RED ROCKS PART 2 - VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Loved the performance by Vampire Weekend.  What's great about sitting up close is that one can watch the band on stage, not what's projected on the big video screen off to the side.  They played their old favorites and handful off of their new album, some which work for me, some that don't.

Reverb wrote:

This balance of old and new speaks to Vampire Weekend’s growing catalog — one that feels deeper than only three albums. At one point Koenig dug out the old track “Ladies of Cambridge,” an early single from Vampire Weekend’s days of playing the Hi-Dive. A bit rough around the edges, paying homage to those close quarters bars that clashed with Vampire Weekend’s clean cut pop, the tune seemed like a waypoint for the growth in the last six years. And this was all the more apparent beneath the understanding reflection of the Coachella mirror and the thoughtful, mature new material.

Koenig stuck to one spot through the majority of the set, weighed down by the demanding vocals. Reaching, dipping and shouting and cooing he pirouetted through the songs with only a few tumbles here and there. For the most part he made it work, though, when he did miss it was all the more noticeable given how perfect his voice is recorded. Despite the ease of which the band acted on stage, there was little showboating from Koenig, guitarist/keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij or bassist Chris Baio. Meanwhile, drummer Chris Tomson kept things on point with his fun and thoughtful indie-pop beats.

Read it all here:
http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2013/05/21/vampire-weekend-at-red-rocks-amphitheatre-5-20-13-photos-review/69180/

Westword wrote:

The band's new record, Vampires of the City, just dropped about a week ago, and this live outing gave the outfit a chance to spotlight its old and new material at once. That side-by-side structure showed just how much the quartet has come along, even since 2010's Contra. Fresh off the rush of releasing a new record, the band seems confident as it heads into its creative future.

Read it all here:
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2013/05/review_vampire_weekend_red_rocks_may-20-2013.php

Download the full show here:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/69g06uktg4p/n/VW_Red_Rocks_Colorado_May_20_2013_rar

RED ROCKS PART 1 - OF MONSTERS AND MEN

Monday night at Red rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, drawn to tonight's performance by the appearance of Vampire Weekend, supported by Of Monsters and Men.  Arrived early to get in the line in and effort to get close up general admission seating.  Light sprinkles early on threatened to turn into a downpour, not unlike what we had to drive through to get to Morrison, but that did not materialize.  Found seats near the sound booth, close to the stage but too low to have views of the Denver skyline and distant plains.  I enjoyed the views of the hogbacks and foothills to the south while having a cigar waiting for the music to begin.

Reverb wrote:

"Of Monsters and Men, who were mates on the bill with Vampire Weekend for Monday night only, did their best to pump life into mostly formulaic folk-pop. The band is pleasant enough, though most of the time can dip into realms that are far too cutesy, such as on “Love Love Love.” Most of the band’s set dropped into monotony, somehow a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Skeletons” even managed to feel formulaic. Rightfully so, the band got its biggest rise from the hit “Little Talks,” — a cheer positive enough to warrant playing the song twice."

Read it here:
http://www.heyreverb.com/blog/2013/05/21/vampire-weekend-at-red-rocks-amphitheatre-5-20-13-photos-review/69180/

Westword wrote:

Earlier in the evening, a confident and sterling opening set by Of Monsters and Men was a perfect complement to the dynamism of Vampire Weekend's performance. The sextet from Iceland offered the crowd all the requisite elements of a large-scale stadium show with set dressing that included an elaborate light show and a trio of lighted canvas globes.

Indeed, the instrumentation was what made Of Monsters and Men's set pop. Between the two pianos, two acoustic guitars, lead electric guitar, trumpet, accordions, drum kit and the solo tom drum at the center of the stage that band members took turns smacking with mallets, even the tamest C-D-G chord combinations sounded like symphonies

Read it all here:
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2013/05/review_vampire_weekend_red_rocks_may-20-2013.php?page=2

Download the show here: http://www.filefactory.com/file/529k2oyotbix/n/Monsters_Red_Rocks_Colorado_May_20_2013.rar

GENE LOVES JEZEBEL

The music continues each weekend as ususl, it's just that I'm not posting my selections anymore, except for new recordings of my own.  This Friday evening I listened to Voodoo Dollies, The Best of Gene Loves Jezebel which was released in 1999.  I'm taking a liking to this gothic rock band.  The Aston brothers have written dark and moodie music, evoking similar emotional feelings within.

Download it here:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/8d37xf0acap/n/GLJ_VD_1999_rar

 

COACHELLA 2013 PART 3

 

The final set of recorded music from my weekend live streaming the Coachella 2013 shows.  I didn't have to worry about getting into a fight during the Social Distortion show!  The Lumineers were an unexpected surprise for me, putting on a great show near sunset on Sunday.

 

SOCIAL DISTORTION

 



 

Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California.[4] The band currently consists of Mike Ness (lead vocals, lead guitar), Jonny Wickersham (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Brent Harding (bass, backing vocals), and David Hidalgo, Jr. (drums). Social Distortion went on a temporary hiatus in the mid-1980s, due to frontman Ness' drug addiction and troubles with the law which resulted in extended stints in various rehabilitation centers that lasted for two years. Since its inception, the band lineup has been a virtual revolving-door of talent with many members coming and going – Ness has been the only constant member. After 35 years of performing, Social Distortion continues to tour and record music.

 

Download it here:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/16cgtqwv65ed/n/SD_-_Coachella_Indio_CA_April_14_2013_mp3

 



 

 

 

TAME IMPALA

 





 

Tame Impala is a band from Perth, Australia. It is the psychedelic rock project of Kevin Parker. They are signed to Modular Records. The band came to prominence in 2010 with the release of their debut album Innerspeaker. Their name refers to the impala, a medium sized antelope. They like to see themselves as "a steady flowing psychedelic groove rock band that emphasizes dream-like melody."

 

Download it here:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/4hbuha38rrnt/n/TI_-_Coachella_Indio_CA_April_14_2013_mp3

 

 

 

 

 

YEASAYER

 



The music of Brooklyn's Yeasayer is an eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. Vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating and vocalist/guitarist Anand Wilder were both raised in Baltimore, where they honed their vocal skills in a barbershop quartet and played in a high-school band, Sic Transit, before leaving town to attend different colleges. Years later, the two relocated to New York and began shaping the project that would soon become Yeasayer. Wilder's cousin, Ira Wolf Tuton, joined as the group's bassist, and drummer Luke Fasano was the last member to climb aboard in May 2006.

 

Download it here:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/1y0855ox7cg1/n/Y_-_Coachella_Indio_CA_April_13_2013_mp3

 









 

 

 



THE LUMINEERS

 



The Lumineers are a folk rock band, based in Denver, Colorado. The two founding members and songwriters of the Lumineers are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion). Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing together in New Jersey in 2005. Neyla Pekarek (cello, vocals) joined the band in 2010. Stelth Ulvang (piano), and Ben Wahamaki (bass), joined the band as full-time members in 2012. Their self-titled debut album was released on Dualtone Records on April 3, 2012, eventually peaking at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart in January 2013. As of December 2012, their debut album has been certified gold in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and platinum in Ireland.

 

Download it here:

http://www.filefactory.com/file/10o2fu1fspir/n/The_Ls_-_Coachella_Indio_CA_April_14_2013.mp3