Concert Reviews

Last night was one for the ages. For many people a great night out consists of getting shit-faced and waking up next to a stranger. God knows I've had my fair share of that kind of turnt. But last night I was reminded that a fucking awesome night doesn't have to go til the sun comes up, doesn't have to involve armloads of drugs, doesn't have to see the bottom of a bottle of whiskey, doesn't have to ruin me for days. I went and saw an amazing band rock my stupid face off, many friends, and totally made it home in time and in a condition to NOT be a complete wreck today. It was actually kinda nice. Guyguysguysguys... GUYS! I finally saw Sister Crayon, y'all!!! After two albums I hold very dear, and a couple of missed opportunities, Mars and Jupiter and Mercury and even...

There is something about me, music festivals, and rain. If I chose to go to Coachella I swear I could end California’s drought. Instead I went to Soundset, the largest hip-hop festival in the country, located in Minneapolis. This was my first time in Minnesota, but I’m a lifelong Rhymesayers fan so fuck yeah I was stoked for this trip. Rain in Denver delayed my flight so I hit the ground running upon arriving in the Twin Cities. There was no time to fuck around. I met my friend Kiley, who came down from Wisconsin to be the photographer for the show, we dropped our bags and smashed First Avenue for the pre-party. I was really excited just to be at First Avenue. The place is legendary. I mean… fucking Purple Rain for fucks sake. We walked in while ...

I wanted Father John Misty to be my favorite concert ever really fucking bad. I wanted his snark to translate even better than I had hoped it would. I wanted the people around me to be just as cheesed the fuck out as I was. I wanted to stare at the pictures I took of him for minutes at a time, absorbing every fucking pixel as unique miniature homages to one of my favorite musical personalities on the fucking planet. I wanted to be so enthralled with the dude as a performer, and he with me as an audience member, that he would shake my fucking hand afterwards. WELL CLASS, MARK ALL OF THE ABOVE OFF THE LIST, CAUSE WE ALL CAME. AND THEMS ALL CAME TRUE. Yes, there was ejaculate. There was ejaculate everywhere. Father John Misty is perhaps the only performer...

As a recovering musician who never really broke and never really played much outside of the Chicago and its suburbs bubble, I've played a half dozen venues around the area more than a dozen times. The Abbey Pub is one of those venues. Amazing fish and chips. Tiny ass fucking stage. So when you make the decision to go see Doomtree and after you've already acquired the ticket you realize it says Abbey Pub, and there's seven fucking people in Doomtree, and that means nuts to butts, well, you have this internal struggle to tend to. On the one hand, small stage means small show means tight quarters means holy shit maybe I get to collect Sims-sweat and Cecil Otter bellybutton lint. On the other, small shows mean sold out mean "...

Normally, hip hop shows are celebrations of looking uninterested. Having been to a shitload over the past decade or more, I'm used to the three consistent aspects of every underground hip hop show: Over 50% of the crowd is either related to or friends with the rappers performing. Those not directly connected to the rappers are generally bored or unimpressed with said rappers, and are usually standing back demonstrating their aloof contempt with silence Crowd participation is limited to occasional hand raising or finger gun waving, but none of this is consistent and there is no "rhyming along" with the rappers. Hip hop shows aren't where you go to feel inspired. Fortunately we didn't go to a fucking hip hop show. So Friday me and Smooth Lou went and saw the Family Vacation Tour...

A little over a week ago I ventured out to my 2nd show in as many weeks. This time I was heading out to see Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future also known as OFWGKTA which is short for Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All. If you aren't familiar with the act you must have been living under a rock for the past few months, or as they like to point out, old. Odd Future has been getting an excessive level of much deserved buzz due to the finely crafted albums, nine in the last year, which they release for free on the Odd Future tumblr site. Additionally they have released self created videos that are unlike anything that has come out of the genre in, well in like forever. The collective carries an unhinged energy that harkens...