Silversun Pickups at Culture Room, January 8, 2016

Last Friday, on Bowie's birthday, no less, I went to see Silversun Pickups with Carlos. I had heard a few songs before, but this was his thing. I asked him to write a guest post. One thing he didn't mention was the opening band, Sweet Bronco, a local band that pretty much blew me away with a sound that brought to mind Joy Division among others but with more of a melodic sensibility. I will be keeping an eye on them. Oh, yeah and Silversun Pickups was great too. What I most like about them is the heavy bottom to everything. But let Carlos tell it. And when you're done, go check out his blogs Always Indigo and Cinesthesia.

About five or six years ago, I was flying from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale when, bored out of my mind from the almost five-hour trip, I decided to listen to some music from the in-flight selections. Among the usual pop crap, I happened upon a band name which sounded intriguing: Silversun Pickups. I pressed play on their album Swoon (2009). "The Royal We" immediately grabbed me, reminding me somewhat of Smashing Pumpkins with its fierce interplay between soft and loud dynamics and lead vocalist’s Brian Aubert’s half-whispered, half-snarled delivery. This was good stuff - hard-hitting, yet surprisingly melodic alternative-shoegazing-emo rock... or something of the sort. I don’t care about labels. All I know is by the time "Panic Switch" ended I was a huge fan. Thanks, Virgin Atlantic!

I hadn’t been able to see Silversun Pickups live until last Friday night, when they lit up the joint at Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale with a set that upset everyone’s – song reference here – circadian rhythm with its relentless energy. From the first song "Cradle (Better Nature)", off their 2015 release Better Nature, the band was firing on all cylinders. I was actually quite curious to see how they would translate their heavily-produced studio sound to a live environment – whether they would be drowned out by the distortion and electronic effects, or if they would go for something rawer and more stripped down. Amazingly, the answer was neither and both. While the group certainly lets loose in a live environment, it was very interesting to see how, more than anything, they are about control. That cinematic give and take between delicate and harsh never comes across as forced, with the band members complementing each other at just the right level. And that was evident throughout the night as they filled the venue with their intense wall of sound.

Aubert projected both swagger and vulnerability as he wowed the crowd with his precise shredding and impassioned vocal delivery on songs such as "Friendly Fires", his voice about to break on the verse “So who could ever break you down? / And what could ever freak you out?/ If you can carry this around / Then you will never break down.” Bassist Nikki Monninger is clearly a fan favorite, as the audience cheered her singing on the catchy "Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance)", her shy presence belying her strong sense of tempo – there’s no denying her playing is the glue that holds the band together. Behind the keyboards, Joe Lester expertly manipulated the atmospherics, and drummer Chris Guanlao rounded out the theatrics with an impossibly high cymbal that he would frequently crash with delight. By the time Silversun Pickups pummeled the audience with the one-two punch of "Latchkey Kids" and "Panic Switch", Gerry and I were already about to collapse from the strain of standing for more than two hours and, well, being in our forties and out of shape. But the adrenaline kept surging and we soldiered on as the group played six more songs. By the end of the night, we were (almost) young again.

Later I found out that the setlist had included one of my favorite songs, "Cannibal," but the band had replaced it in favor of a fan request, "Kissing Families". While I would’ve loved to hear "Cannibal" live, the fact that the group opted to play a song from their debut EP, Pikul, speaks volumes as to their craft and respect for their audience. During the chorus to "Nightlight", we had all kept screaming the line “We want it!” Well, we got it. And now that it’s over, I want to get it all over again.

Buddy Guy: Blues Legend

Last night Carlos and I saw Buddy Guy, who I think is at this point, the last surviving big name blues legend, at Hard Rock Live at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. We sat down to talk about it. From different computers and places. Ok, we chatted about it via IM. Here it is.

Gerry

We saw Buddy like 10 years ago at that blues festival, how much of that do you remember?

Carlos

I actually enjoyed that more than last night, mostly because of the venue. The fact that it was outdoors and he was the one to close the festival. Where we were sitting last night was just horrible. Having said that, I remember his energy and showmanship being exactly the same. The man does not seem to age!






Which is saying something because I think we both are generally not big on festivals and outdoor venues. But I honestly barely remember any details from the fest. I had just seen The Code Talkers and by the time I got to Buddy there was a large crowd. I do remember him jumping from song to song and doing the stuff with the guitar on his butt and the towel though. which could get cheesy, but he pulls it off





I think we were separated there, weren’t we? I remember standing on an elevated hill.






 Yeah, probably.  I don't think I've ever seen anyone else demonstrate complete mastery over their instrument the way he does. He is always in control of that thing.  Last night I was right off upset that we were sitting. There's something completely wrong about sitting politely for the blues.





He definitely pulls it off. The way he talks to the audience, makes jokes. It’s definitely something to see. I haven’t seen enough bluesmen in my time, but I agree with you he’s a badass. How did you feel about the song selection?




 It was good overall because he stuck to doing a lot of standard blues numbers. I would have liked to hear some more of that instead of the super extended solos between him and his other guitar player, Ric Jaz. Not that they weren't great, but maybe too many.






Yeah, that got a bit repetitive. I did like pianist Marty Sammon’s solos, though. Almost made me want to go back to taking piano lessons. Except I obviously suck.





Obviously. But sucky piano and sucky guitar is all we need for our band.

I really liked the acoustic bit where he played bits of classic rock and soul songs. If the show had been just that, I would have liked it much better. Have you heard the acoustic stuff he did with Junior Wells in the 90s? That stuff is awesome.





Yeah, the acoustic part was one of the highlights of the show. I haven’t heard the stuff with Junior Wells, I’ll have to look it up now. I really liked that moment when he went into the crowd, singing and playing as if it was that easy.





That  was the other highlight. I kind of wish we had been more motivated to follow him around the venue with all the old folks taking selfies. But I think the shitty crowd and lack of sight of the stage from our shitty seats had put us in a bit of a shitty mood. We weren't our usual rock n roll rebel selves.





Agree. Then again we’re old. It’s quite possible the crowd would’ve trampled us.  Even though they were older than us






Fucking old people always ruin concerts for us. As much as you hear people complain about "kids today" it's always people older than us that are constantly getting up to go to the bathroom or talking or sitting down when it's a fucking blues show and they should be standing! Stand up for the blues, motherfuckers!





That reminds me of Bob Dylan and how you had to tell those two old ladies behind us to shut the fuck up.






And that time we went to see Rodrigo and Gabriela and the old Brits were talking. Meanwhile, there's Buddy, 79 years young, being a badass and cutting loose.




When we walked out we were talking about how guys like Buddy, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and others had eventually settled into a more “commercial” and polished way of playing, when perhaps their roots were more basic and raw. And I wish Buddy Guy had been a bit more like that, less “safe” if you will. What was that great point you made about the way they used to play vs the studio?




That rough style we like that everyone imitates wasn't necessarily on purpose. In a sense these guys were always playing this polished style in their heads. I remember seeing some documentary where I think it was Buddy himself or someone else that mentioned that when they didn't have a mic, they would take a mic from a taxi dispatch place. They'd just rip it out and then patch the wires back together to plug into the P.A. system at the show or even the studio. So that distorted vocal you sometimes hear in old Chicago blues songs is likely because of that. But of course, that's part of what everyone later picks up on when rock n roll rediscovers the blues in the 60s. And Jack White, The Black Keys and everyone has picked up on it too. It's that garage aesthetic, but it always out of necessity not intent.




It’s interesting how that evolution has come full circle. In any case, I was glad to have seen him. Hopefully next time he comes around, it’ll be at a less shitty venue than the Hard Rock. The Fillmore would be perfect. And with people who stand!





I'd say Revolution or Culture Room.  Or my living room.





  Living Room Blues?


  The new album from People Who Stand.

Slipknot Kick Off Summer's Last Stand in West Palm

SATAN!!!

I first heard Slipknot when "Duality" came out back in 2004. I instantly loved the dynamics of that song. The way it went from heavy to beautifully melodious and back. The insane drumming. It was perfect. The album, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses, was even better and made me get into the rest of their stuff, including the much heavier previous albums. There was something ominous about them that went beyond the masks. The darkness of their world view was not rooted in the occult. It was every day hate and anger, in many cases turned inward. This was a somehow different breed of metal than I grew up with and while it likely served the same purpose of letting off steam, the fact that the themes were so real made it seem like it was a fine line between dissipating violence and encouraging it. But that danger, that razor's edge, is exactly what makes it something of importance and something special. So all these years later, when Carlos* mentioned going to see them, I was a little scared.

There were like 4 bands playing at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm. It was the first show of the Summer's Last Stand Tour. While I'd heard of the other bands, I wasn't really interested in them so we didn't plan to get there until Slipknot was about to play. We did, however catch about 3 songs from Lamb of God, which I guess are a big deal. It was very heavy and there was a projection of battle footage that gave the whole thing a kind of apocalyptic vibe, especially since the first and only word I understood from the lead singer was when he actually, stereotypically, yelled out, as part of his audience banter, "SATAN!!"

Insane stage.

Anyway, once they were done it wasn't long before Slipknot unleashed what turned out to be an amazing show that was equal parts opening the gates of hell and Kiss style theatrics. There were several times that I wished, probably delusionally, that I had been down in the pit getting a better view and really feeling the energy. But as it was, from our more than safe distance, my knees were killing me just standing there.

I couldn't name all the songs, but the few I did remember, and some of the new ones I hadn't heard were great. I'm not a fan of big venues, especially when they're outdoors. The sound was ok, but at that volume, in the open air, it's bound to get muddied and lost, no matter how good the mix. The stage set was pretty insane featuring a giant devil head and ramps and fire and Christmas lights. There are a lot of dudes in Slipknot and three of them were drumming. One guy just kept jumping off the second level of the stage, repeatedly, because he's the DJ and there are maybe 3 songs that he actually has to do anything on. But all that insanity and over the top madness serves to somehow simultaneously enhance and balance out the darkness and nihilism. Because it's all in good fun.

One example of the fun was a song I hadn't heard before called "Custer" which features a chorus that everyone sang along in unison. That happy little chorus was "Cut, cut, cut me up and fuck, fuck, fuck me up." I thought Carlos shit his pants during that one. But the thing is this song, this music, this community is built on giving voice to dark thoughts. At several points Corey Taylor, lead singer, talked about us all being part of a family and how metal was the true music of the streets. And while I'm sure it's true that most genres, especially the more outsider genres develop these supportive communities, there's something about the nature of the metal catharsis (I've really taken to this word lately) that inspires a sense of community. Maybe it's because all that anger is coming from mostly painful places and anyone that is really into it can recognize it in each other even if we don't get all touchy feely about it. I don't know. Maybe it's just bullshit and it's just adrenaline.

*It's funny how mentioning Carlos makes him seem like my Argentinian lover or something. But he's actually Puerto Rican.