Live music – Page 38 – 7th Level Music

Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 20 – 16

We’re into the top 20! So, without further ado…

#20: Gong Gong Gong at Chicago’s Hideout – A lot of people were curious about Gong Gong Gong and how two dudes from Beijing could create such a weird, interesting sound. It turned out to be one of the wildest post-punk sets I saw all year.

#19: Prettiest Eyes at Levitation France – This trio put on one of the wildest sets of the entire festival. Just when you thought they couldn’t get crazier, they did.

#18: Oktober Lieber at Levitation France – This electro duo was louder and heavier than I expected and a great surprise at the festival.

#17: Shopping at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen – The first show I saw in 2018 was one of the best. Three post-punk Brits playing jumpy, skittering rock and having a great time with everyone.

#16: Ron Gallo at Levitation Austin – Ron Gallo and his mates were the first band we saw at the 2018 Levitation Austin festival, and we couldn’t have asked for a better opener. Rocking, funny, and just not quite giving a damn what you thought, they put on a great set.

The top 15 are coming your way tomorrow!

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Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 25 – 21

So many good shows this year…

#25: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin at Grand Rapids’ Wealthy Theatre – Seeing one of the composers of the Suspiria score and his band play the score to the film while film was shown was great, and the extra material they played from other horror and thriller scores was even better.

#24: Diana Krall at New Orleans’ Saenger Theatre – Cameras were allowed at this show, so I don’t have any photos of the performance, but it was a splendid night of jazz, humor, and love songs.

#23: Alison Krauss at South Bend’s Century Center – Speaking of Grammy winners, this country / folk / Americana set by Ms. Krauss and her band was lovely, despite the seating chaos. No photos of that show either, by the way.

#22: The Eagles at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Center – This show was “a religious experience” for my wife, who has been a big Eagles fan all her life. It was a good time for me to see these legends who had complete mastery over a stage. One of the most impressive things was hearing Vince Gill sing “New Kid in Town.” He nailed it.

#21: Los Superfonicos at Levitation Austin – These Austin cats played a great set of Columbian jazz and funk that was perfect for a warm early evening in Austin. A lot of people were standing outside the venue by the time they finished their set to catch part of it.

We’re into the top 20 next! Come back tomorrow to see who made the cut.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 Concerts of 2018: #’s 30 – 26

I saw a lot of bands in 2018. Making a list of the top 30 acts was a challenge, but here goes.

#30: Golden Dawn Arkestra at Levitation Austin – They played a wild, incense-heavy set to a fun home crowd at Cheer Up Charlie’s. They never disappoint.

#29: The Soft Moon at Levitation France – It had been a while since I’d seen the Soft Moon in concert, and seeing them at Levitation Austin was a treat. The crowd was psyched for them, and the Soft Moon fed on that energy.

#28: Simple Minds at Detroit’s Fillmore Theatre – This show was better than I hoped it would be. They played two solid sets and covered a lot of good choices from their forty-year catalogue.

#27: Garbage at Paris’ Bataclan – The Bataclan was a lot smaller than I had envisioned, so that made this set by Garage more intimate, louder, and a great time.

#26: Windhand at Chicago’s Subterranean – I’d seen Windhand earlier in the year at Levitation Austin, but not their full set. This full set in a small Chicago dive bar was so heavy that it threatened to open a black hole in the room.

Tune in tomorrow to see who made the top 25!

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Oakland, California’s Burger Boogaloo music festival announces a holiday ticket sale for their 10th anniversary.

“Burger Boogaloo is the perfect cult gathering of young and old music rebels who hate everybody in the world except each other. Being asked to host this lunatic festival for the fifth year in a row makes me feel all warm and scuzzy inside” – John Waters

Ho Ho Holy sh*t, Burger Boogaloo is announcing its 10th anniversary with a holiday ticket sale! It’s a miracle!

Burger Boogaloo will return to Oakland’s Mosswood Park in 2019 on Saturday, July 6th and Sunday, July 7th for a foot stompin’, ear throbbin’ extravaganza celebrating 10 years of filth. If that wasn’t enough, the one-and-only John Waters will return as host to blow out the candles and make all our birthday wishes come true! To pregame the celebration, we’re selling a limited supply of discounted tickets with service fees that are comped by Burger Boogaloo.

The Boogaloo crew has also partnered with Homeless Action Center to help those who call Mosswood Park their home year-round. The Homeless Action Center (HAC) provides no-cost, barrier-free, culturally competent legal representation that makes it possible for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to navigate the maze of social programs offering pathways to a better life. You can help make the holidays a bit brighter for the less fortunate by donating when you purchase tickets here.

HOLIDAY SPECIAL TICKET PRICES GA WEEKEND PASS – $99 VIP WEEKEND PASS – $149 STANDARD TICKET PRICES GA WEEKEND PASS – $129 VIP WEEKEND PASS – $199

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMELESS ACTION CENTER

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Levitation Austin Music Festival moves from spring to fall for 2019.

Austin’s annual Levitation Music Festival announced that it will now be held in early November 2019 for the foreseeable future. The festival plans to make special announcements about 2019 festival early next year, so keep your eyes open. I can’t help but wonder if the temple image below is actually a secret message that Devo will be one of the headliners next year.

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The KVB announces U.S. tour dates for 2019.

British synthwave duo The KVB have announced several dates for a U.S. spring 2019 tour to promote their upcoming album Only Now Forever. Don’t miss this tour if you love vintage synths, electronic beats, and having your perception altered.

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Live: Flasher, Public Practice, and Gong Gong Gong – Dec. 4th – The Hideout – Chicago, IL

As soon as I saw Flasher, Public Practice, and Gong Gong Gong were playing at Chicago’s Hideout (a great small venue with an appropriate name, as it is concealed in an industrial area), I knew it was going to be a good show. All three are creating post-punk rock that’s clever, timely, and powerful.

Gong Gong Gong opened the show, and you could immediately tell there was a buzz about them in the crowd. I met one woman who specifically came to see them because she’d read a write-up about them in the Chicago Reader and wanted to hear these two guys from Beijing who didn’t have or need a drummer. They don’t need one because there’s enough percussion between the guitar and bass riffs to support an industrial band. It was a fascinating set full of songs that sound like they belong in a David Lynch film. I’m calling it now – Look for Gong Gong Gong to be on the bill for the 2019 Pitchfork Music Festival.

Public Practice came out and gave everyone a lesson on how you own a stage. They played their entire Distance Is a Mirror EP (one of the best releases of the year, in my opinion) and a couple tracks I hadn’t heard yet. They left you hungry for more, much more. I hope this tour gives them plenty of ideas for new tracks. I was delighted to see them selling WALL records at their table, too. Everyone needs WALL records.

Flasher threw down an energetic set that warmed you up from the chill outside. The tracks they played off their great debut, Constant Image, were almost double speed. They weren’t screwing around up there. It was definitely the most punk of the three post-punk sets. Unfortunately for my wife and I, we had to leave early during their set due to a long drive home and a predicted storm of freezing rain heading for our route. As you might’ve guessed from reading this, we made it home safe.

As I figured, this was / is a great lineup for a tour. Don’t miss it if it comes near you.

Keep your mind open.

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CHAI announce first 2019 U.S. tour dates and release new video / single “Great Job.”

CHAI ANNOUNCE 2019 US TOUR DATES;

WATCH NEW VIDEO FOR “GREAT JOB”

(photo: Julien Kelly-Gross)

Japanese sensations CHAI graced the shores of the US for an all-too-brief visit in September, with shows in New York and Los Angeles. Known for their energetic shows, matching outfits, absolutely insane music videos, and innovative concept of “NEO-Kawaii,” or “New Cute” (an empowering way to look at the frequently oppressive concept of cuteness in their home country), they captured the hearts of everyone who saw them perform. Pitchfork dubbed them a “Rising” artist and they just completed a hugely successful stint opening for Superorganism in the UK. So what’s next for the trendsetting young women of CHAI?

How about surprise-dropping a new video earlier this month for a new song “GREAT JOB“? How about announcing their first batch of tour dates in US for 2019, including their first US festival performance at Boise’s Treefort Music Fest? How about a return to Austin for SXSW? 2019 promises to be an even bigger year for CHAI than 2018, with more live dates to come, so this is only the beginning.

WATCH “GREAT JOB”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Odk94mxeHUWATCH MORE CHAI MUSIC VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVieoyO8NvikN4kCG61ArPw

CHAI TOUR DATES
Mon. Mar. 11 – Sun. Mar. 17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
Mon. Mar. 18 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Tue. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel
Wed. Mar. 20 – Toronto, ON @ The Velvet Underground
Fri. Mar. 22 – Sat. Mar. 23 – Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Festival
Mon. Mar. 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Moroccan Lounge
Wed. Mar. 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
Fri. Mar. 29 – Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project
Sat. Mar. 30 – Portland, OR @ Holocene

PRAISE FOR CHAI

“Moments of pure joy are in short supply these days; a CHAI show is a reprieve.”
– Pitchfork

“Their music videos, which they design and direct themselves, are a spectacle
not to be missed.” – i-D

“CHAI bursts with an energy that is carefree, effervescent, and unmistakably feminine.”
– She Shreds

“CHAI’s material is a whirlwind of kinetic rhythms, sped up voices, and saccharine
laden choruses.” – CLASH

CHAI Online:
website: http://chai-band.com/
twitter: https://twitter.com/CHAIofficialJPN
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CHAIofficialJPN
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CHAIofficialJPN

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Rewind Review: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – Profondo Rosso score (2015)

Funky and creepy at the same time, the score to Dario Argento‘s 1975 classic giallo movie Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) is a great one. Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin released this version a few years back with new performances of the classic material Simonetti made with the original members of Goblin and also with live versions and alternate cuts.

The main theme, “Profondo Rosso,” combines Simonetti’s clockwork synths with church organs, funk bass, and prog-rock drumming. “Death Dies” could fit into any 1970’s action film with its urgent piano chords, Titta Tani‘s car chase drums, and Bruno Previtali‘s groovy guitar squalls. Federico Amorosi‘s bass on “Mad Puppet” is like lava bubbling under a dormant volcano until about the three-minute mark when the tune becomes a chilling walk through what normally is a groovy neighborhood but now feels slightly…wrong.

“Deep Shadows” is bizarre with its quirky synths, Previtali’s shredding, and the rhythm section breaking the tune open into a prog-rock jam. A live version (from 2000) of “School at Night” follows, with its creepy child sing-song vocals and music box chimes, and it flows into live versions (from the same show) of “Mad Puppet” and “Profondo Rosso.”

Rounding out the album are alternate versions of “Death Dies” (from 1992) and “Profondo Rosso” (from 1990). Both are harder, faster versions. Simonetti’s piano work on “Death Dies” is especially frantic and jazzy. The version of the main theme (which is also another live cut) is even called the “rock version” and has bigger drums and guitars with a bit more distortion than usual. Plus, Simonetti goes nuts on his keyboards by the end of it.

It’s a great score, especially if you love giallo movies, Goblin’s work, or progressive rock.

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Live: Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin – November 19, 2018 – Wealthy Theatre – Grand Rapids, MI

The moment I heard Italian composer and keyboardist Claudio Simonetti was touring with her latest version of Goblin and performing the live score to Dario Argento’s Suspiria while the film was shown, I knew I had to score a ticket to see the show. The closest venue for which I could secure one was the Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This would be the third incarnation of Goblin I’ve seen in the last few years and the first time I’ve seen Suspiria on the big screen.

The Wealthy Theatre is a small venue that hosts retro film screenings and live music performances. I almost literally bumped into two men outside the venue who obtained free tickets after one of them had sold a computer to the drummer, Titta Tani, through Craigslist. Neither of them had seen Goblin or Suspiria. I told them they were in for a treat.

The film was a big hit with the crowd. It had been a while since I’d seen it and I’d forgotten how much of a master’s course it is on lighting. I noticed a couple people having to turn away from the screen during a couple murder scenes, so it’s still an effective horror piece. Goblin did a great job with the live score, building tension and rocking out without overpowering the dialogue during critical scenes.

They played a full set afterwards of music from other film scores. A big hit was their music from Dawn of the Dead.

They were really cooking by this point, and their pieces from Demons, Phenomena, and Tenebrae (which made the guy next to me stop in his tracks as he started to leave for the restroom) were also big highlights. They ended with the main theme from Deep Red – a personal favorite.

The crowd was buzzing afterwards, and Mr. Simonetti and crew were kind enough to hang around in the lobby afterwards and sign autographs. I saw many horror fans with DVDs, special collector’s edition vinyl, posters, and more, and everyone was patient and happy to be there.

It was a nice post-Halloween / pre-Thanksgiving treat. Don’t miss this tour if you’re a fan of horror films, progressive rock, or film scores. It’s selling out at a lot of dates and it’s well worth it.

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