Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Friday, June 11, 2010
Verge Festival - Milwaukee
June 4-5, 2010
Summer is not summer without a few key ingredients, like a long road trip, swimming in open-ended water, and a music festival. For years now I've wished to be there for Loollapalooza and other things always got in the way. This year I could theoretically make it, except that there is nothing that I find exciting enough in the lineup to make the effort.
Empires was "the band I came to see". They played on the Edge Stage in the middle of a very hot afternoon and they looked like they were suffering from it. Still, they braved it and delivered a good set with the usual energy. The crowd was bigger than for any of the bands that played on that stage the next day; they were all enthusiastic fans who knew all the lyrics and were singing, dancing, cheering. It was endearing to hear Sean tell people that those who had the album Bang had to burn it for the others. It reminded me of Trent Reznor giving bittorrent tips to the audience during his China tour. The concert ended with the fairly new bassist Connor crashing over the drums pushed by an overenthusiastic Sean, in the tradition of their so called "Destruction Tour". They seemed to be best friends at the next concert; such things are almost normal casualties of the job.
She & Him - the second group I saw. I did not know them but several people had told me they were good, including Sean Van Vleet form Empires. They had a large enthusiastic crowd cheering for many of their songs. As for myself, they are definitely softer than what I usually go for. Overall pleasant, enjoyable music.
3 Days Grace - one of those bands that I haven't been purposely listening to, but certainly heard of. I stayed to see them at the end of the first night and was quite pleased to discover that I knew at least three quarters of their songs without even knowing that I knew them. They played a long and spectacular set; they literally had the stage on fire at some point. I like men in hats, especially fedoras. A very nice surprise close to end for a child of the 80s like me: a cover of Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight. Too bad there is no studio version.
Locksley started the next morning for me. I didn't know them and I only caught the second half of their set. Good energy, dynamic sound, very cute front man with a super smile. I decided to impulsively buy one of their albums.
Manchester Orchestra - surprisingly less attended than Locksley. A flawless rendition of their songs. They are not the flashy kind of musicians and didn't quite put up a show as much much as simply played the music honestly. There was a funny moment when they interrupted a song in the middle because they flubbed either the lyrics or the key. They tried to tell us a joke about Germany, claiming that they are musicians but also wanted to be funny. Nobody quite got it and they said that they got the same reaction in Germany - as in, none. I'm not sure why the audience was so static as this is the kind of music to dance to or at least nod your head or something. Maybe it was too early in the day.
Violetness - I caught them on a break from the main stage. As a first impression, I didn't quite like the girl's voice, otherwise the arrangement was fine. The song I happened to catch was about killing your ex lover in your mind and that was a big No Thanks for me. I certainly don't wish any of my exes any harm. They instantly lost me with that.
AFI - I defied the steady rain that had started in the middle of the afternoon to catch their set, almost the last of the day. It was pretty much apocalyptic. This kind of heavy music, the powerful stage presence that they have, all under rain and cold, the sight of the spotlights revealing the heavy drops falling over us, unforgettable. At least you knew that you were surrounded by real fans, as nothing but pure enthusiasm for the band could have kept us there.
Overall this was a great first experience for this festival. I really wish they'd given bracelets that allowed exit and re-entry. A full day in close quarters and no way to retrieve warmer clothes or an umbrella from the car was kind of long and taxing. Otherwise, well done.
Dana - Greater Chicago Area
Summer is not summer without a few key ingredients, like a long road trip, swimming in open-ended water, and a music festival. For years now I've wished to be there for Loollapalooza and other things always got in the way. This year I could theoretically make it, except that there is nothing that I find exciting enough in the lineup to make the effort.
Empires was "the band I came to see". They played on the Edge Stage in the middle of a very hot afternoon and they looked like they were suffering from it. Still, they braved it and delivered a good set with the usual energy. The crowd was bigger than for any of the bands that played on that stage the next day; they were all enthusiastic fans who knew all the lyrics and were singing, dancing, cheering. It was endearing to hear Sean tell people that those who had the album Bang had to burn it for the others. It reminded me of Trent Reznor giving bittorrent tips to the audience during his China tour. The concert ended with the fairly new bassist Connor crashing over the drums pushed by an overenthusiastic Sean, in the tradition of their so called "Destruction Tour". They seemed to be best friends at the next concert; such things are almost normal casualties of the job.
She & Him - the second group I saw. I did not know them but several people had told me they were good, including Sean Van Vleet form Empires. They had a large enthusiastic crowd cheering for many of their songs. As for myself, they are definitely softer than what I usually go for. Overall pleasant, enjoyable music.
3 Days Grace - one of those bands that I haven't been purposely listening to, but certainly heard of. I stayed to see them at the end of the first night and was quite pleased to discover that I knew at least three quarters of their songs without even knowing that I knew them. They played a long and spectacular set; they literally had the stage on fire at some point. I like men in hats, especially fedoras. A very nice surprise close to end for a child of the 80s like me: a cover of Phil Collins' In The Air Tonight. Too bad there is no studio version.
Locksley started the next morning for me. I didn't know them and I only caught the second half of their set. Good energy, dynamic sound, very cute front man with a super smile. I decided to impulsively buy one of their albums.
Manchester Orchestra - surprisingly less attended than Locksley. A flawless rendition of their songs. They are not the flashy kind of musicians and didn't quite put up a show as much much as simply played the music honestly. There was a funny moment when they interrupted a song in the middle because they flubbed either the lyrics or the key. They tried to tell us a joke about Germany, claiming that they are musicians but also wanted to be funny. Nobody quite got it and they said that they got the same reaction in Germany - as in, none. I'm not sure why the audience was so static as this is the kind of music to dance to or at least nod your head or something. Maybe it was too early in the day.
Violetness - I caught them on a break from the main stage. As a first impression, I didn't quite like the girl's voice, otherwise the arrangement was fine. The song I happened to catch was about killing your ex lover in your mind and that was a big No Thanks for me. I certainly don't wish any of my exes any harm. They instantly lost me with that.
AFI - I defied the steady rain that had started in the middle of the afternoon to catch their set, almost the last of the day. It was pretty much apocalyptic. This kind of heavy music, the powerful stage presence that they have, all under rain and cold, the sight of the spotlights revealing the heavy drops falling over us, unforgettable. At least you knew that you were surrounded by real fans, as nothing but pure enthusiasm for the band could have kept us there.
Overall this was a great first experience for this festival. I really wish they'd given bracelets that allowed exit and re-entry. A full day in close quarters and no way to retrieve warmer clothes or an umbrella from the car was kind of long and taxing. Otherwise, well done.
Dana - Greater Chicago Area
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Evely Evelyn at Park West
Park West in Chicago is a rather small, but very pretty and cozy theater. Yesterday it was full with a crowd of diverse age, looking like a mix of intellectuals/artists/hipsters, plus the occasional band geek, like yours truly, who is a combination of the three with a good measure of weird on top of it.
The show started with the Sxip Shirey, a guy from New York who is an actor, puppeteer, and musician. He's creating catchy sounds and rhythms using all sort of implements, like a glass bowl with a marble inside. In that sense he made me think of Stomp, although not style-wise. His music has an imaginative and inventive style that is not easy to place but definitely pleasant to listen to.
Evelyn Evelyn as in Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley were next. I've read some of the critiques online and I certainly didn't get the impression that they were trying to mock anyone. The show started on a vague feeling of unease on both sides (them on stage, me in the audience). As it went on, they became more and more comfortable on stage and the effect was passed on. It was well thought of and researched, quite touching on the whole. The interaction of the "girls" was what you expect from twins or close siblings - the wordless understanding, gestures and language that only the two of them share.
Their story is told by Mr. Mefisto with the help of back light projection puppeteering, which was a lot of fun despite how tragic it all sounded. It's not that obvious to make the audience laugh every time someone dies.
The twins ended up connecting pretty well with the audience and by the time they answered questions everyone was participating. When they got their chocolate back everyone cheered. I think Amanda and Jason are doing a good job of making the audience see the disabled people for what they are - just people.
After a dramatic ending, that part of the show was over and we got a few more songs from just Jason and just Amanda. I did not expect to enjoy someone playing the accordion so much, nor that I would be singing my tuba part (or trombone, whatever it was) with so much conviction. He is charismatic, convincing, engaging. It was fun seeing him use the stage itself as a drum - not sure if there was an actual implement that resonated or just the stage itself. I wasn't close enough to see.
Amanda came in through the audience and played a few more songs more or less with him (she might have done one or two just by herself). I could definitely relate to the one about betting your sweet black ass that she's going to do what she wants - I was also lame as a kid and there were times no one would talk to me for example, I also like to be alone around people sometimes, though I'm not gonna marry a writer (everyone there knew who she meant, everyone cheered).
Her music seems like something my grandma would enjoy while at the same time not sounding outdated at all. And no, this is not a veiled critique, my grandma is awesome. Especially the last song (while the cup is full, drink up, drink up - by which I don't mean that my grandma likes to drink) for which she made the audience spin a few times to get fucked up so they could enjoy it properly. I skipped the spinning part myself - sorry, I can still get motion sick occasionally, it didn't seem prudent.
After the show I went by the exit to distribute flyers for another show when Amanda came out completely nonchalantly, right through the audience, still singing the last song. She saw me and I thought it would be fun to give her a flyer. She kind of hesitated but took it anyway. She seemed relieved that I wasn't doing any kind of ideological advertising (I'm guessing). I knew, of course, that she would not come to the show, but it's good for a musician to know what else is happening on the scene, right?
So to conclude all this, her music is not exactly something I'd listen to every day but for an occasional live show I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Dana from the Greater Chicago Area
The show started with the Sxip Shirey, a guy from New York who is an actor, puppeteer, and musician. He's creating catchy sounds and rhythms using all sort of implements, like a glass bowl with a marble inside. In that sense he made me think of Stomp, although not style-wise. His music has an imaginative and inventive style that is not easy to place but definitely pleasant to listen to.
Evelyn Evelyn as in Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley were next. I've read some of the critiques online and I certainly didn't get the impression that they were trying to mock anyone. The show started on a vague feeling of unease on both sides (them on stage, me in the audience). As it went on, they became more and more comfortable on stage and the effect was passed on. It was well thought of and researched, quite touching on the whole. The interaction of the "girls" was what you expect from twins or close siblings - the wordless understanding, gestures and language that only the two of them share.
Their story is told by Mr. Mefisto with the help of back light projection puppeteering, which was a lot of fun despite how tragic it all sounded. It's not that obvious to make the audience laugh every time someone dies.
The twins ended up connecting pretty well with the audience and by the time they answered questions everyone was participating. When they got their chocolate back everyone cheered. I think Amanda and Jason are doing a good job of making the audience see the disabled people for what they are - just people.
After a dramatic ending, that part of the show was over and we got a few more songs from just Jason and just Amanda. I did not expect to enjoy someone playing the accordion so much, nor that I would be singing my tuba part (or trombone, whatever it was) with so much conviction. He is charismatic, convincing, engaging. It was fun seeing him use the stage itself as a drum - not sure if there was an actual implement that resonated or just the stage itself. I wasn't close enough to see.
Amanda came in through the audience and played a few more songs more or less with him (she might have done one or two just by herself). I could definitely relate to the one about betting your sweet black ass that she's going to do what she wants - I was also lame as a kid and there were times no one would talk to me for example, I also like to be alone around people sometimes, though I'm not gonna marry a writer (everyone there knew who she meant, everyone cheered).
Her music seems like something my grandma would enjoy while at the same time not sounding outdated at all. And no, this is not a veiled critique, my grandma is awesome. Especially the last song (while the cup is full, drink up, drink up - by which I don't mean that my grandma likes to drink) for which she made the audience spin a few times to get fucked up so they could enjoy it properly. I skipped the spinning part myself - sorry, I can still get motion sick occasionally, it didn't seem prudent.
After the show I went by the exit to distribute flyers for another show when Amanda came out completely nonchalantly, right through the audience, still singing the last song. She saw me and I thought it would be fun to give her a flyer. She kind of hesitated but took it anyway. She seemed relieved that I wasn't doing any kind of ideological advertising (I'm guessing). I knew, of course, that she would not come to the show, but it's good for a musician to know what else is happening on the scene, right?
So to conclude all this, her music is not exactly something I'd listen to every day but for an occasional live show I enjoyed it quite a lot.
Dana from the Greater Chicago Area
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)