Random Musings

Amanda’s Top Ten Musical Experiences (The Finale!)

Posted on by Amanda

It’s long overdue but at last I’m bringing this thing to a close. Without further ado, my top 2.

 

2. The Silent Comedy/Saint Motel/Tranfer

I realize this is like cheating by having 3 bands listed without a discernable event that brings the three together. Well, the fact of the matter is, The Silent Comedy is at the center of this love triangle and if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t include the others. This past summer The Silent Comedy embarked on their Summer Sweat Tour with Saint Motel which had numerous highlights from a show at the Casbah to playing LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) which culminated in a residency at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas. Vegas with the boys was a highlight for me because it was like a mini sin filled vacation surrounded by (almost) everyone you know and love. It was lovely. On the flip side, Transfer and The Silent Comedy are like two peas who have outgrown their pod. I first knew of Transfer because of The Silent Comedy and I know people who are vice versa. Transfer and The Silent Comedy have put on some epic shows this year but perhaps the mist epic of all was New Years Eve at the Lafayette Hotel here in San Diego. It was almost like Vegas but had way more bands and more friendly faces. It was definitely the best New Years Eve experience I’ve ever had! As a side note, I’ve had some wonderful video experiences with The Silent Comedy this year from shooting video of them to being in a video with them. Many cherished memories.

 

1. William Beckett

I’m not really sure to begin my story of my love for William Beckett. It’s a love I’m not entirely proud of, mostly because his fans are either teenagers/early twenty somethings or those crazy moms that like bands who go to rock shows and embarrass their kids. Nevertheless, my love for this particular artist came from a random chance discovery of his (now broken up) band The Academy Is… I’m not sure if it was a music or the lyrics that caught me first but the thing I have loved and always admired about William was his writing. I was hoping to go see The Academy Is… a few times on their tour this year when news broke that they had parted ways. I was devastated. My first band love had broken up and though I had been to many of their shows, I felt I could have done more. After all, Kristen and I galavanted around the east coast last year to see them, surely there was more I could have done. But then, magic happened. William announced he was coming to LA to open for the sold out Dear Jack benefit on 11/11/11. I immediately got on Craigslist and found a ticket. What a magical show it was! Between Mr. Beckett playing acoustic (which I had never seen) he played rare TAI songs, covers, and even a few of his new solo tunes. I was in heaven! What made the night even better was getting my favorite lyrics from The Phrase that Pays written down by his hand on a piece of paper. My life was complete!! Only, not quite. William announced he was playing a holiday show in Chicago and I knew I couldn’t miss it. I flew out to Chicago and was there for 3 days and 2 nights to catch this acoustic holiday show which featured, Jennifer Hall, Bonaventure, Into It. Over It., and William Beckett. It was a wonderful adventure where I got to meet other fans, chat with William about a mutual love for Nashville, and just enjoy life. It was whimsical and it’s why he is my number 1 for 2011.

 

Amanda’s Top 10 Musical Experiences (continued)

Posted on by Amanda

The musical journey continues as I continue to reminisce about endeavors of good old 2011. There was so much good music packed into one year but choices must be made (or so I’ve been informed).

 

8. Cage the Elephant– I remember when this band caught some buzz in 2010 and for one reason or another, I was never able to attend a show to see if they lived up to the hype. Thankfully for me, Cage the Elephant played Wrex the Halls this year in San Diego and I happened to be lucky enough to work the show. I was shooting video from the mixer in the middle of the floor and despite my distance, I could feel their energy. The highlight of their set was singer Matthew Shultz’s crowd surfing. He came off the stage into the crowd not once, not twice, but three times! The last time was after the band finished playing and had walked off stage. He looked out into the crowed, shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘why not?’ and crowd surfed his way off stage.

 

7. Milk Carton Kids and Joe Purdy– At barely a year old, The Milk Carton kids have really started to make a name for themselves. I first saw one half of The Milk Carton Kids when Joey Ryan opened for Carney a few years ago. I was enchanted with him then and soon he was making music with his musical soul mate (or so it seems), Kenneth Pattengale. In 2011, they came through San Diego a few times, one of which was supporting Joe Purdy at The Belly Up. I remember this show specifically because a few friends joined me for the show and one of them was so taken with The Milk Carton Kids and the childhood memories they brought back to her, she started to cry. Joe Purdy was new to me and he did not disappoint! It was a lovely night all around and I’ll hold it fondly in my mind for quite some time.

 

6. North Park Music Thing– Now known as the San Diego Music Thing. I think. It might change it’s name again. All you really need to know is that it is 2 days full of speakers and music. In the morning/afternoon you can find workshops with top dog speakers about anything from touring to selling your music for tv. There is a whole other slew of workshops from basic music industry 101 to the state of radio. The evening is chock full of local acts at local venues. To give you an idea, this year included music from; Nico Vega, Kevin Martin, The Silent Comedy, Andy Clockwise, Endoxi, Youngblood Hawke, White Apple Tree, Grand Tarantula, The New Kinetics, Queen Caveat, Republic of Letters, Saint Motel, Purple Melon, Little Hurricane, Mattson 2, Miss Erika Davies, Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels, The Heavy Guilt, Cuckoo Chaos, The Nervous Wreckords, Writer, Gregory Page, Steve Poltz, Maren Parusel, and Dynamite Walls. And that was in two days!

While Nico Vega isn’t a San Diego band, they were just a few of the guests we had in from LA!

 

Local Musicians Giving Back to the Community

Posted on by Kristen

Holidays are a time of year where there is a huge emphasis on giving to the less fortunate. You don’t always put together local music and giving to the local community. At least I didn’t.  Well, about a dozen local SoCal bands did just that.  Hi.  My name is Ashley and Kristen and Amanda are letting me hijack their blog for this one post.  I work for a nonprofit agency called Child and Family Guidance Center in Palmdale.  We give all of our clients and their siblings (low income at risk youth) gifts for the holidays.  I got the bright idea to ask local bands to donate their merchandise and music to the teens as a unique and totally awesome gift.  I got so many more positive responses than I was expecting.  I was able to collect enough items to give 60 totally awesome gifts to the clients.  I was so moved that I asked Kristen if I could post a big THANK YOU (!) to all the bands.  It made my heart swell with happiness and warmth to know that they cared enough to donate their hard work.  Plus the clients really enjoyed getting the special gifts.

As an added bonus-Oh No Not Stereo gave me money to be able to run a music group for the teens.  Talk about my heart filling with even more gushy happiness.

Here is a list of the bands and their websites.  Check them out cause they rock.

Oh No Not Stereo: http://ohnonotstereo.com/blog/

Andy Frasco and the UN: http://andyfrasco.com/

Virtual Boy: http://wearevirtualboy.com/

Oedipus: http://oedipusband.com/

Blonde Summer: http://www.facebook.com/blondesummer

Saint Motel : http://saintmotel.com/

Dead Country: http://deadcountry.net/

Runner Runner: http://www.runnerrunnermusic.com/

Taylor Locke and The Roughs: http://www.tlatr.com/

Maniac: http://maniacmania.com/sonsofsummer.html

Some Hear Explosions: http://www.somehearexplosions.com/

The Silent Comedy: http://www.thesilentcomedy.com/

Fitz and the Tantrums: http://fitzandthetantrums.com/

 

~ Ashley (awebb@childguidance.org)

Love for The Milk Carton Kids

Posted on by Amanda

I was in a mood this afternoon. It was the kind of mood not easily shook by a nap or kind words from a friend. This was a full on “the world sucks” kind of mood. And now, it’s gone. “Why is that,” you ask? Great question.

I was thrilled last month to discover my favorite duo The Milk Carton Kids would be back in San Diego and I was not going to miss out. However, the aforementioned mood damn near ruined my day and I almost didn’t make it out of the house. If it wasn’t for the fact that I was meeting a friend at the show, I probably would have stayed home. But I’m really glad I didn’t.

At the very first chords of the very first song, my mood was instantly lifted. As Joey and Kenneth continued to play songs new and old my spirits rose even more. Between their tunes, humor, and commentary, I was smiling and laughing with all traces of my previous mood and the irritants that caused it forgotten. It was exactly the kind of musical soul food I needed.

The thing about The Milk Carton Kids is they remind you of the depth and beauty that two guys with guitars can create. They are awkward, honest, and charming and it shows through in their songs. Tonight was a wonderful reminder how much music like that can touch you at your core. I remember watching the two of them play together before they created The Milk Carton Kids and I have to say, they have only gotten better with time. To sit in a large room and watch an entire floor rapt with attention at their presence and performance was… special. It was unexpected and well deserved. To see their audience and fan base grow has truly been a treat. I wish nothing but continued success for the adorably awkward pair.

You can download both their cds for free from their website! If you want the flavor of their individual songs such as Permanent, Charlie, Girls, Gather ‘Round and Queen Jane, go for Retrospect. If you want to hear what Joey and Kenneth created together, go for Prologue. Actually, you should just get both since they are free!

Amanda’s Top 10 Musical Experiences of 2011

Posted on by Amanda

Although this post is coming to you much later than I had anticipated, there is a (somewhat) valid reason behind the delay. Let me explain…
The problem I faced with coming up with my “Top 10” list is one that I’m sure plagues others but I really didn’t know how to handle it. This is only my second time creating a top something list and I’m new to the rules. The problem was if I did it based by show, one band (or two) would have multiple spaces taken on the list which really isn’t fair to other bands. If I went based purely on bands, I feel like many experiences would have been left behind and that’s not fair because the entire experience was a part of seeing a band play. So, I give you my hybrid “Top 10” list. This is a combination of both bands and experiences alike. Hope you enjoy!

 

10. Scarlet Grey–

After capturing my heart sometime in 2010, Scarlet Grey has been one of my favorite LA bands to drive up and see. Unfortunately those guys have been across the pond playing shows for the Brits and capturing their hearts as well. Despite their absence, my love for them presses on. After attending most of their shows up in LA this year, especially their last one at the Troubadour which was filled with lots of love and new songs, they still leave an imprint in my mind. Here’s hoping they come home soon!

 

9. The Nervous Wreckords–

I’m not going to lie, it took me a minute to truly appreciate the glory that is The Nervous Wreckords. I knew going in that frontman Brian Karscig was San Diego’s rock royalty with his previous band Louis XIV but I wasn’t fully aware of what to expect from his new endeavor. I believe the first time I really stopped to watch The Nervous Wreckords was at the FM94/9 Independence Jam and they had me. I was finally able to understand what all the buzz was about. I had the privilege of helping to shoot this video for one of their new songs “Love Jammed the Radio.” These cool cats are about to hit the road (or should I say the ocean) with Weezer so check them out when you can!

 

Stay tuned, more to come!

Amanda’s Top 10 Musical Experiences of 2011

Posted on by Amanda

Although this post is coming to you much later than I had anticipated, there is a (somewhat) valid reason behind the delay. Let me explain…

The problem I faced with coming up with my “Top 10” list is one that I’m sure plagues others but I really didn’t know how to handle it. This is only my second time creating a top something list and I’m new to the rules. The problem was if I did it based by show, one band (or two) would have multiple spaces taken on the list which really isn’t fair to other bands. If I went based purely on bands, I feel like many experiences would have been left behind and that’s not fair because the entire experience was a part of seeing a band play. So, I give you my hybrid “Top 10” list. This is a combination of both bands and experiences alike. Hope you enjoy!

 

10. Scarlet Grey–

After capturing my heart sometime in 2010, Scarlet Grey has been one of my favorite LA bands to drive up and see. Unfortunately those guys have been across the pond playing shows for the Brits and capturing their hearts as well. Despite their absence, my love for them presses on. After attending most of their shows up in LA this year, especially their last one at the Troubadour which was filled with lots of love and new songs, they still leave an imprint in my mind. Here’s hoping they come home soon!

 

9. The Nervous Wreckords–

I’m not going to lie, it took me a minute to truly appreciate the glory that is The Nervous Wreckords. I knew going in that frontman Brian Karscig was San Diego’s rock royalty with his previous band Louis XIV but I wasn’t fully aware of what to expect from his new endeavor. I believe the first time I really stopped to watch The Nervous Wreckords was at the FM94/9 Independence Jam and they had me. I was finally able to understand what all the buzz was about. I had the privilege of helping to shoot this video for one of their new songs “Love Jammed the Radio.” These cool cats are about to hit the road (or should I say the ocean) with Weezer so check them out when you can!

 

Stay tuned, more to come!

Amanda’s Top 10 Shows of 2011 (Coming Soon)

Posted on by Amanda

Earlier in the week I made mention of wanting to post my “Top 10 Concerts of 2011” and said something along the lines of wanting to post a few per day. Well, I lied. See, here’s the thing….

My concert going year is not quite over. I just spent an enchanted evening in Chicago listening to William Beckett play for an hour or so with wonderful opening acts like Jennifer Hall, Bonaventure and Into It. Over It. Tomorrow night I’ll be seeing The Silent Comedy, Transfer, The Creepy Creeps, Low Volts, and The Heavy Guilt (plus a few more). So you see, my musical year is not complete and as such, I cannot give a list quite yet.

However, you can be sure to find this list in a day or so after New Years. Only then can I give you a complete and through top 10 list 🙂