Album of The Month: Washed Out - Paracosm

Come along and hop on the trendy chill-wave wagon with me.  All the hip kids are getting down to the smooth introspective sounds of this laptop driven genre.  Also commonly referred to as glo-fi, this style of music typically employs heavy use of drum loops, synthesizers, samples, and vocals put through dense sound effects.  There is some debate as to whether this swank, retro-leaning, ambient, 80's synth pop influenced music rightfully deserves a specific title to group together seemingly disparate groups.  In the modern age of such a vast, voluminous inundation of musical acts this is an all too common issue with new "genres" being birthed seemingly everyday.  But anyway, Washed Out is an artist most certainly grouped in with the chill-wave genre, and I have been enjoying his latest offering Paracosm very much.  Thus, I am featuring this record for album of the month.

As mentioned above, all the elements regularly found in chill-wave music are undeniable ingredients in Washed Out's aural recipe.  This album is extremely vibe heavy, even upon the brief into track "Entrance" the waves of chill will begin to encompass you immediately.  It is a perfect album to pop on during a drive, or a jog, or a stroll around the neighborhood; really any activity that would be accompanied well with a relaxing mood.  It provides a wonderful soundtrack to any scenery, especially one in motion.  The concise record contains what seems to me the perfect amount of music that both relaxes and encourages dancing simultaneously.  I find it simply impossible not to bob my head along at the very least.  The songs all provide feels that perfectly resemble their titles like "It All Feels Right", "Weightless", and "Great Escape".  Washed Out has definitely achieved something quite impressive with this record by truly creating his own paracosm of aural design.

Hope you check it out and enjoy riding some waves through the land of chill.

Washed Out - Paracosm on iTunes
Washed Out - Paracosm on Spotify

Til next time,

Ty

Phish Hollywood Bowl

So, I told you about the AmericanaramA show Mike and I attended featuring the likes of Bob Dylan, Wilco, My Morning Jacket, and Ryan Bingham.  A couple days later we had the privilege to see Phish at the Hollywood Bowl.  For those unfamiliar with Phish, let me start by saying there is a very large, rabid, loyal, and close-knit fan base for this genre defying act now in its 30th year as a band.  Simultaneously, there is a large contingent of people who feel quite the opposite about said band.  Their improvisational styled music coupled with a dedicated traveling audience and a bit of a carefree attitude towards controlled substances makes for an environment that is perhaps not suitable to all.  In other words, there are a lot of hippies and a lot of drugs, to be blunt (pun).  You can dive deeper into the debate over Phish on Earwolf's special podcast series Analyze Phish with hosts Harris Wittels and Scott Aukerman.  For the fan, hater, and indifferent alike, this program is sure to entertain and provide legitimate insight into the world of Phish.

Anywho, the music itself is of the highest technical caliber, the scene an amalgamation of all walks of life, all seeking fun.  Only a crowd at Phish moves with such energy and excitement to such unusual music.  The Hollywood Bowl was a beautiful venue for Phish providing the wonderful natural acoustics of the legendary Bowl's dome structure and a picturesque canvas for lighting director Chris Kuroda to work his magic on.  The swirling psychedelic effects were in abundance on this beautiful evening tucked away in the Hollywood hills.  And even in my limited Phish experience (compared to those who have literally attended hundreds of shows) I would conclude that Hollywood Bowl is one of the best visual Phish affairs to witness.  

As a long time appreciator of Phish I must say that the group is performing at possibly its highest level ever in its 30 year career.  The poise and sense of adventure that is being injected to their compositions is exceptional.  And this is certainly no easy feat for a catalog as varied and dense as this Vermont quartet boasts.  At any given Phish show you will hear all types of music from laid back funk to upbeat pop and latin infused rhythmic extravaganzas to all-out shred fest progressive rock.  And each show's setlist is tailored specifically to each venue with never a repeat in consecutive shows.  They also typically inject several covers in each show which range from classic rock covers like The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" to modern favorites like TV On TheRadio's "Golden Age", both of  which we were treated to at the Hollywood Bowl performance.  And every show is an extensive trek through approximately three hours of music divided between two sets.

For those Phish-heads interested, here is the track list for the first set:

Set I: 

1. AC/DC Bag

2. The Moma Dance

3. Sparkle

4. Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan

5. Lawn Boy

6. Wolfman's Brother

7. Roses Are Free (Ween cover) ->

8. Scent of A Mule (highlight)

9. Cavern

10. Ocelot

11. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles cover)

And the more improv heavy second set was as follows:

Set II:

1. Chalk Dust Torture

2. Golden Age (TV On The Radio cover) ->

3. Birds of A Feather

4. Sand ->

5. Down With Disease ->

6. My Friend, My Friend

7. Harry Hood -> (epic, stand out highlight of the show)

8. Character Zero

Encore:

9. Loving Cup (Rolling Stones cover)

So, there you have it.  If'n you are hungry for more you can always visit Phish.net, the fan run site that catalogs everything Phish, and Mr. Miner's Phish Thoughts for reviews of shows.  Not to mention you can download this particular show along with countless others at LivePhish.com.  And shamelessly (not true, tons of shame) I will also share more of my own sophomoric ramblings about Phish here: bit.ly/SjrGyh on an entirely seperate and unnecessary blog.  Hope you enjoyed, if not, my apologies.

Also, here is a video sample which you can find many of on Phish's YouTube channel:

Til next time,

Ty

AmericanaramA

This past week Mike and myself had the wonderful opportunity to see some incredible live music.  For essentially my entire life I have cherished concerts as an absolute favorite past time, hence the whole musician thing, but that is beside the matter at hand.  Anywho, the two shows we had the grand privilege to experience were the AmericanaramA tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine and Phish at the legendary Hollywood Bowl.

So, the AmericanaramA tour featured a stellar line up of Americana styled artists spanning several periods of great American music from the 1960’s to modern time.  The particular focus of this tour was to showcase American music of different styles and eras, and to provide a stage for the various artists to collaborate on.  Headliner Bob Dylan ultimately provided the springboard for this extravaganza as without him, the subsequent artists would arguably not exist.  The supporting cast was composed of early 90’s alt rockers Wilco, the late 90’s and modern alternative rock group My Morning Jacket, and contemporary roots rock, singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham.

Ryan Bingham ended up being a delightful surprise as I was not previously familiar with his music, other than knowing he had written songs for the movie Crazy Heart (which is fantastic btw).  Bingham’s country tinged rock was quite a proper kick off for the day’s music.  His soulful, growling voice was an apt precursor to Dylan and his band was on point with beautiful fiddle and pedal steel guitar playing.

My Morning Jacket followed with an energetic set that I would deem my favorite of the show; no one brings the ruckus like MMJ.  Jim James and company slayed the Irvine crowd with several funky jams and then proceeded to get tender with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on the subdued number “Wonderful”.  The next tune brought the show to epic heights as Jackson Browne joined for a rendition of his gorgeous song "Late For The Sky".  After jamming a few more tunes Ryan Bingham then joined for a blazing version of "Don't Do It" a la The Band.  

There are few bands I could choose to follow MMJ and one of those happens to be Wilco.  I have now seen Wilco several times and I can say without a doubt that they are simply the best live musical act for your money (maybe aside from Radiohead).  Though a more intimate venue would have been preferable, Wilco nevertheless gave a truly fantastic performance.  The highlights include the very unlikely collaboration with Nancy Sinatra (!) on "Bang Bang (He Shot Me Down)" and "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" and a beautiful rendition of the location-appropriate song "California Stars" with Jackson Browne and several others in collaboration.  Of course Nels Cline had his moment to shine on the guitar driven "Impossible Germany", Ryan Bingham's fiddle player Richard Bowden played a beautiful solo on "Forget The Flowers", we were treated to a tasteful version of the artsy "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart", and we got to witness Jeff Tweedy fumble the lyrics to "Heavy Metal Drummer" which he acknowledged in his typical dry manner.  The brilliant set was closed with a cover of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl" with a loaded stage of "My Morning Jackets", as the droll Tweedy referred to them.  

Now, as for Bob Dylan.  Here is where I must apologize, for I left early.  Don't get me wrong, I love Dylan just as much as the next person.  First off, have you seen his live show in recent years?  Well, I have a couple times.  It's not that it is disappointing, it just leaves something to be desired.  He simply is not the same Dylan that brought us Highway 61 Revisited or even Blood On The Tracks.  But that is also why I respect him, he is a fiercely uncompromising artist.  One might say, "He just don't give a fuck."  And truly he does not.  In the words of Samuel L. Jackson, he is a "bad motherfucker".  He plays his tunes in whatever style or key that suits his fancy, contorting them into concoctions that barely resemble the original recordings.  And for that, I take my hat off to him.  He has got balls that guy.  Anywho, I do regret leaving for I missed the night's most heralded collaboration in the performance of "The Weight" with Tweedy, James, and Bingham.  But alas, that is my own damn fault.

You can read another review of the show here: bit.ly/14q1pmm

I fear I have gone on too long as I am all too capable of doing in regards to elaborating about music.  Thus, I will save my thoughts on Phish at The Hollywood Bowl for a follow up blog and indirectly spare those of you who may dislike said group and would prefer not to subject yourself to such ramblings.  Consider yourself warned...

Til next time,

Ty

Weekend Activities

A couple fun activities from this last weekend:

There was a car show in what is basically our backyard.  The Koch's car show returned to the Acton KOA for its third year and there were quite a few gems on display.  I admit I am not a "car guy", I could not tell you the names of these glamorous vehicles or the the technical details of their makeup, but they are certainly fun to look at nonetheless.  There were old classics, muscle cars, hot rods, souped up strange looking automobiles, and a few crazy looking motorcycles.  The show was augmented with venders selling car related wares, a food truck, and live rockabilly music apropos of the atmosphere.  Here are a few examples:

'55 or '56 Chevy I think

This past weekend we also went on a spectacular adventure in Pasadena's Eaton Canyon.  Aside from the glorious natural beauty that the rolling hills provide filled with winding trails, lush plant life, and rocky streams at the bottom of the valleys, there are also some water falls providing pools which are opportune for jumping into from high vantage points.  So that is exactly what we did.

After we hiked down about two miles into the canyon we reached the popular cliff jumping spot at Hermit Falls.  There were three different jumping points of various heights: the shortest jump was about fifteen feet, the second about twenty-five, and the highest was roughly forty in my estimation though I really do not know the exact heights.  Anywho, we proceeded to jump into the cool water to our hearts delight.  The highest jump was quite intimidating and took some pondering before we had the guts to finally do it.  It was a rush to say the least.

Tacos & Burgers in LA

Tacos and burgers.  Who doesn't love them?  Even vegetarians and vegans have their own versions of the aforementioned staples of American cuisine.  Sure tacos are technically Mexican but find me an American citizen that does not eat tacos and I will give you a million bucks.

This last weekend I had the pleasure of enjoying some of the best L.A. has to offer in this particular arena of culinary delights.  I'll start with the legendary Tito's Tacos. At this point the best taco I have had yet was from a tiny place near San Diego which I forget the name of.  I guess the closer to the source, meaning Mexico, the better the taco.  The tacos at Tito's certainly rivaled the previously mentioned taco.  It was simple, pure, and authentic.  Just a fried tortilla, special recipe beef, lettuce, and cheese.  And the truth is in my opinion, the tortilla is what sells this taco and makes it spectacular.  The shell contains the perfect combination of crispy and fried chewy goodness.  I was not able to get a close examination of the cooking and prep process as I could not see through the army of assembly line workers from my outdoor vantage point.  But whatever they do is just magic.  The tortilla encompasses the meat, lettuce, and cheese in a perfectly contoured pocket of crunchy bliss.  Tito's is located in Santa Monica and has been serving up legendary Mexican cuisine since 1959.  This place is a must visit for anyone looking for L.A.'s greatest tacos.

For the burger entry I will impart my recent experience with Astroburger.  Now, to begin with, the search for the perfect burger is an endless endeavor which will ultimately never reveal an ultimate winner.  Sure, I have been to In-N-Out burger, been to Tommy's, had Umami, The Counter, Five Guys, The Habit, and I could never turn down a good old Wendy's burger.  Father's Office I have yet to experience as well as Hawkins House of Burgers which I saw featured on one of those food shows.  But Astroburger deserves a spot in the competition.

I went to an excellent show at Amplyfi on Saturday night, saw a good friend play with thatwasthen followed by the delightful surprise of Frankie Marathon.  It was right next door to Astroburger so I couldn't turn down the chance to sample another offering of L.A.'s in the burger department.  I must admit I was not let down. As with Tito's, Astroburger provided a simple delight.  It was standard charbroiled, juicy, burger.  It happened to be just what I wanted, no frills or extra bs, just a quality burger that is great purely because it was cooked well.  If you find yourself near the Paramount lot on Melrose, do yourself a favor and try this place out.

Also, do not miss our special show tomorrow at House of Blues on Sunset in the Parish room.  We will be playing a rare trio set to showcase some new material. 

Ty

Album of The Month: John Scofield - "Uberjam Deux"

For those of you not familiar with the brilliant music of John Scofield, he is a premier, modern jazz guitar player.  Mr. Scofield is truly a unique voice and has played with the greatest musicians of modern times including Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, and Pat Metheny.  In recent years he has branched out stylistically to suit his fancy including the R&B grooves of Ray Charles' music, tender ballads, small-combo horn arrangements, and collaborating with the swampy jazz-funk trio Medeski, Martin, & Wood.  Among these efforts is another group he has cut a few records with that is inevitably grouped in with the "jam-band" scene; those being 2002's Uberjam and 2003's Up All Night.  Scofield continues in this vain with the long awaited sequel: Uberjam Deux.

The stellar musicians that comprise the band on this record include rhythm guitarist Avi Bortnick, bass player Andy Hess, drummers Adam Deitch and Louis Cato splitting duties, and the ever reliable John Medeski playing keyboards on select cuts.  Bortnick delivers his impeccable consistency as a rhythm player along with immersive knowledge of samples and synths, providing a wonderfully complimentary voice to Scofield's astronomical probings.  Hess holds it down with his tasteful low end that gives new meaning to the concept of smooth.  Deitch lends his typical hip-hop meets jazz style that sounds like an alien landed in New Orleans.  Cato gets a chance to showcase his driving groove coupled with elegant dynamics.  And Medeski's undeniable touch rounds out the sound of this record with an excitable quirkiness that only he can conjure.

On top of all this Scofield navigates the waters of fusion from the bouncy swagger of tunes like "Boogie Stupid", reggae inspired grooves in "Dub Dub", the sexy and aptly titled "Al Green Song", and electro-inspired tranc-y burners like "Torero".  It seems as though no note is off limits for the veteran guitar player and he continues on his inspirational trek through the annals of music with this recent effort.

If you enjoy some good 'ole stinky funk, irresistable grooves that are equally mellow and danceable, and truly sterling musicianship, then I urge you to have a listen to this record.

Uberjam Deux iTunes
Uberjam Deux Amazon
Uberjam Deux Spotify

Happy listening,

Ty

Movie of The Month - This Is The End

Wow this movie was great.  It delivered in a big way and in fact exceeded my expectations.  And they were high (no pun intended, but sort of, I mean who doesn't like a good pun?). 

Anywho, if you are a fan of Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg written hilarity, dark humor, cameos, or apocalyptic films in general, I can guarantee this movie will satisfy.  It is vulgar, gratuitous, deprecating, and all around hysterical.  The fact that the main ensemble play caricatures of the real actors themselves is tickling enough, but they nail their publicly perceived idiosyncratic personalities perfectly.  James Franco kills, Seth Rogen is excellent, Jonah Hill provides appropriate pretension, Jay Baruchel is great, Craig Robinson is hilarious as always, and Danny McBride is truly exceptional.  And though certainly the male-driven bromantic comedy must certainly burn out at some point, this particular film puts a pretty tasty twist on said genre.

If you have not seen this flick yet, please do asap.  It is a great theater viewing experience filled with action, severely ridiculous and quotable dialogue, copious drug use, and a large number of wonderfully placed amusing cameos.  In short, this movie kicks ass and I would gladly see it again many times in the theater.

Ty