Blog entries for megara

Silversun Pickups elicit hovering emotions at 102.1's annual Snow Show

megara — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 01:24:57 GMT

The last time Silversun Pickups were in Milwaukee was for a show at Summerfest in 2010. This was following their release of their 2009 record Swoon, an attempt to elicit even deeper emotions than before, with a smoother sound than the raw white noise of Carnavas. Their set at the U.S. Cellular stage was that perfect harmony of performance and atmosphere... it started to lightly drizzle during the show and the pathetic fallacy overwhelmed me.

Saturday night, however, was a very different setting at The Rave: 102.1's annual Snow Show had openers iamdynamite and The Joy Formidable (who, no questions asked, killed it) which made it a night of music leading up to SSPU in an enclosed, intimate space that somehow stretched to become bigger than itself. Fans and regular concert goers alike joined together to fight the cold of Wisconsin's pseudo-winter in an awesome night of alternative rock.

People who have never been exposed to Brian Aubert's voice live are usually in for a shock when it comes to their first SSPU show. It is incredibly distinct in recordings, the type of distinction that seems impossible to translate live. But he manages to do it almost seamlessly. Granted, the first time he screams may catch you off guard but that's the raw, emotive power of their music.

Even more surprising is when he finally talks to the audience. Silversun Pickups have always been this sort of shy, modest group of music-makers, whose music, of course, reflects this: introverted people with minds that never stop thinking about the complexities of love, life. It wasn't until after the fourth song in their set that he piped up to give us a "thank you." Once you get him started, however, he cannot be stopped, and the words sort of ease into themselves. He acknowledged their last Summerfest show, how they were invited to a Bucks game and were frightened by the t-shirt guns, and most importantly, the stranger on stage: Nikki, the bassist, was on 'maternal leave' per se of touring, and they got a replacement, also female bassist from L.A. named Sarah to take over for the time being. Brian explained that Nikki was "about to burst at any moment" with two twin girls (although he had suspicions that there were "about five of them in there"). And he was very right about expressing such imminency, because the next morning, Nikki tweeted a picture from SSPU's account of her new baby girls! Congrats!

Nikki was missed, but Sarah definitely rocked the stage still, especially when they played older favorites from Carnavas, such as "LIttle Lover's So Polite" and of course "Lazy Eye".

That's not to say that their songs from Neck of the Woods went under appreciated. Some of these have more electronic aspects (because isn't that the only direction music seems to be moving in anyways?) which certainly appealed to the crowd. Their new album also dominated their set list (see below) which surprised me at first, but then I realized that I started to love Neck of the Woods more and more with each song played live.

For powerful moments like the breakdown of Lazy Eye and when Chris was wrecking his drums, the lights were almost strobe-like and completely enchanting, and allowed you to get lost in only the music and only the moment. That's how it felt almost the entire night. This how it was particularly during their encore, where they finished with the intro to Kissing Families, a total tease, until they transitioned into the powerful Well Thought Out Twinkles to finish off the night with dizzying guitars and the beautiful hover of reverberations in the genuine way of the Silversun Pickups.

SETLIST

Skin Graph
The Royal We
Bloody Mary (Nerve Endings)
Simmer
Gun-Shy Sunshine
Little Lover's So Polite
Mean Spirits
The Pit
Catch & Release
Panic Switch
Dots and Dashes (Enough Already)
Lazy Eye
Busy Bees
Out of Breath
Kissing Families (Intro)
Well Thought Out Twinkles

It is no little secret: Passion Pit rocked The Riverside with endless energy

megara — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:59:56 GMT

The line headed from the doors of the Riverside towards the Wisconsin Avenue bridge started forming at around 3 PM. Teenagers lined up hours before doors even opened to be up against the stage for Passion Pit, who were making their return to Milwaukee after their July release of Gossamer. Thus the pit at last night's show (and yes, it was indeed very passionate) was filled with a very young crowd who were willing to withstand evening temperatures during a Wisconsin autumn to be up close and personal with the group everyone was eager to see.

I think it's safe to say being up close was worth it, if you were a high school kid. I was severely surprised by the amount of obnoxious teenybops who overpowered the audience last night. I had to move from being second row closer to the back of the pit so that I didn't have an eighth grader screaming in my ear but rather could actually hear lead singer Michael Angelakos sing.

Although, in complete honesty, his vocals seemed off last night - something about the sound not being quite right, or the instruments overpowering his microphone, made bits and pieces of songs come and go with no sort of consistency to make what they played last night comparable to the studio version. And with an electropop group like Passion Pit, that is indeed what one desires. But one also desires to dance, and there was plenty of that to go around last night. Both first floor and balcony seating were up on their feet all night, appropriately so.

Despite a lack of balance in certain acoustics, many factions that make up the unique sophomore album Gossamer were beautifully translated live. A kind of heart-wrenching "we've all been there" camaraderie exists in the lyrics (some of which are really horribly depressing if you listen closely) and is directly juxtaposed with the upbeat characteristic of Passion Pit's sound. So hits like "It's Not My Fault I'm Happy" had everyone dancing, but simultaneously had me almost crying ("it's not fair, it's not fair, still I'm the only one who seems to care"). Everyone joined in for the lyrics of "Carried Away" at the point of "we all have problems, we're all having problems, and we all got something to say." Humans, love, life, the struggles along the way, but hey let's dance to it -- that's Gossamer, that was last night's show.

They of course played popular songs from their debut Manners and three songs from their EP Chunk of Change (including "Smile Upon Me," which personally was the most stunning played song of the evening). This of course included "Sleepyhead," which is the single that brought the group to fame. This hit included confetti streamers which filled the floor crowd with insane ecstasy. It was perfectly timed and a great way to end their set before their encore which included "Moth's Wings" and, of course, "Little Secrets" (see my compiled setlist at the end of this post).

The lights for this show perhaps get a solo mention: they replicated the pink haze of the cover art for their album Gossamer, and lived up to the album title as well. Seemingly delicate, full of airy particles, and spinning everywhere just like a cobweb spun by a spider. They were captivating and crazy when needed, they were colorful and geometric and filled the venue just as equally as the sound.

Their lights are always one of the more fun aspects to their shows. I have seen them previously, when they came to Summerfest in 2010. It was an immaculate show, where they played almost all of Manners and Chunk of Change. I'm sorry to say that this show was perhaps not as good as the other I had been to, but the energy was double and of course the set longer. Passion Pit delivered last night and are sure to return to Milwaukee again for even more fun each time they come back.

SETLIST

Take A Walk
The Reeling
Eyes As Candles
It's Not My Fault, I'm Happy
Carried Away
Better Things
Let Your Love Grow Tall
To Kindgom Come
Constant Conversations
Mirrored Sea
Smile Upon Me
Folds In Your Hands
Love Is Greed
I'll Be Alright
Sleepyhead

(Encore)
Moth's Wings
Little Secrets

The beauty of Beach House flawlessly displayed last night at The Pabst Theater

megara — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:45:27 GMT

A white light beam spills upon you, completely solid in brightness and force, yet with the sensation that it is moving, swooning you to swim in it. Dizzying twinkles in the background give a new awareness that you're really floating in space, dipping in and out of bursting nebulas of every color Roy G. Biv has to offer. Spinning fans and striped rectangles add geometrics to the array, silhouetting the mystical artists that lie before you. Such was the stage setting and feeling at Beach House's show last night at The Pabst Theater.

The lights were meticulously produced and certainly practiced, and true to Beach House fashion where geometrics and smoky space voyages are common among their slew of music videos, particularly for "Lazuli," a track on their latest record "Bloom." They were dazzling and effervescent, which matched the tunes for that night.

I sat at the very top tier of the Pabst Theater, as it was packed on the ground and second floors. Part of me was not expecting such a turnout, but it was their third time now at the Pabst, and with such acclaim for "Bloom" I don't know why I expected a small crowd. As far as I could tell, everyone was loving the music and Beach House was loving the response. According to lead singer Victoria Legrand, we set a new standard for awesome audiences. She questioned and commented at one point: "Did you guys, like, all go out to dinner before this or something? I feel like you all know each other. You're all so friendly and welcoming... very groovy."

So with a packed theater, everyone, both audience and performer alike, got the Milwaukee live love. And since it was at the Pabst, sitting top-tier nosebleed was just as fine as anywhere else, because the sound was incredibly filling. But this is really primarily due to what may be the 'new' Beach House, post-Bloom (or rather, having 'fully blossomed'). Their new tracks that debuted in May use more instruments; all of this was translated live, and added also to their older stuff (see setlist below). So the dream-pop ballads weren't just a light mist that you could sway to, but rather became a thick fog you had to dance through. It felt good to inhale that air. And even though it was all set in the genre of a 'dream', it sure did feel real.

They played songs mostly from Bloom and Teen Dream, all of which showcase Legrand's voice (my friend who I went with thought that it was a male lead-singer all along, so it was great to see her get the shock of her life / also further note Legrand's uniqueness in this respect) and the newfound cohesiveness of the group. Everything was smooth and seemingly flawless start to finish, minus two twitches in technical mishaps with mic feedback, and surprisingly ended with a big bang instead of an expected lingering of softness. "Irene," the final track on "Bloom" ends with a heavy mix of all instruments, which had Victoria's long, bushy hair not just sweeping her keyboard, but flipping up and down, up and down following her head-bangs. Everyone on stage was giving their all to finish off the encore and the night, and the effort certainly did not go unnoticed. Overall I think perhaps the third time is indeed the charm, but we want Beach House to come back again for more.

SETLIST:

Wild
Walk in the Park
Norway
Heart of Chambers
Other People
Lazuli
Used to Be
Silver Soul
The Hours
Turtle Island
New Year
Zebra
Wishes
Myth
10 Mile Stereo

Real Love
Irene

Rock the Green: A musical and eco-friendly way to end the summer

megara — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 20:46:42 GMT

Yesterday's Rock the Green music festival may have just been the last day of summer in Milwaukee: gorgeous, blue skies and sunshine paved their way throughout the whole day. Stephan Jenkins, the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, even remarked, "This is it. Summer's over. So let's make the most of it by being right here, right now. Right here, right now..." And thanks to Rock the Green, there really was no better way to celebrate the lovely, music-filled day than to become hyperaware of the environment and come to a new appreciation of our Mother Earth.

From their website, explaining what they're all about: "Our mission is to educate and empower the community to take actionable steps to live sustainably." They are a Near-Zero Waste (NZW) event, and to further said 'education' on the matter, they held tours throughout the day to demonstrate just exactly everything they were doing to keep Rock the Green as green as possible. Some of these things include a free, recyclable, BPA-free reusable water bottle with every ticket purchase (to reduce the amount of plastic bottles simply tossed on the grass, scattering the festival grounds by day's end), alongside free fresh water filling stations. Besides the main stage with the major headliners, there was another side stage called the KOSS Pedal Power Stage whose name really speaks for itself: the entirety of the stage was powered by people pedaling stationary bikes. You can even see just whose muscle power was helping to create the music at Rock the Green's link here (http://www.rockthegreen.com/festival/koss-pedal-power-stage). Their Farm to Fork program, meeting locavore approval, allowed people to know just where their food was coming from and how it was grown and made (a truly important facet to agriculture that seems to becoming more 'hip' nowadays).

Thus, through these tours and programs, as well as other efforts like the posting of NZW facts on the big screen beside the main stage, Rock the Green helped everyone to participate in what makes them a unique festival compared to any other these days.

By the middle of the day's lineup, however, it became apparent that Milwaukee gathered at Veterans park yesterday for one thing: the music. With local favorites such as Evan Christian, Crooked Keys, Ikarus Down, I'm Not A Pilot, and Fever Marlene dominating the KOSS stage, the international fun could be found on the main stage. With a lineup of Morning Parade (UK), Atlas Genius (Australia), Imagine Dragons (Las Vegas), Switchfoot (San Diego), Metric (Toronto) and Third Eye Blind (San Francisco), it was truly an international effort, spanning also from our own sea to shining sea. With the festival's hours lasting from only 2:00 - 9:00 PM, each band was allowed a very short set, but that didn't stop fans from rocking to their fullest potential with every given moment of every given tune.

The bar was raised with Imagine Dragons: frontman Dan Reynolds was an Energizer bunny from start to finish, even with a sinus infection, which in no way impacted his incredibly strong, resounding vocals. Pounding on all drums and running around and bouncing on the stage, Reynolds and all of his bandmates were giving more than their all, feeding off the fans' energy. Reynolds even explained how he was so shocked that everyone knew the words and could sing along (this innocent moment of being starstruck hit our hearts as we kept on dancing). Expectations changed of what was to come as their performance expelled energy onto everyone in the audience and left us only wanting more.

It was at that moment that the tone shifted over to becoming all about the music: Switchfoot gave their fans pure rock and roll, a performance to be appreciated by both fans and non-fans alike. They even did a killer cover of Sabotage in honor of the late Adam Yaunch, an inspiration to them. Afterwards, Metric took the stage where Emily Haines never fails to be a fashionista performer, delivering glam rock alongside the technical skill of her other bandmates, particularly with the latest release of their album Synthetica. The energy didn't stop flowing until Third Eye Blind finally took the stage. Jenkins spoke of the inspiration he gets from the audience, an energy and spirit that he channels into his music, and channels particularly into the work of their new album that they announced last night they have been working on back in San Francisco. We even got a preview of one of their new songs (the title of which was not revealed to us), and you could tell just how excited they were to perform.

Perhaps the highlight of the night was the combination of all of that energy and all of that love for music when Jenkins admitted to having been incredibly inspired by Imagine Dragons's performance. He invited Reynolds onto the stage during their all-time crowd favorite "Jumper." It was a festival moment not to be missed (and is pictured above in the photo that I took from the show).

While all the bands took their respective time on stage to be thankful for being at Rock the Green, and thoughtful towards the cause they were supporting, they were primarily there to share their music with Milwaukee... and we were more than happy to receive it.

Metric's setlist:

Youth Without Youth
Speed The Collapse
Help I'm Alive
Synthetica
Breathing Underwater
Sick Muse
Gold Gun Girls
Dead Disco

Third Eye Blind's setlist:

Thanks A Lot
Anything
Never Let You Go
Can You Take Me
Graduate
Wounded
(New Song!)
Jumper (feat. Imagine Dragons)
Slow Motion
Motorcycle Drive By
Monotov's Private Opera
Good For You
Semi-Charmed Life

Bring It On Home: The music of Led Zeppelin came to Milwaukee for an epic night of honest tunes

megara — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:32:51 GMT

A preamble of simple drums, and then a tempest of harmonica and guitar, the symbiotic force filling the arena and the ears of all eager listeners. This is the epic beginning of the blues song "When the Levee Breaks," the last track on Zeppelin's fourth album (1971). This is the epic opening to Get the Led Out's show last week on Saturday, September 8th at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

Cue fog machine.

As the curtains opened, I admit I was a little confused. I am not usually a tribute band concert-goer, but thanks to the Marcus Center's Facebook page, I entered their trivia contest and won two free tickets to the show (and thus sort of vowed to, from then on, become a tribute band concert-goer). My confusion I think was derived from a complete lack of expectations, but the second that harmonica started going, my soul instantly melted back to being one with the Hermit: all things Zeppelin I welcome whole-heartedly.

Musically, Get the Led Out had a glorious start to the night, but it took them a while to adjust to the stage at Uihlien Hall, the crowd, the Milwaukee love. It was their first time in Milwaukee and I think by the end of the evening the audience (and perhaps the band members themselves) were hoping it would not be their last. Once everyone was a little more comfortable in their surroundings, the night of Zeppelin really got going.

The thing I really came to overwhelmingly appreciate was hearing Zeppelin favorites that I was not expecting from their setlist: Trampled Under Foot, Custard Pie, In My Time of Dying (all Physical Graffiti), and The Battle of Evermore come to mind (see the end of this post for my compiled setlist from the performance).

It just so happens that is what Get the Led Out is all about.

They play the music of Led Zeppelin based off of their studio recordings: you aren't getting a recreation of The Song Remains the Same live soundtrack played at Madison Square Garden in 1973. You're getting every nook and cranny of the technical beauty that is Zeppelin's carefully crafted sound. So all of those little moments you have always picked to jam out to and sing along with are all right there: what was presented to you via vinyl record on a spinning turntable is personified in the group Get the Led Out. And what a beautiful thing that is.

Lead vocals and frontman Paul Sinclair couldn't have said it better during the show: "So I know, some of you are wondering… why is Ted Nugent on guitar [referring to band member Paul Hammond, electric and acoustic guitar player]? And why is this guy [himself, of course] wearing Ted Nugent's clothes?" Laughter ensues, and I realize my curiosity as to why the guy with Page's hair is singing and the guy with Plant's hair is shredding a double-necked guitar is about to be cleared: "We're not here to impersonate the band. We're here for the music. We love it just like you guys do, and I hope you guys like how it's played. And with that…" he cuts himself off and lets the intro to "Fool In The Rain" take the reins, and with such a bouncy feel the crowd is up and dancing. About two minutes into the song, that infamous whistle that redirects the uppity beat sounded, on stage! Someone from the backstage crew (with uniform, nametag, wristbands and all) casually stepped out and sounded his whistle at the appropriate timing. That surely got everyone really going. It was perfect, and true to what the timeless record of In Through the Out Door provides. Right there, right there on stage.

And thus the music continued, and while most remained seated, a couple (including this gal right here) couldn't help but get out of their seats and dance along and feel the realness that was Zeppelin as I, being only 20, could have never really experienced before in my lifetime. Until now.

The show ended perfectly with Whole Lotta Love. As Sinclair explained earlier that evening, everyone sort of has a "gateway album" that really gets you into Zeppelin. And for him, it was Led Zeppelin II (ME TOO MR. SINCLAIR. BUT REALLY! We're musical soulmates!!), so it was an appropriate finish to a perfect, Led Zep-filled night. GTLO, we hope you come back to Milwaukee again.

Although Zeppelin has such an extensive song catalog, the two-and-a-half hour performance still surprisingly fit in 20 whole songs, including time for an intermission and encore. I compiled the setlist throughout the performance. It is listed below:

When The Levee Breaks

Trampled Under Foot

The Lemon Song

Custard Pie

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

Ramble On

Over The Hills And Far Away

Dazed and Confused

Going To California

The Battle of Evermore

Hey Hey What Can I Do

In My Time of Dying

Moby Dick

Fool In The Rain

Heartbreaker

Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)

Kashmir

Bring It On Home

Stairway To Heaven

Whole Lotta Love