Blog Topic: Live Reviews
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Homedrone: Moogfest in Review: Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Nile Rodgers and More
First things first: The return of Moogfest, and my experience of it, was undeniably positive. Its energy was palpable, the civic pride of Asheville and its attendant culture of inclusion was apparent everywhere and the organizers from Moog Music and the hundreds of volunteers couldn't have been friendlier if they tried. The menu was packed with fascinating speakers on all sorts of subjects and the live music lineup was simply incredible.
The footprint of Moogfest has the festival scattered over several blocks of downtown Asheville, but there's no clear center of activity. For someone unfamiliar with the town's layout, it can take a couple of days to get a bearing on things. This was my case entirely. As luck would have it, most of the shows I really wanted to catch were either at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, the free stage on Broadway outside the Moog factory and The Orange Peel, which is several blocks away.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: Live Review: The Zombies at Georgia Theatre, Thursday, Apr. 17
Photo by Mike White
I was a bit worried for the Georgia Theatre when I arrived to the venue Thursday night. It seemed unnaturally empty when I arrived at the beginning of Pat Sansone’s solo opening set. Although best known as the multi-instrumentalist of Wilco and for his "side project" with fellow Wilco-er John Stirratt, The Autumn Defense, Sansone’s resume is extensive. (I once met Sansone at the Hideout in Chicago and we chatted about his work on Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker before I bought him a beer and left to tell my friends that I just nerded out with a member of Wilco.) In other words, the dude’s got cred, and it’s no surprise that The Zombies picked him to open their current tour. Sansone made his gratitude very vocal, taking some of his time to thank The Zombies on a few occasions.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: Big Ears Festival in Multimedia Review: Body/Head, Tim Hecker, John Cale and More
Photo Credit: Rachel Gibson
Editor's note: The Big Ears Festival took place Mar. 28–30 in Knoxville, TN, showcasing a wide-ranging set of experimental and other such forward-thinking art and music. After the jump, part one of Flagpole's review.
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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Pujol, No Regrets Coyote, Diarrhea Planet
The Parish Underground on Friday night was presenting a showcase from Nashville venueExit/In, made up bands stationed out of that city. Although that city may bring to mind country stars, the bands on the bill proved they could bring the rock just as well.
No Regrets Coyote kicked off the showcase. I caught word that Evan Donohue from Diarrhea Planet was filling in for an absent guitarist, but I couldn't tell. The band played loud and fast for a 30-minute set and seemed to impress the rest of the Diarrhea Planet guys that were hanging out in the crowd and swilling beer. There's a little early-Green Day cheekiness to the band, singing songs about the singer's hair while chugging along to straightforward rhythms held down by punchy bass riffs. It isn't as structured as the veteran punks' work, and the leads provided by Donohue gave it a character that you wouldn't find on the radio.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Wye Oak, Bob Mould
Wye Oak
After my breakfast comprised of a Philly cheesesteak and chocolate custard (not as bad as it sounds, I promise), I decided to hit the convention center to see if there would be anything there worth checking out. I stumbled into The Hold Steady rocking out for the second time this week, which was a nice surprise. Thankfully for me, the band's set wasn't a repeat performance. The band crushed a few new tracks from the forthcoming Teeth Dreams and offered a very crisp rendition of "Weekenders" from their last album, Heaven is Whenever. Very nice work. Since the show was a live broadcast for KUT, the ballroom that the band played in was a little stiff, with most of the crowd either seated or laying down to nurse their hangovers from the night before. The Hold Steady have a ton of songs about partying, so it was fitting that Craig Finn took a lot of enjoyment out of seeing some folks pounding beers in the front row in the early hours of the afternoon.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: Hamell on Trial, Kurt Vile
Kurt Vile
After hitting the New West day party, I needed something to see. I made the trek back to the nuttiness on 6th Street and checked my phone. A friend in West Virginia had posted something on Facebook about Hamell on Trial, and since I was near the Velveeta Room, I ducked into into the New West showcase to see what that was all about.
The room was packed. Hamell busted through a 40-minute set of hilarious and insightful tunes that sounded a lot like a raunchier, more punk version of what Todd Snider does. "Ain't That Love" was a beautiful but heartbreaking song that may have been the outlier in the set, as it contained no politically motivated railings. Seriously impressive stuff, though. The dirty jokes told between songs did a good job to offset the gravity of the lyrical content, which was often as punk as anything I've heard in a decade.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: New West Records Day Party
The Whigs
Let me start out by saying that I'm OK, too. You do not understand how important you are to your friends and family until you are in the vicinity of a tragedy and folks begin texting or calling to make sure that you're safe. It truly means a lot. And while everyone in Austin is doing their best to have fun in spite of last night's tragedy, it is obvious that we are in the wake of something awful.
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: SXSW Wednesday: Trying to Make Sense of It All
Bipolar Sunshine
My phone rang at exactly 1 a.m. I’d just gotten through a big line and ushered into a packed show by Spandau Ballet—the group’s first U.S. appearance in 28 years—so I didn’t take it. I texted back, though, and asked, “What’s up?” The response was chilling: “Horrible accident outside The Mohawk! Gruesome scene. Just making sure you're safe.”
More after the jump.
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Homedrone: SXSW in Review: The Hold Steady, ShredFest
The Hold Steady
[Editor's note: So far as we know, all Athenians in Austin are accounted for and well after the horrific late-night incident outside the Mohawk that left two dead and more than 20 injured. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected.]
My sense of time is all messed up. Added to that, I have only visited Austin during SXSW, so most of my mornings are spent wandering around aimlessly so that I can get my bearings when it comes time to catch a band.
I wanted to see Against Me! at 5 p.m., but that didn't pan out. I was directed to about three different entrances before I found the right one. I could hear Laura Jane Grace and company rocking the Hype Hotel from outside, but I had no patience. I stood near the doorway to confirm my belief that the band was as tight as ever and hit the pavement.
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