I was hitting a wall with how much more tax preparation I could handle, and the accounting gods throw me a curveball and send me on an financial statement audit in Hollywood. This job has gone on the last two weeks and I absolutely love it.
I just can't help but feel more at home around here in Hollywood & Los Feliz than in Marina del Rey. I can't stand living in a part of town so settled, so comfortable, so overly content and without any social interaction or youth. When I'm consistently going to bed on time and having little else to do but videogames (as great as Nintendo Wii is don't get me wrong) obviously something isn't right. I want something to tempt me to stay up too late, I demand a sense of community and things consistently going on. I expect to be able to go out and socialize and see some live entertainment or concerts without having to drive and sit in traffic over an hour at this point in my life, and that is what this audit has opened my eyes to.
I've had something to do almost every single day after work on this audit. Whether it is a screening of RocknRolla @ the WB's on-lot theatre, Comedy Death Ray at Upright Citizen's Brigade, or just chilling out to some legit decaf coffee while in a daze of shoegaze at the Bourgeois Pig or maybe downing a bottle of cheap Shiraz with good company at Fred 62... oh wait there's more I could go on and on.
Why would I just whine and not change something in my life and just move? Stupid knee injury and the ongoing physical therapy kept me entrapped where I didn't want to be... but I'm over that and able to run and play sports again or whatever else.
Ideal place for me to live in LA, disregarding how bad my commute could be, would be Franklin Village or Los Feliz. Its somewhat affordable and seems to be completely lacking in young yuppie MBA types like me - I just don't identify with my own kind. Most all my friends work in entertainment and outside of the awesome CPA firm I work out, I'd rather spend my free time with people not in my line of work.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Now What?
I finally exhausted that massive pile of tickets for concerts. It was a long, exhausting, and satisfying ride and although I was showing up to many concerts completely out of energy, the experience was far more than worth it.
9-22-08 Raconteurs, Greek Theatre
I loved the Greek, the feeling of being out in the middle of the wilderness even though you're right by Los Feliz and not far from LA. Being surrounded by trees and showing up to a concert right as the sun is setting made me nostalgic for all those bowl concerts. Every seat is pretty decent and the sound was just perfect. I also loved making the long walk up the hill to the venue all the way from Los Feliz Blvd.
As for the show, the Raconteurs were very entertaining. Jack White is a freaking giant. Between the wilderness-feeling setting of the Greek and the Raconteurs heartlandish songs, I felt so far from home and I was loving it.
10-2-08 My Bloody Valentine, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
The venue in itself just screamed that it was something out of the late 50's that would begrudingly continue to exist and stubbornly refuse to age well. It has quite a history to it and some legendary concerts have existed there, but my god does it look old. But hey at least it was very close to home. The shoegaze that was about to take place transcended this old place anyway.
The security at the doors was very insistant in making sure everyone had a pair of free earplugs. I thought it was a nice gesture but later on I'd learn why they did this.
I was very excited to see Spacemen 3 open up. I'd seen Spiritualized perform before Nick Cave several weeks ago, which is nearly the same band. I was not expecting to hear Transparent Radiation, I absolutely love that song and its spacey, simplistic, distorted riffs and I hadn't given it a listen in years.
When My Bloody Valentine hit the stage they blew us all away with I Only Said from Loveless, with the volume cranked waaaay up and a great light show and massive art-house projection to accompany the music. It was quite an amazing spectacle, everyone's seats were shaking from the sound nearly the entire time, and the massive crowd on the floor below just stood below in a tranquil stupor, entranced by the distortion pedals and effects switches and peaceful dissonance being thrown their way.
The huge projector really added to the whole experience, it was a great finishing touch on this masterpiece of a concert. When they finally were wrapping up their set, there was a 15 to 20 minute pause before the finale where the audience was just blasted with a tsunami of sound. I'd read some reports that it hit nearly 128 decibels, it sounded like several jetfighters ready to take off. Without the earplugs so insistently handed out on the way in, I wonder if this really could have been the end of my concertgoing and music listening?
The entire time, the huge screen in the front was playing some beautiful projection that made this whole thing seem like the journey beyond the infinite from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and by the time we reached the end the band just played about 30 seconds more of the end of the song as if nothing happened.
9-22-08 Raconteurs, Greek Theatre
I loved the Greek, the feeling of being out in the middle of the wilderness even though you're right by Los Feliz and not far from LA. Being surrounded by trees and showing up to a concert right as the sun is setting made me nostalgic for all those bowl concerts. Every seat is pretty decent and the sound was just perfect. I also loved making the long walk up the hill to the venue all the way from Los Feliz Blvd. As for the show, the Raconteurs were very entertaining. Jack White is a freaking giant. Between the wilderness-feeling setting of the Greek and the Raconteurs heartlandish songs, I felt so far from home and I was loving it.
10-2-08 My Bloody Valentine, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
The venue in itself just screamed that it was something out of the late 50's that would begrudingly continue to exist and stubbornly refuse to age well. It has quite a history to it and some legendary concerts have existed there, but my god does it look old. But hey at least it was very close to home. The shoegaze that was about to take place transcended this old place anyway.
The security at the doors was very insistant in making sure everyone had a pair of free earplugs. I thought it was a nice gesture but later on I'd learn why they did this.
I was very excited to see Spacemen 3 open up. I'd seen Spiritualized perform before Nick Cave several weeks ago, which is nearly the same band. I was not expecting to hear Transparent Radiation, I absolutely love that song and its spacey, simplistic, distorted riffs and I hadn't given it a listen in years.
When My Bloody Valentine hit the stage they blew us all away with I Only Said from Loveless, with the volume cranked waaaay up and a great light show and massive art-house projection to accompany the music. It was quite an amazing spectacle, everyone's seats were shaking from the sound nearly the entire time, and the massive crowd on the floor below just stood below in a tranquil stupor, entranced by the distortion pedals and effects switches and peaceful dissonance being thrown their way.
The huge projector really added to the whole experience, it was a great finishing touch on this masterpiece of a concert. When they finally were wrapping up their set, there was a 15 to 20 minute pause before the finale where the audience was just blasted with a tsunami of sound. I'd read some reports that it hit nearly 128 decibels, it sounded like several jetfighters ready to take off. Without the earplugs so insistently handed out on the way in, I wonder if this really could have been the end of my concertgoing and music listening?
The entire time, the huge screen in the front was playing some beautiful projection that made this whole thing seem like the journey beyond the infinite from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and by the time we reached the end the band just played about 30 seconds more of the end of the song as if nothing happened.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Crank Mob Anniversary
I’d been on a freakin’ exercise bike almost every single day since my physical therapy for the torn ACL got started, along with all of this intensive muscle-rebuilding and now find myself in this odd place where I am in better shape that I’ve been in my entire life by far, but unable to play sports of any kind.
This doesn’t stop me from riding my bike! And I was waaaaaaaaaaaay overdue for a Crank Mob. I was expecting the usual biking around with about 200 cyclists in festive costumes and hilariously decorated bikes and so forth, stopping at various liquor stores and parking lots, having LAPD nervously watch us. I got that, except apparently this was the 1 year anniversary of the Crank Mob and this meant there were about 3 times as many cyclists as usual, a HUGE decorated RV blasting tons of electronic beats and dance music, a projector set up in the middle of the starting point to commemerate the occasion, and so much more that was to happen…
As I met my crew at Sawtell & La Grange, the medical plaza and sidewalks and streets were completely overflowed with the masses of cyclists, all with our blinking red and white lights. Then out of nowhere the massive RV appears to have just dropped from the sky blaring Justice.
Most of the action happened in the parking lot of the Costco right by my place. The jousting was back in full force and I was ready to play with my new camera. I scored the most amazing photo right at the moment of impact.
As fun as the jousting was, it sort of fell into the realm of what I expected for Crank Mob. What was completely out of the realm of what I expected, and what even seemed possible or realistic, was the live punk show with a full drum set, two guitars, singer, and plenty of sound power that fueled a massive mosh-pit right in the lot.
I also can’t say I expected a bike-car to join in on the fun.
Nor a Happy Birthday cake arriving on a Costco kart.
Or a bunch of stunt-jumps off a ramp in toddler bikes with training wheels.
Joining a group of several hundred festive bikers at night and riding and partying as if it is the end of times is one hell of an escape from the life of a young professional working out of various corporate cement beehives.
It was the most social, easy-going Crank Mob crowd of all the rides I’d been on and the whole experience makes me want to drop down several g’s for an awesome road-bike and ditch my car forever.
How was this coordinated? Who fronted all the money to buy all those kids bikes to share with the crowd? Where did the live band come from? This is the kind of event where you don't ask those questions and just have F.U.N.
Hollywood Bowl swan song
Never before had I experienced box seats before at the Hollywood Bowl, and now I am not sure I can accept anything less. When the ushers showed me to my seat I could have sworn at first I was mistakenly shown a seat far more expensive than I could ever afford and that certainly some angry dude with way more money than me would push me out of his seat when he arrived later, but no I was definitely in the right place.
Cat Power kicked it off with some of its now familiar intimate, brooding alto voice. Since seeing her at the Wiltern last February I've been a fan. Staying true to her habit of random covers in the middle of her set she broke into a slow version of CCC's Fortunate Son.
Spiritualized followed it up with its spacey and slightly psychodelic and genre-defying sounds. As they eventually got into their faster and faster songs, the audience was pretty psyched and warmed up to get us revved up for:
He might be losing his hair but he sure as hell is not losing his touch. His gospel infused, bluesy diatribes tell mysterious stories across a rugged landscape. His imagery may be bleak, the rhythm sometimes tepid, but Nick Cave himself was furiously animated and alive. With about twenty albums to pick a setlist from I was quite happy with what was played.
This was a great concert to save for my last Bowl event of the summer. Easily worthy of the ticket price, the great bottle of wine my friends and I went through, and the high level of expectations I set. I'm left with the bittersweet feeling of being proud to have have experienced a summer full Bowl concerts, and sadness in wondering why I didn't do this years before and that the summer season is over with.
I'm ready to stick to more intimate venues and smaller artists now that I can say I've tried out so many large venues this summer..
Cat Power kicked it off with some of its now familiar intimate, brooding alto voice. Since seeing her at the Wiltern last February I've been a fan. Staying true to her habit of random covers in the middle of her set she broke into a slow version of CCC's Fortunate Son.
Spiritualized followed it up with its spacey and slightly psychodelic and genre-defying sounds. As they eventually got into their faster and faster songs, the audience was pretty psyched and warmed up to get us revved up for:He might be losing his hair but he sure as hell is not losing his touch. His gospel infused, bluesy diatribes tell mysterious stories across a rugged landscape. His imagery may be bleak, the rhythm sometimes tepid, but Nick Cave himself was furiously animated and alive. With about twenty albums to pick a setlist from I was quite happy with what was played.
This was a great concert to save for my last Bowl event of the summer. Easily worthy of the ticket price, the great bottle of wine my friends and I went through, and the high level of expectations I set. I'm left with the bittersweet feeling of being proud to have have experienced a summer full Bowl concerts, and sadness in wondering why I didn't do this years before and that the summer season is over with.
I'm ready to stick to more intimate venues and smaller artists now that I can say I've tried out so many large venues this summer..
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Back to the real world
I've finally woken up from the social coma that the unfortunate events of early July confined me to. It's a bit like waking up while deeply underwater, and re-learning how to do everything. I finally learned to walk again and have been trying to pick up where I left off.
7/27/07
I came around too late for the Coldplay concert, and the Feist concert, but thank goodness I was at least able to stumble over to Gnarls Barkley at the bowl for my first real adventure outside of Marina del Rey, alone, without my faithful parents to save me from falling over or collapsing in pain. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but it paid off as I had one of the first moments where I could just causually meet up with friends and forget that my leg was barely held together.
At this point I'd felt I'd done indie music to death and this delivered the very changeup I needed. Finally something I have little context for and almost no familiarity with, some trippy funk infused jam sessions with Cee-Lo's voicebox blaring over the frantic thunder of Danger Mouse's furious multi-instrumentals and backups. Sort of like a funk version of Penn and Teller, one does more than enough talking for two people while the other never speaks.
I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of energy of the crowd. Yes it was Sunday night, yes we mostly have work the next day, but come on slackers, you gotta reciropcate the energy of the peformers!
August 8, 2008
I've never been that into watching sports on TV, so I couldn't be bothered to watch the Olympics opening ceremony. Instead, it was a good day for a field trip to the La Brea tarpits for the 88Boadrum spectacle. 88 drummers, 88 minutes, starting at 8:08 on 8/8/8. Lead by the noise-rock band straight from Osaka, Japan, The Boredoms.
I was having enough fun just sitting back against the hill watching hipster after hipster jam their way into the park upon the canvas of a beautiful Los Angeles summer sunset in the middle of Miracle Mile. As the sun quickly dropped, the masses of drummers saddled up on the the army of empty drum thrones and before I knew it, a painful cry signalled the start of the festival.
At a concert I usually focus mostly on the drummer, I find them the most interesting to watch as they must dedicate all four limbs into their sound. Here, there were 88 of them, synchronized, flailing limbs all over the place to craft so many experimental beats.
As a bonus, I randomly spotted an Eric Wareheim in the middle of the crowd.
August 14, 2008
What better way to celebrate being able to walk thank the Downtown Art Walk? The second Thursday of the month couldn't have arrived quickly enough. I love it whenever you can comfortably stroll around downtown, late at night, safe within the masses of like-minded artgoers all out socializing and exploring the various open musuems. For a moment it will feel like downtown Los Angeles is a nearly normal, metropolitan, pedestrian-friendly city, so full of life.
Unfortunately I got a bit of a late start on this one, a reminder that some of the best fun is had early, before most people have gotten of work. There were quite a bit of crowds to content with, which meant that a lot of free wine had run dry and many people packed in small museums caused super-high humidity. But when you're among so many friends, and causually bumping into so many familiar faces along the way, you really can't complain.
Every downtown art walk is an experience in an alternative, fantasy downtown that you wish would happen more regularly. The massive sprawl of the city and reliance on a car and other common LA grievances can be left behind while you just stroll around, having a good time.
7/27/07
I came around too late for the Coldplay concert, and the Feist concert, but thank goodness I was at least able to stumble over to Gnarls Barkley at the bowl for my first real adventure outside of Marina del Rey, alone, without my faithful parents to save me from falling over or collapsing in pain. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but it paid off as I had one of the first moments where I could just causually meet up with friends and forget that my leg was barely held together.
At this point I'd felt I'd done indie music to death and this delivered the very changeup I needed. Finally something I have little context for and almost no familiarity with, some trippy funk infused jam sessions with Cee-Lo's voicebox blaring over the frantic thunder of Danger Mouse's furious multi-instrumentals and backups. Sort of like a funk version of Penn and Teller, one does more than enough talking for two people while the other never speaks.
I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of energy of the crowd. Yes it was Sunday night, yes we mostly have work the next day, but come on slackers, you gotta reciropcate the energy of the peformers!
August 8, 2008
I've never been that into watching sports on TV, so I couldn't be bothered to watch the Olympics opening ceremony. Instead, it was a good day for a field trip to the La Brea tarpits for the 88Boadrum spectacle. 88 drummers, 88 minutes, starting at 8:08 on 8/8/8. Lead by the noise-rock band straight from Osaka, Japan, The Boredoms.
I was having enough fun just sitting back against the hill watching hipster after hipster jam their way into the park upon the canvas of a beautiful Los Angeles summer sunset in the middle of Miracle Mile. As the sun quickly dropped, the masses of drummers saddled up on the the army of empty drum thrones and before I knew it, a painful cry signalled the start of the festival.
At a concert I usually focus mostly on the drummer, I find them the most interesting to watch as they must dedicate all four limbs into their sound. Here, there were 88 of them, synchronized, flailing limbs all over the place to craft so many experimental beats.
As a bonus, I randomly spotted an Eric Wareheim in the middle of the crowd.
August 14, 2008
What better way to celebrate being able to walk thank the Downtown Art Walk? The second Thursday of the month couldn't have arrived quickly enough. I love it whenever you can comfortably stroll around downtown, late at night, safe within the masses of like-minded artgoers all out socializing and exploring the various open musuems. For a moment it will feel like downtown Los Angeles is a nearly normal, metropolitan, pedestrian-friendly city, so full of life.
Unfortunately I got a bit of a late start on this one, a reminder that some of the best fun is had early, before most people have gotten of work. There were quite a bit of crowds to content with, which meant that a lot of free wine had run dry and many people packed in small museums caused super-high humidity. But when you're among so many friends, and causually bumping into so many familiar faces along the way, you really can't complain.
Every downtown art walk is an experience in an alternative, fantasy downtown that you wish would happen more regularly. The massive sprawl of the city and reliance on a car and other common LA grievances can be left behind while you just stroll around, having a good time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A View from the Couch
As I returned home from surgery last Tuesday to reconstruct my torn ACL, I've been held captive to my couch, using the internet occasionally with a long-corded keyboard on my lap with a wireless mouse on to the side and the hdtv as a computer monitor, while my horrifically sore left leg takes an eternity in healing itself to the point where I am barely able to get up and down without assistance.
After experiencing more pain that I'd ever wish upon anyone else (except a few jerks out there), I've been thinking a lot about the physical therapy I'm going through now and all that is ahead. It is better to think of that than dwell on the fact I missed the Coldplay concert and will be missing Feist as well. One thing that will help a lot down the road will be balance exercises, which I've always been neglectful of. This is where I think Wii Fit is going to help.
With too much time on my hands I finally think I got a successful online order of this hard-to-find product and when I'm able to stand without crutches I'll finally have something to motivate me to do proper balance and stability exercises, and hopefully other things useful to re-developing the very degenerated lower body strength.
Until then, I am painfully awaiting the day that I can at least walk normally again, which hopefully is less than a week away. This forced, temporary, painful sedentary lifestyle is killing me.
After experiencing more pain that I'd ever wish upon anyone else (except a few jerks out there), I've been thinking a lot about the physical therapy I'm going through now and all that is ahead. It is better to think of that than dwell on the fact I missed the Coldplay concert and will be missing Feist as well. One thing that will help a lot down the road will be balance exercises, which I've always been neglectful of. This is where I think Wii Fit is going to help.
With too much time on my hands I finally think I got a successful online order of this hard-to-find product and when I'm able to stand without crutches I'll finally have something to motivate me to do proper balance and stability exercises, and hopefully other things useful to re-developing the very degenerated lower body strength.
Until then, I am painfully awaiting the day that I can at least walk normally again, which hopefully is less than a week away. This forced, temporary, painful sedentary lifestyle is killing me.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thievery Corp, Death Cab for Cutie
Staying out late on school/work nights is what separates the cool from the not. If you just wait until Friday night, Saturday night, or a night before some random holiday to do anything fun, you're lame.
To show you how cool I am, I went out on both Sunday night and Monday night! It also helps if you have random bouts of insomnia, and the alternative is staying up late praying that sleep comes your way.
It started Sunday with Thievery Corp with Los Amigos Invisibles at the Hollywood bowl. I can't even pretend that I really know anything about either of those bands, other than the fact that my stoner friends love it and the air had a bit of the smell of a joint being passed around, but to say you had to be stoned to enjoy it would be a lie, the music from both the openers and headliner are good enough to be enjoyed without any such illicit substances.
Los Amigos Invisibles did a great job of warming up the crowd with its highly energetic, otherworldly funk/jazz/disco sounds that I'll incompetently try to explain with this short paragraph that is actually a big run on sentence. Their sound was so lively and fun that it felt like no time until the sun was finally set on this luxuriously overlong summer daylight, and then the stage literally spun around and up was Thievery Corp.
It started out with just two dj's up there, and before we knew it there was random guest star after random guest star an suddenly a vocalist, drummer, and full band all nuanced by the outstanding stage lights and welcome addition of a competent sound engineer that must have been truant from REM's show the month before.
I started out knowing nothing more about Thievery Corp other than that one of my friends at work is a huge fan and they had a popular song on the Garden State soundtrack, but obviously that is half the point I'm going to all these concerts - to learn about random bands outside my level of comfort. What I saw was an eclectic performance of what felt like an electronica band that had ventured around the world several times, finding a comfortable home at many points all over the globe, and then deciding to share all of its outerworldly wisdom with us through their sound. The whole night left me feeling excited, relaxed, and somehow more cultured and I went home very happy, but still excited for the following night.
Next up on Monday was Death Cab for Cutie, opened by Rogue Wave at the Nokia Live in downtown. What really struck me first was this new venue I hadn't experienced. Right next to the Staples Center, the building had an almost exciting street-prescence with all of its decorative lights out in front that would almost deceive you to the fact that the building is 100% utilitarian. There is not an ounce of excitement or anything of interest to the architecture of this venue, it is about as drab and stale and corporate feeling as you can get, right down to its lame display of cell phones that not a single concert goer has any interest in looking at while out to see a show.
This isn't really all a bad thing, because when I said it was utilitarian, it pulls that off quite well - the seats were of serviceable comfort and every seat out there seemed to have a decent view of the stage, and the acoustic engineering was quite well done.
Hearing Rogue Wave and then Death Cab was a great experience too, and as with the previous night I hardly knew anything about either band before. One thing was for sure, as the almost surfer-looking type walking in I was badly out of uniform by not being pale, anemic, skinny, and with pair of jeans more than 2 sizes too small and some sort of ironic t-shirt. I was almost afraid of not being hipster enough to be even allowed into the venue based on the crowd I was a part of. Somehow I still made it in and loved the show. I may not look the part, but I now love both of these bands. Both were great, Rogue Wave had their gentle, accessible indie sound that was a bit more familiar to me. Then Death Cab for Cutie won me over with its intimately melancholy sound that cries of some sort of bittersweet reflection that begged me to go and get all their albums and give it a more thorough chance.
It is surprising that I'd gone so long without really giving them a shot as my music library is full of Death Cab's neighboring-sounding bands such as The Shins, the opening band Rogue Wave, Built to Spill, Dntel... and many others that I felt were quite similar and liked by me - but that is obviously the whole point I'm going to shows like this. Death Cab might not have been the most animated up on stage, but they sounded so clean and the singer's voice was so lofty and smooth to listen too that they didn't need to rely on any such antics.
And now I'm giving Los Angeles a break, I'll be out of civilization for about two weeks. I'll pretend that there are actually people that read this and say goodbye for now.
When I'm back, if my knee allows me to I'll be at Coldplay's show at The Forum on 7/14 - or if not expect a lengthy and bitchy post complaining about me and my poor torn ACL that prevented me from experiencing another concert and chance to hang out with fun people.
To show you how cool I am, I went out on both Sunday night and Monday night! It also helps if you have random bouts of insomnia, and the alternative is staying up late praying that sleep comes your way.
It started Sunday with Thievery Corp with Los Amigos Invisibles at the Hollywood bowl. I can't even pretend that I really know anything about either of those bands, other than the fact that my stoner friends love it and the air had a bit of the smell of a joint being passed around, but to say you had to be stoned to enjoy it would be a lie, the music from both the openers and headliner are good enough to be enjoyed without any such illicit substances.
Los Amigos Invisibles did a great job of warming up the crowd with its highly energetic, otherworldly funk/jazz/disco sounds that I'll incompetently try to explain with this short paragraph that is actually a big run on sentence. Their sound was so lively and fun that it felt like no time until the sun was finally set on this luxuriously overlong summer daylight, and then the stage literally spun around and up was Thievery Corp.
It started out with just two dj's up there, and before we knew it there was random guest star after random guest star an suddenly a vocalist, drummer, and full band all nuanced by the outstanding stage lights and welcome addition of a competent sound engineer that must have been truant from REM's show the month before.
I started out knowing nothing more about Thievery Corp other than that one of my friends at work is a huge fan and they had a popular song on the Garden State soundtrack, but obviously that is half the point I'm going to all these concerts - to learn about random bands outside my level of comfort. What I saw was an eclectic performance of what felt like an electronica band that had ventured around the world several times, finding a comfortable home at many points all over the globe, and then deciding to share all of its outerworldly wisdom with us through their sound. The whole night left me feeling excited, relaxed, and somehow more cultured and I went home very happy, but still excited for the following night.
Next up on Monday was Death Cab for Cutie, opened by Rogue Wave at the Nokia Live in downtown. What really struck me first was this new venue I hadn't experienced. Right next to the Staples Center, the building had an almost exciting street-prescence with all of its decorative lights out in front that would almost deceive you to the fact that the building is 100% utilitarian. There is not an ounce of excitement or anything of interest to the architecture of this venue, it is about as drab and stale and corporate feeling as you can get, right down to its lame display of cell phones that not a single concert goer has any interest in looking at while out to see a show.
This isn't really all a bad thing, because when I said it was utilitarian, it pulls that off quite well - the seats were of serviceable comfort and every seat out there seemed to have a decent view of the stage, and the acoustic engineering was quite well done.
Hearing Rogue Wave and then Death Cab was a great experience too, and as with the previous night I hardly knew anything about either band before. One thing was for sure, as the almost surfer-looking type walking in I was badly out of uniform by not being pale, anemic, skinny, and with pair of jeans more than 2 sizes too small and some sort of ironic t-shirt. I was almost afraid of not being hipster enough to be even allowed into the venue based on the crowd I was a part of. Somehow I still made it in and loved the show. I may not look the part, but I now love both of these bands. Both were great, Rogue Wave had their gentle, accessible indie sound that was a bit more familiar to me. Then Death Cab for Cutie won me over with its intimately melancholy sound that cries of some sort of bittersweet reflection that begged me to go and get all their albums and give it a more thorough chance.
It is surprising that I'd gone so long without really giving them a shot as my music library is full of Death Cab's neighboring-sounding bands such as The Shins, the opening band Rogue Wave, Built to Spill, Dntel... and many others that I felt were quite similar and liked by me - but that is obviously the whole point I'm going to shows like this. Death Cab might not have been the most animated up on stage, but they sounded so clean and the singer's voice was so lofty and smooth to listen too that they didn't need to rely on any such antics.
And now I'm giving Los Angeles a break, I'll be out of civilization for about two weeks. I'll pretend that there are actually people that read this and say goodbye for now.
When I'm back, if my knee allows me to I'll be at Coldplay's show at The Forum on 7/14 - or if not expect a lengthy and bitchy post complaining about me and my poor torn ACL that prevented me from experiencing another concert and chance to hang out with fun people.
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