Concert Clips

Review: 'Hazards of Love' Decemberists tribute

David Hegle — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:33:36 GMT

Portland folk-rock band the Decemberists are setting out on tour in January to support their upcoming album "The King is Dead." Sadly, the closest they'll come to Reno is a Feb. 14 date in Oakland.

But closer to home we do have a Decemberists tribute, with local artists pooling their efforts for "Hazards of Love - A Tribute to the Decemberists." I saw it on Nov. 12, and there are shows Nov. 18, 19, and 21 (a matinee) at the Great Escape.

It's an labor-of-love production by producer-director Jill Marlene of the Decemberists' fifth studio album, 2009's "The Hazards of Love."

That hourlong concept album tells a fanciful, fearsome tale of romance and danger, and the Reno production uses a live band and singers to faithfully perform the album in its entirety.

The music aims for recreation. A stage show also depicts the events in the story.

The live music is a rush, driving home the rawness and power of the album's score, especially during heavier moments where guitars crunch and the bass pounds. Tom Gordon's drums do an excellent job keeping everyone in line.

The singing, however, is more of a mixed bag. The vocal performances are at times a fine impersonation of the very stylized and character-driven parts on the album. But often the attempts to match the original fall far short and drive home that this is an enthusiast production done by fans. These are hard notes to hit, and tryouts (or a more stringent process) would have helped.

But the onstage narrative dance is fun throughout. The costumes for the flora are elaborate and the dancers do a fine job with their moves. Also, the somewhat confusing story is made much more clear by the visuals. The guy who plays the Rake looks impeccably rakish, but I wish he and the rest of the cast would all agree to lip-sync what their characters are singing or all refrain.

So, what we have here are more than two dozen people who are big fans of an epic album that's considered a modern cult classic by many. The music, vocals and moves are all raw and energetic, but the singing creates a slight sense of dread as each hard part comes to pass.

Playing actual Decemberists songs from other albums before, after and during intermission doesn't help the comparison.

The question, then, is whether or not it's worth $10. If you also enjoy the album, and won't find imperfect vocals too distracting, it's an interesting experience (with super creepy trees). With two performances under their belts, this weekend's shows might feature many changes, too.

But for the uninitiated, this probably isn't the best way to meet the Decemberists.

For more about the show, read our feature story.

Sol Jibe's Tim Snider unleashes solo work

David Hegle — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:10:21 GMT

Sol Jibe singer-guitarist-violinist Tim Snider has struck out on his own — for now, at least — with his first solo recording.

While Sol Jibe has been around since about 2003, Snider has devoted most of his songwriting to Sol Jibe, Reno’s Latin-inspired folk-rockers. But since Snider has been doing some solo touring, he figured that having some music to sell on the road was in order.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Snider said. “When you play with a band like Sol Jibe, there’s a good deal of collaboration, which I love. This was a chance for me to see something through to the end, which is how I envisioned it.”

On “Del Mar Sessions,” named for both the street Snider lives on and his love of surfing (literally “of the sea” in Spanish), the sound is a little less Sol Jibe and a little more singer-songwriter in the vein of John Mayer and Jack Johnson. Except for a small bit of percussion and piano, Snider played all the parts on the EP himself, including guitar, violin, viola, bass, mandolin and various found percussion.

“The percussion stuff, I basically just raided the kitchen and found what I could.”

Sure, he’s got drummer friends, but Snider said he wanted to create the sounds with what he had and go for the untraditional.

His solo show includes music he’s written for himself, songs that never made the Sol Jibe repertoire, as well as some Sol Jibe music. The CD-release show is at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Celebrity Showroom at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Snider will do some solo touring later this year and early next, but Sol Jibe’s still together.

“Us being able to do solo stuff makes the experience when we can play together that much more enjoyable,” Snider said. “We traveled the world together, lived together, and it’s nice to have your own creative outlet,” Snider said of the other Sol Jibe core member Milton Merlos. Keep up with Snider at www.facebook.com/timsnidermusic.

— Jason Kellner, jkellner@rgj.com

Review: Freezepop returns with new songs

David Hegle — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:59:57 GMT

Oh, Freezepop. Many of your songs sound alike and even when energetic they're somehow low-key, but you are one of the most fun bands to see in a small space like Tonic's stage.

They pondered how long it'd been — settling on the very accurate "a couple years," — since they were last onstage at Tonic.

That time they were the headliner, perhaps riding the wave of rhythm games frenzy because of their inclusion in the first two "Guitar Hero" games and it's "Rock Band" spiritual successor.

That genre was a video game bubble that has since popped, and on Friday night at Tonic, the synthpop band was opening for Ming & Ping.

For whatever reason, there were far fewer people this time than in 2008, but the Boston band busted out a good selection of favorites, video game tracks and some rather stellar new songs from "Imaginary Friends," which will be released this fall.

Also new: a fourth band member, Christmas Disco-Marie Sagan, who works a musical board and looks kind of like Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

On their website you can download the new track "Magnetic" for free. Other songs in the set list included "Brainpower," "Science Genius Girl," "Super Sprøde" and "Less Talk More Rokk," which features a shout-out to PBR, of all things.

Live, they sound slapdash. The tight regiment of electronica/synth music is lost on stage as they jump around, and adopt a much looser style. But they are, quite simply, fun. The band members look gleeful, pause briefly to say funny things, and occasionally dabble in keytar duels.

That’s enough for a Freezepop fan.

Headliners Ming & Ping performed later that night/early Saturday morning

Review: Aesop Rock at the Knit

David Hegle — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 20:10:15 GMT

Ian Bavitz – stage name Aesop Rock – took his time getting to Reno, despite our rabid and diverse hip-hop scene. That’s OK.

“It’s my first time in Reno,” he said a few songs into an 80-minute set. “Only took 34 years, but f--- it, I’m here.”

He said he was told that morning that he was going to love Reno, and it looks like the prediction was spot-on – and that was surely in no small part to the very warm and full response he got at that Knitting Factory last night.

See photos from the show.

He got a good number of shouts even when asking for fans that had been with him for more than 10 years.

That is going back – his first album was 1997’s “Music for Earthworms.”

He jumped around his albums and EPs, with songs including “Coffee,” “Catacomb Kids,” “Fishtales,” “9-5er's Anthem,” and “Big Bang.”

Aesop Rock lyrics come fast and furious, but even in songs that were completely unfamiliar I could pick up a lot of the lyrics, although sometimes their rhythm and construction was so hypnotic it was almost instrumental and I soaked in the way the words played together rather than their meaning.

But I did gather the intent behind “Pigs” (he hates them!), and “Labor” was naturally dedicated to anyone who hates their job.

Aesop Rock must be pretty happy with his day job. The white rapper from New York has built a solid career on intelligent, fast-paced rhymes.

He dips into academia and lofty concepts but also toys with lots of nerdy aspects — but without ever being in danger of entering MC Chris nerdcore territory.

He’s not rapping about anything as banal as video games, but the background videos reference classic titles (“Space Invaders,” “Missile Command”), samples include “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” and there are other random touches, like the “I like turtles” clip and the Activator t-shirt referencing the Activision games company logo.

He’s been touring and working with Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz and it sounds like they’re collaborating on a new project called Hail Mary Mallon, and they did new tracks from that like “D-Up.”

Aesop also dropped some refreshing stage honesty, responding to early requests for favorite songs by explaining that performing them then would be like premature ejaculation, and he said he wouldn’t leave the stage for any encore charade.

Instead, he ended his main set with 2007’s title track “None Shall Pass,” and it was a pleasure to see him chew through it live.

The applause was great, his pause short, and then the man delivered a few more tracks to eager Reno fans.

Review: Dropkick Murphys suited to live shows

David Hegle — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:35:20 GMT

Is there any band more suited to drunken, sweaty, shirtless, kilted people jostling in a pit while singing along with every word than the Dropkick Murphys?

I won't pretend to be very familiar with the Celtic-punk-rock band (I've got the six albums but listen infrequently and the first thing I think of is the song from "The Departed"), but I can't imagine anyone going to the show last night at the Grand Sierra and not being drawn in by the fierce performance of a band that's had time to perfect their fairly unique craft.

The Murphys, kicking around since 1996, are known for impressive live shows — so says Wikipedia, the Grand Sierra's Website, and friends who have gone to their previous, regularly scheduled Reno engagements. Now I see why.

While their recorded material is still of only moderate interest to me, they are an absolute blast live, as the band mixes blistering punk with sounds of the old country, and actually needs the big stage at the GSR for all the people and instruments.

"The Auld Triangle," for instance, begins with the mournful sounds of a whistle and piano, before lead vocalist Al Barr jumps in with his characteristic growl along with pounding drums and roaring guitar while traditional elements stay interwoven.

Sound was well mixed, with the disparate and traditional instruments all ringing clear, and in the pit, where many speakers kind of blow right past you, the volume was very comfortable.

If there was a political message embedded in the show, it was "prohibition is bad," as big Irish-Catholic stained-glass banners were ripped down to reveal a collage of photos from the end of prohibition. A popular message, certainly, but it does seem a little dated. A more relevant moral was having respect for you elders. Barr said "Life is full of surreal moments," and one for him was watching opening act and classic punks the Adolescents perform — while standing next to Steve Youth of 7 Seconds.

"Let's give a hand to the bands that made it possible for bands like us," Barr said.

Naturally, most people at the completely packed show were far more familiar with the band than I. And fans come from all walks of life (though mostly white), with one woman who looked in her 40s sporting a Dropkick tour shirt tucked into ridiculously high-waisted beige shorts.

She looked like she was having a good time, but was not one of the seemingly hundreds of ladies that went up on stage during "Kiss Me, I'm S---faced" — the last song of the main set.

Other songs played include "The Fighting 69th," "Citizen CIA," "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya," "Bastards on Parade," "Fields of Athenry," and "The Dirty Glass."

After an hour and fifteen minutes, they came back for a 10-minute encore that included, of course, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," the song that blew up with the release of "The Departed."

At this point, the big banner behind the band has the Irish pirate skull logo, and the gentlemen in the crowd got a turn on stage for "Skinhead on the MTBA."

The show clocked in under 90 minutes, but they used the time well and all anyone needed to enjoy it was the slightest interest in rock music. And seriously — an Irish pirate vibe. Well done, mateys.

Check out upcoming big shows and this week's best picks.Read a review of the Dropkick Murphys' latest, "The Meanest of Times."

Review: Michael Franti and Spearhead

David Hegle — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:59:11 GMT

Unless you had a broken limb, it would have been nearly impossible to leave the Knitting Factory on Wednesday night without a smile on your face.

The infectious energy dispensed by Michael Franti and Spearhead, in his nearly two-hour, sold-out show, was too much to resist.

It started with an admirable warmup from Denver band Flobots, which got the crowd ready with its violin-infused hybrid of hip-hop and rock, including the band’s best-known songs “No Handlebars” and “Rise.”

But it was Franti’s show, which started with a simmer and never let up until a boiling point was reached near the end of the show. Franti and his six-piece band, Spearhead, had the crowd on the hook from the first notes of “I Know I’m Not Alone,” just one of the band’s many uplifting songs that range from acoustic-guitar driven melodies, a la Jack Johnson, to heavy doses of reggae and funk.

It was a busy day for Franti, who told of a day engaged in the whole Reno experience. He did a radio show early in the day, hit the Hot August Nights action and a yoga class in the afternoon, and caught a few innings of the Aces game all before the concert. But his energy still was full-on for the concert. It’s that energy, along with an arsenal of catchy songs that whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

Few artists will go the lengths that Franti did to engage his fans. His bag of tricks included inviting fans on stage to sing, letting a couple come on stage to initiate their wedding week, letting fans play his guitars, sneaking out of the building and returning to move through the crowd from behind, and inviting all the children in the house to join him on stage for the finale of his only Top 40 hit, “Say Hey.”

Throughout the set, Franti peppered the show with a heavy dose of songs from his yet-to-be-released new album — at least four of them — but the crowd didn’t seem to care, given Franti’s way with putting the crowd in his lap. The set otherwise contained mostly songs from his past four albums, including “The Thing That Helps Me,” “Rude Boys,” “Everyone Deserves Music,” “Yell Fire” and “Everybody On a Move.”

Credit is due to the guitar stylings of Spearhead member Dave Shul, who shared the leads with another guitarist while Franti provided mostly rhythm guitar.

Always the social activist, Franti didn’t miss a chance to step onto a soapbox, talking of the need for renewable energy after the Gulf oil disaster. But it was only a brief moment in the show, and he didn’t force any ideals on the audience, but rather let the messages in his music marinate into the crowd. For sure, that marinade in the fans’ shirts after the show was a mix of sweat and inspiration.

— Jason Kellner, Jkellner@rgj.com

Review: Silversun Pickups with Against Me!

David Hegle — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:57:31 GMT

The Silversun Pickups were striking Monday night, as the band managed to sound pretty much how they sound in the studio (but perhaps with a little more bass).

The L.A. band packed people into the Grand Sierra Resort's Grand Theatre on a Monday night, and although it didn't appear sold-out, almost all the tables were inhabited and the floor was full.

More than ever before, the indie-rockers struck me as some sort of sibling to the Smashing Pumpkins. There's just the same feel, especially as singer/guitarist Brian Aubert would switch between fragile vocals and an impassioned, raspy howl.

I know I'm not alone in originally thinking part of his work on "Lazy Eye" was done by a lady.

They ended their 12-song main set with that 2007 single, from first album "Carnavas." Other highlights from last year's sophomore release, "Swoon," included "There's No Secrets This Year," "It's Nice to Know You Work Alone," "The Royal We," and "Panic Switch."

Through all the tracks, which have mainstream rock elements along with extended instrumental breaks, the band sounded fantastic.

The giant stage was used perfectly — with the non-drumming members spaced along the front and the area empty of clutter and the only backdrop a huge white curtain that would capture lights for an aurora borealis effect.

Aubert talked about preferring illegal prostitution because of the risk ("You can have your safe prostitution!") and how this was his first time ever in Reno ("So I'm paying a little for it, if you know what I mean").

They covered all the musical bases and had the crowd all sewn up after more than an hour of playing, but still came back for a few encore songs — "when we just play the stuff we want."

Henry Clay People were the first band of the evening, and they played ramshackle indie rock and gave the crowd a fun time. They copped to floating down the Truckee River earlier in the very warm day, which a riverside friend was able to corroborate.

Against Me! went after them with a 45-minute set that packed in 14 songs, although the pace quickened considerably as the end neared end.

Although I read in this interview that there were more '80s arena rock influences on their latest work, I wasn't ready for how Styx-like opening song "Spanish Moss" sounded.

But I liked it, along with other new tracks "I was a Teenage Anarchist," "Suffocation" and album title track "White Crosses."

But I can understand how longtime fans might not be enthused with a sound that seems significantly less punk. Oh, sure, singer Tom Gabel still seems angry about something or other, but his unique voice makes it agreeable. The band seemed really happy on stage, not outraged, and put on a great show.

But for the record, Jason — who is in a band, knows this "music" thing and has seen Against Me! multiple times — said they were better five years ago.

Well, five years from now, the Reno show may be one that Silversun fans point back to and say "they were better then." Regardless of future comparison, the band was just a little bit stunning.

Cage the Elephant at the Knit

David Hegle — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:12:13 GMT

I saw a coworker after Cage the Elephant wrapped up their show last night at the Knitting Factory. He called them his favorite band and said the show was “amazing.”

Cage the Elephant is not my favorite band, but I’ve got to agree with him about the concert.

The alternative rock band from Kentucky only has one studio album (a self-titled released in 2008), so the main set was a quick 40 minutes, but the energy was relentless. Most of that effort goes into instrumentation but singer Matt Shultz bobs and shakes without ceasing, appearing on the verge of a breakdown.

At least that’s what I observed early in the show. Near the end, after they’d already played second single “Back Against the Wall” and were coming up on finale “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” he seemed like he might actually be going a little crazy — surfing into the crowd and convulsing while still singing at least 75 percent of the lyrics.

Simply put, it was a good show. Even if you’d never heard Cage the Elephant’s music but have just a smidge of affection for rock, you would have been entertained.

They came back for a two-song intermission that further upped the ante, in two very different ways.

The first number was new single “In One Ear,” and they just rocked the full crowd’s faces with it.

But I have no idea what the second one was. This is partly because Cage the Elephant’s music style (especially live) is “loose,” “rough and tumble” and other clichés of that sort.

But Shultz also was getting a second wind. He climbed the ledge on stage right and actually dove down into the crowd. After landing that, he managed to stand on top of the crowd like Jesus on the Sea of Galilee and belt out some more lines. They were in comprehensible but, seriously, who cares?

I missed Cage the Elephant when they came to Vixens in August, back when they might still have been considered a one-hit alternative wonder.

That show was also on a weeknight, and I could see the Knit having sold out if it had been booked on a weekend.

A sophomore album should be out later in 2010, so maybe they'll be back again within a year.

Wayward CD release

David Hegle — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:04:56 GMT

Congrats to Wayward, who celebrated the release of their third or maybe 22nd, EP ("Without a Light") Thursday night at the Knitting Factory.

I've seen lots of groups release CDs at the closest bar or maybe just a cardboard box in Fulton Alley, so this had to be exciting. and the band was particularly gracious and grateful to the hundreds of fans who stuck around for their set, the venue, and the touring bands who opened for them.

Locals June Set Fire and Weston Buck were on the bill, and pop-punk bands Rufio (Cali) and The Higher (Vegas) played before Wayward took the stage.

While enjoying the headlining spot, Wayward still tuned their own instruments and checked their own mics. They're real people! But real people who get to hear a crowd go through a couple rounds of cheering "Wayward, Wayward!" That has to feel pretty nice.

The downside of having a big show as locals is that you get to hear people shout out during the set change (which was crazy fast) things like "I've seen you drunk!" and the yeller is probably telling the truth.

But the gentlemen rocked. Their sound is much more straight-ahead rock than either the Higher or Rufio, a difference that I preferred (though 10-years-ago-me might disagree).

The opening track, "Without a Light," and closer, "Miles," are particularly strong but the whole mini-album sounds good. Check it out now on iTunes and tell them what you think on their MySpace page.

Minus the Bear at the Knitting Factory

David Hegle — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:54:40 GMT

Seattle's Minus the Bear went on early at the Knitting Factory on Thursday. Since I was only sort of familiar with them, I wasn't even sure it was them, at first. Sorry, I like "Planet of Ice" and recently released "Omni," but I hadn't studied these guys' faces.

I knew one band had played and that there were two opening acts. But after a couple songs, all I could think was "These guys sure sound a lot like Minus the Bear." This was, of course, for a good reason.

It turned out that second opening act Young the Giant hadn't made it to Reno because, facepalm, snow in the pass. It was, afterall, late May, so everyone really should have been expecting this.

Fortunately, solid openers Everest and headliners Minus the Bear made it to Reno. Minus the Bear even said they'd play an extra long set because of the smaller lineup, but I doubt their performance was any more than a song or two longer than usual.

Although the show also started later than usual Knit punctuality allows, it probably ended a little earlier without the third band, and since it was a Thursday, I wasn't complaining.

Minus the Bear did a great job, and were a pleasure to see and even rock out to (in a mathy kind of way) but my favorite part was the Asskicker.

I'm really surprised I haven't seen more of these on stage, given the Knit's close proximity to the Little Nugget Diner.

The casino-restaurant's signature 32 oz. margarita (and common companion to the Awful Awful) was eagerly passed around in its telltale bright red sports bottle the whole time the band played. It apparently belonged to keyboardist Alex Rose, but everyone took a gulp at one point or another.

Reno should be proud.

Far at the Underground

David Hegle — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:36:21 GMT

It was a pretty small turnout for Far at the Underground. What's a band got to do? They've been around for a while (though on hiatus), make good music, get airplay on KRZQ, and are sort of, kind of regional.

But 50 people in the crowd is probably a generous estimate. The place certainly felt empty. But no matter -- they rocked.

Playing tracks from their new album, "At Night We Live," along with many tunes from their first four albums, including the almost-hit "Mother Mary," the band never let up.

The players were always energetic and singer Jonah Matranga, as it turns out, basically puts on a one-man drama with constant flourishes, gestures, anguished expressions and hopeful looks.

With some bands, seeing them live is just like watching four guys practice really well in a basement — they're playing great music but in an incredibly uninteresting way. But Jonah and crew put on a show.

Openers Dead Country were a great surprise and understandable wondered why people were afraid to come closer to the stage.

Their rock was catchy with great use of backing vocals by bassist and lead guitarist. Check out their EP if you like what you hear on MySpace. It's good stuff.

Fruit Bats at St. James Infirmary

David Hegle — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:58:16 GMT

The Fruit Bats are fronted by Eric D. Johnson, an intense singer and guitarist who seems like he could command attention on any stage — but it was particularly easy on St. James Infirmary's tiny triangle.

After seeing solo acts looking tiny on the megastage at the Grand Sierra Resort's theater (which musicians frequently comment on), it was comical to see five-person bands like the Fruit Bats and openers Vetiver pack themselves into a corner where people sit and drink on any other night at the bar.

The Fruits Bats' guitarist also used a lap steel, but when it wasn't in use, he had to stack his stool on top of some gear just so he'd have room to stand.

Johnson now also plays in the Shins, though his role is that of a supporting player. But the show attracted some people solely on that promised link. And if people came expecting a Shins-like sound, they probably left happy.

The Fruits Bats have their own sound, but the vibe is similar enough that if you like the Shins, I can almost guarantee you'll dig these guys.

Another high-mark for the show was the set changes — whether or not they actually were quick, it seemed like that, so props to the venue.

But could we get a little light on the stage? Just one light. Please.

Oh, and this was a free show. So, really, on the value scale, this one was off the charts — especially with the sublimely twangy Vetiver.

Bravo.