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Concert Review: The New Pornographers at The Warfield, 9/17
The New Pornographers are commonly referred to as a supergroup, but often, when they perform live, they don't quite live up to that billing. Featured member Neko Case doesn't typically tour with the group, and Destroyer's Dan Bejar is even less likely to show. But both of the frequently absent singers made it out to the band's show this week at The Warfield in San Francisco, and I now can't even imagine how the group functions without them.
Concert Review: Rilo Kiley at The Warfield, 9/6/07
Watching Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley on stage is to see someone completely aware of the spells she can cast on a crowd. A little shrug of the shoulders here, a cock of the eyebrow there, and in no time, the audience for Rilo Kiley's show at The Warfield last week was thoroughly held in thrall by Lewis' charm and blockbuster voice.
But Lewis' sly sexiness wasn't the only thing keeping eyes glued to the stage.
Concert Review: Feist and Grizzly Bear at the Fillmore, 6/27/07
Never having seen Feist perform live before, I wasn't sure quite what to expect from her live show this week at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Though I loved the "I Feel It All" video she did for the DL show, she didn't really take command of that tiny room, so I really wasn't sure how she'd do in front of a sold-out crowd.
To my delight, however, Feist had stage presence to spare at the Fillmore, laughing at her own forgotten lyrics, enlisting the crowd in a sing-along, and even hopping on top of the piano to croon the Broken Social Scene song "Lover's Spit" with the band's Kevin Drew.
Concert Review: The Hold Steady and Illinois in SF, 5/31/07
With its canon of songs about drinking and drugs, music fests and chillout tents, and redemption and rebirth, The Hold Steady approach the act of partying with an almost religious fervor. Not surprisingly, the band's concert at Slim's last week was no exception. In fact, the show followed the pattern poetically laid out in "Hot Soft Light," from the band's newest album, Boys and Girls in America:
"It started recreational
ended kinda medical
it came on hot and soft
and then it tightened up its tentacles."
Concert Review: Drive-By Truckers at the Great American Music Hall, 5/8/07
The Drive-By Truckers are a rarity in today's music climate: a band that hugs the road as if it were kin, touring any chance they get. They hit the pavement when they have a new album, or when they have a few festivals to play, or — in this case — when they have a batch of new songs to hone before heading into the studio.
The band played two nights in San Francisco on the mostly acoustic Dirt Underneath Tour, designed to debut new songs and tell stories behind the old ones.
Concert Review: Andrew Bird and Apostle of Hustle at the Fillmore, 5/1/07
Tuesday night's bill at The Fillmore in San Francisco was a rare treat: two musicians with new albums that I know and love — both of whom happen to be named Andrew. The evening started with the Spanish-flavored indie rock of Andrew Whiteman's Apostle of Hustle, which included two percussionists, one of whom was mostly devoted to playing bongos and maracas.
Whiteman — a skinny white boy with an uncanny ability to sing in Spanish and incorporate Cuban and mariachi influences into his music — was surprisingly charismatic on stage.
Concert Review: Cornelius at Bimbo's 365 Club, 4/26/07
The avant-garde electro-pop-rock of Cornelius is so lush, lovely, and utterly bizarre that it could easily fall flat on stage. But as I learned on Thursday night, the Japanese musician — born Keigo Oyamada — has perfected the formula for keeping audiences rapt. His secret: electronic effects combined with good old-fashioned electric guitars, and a transfixing music video to accompany every song.
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Buzz In: Which Song Covers Do You Like Better Than the Original?
Cover songs typically get a bad rap, but every once and a while a remake of a catchy track comes along that's worthy of its predecessor. (Just take Sinead O'Connor's version of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," for instance).
Kelly Clarkson did her own renditions of The White Stripes's "Seven Nation Army" and Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody" in concert earlier this week, and her samplings weren't half bad.
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