Many of you who have to see me on a regular basis have already heard most of the story which will be told in detail here:

It is day one at Coachella with my opening acts being Conor Oberst followed by Crystal Castles and Leonard Cohen, nothing against any of these acts but by 9:00 I had not fallen into a musical zone. To explain the musical zone further, you may want to see the video I took of a man at the Grails show about three months ago or watch Gilbert’s description. Being slightly disappointed about having not experience this moment of bliss yet I laid down in one of the three tents at Coachella. I spotted Jody from Whenyouawake and we chatted for awhile and then parted ways with me hoping to find something new. I looked at the lineup sheet and saw A Place to Bury Strangers was playing at the Gobi Tent in 10 minutes. I had seen this name before but knew nothing of the band other than it has a great name. I wandered over to the 1/4 full tent just before the band started. In front of me were two goth chicks who seemed very excited about what was about to go down.

Photo courtesy of BrooklynVegan

The band opened with a sonic beat down, heavy guitar with effects unlike anything I have ever heard before; like My Bloody Valentine except with a drummer from Deerhunter. The drums were infectious, rolling into one another with blissful osculations of the cymbals being smashed. Playing behind the band were videos of 16 seconds loops of something from a snuff video. Notably a shot of pale woman with black lingerie and a hand (maybe her own) rubbing the outside of her thighs. The moments that transpired have been what I see when I blink from that day to this. Psychedelic drums, with My Bloody Valentine layered guitars, and vocals of Joy Division. The lyrical structure differed greatly from Joy Division in that they were not long, drawn-out poems but more paralleling the 16 second  video clips; short, repetitive verses about the darkness which resides in love. The words and tone combined to remind me of being in love in a large metropolitan area where there is  only loneliness in the dark alleys of the night. It was as if I was living in a small New York apartment strung out again with the electricity have not been paid and the only light were dim, melted down candles on an empty nightstand by a dingy, worn down bed. There was utter pain at the sound’s core yet release from anger due to the energy of the musicians expression.

The band ended with two songs played without pause. The ending of the first closing song is what is played in this video I took, with the full length of the final song captured as well. The bands video in the background at the end reminds me of Diane Arbous’s final photo shoot of people from a psyche ward doing ring around the rosy. I was completely shattered by this band and I hope you take the 9 minutes and 23 seconds to experience just a taste of A Place to Bury Strangers. I have been thinking about flying to New York in mid-May just to see them again soon. This band alone was worth the entire price of admission to all three days of Coachella.

(if you get bored then skip to minute 3:55) Preferably watch this in the dark alone.

I mean who does that with their guitar during a concert. Incredible. I have since come to find out that the lead singer/guitarist make effects pedal for a living so the effects I was hearing where truly unlike anything.

i gave in and made the trek to Williamstown MA to see Deerhoof a couple days ago. Williamstown is a town with a population of about 8,000. It’s in the northwest coner of Massachusetts, snuggled between upstate NY and Vermont. It’s quite a ways from anywhere.  They played at the tiny, elite, private Williams College, in the temporary student union – a former chapel- Goodrich Hall.  It wasn’t exactly crowded. Just me & maybe 100 kids that looked about 10-years-old.  The high ceilings made for great sound, but it didn’t translate into the video i shot.  i do like the vids though.  The stage and the black and white reminded me of the Ed Sullivan-ish In Bloom video. (Nirvana.) No close-ups. I know i missed some great close-ups.  I just wanted to keep the camera in one place so i could forget it and enjoy the show.

They were so good i swear i almost cried.

if this doesn’t get you right away, move into 1:40 or 2:30 minutes.

As a side note – i first heard of Deerhoof when i saw them play before the Akrons in NYC on New Year’s Eve.  Cemented by Saturday’s show, they are officially my new favorite band. It’s great to have a new favorite band with a 10-year back catalog!

You know, it can really hurt but in that good way you know will be so worth it.

At night one of three at the Steve Allen Theater, there were times I thought I’d have to flee. This was the third(ish) time I saw Akron perform. I say (ish) because the first time I hardly remember due to reasons involving awful sound and intense heat. The second time I remember vividly, but it was a tribute show and they played only a few songs, none of which were their own.

Night one grew particularly intense when Miles taped a microphone to a metal folding chair and took drumsticks to it while Seth played some sort of flute and Dana… I don’t even know what he was doing. The combination pierced through my eardrums and picked at my skull until it reached my defenseless brain with its claws out. They did something similar on night two and it ripped my mind, tongue, eyes, everything… out and my body stood there with its innards watching beside it transfixed by sound.

I was nothing but nerves. All my insides exposed. I would have cried if forced to speak. And then they slowed, and softened. They sang about the sun or sadness, something soothing.

With my demons exorcised, they lulled me in with them to that space where I don’t have to think and I was overwhelmed by the feeling that somehow everything was going to be okay.  They broke me down and built me right back up, over and again… no pain, no gain?

But what makes Akron so different from any other live musical experience, because they were/are/will always be, is the following which I will try my best to describe though I know it will only give a suggestion of what I really felt as words are only painfully inadequate symbols of ideas:

I had a moment watching Miles sing when it occurred to me that while nothing about our existence makes sense, the very truth of that allows us to make of this what we want. People, places, time, events are all orbiting around us waiting to be dove into. To be swam around in. Mixed together. Jumped back out of. There are layers we cannot see beneath this one and we can peel it off if we choose to.

And that is what it is about live music for me.

Akron Family – “Woody Guthrie’s America” from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

**** I was under the influence of nothing aside from Akron/Family… seriously ****

These are notes for the brass quartet I found after the show. It was going to be the only description piece for the concert review because it pretty much ties the whole thing together.

Instead I decided to bore you all with about 500 words of what most of you will call hippie bullshit.

11:58 pm: Seth, Miles and Dana (the AKAK themselves) take the 400 sq ft stage along with the breaded tree men of Megafaun and a brass quartet (including a flute-playing midget) The stage is set for the entering of the New Year. There is a heavy smell of freshly smoked grass, but I am just blazing the excitement. A part of me does not really believe that I am where I am. My ponderings of the past year’s experiences are halted by the countdown. Fuck Times Square. Fuck Dick Clark. I cannot believe how many people really thought I would fly to NY for that clown act. I am here: to be capitulated; to be with my people; to share in a moment of beauty; to hear a sound that might remind of a purer time. I have always felt that Akron in some way has connected me back to the land, reminding me of that spirit I felt in a river in Texas, the clarity of a time out by the lake in Montana, or standing atop a mountain in Oregon surrounded by 200 year old pine tree. In this tiny venue on the 74th block of Leonard Street, there is a view of the world seen through the eyes of your own precious moments. I find myself amongst the believers who know the majesty of the musical spirit.

Akron/Family jump starts the festivus with Phenomenon. Miles—who has decided to wear his “Hey man, I want to party with you shirt” again—is trying to convince everyone in the place to yell at the top of their lungs. The song closes with a surprising layered shoegaze moment, leading into their recently-revised live version of Lake Song.

 
Akron/Family : Lake Song – 12.31.08 NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

(Ebee and I both agree that the live version is great but might be too Latina. Why fix the original if it is not broke.) Nonetheless, you can obviously get a feel for the raw power.

I first heard Untitled I at a live Akron show at a wine cellar in Visilia. I was about 6 inches from Seth’s guitar. His fingers are little soldiers of God’s army. I had my eyes closed for nearly the whole show. Yes, that is how brightly they radiated. Just close your eyes.

Akron/Family – Untitled I @ NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

(Amendment to the orignal post….I have been re-watching this video over and over; sheer exquisiteness. I mean how great is it at minute 3:30.)They have revamped this song since I last saw them. Adding some meat for the new album is my guess. Awesome.

Raise the Sparks makes me want to hug a tree and scalp the white man all in one motion.

Akron/Family – Raise the Sparks – NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

This song I just decided to call Primordial Sound. Miles looks as though he is trying to force the darker side of his soul into the microphone. Neat, huh? (Mom don’t watch this)

Akron/Family – Primordial Sound – 12.31.08 @ NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

The set closes with the original three side hugging each other, repeatedly singing “Last year was a hard year for such a long time / This year is going to be all ours.” Although in many ways this was not my truth I sang along with everyone. The harmony of a Akron + the crowd family is a sound no one should miss during a lifetime.

Tonight (as well as all other nights) Akron/Family broke through the lines of genre and dogmatic categorization, existing in a vast universe of purple mountains that ring of clarity and sharpness. There style is one of unbridled passion, laced with spontaneity and thickness. They are the reason everyone should be protestant when it comes to music; hear with your own ears. Akron is the broad highway.
As the night closes, I remembered of how their set began with the lyrics of Phenomenon stating /some might not think this is the right sound/; I more fully understand that this is not for everyone but it is for me and that is ok.

I wish anyone who just read this was there with us. John, Ebee, Naia, Laura, guy who only listens to live music and I held down the fort for you though. (Dan I can’t believe you left to caught the train.) We only live once and I would not trade the moments shared with you and them for anything. The forever binding spirit of AKAK.

10:30 pm: Enter San Fransisco based indie-experimental-hyper-rock band, Deerhoof. Enter the surprise act of the evening. Enter a small Asian woman, a man in light blue old school milk delivery man suit, a coked out college kid, and a long haired version of Stapler guy from Office Space (you had to hear him talk).

I bought their album “Friends Opportunity” about a year back and was wholly unimpressed. I found it kind of annoying to be frank, so I was not that jazzed about the performance. Next thing you know I can barely keep my hands steady from the energy being pelted at my corpus callosum. The crowd was being set on fire by the guitars of John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez ripping along side the heavy crescendos of Greg Saunier. I had heard their shows were a sight to behold from a friend who saw them at the LA Natural History Museum. I dont know why I doubt people. I feel as though I am failing to describe the essence of the show….but in a sentence, it was heavy yet hyper and my brain tripped over itself repeatedly in anticipation of the next riff from John. I wanted to jump, kick, scream and throw my camera into the wall. Instead I MTFU (thats for you Stone Junkie) and let the vibes run their course.

The video camera is right next to the drum (obviously), so sorry for the sound quality. I am asking for two minutes of your time today, just watch the first video from start to finish. FYI if you know the names to any of these songs I would greatly appreciate help.

This is where the term “Holy Toledo” came from.

Deerhoof : Dummy Discards A Heart – Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

The crowd was restless and my camera was being shifted in a wave of sweaty manliness. Listen to the guitar at 1:13 if nothing at all then heard me yelling.

Deerhoof : The Perfect Me – NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

 No idea why the quality sucks on Youtube but I am out of upload space for the week at Vimeo.

9:15pm: Dirty Projectors hop on stage. The excitement is starting to build in the air. The crowd is beginning to fill out, the coat pile at our feet is ever-growing. The leader singer, Dave Longstreth, gawky body is pacing the stage, head bobbing front to back. Directly in front of me is the big brown-eyed female bassist straight out of Stone Junkie’s dreams. I could watch her and Amber (guitarist) sing harmonies for days…..

These songs are both off their new record, Rise Above, which is a remake of the Black Flag’s Damage album done from memory of Longstreth’s youth. Dirty P has been an AKAK special sauce band for the past year and I have a friend named John Vinyard of Texas to thank for turning me on to them.

Imagine It! is such as powerful live performance, particularly when Amber yells from a foot away at the mic.

Dirty Projectors : Imagine It – NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

If you are ever feeling down about life, listen to this song at 24 dbs or a pair of headphones.

Dirty Projectors : Rise Above – NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

After the performance Dave announces that this is the final performance of the Rise Above album and a new album with subsequent live playlist will take over.

8:30pm: Megafaun (or as I call them Megafun) appeared on stage with Ebee and I among the few who were already standing up at the front of the stage. The venue was dark and smelled of roasted corn dogs and a German brewery. The band’s beards provided all the coziness of a New Hampshire B & B and we quickly discarded our coats and scarfs in the left corner of the 800 square foot room. I wish I had more footage of Megafaun but I had to save for others and I was waiting for them to play Lazy Suicide which never happened.

The closer:

Megafaun – Drains – NY Knitting Factory from Capt. AKAK on Vimeo.

 
 
It is the people at these shows which I love almost as much as the bands; particularly at an Akron show. We met two great people who had driven from Chicago, John and Naia as well as Dan and a kid who was about to experience his first live show ever. There was another New Yorker who spoke to me about the magic of the front left spot at venues (which is where I always try to be as well…..) He does not buy records or cds, solely listening to live music. Genius.

Monday night. LA. The Echo. The Captain and I learned a few things on this chilly Election Eve:

1. Scenesters are the new hipsters and I’m pretty sure they have no interest in music.

2. The only thing lamer than smashing your guitar on stage is pretending to smash your guitar on stage.

3. Joan of Arc had a rough go of things.

We arrived during a performance by Light (I think) and amidst the screaming and loud noises I caught something about happiness not being cheesy, but good. The woman who uttered this nugget of gold was a scenester. One may assume this reclamation of happiness would go against the belief system of a scenester. Not so. This would be likening a scenester to a hipster, who, of course, is too indifferent to experience happiness. A scenester enjoys a good time. Throw on a gold lamé bikini, add an unusually cut tank top, blue jean cutoffs, black sheer tights, finish with furry boots and they will dance their little hearts out to the house music between bands. Scenesters don’t really care what music is playing (they may not even like music), they are there to be seen and a nice long mustachio, full mountain man beard, or mullet will ensure that.

The next band, Weave, was the supposed reason for being there. All scenesters, for sure: cutoffs, holey clothes, oddly placed scarves, clothespins in hair. Struggling to ignore the singer/bass player’s constant cursing, encouragements to vote, and attempts at sultriness, I focused on Sleeping Beauty playing over the stage. As a result, I missed the debacle that caused the guitarist to seemingly smash his guitar. The keyboardist, who was wearing fake dreads, joined him on the floor and shortly thereafter they proceeded off stage. I felt mildly sorry for the remaining members, the potty-mouthed singer and comparatively subdued female drummer, but they persisted and the keyboardist triumphantly returned, sans dreads, to rock the tambourine. For the closing song, the guitarist managed to make it back on stage and revealed that he had in fact only fake smashed the guitar. He turned his back to the audience though, and didn’t actually play. Album release party success!

The actual reason we were there was Warpaint. During their performance, Victor Fleming’s Joan of Arc was playing. I’m not sure there could be anything more haunting than the close up of a teary eyed Ingrid Bergman as Joan to the accompaniment of Warpaint’s reverberation. They too put an enormous effort into dressing as unattractively as possible, but their musical talent and knife-twisting-in-heart lyrics excuse their proclivity for parachute pants and moo moos. “Oh wonderful one, why are you like that?”

 ~ ALHP