Music Snitch

When I heard that Los Campesinos! was playing a show in Tampa, I was a tad surprised they were coming to this neck of the woods…but I was also pretty stoked to check them out live.  So off I went to the Orpheum to check out some tunes from the seven-piece, indie pop band hailing from Cardiff.

The opening band was Titus Andronicus, a sorta indie/post punk group from New Jersey whom I had briefly listened to prior to the show.  I was not overly excited by what I heard coming out of my headphones. However, when Titus Andronicus took the stage I was instantly impressed because they had a lot of spunk, and I also noticed that the lead sing was wearing a So So Glo’s t-shirt. Their sound is a bit gritty, so the music translated much better in a live setting, plus they were rather entertaining to watch.  I for one very much enjoyed their cover of Weezer’s, Sweater Song.  I give Titus Andronicus two thumbs up in a live environment.

I think am drawn to Los Campesinos’ music because it tends to make me feel silly and jovial, which is odd because I usually prefer my music a bit depressing and moody.  I’m pretty sure that I was sporting a little grin with my bounce, especially during, You! Me! Dancing!. It’s that damn glockenspiel. Although one member of the Campesinos clan was missing for the evening, their music didn’t lose any potency.  The crowd was very into the music…you could tell from the stage diving and crowd surfing.  In fact, the lead singer from Titus Andronicus caught the Los Campesinos bug and did some crowd surfing of his own.  Their music basically charmed the crowd.  As for their set list, they played an assortment of tracks from, We Are Beautiful We Are Doomed and Hold on Now, Youngster…

Overall, it was a stellar show, both bands delivered great performances and the crowd at the Orpheum seemed more than pleased.  There is some live footage from the show (its not a professional camera so please forgive the quality), of of Los Campesinos! playing, Death To Los Campesinos!…check it out the video on YouTube.

Los Campesinos! – MySpace

Titus Andronicus – MySpace

Kevin Devin And The Goddamn Band

Due to a Christmas party at my day job, I arrived at the show a little late which was disappointing because I was looking forward to seeing the first band, All Get Out. I did catch a song, but so much was going on (there was a bit of a mess at the door with the guest list… thanks to the Dead Confederate guys for getting us in), that I didn’t really get a measure of how their set went. What I did hear sounded as good, as I had expected from them.

After All Get Out came Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band. Their sound has a folky, rock feel. At times their live sound reminded me of weezer, which I definitely don’t pick up in their recorded music. They also had two drummers on songs at the end of their set, which left me impressed. Next up was Dead Confederate. Their sound, which I think is described as psychedelic southern rock, was the most rockin’ of the evening. I think that the live show had charm that was lost in translation to their records, which happens a lot. Seeing these guys live is definitely something you should do if you dig their stuff on myspace, you will be blown away.

Finally, Manchester Orchestra. What can I say? I have never seen a line at the venue (The Orpheum) that long before, Period. I think most people were there for Manchester O, because when they hit the stage, the crowd became entranced by them. The singer’s stage presence was that of an old friend, he seemed to gain an immediate rapport with the crowd. The focus of the crowd on the band was amazing. It fits their music style, which at times feels more like a conversation with an old friend, and plays out well.

Dead Confederate

Manchester Orchestra

All Get Out: Myspace | Website
Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band: Myspace
Dead Confederate: Myspace | Website
Manchester Orchestra: Myspace | Website

Have Gun Will Travel

A beautiful brisk night in Tampa; the beginning of winter…what’s a good way to enjoy it? How about going to a small, splendidly rustic outdoor venue to listen to some Folk music and an Irish Celtic Rock band. Well that is precisely what I did last night. The venue I speak of is Skippers Smokehouse, a charming outdoor concert haunt and the bands for the evening, Have Gun Will Travel and The Prodigals.

The first band to take the stage was, Have Gun Will Travel, a native Florida Folk Rock band. This band’s music also has strong ties to other genres such as country and bluegrass. I am not very familiar with this band’s music, so I cannot really offer much in regards to specific songs and or characters in the band, however, I can say that I fully enjoyed their sound. Have Gun Will Travel seems to be compiled of talented individuals that basically like playing music. Their music had a very laid back persona which added a friendly vibe to the atmosphere. There were some rough edges, such as forgetting some lyrics, but I don’t think the crowd minded much at all, nobody booed or threw a bottle…most people were just grinning and tapping their feet. The lead singer certainly stood out to me as he played multiple instruments, such as the harmonica and guitar without losing a beat. Overall, Have Gun Will Travel put me in a lighthearted mood…and I dug it. Plus there was lap steel…come on, how can I not be intrigued.

The Prodigals

Next up to take the stage was The Prodigals, a band whose members are predominantly from Ireland, so don’t let their New York residence fool you. I would describe their music as Celtic Folk Rock but I heard somebody refer to them as Jig Punk. My first thought was, wow no fiddle or violin…odd, oh and I was totally fascinated with the tiny accordion. When The Prodigals got into an instrumental groove my ears were definitely drawn in because the various elements meshed swimmingly. Their songs rolled out and built up along the way but at times this process seemed a bit drawn out and my attention began to wander. However, The Prodigals delivered tempting swells because slowly but steadily people flocked towards the wooden dance floor to try out their new Michael Flatley impression. Overall, the music for me was OK. If you are looking for some traditional yet non-traditional Irish music, The Prodigals are a viable option. I can’t place my finger on what was missing, but I can say, the break half way through the set was way too long. Maybe it is customary to take over a 30 minute intermission while performing at an intimate venue…I don’t know, it is the first time I have seen it.

The Prodigals MySpace and Have Gun Will Travel MySpace

I picked up Parts & Labor’s latest album a few weeks ago and my trusty Last.fm account informed me that they would be playing a show here in Tampa on the 13th and I thought, “sweet, I haven’t been to a show in a while, I need to check this out”. I started doing some background searching and found that other bands on the bill were local and Florida bands which sweetened the deal a little more. So I grabbed my new camera (which has HD video recording capabilities ), and headed off to the show.

I arrived at about 8:30, just before the first band started playing. It was a local trio called Hi-jack D.C. which wasn’t listed on the bill playing their first show ( at least their first with their new bass player), and I have to say I was impressed. Now, usually I can give some kind of reference to a band using by comparing them to a band that I already know, but this time I came up dry. They had a style all their own that was more instrumental than vocal, and it had my feet tapping.

After Hi-jack D.C. came Flexxehawk, another local band out of St. Petersburg. They had a style that reminded me of Oxford Collapse, kind of garage anthem-y. I had checked these guy out on myspace before the show and the tracks they had posted there didn’t really seem to capture the energy of the band at a live show. While many members of the band sang lead on various songs, I thought that some of the vocal harmonies got confusing and was most impressed with the songs where the drummer did most of the vocal work.

Lush Progress came up next, and the first thing that struck me about the band was how dialed in their sound was, and there was cello (i heart cello). I was pretty much entranced by the cello for their relatively short set which ended with a flawless Smashing Pumpkins cover.

The last band before Parts & Labor was, of the Florida bands, the one that sounded most impressive on their material posted on myspace, Averkiou. These guys gave me the feel of a shoegaze early Death Cab and, as with a lot of bands, the live set blew away the stuff on myspace. They felt like a comfortable indie rock old friend.

Finally, this was a long show for the measly $10 cover, Parts & Labor hit the stage. Parts & Labor was, well pretty much what you’d expect from them: Well put together semi-noise rock with all the electronic bleeps and blips you could ever want. I particularly enjoyed the enthusiasm of the keyboardist,  Dan Friel, who banged his head so much I had no idea how he could continue to function, let alone keep the show as good at was. I recorded as much video footage of the Parts & Labor performance as I could with the batteries dying in my camera (forgot to charge it before the show, doh.) Below is the video of them performing the song Nowheres Nigh off their latest album Receivers.

I just want to say kudos to the local bands and thanks for putting on a great show, I hope to see more local bands of this caliber at more shows. And hopefully Parts & Labor won’t do what a larger number of bands have been doing lately, ignoring Tampa on their tour routes. We would like it if you come back! Oh, and sorry for the lack of pics, I think I need to bring a tripod or something next time.

Parts & Labor – Nowheres Nigh Live 11/13/08:

Band Myspace Profiles: Averkiou, Lush Progress, Flexxehawk, Hi-jack D.C., Parts & Labor

On the way to see Vampire Weekend play at Firestone in Orlando, I realized I had no idea if there was even an opening band. Well, unfortunately there was an opening band, Harlem Shakes. To be fair, when the music started playing, I was immediately intrigued by the tight, fresh sound but when the lead singer stepped up to the microphone it was all down hill.

It sounded like Mumbles, the character from Dick Tracy, decided to get drunk, inhale some helium and sing a song with no actual lyrics. It was difficult to appreciate the other aspects of Harlem Shakes because my ears were semi-bleeding. Oh, and my friend pointed out that the lead singer was apparently tricked into wearing the puffy pirate shirt Seinfeld loved so much.

There is not too much to say about Vampire Weekend live, besides they are good and there was certainly a lot of bouncing going on in the crowd. Koenig’s voice was crisp, the atmosphere was fun and the bass player’s funky yet totally subtle dance moves added some character. In a live setting, it is way more noticeable how short Vampire Weekend’s songs are. I personally wish they would have extended some of the songs that riled up the crowd, like A-Punk.

(Photo not taken by M.Snitch)

Only being acquainted with Sea Wolf’s music for a few days prior to attending their concert, I was not exactly sure what to expect…little did I know what a treat I was in for. First off, the vibe that was flowing from the stage was near impossible to resist and it sucked me in like a vacuum to a crumb. On the way to the venue I figured Sea Wolf would be a mellow live show that if best would resemble their recorded sound, boy was I mistaken.

Sea Wolf is definitely a band that can be better appreciated in a live setting. Their sound was funkier than the album hinted at and it seemed as if the band members were feeding off each other rather than simply going through the motions. The music coming out of the speakers tickled my groove button while at the same time soothed my inner anxiousness. Alex B. Church is a very unassuming frontman whose voice is tenderly alluring, especially with the sounds of a soft cello backing and cool keyboard stints. There were no flashing lights or bizarre antics but my attention was certainly fixated on that dimly lit stage and the fabulous musicians perched on it. Sea Wolf was a pleasant surprise and after seeing them live, the album sounds even better than before.

(Photo not taken by M.Snitch)

As a lover and appreciator of great music and talented musicians, last nights concert was indeed spectacular. James Morrison, Ben Folds & John Mayer all in one hot summers’ night in Florida, wow. This wasn’t a highly manufactured show, no pyrotechnics, nothing really visually stunning (besides, James, Ben & John), there were no tricks but plenty of treats.

First to take the stage was James Morrison, who I was most excited to see since Undiscovered is one of my favorite albums of the year. Although James Morrison is adored in the UK, sadly I don’t think he is as widely known in the States. His set was brief, as he was an opening act but he sounded amazing live, with his raspy tone. He has raw talent, there’s no faking that voice. However, I think James Morrison would be much more powerful in a smaller venue, one where he can connect with the audience and his emotion can be felt. Unfortunately, he seemed to get a little lost in the amphitheater setting. After his performance he met with fans and signed autographs, which is always a thumbs up in our book.

Ben Folds was next to take the stage. Although I am not married to his music, I am familiar with it enough to know that he is a gifted singer, songwriter and piano player, so I was exceedingly eager to finally see him live. Ben Folds was simply enchanting. He is so comfortable with his piano and voice, that his performance appeared effortless. Hearing the whispers in the audience it was obvious that those unacquainted with Ben Fold’s music were more than pleasantly surprised. Towards the end of his performance the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down cooling off the humid air but not extinguishing the heat coming from Ben Folds and his band.

Even though he was the headliner, John Mayer was not the reason I went to the show. I was really into his first album, Room For Squares, but then he kind of lost me. On the rare occasion I am listening to the radio, if a John Mayer song comes on, I don’t change the station. To be honest, I didn’t think his live performance would offer a different effect than listening to his CD in the comfort of my own nest. Well, I was wrong. John Mayer blew me away and now, I am absolutely on the bandwagon. It was about 30 seconds into his song, Gravity, when I realized what a special artist Mr. Mayer truly is. I get the hype now, he is the full package with plenty of potential. It was really difficult for me to pry my eyes away from his guitar because I had no idea that he was that agile and funky of a player. His band was phenomenal too.

(Photo not taken by M.Snitch)

Setting up high expectations for a concert can be a receipt for disappointment but I couldn’t help it in this case…come on, The Noisettes were opening up for Bloc Party. And to be completely honest, I was and still am kind of shocked that this show did not sellout but than again, The Noisettes have been touted as one of rock-n-rolls best kept secrets.

Although The Noisettes are a three-piece band, the lead singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa is undoubtedly the main attraction. From start to finish, it’s a struggle to look away from her. Even when she is not jumping off the bass drum or karate kicking the air, Shoniwa has a glowing presence. It was nothing short of brilliant insanity how she went from spastically shrieking into one mic, to then soulfully crooning into another mic a split second later. Ironically enough, some of the best portions of the show came from her mellowed out spells, when you actually had time to focus on her seductively jazzy voice. Just because The Noisettes’ front-lady is like a heat seeking missile does not mean that the other 2/3’s of the band is under par. No, no, quite the contrary, they definitely unleashed some serious funk for the audience to bathe in. The Noisettes offer a high-energy, pedal to the medal show filled with rambunctious rock tunes, plus it seems like Shoniwa is currently one of music’s coolest punk chicas in the game.

Not really much to say about Bloc Party because it just seems so obvious. They are an exceptional band that knows how to think outside of the box. Bloc Party’s music is innovative, compelling and it sure knows how to drive a crowd mad with passion. There were no antics on stage, there were no bells & whistles but they sounded phenomenal and the audience was bewitched.