columbia: hey penny, stamps, and tommy & the high pilots

what better way to celebrate my last first day of school than with a show?! abby and i went to see stamps and the high pilots with katelyn on our first monday back and it was oh so worth it. there was a decent crowd considering the circumstances and all the bands were great, starting with the opener called hey penny. they were so great and they're from nashville so what's not to love? stamps played next and were wonderfully charming as always. they had a seven hour drive + a flight to catch so they packed up and left as soon as they could. i didn't have a chance to talk to everyone, but i did say hi to andy and my bff robert morris. tommy and the high pilots were up next and as much as i enjoy them in a large venue, it was nice to finally see them in a more intimate setting. tommy has this voice that is just spectacular, i can't even explain it. but it gives you goosebumps and makes your eyes well up. for the love of all things good, go listen to their music. seriously. they're so good. so so good. we didn't stick around long since it was, after all, a monday night and we all had early mornings, but it was a great way to start the semester off with a bang.

album review: blitzen trapper - american goldwing

Blitzen Trapper, with three previous Sub-Pop albums under their belt, have produced quite the wide array of sounds. 2007′s Wild Mountain Nationsounds as if it was thrown together with reckless abandon, a giant mish-mash of sounds and passions. There were indie-rock melodies and folky boot-stomping tunes with a healthy dose of country twang. 2008′sFurr leaned more to the pop-rock side of the spectrum with Americana intertwined through and through. And next was Destroyer of the Void which took on a new sound altogether with prog-rock guitar sounds and a mellower tone. So who could really predict what would be next? At first listen, American Goldwing is a nice homage to Furr with influences of traditional Southern rock. It’s blatantly alternative-country and maybe a little bit indie. If anything, it showcases the band’s versatility to record whatever they want and turn it into an album. And it sounds great. Read more...

chicago: super happy fun club

day two of me and abby's mini trip to chicago: super happy fun club!

we trekked out to bottom lounge after a long day in the rain at northalsted market days for darren criss, and after a delicious meal at taco bell. met up with meesh! and nick! and sir vinci and kristen and lots of friends. we watched the aesthetic play, we ate some garlic fries that easily changed my life, we talked and caught up and laughed and watched a really weird show that was playing on the tv, and we finally watched super happy fun club play. it was great to finally see them. such talented gentlemen. we hung around for a bit, met various people, chatted with various others, drove around for a bit, almost went to house party, then decided not to. probably a good choice since abby and i had a seven hour drive ahead of us the next morning. short and sweet trip!

chicago: am taxi

this little trip actually came into effect because of darren criss. yes, that dude from glee. abby was hellbent on going to chicago to see him play at a street festival, so naturally i found a couple of shows i'd be interested in surrounding the festival, and we made a trip out of it. perfect! we drove straight to metro to catch am taxi which was wonderful. we hung out with sam for the night, and ran into nick and mark outside promoting. we ended up getting some dinner at a nearby bar with them and had some excellent hangs. turns out the entire band and their posse of friends, wives, and girlfriends ended up there as well so sam ash the chicago 'it girl' spent some time introducing us to everyone and taking shots of jameson. what a bad ass. we eventually headed back to her place and crashed hard. good times.

album review: beirut - the rip tide

I've listened to Beirut’s  The Rip Tide several times through and I still feel as if I don’t have a strong opinion about it. I’ve enjoyed every listen, but it’s just not sticking with me and I can’t decide if it’s my own fault or the album’s. It’s good. I don’t have anything negative to say. But then again: it’s good – and that’s about all I can think to say. The Rip Tide is a solid, mediocre album that didn’t live up to  the fantasies I had constructed in my head after so many years of no new releases. Beirut evokes many happy memories and nostalgic feelings for me and the new album seems to have lost a little of the band’s old magic. With all of that said, it’s still an enjoyable album and you should definitely give it a listen. If anything, please prove me wrong and tell me it hits home with you. Because right now it’s just not quite sticking with me, and I really want it to. Read more...

columbia: without a face, stamps, tommy and the high pilots, and ludo

space dracula's basketball expo: take two!

sam and i saw henry off early in the afternoon, and we took our time getting ready and eventually headed to columbia as well. we had a nice late lunch with my family at casa gallardo though, which was awesome. love me some mexican food. we got to my apartment in time to meet up with a bunch of people, carpool to the venue, and just miss the epic storm that was brewing. (i cardinal literally hit my windshield on the drive downtown and no one will let me forget it. angry birds much?) i love the blue note because it's a decent sized venue so it has that 'big show' feel, but it's definitely intimate no matter how far away from the stage you are.

henry played first, stamps played second, tommy and the high pilots played third. we took a break to chat with friends while sparks the rescue played, and made our way back in the middle of the crowd for ludo. once again, it was a fantastic show. we chatted with friends, i said my goodbyes to sam, and left her (warily) in henry's care, as he was giving her a ride back to st. louis in the dead of night so she could catch her train in the morning. and i dragged myself back to my apartment and crashed. nothing like working at 7AM after a weekend full of show and no sleep!

st. louis: without a face, stamps, tommy & the high pilots, and ludo

bear with me, as i seem to have gotten so far behind that the mere thought of attempting to get caught up makes me cringe. but in a burst of creative mania, i'm ready to tackle this beast that has gotten really backed up in regards to show reviews. i've had a lot on my plate with school, work, and popwreckoning, but better late than never, right? here we go.

hometown ludo shows are always my favorite. hometown ludo shows with a bunch of friends in the middle of summer is even better. sam came in town for about a week and we scheduled in some great hangs with molly, claire, chris, tom, and a bunch of awesome people. we made a day of the loop and met for a late lunch at the noodle cafe, wandered around in vintage vinyl, and had some chats with convy and henry before the show. without a face opened and was insane and weird and hilarious and awesome as always. stamps played next and were really great. who doesn't love robert morris, ginger, and former member of the hush sound? i met him while sparks the rescue played (i'm not a big fan) and we pretty much became bffs. so much in fact, that i now refer to him as my bff robert morris. we're tight. after stamps was tommy and the high pilots who i have quickly fallen in love with. so. freaking. talented. sam and i unfortunately gave up our spot in the pit when we went to mingle with friends in the merch room, so we watched ludo from afar. it was a cool experience though; i'm always amidst a sea of hardcore fans so it was neat to see them from a distance. and let me tell you: space dracula's basketball expo is no fucking joke. the entire stage was decorated and every member was dressed head to toe as either an astronaut, dracula, or a basketball player. hilarious. they played a great set as they always do.

we mingled for quite some time afterwards, went to ihop and ate so much food that the waiter even commented, and eventually went home and waited for henry's arrival. he slept in his car outside the venue the night before. i took pity. totally worth it, as i got to hear his superior rapping skills and a new song entitled twisted sexual assault about the tsa.

fabulous.