Concert review: moe., The Grove of Anaheim, CA, Saturday, January 19, 2008

By Shelle

The Grove of Anaheim played venue for the evening, while moe. and the crowd came together as if we were all relaxing at home. Tickets were only $25, a great price for a killer show. (more…)

Concert review: Chris Brown, Mandalay Bay, January

By Nikki Williams

Concerts just ain’t like they used to be. Sure, you have your usual scantily clad groupies, your throngs of overly excited high school-aged girls, your random groups of less-than-fashionable guys and your occasional older, non-chaperoning, completely out-of-place fans all mixed together in a less-than-intimate atmosphere avidly anticipating the performance of 18-year-old heart-throb pop singer Chris Brown … but what is up with the extreme commercialism and the lack of showmanship? (more…)

Show review: Danny Gans, The Mirage, Las Vegas, NV

By Shelle

It’s no wonder he’s been voted Las Vegas’ Entertainer of the Year 10 times — Danny Gans can sing! And not only does he sing well, he has the ability to sound like practically any performer you can imagine. Gans is also a great comedian, impressionist and actor, and all facets come out to play at his show at the Mirage. (more…)

CD review: The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust (Fierce Panda Records)

By Captain America

How can a CD with many similar sounding songs (both to each other and to those on past releases) come across as fresh and exciting? Danish duo, the Raveonettes, pull it off on their lastest with grace, aplomb and lots of dirty fuzz. (more…)

CD review: The 2bers, History for the Future (Self-released)

By Jenny Gamble

I love the word alternative because it is an easy word to place in front of any already-known genre of music and make it into an acceptable modification. The 2bers … alternative … hip hop. This is what happens when you take two emcees and one live band and put them together. It’s almost like peanut butter meeting chocolate, because it tastes that good. (more…)

SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: Robert Wyatt, Comicopera (Domino Recording Co.)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Here’s one of those interesting CDs that the more you listen to it the more you’ll hear it as a creative work and not individual abstract pieces. Wyatt’s music is unique – er – progressive, and he plays around with a nice variety of instruments, and the music has a strong jazz undercurrent and playful phrasing reminiscent of 1960’s experimental English-birthed rock.

Wyatt, who will turn 63 at the end of January, is most impressive as a lyricist. His words are just as abstract as his music and though they come across as rahter disorganized at times, they still weave metaphorically strong images, as on “Stay Tuned”: “Cannot share this moment with you. I’m particles in the air, you can’t see me, but I’m here.”

Comicopera comes in three acts: act one: lost in noise; act two: there here and the now; and act three: away with the fairies. Each has its own sound and voice, and each allows a closer look into Wyatt’s psyche and way of thought. He is a master at camouflage and moves swiftly from one realm of consciousness to the next.

CD review: Tom Brosseau, Cavalier (FatCat Records)

Rating: 4 out of 5 geetars

Just when you start to think it’s all about wild, sex-dripping hip hop and annoyingly loud Screamo rock, Tom Brosseau comes along with Cavalier, a bitter sweet album that is stripped down to the bone, completely uncluttered and one of the most simplified albums to be released in a long while.

Having been raised in a highly musical family in Grand Forks, ND, Brosseau fuses traditional folk and bluegrass. Cavalier is an acoustically driven work that speaks volumes even though it’s so soft and gentle that it could help the worst insomniac drift off into a peaceful slumber. Lightly finger-picked guitars whisper in unison with his equally delicate singing style, but although the musician’s guitars are barely-there, his raw, poetic lyrics cut like a searing swords through the softest of souls.

Anyone familiar with the works of PJ Harvey and John Parish will find it no surprise that Brosseau’s collaborator is Harvey and his producer is Parish. The darkness that drifts into Cavalier is enhanced as he slides from one note to the next, giving an air of sorrow and despair but with the ability to grab and hold one’s attention, much like that recorded by Harvey/Parish in the past.

Concert preview: Chris Brown and Bow Wow

He’s taken the hip hop world by storm with amazing singing and dancing. And, for the record, he’s hot and spicy. That’s a triple threat worth selling your first born to go see live in concert! The R&B superstar from Tappahannock, VA, will perform in Las Vegas tomorrow night, so check it out!

Concert: Chris Brown and Bow Wow
Date: Thursday, January 4, 2008
Venue: Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV
Time: 8 pm
Tickets: $73.10-$125.60 through Ticketmaster

CD review: Noah Stone, Little Revolution (Erker Perker & Son Records)

By Jenny Gamble

I’ve been at the airport for two hours, having gone through a lengthy check-in process at the kiosk, and then frisked at security and made to stand in my Irish girl pajama socks while my boot innards fill the air with an unfriendly freshness, I am tired and I am irritated. I decided that this would be the perfect time to listen to Noah Stone’s CD, I will be as honest as it gets in this situation, right? (more…)

CD review: Demetra, self-tiled (Self-released)

By Bryan Cox

Demetra proves the New York punk scene is alive and well with their self-titled debut. Filled with hard-hitting, danceable beats, tight guitar riffs and pop vocals, they create a distinctive, fun sound that’s easy to listen to. (more…)

Concert review: Thursday, Portugal. The Man, Jillians, Las Vegas, November 14, 2007

By Beverly Bryan

Somewhere between the Eagles and Black Heart Procession lies the kingdom that is Portugal. The Man’s shadowy, blue-eyed soul. Supposedly this is a nation of three, but I counted at least three other men (seeking asylum?) shaking maracas, tambourines at Jillian’s on November 14. (more…)