdom with
Mountain's majesty.

Caribou, Nite Jewel and Emeralds at the Henry Fonda Music Box, 10/8/10

2010-10-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Emeralds

The swagger with which
They developed their opus
Made that climax fierce.

Nite Jewel

The intricacy
Of each song is belied by
Relatable grooves

Caribou

A calculated

Spiral of sound springing loose

In celebration.

SAVE THE ECHO CURIO - ACTION TO TAKE!!

2010-10-07T15:27:00.001-07:00

Hey Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Echo Curio has recently been the target of some rather shitty treatment at the hand of the local law enforcement. Laws are laws, yes, but we need to update laws to accommodate a changing society, and this is your opportunity to do so if you are willing! The Curio has been a source of kindness, creativity, open-mindedness and sanity during an era of ongoing erosion of these values in every day life. Los Angeles' artists living on the cusp of the poverty line, working soul-sucking day jobs and being told they are lucky to work them need SOMETHING, something other than the vapid and over-advertised Clear Channel/Live Nation/Goldenvoice/major label BULLSHIT that America has succumbed to as a poor excuse for artistic expression. The Curio provided the something, the antidote, and it's our responsibility to appreciate them for it. If the words on this blog or those like it have ever moved you, or if you care for poetry and music and art and for wandering off the beaten path in the cloister of your neighborhood among good people with earnest artistic intentions, give Eric Garcetti (city councilman) a call at 323-957-4500, or drop him a line at councilmember.garcetti@lacity.org. Please spread the word... we can't let the seeds of brilliance languish in the bankrupt soil of Los Angeles.

More info can be found here: http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/locals-only/save-the-echo-curio-and-other/

With love, ire, passion and respect,
Christina

GUIDED BY VOICES AT THE WILTERN, 10/4/10

2010-10-05T09:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine watching
Everyone's rock n' roll dream
Exploding to life.

Pavement, Sonic Youth and No Age at the Hollywood Bowl, 9/30/10

2010-10-01T10:19:00.000-07:00

No Age

Our Band Could Be Your
Life, lived out on the largest
And most well-earned stage.

Sonic Fucking Youth

Articulated
Best by my friend, mouth agape,
"Did you see that, guys?!"

Pavement

Summer's last breath French
Kissed us, a warm fare-thee-well
From a college love.

Young Hunting, Ex-Detectives, and The Black Apples at the Echo Curio, 9/29/10

2010-09-30T02:04:00.000-07:00

Ex-Detectives

Articulation

Of thoughtful doubt with weight in

All the right places

Young Hunting

A true, lush pleasure

To watch them unfold and stretch

Into blue anthems.

The Black Apples

Reckless abandon

Stimulates X chromosomes

Most salaciously.

Sun Araw and Oneotrix Point Never at the Echo, 9/28/10

2010-09-30T02:00:00.000-07:00

Sun Araw

Their tropical blues

Infused with a splash of the

Euro dance shimmy

Oneotrix Point Never

Say the night sky gave

Each star a voice and reason

To argue their point.

Nite Jewel with Teen Inc. and Heart-Shaped Rock at the Troubadour, 9/02/10

2010-09-03T11:28:00.001-07:00

Heart-Shaped Rock

Goth Cyndi Lauper
Fronting Depeche Mode during
R.E.M.'s nineties

Teen Inc.

Surreality.
Their creation seems other-
Worldly, brilliant.

Nite Jewel

The crystal clean of
Song craft fought its way through the
Muddied old sound board.

SFVacid at the Weltenbuerger Art Space, 8/27/10

2010-09-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Exhilarating
Like a sporting event, with each
Point scored to the beat.

Sneaky Snake, Oscillator, and Blipvert with guests at Landslide, 8/21/10

2010-08-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sneaky Snake

It was as though the
Pyramid itself was voiced,
Sighing its musings.

Blipvert

I guess cocaine can
Create incredible things,
If present or not!

Oscillator

Cerberus's howling
Spun a web of emotion...
Machines in mourning.

Oscillator with Special Guests at DIY Space, 8/20/10

2010-08-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Oscillator (ft. guests)

A living, breathing
Expression of the madness
To which life drives one.

Nails and Black Breath at Vacation Vinyl, 8/9/10

2010-08-09T23:05:00.000-07:00

Nails

Vibrant and alive,

Their furious exub'rance

Lit a fire in me.

Black Breath

So proficient in

Their craft that it brought to mind

A victory lap!

I'd like to talk a moment about my evening watching Nails. I laud them not to discount Black Breath (who were phenomenal and consummately professional), but to put a fine point on just how moved I was by their set. It is exciting to see them manifest just how much of a shit they give through their vivacious, precise performance. Youth oozed from them, not in a self-centered, narcissistic manner, but rather in the form of unbridled passion. They were LOUD, they were ANGRY, they were CERTAIN, they were OPTIMISTIC, and they were quite good at playing their instruments. I was reminded what it felt like to fight back a little, "against the grain" even, and I really hope they keep spreading this gospel.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti with Puro Instinct (formerly Pearl Harbor) and Teen Inc. at the Detroit Bar, 8/7/10

2010-08-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

Teen Inc.

Most ambitious and
Quite complicated, Princely
And Steely Dannish!

Puro Instinct (formerly Pearl Harbor)

Sun-kissed and jangly,
Like a postcard from Athens*
Were it a surf town.

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Haunted Graffiti
Constructs a stable soapbox
For Pink's wobbly howls.

*That's Athens, Ga, home of Michael Stipe. Not that Greek place.

Sun Araw, Metal Rouge and Peaking Lights at the Echo Curio 8/2/10

2010-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sun Araw

Although they wanted
the psycho Euro house vibe,
I was feeling jazz.

Metal Rouge

Patiently crafted
Hellscapes of intertwined tools
And voices, throbbing.

Peaking Lights

With grimy twinkle,
Velvet island underground
Cooled the summer night.

Joanna Newsom with Robin Pecknold at the Orpheum Theater, 7/31/10

2010-08-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Robin Pecknold

A kitsch-free master

Of a genre, passionate

Although humorless

Joanna Newsom

My generation's

Best poet is also our

Finest musician.

Set List:

1. '81

2. Have One On Me

3. Easy

4. You And Me, Bess

5. Cosmia

6. Autumn

7. In California

8. Soft As Chalk

9. Good Intentions Paving Company

10. Peach, Plum, Pear

(encore break)

11. Baby Birch

Run DMT, Tonstartssbandht, and Speculator at a House on Elwood, 7/29/10

2010-07-30T09:23:00.000-07:00

Speculator

Like being under
A well-traveled sea, taking
In its sage advice

Tonstartssbandht

Personality
Radiates off them in a
Sincere, tactile way.

Run DMT

As sanguine as drops
Of blood in water, slowly
Arabesquing, free.

Personable, Sam Hamilton, and Emily Lacy at a Highland Park House Party, 7/24/10

2010-07-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

Sam Hamilton

An aural color
Pallet that seeps through one's skin
Rather than eyes, ears.

Emily Lacy

Non-manufactured
Feminine essence brought all
Us ladies to tears

Personable (M. Geddes Gengras)

Unabashedly
Mathematical in its
Life celebration

Black Flamingo with Chappo at DIY Space, 7/23/10

2010-07-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Black Flamingo

Please don't let your tech
Trouble get your spirits down -
Y'all have some SWEET jams!

Chappo

Involuntary
Dancing on my part makes me
Think there's potential

Rosetta at Vacation Vinyl, 7/23/10

2010-07-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

Were music akin
To various wounds, they'd be
A laceration.

Sun Araw with M. Geddes Gengras at Synchronicity Space, 7/3/10

2010-07-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sun Araw

With playful swagger,
Their new rhythms and textures
Ignited the set.

M. Geddes Gengras

Enraptured sampling
Constructed mesmerism...
Warlock-esque spell cast.

DEVO at the Hollywood Park Racetrack, 7/1/10

2010-07-02T09:36:00.000-07:00

Tight and exuberant,
Consummate professionals
Ain't through being cool!

Weave! and Tame Impala at the Echo, 6/28/10

2010-06-29T09:28:00.001-07:00

Weave!

Angles aplenty,
Voidoid tropicalia
A refreshing treat!

Tame Impala

George Harrison would
Be proud of the mindfuck they
Built on his groundwork

Matmos with So Percussion at The Echo, 6/23/10

2010-06-24T00:57:00.000-07:00

Highest echelon

Of genius, each layer a

New permutation

The Woodsist Fest at the Echo/Echoplex, 6/15/10

2010-06-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

The Mantles

When I was, like, twelve

Daydreaming of indie bands'

Auras, I dreamed them.

Woods

A small, brave version

Of My Morning Jacket, with

A mile-wide jam streak.

Kurt Vile

Like watching someone

Strum along while reading his

Diary aloud.

Real Estate

With their raw talent

Smoothed out on tape, the set was

A surprise rocker

Harassor at the Smell, 6/14/10

2010-06-15T09:26:00.000-07:00

Punk optimism
Somehow shines through the blood and
Fury, yet skillful!

Thou at Vacation Vinyl, 6/14/10

2010-06-15T09:25:00.000-07:00

Screeching black eagle
Evoking imagery of
Nuclear warfare

Run DMT, Foot Village, Sun Araw and Blissed Out at Landslide, 6/11/10

2010-06-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure, these haikus are going to be admittedly less astute and critical than the typical post on this site. I was working the door for this show, thereby quashing any impartiality I could have otherwise employed in their composition. Also, from where I was sitting, I was only able to take in peripheral versions of each set. That being said, this was one of the most enchanting settings I have ever seen, and I couldn't have asked for better, sweeter, more appreciative bands with whom to spend the evening. Thanks to everyone involved in making the Landslide what it is, and without any further ado -

Run DMT

His set was drawn from
The setting, deferential
And bright, curious

Sun Araw

With every outing,
They've grown, sanguine and dauntless,
Really fucking good.

Blissed Out

The lunacy of
American pop employed
As detritus, well!

Foot Village

Modern tribal ode
To the open sky above!
We, villagers all.

Run DMT and Blissed Out at Synchronicity Space, 6/10/10

2010-06-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Run DMT

The mad scientist
With his future music made
Me discard the past!

Blissed Out

Like a large brass/tin
Merry-go-round softened by
Their vocal halos.

School of Seven Bells with Sister Crayon at the Echo, 6/2/10

2010-06-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Sister Crayon

Maybe the xx
Or the Dirty Projectors
Are to blame for this

School of Seven Bells

I admire their
Committed, confident sound
But craved divergence

First Aid Kit at the Bootleg Theater, 6/1/10

2010-06-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Most lovable band
In the history of the
World, without question.

Bottled Smoke Festival at the Echo Curio and Synchronicity Space (Day 2), 5/30/10

2010-06-01T11:47:00.001-07:00

Sun Araw

Their well-placed fragments
An aural kaleidoscope
With a crunch to close.

Warm Climate

A dragon tail voice
Whipping confidently through
Tight, intrepid tracks

Sasqrotch

Bleak and woebegone
Lugubrious set not sans
More pensive moments

Obscurer

A collective "Om"
To send the night off into
Oblivion right

Bottled Smoke Festival at The Echo Curio and Synchronicity Space (Day 1), 5/29/10

2010-05-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

M. Geddes Gengras

Metallic water-

Color, an hypnotic sketch

Of a fire within

Dreamcolour

They had me at the

Recreation of a light-

House in mourning's moan.

Barn Owl

The night sky flattened

Into sheet metal, then shaped

Into a steel drum.

Faraday Trippers

A paranormal

Wizardry, awe-inspiring

To behold, to hear.

Tom Carter

A solar flare gun, which

He wielded as though it were

A mortal guitar

Spectrum at Spaceland, 5/27/10

2010-05-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

A special breed of

Magic alternates two notes

So enchantingly

Robedoor at Synchronicity Space, 5/21/10

2010-05-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Airier yet more

Momentous, like wild eagles

Morphed from elephants.

LA Font at Synchronicity Space, 5/14/10

2010-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Photo Credit: D. Greenwald

A rockabilly
Wolf parade in Bieber clothes,
with transcendent sparks!

Sun Araw with The Fuck Buttons at the Troubadour, 5/11/10

2010-05-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sun Araw

Blooming rain forest:
Sumptuously lush guitars
And a bluesman's bark

Fuck Buttons

LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD
LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD
LOUD LOUD LOUD LOUD SHIT.

Bell Gardens and Eluvium at The Bootleg Theater, 5/5/10

2010-05-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

Bell Gardens

A miniaturized
Symphony, but not without
Jangly rock swagger.

Eluvium

The ghost of Glenn Gould
Caressed his keys as we sat,
Mouths agape, spellbound.

Shearwater with Wye Oak at Spaceland, 4/24/10

2010-05-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Wye Oak

With a voice so text-
Book beautiful, her earthly charm
Befriended my ears.

Shearwater

Justin's fearlessness
And Thor's creativity
Sliced stereotypes

Earth, Wolves in the Throne Room, and Lori Goldsten at the Echoplex, 4/20/10

2010-04-21T10:51:00.000-07:00

Lori Goldsten

Cello challenger
Painted ominous forests
With each stroke of bow.

Wolves In The Throne Room

If they're poseurs, I
Fear legitimacy. Those
Wolves amply shook me.

Earth

Like a wakeful dream,
SO precise, SO elegant
Subconscious seduced.

Young Hunting at the Echo Curio, 4/17/10

2010-04-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

The line up shuffle
Served to underscore their vast
Vocal improvements!

Author and Punisher at Vacation Records, 4/16/10

2010-04-19T10:37:00.000-07:00

An industrial
Revolutionary both
Rare and impressive

Ramona (Nite Jewel) and Stellar Om Source at The Show Cave, 4/10/2010

2010-04-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

Ramona (Nite Jewel)

Surprisingly and
Delightfully Enya-esque,
but with fangs, of course.

Stellar Om Source

Lots of "Look what my
Machines can do!" Less "Look what
I can do with them!"

The Wedding Present at the Troubadour, 4/2/10

2010-04-13T11:07:00.001-07:00

With so much grace and
Dignity, he ripped the strings
Off that brave guitar

Bill Orcutt, Peter Kolovos and Nevai/Wolcott at Synchronicity Space, 3/27/10

2010-04-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Nevai/Wolcott

Sparks of sheer genius
Intermingled with playful
Self-aware banter.

Peter Kolovos

Climactic without
Melody, the sheer force of
Sound purged our tear ducts.

Bill Orcutt

Constructed brambles
Inside our ears and then drew
Us through them, gently.

Deakin at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts, 3/21/10

2010-03-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Personality
Distinct, his sounds, while long, were
All familiar

Jucifer at Vacation Records, 3/11/10

2010-03-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Deliciously hard
And viciously loud, they shook
Us all to nausea.

Cold Cave and the Smith Westerns at the Echoplex, 2/18/10

2010-02-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

Cold Cave

By adding live drums
And ROCKING, they hint that "drum
Machines have no soul" :)

Smith Westerns

Sans nomenclature,
This band gave me no reason
To remember them.

The Minx at the Redwood Bar, 2/6/10

2010-02-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

Lady Kinks brought down
The house with winky charm and
Tuneful competence

The Soft Pack at Nomad Art Space, 1/30/10

2010-02-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it was the
Exhaustion, but the scene shed
It's smugness for FUN.