August 25, 2014 by beatsthatsetmypulse

Sun Kil Moon- “She wanted love like anyone else…She had dreams like anyone else.”

Sun Kil Moon– Green Man Festival, Wales

(Aug 15, 2014)

A review by Erica Andreozzi

Sun Kil Moon (aka Mark Kozelek of Red House Painters) was one of the top 3 artists at Green Man who I was REALLY EAGER to see live, and it was crazy odds that they just so happened to be the act right before Augustines, one of my other top bands of the festival. I made sure to get to the front, posting up on the left side facing the stage…only to later realize (mad luck!) that this side would land me directly opposite Mark, with the BEST VIEW in the house. That lucky strike is what prompted my little “Look at us!” comment during the beginning of I Watched The Film the Song Remains the Same (video below), when I turned to the giddy older couple standing next to me.

Ever since a friend had told me about Mark’s new album (Benji) back in June, I had been listening for days on end and had been utterly transfixed by all of the personal narratives cleverly laced within his beautiful guitar melodies. Mark is brutally honest in this record, unveiling a repository of deep-seated emotions: relentless love for his mother (I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love), troubled confusion over the death of his cousin (Carissa), sexual confessions (Dogs), discomfort of misfortune (Micheline), death marking time (Richard Rameriz Died Today of Natural Causes), coming-of-age insecurities (Ben’s my friend), etc. And of course there’s much dressing in between the meat of these songs….So much subtle detail that you might think is random and out-of-place, but then later (after letting it marinate) you realize you were wrong- there is indeed a distinct method to Mark’s madness. He truly is a master of his craft.

One of the first songs that Mark kicks of his Green Man set with is a heartfelt track from Benji that he wrote about his mother: I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love. He’s also wrote a track about his father on the same album, but it was not nearly as sentimental and loving. You have to think that this brought her much tear-shed:

“I can live with the sky falling out from above
I can live with your scorn, your sourness, your smug
I can live growing old alone if push comes to shove
But I can’t live without my mother’s love
….
I can live without watching the classic old fights
I can live without a lover beside me at night
I can live without what you might call a charmed life
But I can’t live without my mother providing her light.” (slayed)

Funny thing was, immediately following this heartfelt track — a track that would almost prompt you to wanna give him a big bear hug– he makes a racy comment that most of the crowd found funny, but some found kind of vulgar: “They cancelled Jabberwocky tomorrow, so I’m gonna hang out here and try to get laid.” Referring to a “slew of ex-lovers” in one of his songs, it’s definitely clear that Mark likes to put off a ‘bad-boy’ image. Right after he made this comment about trying to get laid, he chugged some vodka from a bottle he had on stage; he re-visted this bottle several times throughout the set.

Next up was Dogs, which was very fitting since it’s about Marks’ sexual confessions/desires. I like this one, but it was kind of a strange choice for a festival that has a large demographic of families and children. I would have actually swapped this one out for Ben’s My Friend, one of my favorites from Benji that talks about the time he went to see his friend Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service) play at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California but how he felt too old amongst the crowd so he “gave his backstage pass to two cute Asian girls” and “drove to his place near Tahoe.” I love all of the references to San Francisco (Union Street), Berekely, and Tahoe in this one. Definitely takes me down memory lane and gets me a bit ansty to get back to California.

After Dogs came MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE from the Benji album: Micheline- a gnarly narrative that that is nothing short of GENIUS. Mark cleverly threads 3 different life accounts into one heartfelt journey of whit, irony, shock, despair, and gratitude, and you are left stunned and yet eager to hear more. I was SO STOKED to finally witness the live performance of Micheline at Green Man, although I was a bit thrown off by the beginning. I’m used to Mark’s acoustic guitar part kicking off the song, and it was a bit odd that he sat this one out. His vocals were incredible, but I still do enjoy his guitar!

“She wanted love like anyone else…
She had dreams like anyone else.” (flood of chills every time)

Soon following Micheline was another top Sun Kil Moon track (Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes) from Benji, although you couldn’t really hear the cool electric guitar part that comes in after Mark’s last verse (one of my favorite parts!). I turned my head toward the electric guitarist and stared at him with a “pick up your game!” kinda stare. Maybe it was a bit harsh, but come on!

“Richard Ramirez died today of natural causes
These things mark time and make us pause…
at 53 Richard Ramirez died but in 83 he was very much alive
he was the scariest killer in the bend
he had a pentagram
in the center of his hand.” (WOAH…creepy)

Another favorite was A Film The Song Remained the Same, and I can never seem to get enough of those gorgeous guitar melodies in the beginning. Such an incredible narrative that Mark weaves in this one, and the “thank you” verse (although more annunciated on the recorded version) slays me every time.

“I don’t know what happened or what anyone did
From my earliest memories I was a very melancholic kid
When anything close to me at all in the world died
To my heart, forever, it would be tied
…
And since that time so much has happened to me
But I discovered I cannot shake melancholy… (love this line)
..
I got a friend who lives in the desert outside Santa Fe
I’m going to visit him this Saturday
Between my travels and his divorces and our time not being what it was
It’s been 15 years since I last saw him
He’s the man who signed me back in ’92
And I’m going to go there and tell him face-to-face, ‘thank you.” (Favorite part! Mad chills…)

A few other songs from other albums that I would have love to hear him play are Elaine, Natural Light, UK Blues, and A Song for Richard Collopy. These festival sets often tend to be very short 45-60 min, and so I felt rest assured knowing that I would be able to hear much more at his solo gig scheduled for Aug 28th at St. James church in London. However, it was announced on Aug 23rd that this show had been cancelled. MAJOR DEVASTATION. I was REALLY looking forward to a much longer set, and of just him and his guitar. He’s playing festival in Sweden right now (from his song lyrics it’s clear he really loves it there), and maybe just decided he wanted to stay there for longer. Who knows, but WHAT A BUMMER. Luckily, my buddies in San Francisco will get to see him FOR FREE (along with Jonathan Wilson, another stand-out act at Green Man) at this year’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival on Oct 3-4 in Golden Gate Park. Catch him WHEN YOU CAN…he doesn’t tour often!

VIDEOS:

I Can’t Live Without My Mother’s Love:

Micheline:

Richard Ramirez Died Today of Natural Causes:

I Watched the Film the Song Remains the Same:

PICTURES:

July 20, 2014 by beatsthatsetmypulse

Ben Howard: “So happy hearted in the warmth…Free as a bird that flies.”

Ben Howard– The Independent (May 31, 2013)

Ben Howard, one of my FAVORITE singer/songwriters of all time who I discovered waaaaay before (from my buddy in the UK) he was known in the states (now a global icon). So glad I got to see him twice (Sasquatch music festival and The Independent) before he blew up in the states. His story is very much a Cinderella one, and it’s cool to think the he was a hard-core surfer (Cornwall’s coast) that never thought his campfire guitar sessions with friends at the beach could ever lead to global RockSTARDOM. We have London’s independent record label, Communion, for scooping him up early and helping him develop international success. He’s now already headlined many major festivals (Bestival, Latitude, Green Man, GLASTONBURY…) and has won many critically acclaimed awards all over the world. His fan base has grown IMMENSELY since seeing him back in the states (May 2012), and so seeing him a year later at Summer Stampede (London) and Green Man (Brecon Beacon, Wales) was a much different experience. In fact, I met two girls up at Sumer Stampede who came all the way from SWEDEN to see Ben (since their Peace and Love festival was cancelled). People from ALL OVER THE WORLD to become “so happy hearted in the warmth….free as a bird that flies.”

VIDEOS:

Only Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yc0kr779Xts%C2%A0

Promise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjUv0mn2PmQ%C2%A0

Black Flies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ0Lh3OXdDM%C2%A0

Old Pine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrRGfpmy6JE%C2%A0

PICTURES:

Ben Howard– The Independent (May 31, 2013)

Ben Howard had been on my radar for over a year and so to see him TWICE IN ONE WEEK at Sasquatch and The Independent was absolutely SURREAL. He is seriously one of the most TALENTED and unbelievably HUMBLE musicians I’ve seen. Last night was even further confirmation that I am in love with his music, and everything he represents. And better yet that I got to share it with Jen! 🙂

He opened the show with Depth Over Distance, an unreleased song that showcases his lap top percussion-style guitar skills. (SO GOOD, and wish I got a video!)….Another unreleased song that I love of his is called Soldier. MAGICAL, just magical…

VIDEOS:

Old Pine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfINTgFPZx4%C2%A0

Only Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-hds-3Uckw%C2%A0

“Untitled”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15K33QJexik%C2%A0

The Wolves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDuyr7rHpvU%C2%A0

Everything: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qBRKhVc1Q4%C2%A0

Black Flies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdyfld54Eeo%C2%A0

Keep Your Head Up (Part 1): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXUvMfG-gm4%C2%A0

Keep Your Head Up (Part 2): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf86eTLfVpk%C2%A0

Promise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSwhCnYdzd4%C2%A0

The Fear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k8g39ufqRk%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0

PICTURES:

July 13, 2014 by beatsthatsetmypulse

Lucy Rose: “And if we could back time, could we learn to live right?…”

Lucy Rose– Sebright Arms, London

(June 26, 2104)

I first saw/met Lucy Rose when opening for Bombay Bicycle club at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco back in Feb 2012 (see pics and videos below). I’ll never forget that she tapped me on the shoulder to get up onto the stage! My jaw dropped then, and later dropped even further when I first heard her hauntingly beautiful ‘Night Bus‘ ballad (video below). Her voice pierced me right away, bringing tears to my eyes (sounds dramatic but it was true). I remember saying hi after the show and being so lucky enough to snag a pic with the scarlet beauty (see below). I also remember her distinctly being shocked/surprised that anyone in the states even followed her music and knew who she was. WHAAAAAT?! (of course we did!)

Almost 3 years later, I see Lucy Rose again at a tiny, intimate (150 people, sold out in 4 min) pre-Glastonbury gig (she was picked to play the same stage as Metallica!) at the Sebright Arms in London. Talk about FULL CIRCLE. Now with a backing band and a much bigger/intense sound, her music has come SUCH a long way from those solo acoustic days which we all know and love. I was getting all emotional that night as she embraced her fans and teared up watching us enjoy the new tracks. Even with over 100,000 likes on Facebook, she’s still one of the most humble, down-to-earth, ADORABLE female artists I know. She makes EVERY FAN feel like they count, and that’s HARD TO DO. Not only did SHE REMEMBER ME from that San Francisco gig 3 years ago, but she told me that I couldn’t leave to go back and that I had to stay in London for the music scene. Difficult choice, girl! I do love the MUSIC MECCA that I London but one’s things for certain: I definitely “left my heart in San Francisco…” ❤

On the topic of traveling and living in different cities, I was teasing her when I mentioned that most of her new, unreleased songs (Sheffield, Koln) were named after different cities (see set list below). She laughed and in response was like, “Well, we travel ALOT! Haha.” This is very true, as they had been touring around the world for almost a year before stopping in Manilla (the Philippines) to play some gigs and take a bit of a band holiday. I told her that I loved the new songs, especially the one (‘Cover Up‘) that she recently posted online as a free download; I didn’t exactly take to it the first time I heard it recorded, but when I saw it live (TRIPLE DRUMS, maracas), and saw how much Lucy was embracing this ROCK OUT style, I couldn’t help but smile and rock out too. You could tell she was a bit nervous about how her fans would receive the new songs, so she really appreciated this postiive feedback. I also made sure to tell her she was she was very impressive on the keyboard (check out the video of ‘I Tried‘ below) even though she said it was an insturemnt she was only just learning. Maybe she got some private lessons from her good buddy, Rae Morris (who knew?!), another female artist I really enjoy..(Rae’s brother is Lucy’s manager!)…The music scene really is a SMALL WORLD when you think about how all the artists/bands are all linked! xx

VIDEOS:

Red Face:

Shiver:

I Tried:

*new, unreleased!

Bikes:

Watch Over:

PICTURES:

Lucy Rose (supporting Bombay Bicycle Club):

The Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco (Feb 15, 2012)

VIDEOS:

Night Bus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dlqW7OnRDA

Red Face:

PICTURES:

June 29, 2014 by beatsthatsetmypulse

Geographer- “Said this life was made for the LIVING…if this is life AT ALL.”

Geographer– The Independent (March 3, 2012)

Geographer is an American indie rock/pop/electronic band based in San Francisco (BEST CITY in the states) that consists of Mike Deni (vocals, guitars, synthesizers), Nate Blaz (cello, synthesizers) and Brian Ostreicher (drums, vocals). Band members have described their sound as being “soulful music from outer space.’ This space sound is conceived from a mix of analog, electronic and acoustic elements to craft dense layers and unique sound textures. (The whole time I thought it was “MAGIC,” haha)

Initially from New Jersey, Mike moved to San Francisco to escape family strife and learned that he could quiet those demons/suffering/pain by making noise with a synthesizer he found on the street (only in SF). He began to channel his experiences into the songs that would become their first EP, Innocent Ghosts, and mixed/recorded these tracks with Nate and Brian (who originally met while attending the Berklee College of Music, in Boston before moving to San Francisco).

Having listened to Geographer’s EP (Animal Shapes) and first CD (Innocent Ghosts) NON-STOP ever since I found out about them in November (from Tanyawan Norachit at the WU LYF show), I was so AMPED that they had just come out with a second album, Myth, and that they would soon be touring. And, there was NO BETTER PLACE to FIRST SEE Geographer than in their current home base (San Francisco), and at The Independent, my favorite venue in the city. With only ~350 capacity, this venue is till quite tiny, and you best believe I was going to take the opportunity to be right up against the stage (FRONT & CENTER) for their performance. I was so absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the whole experience, and I loved watching how all the different layers of sounds were whisked into melodies that perfectly complimented Mike’s lovely vocals. Geographer = Bubbly synths, pulsating cello, and hauntingly whimsical falsetto. I am STILL disoriented from the magic. They are by far one of my favorite bands, and the fact that they lie in SF makes me hope to run into them at some point when I move back from Europe.

Waiting for Geographer to come on, I met two awesome chicks (Cori Freeland and Lissette Herzel) that were also up front with me. They both had mentioned that their work (SAY media) had a private party with Geographer and Bombay Bicycle Club a week earlier. WHAT?! I need to CRASH those kinds of parties!! Although, I probably would have a better chance of running into them on the streets of SF…since they live there and are posting photographs on facebook of them in the city. In fact, I was told that Mike, Nate, and Brian they often frequent the SF t-shirt store, San Franpsycho, and are good buddies with the owners. Aside from Cori and Lissette, I also met Kevin Michael Ramos at this gig and later ran into him AGAIN when I saw Geographer at Outside Lands music fest in August 2012 (see pics below). Small world! I love the scene of Mike crowd surfing in the sea of his SF locals and the sign, “This is a Good Sign” right behind him. Paige Parsons, and epic music photographer who I met at The Twilight Sad gig a month earlier, has a really awesome picture of this scene as well. x

I was SO STOKED when Geographer came out and OPENED WITH Life of a Crime, which was not only one of my favorites, but my THEME SONG for the months of February/March. Could have not been more EPIC! The lyrics were on constant replay in my mind:

“But there is nothing here to hold on to, except the possibilities
When I was young, I had a vision…
Said this life was made for the LIVING…if this is life AT ALL.” (in sync with my current mindset)

They alternated back and forth with old songs and new songs, playing Verona, Kaleidoscope, Kites, The Myth of Youth…and then Cori and I started jumping up and down when we first heard the intro of Original Sin!!! We were talking about how that was one of our favorites…and she mentioned how disappointed she was when they didn’t play it at her work party. Both of us were in a crazy lil’ trance for that song- hands planted on stage, heads bobbing up-and-down/side-to-side like bobble heads. ROCK ON.

Love the intro line of Kaleidoscope:

“Now it’s gone. Turn the page…In a year we won’t remember what we meant to say.
So fill mine…Tell me why. We’re looking through kaleidoscopes at each other trying to see inside.”

I was a little upset that they didn’t play Night Winds, Atmosphere, Rushing In, Rushing Out, Underneath My Heart, Caught a Fire, and In the Morning (I really LOVE that album!). However, they did play one song: Can’t you wait, which was a nice unexpected treat. Mike asked the crowd about the Innocent Ghosts album and was surprised that anyone even knew about it. I do! It’s one of my favorite albums of my time in California (2007-2012), and it’s drawing me back! (Def left my heart there…)

Listening to these lyrics from Underneath my Heart were what got me through my bold experiment of moving to London in Nov 2012: “Go, you’re on your way, The hardest part, is counting days..”

I’m so glad I got the EPIC ENCORE of ‘Paris‘ on video. Check it out! :)

‘VIDEOS:

Paris: