Category Archives: Live Shows

Thoughts and experiences at live shows.

A Look at #1: The Influence

Posted on by
Reply

If you read my Top Ten Albums of 2010 post, you saw that a little band from Virginia Beach called The Influence made it to the top with their new album Falling Objects.  I’ll keep repeating it over and over again, but these guys are just oozing talent from their pores – and they have an incredibly unique sound.  They performed for a Knoxville, TN TV station this morning… and the video footage is awesome.  Check it out; then go see ’em on their tour this month!

Get to know Tim Brantley

Posted on by
Reply

Last year, my #1 album of the year was by a fella named Tim Brantley. I was introduced to him about two years ago by my friend Gail, who knows my musical tastes almost as well as I know them myself. As a writer, Tim is the closest thing to Bruce Springsteen that I know. A story-teller who very realistically talks about life, love, heartbreak, growing up…I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is, I’m completely biased when I talk about Tim. On top of being an amazing musician, he’s just a giant goofball, and I find it impossible not to adore him.

Got to see Tim twice this weeks, on his mini-tour with Tyrone Wells. I swear to you, I just grin through his whole show. His music just makes my heart happy. I shot this video of him singing my favorite of his songs, “Working Man,” last night at their gig at Winthrop University, a small college about 20 minutes from my place. Cozy little coffee shop atmosphere makes for excellent video; hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Tim Brantley:
www.timbrantely.com
iTunes | Twitter | Facebook | MySpace

Concert Etiquette with a Diehard Fan

Posted on by
2

May I gripe for a moment?

Well, you actually don’t have a choice in the matter…I’m going to whine.

I go to a lot of concerts. It’s my thing. Some people golf. Some people get manicures and pedicures. Live music…that’s my love. A lot of times, I hit shows solo. But sometimes I have friends that go along. And there’s the rub.

I love meeting up with my buddies at shows or taking them to shows. I love watching a friend who has never seen an artist before fall in love with the music. I love singing along with my friends and sharing that smile during a show like, ‘Heck yeah, this is the greatest concert ever…” However, there are RULES to going to a concert with me. When the rules are violated, I get irritated. And it makes me not too much fun to be around. So, just to set the record straight, let’s set them out in print, shall we?

1) I get to the show for door time, unless otherwise stated. Why, you ask, when there’s always downtime prior to the show actually starting? Well, quite frankly – you can’t trust venues and artists. Arrival at door time means that I guarantee I can see the act I came to see. You never know, especially on co-bills, when the venue is going to switch around who is playing first. Or, the artist could start before the venues “suggested” start time. If I show up late, I could MISS something. And who knows, I just might like the opener. Or if you get there early, you might catch the tail end of sound check, or hear an artist jump in with the opener on a song, or get to chat with the artist at the bar before the show. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. This means a couple of things: If I’m picking you up, I am picking you up at the stated time and expect to leave within five minutes. If we’re meeting for drinks or dinner before hand, I will leave our little party in order to make it there for doors. You get the idea.

2) Don’t ask me what time the show will start. See #1. Venues and artists are unreliable. They start when they feel like it. I can make an educated guess, but frankly, if you’ve been to a concert before, so can you. Don’t expect me to do the work for you. Look up the start time on the website and do the math. Opener starts 30 minutes after doors open. Plays 45 minutes. 15 – 30 minute downtime between sets. BUT THERE ARE NEVER ANY GUARANTEES.

3) Holding seats/spots is a right limited to quick runs to the bar or bathroom. I loathe this almost more than anything, but especially when shows are crowded. Don’t ask me to hold your seat or spot because you want to go outside and smoke a cigarette or go chat with your other friends. Between set times is okay, but make sure you do it with plenty of time before the band or act starts. I came to watch the show, NOT to worry about whether or not drunk girl and her frat boy boyfriend behind me are going to push into the 5 x 2 piece of cement that I’ve contorted my body to stretch over. You can only hold off the vultures for so long. I can tell someone once that my friend went to the bathroom, but if you’re not back 30 minutes later, they are likely to push into the spot/seat – and I’m likely to let them. Plus, if you’re leaving in the middle of the set, that’s just rude to the artist.

4) For the love of God, don’t talk to me (or others around me) during the show! This should really go without saying, but let me clarify: Quick observations about the artist, the song being played, etc., are acceptable. Trying to talk to me about what’s happening between a mutual friend and her boyfriend while the artist is performing is not. Talking loudly to someone else while I’m trying to watch the show is also sure to irritate the living piss out of me.

5) Excessive woo hoos/requests/singing along/over zealousness. So you’re a fan too? That is awesome. Applause – good! A “Hell yeah” when the artist plays your favorite song – completely respectable. Singing along so loudly that I can’t hear the performer? UNACCEPTABLE. A shrill “WOOOO HOOOOOOOO” after every song? UNACCEPTABLE. Continuing to yell “Play [INSERT SONG NAME HERE]!” over and over again? UNACCEPTABLE. Keep it cool, kids. No amount of alcohol null and voids this rule.

6) Leaving before the show is over. I’m a diehard fan. I want to stay until the very last note is sung. That means when the music stops, I’m going to wait to see if there’s an encore. Or a double encore. And then, I’m most likely going to try to go look at merch or get something signed, so (especially if you’ve driven with me) don’t expect to leave before the last song is over to beat traffic. Not going to happen.

That’s it, really. I realize, after reading this, that I sound like a total bitch, but really, I’m putting these out there for your benefit as well as mine. I don’t want to be grumpy at a show. I want to have fun with you, my friends, and leave saying, “Best.time.ever.” The rules are fairly simple…let’s all play along.

Acoustic Gareth Goodness

Posted on by
Reply

We all know I adore him, so no need to torture you with a long post.

My good friend and fantabulous musician Gareth Asher made a stop by 106.5 The End when he was here in September. He and another favorite, Michael Tolcher, performed a bunch of acoustic songs. The good folks at 106.5 decided to record and share them. Since I left town that morning to go home because my Mom was very ill, seeing these videos makes me way happy. You can check out the whole series of five songs, but I thought I’d post my favorite of them here – a new song called “Holy Train.”

All I have to say is, “Wow.”

Thanks 106.5!

Gareth Asher: Website | Facebook | Twitter | MySpace
Michael Tolcher: Website | Facebook | Twitter | MySpace

Why aren’t you listening to this band?

Posted on by
2

Sometimes, I feel like there’s this very distinct divide in the music world – between “pop” music and the experimental, indie stuff. Between what the masses listen to and what the “cool kids” and critics are listening to. I love reading the magazines, articles and blogs that talk about the music that falls on the latter side of the line (for example, RSL, which is one of the best music blogs out there), but I consistently fall on the pop side. I totally don’t get the “outside the box” stuff. Maybe this is just representative of my limited mental capacity; perhaps I really know nothing about music at all. For example, I’m totally not ashamed to admit that I just don’t hear what everyone else loves about The Arcade Fire (bring on the critics!). Not one single thing about them appeals to me. Here’s a confession: There’s something about music with melodies that get stuck in your head and lyrics that you can sing along and relate to that grabs me. Pop, ladies and gentleman, is NOT a dirty word to me.

Despite my tendency to love the pop crack…on occasion, there’s an unusual band that grabs me from the very first note I hear them play.

Flagship is one of these bands.

These kids are flipping amazing. The first time I saw them live, they played a late show after one of my favorite little rock singers. I stuck around, more to hang out with my friends than to hear the late show band. But damn. Pull out the old-school microphone a la Robert Smith, and you’re gonna get my attention, no matter WHAT kind of music you’re playing. Add to that that this band that I’d NEVER EVEN HEARD OF before packed out The Evening Muse, and you can color me intrigued.

So I started listening. Closely.

I don’t have the music education background to talk in “lingo” about what this band does that appeals to me. I can’t tell you what time they’re playing in. Couldn’t tell you for the life of me what kind of guitar tones they pull out of their instruments or why it’s cool that Drake plays a Rickenbacker. I just know that it is. And that that I love their music. And that I want to play it. All the time.

Flagship bridges the very divide that I think exists in music. They’re creative and experimental, but their music is totally relatable for me. They’ve got those “earworm” type lyrics – the kind that you find yourself singing all throughout the day – layered on top of really complex melodies and flipping brilliant instrumentation. It’s “indie” music sans pretentiousness. One minute, they’re playing songs that are reminiscent of 80s new age, the next minute they’re channeling classic rockers like Tom Petty, and then to completely throw you for a loop, they play a song that sounds like it’s straight out of Americana. It’s incredible.

And I don’t know if I’m more impressed with lead singer Drake Margolnick with his cut-through-you wailing and haunting refrains or Logan Fincher’s little bursts of disgustingly creative guitar parts. It KILLS me that these kids are so young and they’re playing at this level.

Okay, and I might love, just a little bit that Drake pulls in a little Springsteen “Tunnel of Love,” whether he knows it or not, in their song “Enemies of the State” when he sings “Na na na na, hey…”

Tonight, I watched them play to a crowd of about fifty indie kids at a small bar in Charlotte – the kind of kids that wear Activision t-shirts when they’re too young to know what it was, and dresses and flowers in their hair when the venue attire is obviously jeans and t-shirt fare – and the only thing that kept running through my head was what Samantha from Sex in the City said, when she was talking to Smith about his career as an actor.

“First the girls, then the gays, then everyone else will follow.”

Their fans LOVE them. Rabid, Jersey Shore fist-pumping love them. You look around the crowd and everyone is singing along. People are filling in the parts from the recorded versions of the songs that don’t make it to the live show – hand claps, background vocals, the works. It’s kind of inspiring to see a crowd of young people be this stoked about music (and how old am I that I’m referring to a crowd at a live show as “young people?”).

Another way I know this band has “it” – whatever that “it” is? I was inspired to come home and write this blog. I haven’t been inspired to write much of anything lately, but their show left me buzzing. I’m talking punch-drunk, toe tapping, want to bring all of my friends to their next show buzz.

Glad I’m catching Flagship on the way up. Why aren’t you listening to them already?

Flagship online: Twitter | Facebook | MySpace

3/5 of Flagship

3/5 of Flagship