OUT TO SEE: MAKE MUSIC PASADENA
I had a conversation with a friend at Make Music Pasadena. We concluded that the Indie Rock Stage needs to get shifted to the park and the Emerging Artist Stage needs to get shifted to Colorado Blvd. That’s our recommendation, because it was one packed day of great bands.
Saint Motel
I saw Saint Motel about two years back. I think they are a much improved band. They started the day for me by bringing a little Silver Lake to Pasadena.
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Morning Benders
The day hit a snag here. The band played one song and then a police officer went up on stage. The police wanted to clear out the sidewalk for fire code reasons. No one, especially those near the stage, wanted to clear the sidewalk area. Finally, the area was cleared by a handful of officers and the band went back to giving one of the better performances of the day.
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NewVillager
It sounded like the ladies were totally into the lead singer.
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Best Coast
Could the crowd squeeze in any tighter? This was obviously the band everyone came to see. Best Coast also got delayed as the crowd needed to get cleared out from a fire zone section. Almost as soon as they started, a bra came flying on stage. The lead singer, Bethany, picked it up, “This is my first ever bra.” By the midpoint of the set, folks were crowd surfing, and a push towards the stage and to the sides started. At this point, Bethany stopped the set for a brief moment, “Don’t push. There are some real cuties at the front getting smashed. Don’t push.” And you know what, the crowd listened. There was still crowd surfing after her comment, but the push towards the stage stopped. As their set came to a close, a member from Make Music Pasadena ran over to the drummer. Something was whispered. I suspect it was, “That was your last song.” Bethany addressed the audience, “How long have we played? F*!ck that s!*t. We’re playing two more songs.” Considering this was the band folks were there to see, I think she made the right call. Noticed: Best Coast had their set list on paper plates, which they proceeded to toss out to fans after their set.
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Comment heard from the crowd: “This is way better than last year!“
My thoughts on that comment: Last year had Matt & Kim and Warpaint. Saying it is better is a matter of personal opinion, but saying it is way better seems biased . . .
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Ra Ra Riot
Okay, the lead singer admitted that he threw out his shoulder in the morning reading the newspaper. Now one might ask: who reads an actually newspaper anymore? Well, I say, this is a person I like, because I still read the newspaper. As for the violinist, the comment heard from my section of the crowd, “She’s so cute.” Due to all the delays driven by the fire code requirements, the Indie Rock Stage was behind schedule. A DJ was scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m. and so the Make Music Pasadena staff started setting up the DJ table during the middle of the set. I think the violinist found this distracting.
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Jenny O
It was a shift to the Emerging Artist Stage here. Jenny O was a nice change of pace. “Can I get more acoustic, sound guy . . . ?” That was a funny comment as the sound guy had apparently disappeared for a moment.
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Kisses
They came to throw a party. Leis were brought and eventually tossed into the audience. Folks were asked to stand up – the stage area had seats lined up – and not only did folks stand, but they also rushed towards the stage. And as their set ended, a call was made for folks to jump on stage for a group dance. To end it all the lead singer did a stage dive.
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Zola Jesus
I couldn’t help but think of IO Echo and Nico Vega while watching Zola Jesus. She was dressed in white and I couldn’t figure out if she represented a floating ghost or a siren angel as she moved around the stage. She kept on heading into the audience during her set and security followed her each step of the way. I think she was trying her best to escape the security. The set ended with one massive scream. Zola Jesus, a nice way for the evening to end.
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Metro: It was cool seeing the Gold Line packed. This was definitely a means of transportation to Pasadena.
I’ll make one negative comment here: I won’t name names, but one band was over-the-top disrespectful to Make Music Pasadena. Just my honest opinion.
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: The Big Pink – A Brief History of Love
I’ve learned a valuable lesson from some of my previous writer ups — The Internet can be a bad place. The Teenagers, Girls, and The XX have taught me that when I’m done with the write-ups and I’m searching Google for album art I should toggle my safe search on. Harmless searches with terrible results. With that mind I present to you the top ten list of most dangerous band name searches:
10.) Cream
9.) The Morning Benders
8.) Brazilian Girls
7.) Mr Big
6.) Love Spit Love
5.) The Virgins
4.) The Butthole Surfers
3.) Scissor Sisters
2.) Amy Winehouse
…
and coming in at number one is today’s artist of choice: The Big Pink.
I’ve had this British duo’s album on heavy rotation since mid September and I still can’t get enough of it. I’m a sucker for synthesizers and drum machines. However, what’s really doing it for me are the walls of guitar fuzz. Each spin makes their sound travel a little bit further down the timeline till you’re firmly resting in the comfortable bosom of the late 90’s shoegaze guitar scene. I welcome a return to that sound with open arms…but lets all agree to never call it “nu-gaze”. Great. (more…)