Tuesday, July 20. 2010
 | by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer
When I first saw the Silversun Pickups in 2006 it was after midnight, during Austin's SXSW festival at a notorious dive on Red River called Spiro's. If you included me and the bartender there were only 6 of us. On that tiny stage, lit with Christmas lights, the Silversun Pickups tore through their set oblivious to the handful of people in the audience, focused only on their music. Even then their songs were a richly embedded mass, building, swirling, swarming and droning like a hive of bees warming in the morning sun.
Jump forward to last night and the venue and audience size may have changed, but the Pickups have stayed true and their sold out show at Stubb's BarBQ was played with every bit of focus and energy.
No, they are not the most exciting stage band, no gimmicks like flamethrowers, rotating drum kits or lasers, but their lighting and stage presentation match their music and impart an ethereal aura to the band and the music which draw you in. With a Pumpkins meet Blue Cheer sound the Silversun Pickups music is dense, warm, and builds in intensity, with just enough pop hooks to crossover and reach the masses. Great band, great show.
Click here for the rest of the Silversun Pickups pics.
Click for Against Me! and Henry Clay People pics |  |
Friday, July 16. 2010
Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
Take a hot & muggy summer Toronto night, a thunderstorm warning, an absolutely packed venue and The Dead Weather and you have a perfect storm. An anxious crowd became deafeningly loud when Alison Mosshart strutted onto the stage grabbed the mic and the band kicked into "60 Feet Tall". Alison is a force onstage; writing, bending, screaming, strutting & sweating with everything she has. The only distraction is Jack White, the other force of The Dead Weather; whose remarkable presence behind a drum kit, behind a mic or behind the wail of his guitar challenges Alison as the leader of the band. I genuinely feel sorry for Dean Fertita (Guitar) and Jack Lawrence (bass) because I feel like people forget to notice them and their contributions to the band which are overshadowed by Alison and Jack White.
After "60 Feet Tall" the band moved into Hang You From The Heavens follow by the Them (Van Morrison was their singer) cover of "You Just Can't Win" with Jack White taking lead vocals and finishing the song behind the kit. Now I'm not sure if it was me but it really seemed like The Dead Weather were fighting to find their groove tonight. They sounded great, Jack was ferocious behind the kit and Alison sounded great but they just weren't quite in sync. The few times I thought it came together was when the Jacks switched it up, putting Mr. White behind the mic and guitar and Mr. Lawrence behind the kit. There is something so right about Jack White singing and playing guitar. His raunchy voice and screaming leads add an sonic element to make the Dead Weather groove (and I'm a big White Stripes and Raconteurs fan). And hearing Alison and Jack singing together is even better and their chemistry is fantastic.
The set was made up of songs from Horehound and Sea Of Cowards with a cover of "New Pony" by Bob Dylan thrown in towards the end. The majority of the material is strong but their singles "Die by the Drop" and "Treat Me Like Your Mother" stand out as their strongest and most crowd engaging material. You couldn't hear the last note of the show because the sold out crowd inside the now hot and muggy Sound Academy were screaming for more. With the frequency of their Toronto visits it should take too long.
Click here to check out the rest of The Dead Weather photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer
Wednesday, July 14. 2010
Photos and review by Michael Hurcomb - Staff Photographer club.kingsnake.com
I'm Canadian, Male and a Musician. So I should be a Rush fan right? Somehow it never happened. I heard their music growing up, knew that my brother's friends liked them and that they were supposed to be one of the best bands ever, but I just couldn't turn the corner as a fan. But a few things happened during the last decade that led me to appreciate their talent and legacy. The first thing was seeing them live at "Sars Stock" in Toronto. Before they went on it just seemed like a mediocre festival in the heat but they really brought an energy to the crowd that had been missing all day. The musical friends I attended the festival with were equally impressed with the band members' astounding playing abilities. The second thing was teaching guitar professionally for many years. With the aftermath of Sars Stock and the eventual influence of Guitar Hero/Rock Band every kid suddenly wanted to know how to play Rush so I dug into their catalog and learned their hits and really liked how complicated yet simple their songs were….even if I couldn't get used to Geddy's voice. The final moment that convinced me to believe was seeing the amazing show they put on last night in Toronto.
First of all - BEST OPENING VIDEO EVER! Great to see a band with a sense of humour. And what a crowd--absolutely packed with fanatical fans of all ages (both men and women contrary to what you'd think a Rush fan would be.) At times I couldn't hear the band for the crowd! RUSH burst onto the stage to "The Spirit of Radio" and quickly segued into "Time Stand Still" and "Presto." Their performances were all note perfect but the show didn't suffer as they made every effort to connect with their hometown crowd. The stage set was suited to the Time Machine theme with the backline, video graphics and drum kit designed to look like retro machinery. And unlike some bands that are well on in their careers (I'm looking at you U2 and the Rolling Stones) they didn't make the stage the star. Everything was there to merely complement the band and music. Rush knows that the fans are there to hear them play and see how well they do it. The highlight of the night for the fans was during the 2nd set (Geddy told the crowd that the band is about a 1,000 years old and they needed a break) when Rush played their classic album, Moving Pictures front to back. Later in the set the crowd were treated to a fantastic drum solo by the incomparable Neil Peart after which they played Closer To The Heart followed by both parts of 2112. Probably the biggest crowd reaction came when they played YYZ (refers to the Toronto airport code).
Something that struck me, and maybe I pick up on this as a musician, were the smiles and eye contact that the guys share with each other throughout the night. They've been together for over 30 years and you can see that these guys genuinely love each other and love playing together, rather than only doing it for the money (ahem….Eagles). A friend loaned me a copy of the recently released DVD "Rush, Beyond The Lighted Stage" and it's worth a watch for any music fan. It's filled with old footage, a great bonus disc and an all-star roster of Rush influenced musicians.
Click here to check out the rest of the Rush photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer
Wednesday, June 9. 2010
by Jeff Barringer - Staff Writer & Photographer | Fronted by James Murphy, DJ, and co-founder of dance-punk label DFA Records, the collective known as LCD Soundsystem has lit up the UK charts for the past couple years with hit songs like "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" and "Drunk Girl" . Attracting a solid following in Austin, the band showed up in the drizzling rain to pack Stubb's amphitheater last night for a sold out set. Luckily the rain had cleared by the time the band went on, and with rented mirror balls (the bands own giant ball wouldn't fit through the stage doors) and smoke machines they turned Stubb's into a massive disco for the night.
The crowd might have been wet but they weren't disappointed as the band riffed it's way through a tight set, with Murphy looking more like an everyman getting ready to target weekend yard work rather than a rock star and creative genius. With slashing guitar work by David Scott Stone adding an edge to the pounding beats of Pat Mahoney and Matt Thornley on drums, and the synth work by Nancy Whang and Gavin Russom, the band has a distinct sound live that's like a younger fresher Talking Heads and their music is easily as addictive. Great show, definitely worth seeing.
Opening the show was Brooklyn based Holy Ghost! who put on a good set on a cramped stage, but it was hard for them to spark much enthusiasm from the crowd in the intermittent showers.
Click here to check out the rest of the LCD Soundsystem pics.
Click here to check out the Holy Ghost! pics.
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Sunday, May 30. 2010
The 9th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival descended on Manchester Tennessee from June 10-13. A capacity crowd of 75,000 enjoyed acts like the Dave Matthews Band, the John Butler Trio, Jay Z, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, Isis, Tori Amos, Against Me, Phoenix and so many more.
Click here to check out the 2010 Bonnaroo photos by Michael Hurcomb Staff Photographer | 
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