08.05.05 -- Friday

'Twas an odd crowd at Spaceland. By the pockets of older men with long hair, I'm thinking a lot of folks were there to see the second band. Mixed with the wannabe hipsters, it was a different mix, but what the hell...it's not like I fit in anywhere.

Morningwood -- I'm not even gonna justify this band by providing another review about 'em. They suck. End of review.

Drunk Horse -- I've a feeling quite a few of would like this band. Hailing from Oakland, California, they're the quintessential jam band. You know those sets where four songs end up being 30-40 minutes worth of a couple of guys jamming on their guitars? That's them. What I found kind of funny was the bass player who had a sticker reading "Black Flag" on the side of his bass -- somehow, it just didn't fit. Wasn't my cup o' tea...though, to their credit, the first song wasn't bad at all.

Dead 60's -- These boys gave another fantastic set! So much energy, so much sweat! They were genuinely pleased to play yet again in LA, to the point that they're retuning to open for Social Distortion in a couple of months. Now, they're off to the east coast to do of all things...the Warped Tour (huh?). After discussing that odd pairing, Bryan (drummer) said, "Yeah, I'm not sure how that's gonna go over, but what the hell. We'll see what happens." Glad, you're keeping an open mind, laddies. I genuinely do like this band and I'm certain it's due to the spirit of Joe Strummer living in 'em.


08.06.05 -- Saturday

Back at Spaceland. The main band was Sweet and Tender Hooligans, the "ultimate Smiths cover band". I didn't stay for them.

High Dials -- Idiotjed, you were right -- they are great! A wonderful pop band out of Montreal, the lead singer never stops bouncing. You'd swear he was on speed! Their vocals blend very nicely and having a sitar at the end of their set was a nice touch, though, the song ended up being a tad too long. Ended up buying their CD and EP, though, I've yet to listen to them. If any of you have not had a chance to check out this band, I'd be more than happy to pass on a couple of tunes. Or check 'em out yourself at www.thehighdials.com

I've saved the best for last...

08.07.05 -- Sunday, Knitting Factory Hollywood

The Rosebuds -- I barely remember Dave telling me about this band last year when he was here for Coachella. What I remember most was the pink shirt he wore of theirs that stuck out over all others. Yes, you read correctly, pink -- I thought it was a great shirt! Band is comprised out of two main members, Ivan and Kelly, originating from Raleigh, North Carolina. A nice power pop band with great tunes that kept my foot tapping the entire time. Ended up meeting Kelly after the show who chatted with us the better of 30-45 minutes. Super sweet girl whose vocals remind me of Polly Jean. New album is about to come out in September. Definitely a band worth checking out.

Teenage Fanclub -- Shit, what can I say about The Fannies that hasn't been said before? Such wonderful, wonderful melodies...amazing harmonies...the Scottish band that is basically comprised of THE godfathers of the Glasgow music scene. They played 24 songs in all -- new and old. I kid you not when I say that my smile never wore off while they were onstage -- it was fantastic! While I still believe their hometown gig a couple of months ago was one of the best shows I've EVER seen, seeing them in my hometown was almost equally as magical.

We met the entire band after the show. When I asked Norman Blake to sign my now infamous Scottish flag (he was quite impressed by it), he asked, "Did you get Stuart to sign it?" Stuart who I'm wondering. "D'ya like Belle & Sebastian? Cuz Stuart is over there, I'm sure he'd love to sign it!" WHAT?! It was true, Stuart Murdoch who had missed their show the night before was there. Ended up chatting with him for awhile too. Needless to say, my Scottish friends were quite impressed -- not only meeting The Fannies BUT Stuart as well. "Christ, we have to leave the country in order to meet fellow Scots!"

It was a fantastic night and one I'm still floating from! I'll not forget anytime soon. Hope you had a great time at your shows!

This week, 22-20's, Marjorie Fair and...damn, can't remember who else. Whatever, I'll keep ya posted.

Awesome, T! Did you ask him about the old days interning in the studio with Darrin?

Interesting that you ask that. I was THIS [] close to asking him, but we were chatting about baseball (he's a big fan), talking about other stuff that the opportunity was never quite right. I thought it might be a chat-stopper. He was as nice as can be. And, as a btw, he and the rest of the band have been in LA for the past six weeks working on their new album. Release date will probably be right when the new year begins.

oh so that's where you were last night, i thought you'd be at the hot snakes show at the troubadour.... i was keeping my eye out for you hoping i'd run into ya there.

that is SO cool. Awesome, T!

Sorry, hon, how was that show?

For the TFC fans, I forgot to mention that they recorded a session for KCRW on Sunday. Unfortunately, due to the station going through their funding campaign, we'll have to wait awhile before it's aired. I'll keep you posted when I hear the air date.