Spider-Man 3

So Chris, Kelly, Christine and I saw the midnight opening of Spider-Man 3 and well… there’s no other way to say this… it was awful. Awful enough to break me out of my no blogging streak and write about it.

I had little to no expectations for the movie given that I was completely unaware it was coming out this weekend until Wednesday night; however, despite these very limited expectations I was still hugely disappointed. The movie was entirely silly – every other scene made me raise my hands in disbelief and mutter “WTF?” There were too many plot lines that resulted in many “reaches” if you will (eg: alien goo and amnesia being key plot drivers). Far too much crying as well.

But the largest “WTF” of the film is the bizarre emo Peter Parker that shows up. He mats his hair down over his face, changes into black clothes, and then things just get too silly. (I couldn’t help but think of Conor Oberst the whole time). Basically made it seem like the movie’s message “Don’t be emo. if you are black slime will take control of your body” (as said by C-wod).

So yeah, that’s my rant. A very forgettable movie that was likely made just because the studio knew it will sell tickets. Use your 2+ hours better – watch tonight’s Office four times.

Junior Boys

I just got back from the Junior Boys concert in Chicago. It’s 4 AM so I’ll put some stuff down then edit it later today, since I can do that with the ol’ blogosphere, or whatever.
The set:
1. Count Souvenirs
2. The Equalizer
3. Teach Me How to Fight
4. Like a Child
5. Birthday
6. Double Shadow
7. So This is Goodbye
8. In the Morning
9. More Than Real
Encore:
10. Under the Sun

I’m 100% sure these are the songs they played, but the order of 7 through 9 is somewhat hazy, since these were kept by memory.

Suprises: guitar and bass, drums on top of drum machine, no “FM,” Junior Boys didn’t have that pre-recorded feel, many songs from Last Exit (3, 5, 9, and 10), layout of the Empty Bottle, great concert shirts but no buttons (what can i say? I like concert buttons). Updates soon to come.

Update: For rather obnoxious circumstances, I had to go to this one on my own, a cause for heightened senses, greater awareness, and more adrenaline walking back to my car after the show. When I arrived it was halfway through San Serac, who surrounded himself with various keyboards and devices. Some of his voice modulation effects were very pleasing as well is his fast paced rush of other computer sounds. The Empty Bottle’s setup is a bit strange. There are a couple rooms tucked away with with old arcade machines and sofas and such. The main room is a long rectangle with the stage at one corner and a bar along one side, and on other side near the stage is this raised area a little higher than the stage where you can view the show. That is where I was. The stage isn’t connected to any door, so San Serac bumped into me at one point while removing his equipment from the stage.

I was only expecting two people from Junior Boys, each on a keyboard. Not so. They had a drummer, Jeremy Greenspan played guitar and bass, and Matt Didemus had one large keyboard, a smaller keyboard controller, and an Apple laptop. I know LCD Soundsystem is fond of drums on drum machine, but I can’t say there is much of that on Junior Boys’ albums. However, it added quite a bit to “Teach Me How to Fight.” Didemus was so freaking smooth. He would play a few notes on one keyboard, nonchalantly hit a few keys on the other, amble over to his laptop and adjust a few parameters, all while taking a few draws off his cigarette. All the electronic shows I’ve been to have been pre-recorded and put on a rail, and sometimes that left no time for the band to talk to the audience. The Junior Boys, however, could start and stop their songs at will, so though certain parts are prerecorded, it didn’t feel abrupt or forced in any way. The only song they played I didn’t like was “Double Shadow.” But let me explain, this song is nearly perfect on the album. This is all the more reason to change the pace and timing of it extensively during a show, which they did. This was the last show of their tour, though they will be playing at the Pitchfork Music Festival in July I believe. They ended with “Under the Sun,” which they really rocked out at the end. I thought this was appropriate for the coming Summer season.

Photo courtesy of Radio Free Chicago. This is from last Fall, but it gives the right impression of Didemus.

OMG OMG OMG

There has been some talk going around that next year’s Mindset, with Riley and me at the helm, will be in trouble. This talk is 100% spot-on. For instance…

So, which Yeah Yeah Yeahs song did she rip off this time? Also, can we expect a Ted Leo cover? I’m thinking not, if this quote is any indication:

“My love affair with Kelly Clarkson is largely, pretty much, with a wink and a nod. Not that I don’t think she’s talented, not that I don’t think she’s done great things with other people’s songs.”

Maybe it can give Gwen Stefani a run for her money in the song-of-the-year race. Maybe it can even win the much-sought-after Grammy for “Best Female Rock/Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.”

Flogging Molly!

(*Said in a high-pitched, leotard-wearing, 80’s hair band style*)

Personally, I still can’t believe that we got them to come here, but I choose not to question. As they are the kings of Irish punk, and one of the few out there now with a member who was actually from Ireland, Flogging Molly’s arrival at ND warranted not only lining up outside Legends at least 4 hours in the pouring rain before the doors opened at 9 PM, but also the opening of the back wall of Legends with a tent set up in the lot behind, complete with projection screens, to accomodate the massive, over-capacity crowds that could not possibly fit inside. (Oh man, that was such a run-on sentence…The English major in me is shuddering…) As I have become the unofficial Legends correspondent of Mindset, here’s my review.

Any criticisms I have of this show really have nothing to do with the band. First of all, Legends made a bad decision not to have the barricades set up before the show, though I admit I never expected any show at ND to get so chaotic. However, they did a fantastic job of getting that put up quickly and keeping it reinforced against the semi-moshing crowd. My other main complaint is about the leaky roof. Granted, this isn’t really something the Legends staff could necessarily control, but it simply looks sloppy to have the roof leaking not only on the audience, but also on the band. Anyway, onto the actual show!

As Flogging Molly needs no introduction, there was no opening act. The show began with the entire house dimming; only a low blue light shone on the stage as flute music (my friend Alyssa said it was reminiscent of Passion of the Christ music) played over the sound system. This band knows how to make a crowd anxious, because they waited what felt like 10 minutes (it was probably less than 5) before coming out. Once onstage, they did not delay another second and went straight into the music. Here, I pause to give a Fonz-like thumbs-up to the Legends staff, who finally mastered the art of the sound system! There was only one instance of unwanted guitar feedback that I can recall, all the mics were perfectly balanced, and the volume was at the perfect level where it was justloud enough to blow out your eardrums, but not permanently.

This was my first Flogging Molly live show, and it did NOT disappoint. Unlike other bands, who refuse to play their old songs in concert, they played a huge set that included songs from all their albums, fan favorites and new songs alike. (An incomplete and disjointed set list will follow the review.) These guys play an extremely laid-back show, drinking beer from blue plastic cups (Haha, inside joke from the show) between songs as lead singer Dave King shared stories about his childhood in Ireland or went on tangents about politics and peace. Interaction with the crowd seems to be one key to the magic of a Flogging Molly show, which explains why they kept it at Legends rather than moving it to larger venue like Stepan.

The other key would be their amazing music. Some punk bands sound like crap live because they simply play as loud and as fast as they can, and, while this can get synched up and polished in a studio, it just sounds like audio vomit live. NOT the case with Flogging Molly, who have actual discernable melodies and utilize more than a 3-chord progression in their music. Plus, they have a slightly more diverse set of instruments at their disposal, including a violin, mandolin, banjo, and accordion. I never thought it would be possible to rock out on an according. Apparently, I was wrong. It didn’t take long for the crowd to get energized and thrashing around, which is awesome that people get so into it, but decidedly not so awesome when you’re 5 feet tall in flip flops in the middle of the crowd with guys wearing riveted jackets on each side. (FYI: I still have both flip flops and all my toenails, thank you very much!) And again with the anxiety for the encore! Most other bands go backstage, count to 3, then come back out, but these guys made you wait, and therefore crave it more. At first, just Dave came out and began a gorgeous acoustic version of “Black Friday Rule”, which made everyone stop thrashing for probably the first time all evening, then the rest of the band joined him onstage about halfway through the song to finish it with a full set.

Okay, so here’s what I remember that they played. I know for a fact they played more than this, but I can’t remember! I’ll ask my friends what they remember and possibly edit this later…

• Selfish Man
• Factory Girls
• Within a Mile of Home
• What’s Left of the Flag
• Laura (I think? I can’t remember if I just heard it in my head or onstage!)
• If I Ever Leave This World Alive
• The Likes of You Again
• Rebels of the Sacred Heart
• Whistles in the Wind
• Requiem for a Dying Dream
• Black Friday Rule

Keep it up, Legends, I expect bigger and better acts for my senior year! :-)

Former Mindset Editor and all-around maven of all things purple-headed and radical: Mairead Case

Interviewed none other than Patti Smith on behalf of Pitchfork.

Check it out here

And don’t skip over the Rolling Stones cover they’ve included, it’s actually really good =)
xkd

Voxwolf!

This past Saturday, WVFI welcomed the Chicago-based Skybox to Legends. The end result: a night full of near-perfect tripped-out demented circus music. However, Skybox wasn’t the only band to charm the Legends crowd. Openers Voxwolf, a recently formed campus band, hit the stage and kicked off the evening with a catchy original, “Joshua’s Revenge (feat. The Nilbog All Stars).” The four-piece band wasted no time in shifting gears, jumping mid-song to a cover of the Wolf Parade dance-party classic “Shine a Light.” After a cover of Brand New’s “Jesus Christ” and another Troll 2-influenced original, “No Hospitals,” Voxwolf performed an interesting and tasteful version of Death Cab for Cutie’s “Lack of Color” with John Siegel on lead vocals. Once again changing pace, switching from soft indie rock to “Wait, what’s happening?” the band launched into “No Arms,” a unique, somewhat shortened take on a Mickey Avalon song, and an instrumental number simply titled “Ryan’s Song.” The song would have been perfect, say, played in the background of a film about high school football. As bassist Joe Lattal thanked the crowd for coming out, Voxwolf performed a quick Peaches cover to end their short but memorable set.

I caught up with 3/4 of the band and briefly interviewed them.

Mindset: So, tell me the story behind the band.
John Siegel: It all started trying to impress someone… We did the little stuff together but never played live… The short story: yesterday at 3:00, Legends told us we were playing.
Riley Saunders: We made it rain.

Mindset: Well, clearly, Panic! at the Disco is heavily influenced by the film Closer. My question to you is, which Julia Roberts film has influenced you the most and why?
Riley Saunders: I have two personal favorites. First, Notting Hill for two reasons: I like Hugh Grant, and I like to say “whoops-i-daisies.” My second favorite, which I’d say has directly influenced Voxwolf, is Ocean’s Twelve. Not so much for Julia, as for the techno laser scene, which influenced our decision to remix the popular dance song “**** the Pain Away” by Peaches.
Joe Lattal: The Mexican, for the romance.
John Siegel: Pretty Woman.

Mindset: Do you ever wish you could be [former campus band] The Somersaults?
John Siegel: Sometimes I wish I could burn down South Dining Hall.

Mindset: It seems that a lot of bands are using the word “wolf” in their names. What drew you to the name “Voxwolf”?
Joe Lattal: Wolf Parade, Wolf Eyes, Superwolf…
John Siegel: Wolfmother…
Joe Lattal: We’re going to be the best of the bunch. The best of the Vox bands and the best of the Wolf bands. Another idea for a name was “Gently Used Cucumbers.”
John Siegel: Or “She Wouldn’t Be Opposed To The Possibility Of Revenge.”

My interview was cut short when drummer Riley Saunders had to show off some dance moves.

I’m just kidding. That’s all I asked them.

Love me like an animal

So Flameshovel records dropped by Legends one week after Friday the 13th. The seemingly unsurpassable amazingness of moving an entire record label on a flatbed was in fact surpassed by the Russian Circles (along with the Race and the Narrator [adding at wvfi this week]). Russian Circles lasso post-rock, space-hardcore, and metal-drone together. They also had a great stage presence. The guitarist had a plethora of pedals (gear slut wet dream), sick skills (a la finger tapping), a tendency to loop (at one point there were five guitars going on at once), and this bad-ass stoic stance with a blond mane covering his face the entire show (it gave way to whirlwinds at some points). The bassist played his tool through a blowtorch, he was chiseled, lean, and large (thus personifying most of the bass lines), and jerked around mildly, wildly, or extra-wildly. The drummer was… good. He had a mean headband, and anyone who knew anything about music was probably looking at him most of the time. Dead on, inventive, and just plain awesome. The drunk, middle-aged, businessman who wandered into Legends next to me, put it best. “Saaay… Now THAT’S a gooooood drummer!”

I do have a soft-spot for noise/loud live shows, but c’mon.

Also, I love it when SDH has the 90s hit radio station on, and Lovefool is followed by Closer.

16 April 2007 — Klaxons take Schuba’s

We walk to the venue, an old man outside is hawking glow-sticks. I smile broadly and knowingly, looking down at the sidewalk as we walk inside. It’s empty, save a few early-birdies and the merch girl who is perched in front of a modest display of shirts, the most interesting upon which “Klaxons are K*nts” is scrawled. A guy hands us flyers and asks if we’ve designed tees for the band? We haven’t, though mine would have been a stolen magazine headline (“Klaxons are MDMAzing“). He takes our photo anyway.

The small room gradually fills up and we find out the opening band is called The Prairie Cartel. The name says ‘emo’ to me, and even up till the band takes the stage, I am skeptical of th appropriateness of their opening for Klaxons. But as soon as they begin to play, I’m sold. Strong dance beats relying on synthesizers, plastic neon cowbells, and electronic drums are kept in balance by super-fat rock guitar work. The band are a bit repetitive at times (fact: this is an understatement), but their catchiness more than makes up for this. As a person normally indifferent to opening bands, call me impressed. Change your name, Prairie Cartel, cos you guys are winners!

The first band clean themselves up and the roadies take over, taping down setlists, check th equipment, hitting the synth key that begins “Atlantis to Interzone” (it yells DJ!!) and we laugh a little bit. It’s kind of absurd, out of context. I look around the room and notice a few gig-goers dressed in the stereotypical klaxon-fashion — oversized neon hoodies (with hoods up) and straight brimmed hats, rather baggy jeans. What’s funny is that Klaxons have tried to get past this image, and have done everything fron changing they way they dress to outlawing glowsticks at their shows. But after I’ve had enough time to look over the setlist from the crowd, the band stomp on stage and something inside of me lights up when a reflection off Steffan’s shoe catches my eye. The light plays on the drummer’s shiny gold and black Adidas trainers; Simon wears pointy black ankle boots (right); James in black and leopard print high-top Nikes (left).

Klaxons launch into “The Bouncer” which, while immensely energetically performed, would have been received with much more enthusiasm had it come later in the set, me thinks. But the band do a great job promoting their new(ish) album, Myths of the Near Future, even promising a meet’n'greet to anyone who buys the album at the show. I am tempted.

Klaxons are well-practiced by this time in the tour and have got the crowd going (for the most part), though it takes a little while — especially in Chicago. Atlantis to Interzone loosens things up while Golden Skans really gets us going. Too bad, but it wasn’t till 12 Horsemen that everyone was dancing. Live, they perform a tight set and now gel very well together. Both James and Jamie play synth and bass, switching positions on stage a few times throughout the night. The energy seems to come completely from the music, however, as the band are not quite as eccentric onstage as I have witnessed in the past (maybe they are tired of touring?) At any rate, this is an intimate gig by Klaxons standards as they are used to performing at places like London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire (Riviera size, at the least). Overall, they are a fun band with vibrant music, and though the live set does not differ too greatly from the recordings, the recordings are, well, very good. When the audio fuses with the presence of pioneering nu ravers (a term they will reject), unless you have feet of lead and a heart of stone, Klaxons should move you to dancing. With only enough material for a 40-45 minute set, we can only wish they had more songs to play…

What they played:
The Bouncer (cover)
Atlantis to Interzone
Hall of Records
Totem Timeline
Golden Skans
As Above So Below
Two Recievers
Magick
Gravity’s Rainbow
Not Over Yet
Isle of Her
12 Horsemen of 2012

Enjoy the photos I managed to take!
xx kd

Who the… are Arctic Monkeys?

For those of you who are anxious to hear the new Arctic Monkey’s album, Favourite Worst Nightmare, Myspace has a stream of the entire album. I think I read in NME that this is the best band ever. Or maybe that was Nine Black Alps. Or Radiohead. Or Blur. Or The Beatles.

Enjoy. I would share my opinion of the album, but my opinion is irrelevant.

Coming soon: Exclusive “interview” with campus band Voxwolf and a possible concert review of Skybox.

daa de daa de diddy diddy da

Last night I saw the Decemberists perform at the Riviera Theatre. They were quite entertaining and sounded as well or better than what recordings I had heard. Colin Meloy sang with his distinctive diphthongs and extended liquids (he-yerrr rather than here, and we-yulll rather than we’ll), some of which seemed to require him to jut his head up with his mouth in somewhat odd orientation. Chris Funk added an occasional sound or two to his riffs, and at times the band would abandon their main set of instruments and the play such instruments as the violin or the cello. They played mainly from The Crane Wife, and touring with them was Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, who sang the part of the widowed woman in “Yankee Bayonet.” During one song, Meloy quartered the audience into two floor sections, a balcony section, and a bar section and choreographed the singing of the phrase “daa de daa de diddy diddy da,” which was terrific fun and got the audience involved. The balcony was especially involved, which surprised me since I would liken that section to a hibernating bear. But Meloy insulted them by calling them lethargic and telling them that they are likely worrying about what DVD to rent on the way home. And so like a woken bear, they became the loudest of the groups, prompting Meloy to call them formidable. If I were to be critical, it would seem the Decemberists were having too much fun, for Meloy botched his words on a couple occasions. But surprisingly, I heard the words live with greater clarity than from the recordings; the exact opposite of what I’m used to. I feel I’ve typed too much so I’ll leave it at that. They do have a motif among their shows apparently, which “initiates” new viewers to a specific song. I’d ruin it for you if I related it here. It was probably the best part of the show, though, so I strongly recommend seeing them.