THE JEZEBELS - EL REY THEATER, LOS ANGELES

We went to LA for the purpose of visiting a school my daughter is considering going to, visiting several art museums and attending a postponed performance by The Jezebels at the El Ray Theater.  They were originally supposed to put on a show at that theater back in March but, I was told by one of the roadies unloading their equipment earlier in the day that the show was cancelled due to visa issues when trying to enter the US after their European tour.  During this trip we also saw Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Club Nokia and WASI (We Are, She Is) at a bar near the hotel.

Beautiful SoCal weather, lots of walking, riding the bus and trains, and the usual collection of broken street people to either entertain or sadden us.  A big show at the Museum of Contemporary Art for the deceased artist Mike Kelley.  My daughter found it disturbing, I saw it as thought provoking and at times funny.  Our return flight was delayed for two hours because of severe weather in Denver, expecting a nerve rattling turbulent flight back but it was not so bad, the weather having moved onto the eastern plains.

A good performance by The Jezebels.  My only disappointment is that they focused on their newer songs and did not bother to play some of what I think are their "classic" songs from early on.  Shouted requests were ignored.  The performance lasted a little over an hour.  Had we not had other reasons to go to LA I might have chosen not to make the trip for this show alone, considering the time and money involved.

The following is a video shot that evening, using the better quality audio of the bootleg recording.

Enjoy. 

Download the audio for the entire show here:
http://www.filefactory.com/file/58mks4qq9l0h/JZBLS%20LA%20June%205%2C%202014%20mp3.rar

THE JEZABELS

After waiting several weeks, the time had come, the indie band The Jezabels had arrived in Denver midway through their North American tour.  I had heard of their music about a year ago, liked it and hoped they would tour outside of their home base in Sydney, Australia.  My wish had come true, I was not going to miss this opportunity.

They were performing with the B.C., Canadian indie band Yukon Blond, the show opening up with the local band, The Outfit.  This was my first time at the Larimer Lounge, a small venue on the north edge of Denver.  I had dinner at The Lobby, peddled past the homeless people crowding around the Denver Rescue Mission and settled in at the bar waiting for the show to begin.

Yukon Blonde is describe as such:

Yukon Blonde is a Canadian indie rock band originally from Kelowna, British Columbia. Formed in 2005 as a quintet called Alphababy, the band members changed the name in late 2008 at the suggestion of Jon-Rae Fletcher, with whom the band was touring. The band has been based in Vancouver since 2009. Now a trio with some guest touring members, Yukon Blonde is signed to Bumstead Records and Nevado Records.

As Alphababy, the group released two EPs that received favourable critical reviews. Yukon Blonde's debut EP was Everything in Everyway. Their debut self-titled album, which was recorded live-to-tape, came out in 2010. For both, they worked with record producer Shawn Cole, who has previously worked with such bands as Bend Sinister and You Say Party! We Say Die!. The band has toured the US and Canada, and played at such festivals as South by Southwest. The band was named one of the "10 Canadian bands destined to break in 2010" by the CBC, and Chart called the band the best of the 2010 Canadian Music Week festival.

Download the show here:
https://rapidshare.com/#!download|783p3|4197340405|YB_%20Denver_%20Larimer%20Lounge_%20October%2012_%202012.rar|106531|0|0

Considering how small the Larimer Lounge is and the sparse attendance this Thursday evening, I was able to find a place in front of the stage within arms length of Haley Mary.  It was as though she were performing just for me.  Both a beautiful voice and dancer.  It was maybe the best spot to watch in the house, but not so good for recording considering the speaker for Haley was directly overhead projecting her voice towards the back of the room.  But I wasn't there for the taping, but for the performance.  All the band members are good performers and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Hope they come back again.

This is part of a review from their show in Glasgow, UK early in 2012:

The Jezabels start off proceedings with 'Nobody Nowhere' from their most recent album and instantaneously it's clear why they have gone for the ‘Prisoner' theme. From the outset this song bursts with intensifying danger and uncontrollable angst which is owed to the speed and immediacy of the opening drums and guitar riff. Couple this together with Hayley's flawless vocals and you've got the perfect start to the night.

Ms Mary is the ultimate frontwoman; she's sassy, fashionable, full of energy, and more importantly she's got a voice that could stop people in their tracks. Her vocal range is mind-blowing; there's not one note that this lady can't withstand. Her voice at times has the upper octaves of Kate Bush, the gravelly edge of Chrissie Hynde and the soul of Siouxsie Sioux.

Read it all here:
http://www.clashmusic.com/live-review/the-jezabels-live-at-oran-mor-glasgow

Download it here:
https://rapidshare.com/#!download|984p9|3878393148|Denver_%20Larimer%20Lounge_%20October%2012_%202012.rar|156527|0|0