the very thing

venue: the independent
artist: stars (sold out!)
who: ro
when: 19 june (saturday) & 20 june 2010 (sunday)
doors open at 7p & 6p, respectively

this is the 8th & 9th time i've seen stars and they just get better and better. i know i say this all the time. but having seen them since 2003 during the heart tour, i think that last comment holds true. i went to this show with ro, around both our birthdays since he is the one who introduced me to them. it was at this show that i took the liberty to speak to both torquil campbell and amy millan. and just the beginning of many more unfortunate situations i've had, given the opportunity to speak to musicians i really admire. i think i should retire this meet & greet stuff.

during the opening, torquil played a dj set as "dead child stars" which was the title of one of their eps. he was also a "child star." during this set, he sat in the dark with his ibook, played some tunes, asked us some questions and blew bubbles. it was different and i found that for the most part, i like the same music as he does. on saturday, he played the trashcan sinatras and went on about how brilliant they are. that night, i went home to look at my stars cds and saw that they included the trashcans in their acknowledgments on the nightsongs cd. and on sunday, he played every little counts by new order. i love this song, partly because you get to hear bernard sumner giggle during the song. torquil said that it was new order that was the reason they got into music. these two bands are one of my favorite bands since high school.

this got me thinking... is this why i love stars so much? then i realized that i love this band dearly because through their songs, they get me. they sing about relationships gone wrong, good love, bad love, sex (mostly good sex), and most recently... ghosts. if stars was a man, he would be my perfect match. and boy, i would be ALL over that. they bring out the hopeless romantic in me. incurable romantic, really. their new cd, the five ghosts, really hits close to home. i can relate to the songs on so many different levels.

back to the shows. they played their new album in its entirety. bands don't do this, ever. especially before the cd was released. after that, they played a set of fan requests from their website. then, they came back for an encore set. and for us lucky ones on sunday, torquil came back a fifth time for a solo encore. it was such an amazing show. on saturday, as we were leaving, i was telling ro how i was sad that the show was over but super excited that we were coming back the next day to see them again. they gave me this indescribable joy that lasted quite a while. this kinda explains the playful mood i've been in all week. then again, it might have been the full moon. i'd like to think it was because of stars.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ dead hearts are everywhere

in the music, take 2

venue: slim's
artist: trashcan sinatras & mike viola
who: ro
when: 1 june 2010 (tuesday)

the last time i saw the trashcan sinatras, i think it is safe to say that i didn't really get a chance to hear them play. it's hard to pay attention when a psycho little man is bothering you. it's especially creepy when despite fleeing the scene, he followed us to the bar. at first, i felt cheated and ripped off. then i felt violated and forgot all about being cheated out of the show. i just wanted to get out of there.

this 8th trashcans show made up for the last one. this was a nice break from all the sold out shows i'd been going to. mike viola opened for them. he was folky but poppy. he talked about how he writes a lot of music for films. and how he moved from new york to los angeles. then he started playing that thing you do from the film with the same title. i got really excited and told ro that i heard the "guy" that wrote this song was the one from the band, ivy. ro said that they were from new york. later, mike viola confirmed having been in ivy. this got us really excited about him. he was so down to earth. we both really enjoyed him and his music.

despite how i feel about the lead singer (i think frank ready is a total diva) i still love the trashcans. they still put on really great music. and even though, i think the old stuff is better than the new stuff. its nice to see/hear them change with the times. just like many of the bands i've been seeing lately, i can honestly say that out of the five albums the trashcans have put out, i like every song. they are tremendously talented. the fact that they are still putting out music is fantastic and amazing. i hope they do so for another 10-20 years. i admit that there was some disappointment on my end. one, they didn't play earlies (sang by john douglas). two, they didn't end the show with the therapist so i will in this post. oh, their new bass player (frank divanna joined in 2009) is kinda hot so he makes up for the disappointments.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ tick tock, running over
good-bye now i'll see you later on
tick tock, working all night
time's up, shut up
time is up

double trouble

yes, they are very similar. both have elastic bands and a t-strap. both have a 1" platform with a 3" heel to total 4 inches. however, they are not the same shoe in different colors. if you look closer, the black wedges have a buckle, single elastic straps and in patent leather. while the camel wedges have double elastic straps each half as wide as the straps on the black pair.
these wedges are my new summer shoes. they are fun, flirty and comfy (as long as i am on even ground). they are replacing a brown pair of wedges i finally decided to retire. for the most part, i love each and every pair of shoes. despite wear and tear plus multiple trips to the cobbler, i am forced to throw them out. luckily, i have this particular pair in red. ha.

howl howl gaff gaff

venue: great american music hall (sold out!)
artist: shout out louds
who: ashley
when: 18 may 2010 (tuesday)

when i first heard the shout out louds, i thought of the cure but updated and with female vocals. for me, shout out louds' adam olenius is very reminiscent of robert smith's vocals in sound and style. their appearances are nothing alike, however.

i liked every song on their first album, howl howl gaff gaff. when i heard ill wills, again i thoroughly enjoyed every single song. so when work came out, i was pretty excited about it. unfortunately, my expectations were a bit too high and i am still getting a feel for it. maybe it will turn out to be like my experience with my maudlin career.

i went to the show with my dear friend, ashley, who is a sweetheart. she and i have very similar tastes in music. a rare find these days. we had dinner there upstairs. since the show was sold out, i wasn't terribly concerned about seeing the band as much as i care about just hearing the band. the energy was invigorating and thrilling. i was dancing in my seat as i often do at shows. their music is whimsical and delightful, even with the slow songs. i am happy to report that the shout out louds left me coming back for more.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

careless love

venue: great american music hall (sold out!)
artist: camera obscura and best coast
who: ro
when: 21 april 2010 (wednesday)

this was the second round of camera obscura's my maudlin career tour that ro and i caught. when i saw them last june, i hadn't gotten into the new album until after the show last year. i have been really enjoying it. in fact, i can't stop listening to it.

the opening band, best coast, was refreshingly appealing to my ears. ro knew about them and wanted to make sure we caught them. i'd heard one song before the show and i liked it. after seeing them live, i liked them even more.

the great american music hall is an all ages venue. they really mean "all ages." there were at least two 6 year-olds upstairs in the balcony. it was a bit disturbing as the show ran quite late and school was still in session. otherwise, camera obscura were fantastic. the music takes me to a different place. hearing it live goes a step further.

rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥