Reviews

@ , 1/27/12 | © Vladimir Zaytsev

In what some are calling it the best time in a long time for self-made DJs and producers, it’s just too easy now to stand behind a laptop and let the music bring energy to a sold out crowd. Alex Botwin, AKA Paper Diamond proved that playing electronic music can and should be much more than pressing buttons on a laptop in his recent trip through Chicago. READ MORE

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@ The Mezzanine, 2/1/12 | © Pete Merriman

While it could be old news to other folks who’ve followed his work for years, last Wednesday night was my first exposure to the comedian / musician / actor known as Reggie Watts. As part of ’s annual SketchFest, Reggie Watts was in town to do a Reggiedency, a four-night showcase spread between a bunch of different venues in SF. The show I caught was at Mezzanine and while I missed the openers of Garfunkel and Oates, the show I saw was action packed. READ MORE

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@ , NYC 1/28/12

Words by Carly Shields / Photos by Nick Irving

Big band Brooklynites Rubblebucket sold out the Bowery Ballroom this past Saturday night, and though they haven’t quite broken into the mainstream scene, their constant touring schedule and years of festival appearances make them a pretty well known name in every scene they fit with. From jam to funk to indie to trance, these young musicians bring a whole new musical perspective to melding influences. READ MORE

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Post image for REVIEW: M. Ward @ Masonic Lodge, Hollywood Forever 2.2.12

Taking in a show at the Masonic Lodge located within the famed Hollywood Forever Cemetery is always a treat. It’s a small room seating roughly 200, with tall ceilings, two hanging chandeliers and seated cushioned benches to the side. To keep it a little more hip, the walls feature film posters like A Clockwork Orange, while Harold & Maude greet you upon entering. It’s one of the more unique rooms for an acoustic performance in , especially considering you just walked past a few gravestones to get there. Last night we were all very fortunate that (real name, Matthew Stephen Ward) decided to play a solo gig there. Having sit in doesn’t hurt either.

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Post image for REVIEW: moe. @ Terminal 5, NYC 11/26/11

It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day on Manhattan. The sites of the holiday, the bustle of the shoppers, the smell of the Halal Food trucks on every corner and The Holiday Shops at Bryant Park all while wearing short sleeves–”forget about it!” Temperature had to be somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees and the sun was out at the end of “Movember“, aka November or for me–aka “moe.vember”. READ MORE

Post image for PHOTOS / WORDS: Marco Benevento Trio @ The Independent, SF 12/4/11

did his best to keep a audience perfectly satisfied last night as he brought his trio into town (this time with on bass and Andy Borger on drums), but it was clear from the energy in the room that everyone had spent themselves out on a crazy Saturday night. Typical San Francisco behavior, actually… partying comes in cycles. And Marco stayed animated and definitely got people rocking after a relatively tame-ish opener in Fred Torphy (from Big Light). READ MORE

Welcome Dana Montanari to the LMB NYC team! For her first show review on the site, she’s tackling a whopper of a show in the MSG gig this past Sunday night. And thankfully for us fans at home, our Phish-y YouTube friend mkdevo was there to record the action, too. Get some popcorn, crank this baby up and read on for Dana’s thoughts from the show…

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There was quite a buzz in the air at The on Sunday night, with a packed house of Raconteurs fans very excited that the band chose for the last stop on their incredibly brief tour (Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando, ). The band says that as of now they have no plans to record new material or tour again in the near future, so as far as we know this was their last show. I doubt it…but who knows. I caught them in Nashville on the first show of the tour, and honestly I thought they sounded a little rusty. They clearly messed up on a couple of songs. It wasn’t surprising, but I was hoping for a better show this time around.

Wow, they definitely gave me what I was looking for. Jack White & co. came out absolutely on fire, opening with the usual “Consolers of the Lonely,” followed by two off of their first album, “Hands” and “Level,” the latter being when I first felt like we were in for a special show. Jack and Brendan improvised quite a bit on the playful intro, and were hitting every note. Jack went on to absolutely crush what’s probably the most iconic solo in the band’s catalog. If you’ve ever seen live, you know that the band really feeds off of Jack White’s energy, and by the end of “Level” it was obvious that he was on that night. READ MORE

11.14.2011

REVIEW (in motion): Brandt Brauer Frick @ Rickshaw Stop, SF 11/11/11

Concerts
Thumbnail image for REVIEW (in motion): Brandt Brauer Frick @ Rickshaw Stop, SF 11/11/11

Some thoughts from the Brandt Brauer Frick show from last Friday night in San Francisco…

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11.10.2011

REVIEW / PHOTOS – Foo Fighters @ Gwinnett Arena, Atlanta 11/7/11

Concerts
Thumbnail image for REVIEW / PHOTOS – Foo Fighters @ Gwinnett Arena, Atlanta 11/7/11

I’ll talk about one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen in a second, but first let me give a nod to the Foo Fighters’ first opener, The Joy Formidable, who I think is a very exciting up and coming rock band. I wrote about their set at Music Midtown a couple of months [...]

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