Add Some Music to Your Day

On Friday, May 26, 2017, I was fortunate enough to attend the “Pet Sounds 50th Anniversary Tour” featuring Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and Blondie Chaplin at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, CA. They were backed by a solid group of musicians, including Al’s son, Matthew Jardine, who convincingly handled the falsetto parts on many of The Beach Boys‘ classic hits. The concert was divided into two halves, the first including quite a lot of their Top 40 hits and the second embarking on a trip through the songs from Pet Sounds. The show concluded with a six song encore to make

Rise Up and See for Yourself

I spent a few days mulling over the idea of going to see Foxygen at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood (Saturday, April 8, 2017). Obviously, since I’m writing a post about it, I eventually decided to go! I’m not particularly familiar with their music, though I remember checking out a couple of their songs on YouTube after the album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic came out they were being hyped in the music press. More recently, I’ve been impressed by Foxygen multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rado producing Do Hollywood, a fantastic debut album by my latest favorite find,

Do You Want to Dance With Me

The night of Thursday, March 30, 2017, I was out again to see Ha Ha Tonka and Old 97’s, this time at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Some people may question seeing the same bands at shows on consecutive nights. I find that if I see the same bands and even if they keep to the same or a very similar set list, there are elements of the performance and the overall experience that still make it worthwhile for me.  The previous night I had seen the bands at the venue nearest to where I live, Saint Rocke, which

This Is All Happening Right Now

As the full moon rose over the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Masonic Lodge on Friday, September 16, 2016, I eagerly waited in line with a few friends to see Dawes celebrating the album release of We’re All Gonna Die. The show had sold out on the day the tickets went on sale. I thought I was going to miss out on this one, but I managed to score a ticket the week of the show. There were quite a few people attending the show who were on the V.I.P. list and I must admit feeling a little like I was crashing

Beam of Light

Saturday, August 13, 2016 I was at the Troubadour to see Rhett Miller, lead singer of the band Old 97’s, perform a solo show.  Trapper Schoepp was handpicked by Rhett to open the show. Trapper, a self-acknowledged Rhett wannabee, noted half-jokingly, half in vexation at the start of his set that night, “I can’t do all the stage moves I stole from him!”  However, he had the talent to successfully assume the position of Rhett-lite, as well as demonstrate his own charm and talent for laying down some catchy, story songs and clever lyric phrases spun over straightforward chord changes.