iamserio.us

So this tour sort of fell apart. Originally it was 65daysofstatic/This Will Destroy You/Hot Cross/Fear Before The March of Flames but then Hot Cross broke up mid-tour and TWDY had to hop off the tour due to medical reasons. To fix the diminished lineup, You In Series was added to the bill. Results: ugh.

At first I thought it was kind of a cool idea to have some sort of crossover tour and it probably would have been pretty cool if the four original bands had played. But the three-band bill at El Corazon last night felt like being at a hardcore show with a few nerds mixed in to fellate applaud the post-rock band.

I filmed up front so there was no one to block my stand in the back. Unfortunately, this means that there were no less than six kids under my mics when I got back to my gear. A quick listen to the quiet parts on the recording reveal that they’re quite apparent on the recording. Oh well, I got some sick footage and the recording turned out ok considering the venue.

I didn’t stick around to tape FBTMOF because I was tired and bored and I’m not posting the You In Series recording because the band was awful.

65daysofstatic – 2007-08-06 El Corazon – Seattle, WA
Download: 65dos2007-08-06.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: 65dos2007-08-06sample.mp3
SD FLV (373 MB): 65dos2007-08-06.flv
HD MP4 (1.8 GB): 65dos2007-08-06.mp4

65daysofstatic – El Corazon – Seattle, WA

Not that many updates recently which is a culmination of factors. Mostly because there haven’t been a lot of shows worth going to lately and I’ve been kinda doing nothing all summer. Finally a few shows cropped up that I had the energy to go to and tape.

So here is Girl Talk from Friday night at the block party. I’ll put up the openers soon (Cancer Rising and The Trucks) but I figure most people just want to get let their freak flag fly to some Girl Talk as soon as possible.

Also: Within the next few days I’m going to post the audio from the Marnie Stern show I went to last month. I keep meaning to do it but I forget or I get lazy or BLAH BLAH FART. I also recorded some video at that show so I’ll try to torrent that as well.

Girl Talk – 2007-07-27 Capitol Hill Block Party – Seattle, WA
Download: gtalk2007-07-27.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: gtalk2007-07-27sample.mp3

Posting this real quick before I head out to go backpacking for the weekend:

Torrent Link: caspian2007-04-28.hv20.akgc1000s.dvdf.torrent

Stream On Google Video:

I got one of the DVDs finished last night and it is now torrented at TheTradersDen. a dead torrent.

You can stream it here, though:

Explosions in the Sky @ Neumo’s

SD FLV (542 MB): eits2007-05-06.flv
HD MP4 (1.6 GB): eits2007-05-06.mp4
Torrent Link eits2007-05-06.hv20.mbho603.ka100lk.sp-lsd2.flac16.torrent

It’s a single camera angle but it’s right up at the stage lip. The audio is amazingly clear and crisp thanks to Jarod Watson handling audio in the back of the venue. Expect the second evening to be torrented soon once I get it from the person who is authoring the DVD.

I got around to authoring a DVD of The Fall of Troy’s CD Release show from the 1st of this month. So here it is:

Torrent Link: fot2007-05-01.hv20.akgc1000s.dvdf.torrent

Stream On Stage6: The Fall Of Troy – 2007-05-01 Atlas Clothing – Seattle, WA

Stream On Google Video:

Prologue
In October of 2004 I had a ticket in my hand to see Explosions In The Sky at The Crocodile Cafe in Seattle. I showed up to the venue well in advance and had a camcorder that I borrowed from my school ready to film the epic awesomeness. When I got to the venue I was informed that the band would not be playing due to van troubles in Montana.

At the time I was disappointed and angry. I got my refund and went home and stewed. I heavily considered taking a Greyhound down to Portland to catch their next show but ultimately decided against it; using the logic that “Oh, they’ll be back in about six months anyway…”

Turns out, they didn’t come back in six months. About two and a half years later they finally came back to the Pacific Northwest and I made it my goal to see them as many times as possible. You never know when you’ll get a chance to see your favorite band play again so you have to do what you can to see them play when you do get the chance. Well, you don’t have to… but I do. I have to. Because that is the kind of idiot I am.

Five days and 900 miles later, this is my story.

Day One
Left work feeling good. Feeling strong. Rolled onto I-5 at about 3:00 and pushed through the torrential rain of southern Washington to get to Tualatin at around 7:00. Met up with another taper at his house and we high-tailed it to Eugene for the first night of many.

The crowd was terrible and the room didn’t sound great, but the boys still destroyed everything and everyone. I ran my rig in the back by the soundboard along with my camcorder while my cohort manned three other camcorders (one on each side of the stage and one in the crowd).

When we got back to his place: the footage? Epic.

Day Two
Woke up on a sofa-bed with my computer next to me (still turned on) and feeling very confused as to where exactly I was. Must have been a late night. I sat around the guy’s house all day watching television and taking naps. He came home from work for lunch and we had Quizno’s. When he got home from work, we moved on like a two-man herd of buffalo. Another night, another show.

The Wonder Ballroom is a fantastic venue. The stage is huge, the room sounds great, and there is a balcony in the rear. The crowd was respectful and held their applause mostly for the end of the songs (and not the end of any large climax of which there might be two or three in one song). The boys were on point and gave it everything they had. Consider me pleased that they played both The Moon Is Down and Yasmin The Light.

The tapers showed up like someone was giving out free handjobs in the bathroom (they weren’t, I checked). In addition to myself and my friend, two other guys showed up and busted out The Big Guns. One pair of Neumann U89’s and another pair of Schoeps MK4’s were flying high on the stands which meant that I didn’t even need to run my rig. That’d be like bringing a piece of wet spaghetti to a nuclear-bomb-fight.

The tapes? Sick. The video footage? Sick. Myself? Quite healthy, actually.

Day Three
Stayed the night at a different friend’s house and got back on the road at around 9:00. Rolled back into Seattle at around 12:30 and made sure my cat wasn’t dead. At 3:00 I drove for the border (And my transmission was SHOT… just kidding. I just had to stick that in there). With my birth certificate and driver’s license in hand, I was determined to get into Canada. And get into Canada I did.

The venue that night was huge. Too huge actually. The room could probably accommodate a thousand people and maybe 600 showed up. Doesn’t matter. Their music could fill the void of spacetime if given the chance.

I ran my rig and camcorder by the soundboard while two friends of mine handled video right at the stage lip. This three camera recording is going to have you spitting gum out of your forehead by the time you finish watching it. I don’t even know what that means but I think it means that your face will be melted so much that your mouth will be moved to the top of your head in the confusion. The doctor can only do so much with the tools he has to work with, you know.

Day Four
I drove back late the previous night and got back home at 1:30 in the morning. After listening to the recording from the Vancouver show I fell asleep with my cat and slept straight through until morning.

I woke up and it was Sunday. Another day, another concert. It was about 11 o’clock and I knew there was something I was supposed to do that day. It clicked in my brain that my friends had a kickball game scheduled for that morning so I called a friend to confirm then drove up to the game. More people need to play kickball in an organized fashion. I’m pretty sure the game was designed for 20-something hipsters. It’s fairly intense and gives you a work out, but you don’t have to do too much running if you don’t want to.

The evening was upon me and the show was imminent. I had an extra ticket because The Girlfriend had to go out of town for a business trip. I put out my feelers (you don’t want to see my feelers, they’re disgusting… stop staring) and found another taper in town who wanted to go.

This worked out perfect for me for two reasons: 1) He has a kick ass MBHO 603/SP LSD2 four-channel rig that puts mine to shame and 2) He took care of audio in the back so I could film right up front. The video looks so damn awesome.

The setlist was fantastic and this was the first of the shows that I got to watch from up close. I was torn to shreds watching these guys play. I don’t know if it’s the hot stage lights or the fact that they physically strain themselves so much but those boys sure do sweat a lot. Just dripping it like it’s going out of style. Watching Munaf tape an e-bow to his guitar for the wailing guitar part in The Moon Is Down was the single most satisfying thing to watch in my lifetime. I have no problem saying that and truly believing it. He set it on the string, taped it down and twisted the gain knob on his Strat while beating the shit out of a tambourine. The guy believes in his music. So do I.

Also: I saw another guy filming in the balcony but I couldn’t find him after the show. Dude In The Balcony: If you’re reading this please contact me so we can get some sweet-ass-sweet two-cam action going on.

Day Five
The final night of epic jams. I handled audio and video in the back of the venue while someone else I met through email took care of video at the stage lip. We both filmed in HD so it should turn out to look rather epic in the end. The crowd was rowdy, the venue was packed, the sound was huge, and the setlist was awesome. They finally played The Birth And Death Of The Day and my life is now complete.

Day Six
Sleep

Day Seven
Sleep

Day Eight
Sleep

VIDEO:

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-06 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
eits2007-05-06.hv20.mbho603.ka100lk.sp-lsd2.flac16.torrent

AUDIO:

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-03 WOW Hall – Eugene, OR
Download Source 1: eits2007-05-03.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
Download Source 2: eits2007-05-03.dpa4061.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eits2007-05-03sample.mp3

Eluvium – 2007-05-03 WOW Hall – Eugene, OR
Download Source 1: eluvium2007-05-03.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
Download Source 2: eluvium2007-05-03.dpa4061.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eluvium2007-05-03sample.mp3

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-04 Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
Download Source 1: eits2007-05-04.u89.flac16.zip
Download Source 2: eits2007-05-04.mk4.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eits2007-05-04sample.mp3

Eluvium – 2007-05-04 Wonder Ballroom – Portland, OR
Download: eluvium2007-05-04.u89.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eluvium2007-05-04sample.mp3

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-05 Croatian Culture Ctr – Vancouver, CAN
Download: eits2007-05-05.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eits2007-05-05sample.mp3

Eluvium – 2007-05-05 Croatian Culture Ctr – Vancouver, CAN
Download: eluvium2007-05-05.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eluvium2007-05-05sample.mp3

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-06 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: eits2007-05-06.mbho603.ka200n.sp-lsd2.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eits2007-05-06sample.mp3

Eluvium – 2007-05-06 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: eluvium2007-05-06.mbho603.ka200n.sp-lsd2.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eluvium2007-05-06sample.mp3

Explosions In The Sky – 2007-05-07 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: eits2007-05-07.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eits2007-05-07sample.mp3

Eluvium – 2007-05-07 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: eluvium2007-05-07.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: eluvium2007-05-07sample.mp3

I am never any good at predicting a crowd turnout. Whenever I show up mega-early, there is never anyone there. Whenever I stroll in a little bit late, the place is packed. I think it’s because I assume that everyone likes a band as much as I do and so when I get all excited about a show I just assume that everyone is just as excited.

Last night The Fall of Troy had their CD release show in the Atlas Clothing stock room with Tera Melos and The Look opening up for them. I thought the place would be packed to the walls given that a) this town loves The Fall of Troy, b) Manipulator is probably the most anticipated EVR record of the year c) the show was five bucks.

Turns out, the place didn’t even get to full capacity. I guess the contributing factors were that the show was on a Tuesday night and it didn’t really get any promotion due to how last-minute the gig was. But hey, I’m not complaining. Less people the better if you ask me. The people that were there really wanted to hear the guys shred and shred they did. Once Tim fixed his bass rig so it stopped sounding like poop, they tore the place up.

Tera Melos was a band I had heard about but never had a chance to see. After watching their set I can tell you that I am a big big fan. Amazing musicians; all three of those guys. Sweet jazz-style drumming and very unique and compelling guitar work that just doesn’t quit. Highly recommended!

VIDEO:

The Fall Of Troy – 2007-05-01 Atlas Clothing – Seattle, WA
Torrent Link: fot2007-05-01.hv20.akgc1000s.dvdf.torrent

AUDIO:

The Fall Of Troy – 2007-05-01 Atlas Clothing – Seattle, WA
Download: fot2007-05-01.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: fot2007-05-01sample.mp3

Tera Melos – 2007-05-01 Atlas Clothing – Seattle, WA
Download: tm2007-05-01.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: tm2007-05-01sample.mp3

You know how when you’re listening to a really awesome song and your body gets all chilly like a ghost just passed through your body? And you know how awesome that feels? And you know how there is even one step beyond the “all over tinglies” where your stomach sort of tenses up for a split second almost to the point of being painful?

Imagine being in that state for five or ten minutes at a time. When Caspian finishes a set, my body quite literally aches from the state they put me in. This isn’t hyperbole and this isn’t me trying to be all artsy fartsy with fancy words and similes. It’s just the plain truth. They are simply that amazingly awesome.

The first night took place at the Bellevue teen center “Ground Zero”. While I was initially disappointed that they didn’t get a proper Seattle gig, it turned out to be a grand affair anyway. All of the bands were on point and ready to shred faces into a million pieces and everyone in attendance was ready to be shredded. There were people driving up from Portland and flying in from Canada and Florida just for this show. That’s the kind of draw Caspian has. That’s how bad people want to be rocked by them.

Local post-rockers Joy Wants Eternity opened the show and tore the place up. I didn’t get a chance to record them because they started so early but rest assured, it was awesome.

Los Angeles instrumental band Beware Of Safety played next and colored me all kinds of impressed. They have this one song called Kaura that just can’t be appreciated fully until you hear it live. On the EP it’s a good song, but once you are experiencing that huge crashing kick drum sound at a ridiculous volume, you know how they meant for you to hear it.

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert was supposed to play earlier but they decided to play last so that the touring bands could get more crowd action (which was very cool). So Caspian went on next and played for about 35 minutes of sheer elation. Starting off with Brombie and leading into Crawlspace then straight into The Trilogy from their first EP, they closed with a new song that just makes you want to die right there and ascend to whatever afterlife you may believe in.

After Caspian, You.May.Die.In.The.Desert went on and did what they do best: get all math-rocky and shred nonstop. I just love watching their guitarist, Brian, play. He reminds me so much of my buddy Colin from high school in so many ways that it’s nice to know that there are other hyperactive, amazing guitar players out there who just don’t quit. These guys have a split coming out with Japanese post-rock group Te’ (pronounced “Tay”) so make sure you get a copy of that when it comes out.

THE SAGA CONTINUES…

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from my buddy Woody. He told me he got in a car accident and that the barbecue that was planned for the afternoon would have to be postponed. Once I was certain that he was not injured and that he didn’t need/want me to do anything to help out, I looked at The Girlfriend and said “Now I can go to that show!”

She asked me, “What show?”

And I said “Caspian in Portland!”

She kind of looked at me funny then she realized that I was serious and that I really really wanted to go. I only mention this because I don’t own a car but she does. If I want to go to a show, I have to borrow her car and if I want to go to a show in another state, I kind of have to run it by her first.

Because The Lady loves me, she obliged my request and I started driving to Portland.

Here is one thing I will say: If you are ever in Portland and you need a bar in which to “kick it”, The Someday Lounge is where you want to be doing that. Everyone who works there is mega-helpful, the place is very classy and clean, the food is great, the beer is great, and the room sounds amazing.

Here is another thing I will say: Both Caspian and Beware Of Safety obliterated the place last night. Just destroyed everyone. I saw an old man walk by the venue when Caspian was mid-set and his hip shattered just being within earshot of their sonic presence.

Caspian played first and ran through Moksha, The Trilogy, ASA and Some Are White Light. Then they blazed right into Brombie followed immediately by the new song (replete with seven person drumming action to close it out). It was fucking AWESOME.

Beware Of Safety played last and rocked some different songs than they had the previous evening. Two of the guitar players had issues with their amps which made them feel that the performance was less than stellar but I thought it was great. Even so, they asked me not to post it online until they hear it to see how it sounds. And that’s how things will be done.

The drive back to Seattle at 12:30 was redonkulous. I got home at about 3:15 (from venue to my doorstep) without getting pulled over or in an accident. I saw at least a dozen highway cops with their laser guns out trying to catch speeders (I wasn’t really speeding, Rachel, I promise) but I never got pulled over. I resorted to singing a capella classic rock tunes at ridiculous volumes in order to entertain and alert myself. These are the kinds of things I’m glad aren’t being recorded.

NIGHT ONE:

Caspian – 2007-04-28 Ground Zero – Bellevue, WA
Download: caspian2007-04-28.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
Download @ Archive.org: caspian2007-04-28.akgc1000s.flac16
MP3 Sample: caspian2007-04-28sample.mp3

Beware Of Safety – 2007-04-28 Ground Zero – Bellevue, WA
Download: bos2007-04-28.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: bos2007-04-28sample.mp3

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert – 2007-04-28 Ground Zero – Bellevue, WA
Download: ymditd2007-04-28.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: ymditd2007-04-28sample.mp3

NIGHT TWO:

Caspian – 2007-04-29 Someday Lounge – Portland, OR
Download: caspian2007-04-29.akgc1000s.sbd.matrix.flac16.zip
Download @ Archive.org: caspian2007-04-29.akgc1000s.sbd.matrix.flac16
MP3 Sample: caspian2007-04-29sample.mp3

Kudos to The Books for attracting a Seattle crowd that isn’t full of douchenozzles and assholes. It’s not often that a 21+ crowd is quiet enough that you can actually hear the opening act’s set; especially when that act consists of one guy playing the violin (The opening act, Todd Reynolds, is amazing and I highly recommend him if you get a chance to see him play).

The problems I had with Neumo’s at the Mono show were not present last night at The Books’ show for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that I didn’t bring my full recording rig so I wasn’t in anyone’s way. I stealthed the show, but with permission from both Paul and Nick and I made sure that the venue knew I was recording and that I had explicit permission from both band members. I really didn’t expect to be able to record but I brought my stealth gear just in case I was feeling up to the task (FYI: I really hate stealthing but I always seem to forget that until 15 minutes into a set when my knees start to ache and my heels are numb).

As a bonus, I am also posting my recording of The Books that I did last year with permission from Nick. I had a short talk with him at the merch table and asked him if I should refrain from posting the evening’s performance on the Internet and he sheepishly replied “Yeah… I don’t really care so much about that anymore. It’s not a big deal if you post it online.” which made me super excited since the recording I did last year is one of my most favorite tapes to listen to.

So here you go. Two recordings of The Books in one delicious post. I also have video of the show from last year that I have yet to put on DVD so maybe I’ll get around to doing that soon.

The Books – 2007-04-26 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: books2007-04-26.at943.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: books2007-04-26sample.mp3

The Books – 2006-04-21 UW HUB – Seattle, WA
Download: books2006-04-21.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: books2006-04-21sample.mp3

DISCLAIMER: I have no sense of entitlement about taping shows. I do not feel that I deserve to be able to tape every show I attend nor do I feel that I have any more rights than anyone else who attends a show. I’m not some asshole taper who shows up at a show and expects everyone to bow to my whim. I’m just a guy who likes to tape shows.

I hate being treated like a jerkbag by venue staff when I’m just trying to archive a performance from a band that allows taping. I hate that they try to make me feel bad for doing something that, to me, is very important and worthwhile. I guess, in a sense, I understand because it’s not their job to deal with tapers and if they want to they can disallow taping altogether. Different priorities for different people I suppose.

Last night at the show, I showed up with my taping bag, my mic stand, my camcorder bag, and a tripod. There was no hiding the fact that I was there to tape the show. I got into the venue without a hitch and no one said a thing to me (I assumed because Mono has a very liberal taping policy and informed the venue that taping is fine). I figured I was in the clear until the house management gal came over to ask me who I was with, what I was recording for, and what I was going to do with it.

I informed her that I’m not with anyone, I’m recording for posterity, and I plan to put it online for free so everyone can listen to it. That seemed to be ok with her in a certain sense but she informed me that Mono had a clause in their contract with the venue that there would be no audio or video recording at the show. I informed her of Mono’s taping policy and asked if she could double-check with the band to see if I could still record (or, at the very least, if I could still tape the openers). She obliged my request and after about five minutes, a security staff member informed me that I was fine to record and that no one would hassle me about it.

Immediately following that, the head of security pulled me aside (actually, he pulled me outside) to talk to me real quick. He wasn’t a dick or anything, but he told me that I could no longer show up at Neumo’s to record unless I had explicit, written permission from every band that I wanted to record. He also told me that if I didn’t have said permission, I would be ejected from the venue. He didn’t seem to care about “taping policies” or anything like that either so even if I want to tape a band that is perfectly fine with taping (like, say, Explosions In The Sky), I’ll still have to bother the band about getting written permission if I want to tape at Neumo’s anymore. That’s certainly a downer.

I’ll say this: I really don’t care if the venue disallows taping at a show because of some contractual clause. Like the Isis/Jesu show that I couldn’t open tape… I wasn’t really that upset. It was annoying, sure, but it’s not like I cried myself to sleep or anything. I’m perfectly fine with leaving the rig in the car, buying a few beers, and enjoying myself like any other patron.

What bothers me, though, is that they pulled this stunt on me without having any clearly posted signs that audio and video taping was disallowed for the evening. The whole thing could have been avoided if they had just made the policy known from the get-go instead of pulling some sort of bait-and-switch tactic and making me feel like a dickhole in the process.

I didn’t want the venue staff thinking I was a dickhole, though, so at the end of the night I found the head of security and apologized (again) that I caused him any grief and asked him to apologize to the management girl as well. There’s no harm in trying to smooth things over and he seemed to be appreciative of my efforts to do so.

Look at all that writing I did and I didn’t say a damn thing about the show!

I came in a little bit too late to tape The Drift (and all the problems with the venue made it so that my rig didn’t start flying until halfway through their set) but they were really good. That guy sure can play the trumpet.

World’s End Girlfriend was just amazing and great. It didn’t even bother me that he was using a laptop because his music is so entrancing and good.

Kinski is a band that I hadn’t seen play a show in a few years (the last time was when they opened for Do Make Say Think) and I really enjoyed them this time around. Last time I saw them there were some technical difficulties and they were a little off, but tonight they were on like Donkey Kong. The first track in this set is face-numbingly amazing.

Mono never fails to impress, shatter, and move me. They just have so much power and so much grace. They can take a song from a lullaby to a nightmarish dreamscape within seconds and you’ll never see it coming. They played for well over an hour and the crowd still shouted for more (but they got no more, sadly). I was feeling really tired and groggy yesterday afternoon, but I’m really glad I went to this show. Especially considering Mono isn’t going to tour the states again for another year or two.

Mono – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: mono2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: mono2007-04-25sample.mp3

Kinski – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: kinski2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: kinski2007-04-25sample.mp3

World’s End Girlfriend – 2007-04-25 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: weg2007-04-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: weg2007-04-25sample.mp3