Concerts

Concert Review: Yellow Ostrich, April 11, Black Cat

Posted on April 13, 2012 by halley in Concerts | Leave a comment

I’d had a terrible day at work, my kickball team lost its game, it was freezing out. When I got to the Black Cat, I was stuck standing behind a pole, I didn’t have time to buy a drink, and I was hungry.

Yellow Ostrich STILL rocked my socks.

First, they were punctual. On at 10:02 with a set-time of 10:00. Not bad, Guys. Second they were so adorable. The lead singer literally sprinted on stage, said two words of welcome, and then the three of them just jammed with smiles on their faces. Third, they started off the set with my favorite song, Whale, which instantly elevated my mood exponentially (side note: kudos to bands who start off with the strong, crowd-pleaser. I definitely prefer that strategy over the groups that make you wait til the very end to hear your favorite. Sometimes you just can’t stay for the encore – especially when you observe midnight bedtimes like this girl – which makes those types of shows so disappointing).

Then, I made my fourth, most exciting discovery of the night: I love ALL of Yellow Ostrich’s songs. They have such a good repertoire! The ones that really stuck out were Marathon Runner, Elephant King, The Shakedown, and I Got No Time For You. The band sounded great live, but even now, listening to them as I type this review, I’m realizing how quality their sound is live or recorded.

Finally, I just want to say a little something for Yellow Ostrich’s stage presence – which is worth paying for (don’t just content yourself with the recordings). The lead singer was the main talker, but he kept his banter to a minimum. However, he did prove witty – responding to a fan’s “Take off your shirt!!” without missing a beat by saying: “Maybe later. And if you take off yours. Actually, if all of you take off yours. Do we really want that?” In addition, the band didn’t make us hang out forever for the encore – the turn-around was a few minutes and they regaled us with a great Talking Heads cover. They were also humble enough to thank us for making last night’s show one of the few Yellow Ostrich has sold out… to-date. If their showing at Black Cat is any indicator, it definitely won’t be the last show this band sells out. I see big things for these guys – well-deserved big things.

Yellow Ostrich Tour Dates:

5/27 – Sasquatch Music Festival – George, WA
6/16 – Plush – St. Louis, MO
6/17 – Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY
6/19 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
6/20 – The National – Richmond, VA
6/21 – Maxwell’s – Hoboken, NJ
6/22 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
6/23 – Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
6/24 – Brillowbox – Pittsburgh, PA
6/26 – Ottobar – Baltimore, MD
6/27 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
6/28 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
6/29 – Beachman Theatre – Orlando, FL
6/30 – Bardot – Miami, FL
8/3-5 – Lollapalooza – Chicago, IL

Concert Review: Howler, April 5th, Drake Hotel

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Ricky in Concerts | 1 Comment

Of all the bands that did the usual post SXSW swing through Toronto, Howler was the only band I saw in Austin that I decided to catch on this side of the border. Their brand of no nonsense surf meets garage rock coupled with a truly entertaining live showcase in Austin got me excited. They had a certain swagger and thing about them that had me thinking they were going to be big. Seeing them at the Drake was a no brainer. Much like their songs, this review will be short and sweet.

First of all, since when did they have cell phone reception at the Drake basement? Ahhhhmazing. Howler played a solid forty minute set for the packed crowd. They showcased their two most solid skills (to this date) – short and catchy rock tracks and hilarious banter.Lead singer Jordan Gatesmith has got a good sense of humor and a certain presence on stage. It’s hard to explain. NME probably loves them already. Hit single and potential breakout anthem Back of Your Neck finished the set. It’s a great tune and sounds like a cross between a 50s greaser diner soundtrack and the Strokes. While I found their sxsw showcase to be better, Howler was still entertaining and are breathing fresh life into the whole garage rock genre.

Catch them when they come to your town. Their debut album America Give Up is out already.

Concert Review: Jonquil, April 4, Empty Bottle

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Celeste in Concerts | 3 Comments

As with most educated people, everything I know I learned from youtube comments. Which is why, when the anonymous posters of youtube deemed Jonquil’s “It’s My Part” the official song of summer 2012, I knew I had to go see them. Who am I to argue with a comment with 42 likes? That’s more people than I can convince to agree with me on anything. So I took a foray Wednesday night into the Ukrainian Village to visit the Empty Bottle, one of Chicago’s more intimate little venues. The set-up is simple, with a minimal stage illuminated by a string of multicolored lights draped above.

I wish I could write a review about the entire show, starting with Speck Mountain and ending with Keep Shelly in Athens, but real talk real time, the show started at 9:30pm on a Wednesday and I have a strict bedtime of “as soon as possible.” Add to that a public transit mishap and me not quite understanding which way North was and you’re left with a Jonquil concert. But good news is that it was superb. I can’t pretend to be objective – I’d already listened to It’s My Part approximately 30 times before hitting up the concert and then when I saw that they had a trumpet on stage I knew I approved before they ever played a note.

Jonquil is a four piece outfit from Oxford who have just started their North American tour – apparently Chicago was their second stop, and they seemed genuinely appreciative and a little surprised by the love they got from the crowd – but they deserved it. They’ve got a fun tropical indie beat going on and they had the skinny jeans and the plaid in the front row of the crowd rocking out in no time. The band themselves didn’t dance much, but the lead singer was all over the keyboard and the wood block and the trumpet kept the energy level high. It’s My Part was an obvious crowd favorite but I thought the band really came together especially on Mexico. I can’t say much for Keep Shelly in Athens, but if you have the chance to see Jonquil I’d take it – it’s hard to go wrong with a sincere band, tropical beats and a trumpet.

People going to the Concert/Venue/Pillar Review: Kasabian, April 6, Edmonton Event Center

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Ricky in Concerts | 3 Comments

I really enjoyed the Kasabian concert a few weeks ago. So much so that when I found out they were playing in Edmonton on Friday night, I decided that it would be a good idea to go see them again. Why was I in Edmonton? I don’t even know (besides visiting family and friends). Here are some reviews for that show. I’m not even going to bother providing context.

Pillar

Check out that picture. This pillar is a god among gods. I think it’s the main enemy in the Wrath of the Titans movie. Standing right in the middle of the venue, it split crowds into two. If this venue was in the South, I’m pretty sure all the black people would be on one side, and the white people on the other. This is Edmonton though, so you had all the white people on one side, and then all the other white people on the other side. Maybe one side is wearing Ed Hardy’s and the other side wears Tapout. I don’t know. On the other hand, if you arrive early enough, you can get a good leaning spot right in the middle of the crowd.

Venue

History
Edmonton is a pretty shady place. How do I know this? When I went to this concert, I had to empty my pockets, take off my jacket and get patted down. It was very thorough pat down as well (also, I know a bunch of people who have engaged in nefarious activities/spent time in prison). Edmonton Event Center, besides being arguably the most boring name ever, used to be Reds. Reds was this mish mash place where you can play arcade games, play pool, go bowling and clubbing at the same time. It was massive, and it was in West Edmonton Mall. I spent a lot of time there in my youth. Where else can you go clubbing, then when it’s a bad song, climb some stairs and do drunken neon bowling? With the golden days now over, the venue decided to rebrand itself and now is just the plain ole Edmonton Event Center. It’s a boring name and is quite fitting since it’s a boring venue in a boring city.

Sightlines – Look at those pillars. They can single handedly disrupt your concert experience if you stand in the wrong place. Aside from that massive distraction, the sight lines are pretty good simply due to the high stage. Reds also has two elevated sitting areas for people who are lazy. If you take away those pillars, the sightlines would be quite wonderful, but the ceiling would probably collapse.

Alcohol – Do you want to pay six dollars for a can (not even a tall can) of Coors Light, Blue, Corona, Canadian or a Heinekin? If not, then you probably are not drinking alcohol at the Edmonton Event Center. Absolutely atrocious selection and even worse prices. The overly aggressive pat downs at the door means that it’s a slim chance to get in a flask too. Mega fail.

Summary – You take what you can get. This is the only place for this sort of show, so you come. Be a champ and avoid the pillar of doom.

Crowd

Edmonton has a very moshy crowd. It’s all that pent up energy from having to drive half an hour to get a quart of milk. Seriously, everywhere I went in Edmonton, it was a fifteen to twenty minute drive. I felt like a prisoner in the car. If the Arcade Fire wrote a song about Edmonton, it would be called Sprawl III (Freeways beyond freeways beyond Red Robins) or something. Anyways, Edmonton has a very moshy crowd. My first mosh pit experience was in Edmonton, at the Collective Soul concert. Me and Tom were there, quite young and saw a bunch of people moshing. We looked at each other and were like, what the hell and joined the masses. It was fun. I regretted wearing my Club Monaco sweater (yes, that one) that night because it was so hot and I was sweating. Too much information? Yes.

Kasabian’s music is the type of music you should mosh to. It’s also the type of music you most definitely should sing a long to. Toronto did this proper. They moshed at the right parts, and then sang out the parts when they should. Edmonton did this wrong. They moshed at the right parts, moshed at the wrong parts, moshed at all the parts. This seem to befuddle the band a little, when they were trying to get the crowd to do the ‘oooo oooo oooo ooo’ part in the song Fire in unison and instead received a mish mash of screams, hoots and yeahs. My friend Nick reasoned that most people there were just there to do something. To each their own I guess. The enthusiasm was high, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and burn a few calories in the process. I guess that makes a good crowd, even if they didn’t sing along to the entire chorus of LSF.

The band

Kasabian was excellent live. I think they are now added to the list of bands I will see every time they come to town, regardless of anything. The thrill of their great songs were not diminished the second time around, which is a great sign considering I just saw them one week prior. Check them out. They kick ass.

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