Andrew McMahon at The Viper Room

Show: Andrew McMahon

Venue: The Viper Room- Los Angeles, CA

Date: 1/9/13

Show #2

Last night I saw Andrew McMahon at The Viper Room in his first solo show post Jack's Mannequin. I was surprised to even hear about a show from him so soon after the Jack's Mannequin farewell show at the El Rey just this past November, but mostly just excited to see him again. He explained that his friends from Fun asked him to join their upcoming tour and he needed to get a band together much quicker than anticipated. Prior to this show, he said they had only rehearsed 7 or 8 times. So props to the band for getting everything together so quickly! They nailed it.

I'll briefly touch on his opening act since I plan on doing a full write up on them when I see them at Hotel Cafe this month, but I feel the need to mention them now I was so impressed with them. Their name is Pebaluna and they're an indie, acoustic duo (although they're usually a full band with 4 members, last night there were only 2) from Long Beach. The woman's voice was to die for, and when you put both of their voices together, it was something else. I recorded 2 songs, but I suggest you go get their album or check them out at their residency every Friday this month at Hotel Cafe here in LA.

Going into the show I had expected to hear an hour and 15 minutes of Andrew trying out new material he had been working on, throwing in 1 or 2 Jack's songs to keep the crowd happy, however that was not the case. He ended up doing only 1 new song, and the rest of the evening was filled with a mix of Jack's Mannequin and Something Corporate songs, although I'm not complaining! He did quite a few Something Corporate songs actually. Most notably "Konstantine", "Punk Rock Princess", "The Astronaut" and "21 and Invincible" (which he prefaced by saying he's too old to be singing anymore). I also couldn't help but laugh when the curtains opened up and I saw Jack's bassist Mikey up there with Andrew. No matter how much he says Jack's Mannequin is over, Jack's will always come alive every time he's on stage.

The new song he did was called "Learn to Dance". He let the crowd how nervous he was to try out the new song in front of an audience for the first time, but everyone loved it, including myself. I recorded the whole thing (below) so you can judge for yourself:

All in all, he was incredible as always. He said to keep an eye out for tour dates in the Spring time, so if he's not coming near you on this tour, there's still hope!

Hanson Music Video Shoot

L-R: Zac, Director Adam Neustadter?, Alex Beh, Nikki Reed, Drew Seeley, Amy Paffrath who faints in video, Taylor, Kat Dennings, Paul McDonald, Isaac

Today was so amazing, I don't even know where to begin!

Short version: Hanson put out a casting call for Los Angeles area fans to be in their new music video, I submitted, didn't get picked, but my friend did, so I knew when and where to show up, which I did, and ended up getting in anyway! The song is great (Sounds like it could be on Shout It Out), and Taylor told me that it should be released in "Uhhh...A couple months".

Long version:

On Friday, Hanson posted on Facebook that they were looking for fans in the LA area to be in their new music video, which was scheduled to shoot on Sunday. Thankfully a friend pointed it out to me and we both immediately applied, as it was a casted event. Saturday night rolled around and still no confirmation email saying I got picked. I was so anxious waiting for that email that I sat in front of my computer refreshing my inbox every few minutes. It made me feel better though that no one else on Facebook or Twitter was saying they received anything, so there was still hope.

I ended up falling asleep, but woke up that morning to a text from my friend saying she was selected. Yet, still nothing in my inbox. I couldn't bear the thought knowing Hanson was filming 10 minutes from me and not being there, so I decided to go and try my luck, hoping to get in due to no shows. And that's exactly what happened! There were only about 5 or 6 girls who showed up not having been invited, and we all got in!

Me getting my number assigned and picture taken

The shoot was at The Satellite, a small music venue in Silverlake. Call time was 11am, but my group ended up not going inside until around 2:45. There was a small group of people who were asked to get there at 8am for other shots. Then the 11am group got split up into 6 groups. I was in group 5. Once we got inside, the guys were already on the stage, messing around on their various instruments. They were all in black and white suits, and just looked amazing. I mean, I've never seen them look anything but amazing, but they looked exceptional today.

Credit: @stacepowe

The next 3 and a half hours was basically just getting filmed enjoying watching the guys, so you know, a hard days work. I was so excited to see Kat Dennings when I got inside, then found out she was in the video. Also in the video was Nikki Reed, Drew Seeley and Drake Bell. Also there, although not in the video (at least I didn't see her filmed at all), Meiko! If you saw them on their last tour, she opened for them. I became a big fan of hers after that and have seen her a few times since then. I ran into her outside and told her I was a big fan, which she seemed to enjoy, and thanked me.

Nikki played a bartender, who ends up leaving with Drew at the end of the night. Kat was with an unknown actor (former boyfriend of Jennifer Love Hewitt) named  Alex Beh. I unfortunately didn't see Drake, I believe he left before I got inside, so i'm not sure what his part in all of it was.

In between one of the takes, I was standing next to Nikki and a fan asked how she got involved with the shoot. She explained that a few years ago, the guys found out she was a fan (from a blog post of hers), and invited her out to a show. They had been friends ever since, and later found out that her very good friend Kat Dennings was also friends with the guys. The guys proceeded to ask both girls to be in the video, and both being huge Hanson fans, they were instantly on board. Just watching her talk about the guys, you could tell she was a true, genuine fan and was excited to be there. Finding out she was such a huge Hanson fan made me hate her a little less, only because I'm jealous of who she's married to (Paul McDonald... *Sigh*).

Kat was clearly very excited to be in it as well:

The song is called 'Get the Girl Back', so the story revolves around the guys in video trying to get their girls back. One of which (Alex Beh), spills a drink on his girl (Kat Dennings) and she takes off. The video even has a dance battle scene with Josh (JMac) Hanson! The song is super catchy and fun. It's along the same style as Shout It Out. They had a horn section on stage with them who call themselves the Brass Knuckles. They posted a video talking to Zac here:

 Taylor was very, very involved, and vocal throughout the shoot. He was calling out continuity issues and working on things with the director to get everything just right. Zac and Isaac didn't say much, and just left it to Taylor. Taylor took a special interest in the crowd and directed us multiple times to just go as crazy as possible, but as he said "We want you to go crazy! Well maybe not foaming at the mouth crazy, but crazy!". He was also big on making sure we had all the hand claps and rhythms down perfectly.

The highlight of the night for me was when I got selected to actually have a part! There was a scene where a fan in the crowd was to faint, and I got picked to be the girl that catches her, so I definitely will be getting some face time from that! Yay! The other highlight was when the guys came up to the front rows and shook everyone's hands, which was being filmed, and I'm hoping my shake with Taylor makes the cut! After the final shot inside, they said goodbye to all of us, and shook all our hands again. I even managed to form a sentence (which is a rare occurrence with me and Hanson), and asked Taylor when the song would be released and he responded with "Uhhh...a couple months", and kind of laughed. So basically, TBD.

Once we were done inside, we all had to lineup outside the venue for one more quick shot of all of us, as if we were going into the show. We also saw Kat, Nikki, Alex and Drew walking hand in hand as if they were leaving the venue. Taylor, Zac and Isaac even came outside to watch the final shot, even though they weren't in it. Once that was over, they invited us all to huddle around them and they graciously thanked us and said the new album would be out "soon". They gave hugs, shook hands and said goodbye to everyone. I didn't see anyone get a picture with them, since it looked like they took off pretty quickly, so I left too.

All in all, it was an amazing day! I'm so excited for the new album and of course for this video to premiere!

P.S. To all the other fans who were there, I just wanted to say, you were all so sweet as usual. I've never had a bad experience with Hanson fans, so thanks for keeping that streak going!

The Mowgli's at The Roxy

Show: The Mowgli's (+Terraplane Sun)

Venue: The Roxy- Los Angeles, CA

Date: 5/8/12

Show #31

Ahh The Mowgli's. A friend of mine highly suggested I came with them to see one of their favorite bands, The Mowgli's. Given I'm always excited to find new bands to love, I agreed to go, and I'm so glad I did.  The Mowgli's are an 8-piece (yes, eight) band from Southern California that are all about having a good time. The show was  an album release party for their debut album "Sound the Drum". From beginning to end, the entire venue (myself included) turned into a non-stop dance party. Their music is so contagious and fun, you physically can't stop moving, smiling and singing along. They're a group of close friends who pride themselves on spreading the love and that definitely radiates on stage. I highly suggest you check them out!

I recorded 3 songs from that night, Slowly Slowly , Carry Your Will and We Are Free.

I got to The Roxy in time to see 2 opening acts. One of which was Samuel Larsen, the winner of the Oxygen TV show, The Glee Project. Not having ever seen the show, I didn't know who he was and for the life of me couldn't figure out why there were hoards of screaming girls freaking out over him. Glee aside, he's actually a very talented singer/songwriter. He even covered a Coldplay song (video here).

While I was impressed with Samuel, nothing could have prepared me for the band to follow him. I saw them setting up, not thinking anything other than "please don't suck", which is what I say to myself about any opening band. When they actually started singing, I was talking to a friend, but the second I heard the lead singer's voice, I stopped mid-sentence and gave my undivided attention to what was happening on stage.

Their name is Terraplane Sun, also from Los Angeles, and they sound like the Black Keys had a baby with Cage the Elephant and grew up in the South. The lead singer's voice is refreshingly different, which is what first drew me into them, but the variety of different instruments used (harmonica, mandolin and trombone to name a few) and catchy lyrics with swag are what turned me into a fan. Their song "Get Me Golden" has been featured in a few movies recently such as 21 Jump Street and What to Expect When You're Expecting. You can see the video I recorded of it here.

Now for photos!

Samuel Larsen

Terraplane Sun

The Mowgli's

Death Cab for Cutie at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Credit: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

Show: Death Cab for Cutie

Venue: Walt Disney Concert Hall- Los Angeles, CA

Date: 5/7/12

Show #30

This was a show I was dying to go to, but the insane ticket prices were keeping me from even trying. Ironically enough, I got a call from a friend 2 days before the show who said "I have an extra ticket to Death Cab on Tuesday, it's yours if you want it." Obviously I accepted, and wished calls like that happened more often!

I had seen Death Cab before, but I was particularly excited for this show because of the unique venue, and they were going to be backed by the Magik Magik orchestra.

Opening the show was Youth Lagoon, who if you're a fan of Death Cab, you'll definitely love Youth Lagoon.  It's a guy who looks to have outgrown his keyboard, but man does he know how to use it. Youth Lagoon uses trance inducing vocals and synth pop to capture the fascination of the audience. You can't understand a word he says, yet you find yourself trying to sing along while bobbing your head. If you need something to just zone out to and relax, I recommend Youth Lagoon. He was a great pairing with Death Cab as the audience was left wanting more. Fun fact about Youth Lagoon, he recorded his debut album in his bedroom, a kitchen and 4 car garage in Boise, ID!

Next it was time for Death Cab to take the stage! The addition of the orchestra put a refreshing spin on old classics. They didn't use the orchestra for every song, but when they did, it filled the concert hall with a sound I can only describe as enchanting. Yeah it's cheesy, but seriously.

I recorded a ton of video! Sorry about the shakiness, and bad framing, but cameras were not allowed, so I was slouched down in my seat covering the back of my camera so the brightness of it couldn't be seen by security or bother anyone behind me.

I Will Follow You Into the Dark w/ orchestra (Favorite performance of the night by far!)

Codes and Keys w/ orchestra

Steadier Footing
Different Names for the Same Thing
What Sarah Said
Title and Registration
Cath

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at The Greek Theater

Show: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Venue: Greek Theater- Los Angeles, CA

Date: 5/4/12

Show #29

It was opening night at The Greek Theater in LA, and I was so excited to be seeing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. You couldn't have asked for better weather on that Friday night either. To top off the pre-show excitement, I scored the coveted front of the line parking spot for stacked parking, meaning I wasn't going to have to wait an hour for cars around me to leave after the show in order to pull out. High fives all around!

I had seen Edward Sharpe once before, on the Railroad Revival Tour with Mumford and Sons last year and they were so great, I had to see them again. In case you're not familiar with them, you may know their hit song "Home".

They look like a bunch of vagabonds who fell off a train somewhere in another era, and I love them for that. Edward Sharpe is a messianic figure of the imagination of lead singer Alex Ebert who according to Alex, "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind...but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love." That pretty much sums up the persona of the band right there.

Opening the show was actually a former member of the 10+ piece band of Edward Sharpe, Aaron Embry. Given he was part of the band, I thought "He must be good!". Right? Wrong. As you may have noticed, I can usually find a bright side of just about any artist and find a way to enjoy myself, but I really really struggled with Aaron. The purpose of an opening act is to get the crowd warmed up and ready to go for the headliner, and Aaron more just put them to sleep, and just made them feel sorry for him. You needed a chainsaw to cut through the awkwardness in the air when he was on stage.

(Photo credit: Rozette Diaz of Restless Cities)

He seemed visibly nervous and unsure of himself. It was also just him, and no backup band. Just him and a guitar. There are few even well established artists that can pull off the solo, acoustic, singer/songwriter act at such a big, historic venue such as The Greek, so for a new act like Aaron, I think it was just a poor choice to throw him up there. Once that train wreck was over, it was time for the main event!

As I mentioned before, the one other time I saw these guys was on The Railroad Revival Tour, which if you're not familiar with that tour, it was one giant party on stage at all times, and SO much fun. So going into this show, that's what I had expected. This show was unfortunately a little slower paced than that one. Still good, I guess I just had some high expectations of the show that were not met.

(Photo Credit: Black Vinyl Magazine)

I think it was a the cadence of the show that made it weird. Alex at one point said that they had no set list for that night, they were winging it. Which if I were to be told that beforehand I would have thought "That's awesome!". But instead it just made for long drawn out moments of silence to give time for discussion after each song to figure out what they wanted to play, which then took setup in order to get the appropriate instruments in place. If they had written out a set list, I think they could have gotten at least 5 or 6 more songs in, that's how big the gaps were. It really interrupts the flow of the show when that happens. A great song will finish and you just wanted it to keep going, but instead it was talking, random banter, and stagehands running around.

One of the best moments was when Alex jumped off the stage to dance with his mother:

Wow this is getting long. Ok so in summary, I'd still suggest you see them live if you've never had the chance. Here are a few videos from the show that I recorded:

Fiya Wata

That's What's Up

Mayla

(Written about Aaron Embry's Daughter, Mayla)

Their latest album Here, is out now!

James Morrison at Avalon

Show: James Morrison
Venue: Avalon- Los Angeles, CA
Date: 5/3/12
Show #28

I'm going to let this post be mostly photos, but just in case you're not familiar with James Morrison, let me give you a little background. He's a singer/songwriter from the UK. He was most well known for his song "You Give Me Something" in 2006.

He put on a great show! I was really impressed with him and taken back a bit due to the fact I was expecting this scraggly/nerdy shy guy because for some reason that's the impression I get from his first album cover from 6 years ago. I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its cover because he was charming, hilarious and had a cool swagger about him, far from the perception I had built up in my mind. The one pre-notion I had about him that was correct though, was that his powerhouse of a voice would be just as good, if not better in person. Highly recommend you see him if you get the chance!

By the way, you'll want to make it to the bottom of the post for a little surprise. :-)

Videos recorded:
You Give Me Something
Up
One Life
Slave to the Music
In My Dreams
Broken Strings

His opening act was a band named HoneyHoney, a country/folk group from Los Angeles. An odd choice I thought, since it didn't seem like the same fan base between the 2, but people enjoyed it. They're a little too country for my taste, but appreciate that they seem crazy talented, and I see why people loved them. I recorded a video of their song "Ohio".

Oh yeah, and this happened

Coachella Day 1- Weekend 2

Show: Coachella Day 1
Venue: Indio, CA
Date: 4/20/12
Show #24

I'm not sure how to begin describing one of the most fun weekends I've ever had to date. This was my first Coachella and it lived up to be everything I wanted it to be and more. If you've never experienced Coachella or a music festival in general, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's such a great way to discover new bands, and just party for 3 straight days with your friends.

If you do Coachella, there is a definite list of things you'll want to make sure you have to make your experience as great as it can possibly be.

Below is what I called my Coachella Survival Kit. Some of the important items were:

- Sun Screen
If you think you're bringing too much sun screen, grab another bottle. Seriously, you have no idea how much sun screen I went through in 1 weekend. Due to the heat, and excessive sweating, it ends up just being sweated off so you're constantly re-applying. I recommend the spray type by Neutrogena, it's great and not messy!

- Baby Wipes
These bad boys are what kept me from feeling and smelling like a homeless person the whole weekend. Before bed at the campsite everyone wiped down with these to remove the layers of dirt we had accumulated on our bodies throughout the day. Even throughout the day, they were great to just wipe down your face with. You NEED these at Coachella, put these on your do not forget list, you'll be glad you brought them.

- Hand Sanitizer/Wet Ones Wipes
Coachella is in the middle of no where, in the desert which means you better get used to the smell of port-o-potties baking in the 106 degree heat. But to make you feel better after you step out of the rancid sweat box,  you can sanitize yourself with lots of hand sanitizer and hand wipes.

- Hat
The weekend I went, it reached 106 degrees. Being outside in it ALL DAY, any extra barrier you can put between yourself and the sun is a good thing.

- Large empty water bottle
Security doesn't let you bring beverages inside, but you can bring an empty water bottle in and there are water bottle refill stations throughout the grounds. You'll find yourself drinking more water in one day than you might usually drink in a week and never have to go to the bathroom due to the fact you just sweat it all out.

- Solar Powered Phone Charger
I saw people actually attach these to their backpacks so it would charge as they walked around the festival. So if you have a phone you know doesnt have the best battery life, you'll want to get one of these. Fair warning though, they require A LOT of sun in order to do anything to your phone.

Enough about sun screen and port-o-potties, on to the bands!

The first day, I hit the ground running and I was inside at shows starting at 12. I saw 9 shows on day 1, not bad!

Bands seen Day 1:
Wallpaper.
This guy was SO MUCH FUN. It was the perfect way to kick off day 1 of Coachella. If you like LMFAO and fun party music, you'll love Wallpaper. They're known for their song "FUCKING BEST SONG EVERRR" and "#STUPIDFACEDD". You can't help but want to dance and let it all go when you hear either of those songs. In addition to those 2 songs though, they also did some funk inspired tunes as well. I recorded one of them, called "Trouble"

Wolf Gang
I was really excited to stumble upon these guys, they've quickly become one of my favorite new bands. The best way to describe them is symphonic pop-rock. They're from the UK, so there's naturally a little European influence there as well. My personal favorite song is "Lions in Cages"

Givers
I left this show with my jaw on the floor. I was thoroughly impressed with these guys (and 1 girl). Listening to them at home just does not do them justice. It was one of those shows where everyone was looking around wide-eyed and in awe at each other admiring what it was that we were witnessing. When you listen to their album you might think they're just another indie pop band, but they bring it to another level when played live. I recorded a video of them, see below:

SebastiAn
My friend and I decided we weren't hot enough already in the 106 degree heat and headed over to the Sahara Tent (All DJ's) to join in on the early afternoon dance party. Besides the sometimes unnerving and political themed images on the screens behind him, it was a fun set!

Grouplove
Ahh Grouplove. They were #1 on my list for the weekend as my must see set, and they did not disappoint. Forget the Sahara Tent, this is where the dance party was at. If you're not familiar with the name Grouplove, and you don't live under a rock, you've probably heard their song "Tounge Tied" or "Colours". No one cared about how hot they were, or the sauna like conditions under the tent during this set. They had everyone dancing and sweating like they've never sweat before. People began shedding every ounce of clothing they could!

Watch Hannah draw some of their signature album artwork live on stage during the song "Slow":

"Naked Kids"

Dawes
This was probably my least favorite set of the day. They're a band from San Diego that has a decent following, but I wasn't having it. Just an overall boring set. 


Black Keys
I won't lie, I only saw maybe 5 minutes of this set, and I remember even less than that. I was having a great time at this point in the night if you know what I mean. But from what I remember, they sounded great, and everyone was having a good time.

Explosions in the Sky
Same comment as Black Keys.

Datsik
All of my friends had dispersed through the night and we all met back up at the Sahara Tent at the end of the night for a group dance party. I had never heard of Datsik, but we all had an amazing time. Lots of dancing, jumping and laughing. Just an all around good time.

I think that sums up Day 1 of Coachella. On to day 2!

M83 at Fox Theater

Show: M83
Venue: Fox Theater- Pomona, CA
Date: 4/12/12
Show #23

This was a super last minute show for me. I got a call from a friend at 7pm the night of the show saying he had an extra ticket. I was in Downtown LA at the time, and not being one to turn down a free show, I accepted and hauled ass down to Pomona and made it in the nick of time!

Downside is no pictures, just one video:

If you're not familiar with the name M83, you may know their big song "Midnight City". Watch the video regardless, it involves creepy children with special powers escaping from a mental institution. 

If you ever go see M83 live, don't worry about being close to the stage, everything is so dark, you can't see anything anyway. Maybe just don't get tickets in a seated area because when you stand, people around you get upset, but I couldn't care less and did it anyway. :-)

 They have a cool setup on stage with lasers and lots of smoke, and keep things dark which  plays to the overall mystique of their music. Fun show, check them out if you get a chance!

Mat Kearney at The Canyon Club

Show: Mat Kearney
Venue: The Canyon Club- Agoura Hills, CA
Date: 4/5/12
Show #22

So unfortunately, it looks like I accidentally deleted all but ONE picture I took at this show. I remember deleting them thinking I already uploaded them, but I was wrong. Bummer! Oh well, they all looked pretty similar to my other post on him from The Mayan, so if you really need to see more of him, you can go there.

I managed to get the set list.... by climbing on stage afterwords to grab it :-)

Luckily I took some videos and didn't delete those before uploading!

All I Have

Runaway Car

Ships in the Night

You Can Count On Me

Talking about the show "Ancient Aliens"

Dan Layus at Hotel Cafe

Show: Dan Layus (of Augustana)
Venue: Hotel Cafe- Los Angeles, CA
Date: 4/4/12
Show #21

There's something about simple shows, in small intimate venues that just blow major productions out of the water. Sometimes all you need is a guitar and some kick ass lyrics. That was the case when I saw Dan Layus of Augustana perform a solo set at Hotel Cafe.

If you're not familiar with Augustana, you probably are and don't know it. This was their big hit in 2005:

Armed with just a guitar and light piano accompaniment, Dan Layus proceeded to captivate the attention of everyone in the room that night. Usually at that venue there's always an annoying group of hipsters standing in the back chatting away, but that wasn't the case at this show.

He of course played the big hits such as Boston, and Fire, but he also debuted a few brand new songs that did not disappoint. I recorded a few:

Love in the Air
Need a Little Sunshine

Matt Nathanson and Kelly Clarkson at Nokia Theater

Show: Matt Nathanson and Kelly Clarkson
Venue: Nokia Theater- Los Angeles, CA
Date: 4/3/12
Show #20

I've been a fan of Matt Nathanson for a while now, so I can't believe this was my first time seeing him live. But to make it even better, he was performing at the wonderful venue that is Nokia Theater, opening for one of my favorite ladies, Kelly Clarkson!

I have to say that he completely exceeded my expectations! His set was so much fun! He totally had the audience in the palm of his hand too. He definitely won over the audience with his adorable personality, sense of humor and his feel good pop rock vibe. Oh, and he's pretty damn sexy too. He's quite the hip shaker when he performs, and I thank him for that.

*Sigh*

He sang all the songs I wanted him to which included Run, Room At The End of The World (which included a mash-up of I Just Wanna Dance With Somebody and most importantly Wedding Dress. Click on the song names to check out the video I recorded of each.

Once he was finished, it was time for Kelly Clarkson to come out. Wow wow wow is all I can say. That girl just has it all. She's one of the most talented, down to earth, humble performers out there today. She's not afraid to make fun of herself, and gives it 1000% when she's up on that stage. I have so much respect for her and hope she'll be putting out new music for many years to come.

This show had the most surprise guests i've ever seen! See below for all the videos:

You Love Me
When You Believe (Feat. Tamyra Gray)
Till the World Ends (Britney Spears Cover!)
Leave the Pieces (Feat. Michelle Branch)
Don't You Wanna Stay (Feat. Blake Shelton)
Because of You (Feat. Reba McEntire) 

Check out Matt Nathanson's album "Modern Love" out now!
mattnathanson.com