The Mowgli's & Terraplane Sun at The Satellite

Show: The Mowgli's and Terraplane Sun

Venue: The Satellite- Silverlake, CA

Date: 2/11/13

Show #6

Last week I had the pleasure of seeing (yet again) 2 of my favorite local bands, The Mowgli's and Terraplane Sun at coincidentally one of my favorite venues, The Satellite. The Mowgli's have the Monday night residency this month, which in case you didn't know, means free shows every Monday! So if you're 21+, I highly suggest you make it over to Silverlake to check out a show.

I got to the show late but I made it just in time to see the last song by opening band, Coyol (@COYOLmusic) and they made me wish I had gotten there sooner to see more! They have that folk/revival sound of the moment mixed with good ol' indie rock. At first glance, an unlikely duo, but the 2 lead singers voices could not be more different but compliment each other extremely well. Below is a video I recorded from the show, but to hear more from these guys, check out their Bandcamp page.

After Coyol was Terraplane Sun, which if you follow me on Twitter (@TheFanFiles) you probably already know how big of a fan I am of these guys. I've seen them more times than I can remember, but each time I do it's even better than the last. They're a blues rock band from Venice Beach, CA, and have played with such bands as Alabama Shakes and Imagine Dragons. Their eclectic sound, mesmerizing musicianship, undeniable swagger and good looks are what set them apart from the pack.

I recorded a video of their new song "The Weekend", which I instantly fell in love with. Check it out below:

The Mowgli's joined Terraplane on stage for a song

The Record Company on stage with Terraplane for a mind blowing performance. I recorded a clip of it here

After Terraplane Sun came The Mowgli's. The first time I actually saw both the Mowgli's and Terraplane was at The Mowgli's album release party last May at The Roxy. Clearly I had a good time at that show and I've come back for more.

The Mowgli's have have had quite the eventful year since I first saw them that night at The Roxy. They have since been signed to Photo Finish Records, performed on Jay Leno, and released their official video for "San Francisco". They're even going to be performing this Thursday on Jimmy Kimmel Live. They're a bunch of extremely talented, kindhearted individuals who go by the motto "Love's not dead" and I'm so excited to see all of their success unfolding. You can't help but dance your way through a Mowgli's show, they're always a great time!

They also performed a new song!

For a good chunk of the show I was about 6 inches from a Mowgli at any given moment. I was front row against the stage of a packed Satellite, and Colin and Michael loved to stand on the monitor that was directly in front of me which made for some fun photos. At one point Colin even took my camera (you can see below I got a shot of him reaching for it) and tried to take some photos from the stage, but unfortunately couldn't get any shots off, bummer!

To hear more from The Mowgli's, check out their Bandcamp page, or go see them this month at The Satellite!

Ryan Cabrera, Tyler Hilton and Teddy Geiger at The Roxy

Show: Ryan Cabrera, Tyler Hilton and Teddy Geiger

Venue: The Roxy- Los Angeles, CA

Date: 1/19/13

Show #3

Yes, you read that correctly. The show I went to Saturday night could have easily been mistaken for a a dream team of a show in 2005, but in fact, I got to flash back to my senior year in high school and see 3 singer/song writer heartthrobs from yesteryear. All of which might I add, only got better with age.

I've been a Ryan Cabrera fan longer than I can remember and always go see him every chance I get. This may have been my 8th or 9th time seeing him. Here are a few pictures I got with him over the years.

Anyways, enough reminiscing! So Saturday night, I got to The Roxy around 8:30, and there was still quite the line outside to get in. I then overheard that the show ended up selling out, which made me both excited for the guys and upset I didn't get there earlier so I could be closer to the front.  I got inside, and it was packed! I hadn't seen the Roxy that packed in a long time. I had missed the opening act but got there just in time to see Teddy Geiger take the stage! If you're not familiar with Teddy, you may have heard his song "For You I Will". It came out in 2005 and it was EVERYWHERE.

I look TERRIBLE in this picture, but here's Teddy and I at a radio station (107.9 The End, Sacramento) meet and greet in 2005. Fun fact about me.. when i'm nervous, I get red and blotchy (TMI? Maybe), and if you notice in this picture, i'm not exactly my normal pale self. You could say I was rather excited to see him!

I'll be honest, I hadn't kept up with Teddy over the years after his big hit, but seeing him Saturday night made me wish I had. He has so many other great songs. He performed a lot of stuff he said would be on his new album coming out in the next few months, all of which were great. I hope he comes back around to LA soon! I'll definitely be at any show he does back in so cal. I'd also like to say that Teddy, if you're reading this, I think you should bring Ryan Vaughn back on tour with you! You two made a great team on stage, his onstage banter was hilarious and not to mention, he's kind of adorable. But just my two cents.

It came to the last song and everyone gets excited because he hadn't done "For You I Will" yet, but then he says "Here's another new one for you..." Everyone looks around at each other with the look of "He's kidding right?" He was in fact kidding. The song began and it was the one everyone wanted to hear. Teddy looked pretty humbled by the fact everyone was singing along. All in all, Teddy was great! I'm looking forward to hearing new stuff from him soon!

"For You I Will"

Tyler joining Teddy on stage during his set for a song

Next up was Tyler Hilton. I also saw Tyler Hilton in... yes, you guessed it... 2005. I saw him with Michelle Branch on the One Tree Hill tour. If you're not familiar with his name, his claim to fame was being a part of the hit TV show One Tree Hill. I never saw an episode, but it was on for close to 9 years and has quite the cult following. At one point during the show, Tyler asked if there were any One Tree Hill fans in the audience and the whole place erupted. 

Tyler was another one I wish I had kept up with. Especially after he did this song, "Prince of Nothing Charming" and dedicated it to his girlfriend after apologizing for never being home. I died a little, it was that good.

At one point during his set, he said he wanted to bring Teddy back out to perform something they had been working on, which didn't seem out of the ordinary at all until he said that it was about to get sexy up in here, and possibly NC-17. I was immediately intrigued. Teddy came out with shades on, and they ended up performing R Kelly's Ignition remix! It was fantastic!

These guys all repeatedly said how excited they were to all finally get to tour together and described it as something they planned on just doing for fun and this definitely showed that.

Last but not least, we had Mr. Ryan Cabrera! I don't know what to say about Ryan at this point other than I think he's an amazingly talented singer/songwriter and I'll listen to and love anything he puts out. He said we could expect a new album this year!

He was the only one that night that had more than a 1 person band behind him. One of which, did background vocals, and specialized in the shaker. He actually explained how he met the shaker extraordinaire, which was a very cool story. He was at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and overheard the peanut/popcorn salesman singing to people to come get their popcorn. He said he was so impressed with his voice that he ran up to him and asked him to come to the show that night and sing background vocals. He ended up quitting his job to go on tour with Ryan! He even gave him his own shaker solo on Saturday:

One other highlight of the show was when he stopped in the middle of a song and asked the crowd for requests on what songs we'd like him to cover. He ended up doing about 3 on the fly which included One Direction, Fun and Britney Spears. Pretty cool!

He also did 2 new songs which will be on his new album:

Overall, it was a great show, and the lineup was just perfect. I'll be looking forward to new music from all three guys!

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

Coachella Day 2- Weekend 2

Show: Coachella Day 2
Venue: Indio, CA
Date: 4/21/12
Show #25

By day 2, we were pretty settled in to the camp site, and had embraced the fact that at no point for the rest of the weekend would we feel cool, refreshed, or the least bit clean. If you've never camped at Coachella, here's a few things you should know:

- Car Camp. It's reassuring having a car there to store your valuables in while you're sleeping and at the festival.
- Don't camp with more than 6 people to a camping spot. We had JUST enough room with our 6, but I couldn't imagine being able to squeeze anyone else in, comfortably anyway.
- You'll quickly learn that baby wipes work miracles, and will gladly use those instead of waiting 2-3 hours in line in the early hours of the morning for a 5 minute cold shower.
- Bring a BBQ! We ate pretty damn well in our campsite:

- Bring a tarp, or something to put over the campsite to block the sun. Seriously though, you'll be miserable without one.

On to the shows!

Childish Gambino
If you're not familiar with this guy, Childish Gambino is actor Donald Glover's (from Community) rapper alter ego. When you think Donald Glover you might think it's just a joke, but he's the real deal. Check out the video I recorded of him free styling:

Awolnation
This was hands down my favorite show of Day 2. You might know them for their hit song "Sail". Not only were they amazing live, but I got to take part in my very first crowd surfing experience! During the show they go "Let's see how many ladies we can get crowd surfing for this next one." A guy next to me turns to me and says "Wanna go?" and I gladly accepted. Him and one other guy hoisted me up and I was on my way! Just see for yourself:

"Not Your Fault"

The Head and the Heart
The Head and the Heart are an indie folk group from Seattle who have a strong underground following. A friend strongly suggested we go see them and I'm so glad we did. The highlight of the set was their performance of "Rivers and Roads" to close the show.

"Winter"

Manchester Orchestra
I only went and watched a few songs of these guys and wasn't too impressed.

Andrew Bird
This was our "let's go over there and sit and relax for a minute" show. So we sat in the back and just listened to him. All I remember is lots of whistling!

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
I had listened to some of Noel Gallagher before, and I was kind of bored with it, but for some reason I was really in to him live. The only reason I went over to watch him was in hopes he would sing Wonderwall, but actually ended up enjoying the rest of his set!

David Guetta
Same issue with Black Keys. I know I was there, but unfortunately don't remember much, but I'm told it was a great time. :-)

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!

Young The Giant at The Wiltern

Show: Young The Giant
Venue: The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
Date: 2/11/12
Show #7

I almost didn't make it to this show, on the count that I also went to The Fray this same night. I actually had this ticket first, but when The Fray added the Troubadour show, I knew that would have had to take priority over Young The Giant. However, instead of selling my ticket, I thought, hey, maybe I can make it to BOTH shows! People that I told this to thought I was crazy, and I'll admit I may have even agreed at one point but thought it was worth a shot. Long story short; as soon as The Fray finished, I sprinted out the door and hauled ass over to The Wiltern and made it for the last 45 minutes of the show! The guys scanning my ticket at the door gave me looks like "uhh do you know what time it is?".

Anyways, SO glad I got to see these guys! They sound amazing live. The lead singers voice is so unique, strong, and different, I was curious how it would stand up hearing him live and it was great! He has so much energy on stage, and I noticed that that from the moment I walked in, and even on a slower song because I could see the sweat dripping off of him from way in the back.

One of the best highlights were when Sexy Sax Man made an appearance! He did a little jig across the stage in the middle of a song, classic. Video below.

 The place just erupted when they did "My Body", myself included, so I apologize for the shaky video but I couldn't NOT move during that song! Video below.

Overall the show was a ton of fun (and I only saw 45 minutes!) and I highly recommend going to check them out if you get the chance.Sorry, no pictures due to getting there so late and being in the back, but I took a ton of videos!

Islands

Strings

Apartment

God Made Man