The Satellite – Los Angeles, CA
Live Review: 11/10/11

Sharply dressed in collared shirts, the Brandt Brauer Frick trio performed their classically inspired dance music on stage at The Satellite, two days before their show at the more formal Luckman Fine Arts Complex. The two venues could not be more different, the former a small indie venue in Silver Lake and the other a performing arts center in Cal State L.A. The music of Brandt Brauer Frick, however, fits well in both settings. →

Photo Credit: Ashley Soo

Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
Live Review: 10/30/11

“Tinariwen” means deserts in the Tuareg dialect spoken in Northern Mali. The band which takes the name of “deserts” also calls the Sahara its home. Six members of the assouf guitar band played the Fox Oakland Theatre last night, opening for Cake’s Unlimited Sunshine tour. They played eight songs of African blues music full of rhythmic force and traditional melodies. While the Mississippi Delta may run through the vein of American blues music, Tinariwen invokes the desert-dwelling and nomadic soul of the Tuareg people. Thousands of miles from its origin, the music felt universal in its basic intent: expressing the feelings which anchor you to a place and people. →

Image courtesy of Factmag.com, Licensed under Creative Commons.

Multiple Venues – Barcelona, SPAIN
Live Review: 6/16 thru 6/18/11
Recap of Sonar 2011 by EM’s International Correspondent, Rick Heffernan.

Touching down from an Australian Winter to the Barcelona summer of my long-time surrogate home was well worth the 23 hours of horrible air and bad food. The town’s much beloved Sonar Festival was going through its annual madness; for it was only few days from kicking off (giving me just enough time to ditch the jet-lag and piece together a schedule of catch-ups, check-outs, and meetings.)

The sprawling 18-year old festival officially takes place over the course of three days and two nights. →

Photo Credit: Emily Malan

Webster Hall / Dominion NY – New York, NY
Live Review: 10/22/11

The biggest mystery of the night—of my entire CMJ week—is how Erika M. Anderson, ex-Gowns and now known as EMA, got to be stuck headlining for CSS at Webster Hall. She played way too early for a very young crowd whose music taste was questionable (huge applause and cheers went out to a certain rapper who came on before, all the while half yelling and half talking over some really rudimentary beats). Girl deserved better for her talents. →

Photo Credit: Emily Malan

Ace Hotel / Music Hall of Williamsburg
Live Review: 10/21/11

For the first half of his five-song set as Atlas Sound, Bradford Cox never introduces his songs or gives any indication of what his new album Parallax is about. Actually, he never even tells us the name of his album. However, he sure makes it clear that his guitar isn’t loud enough during sound check. →

Photo Credit: Emily Malan

Ace Hotel / Music Hall of Williamsburg – New York, NY
Live Review: 10/20/11

After playing “Always Looking,” a crewmember from KEXP walks up to Dum Dum Girls and makes a “cut it” motion with his hand. “We’re not on the air?” Dee Dee (guitar, lead vocals) asks Jules (guitar) who laughs at their mistake. After getting the confirmation that they are now on air at the Ace Hotel lobby, the band doesn’t just play the same song. Instead, they launch into “He Gets Me High,” from the EP of the same name. The ladies are, for the most part, quite stoic. Dressed in head-to-toe black, they look straight out of Robert Palmer’s video for “Addicted to Love.” They all stand—aside from Sandy who is playing drums—and gently sway with their instruments. Dee Dee is the only one who slightly shimmies with her guitar. →

Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, Ca
Live Review: October 15 & 16, 2011

Ahoy ahoy, the Treasure Island Music Festival this past weekend has upped the magic once again going into their fifth year with their two-day celebration. Bless their little hearts, they’ve continued with their tradition of putting all their electronica and hip-hop acts on the first day, I was thoroughly tuckered out from all the dancing as I’m sure everyone else was. →

Photo Credit: Emily Malan

Ace Hotel – New York, NY
Live Review: 10/19/11

“Probably not a good idea to start your morning with me,” Nika Roza Danilova says jokingly to me after her KEXP/Free Yr Radio showcase at the ACE Hotel. It is 10:50 AM and she and the rest of Zola Jesus just wrapped up a three-song set as part of CMJ music festival. The sky outside is gloomy, and as the rain falls, Danilova’s haunting voice is indeed the perfect soundtrack to the morning. →

Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Live Review: 9/18/11

Unfortunately, I missed Hospitality’s set while I was trying to finagle my way into the very sold-out show at Bowery Ballroom Tuesday night. However, I was very glad to be able to catch the rest of the show, including Eleanor Friedberger, who was touring in support of her debut album Last Summer. →

Detroit Bar – Costa Mesa, CA
Live Review: 9/28/11

The last time I spoke with drummer Austin Tufts of BRAIDS, he described the band’s current live performance as having more “energy and fire” to its rhythmic feel. It’s hard to imagine how much more energy this four-piece could have, given their outstanding performance as an opener for Toro Y Moi back in March. Showing off some new songs and mastering those from their debut album, BRAIDS returned to the Detroit Bar on Wednesday night demonstrating their on-stage chemistry and building up to several cathartic moments. →