Concert Review: Atlas Genius, Imagine Dragons, House of Blues, March 4

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Celeste in Concerts | 2 Comments

Let’s talk about Atlas Genius for a second. Their bassist looks like a Kennedy, their keyboardist looks like Andrew Bird, their drummer looks like Finn Hudson (don’t even pretend you’ve never seen Glee) and their front man looks like a baby faced Johnny Depp in his better years.

In other words, I’ve seen worse looking bands.

And the crowd at House of Blues on Monday evening obviously agreed – there was quite a bit of shrieking going on in the front of the venue. But it wasn’t only the ladies who were excited. The gentleman behind me tapped me on the shoulder as the band was setting up and asked “I’m sorry, do you know who this opener is?” When I told him it was Atlas Genius his response was, “WHAT?! ATLAS GENIUS is playing tonight? I knew Imagine Dragons was playing but I didn’t know ATLAS GENIUS was playing with them! THIS IS [bleepin’] AWESOME!”

It doesn’t hurt that lead singer Keith Jeffery has charisma oozing out of his ears. At one point he hopped off the stage, made a tour of the venue, jumped back onstage, gave a grin and proclaimed, “You all are even better looking up close.” So, you know, if you’re into smooth talking, good looking guys then he’s probably your cup of tea.

The Australian foursome played from their 2012 EP “Through the Glass” as well as from their brand new album, which they dropped last month, “When It Was Now.” They of course saved their big hitter “Trojans” for last, making it into a sing along with the swooning crowd.

Imagine Dragons took the stage next. I have to give major props to the band for their stage setup. Before the band came on the entire place went black, forest sounds resonated throughout the venue, and hundreds of illuminated eyes were suddenly projected onto the trees that were setup on the stage, giving off the illusion of owls blinking at you from the darkness. It was pretty awesome.

The last time I had the pleasure of seeing Imagine Dragons’ frontman Dan Reynolds was this past fall at the Rock the Green festival in Milwaukee. There was already a chill in the air and the lead singer was fighting off a head cold. He spent the entire set jumping up and down, grinning, blowing his nose on his shirt and wiping it on his sleeve. He was having a great time. So were we.

Just as I expected, Dan Reynolds was even more enthusiastic, and way less snotty, without the head cold. The man jumped, danced, banged on his ginormous drum, and amped up the crowd, pointing the mic at them almost as often as he used it himself. The band is touring in support of their first studio album, “Night Visions”, released this past September and obviously their fans know it well because they had every word down.

Honestly, I enjoy Imagine Dragons’ work recorded more than live because the crispness is lost in translation, but it’s worth it to see them live just for the pure show of it all. Lights flash, the bass booms, and Reynolds is an ever-moving, smiling, good-natured spectacle.

SXSW Song of the Day: F(X) – Electric Shock

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Ricky in Song of the Day, South By Southwest | 2 Comments

SXSW is all about expanding your circles, hearing new things and meeting new people. Surely most people don’t go to Austin to check out K-Pop bands, but given the success of PSY, Korean inspired food trucks and Samsung, it’s not hard to say that South Korea is definitely getting some hype right now. If people blogged about countries for whatever reason, they would be very much blogged about.

F(X) is a all female Korean K-Pop band. They were formed by an entertainment group called SM Entertainment. The five members are Victoria, Amber, Luna, Sulli, and Krystal, so basically a bunch of Korean ladies with stripper names. Looks and names aside, their electronic pop music has been released to great success in Korea and following the success of PSY, they probably want a slice of the tasty American pie. They are the only K-Pop band to play in Austin, so it’s definitely something to check out. Take a look

F(X) plays Elysium on March 12, at 1:30 am.

Concert Review: Pet Lions, Minor Characters, Brother George, Lincoln Hall, March 1st

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Celeste in Concerts | 1 Comment

Credit: Their facebook page

I always love to see what accouterments a band brings up onstage with them. In my mind, bands choose these objects because it will enhance the experience of their fans in some special way – it’s the precursor to their music, the first thing the crowd sees before the band takes the stage and it creates the environment and sets the mood for what is to come musically.

Pet Lions brought three potted ferns.

And obviously it was a good choice because I instantly liked them, before they even started playing. I’m not sure what message they were trying to send, but if your backdrop is photosynthesizing, in my book you’re already winning.

The potted ferns turned out to be a precursor for a lush indie pop sound solidly anchored by lead singer Karl Ostby’s gratifyingly simple vocals and bolstered by the spot-on backup provided by the remaining band members. Pet Lions make whimsical but catchy music that dances between delicate harmonies, energetic guitar riffs and soulful crooning, which, as it turns out, all pairs perfectly with potted plants.

Not to be one-upped, Minor Characters, who shared the billing with Pet Lions, brought themselves, and that was all they needed. How do you compete with three potted ferns you might ask? Here’s a how to:

a) Give a shout-out to your Mother. There was some very enthusiastic screaming coming from the balcony (which I assumed to be coming from fangirls) to which lead singer Pelletier gave a smile and a nod and said, “Hey Mom!”

b) Wear your best threads. Last time I saw these guys they were all rocking three piece suits and looking good. This time they went a little more eclectic, but the outfits included an American flag undershirt and what I believe was a button up decked out with iron-on patches, possibly of bobcats, on the drummer (I was too far away to tell for sure but I was super intrigued by it). Still looking good fellas.

c) Play your heart out.

The band played from their 2011 self-titled debut and from their new EP, Heal Me Healing Times, released this past February. Staying true to form, the band showed off their dynamic range, from piano ballad to retro-pop to punk, all executed beautifully with the grace and humility that makes their name so fitting.

And, to finish up in reverse order, Brother George completed the local Chicago trifecta by opening for these two delightful bands. While they didn’t have potted ferns or American flag paraphernalia or bobcats, they did have a guitarist who looked like a combination of Wayne and Garth making them, just like the two others, instantly likeable. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a band that just jammed onstage. These guys just got onstage, no big fuss, made some good music and had some fun – they looked like they could have been playing in their parents’ garage. And with the band so at ease with themselves and their audience, it would have been hard not to enjoy them, but on top of that, they were playing super catchy, wiggle inducing tracks that, to my ears, had instant classic written all over them. My favorite from them by far is “A Man in Water” from their album Big Piney released in 2012. Give it a listen:

Concert Review: ZZ Ward, February 28, Mod Club

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Paul in Concerts | Leave a comment

I will admit that the first time I saw ZZ Ward’s name, I kind of hoped it would be M. Ward fronting a ZZ Top cover band. I was initially disappointed (Seriously, imagine M. Ward’s interpretation of “Tush.” Intriguing, no?) but after giving Ms. Zsuzsanna Ward a listen, figured it might be worth checking out. While her bluesy, hip-hop informed fare was not necessarily within the confines of what I normally listen to, she’s got a strong voice and a handful of promising songs, so I figured while I may never get to hear one half of She & Him play “La Grange,” this might be alright too.

As I noted, Ward’s voice is obviously the big draw. It’s big and bluesy, at times in the same ballpark as some of the recent crop of British soul revivalists (comparisons to Adele have been made by some), though more often her singing brought to mind Bonnie Raitt.

“I don’t know if you got the vibe from me, but I’m kind of a blues girl,” she said at one point before launching into a Son House cover, adding a bit of grit to her sound, which to my ears, was a little too slick at times. Further evidence of her love of the blues was seen in the harmonica solos that Ward took in the second half of her set.  As far as other influences on her songwriting, I take it from her numerous references to a “shitty relationship” with an ex that she subscribes to the Taylor Swift school of songwriting. She at least acknowledges this though, noting as she introduced “Last Love Song” that she felt like she was sick of writing songs about that guy, which inspired her to write another song about how hopefully it will be the last song she’ll write about him. But then again, maybe she won’t. Seriously though, maybe it’s time to move on. To put it in perspective, Alanis only wrote that one song about the guy from Full House. Come on, ZZ. Cut. It. Out.

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