The Faint @ The Glasshouse // Pomona 11.21.12

It began Last Wednesday, November 21st, in the quiet town of Pomona, explosive new wave electro punk rockers The Faint descended upon The Glasshouse concert hall. They are touring in celebration of the 10 year anniversary for their 2002 hit album, Danse Macabre.

Album shows are becoming increasingly popular these days. Artists will play one of their albums in its entirety. Start to finish. This provides the rare opportunity to experience your favourite album in a live setting – a dream come true for any fan. Danse Macabre has a runtime of 35:05, a short show by itself – augmented with a selection of their favourite songs.

I arrived just before The Faint took the stage. The stage was set, drums, guitars, basses, and two massive arrays of keyboards. A LED video wall in the black stood dark in anticipation of the performance, as a light mist hung about the stage. The crowd was restless, full of fans old new alike. Everyone brought together for the love of music, such a beautiful gathering.

The Faint took the stage to an uproar of applause from the crowd, and spared no time jumping right into their set. Instead of starting of with their albums, they began with a few favourites then took on new-wave dance behemoth, Danse Macabre. When a band plays an album…the crowd goes nuts. The superfans (like myself) scream every lyric and dance to the music. This show was no exception. After hearing every song on the record live, each sounding true to the recorded version, they gave us a taste of their new album.

They played a new song titled “Evil Voices” – more great music from a band you already love. The chorus rang “Evil voices die when you fall in love” – a great message along with a catchy melody and irresistible beat. So stoked for the new album!

What a fantastic show! Keep a look out for their new album, and future tour dates.

Discover more about The Faint:

• On the web
• facebook
• Twitter: @thefaint
• @thefaintofficial

Check out a playlist of my favourite Faint songs from all their albums!

Rock on!

@Outlawbeat

The Shins @ Gibson Amphitheatre

This is the second in a series of posts recount the concert adventures of the week of 10/1-10/7. Six nights of concerts. Across LA. From Residencies, to Festivals.

Tuesday 10/2/12:

An impromptu Shins show thanks to Live Nation at Gibson Amphitheatre on Universal Citywalk with fellow Cal Poly Pomona alumni and music enthusiast DJ GraceK. I am not overly familiar with The Shins, but their performance was unlike any I have attended before. These are the kings of indie, nowhere else will you find more heart and soul in a band. Their stage setup was simple and straightforward with a giant backdrop displaying the cover art from their latest CD, Port of Morrow. The tapestry was bathed in ever-changing washes of colour. The key is, the stage setup didn’t call for elaborate. All they needed was to play, and they played. They played flawlessly, and the mix was fantastic. Every part was discernable. The vocals ringing through the hall loaded with power and emotion – commanding the audience.

Excellent musicianship and songwriting are the tools they wield to craft the sweetest vocals, harmonies and melodies you will ever hear. The vocals are accompanied by soaring keys and swelling guitars. Hauntingly beautiful live, leaving the listener contemplative, yet joyful and inspired. New Slang was by far my favourite song of the performance. The intimacy of the vocals and harmonies combined with the acoustic guitar…just took me away. Their encore turned into an all out jam session on stage as the energy of their entire performance climaxed into a beautiful and powerful creative musical explosion.

Verdict: if you love sweet indie jams, top-notch musicianship, and a great show, The Shins will not let you down. Check them out!

Find The Shins on Facebook!
On shinstagram
On Spotify

Bands I’m jamming to tonight:

Yaesayer, The Shins, Holy Ghost! Van She, Exitmusic, The  Chevin,St. Lucia, Dologue, Cadence Weapon, Tame Impala

Night three and more bands to come tomorrow!
-Outlawbeat

Robert DeLong October Echoplex Residency

Monday 10/1 – It all started that Monday night. First stop of the night was Go Radio @ The Roxy with fellow music obsessed coworker – Nikki B! Go Radio put on a high energy and fun filled pop rock show fit for any stop on the Warped Tour or the suburbs! Root love songs, telling off your ex, and growing up all over again!

In the heart of Echo Park off of Sunset Boulevard lies a unique venue. Or should I say venues? The Echo and The Echoplex. On Monday nights of any given month you will find residencies from a myriad of LA, foreign, or up and coming bands you never saw coming. These shows are all free, to the 21+ crowd. They take place at venues/bars all over the city. Upon entering the venue, straight inside leads you to The Echo. The Echo consists of one large room, with a capacity of 300 (standing room only.) On this particular even The Superhumanoids were the resident band, with fellow locals Body Parts opening the show. Upon passing the security ID checkpoint, hang a right and take the stairs and descend into the depths of the venue to find yourself in The Echoplex. This 700 capacity space feels like you have stumbled upon a secret mucian gathering in the depths of Echo Park. The stage is roughly two and a half times larger. In this cavernous dancehall built into a hill in Echo Park….Robert DeLong took the stage, and once again raised the bar for electronic musicians and live performers.

I’ve seen Robert DeLong numerous times now in all different types of venues, and yet each time he takes his music and live performance to a whole new level – turning up the dial to 11 and getting the entire crowd jumping. No matter what night of the week you see Robert on stage, he turns it into a Saturday night with no thought of tomorrow! For this residency (3 more FREE shows still to come this month) he kicked it up a notch with the addition of live visuals to take his show to the next level.
The entire crowd was ecstatic, dancing, jumping, cheering, and singing along. To be in the crowd was to be surrounded by music, love, and the mist of sweaty fans. By the end of the night I was exhausted and drenched in sweat!

The second week of the residency was just as good as the first! Robert DeLong took the stage and commanded the attention of the crowd for his entire hour long set. From electro-pop anthems such as “Happy” (which he plays the melody on a  game controller) to the dub-step drops of “Feel So Heavy” he was top of his game and the crowd was along for the ride!

RDL is definitely one to watch! Recently signed to Glassnote Records home of the likes of Phoenix, Mumford & Sons, and Childish Gambino! He has been playing shows in California, and all over the US. It isn’t long before RDL is a household name!

Check out his facebook here!
Listen to his sweet tunes on Soundcloud

Don’t miss the last night of his FREE October residency: KROQ Locals Only favourite, Robert DeLong @ The Echoplex – Monday 10/29. 

Stay tuned this week, as every night I’ll be posting new content, now through Sunday!

-Outlawbeat