MHCP

Overall

Tuesday night. Found a new friend to come out with me to a show. Going to a concert with someone can be a deal breaker for me and I am happy to report that my date passed with flying colors.

First time at Tractor Tavern. Venue is bigger than I thought (capacity is about 350 people). The sound is good, the drinks are really strong and the bathrooms are gross. Perfect. There are even a few tables and chairs scattered throughout in case you hate one of the opening bands and just want to sit down.

Although cowboy boots decorate the ceiling of this venue, the dress code for the night was Converse. Seriously everyone was wearing Converse. 

Portland you know I love you, but it was nice to see people arriving to the venue on their bikes and not dressed as bike riding people. Seattle, I give you big points for understanding that riding a bike is a just something you do, not an overall look you are going for.

The West

Fun fun fun dance dance dance party music with a band that does not lack charisma. You can't really go wrong unless you hate fun. This is the type of band you want to see when they are headlining, you are wearing a crazy amount of glitter and are on your way to being thoroughly intoxicated.

Two words: hot pants. They had a zipper so I think technically that is what I'll call them. Sorry I didn't get a better pic.

There was some seriously competitive dancing in the front row. The venue was not crowded by any means, but there were a few groups of people in the front trying to out dance each other, which proved to be very entertaining.

I bet this band is awesome to see when they are headlining and the crowd's energy matches theirs. I will be checking out their show July 5th at Neumos and you probably should too.

Boat

My date was wearing a shirt with an anchor on it, so she wins the prize for being an automatic fan. 

The sound mix was a little funky on this one and it was hard to hear all the vocals. 

During their set, an alarming amount of USA men's national soccer fans showed up post World Cup qualifier. Some were even changing out of their fan gear into normal clothes in the bathroom. 

Singer standing on bass drum during rock out session = rad

Free Energy

HFS. Best show in a loooooooooooooooooong time. I cannot wait to see this band again. The lead guitarist rules, let's just start with that.

Drummer wearing Titus Andronicus shirt has a startling resemblance to Blake from Workaholics. 

Number of Justin Bieber haircuts on stage: 1

So many guitar solos. I did air guitar like 5000 times. 

Fret whiskers: that thing where you don't trim the end of your guitar strings at the tuners.

Just before the encore, the bar wasn't closed! How awesome is that??

Song after song after song, they just kept getting better. It was an amazing set. 

Alright folks, good luck topping this band this year. They set the bar pretty high.

In Conclusion

I give this show 94 stars. One star for Tractor Tavern. One star for The West and their infectious dance music. One star for the Boat singer who climbed on drums during a song. Twenty stars each for the lead guitarist and lead singer of Free Energy. Fifty stars for a very well crafted set list. One star for keeping a smile on my face for the entire set. 

Overall

Sunday night. Made the trip down to Portland to catch these guys.  

Completely empty venue 10 seconds before the band went on. As soon as they started the place was full (about 40 people). Where did everyone come from? The line at Salt & Straw across the street?

Dude party. I think my friend and I were the only girls at this show.

Cool Ghouls

Alrighty then, these guys mean rock n roll bizness. They started the set with their excellent tune "Natural Life." 

Their democratic songwriting process is very evident in their set: each band member (except dummer) took turns taking the lead vocals. The chemistry of the band is palpable, especially in a room so small. 

Tall boys of Rainier were drink of choice. Drink ticket even cashed in by drummer during the set.

Speaking of the drummer, HE RULES. Probably the first drummer  of the year to play like they mean it. He even appeared to have a cement block in place to keep his kit from moving. At least I think that is what it was for.

All bands reading this should take note and follow Cool Ghouls example of smiling on stage. All band members were happy and full of infectious, genuine smiles.

This is hopefully the first and last time I am going to comment on farting at a show. I've commented on smells before (King Tuff, anyone?) but this was something else. Here is the deal: someone in the crowd was gassing out a shit storm. There was no where to move and no where in this small small venue to avoid the green cloud of outhouse smell. I am sure the band was getting a mouth full with every breath they took. Pretty sure singing during extreme poop smell is worse than getting booed off a stage. Kudos to Cool Ghouls for playing hard enough to take my mind off it.

Farts aside, Cool Ghouls did not disappoint. Their record (with fantastic artwork by the way) fairly represents their live energy. They genuinely have a fun time on stage and my only complaint is that the set was too short. Do not miss them the next time they come through, PDX. 

  In Conclusion

I give this show 8 stars. One star for the band all wearing excellent footwear. Five stars for good chemistry. One star for three singers who sound the same and sing interchangeably. One star for such an intimate venue. Minus one million stars for poop smells, but it won't go against their total since it isn't their fault.

Photo by Michael Bordelon

I know you need something new to listen to. I also know you want a soundtrack to play along with your upcoming summer of campfires, road trips to somewhere warm, and substantial drinking at an awesome house party. Lucky for you I have the perfect recommendation: Cool Ghouls.

I had the opportunity to talk with the foursome earlier this week. They seemed to be having a small party on the other end of the phone and I have the feeling they bring the party with them wherever they go.

If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the Cool Ghouls self-titled release that came out last month from label Empty Cellar, stop what you are doing and play it. No one around you will complain. Their sound is a mix of straight out of the 1960s Troggs slash San Francisco Bay area attitude slash a hint of we don’t-give-a-shit level of seriousness. The hooks are catchy, the harmonies are pure fun and you will probably have “Natural Life” stuck in your head for days.

I’m a nerd about songwriting lately, so I had to ask about their process. Unsurprisingly, the songs for this album were all written democratically. Each band member came to the table with a riff or idea and then they “jam it out” until a song emerges. The process was very collaborative and translates well in their sound. This sort of collaboration requires a strong foundation of friendship, and it was obvious in my conversation with them that they are very good friends. In fact, band members Pat Thomas, Ryan Wong and Pat McDonald have known each other since high school. Alex Fleshman was later introduced to the band through McDonald from the dorms at SF State. Throughout my conversation with them they complimented one another, made each other have lady giggles, and seemed to have that chemistry that all great bands possess.

When I asked if there is anything they want potential fans to know about them, there was a collective “ahhhhhhhhh shit” from the room. It’s a tough question when you are just getting started (the band formed officially in 2011 but had been in the works since 2006). To summarize their thoughts: they are not trying to take themselves too seriously and they are just cool, normal, guys doing their thing. True that.

Check out this video for "Natural Life." I think it does a great job summarizing the band. It has amazing scenery and a dancing bear. I have the feeling the bear was drunk for reals.

So what can you expect when you go see them live in either Portland or Seattle (or both?). For starters, the power might go out. Apparently they have knocked out the electricity at two different venues. Also, as the band has previously experienced, people might crawl in through the windows to get inside to see them play. What will definitely happen? You will be a happier person.

Overall

• Wednesday night show.  House was packed.

• Awesome crowd doing awesome things.

• Seemed like the majority of the people there were on a lot of drugs.

The Black Angels

• Chick drummer.  I’m not talking Meg White keeping a back beat bullshit.  This chick shreds.

• Two lefty guitarists??  What?  Serious.  Good ones too. 

• Face melting visuals.  I feel like I barely watched the band.  I just watched the pretty pictures.  This band totally gets their shit.  Just imagine staring at the covers of “Passover”,  “Directions to See a Ghost” and “Phosphene Dream” on a retarded amount of 'shrooms.  

• Another thing that distracted me from watching the band was the performance of an amazing fan. This dude pretended to conduct an entire song.  Maybe even the whole fucking show. And he fucking nailed it.

• There was a guy in front of me that was playing with his hair in a really weird sexual way.  Or at least that’s what I thought until I realized he was having a HARDCORE make out session to the tune of “Black Grease”.  They left when the song ended.  Presumably to bone.

• On a more serious note, I’m concerned that there might be something seriously wrong with the top of the lead singers face.   I’ve seen these guys a few times, and I’ve seen photos, but never the top half of his face.  I have two theories.  

1.) Face Scales.      

2.)  Maybe his eyes are extra sensitive to the stage lights so he pulls his hat way down.

• Option 1 is the lead theory at the moment.

In Conclusion

I give this show 8 stars.  One star for the awesome make out couple.  One star for having a stoner conductor in the audience.  One star for never revealing your face above the nose.  Two stars for having a female drummer and two lefty guitarists. And two stars for completely understanding your sound and translating that to a live show both visually and sonically.  I wish I was TRIPPING MAJOR BALLSACK like everyone else.  

Overall

Tuesday night packed show sponsored by 91.3 KBCS. Beautiful spring day in Seattle. 

This venue is straight up rad. The Triple Door is a dinner theater with excellent food and stadium style seating. In case you were wondering, I had the veggie pad thai and a glass of wine, my date had the 7 Flavor Beef with a whiskey and beer back. Manhattans for dessert. Everything was reasonably priced and the service was great. Get there early to settle in and eat your dinner. Can't remember the last time I saw a band and drank wine. Oh wait yes I do.

For the record, except for a newborn baby, we were the youngest people in the room.

Jesca Hoop

She came on stage, no one clapped and it was really weird. Maybe people were paying too much attention to their dinners?

So I guess this is what they call "freak folk?" Listen to the song "Murder of Birds" from the album Hunting My Dress to get an idea. 

Major points for strange song topics. One song she introduced was about fantasizing about being injured and in the hospital. The album version of this song "Hospital (Win Your Love)" off The House That Jack Built has drums and other instrumentation but she performed a stripped down version with just her guitar and a backup singer. I like the live version much better.

Shuggie Otis

Here is my advice for a Shuggie Otis show: if you think a song is going to suck, just wait for the guitar solo.

Face melting, funky, jams. The way Shuggie plays guitar makes me want to learn how to play just like him. 

It's too bad the sound guy wasn't paying attention. We were sitting right by him and he was busy doing other stuff. As a result we could not hear the horns or winds. There were loads of sax, flute, trumpet, etc. solos but we couldn't hear them. At one point toward the end of the show the flute player had some frustrated hand gestures for the sound guy and adjustments were finally made. But it was the last song. 

His band is called the Shuggie Otis Rite and consists of 7 people besides Shuggie. Love that the dummer, Nick Otis, was wearing sunglasses. The whole band was well accessorized and if you were wearing a button down shirt on stage, chest exposure was required. BTW best band website ever...check it out here.

Let's talk about Shuggie's son, Eric who also plays guitar in the Rite. His style may be different but he can still shred with the best of them.

A few songs in and a handful of people were leaving. I don't think they were leaving because they didn't like it, I think they were leaving to go bone. It's that kind of music. There was even a guy in the very back of the room dancing by himself and dry humping the wall. 

The banter between songs was THE BEST. Fave Shuggie quotes of the night: "Shuggie like sugar" and "Get a dictionary and go look it up fool" and of course "Shuggie Otis Rite has invaded Seattle, Washington!"

After the double encore and massive jam session to end the night complete with disco ball and a crowd up on their feet, we were greeted outside by a spaced out guy with open arms looking in wonder and astonishment at the Triple Door and asking "What is this place?" My thoughts exactly.

In Conclusion

I give this show 18 stars. One star for Jesca's voice and her quirky songs. Fifteen stars for Shuggie's guitar shredding. Seriously. One extra star just for the whammy bar. One star for the drummer's sunglasses. Minus ten million stars for the sound mixing but I won't count that toward the total.

xoxo A

Overall

Sunday night. Pretty good turn out for a Sunday. 

Fantastic crowd

Really amazing solo dancing guy during first two bands at the front of the audience. His moves included: casting out a fishing line and reeling it in, jumping jacks, and my personal fave playing air guitar but look like you're stroking the worlds biggest d*ck. Seriously though, people were taking video of this guy. 

Hey why is there no drum kit set up for the first band...

Hustle and Drone

  Okay everyone settle down, they don't have a drummer but it all works out in the end.

I love it when the first band of the night is surprisingly great. Dave Davison from Maps and Atlases even came out to watch.

You know that awkward space between a small crowd and the stage? The audience doesn't want to get too close in case the band sucks and most bands react to the space by either ignoring it or talking about it uncomfortably. Hustle and Drone had the confidence to know that space would dissipate in a song or two.  The music literally drew the audience in. 

They were confident, comfortable in their own skin and had balls big enough to cover Radiohead (Idioteque).

Vocalist Ryan Neighbors had some of his own great dance skills behind his keyboard. The pink light box behind him served as an excelled backdrop for his fancy leg moves.

Best way to introduce a tune: "Chicks like this song"

Do me a favor and check them out the next time they come through your town.

Young Man

Five piece from Chicago. Took a few songs for the band to hit their stride. 

Nice, dreamy sound. Easy to listen to and get lost in. Their recordings do not capture the essence of atmosphere in the songs this band plays. Very pretty.

Number of Periodic Table of Elements shirts on stage:

Maps and Atlases

  Love the way everyone in this band plays their instruments. Their sound is very clean and very tight and each song changes enough to keep you guessing. 

Great simple set design with amp stands that were glowing pyramids. 

Giant bass drum on the stage looked like it was going to fall into the audience while the bass player was hitting it. Watch out.

Cover of Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" was  unexpected but really suited them. 

In Conclusion

I give this show 6 stars. One star for Hustle and Drone and all their awesome. One star for the craziest dancing fan ever. One star for The Crocodile keeping it real. Three stars for Maps and Atlases nailing it.

Okay okay, we're back! After so many shows last year we need a little palette cleanser. But we are both itching to rock...it's time!

We now have coverage in Seattle as well as Portland. Pacific NW takeover? We think so...

MHCP Year In Review 2012

Overall

Total bands seen: 144! 

Approx annual ticket cost: about $1000 each (does not include any travel costs)

Number of cocktails consumed: 312ish

Number of drummers A got her picture taken with: 1

Weirdest Show: Alan Resnick opening for Lower Dens at Mississippi Studios

Rowdiest Crowd: Girl Talk (both at Sasquatch and at MFNW)

Loudest Show: A Place to Bury Strangers in Portland.

Furthest Travelled: A Place To Bury Strangers in Brighton, England.

Most Anticipated: Pulp

C's Biggest Disappointment: Cat Power

A's Biggest Disappointment: Black Keys

Most Boring Show: War on Drugs

Most crowded show: YACHT

Stinkiest Show: King Tuff 

Surprisingly good: Nouvelle Vague (and would have been even better at a smaller venue)

Worst Attendance Yet Best Show: Cloud Nothings.

Best Band You've Never Heard Of: Ume

Best Venue: Doug Fir, but hoping for better bands to play there in 2013.

Up and Coming Venue: Bunk Bar! Surprisingly great bands played there this year and we can't wait to see more.

Worst Venue: Rotture. Yikes. 

Best Set Design: Foster the People

Most Fashionable Band: Santigold at Sasquatch

Most Memorable: Jezabels. It was on a boat a required a costume. We'll remember it for a long time. 

Worst Show: Cold War Kids (they only got one star).

C's Best Show: Pulp at the Warfield Theater

A's Best Show: Bon Iver at Sasquatch

JD McPherson at Roseland Theater (Allen Stone and Blind Pilot not reviewed)

Overall

Sunday night. REALLY windy night. Taking the Fremont bridge to get downtown was not the best idea.

Sold out!

Fundraiser for Portland's Sunshine Division. Silent auction downstairs. That sort of sums up the crowd. 

We arrived right at 7pm when the show started and people must have gotten there early, because people were already very drunk.

This quote I overheard sums it up: "What goes on here tonight stays here."

First time in a long while I have been to a 21+ Roseland show. Balcony was reserved seating only but there was a bar on the main level and all the way downstairs too.

JD McPherson

Rockabilly hoedown commence!

Slicked back hair on stage required.

As soon as they started playing, the people in the reserved balcony seating immediately regretted their decision to sit down.

Their music transports you to another time and place. In a good way. Is it possible to be nostalgic for a time before you were born?

Upright bass player, Jimmy Sutton, is the bees knees. There was some serious bass slapping going on. His charisma carried the band through their set.

North Side Gal was a crowd pleaser and the band really responded to the crowd's energy, but I was worried they weren't going to be able to top it...

Then they played "Wolf Teeth" and people started throwing stuff. It was awesome.

At the end of the set, they received a standing ovation from the balcony.

In Conclusion

I give this show 12 stars. Ten stars for the coolest bass player of the year. One star for Roseland having a bar on every floor. One star for "Wolf Teeth" and all it's awesomeness. Can't wait to see these guys again. 

PREVIEW: J.D. McPherson at Roseland Theater, Sunday December 16th, 2012.

As we head into the last few weeks of the year, it's hard not to reflect on all the fantastic albums released over the past 12 months. I'll admit, I've been working my list (and been having lots of debates with myself) but J.D. McPherson's April 2012 release "Signs and Signifiers" is definitely a contender. Ask any of my friends, it's been on every playlist at work and home since early this summer and continues to be on repeat.

So in the spirit of making everything into a list at this time of year, here is a list of five simple reasons for why you should go see J.D. McPherson play on Sunday night at the KINK FM Jingle Bell Jam:

1. You have a cute dress that is borderline rockabilly and you need an event to wear it to.

2. You love to dance.

3. McPherson's influences include a range from Delta blues to Led Zeppelin to Buddy Holly to Little Richard, all things you love and you are curious what it sounds like when these are all mixed together.

4. It's a fundraiser for Portland's Sunshine Division. They offer free emergency food and clothing assistance to families in need. 

5. He is opening for Allen Stone and Blind Pilot.

And just in case you need one more reason, I'm going be there...

Whitehorse + Dustin Johnsen at Doug Fir

Overall

Tuesday night. Haven't seen the Doug Fir this empty before. 

Do not order a glass of red wine at Doug Fir. Ever. Stick to the hard stuff or beer.

Dustin Johnsen

Very quiet, soothing acoustic Portland based singer/songwriter. 

It's the kind of music that is in the background while you quietly catch up with your friends. So that's what we did.

Whitehorse

Husband and wife duo Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland didn't disappoint.  We were sitting at the bar and after one song we were drawn to finish our drinks and head to the stage. They have fantastic voices.

There were a lot of M. Ward-esque moments. 

Doucet talked about Elliot Smith's influence on his songwriting and gave some props to Portland. 

Definitely a lot of cords on stage to connect all those pedals, a stomping board and the array of microphones which includes old telephone receivers. We both fell in love with the great sound of their voices in the old telephone receivers. 

There was a lot of looping going on and we appreciate that. It definitely made the performance interesting and kept us guessing. We really liked that it was hard to predict what part of the song they would play live over the loops. For example, in one song they looped the guitars, vocals etc and ended the song by both playing a drum. 

They didn't do the looping thing the entire show, they spent time just the two of them in the front of the stage in a permanent fret bone* playing some great songs, including a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire."

The crowd was so small that people were sitting on the stairs to watch. Their music has a lot of energy so it's gotta be hard to play for a crowd like that.

We'd love to see this band opening for someone like Wilco or Ryan Adams. Or maybe Band of Horses it a better fit considering their name... Either way we want to see what they can do with a full band including drummer, bass player etc. 

In Conclusion

We give this show 5 stars. One star for the stomp board. One star for excellent chemistry. Two stars for fret bone. One star for old telephone receiver microphones. 

*Fret bone: when two guitarists play facing each other, instruments only inches apart. Usually includes jamming or face melting.

PREVIEW: Whitehorse at Doug Fir Lounge, Tuesday December 4th, 2012.

What do you do when your Canadian co-worker who has excellent taste in music suggests you check out a band from his motherland? 

This happened to me last week. The co-worker will remain anonymous, but the band is Whitehorse. As soon as I got the heads up about this band, I listened to their new record The Fate of the World Depends on This Kiss and kind of fell in love. This husband and wife team (Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland) has chemistry, great voices and the kind of record that seems like it's going to be amazing live. Good thing they are going to be in Portland at Doug Fir Lounge next week.

McClelland says: "We have a pretty complicated setup on stage. We're looping rhythms. Luke has a kick drum and I have a stomp box, and we have seven guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, and tons of percussion. So for a lot of the songs, we're building pretty complicated loops and playing along to that. We're building it very organically on stage so anything can happen. It's gone very wrong, and very right.”

So what do you do when your Canadian co-worker who has excellent taste in music suggests you check out a band from his motherland? You say thank you.

Leonard Cohen at The Rose Garden Theater of the Clouds

Overall

▪ I am reluctant to ever go to a show at The Rose Garden but it’s L.C. and who knows if   he’ll tour again.

▪ Thanks Kink for the tickets!

▪ More 50something+ fedora wearing grey haired men than ever imaginable.

▪ I was excited to read on the tickets, “On stage promptly at 8pm”. I am not an old man but I do enjoy performance punctuality...what can I say?

Saw a medical emergency during intermission.

▪ Craziest factoid whilst confirming L.Cohen’s age: His daughter’s baby daddy is Rufus Wainwright. An attempt to create a Canadian musical super-child?

Leonard Cohen

▪ The show did in fact begin promptly at 8.

▪ Leonard ran onto stage. He is 78.

▪ He and the whole band were well suited topped with fedoras, the back up ladies too sans the caps.

▪ My expectations were high and he came through. His voice was even deeper than recordings it speaks the sound of his tales and his years.

   ▪ No lack of passion or sex in this ol’ man’s performance spending much of his time on his knees(no problem getting up or down) singing and speaking his intense poetry.

▪ Playing a large amount of what everyone wanted/needed to hear (“So Long Marianne”, “Suzanne”,“Take This Waltz”, “Tower of Song”,“Bird on the Wire”) until the back up singers went into an adult contempo gospel hoedown. I could have done without that! Respectfully, all fantastic musicians, his collaborator and the Webb sisters to name a few. L.C. tipped his hat to each as the soloed.

   ▪ Odd note, A was at Brandi Carlile while I was at this show. She covered “Hallelujah”. Of course, he sang it later as well!

▪ So lucky to have seen him. Certainly one of the most important musicians I will ever see. He’s not a washed up rocker- a wise cynical poet, fantastic at any age...perhaps better with age.

In Conclusion

I give this show 33 stars. Eight stars for being L.C.(an arbitrary number for almost as many decades as he has lived). One star for the dapper band. One star for the first harpist of the year. Ten stars for playing nearly 30 songs! One star for being a full, long show. Minus one star for sitting at the Rose Garden for three and a half hours. Ten stars for the ‘bucket list’(gawd I hate that term)performance factor. Three stars for truly putting on an outstanding show, obviously loving what he’s doing  and still having it!

Brandi Carlile + Blitzen Trapper at Crystal Ballroom

Overall

Rainy, gross, double gross Sunday night. My sister and I had been wanting to see Brandi Carlile for years, but her concerts always sell out before I even hear about them. We were very excited.

Longest line ever to get into Crystal Ballroom. The end of the line was all the way outside of Solestruck and it was pouring down rain. We were soaked when we got inside but the rain deterred no one. 

Blitzen Trapper

Country, rock awesomeness. After seeing them live I think I prefer their songs that are more on the Southern Rock side of the spectrum. 

They really hit their stride during songs with three part harmonies and songs with killer guitar solos. 

AMAZING beard on the keyboard player.

Complaint: the drummer wasn't up on a platform or anything so I could barely see him.

I look forward to seeing this band as a headliner someday. They were a lot of fun.

Brandi Carlile

Wow she as some pipes! Even for the last night of her tour. Her voice is fantastic.

Little gems hidden in each song. A thoughtfully placed solo by a cello or violin, an interesting drum fill etc. They did not play the songs exactly like the record and they improved them while playing live. Every band should copy this model. I appreciate the craft and care put into their live performance.

Happiest band ever. They were all smiles, all the time. I don't think it was just because it was the last night of the tour, I think this band really loves each other.

Did you know Brandi Carlile and her band have a non-profit organization called Looking Out? They donate $1 of every ticket sold to a charitable group in each city she plays. She was collecting donations for the Oregon Food Bank during this show. If you didn't get a chance to make a donation at the show, can you donate to the Oregon Food Bank here. Do it.

List of covers performed: Jolene (Dolly Parton), Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O'Connor), and she closed the set during her double encore with Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen) which was sweetly dedicated to her new wife. Funny side note: the other half of MHCP was actually at the Leonard Cohen show during this show. Sometimes we must divide and conquer.

In Conclusion

I give this show 30 stars. Five stars for Blitzen Trapper. Five stars for Brandi's voice. Two stars for the twins on stage with her. Two stars for Looking Out Foundation. One star for the violin and one star for the cello. Fifteen stars for Hallelujah. 

PREVIEW: Brandi Carlile at Crystal Ballroom, Sunday November 11th, 2012.

I have been a fan of Brandi Carlile for a long time. She plays Portland often, but I have never had the opportunity to see her live. Her shows sell out super quickly and I never seem to hear about the shows early enough to score tickets. Sunday, that all changes. I can't wait to see what her voice is like live, and I hear she puts on quite a powerful show. I'll have a full review up shortly after!

Gin Blossoms + Ambrosia at Spirit Mountain Casino

Overall

That's right folks, that says Spirit Mountain Casino and Gin Blossoms. Both are firsts for MHCP.

This is how you too could have ended up with tickets for this:

       Step 1: Drink a lot of wine with your friend/neighbor.

       Step 2: Listen to your friend/neighbor's "90's Jams" playlist. 

       Step 3: Sing and laugh when Allison Road is played. 

       Step 4: Learn from sober observer that Gin Blossoms are on tour.

       Step 5: Buy tickets before the song is over.

       Step 6: After learning the casino hotel is sold out, convince your parents to drive you and your friends so that you all may participate in the drinking that will occur at this concert. 

The picture above of the venue sets the scene for what the casino is like as a music venue. There is carpet. There are hundreds of chairs lined up. It's not pictured but the bar is in the way back of the room near the bleachers. Bleachers! 

Ambrosia

Me: "I feel like I'm at the dentist"

Friend: "The rock and roll dentist"

Number of drink required to get through Ambrosia's set: 3.

Gin Blossoms

To be fair, they sounded great. I'm not a big enough fan to know who are the original members and who aren't, but they had good chemistry and were all fine musicians. 

They played all the songs you know and love (and there a lot of them) intermixed with some newer songs that were popular in the Philippines. They knew what people came to hear.

 Allison Road, the song that got us there in the first place, was played fairly early in their set. During this song, the audience rushed to the front of the stage.

The lead singer kept grabbing peoples phones and taping himself singing.

If you ever wanted to play the tambourine, go see this band. They have like 6 of them that they pass around to the audience. 

In Conclusion

I give this show 10 stars. Parents driving me a Gin Blossoms concert? Yeah it's definitely 1992 all over again. Five stars for that. Another five stars because it isn't 1992 anymore. 

Devil Makes Three + Jonny Fritz Corndawg at Crystal Ballroom

Overall

Friday night. Sold out. We waited in line forever to get in.

Dinner before hand at Irving Street Kitchen. Any fave places you have to eat before shows at Crystal Ballroom? I am still trying to figure out the best spot.

Friends couldn't get in so they hung out at Ringlers. Did you know they broadcast shows there?

Recreational drug users had security and crowd control wayyyyyy outnumbered, therefore this was a full on party.

Jonny Fritz Corndawg

Didn't get to see too much of this performance because it really did take a long time to get in the doors, get upstairs, get all the way upstairs, get a drink, find my friends, and get to a place where we could see the stage.

There were just two guys on stage, one playing a guitar and the other playing the violin. They said they were from Nashville.

Pretty sure there was song inspired by cough syrup and fever dreams.

Devil Makes Three

So far this year the craziest crowd I experienced was YACHT at Mississippi Studios. The crowd at Devil Makes Three makes the YACHT crowd look like amateur hour. 

Here's the deal: in the under 21 section of the crowd, the area that is the closest to the stage, there was an imaginary line drawn between about 15 people back from the front of the stage and the rest of the crowd. This imaginary line separated the drunk people from the REALLY effed up people. We made the mistake of dancing across this line to the front and it was crazy. People were falling on the ground, getting trampled over, dancing with that look in their eyes that puking was imminent, and even dreadlocks that belonged to a girl behind us that tickled the top of my friends head....you get the picture. It was mayhem.

And then they played a song about whiskey and I thought the Crystal Ballroom was going to cave in. That song was definitely a crowd pleaser.

In Conclusion

I give this show 15 stars. Five stars for the very enthusiastic crowd. One star for the girl who bought my friend a beer so she could cut in line. One star for the rad girl bass player in Devil Makes Three. Eight stars for a band with no drums getting the crowd to make the Crystal Ballroom floor bounce.