Rogue Wave, April 29 at the El Ray in Los Angeles

The doors opened at 8:00, I luckily got there early so I could snag a nice view. All I knew at the time was that I was going to see Rogue Wave-I was totally naïve as to who the opening acts were. Suddenly at 8:45, the curtains are opened and I am instantly in a state of awe. A man with his acoustic guitar effortlessly scilencing the audience with his pure sound. I don't think I've ever experienced anything quite like it, he went from just playing his acoustic guitar to doing 5 things at once! Honestly, he kinda blew my mind. He introduced himself as JBM. He has released his first album "not even in July" and I suggest that you buy it. Perfect for rainy days, I can feel it! (:
Next was Mirical/Man. They were mediocre. If I had to rate them 1-10, they would be about a 6.8. The best part of the band was the guitar player. Not only was he quite skilled when it comes to playing his guitar, he also had a gnarly beard. They were upbeat, and exciting but there was something off about their sound. Maybe they're recorded music is better, but live, they were just okay. (except for the guitar player).
Rogue Wave came on at around 10:30. They played a bit of their newer music with a nice mix of their older stuff too. I've seen them twice before, but this time was by far the best. They had a lot of energy. In the middle of the show, everybody from
the other bands got on stage with each person playing some sort of percussion instrument. The audience was clapping to the same beat-everybody filling the theatre up with their own sound. It was fantastic. Later, for their last song they got people from the audience up to dance with them on stage. I was tempted to go up there, but I was too timid. ):
it was a lot of fun.
After the show I purchased the JBM album (which I'm currently listening to), and took a picture with mister bearded man.
that's all for now! It's starting to get late for a Sunday.

Love is a Mix Tape

I picked up the book "Love is a Mix Tape" by Rob Sheffield at Barnes and Noble today. I'm only on page 42, and I'm already in love with it. It is what I want my life to be in a nutshell. If you're a music lover like me, and get Pavement references like me, I highly recommend it. And if for some reason you want to get to know me better, just read this book. I am this book.

Sublime

This passed Wednesday, April 21st, I saw "Sublime with Rome". For those of you who are confused, let me give you the low-down. Bradley Nowell's life terminated in '96 due to a drug overdose (heroine, believe). With his death, came Sublime's. But, suddenly, 14 years later Sublime got back together with a new singer. The singer goes by the name of Rome. This is their first tour together, and the show I went to was was the second show of the tour, and the first show (ironically?) started on 4-20.
So! There were thee bands that played that night; Stone Wing, The Dirty Heads, and Sublime.
Stone Wing was a band that would have been better placed as an opener on the second stage of a county fair. The band was composed of four middle-aged men singing about some variation of getting high in each song. The lead singer looked like a Richard Simmons that never worked out, and smoked pot instead, the drummer was a white bald guy who came out with an obnoxious fake fro that had to be at least 3 feet high, the guitarist presented himself as a drunken cowboy, and the bassist was just your average Joe fella. They played for a painful 45 minutes.
Next was the band "The Dirty Heads". They were about half the age of the band before them, but four times as good. Their performance was well done, and if I had been more familiar with their songs, I'm pretty sure I would have had a great time. I'm not huge on reggae music, but they were still able to keep me entertained. Once The Dirty Heads came on, there was little need for a fog machine (so the lights could show up), for there was enough smoke, due to the weed, to do the deed. Anyway, all-n-all, The Dirty Heads are good performers, if you know their music.
Lastly, sublime (with Rome) came on. Yes! I was pleasantly surprised with Romes voice. He sounded right, but I wish he rocked it a little harder. They played everything from their new album to their old-Bradley stuff. In the middle of "What I Got" Rome did a shout out to Bradley, which I thought was really cool. In "Smoke Two Joints" the cloud of smoke at least doubled itslef in size. It seemed as though everybody around was wasted. I saw 4 people get escorted out by security because they were not sober enough to walk independently. Three of those four collapsed right on to the floor. And it was a work night. I just don't get it. Anyway, the songs sounded nice, the crowd was dancing (and getting wasted) and I finally got to see 2/3rds of the Sublime I've always wanted to see!
Ultimately, Wednesday was nice- it was quite a change compared to the shows that I generally go to (being more folk-esque). (:

Thom Yorke

That's right. I saw Thom Yorke. Words can't describe the brilliance of it.
I was in Santa Barbara for the weekend and saw Mister Yorke at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Have you ever seen Thom Yorke dance? Maybe on YouTube or something of that sort. Well anyway, it's not near as great until you see it live. That boy can jam.
The bass player for the night was Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. I'm not huge on the music of RHC, but damn, Flea, you rock.
The sound was wonderful, he played everything from his "Atoms For Peace" solo album, a few new songs, and *Drum Roll PLEASE!!!* Videotape and Everything in it's Right Place. His sound was better live than on recording, if you can even fathom that. On stage, you can really tell that he is a legacy for our generation.

Because I feel I am not able to express to you just how great it was through words, I'm going to give you a little sliver of advice:
Thom Yorke is the cat's meow, and if you haven't seen him already, put "Seeing Thom Yorke Live" on your bucket list. That's all.

Record Store Day

April 17th, 2010. Record Store Day, a music lovers holiday.
Record Store Day started in 2007, and is celebrated every third Saturday in April.
Record Store Day is a day celebrated nation wide with artists and independent record stores. Special Vinyls and CDs are released, a bunch of in-store performances are played, and a bunch of music lovers consume, all in the act of glorifying the art of music.
This is the day I found what I had been looking for, for the past year or so. The Moon & Antarctica by Modest Mouse. They finally re-released it as it was the album's 10 year anniversary. I went to a record store in Santa Barbara and found the very last one. YESS!!
I'm so excited!
My favorite Modest Mouse record. On vinyl. 'Nuff said.

Josh Ritter

Fingerprints, located in Long Beach, is an awesome record store that hosts in-store performances of bands that are releasing new music. This weekend I was fortunate enough to see Josh Ritter perform an intimate set at Fingerprints. His set lasted for a good hour and he played almost every song from his new album, along with some of his older music. On stage was just Josh Ritter and his acoustic guitar. Who can ask for anything better? His voice was just as pure as it sounds on the recordings, if not better.
If you're a lyric-listener like me, this album is a must buy. It is very raw and soothing to listen to. I pre-ordered Ritter's new album "So Runs The World Away", release date being May 4th, in order to secure my spot for the show. As a result, I received the vinyl two weeks early and got it signed by Mister Ritter!! Yup. I met Josh Ritter. He is THE nicest guy you will ever meet. His smiles are endless. He has a beautiful mind with a beautiful soul. Really great way to start off the weekend. (:

Introduction

Hello there, virtual world!
I'm Jen Beard and I plan on writing my reviews on any new music I discover, any concerts I go to, or any record stores I loose myself in.
Hope you enjoy!