Amateurs, World Record, and Death to Anders @ Spaceland (5/15/2009)

This was the Amateurs release show for their new EP, If We Dare Win.

I got to see about half of (now CER endorsed) Death to Anders' opening set, and it was a good one. They played like a band with a lot of experience and they sounded great. It was too bad so few people were at Spaceland early enough. I hope to see them again soon. During their set I was racking my brain to figure out who singer/guitarist Rob Danson's vocal stylings reminded me of, especially when he screamed. It was Goldfinger's John Feldmann. Maybe I'm onto something . . .

The World Record, a CER favorite, was up next. Their set this night did not match their impressive set at Spaceland in April closing for The Henry Clay People. It also seemed like the sound was off a bit, and the crowd wasn't as energized as they are after a THCP set. But it's good to see them playing shows and gaining a following.

The Amateurs played a pretty good set. At bottom, any band with a full time trumpet player is all right by me (especially when it's not a ska band). The band opened with "Chain Reaction" and played both old tracks and the other two tracks on the new EP. Fun, but I got tired and left early.

Amateurs pictures:



World Record pictures:

W2G2 (What 2 Go 2): May 11 - 15

Not a bad week last week: intrigued (somewhat) by Edward Sharpe, invigorated by Local Natives, and engrossed (most of the time) by Iron & Wine.

So let's get to it.

Monday: Gangi residency at Spaceland. Gangi should be cool, but I'm mostly going so I can see Saint Motel.

Tuesday: Avi Buffalo residency at The Echo. I didn't make it to this last week, but I heard very good reviews.

Wednesday: I'll be in Chicago for work, which means I'll be very sad to miss the "Reggae Meets Africa" show at the Echoplex and Echo, featuring Fool's Gold. It sounds like a lot of fun:

• Upstairs in the Echo there will be 2 acts, Fools Gold—local Afrobeat heroes, and Extra Golden, Thrill Jockey recording artists who fuse a unique blend of Kenyan Benga music with American Rock. Downstairs in the Echoplex, the opening act will be Youssoupha Sidibe, a traditionally trained Kora player from Senegal whose music is a hybrid of African and Dub sounds, and the headliner will be Reggae legends The Meditations, one of the premier harmony trio vocal groups in roots music, who are still going strong with all original members. The audience will be able to walk between the 2 rooms all night, the Dub Club DJs will be spinning and it should make for a very memorable evening of music and culture. Description from the Echo's page.

• For a more traditional (albeit exceptional) local indie rock night, Downtown/Union, Seasons, and The Hectors play at Mr. T's Bowl in Highland Park. Excellent lineup.
  

Thursday: I'll be landing back at LAX at 9pm, so unless I get in early I'm not going anywhere. But . . .

• Afternoons, The Happy Hollows, and Warpaint play the Troubadour.
  

• Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros conclude their residency at The Regent. We Are the World opens. We Are the World are unquestionably something to see -- it's a very visual performance (visit their myspace page). But I would advise against seeing them at The Regent, where there appears to be no lighting besides plain white light. It's very possible that We Are the World will make sure that their visual needs are met, but I'm skeptical.

Friday: Amateurs EP Release Show at Spaceland with The World Record and Death to Anders. The Amateurs songs on their myspace are great and I love The World Record. This one's a must must see. CER Show of the Week.