LastNight: The Decemberists at the Warfield

By Melissa Baron
Appeared on All Shook Down blog 11/26/08

"Portland's Decemberists infused a sold-out Warfield audience with their jovial pomp and circumstance Tuesday night. Notorious for pageantry, the five piece transported the audience from Japan to New England to California with their vocal tales of death, deceit, fantasy and love. This tour, titled the Bridesmaid Revisited tour, supports the release of several new EPs ("Always the Bridesmaid - The Single Series"). The tongue in cheek-ness is of course, intentional. For almost two hours the band convinced the audience their $32 were worth every penny.

In the almost-decade the band has been in existence, its members have developed their dramatic flair and perfectly synchronized live show. They deliver a polished and refined performance highlighting the musical capabilities of each performer and emphasizing the whimsical stories each song tells. This particular performance remained thematically separated from previous tours, as the band notoriously uses those occasions to heavily promote their most recent album or tours around a particular shtick. For example, when they released Crane Wife in 2006, they played nearly the entire album at their shows. And, several years ago, they toured in a series called the Long of It and the Short of It, spending two nights in each city playing one evening full of ballads and the other pop songs. Last night they played snippets of the new EPs, but also featured an assortment of songs from their impressive repertoire."

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All text written by Melissa Baron, photos courtesy of the Decemberists and blog organized and posted using Movable Type.

LastNight: Mount Eerie at Million Fishes

By Melissa Baron
Appeared on All Shook Down blog 11/01/08

"Last night felt suitably like a Pacific Northwest evening. The long, gray day filled with rain subsided just long enough for a pleasant night. Nightfall brought a damp and dreary warmth to the soggy city. The slight hint of the lovely scent of rain momentarily overtook the normal city stench. Finally it's November and fall has arrived. It was in this fitting atmosphere that Mount Eerie came to San Francisco.

The show took place at the Million Fishes arts space in the Mission at Bryant and 23rd. The venue hosted two events that evening, an art show in their gallery space and the show in their basement. The upstairs area was covered with instillations and pieces exploring Dia De Los Muertos. Downstairs, flannel-clad boys and girls packed into the basement. It had the ambiance of a real basement show, not like the house shows typically held around the city. It wasn't a living room of an old Victorian or the kitchen of a house in the Richmond; it was a real basement. The floor had big wooden planks, the walls were white with exposed pipes. The "stage" was squished into a far corner with the audience sitting on the floor and a merch table in the back. Eventually, the show attracted so many people that everyone had to stand so we could all fit."

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All text written by Melissa Baron, photos courtesy of johnvanderslice.com and blog organized and posted using Movable Type.

LastNight: Death Cab for Cutie at the Fillmore

By Melissa Baron
Appeared on All Shook Down Blog 04/24/2008

"Not even signing to a major label in 2004 could extract the charm from Seattle's Death Cab for Cutie. The four piece comprised front man Ben Gibbard, guitarist Chris Walla, bassist Nick Harmer and drummer Jason McGerr rocked a sold out Fillmore.
The boys, touring to support their new album "Narrow Stairs," played an impressive set as usual despite the soft and shallow sound of the vocals microphone. They played for a full hour before coming on stage for a half hour encore. They may not dance around much, but the band appears jovial and content in their swaying and rocking. Enough to inspire the whole audience to dance and sing along."

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All text written by Melissa Baron, photos taken by Janine Kahn and blog organized and posted using Movable Type.

LastNight: Blitzen Trapper at the Bottom of the Hill

By Melissa Baron Appeared on All Shook Down Blog 02/29/08

The sextet officially formed in 2000 and since then have released three full lengths and a couple EPs. Their records, especially the newest entitled "Wild Mountain Nation," received critical praise. They make fantastic records, however they play an infinitely more awesome live show. All the intricacies and musical layers of the songs play out beautifully for an audience. In concert the audience becomes privy to all the wild instruments required to craft the songs. They use everything from harmonicas to shakers to a melodica and cheesy 80's mini keyboard. On top of their delightful music lies a superb stage presence. They don't talk much but they move and shake (seriously -- with shakers) like you wouldn't believe. Their keyboardist/guitar player/who knows jumped and danced throughout the entire show. They seem thrilled to play and occasionally said sweet things like "You guys are wonderful. I really like San Francisco." More importantly, Blitzen Trapper possess an organic feeling absent from many musical acts. Maybe it was the sticker with the shape of Oregon and a heart in the middle or the Atari sticker on a guitar. Hell, it could have just been the duct tape that kept straps on the guitars, but it felt honest. Their set sounded fantastic, but the song choices for the encore left much to be desired.

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All text written by Melissa Baron, photo courtesy of Blitzen Trapper and blog organized and posted using Movable Type.

LastNight: Meat Puppets and Built to Spill at the Fillmore

By Melissa Baron
Appeared on All Shook Down Blog 02/25/08

"This contrasted perfectly with legendary Phoenix, AZ natives the Meat Puppets. How the band notorious for their influence of the likes of Pavement and Soundgarden became an opening act boggles my mind. Since they formed in 1980 they released more than ten albums, worked with major label London Records and broke up and reunited twice. They also played with everyone from Black Flag to Butthole Surfers. These men represent a time when musicians were horribly unattractive but rocked your face off (not everyone ages like Sting). Together bassist Cris Kirkwood and guitarist/vocalist Curt Kirkwood (yes, they're brothers) look like the visual inspiration for David Lynch's "killer Bob" in Twin Peaks and Cris has drug shakes only surpassed by Keith Richards and Ozzy. Even so, few bands come close to the talent of the Meat Puppets."

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All text written by Melissa Baron, photos taken by Jeff Enlow and blog organized and posted using Movable Type.