Top live shows of 2017: #’s 25 – 21

Who cracked the top 25 of my live shows I saw this year?  Read on!

#25 – Temples – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ March 11th.

Temples were the last band to play on the Desert Daze lineup at the VIVA PHX music festival.  It was my first time seeing them in a small venue, and they nailed it.  They sounded perfect and delivered a solid set that earned them many new fans.

#24 – The Damned – House of Blues – Chicago, IL April 23rd.

I’d wanted to see punk rock legends the Damned for a long while, and this show was pretty much what I’d hoped it would be.  The crowd was a fun mix of punks, goths, and horror film fans, and moshing to “Neat Neat Neat” with the Damned only a few feet away was a delight.

#23 – Thundercat – Mamby on the Beach – Chicago, IL June 25th.

I’d heard a lot of good things about Thundercat prior to seeing him live at this music festival, and he didn’t disappoint.  He and his two-man backing band played a great jazz fusion set in the middle of a festival mostly devoted to electronic dance music.  He’s an amazing bass player, and seeing him shred live makes you appreciate his skill even more.

#22 – Marian Hill – Mamby on the Beach – Chicago, IL June 24th.

Speaking of Mamby on the Beach, Marian Hill were one of the best bands we saw there.  They played a great set of sexy dance rock that might be the best new makeout music you need to hear.

#21 – Goblin – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL October 25th.

This performance from Italian prog / horror rock masters Goblin had a criminally light attendance, but they didn’t care.  As usual, being at a Goblin show is like being in a giallo film.  The whole atmosphere is creeping and fascinating.  They also played a nice tribute to the late George Romero.  Shame on you if you missed this one.

Who cracks the top 20?  Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Live – Desert Daze Caravan tour – Phoenix, AZ – March 11, 2017

It was with sunburned legs and neck that a friend of mine, Scott, and I headed into downtown Phoenix, Arizona for the annual Viva PHX festival.  It’s an impressive undertaking by the city.  100 bands play in 18 venues around downtown in one night.  The style of acts ranges from jazz funk to thrash punk, so you can see just about anything (even lucha libra wrestling).

After dining on a turkey burger and a chicken quesadilla, Scott and I walked to the Valley Bar.  A friend of his had described it as a “dive bar” you had to access through an alley.  She was right.  We walked down an alley, past a dumpster, and down into a basement bar mostly lit by candlelight.  It was a neat place, and the pear cider there was outstanding.

The doors to their mid-size music hall opened a bit late, but I was happy to see some Orange amplifiers on stage and everything else already set up and ready to rock.  Jjuujjuu opened with a good set of mostly instrumental psychedelia.  Shame on you if you missed it because they were a great way to start the night.  Scott, who had never heard of any of the bands playing, enjoyed their set.

Jjuujjuu

Froth were up next and laid down their “California vibe” psych-rock. This was the first time I heard some of their new stuff, and there were some good rockers in there.  Scott thought Froth’s lead singer was too much of a perfectionist (due to his frequent requests to get the levels right in his monitor), but didn’t think their set was bad.

Froth

I got up close for Deap Vally.  I told Scott that they were “going to be loud as fuck” in the small venue, and I was right.  They played a set of tracks from their excellent sophomore album Feminism and one (“Walk of Shame”) off Sistrionix.   This was the first time I’d seen them in a small venue and with Julie Edwards on drums.  I also spoke with Ms. Edwards before and both she and Lindsey Troy after their set and they were delightful.  They were the only band that hung out in the merch area the whole night and they were swarmed after their killer set.  I always feel bad for any band that has to follow them because they take no prisoners.  Scott was impressed.

Deap Vally
Lindsey Troy
Julie Edwards

He was also impressed by Night Beats, even though they played a short, four-song set.  I don’t know if they got in late and thus lost some of their set time or if they had to cut out early to make it to another engagement, but four songs live by Night Beats are better than twenty by many other bands.  It was nice to see them grinning after having reported a lot of their gear had been stolen in Tijuana a couple nights earlier.  They threw down hard and then were gone in the blink of an eye, almost like a firework exploding.

Night Beats

Temples closed the Desert Daze Caravan show.  I’d seen them on the main stage at Levitation Austin in 2014 and was surprised by how heavy their set was.  I wondered if they’d be just as much in a small venue.  They were, but they were also crisp.  It was one of the better engineered sets I’d heard from anyone in a while.  Scott wasn’t much a fan of their British psych sound, but I thought they had one of the best sets of the night, and the crowd was crazy for them.

Temples
James Bagshaw

Yacht weren’t part of the Desert Daze Caravan tour, but they were the “afterparty” band at the Valley Bar that night.  We almost left before their set, mainly because it first appeared they weren’t going to set up for another hour, but they zipped onstage as soon as all of Temples’ gear was gone and dropped a fun electro set that had the crowd bouncing.  Scott said, “I wasn’t into it at first, but they grew on me.”

Yacht

I spoke with the man who made all the psychedelic light effects for the Desert Daze Caravan bands.  I thanked him for the nice work.  He shook my hand and said, “You saw a good one.  The spirit of rock and roll was here tonight.”

We emerged from underneath the city around 1:30am.  Were it not for the bits of trash, traffic barriers, and the gear vans still here and there, you wouldn’t know a music festival had just taken place.  It was eerily quiet.  All you could hear was the spirit of rock and roll.

Keep your mind open.

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VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Yacht

Hailing from Portland, Oregon, but currently based in L.A., Yacht are an electro duo who were first on my radar with their 2009 album See Mystery Lights.  I’ve heard a couple singles from them since that time, but I’ll admit I’ve missed out on their last couple records.  I was delighted to see them on the VIVA PHX lineup, and surprised to see them finishing off the Desert Daze portion of the festival.  It should make for an interesting post-psychedelic freak-out afterparty.

Keep your mind open.

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VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Temples

British psych-rock four-piece Temples have a new album, Volcano, and are currently taking the U.S. by storm on their latest tour.  Their last album, Sun Structures, is a lovely piece of psychedelia.  I caught them at Levitation Austin a few years ago and was surprised by how heavy their set was.  Seeing them at VIVA PHX will be my first time seeing them in a small venue, so I’m keen on hearing that surprising sound up close and personal.

Keep your mind open.

VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Night Beats

As I have mentioned in the past, I will see Night Beats at any given opportunity.  They are one of the best live acts out there right now and absolute gunslingers onstage.  I saw them three times last year (once in Chicago, once in Austin, once in San Marcos), and their newest album, Who Sold My Generation, was one of my top albums of 2016.

They always put on a good show of psychedelic R&B, and seeing them in probably the smallest venue so far (for me, at least) at VIVA PHX is going to be a treat.

Keep your mind open.

VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Deap Vally

I’ve been a fan of rock duo Deap Vally ever since their 2012 album Sistrionix (which was my favorite album of that year).  Their newest album, Femejism, was in my top 10 of 2016, and their show at the Chicago House of Blues last year was one of my top 10 live performances of last year.

So there was no doubt that I was going to see Deap Vally at the VIVA PHX festival in a smaller venue.  The amount of sound these two ladies produce is stunning.  They’re in the middle of a group of bands I want to see at the Valley Bar, and they will set a high bar for the bands that follow them.

Keep your mind open.

 

VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Froth

Froth is a synth-psych band that started as a joke and became a cult hit.  Their sound ranges from wild Failure-like guitar riffs to quirky krautrock keys.  Their 2013 album Patterns was one of my favorites of that year.  I missed them at Levitation Austin that year when they opened for Metz and A Place to Bury Strangers at the Thursday night festival kick-off show, and I heard they put on a good set.  It’s high time I catch up with them.

Keep your mind open.

VIVA PHX artist spotlight: Jjuujjuu

Hailing from Los Angeles, psychedelic rock duo Jjuujjuu create massive desert soundscapes through Phil Pirrone’s guitar work and Ryan Knights’ drumming.  Their new single, “Bleck,” is a wallop of distortion, reverb, and mind-altering chord progressions.  I missed these guys a couple years back at Levitation Austin.  I got there just as their set ended and the crowd went wild for them, so I’m keen on starting out my VIVA PHX festival by getting my face melted.

Keep your mind open.

VIVA PHX 2017 festival announces initial lineup.

Good grief! Check out this first round lineup announcement from the VIVA PHX festival on March 11th.  It’s one night in downtown Phoenix with 75 bands playing in 18 venues.

At first glance, my must-see bands are (reading from top to bottom on the list above) Girl Talk, Temples, the Reverend Horton Heat, X, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Yacht, Blackalicious, Deap Vally, Night Beats, Froth, and Death Valley Girls.

There will be many local area bands there I’m sure I’ll want to see by then.  I already have my airfare and will be getting my tickets soon.  Don’t wait too long.  Tickets are only $25 bucks right now and will go up as the date gets closer.

Keep your mind open.

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