French Horn Rebellion >> Up All Night in Phoenix [Crescent Ballroom]

Posted on December 12, 2013 by marc

French Horn Rebellion >> made their return to the desert for a dope show at Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix on Wednesday. It was a chilly night downtown but in no way was it chill as the duo and Co. got butts off of the bleachers and moving around on the dance floor to the awesome sound of band geeks gone wild.

French Horn Rebellion >> Crescent Ballroom [Phoenix]

The bill also featured Holy Coast with DJ sets by Slow Magic and Jared Alan kicking things off at 8. Thereafter, a seemingly endless flow of dancing sneakers trickled into the ballroom.

I first caught wind - or brass, for that matter - of French Horn Rebellion in 2011 when they opened for Yelle uptown at the Rhythm Room. Brothers Rob and David performed live by their lonesome then. For this leg of the tour, their trademark synths and French horn formula on stage was accompanied by 2 other dudes on drums and bass along with a hot chick on backup vocals for a really full sound.

It was a really stellar show from start to finish. They crushed a lot of the jams from their 2011 album The Infinite Music Of French Horn Rebellion including my favorite, 'Up All Night'. The set also featured crunchy remixes and a dancey cover of 'Don't You Want Me' by Human League.

Aside from the talent that has clearly evolved over the last few years, I really enjoyed the charisma that has perhaps also developed. Rob's fun demeanor, super spin moves and antics are an added bonus to the show for us in attendance and even the folks he shares the stage with.

I spoke with Rob before the show about kicking off the left coast leg of the tour and his excitement for performing in Phoenix again was obvious in our conversation and then illustrated via the performance. It's always nice to go to a show where the performers are humble and also feel rewarded in the experience.

We later discussed more about the performance, the band's direction and a ton of random shit that cracked me up for days. Be on the lookout later this month for my full interview with French Horn Rebellion.

marc

marc

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RJD2 >> Thursday in San Francisco

Posted on December 12, 2013 by marc

RJD2 >> is fresh off his October album release of More Is Than Isn’t and now bringing his electro hip-hop style and beats live and direct to the peeps of San Francisco on Thursday evening at 1015 Folsom.

RJD2

RJD2 is a 1-man wrecking crew and continues to be one of the most brilliant, innovative producers in the business. His talent is polished via decades of diverse experiment and transcends a plethora of electronic sub-genres.

Perhaps not quite a household name [yet] but it's likely you actually do know him or are already familiar with his body of work if you've happened to turn on a TV in the past 5-6 years as his productions have spanned sport highlight mashups, theme songs and variety of commercials. In particular, the intro to the series Mad Men is his very own production 'A Beautiful Mine'.

RJ continues to fine-tune his craft and it should be tight to see him perform at a venue like 1015 Folsom that compliments his sound with quality sound and visual support. If you're in The City tonight, definitely go check out RJD2. Do it.

marc

marc

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Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas >> Rock & Soul in Atlanta [The Earl]

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Tiffini

Jessica Hernandez >> and The Deltas of Detroit played The Earl this past Friday on a semi-rainy night in Atlanta and it was a great show. As the band took stage I could tell this would be an enjoyable experience.

Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas

Fellow fortunate patrons of The Earl responded cheerfully as the opening song came to an end. Jessica & The Deltas brought that 'rock and soul' sound to the stage. Once I saw a trombone and an accordion, I knew I was in for a unique experience.

Jessica Hernandez has such a soulful voice that just makes me want to hear more. Her band has an eclectic sound that reminds us that great rock and soul music are meant to be combined.

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People at the venue came to East Atlanta for a good show and they certainly got one. It didn’t seem to matter if they were already a fan of the band or if it was their first time hearing Jess & The Deltas because it was apparent that everyone enjoyed themselves. The atmosphere was magnetic from the first song to the last.

Many people at the show danced while others appeared to be in a musical trance. Groove was in the air. Ms. Hernandez has a hypnotic voice and her band is composed of some real musicians with some real talent.

I thought their energy on stage was fantastic. It's rare to see such a pure performance with a nice balance of ageless rock and soul. Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas had this balance with conviction on Friday night at The Earl. The verdict is they are a must-see live.

Tiffini

Tiffini

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The Limousines >> Hush in Scottsdale [Pub Rock]

Posted on November 27, 2013 by marc

The Limousines >> rolled through Pub Rock in Scottsdale on Friday night headlining a spectacular show that also featured MONA and Dresses on the bill. It was a cold and rainy night in the desert but some sizzling performances and an absurd amount of Fireball kept the pub-rockers warm for days.

The Limousines >> Pub Rock, Scottsdale

The stretch limo duo from The Bay Area are currently wrapping up the left coast leg of their Hush album tour in time for Thanksgiving. Their sophomore album dropped this summer thanks to a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign with them calling all the shots and the direction of their creative endeavors limitless.

Backing their project was a no-brainer for me, wanting more of what I saw at Outside Lands 2011 and their tour with The Sounds. Plus it was the best way to support some fellow native NOR*CAL gents from all the way over here in the desert.

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Their 2010 debut Get Sharp was fucking superb and didn’t leave the deck in my whip for like 2 months when I first got it but it appears since Eric and Gio have dropped their label, they have also dropped any urge to perform any such pre-Hush tracks.

They opened with 'Love Is A Dog From Hell' from Hush and everything that followed was also from said release. Don't get it twisted, I love this album and I'm happy for the fellas but it was kinda shitty to bypass the album and all the songs that earned them a strong following.

I asked Eric and Gio about it after the show and both explained that they just didn't feel like doing old stuff despite the requests from some cute girls in the crowd all over their nuts. I didn't press the issue because you have to respect what the artists' intents are but really I just wanted to go about my maniacal Fireball night a like a professional thanks to the $5 whiskey + PBR combos at Pub Rock.

Nonetheless it was still a very fun night and the bonus was really great performance by MONA and a proper introduction to the fun sounds of Dresses.

marc

marc

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Cut Copy >> Lights and Music in Tempe [Marquee Theatre]

Posted on November 7, 2013 by marc

Cut Copy >> returned to Tempe on Wednesday night for a brilliant show at Marquee Theatre. The wonders from down under are fresh into their Free Your Mind album tour, which just released stateside this week.

Cut Copy >> Marquee Theatre [Tempe]

The Aussies took stage just after 10pm and opened with 'Free Your Mind'. The title track didn't just break open the set but was also emblazoned everywhere from the backdrop to the dozens of shirts donned by the early birds in the crowd. It was a noticeably long interlude prior to the set start so there were tons of anxious peeps waiting for Cut Copy to set our 'Hearts On Fire'.

Once 'Where I'm Going' followed thereafter the venue started to shake absurdly. Not just because the familiar Zonoscope cut got people dancing more but also because the tribe of ho's in front had reached a new level of inebriation, spilling drinks and getting kicked out by security. Total temporary buzz kill for my squad, our gothic space neighbors and Dane Cook's doppelgänger - obvi there was a variety of people in attendance because Cut Copy is for everyone.

Then came a slew of jams from my favourite album In Ghost Colours including 'Feel The Love' which even included the live robot backup vocals and of course, 'Hearts On Fire'. The sound wall breakdowns in this song made everyone go nucking futs but not as much as I did when they wrapped up the evening with 'Lights And Music'.

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I was able to get some footage of 'Take Me Over' and it actually sounded great but YouTube is being a little bitch at the moment so I'll try to update this shit with a clip here soon.

It was refreshing to let loose immersed in joyous electropop again. I feel like it's been forever getting lost in synthesizers galore even though it has only been about a week. But I live for this shit and my fancy footwork require frequent reps.

Cut Copy is so choice. If you have the means I highly recommend picking up tickets to see them.

Setlist: Free Your Mind * Where I'm Going * Feel The Love * In Memory Capsule * So Haunted * Hearts On Fire * That Was Just A Dream * Far Away * Strangers In The Wind * Take Me Over * Out There On The Ice * Let Me Show You Love * We Are Explorers * Need You Now * ENCORE: Meet Me In A House Of Love * Lights And Music

marc

marc

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New Releases >> November: Eminem | Cut Copy | Lady Gaga | Crosses | Less Than Jake | Future

Posted on November 5, 2013 by marc

November >> remember, remember the 5th of November for today is the first New Music Tuesday of the month and it starts off with 4 great artists dropping albums: Eminem, Cut Copy, M.I.A. and Hellogoodbye. Then to follow them throughout the month of Thanksgiving is Lady Gaga, Crosses and Less Than Jake. We're closing in on a new year but the big hitters in the industry aren't slowing down a bit.

Eminem >> The Marshall Mathers LP 2

It's been a long time waiting for a lot of these said artists but what I'm most excited about is Eminem because this is the sequel to his sophomore studio release and my favorite album. It was highly anticipated for me because it came just 1 short but anxious year after I first saw Em on stage back at Warped ’99 when the tour used to kick off in Phoenix. This is the point I became a huge Slim fan.

The Slim Shady LP had recently been released and Marshall Mathers’ only claim to fame was a gimmicky ‘My Name Is’ track which I wasn’t particularly fond of at that point, not unlike many others. For at least that show, he was plugged into the Warped Tour lineup in place of Cypress Hill.

It wasn’t a pleasant surprise for nearly everyone at the festival and when he got on stage with Proof he was welcomed with boos, negative chants, flying bottles and garbage. He earned my respect during ‘Just Don’t Give a Fuck’ when he swatted an empty water bottle that came at him and flipped off the person he saw throw it, then without even missing a beat just kept spitting his filthy flow. The boos eventually softened whilst more and more heads nodded. A decade and a half later Slim Shady is still one of my favorite hip-hop artists ever.

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The Marshall Mathers LP 2 is available today so pick it up and look out for my review of it and the Cut Copy album. In the mean time, check out the release dates below for all the other great stuffing to gobble gobble up in November.

Cut Copy Free Your Mind >> 11.5

Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP 2 >> 11.5

Hellogoodbye Everything Is Debatable >> 11.5

James Blunt Moon Landing >> 11.5

Luscious Jackson Magic Hour >> 11.5

M.I.A. Matangi >> 11.5

Erasure Snow Globe >> 11.11

Lady Gaga Artpop >> 11.11

Less Than Jake See The Light >> 11.12

††† [Crosses] † >> 11.12

Chris Brown X >> 11.19

Norah Jones & Billie Joe Armstrong Foreverly >> 11.25

Future Honest >> 11.25

marc

marc

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Life Is Beautiful >> in Downtown Las Vegas

Posted on October 29, 2013 by marc

Life Is Beautiful >> is certainly a true statement but also the name of downtown Las Vegas' first ever multi-genre music and arts festival. No stranger to extravagant festivals myself I must say this festival was extraordinary.

Life Is Beautiful

Sure, these days it's not unusual to see a plethora of amazing artists formulating a lineup - what makes these galas unique are the setting, atmosphere and the intricate touches any avid patron can appreciate.

Coachella features luscious grass underneath a colorful palm deserted backdrop, the Chicago skyline sets beyond the stages at Grant Park for Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outside Lands is immersed in the great redwood forrest of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Life Is Beautiful takes place right in the heart of where Sin City all began. The north end of The Strip is rich with history and character. In a town where illustriousness defines the success of the new establishments, the beauty of the art and music that Vegas was founded on tends to get lost. The Life Is Beautiful Festival celebrates this in its display of local art on antique buildings, a collection of exquisite cuisine from the world's top chefs and even a series of learning seminars from experts in a variety of fields.

Life Is Beautiful >> Empire Of The Sun

This was the first year of what should be many for the Life Is Beautiful festival. In no particular order, here are my favorite moments from the 2-day gala in old Sin City.

Empire of the Sun >> performed 'We Are The People' alongside a stage full of sexy chicks with LED electric guitars strumming between the backbeats of every verse

Capital Cities >> covered 'Stayin Alive' by the Bee Gees then continued to discofy the fest with a disco-funk version of 'Safe And Sound'

The Killers >> covered my favorite Velvet Underground song 'Pale Blue Eyes' in memory of the late, great Lou Reed who died during the weekend of the festival

Zedd >> dropped 'Clarity' and seemingly caused an electronic earthquake of Las Vegans dancing asses off

Childish Gambino >> performed his own rendition of Adele’s 'Rolling in the Deep'

marc

marc

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