A Couple of Shows

Monday night (June 2nd) I wandered over to see In Waves at the Viper Room. I saw them a few times a little over a year ago and was intrigued by their shadowy, echoey music, like being haunted in a very, very large room or at the outer edges of outer space. Lead singer, Jimmy Strange, puts so much reverb on his vocals they occasionally lose any human connection and become just another instrument in the wash of ghostly sounds. As diffused as it all sounds, they never lose the melody that holds it all together. They played selections from their 2006 EP and new songs from a forthcoming full-length debut CD, due out in the fall. If the new songs are any indication it ought to be a good record. I was glad to see them again and thanks, once again, to Mark for the invite to Mr. Shovel's Indie 103.1 Check One...Two night and kudos to Melissa for the fine programming.

Castledoor is another local band for whom I clearly see a bright future so I had to go to the Troubadour to see their first show at this legendary venue. As Nate Cole said, since they moved to L.A., it's been a dream of theirs to play here, so just three short years later, here they are. In celebration, they presented a spirited, energetic set containing the favorite standby's "Burn the Maps", "Magnetic Forces" and "Dove" (My favorite) from their first EP. They also played some new songs, one in particular called "Skipping Stepping Stones" was a real gem. Not only does Nate possess one of the best voices in town, he also writes great, catchy indie-pop songs and has stage presence that just doesn't quit. In fact the whole band seemed on top of their game and I can't wait for their new CD. See them on June 13th with The Submarines at Spaceland if you can.

Trying to firm up my concert schedule for the month of June, what had seemed like a slow month is turning into a rampage. Initially I had tickets to only three shows: Russian Circles at the Troubadour on Sun. June 15th, for a band considered Post-Metal, they make really beautiful music. Then on June 28th and 29th Fleet Foxes come to town for their first two show in L.A. at the Echo one night and Spaceland the next. If you've heard them, you'll understand why I expect this will be two nights to remember. Their full-length CD, released last Tuesday, is dominating my music listening this week

whrabbit