On The List :: These United States @ The Echoplex [7.9.09]

Jesse Elliot, lead singer of These United States, wields an acoustic guitar like I imagine John Dillinger mastered semi-automatic weapons. Elliot addresses the instrument like a weapon, like a suit of armor, like a partner in crime. He points it like a firearm and were it not an acoustic guitar, and instead an object of war, I suspect, we would all be dead.

It is a sparse crowd and the opening band, over shots of whiskey at the bar, already comments "this is the worst show we've ever played." Luckily, The United States don't play for who is in the audience. Elliot approaches the opening song "West Won' with an element of reserve. I use this descriptor carefully. More appropriately, Elliot won't leave the ballpark of frenetic for the next 40-minutes. He sweats through the sleeve of his shirt. People don't do this often and Elliot works like few front men in the business.

Working through a mixture of their last two albums and a record forthcoming, These United States lay low and tight - it would still be fair to say they do their best work when they sit on the front half of alt-country. Playing "First Sight" from their first album, in the middle of the set, Elliot's delivery is sharp and rapid-fire. It's not the band's best song but it's close. Further proof of an evolving art-form comes in the last song of the night.

Elliot says, "we're calling this 'the new sound.'" He doesn't mean the title of the song. It is, in fact, "I Want You To Keep Everything," the first single off the band's forthcoming LP. It's the kind of song that would put Demolition-era Ryan Adams on notice. It is the kind of song that would send Gold-era Ryan Adams running for his life from the neighborhood. In its own way destructive and elevation, "I Want Your To Keep Everything" is the moment you would remember. The guitarist to Elliot's right is thrashing and finally turned loose. The band is in perfect form.

We pass Jesse Elliot on the way out of The Echoplex. "Great set, man." It's a weak entry. He nods and says an earnest "thank you." We are headed opposite directions. We hit the street. He wipes his face and heads for the merch table.

Listen :: These United States - "I Want You To Keep Everything"

Generationals :: "When They Fight, They Fight"

One of my favorite bands when I graduated college was The Eames Era. They were from New Orleans, wrote great pop songs and toured through New York every six-months. I was sold. The band fell apart in the last year. I wasn't immediately worried. For a band that survived a horrific van accident and hurricane Katrina, I'll bet their break-up didn't even earn a blink. And out of their separation rose Generationals, featuring two members of The Eames Era and some sonic similarities. Their debut record drops on July 21.

First single, "When They Fight, They Fight" is a bouncy piece of throw-back pop. It opens with hand-claps, a carry over from The Eames Era perhaps, and a plaintive keyboard line that seems ripped from a movie montage. From there the song settles in with go-go rhythm and up-stroke guitars. The chorus, an androgynous vocal featuring the title line, will stay in your head for days. Glistening "ooohs" wrap the melody in the type of sunlit afternoon you can only get in zip codes beginning with 90. This could be The Legends playing Beulah songs. Can something be both lo-fi and uplifting? Only if a band can break up and bring us something this good.

Listen :: Generationals - "When They Fight, They Fight"
Bonus :: Generationals - "Wildlife Sculpture"

Interview :: The Traditionist [7.7.09]

We shot some emails back and forth with Joey Barro from The Traditionist. We got his band name wrong the first two times we wrote about him. He makes sure to clarify. We silently apologize and think we should go to j-school. Most importantly, he's got one of the best records this year and you should be listening to him.

32feet: Being that your band is basically you and a rotating cast of musicians, describe the writing process. Is it collaborative or more unilateral?

The Traditionist (TT): I write all the songs on my own and that usually remains the core of the song...when recording Season to Season, only a couple of the songs had been played live before we tracked them, so those songs adapted in the live setting...I think that was the case for driftwood doll and a sleep be told...other than that, the instrumentation and orchestration of the songs developed in the studio...the core of the songs, like the lyrics and general arrangement, stays pretty much the same to what I originally write.

32feet: The record Season to Season is incredibly delicate in places. How does that translate when you play the songs live?

TT: Well, the translation live is dictated by the musicians who I am working with at the time...I have played all of these songs live at one point, and sometimes we stick closely to how they are displayed on the record...that is, if there are keys, synth, etc...I like to keep it gentle and specific to the record if we have the tools to do so...other than that, if the instruments are more limited, it has been cool to let it loose and see what happens with the energy.

32feet: The lyrics of the songs must be deeply personal. Do you find that fans and listeners "get" what the songs are about or are they developing their own reads and reactions?

TT: I like to think that both are happening...maybe each listen is different...I know for me, a song may have an intitial inspiration for why it was originally written, but every time thereafter, the song may change meanings and reasons for playing...I hope listeners like the possibility of an initial reason for why the song is there, but develop their own ideas for what that song may mean to them.

32feet: Can you explain a little about the background on "Driftwood Doll," maybe the most haunting song on the album?

TT: I've always liked the idea of looking forward...it is nice to remember things how you want to remember them sometimes, and not necessarily how it actually was...i think this song is a keyhole into that type of thinking..just to roll with it may be the best thing to do...it may come off haunting because i think that idea is not always the easiest thing to do, it does have the happiest ending though

32feet: Favorite venues or cities to play?

TT: best venue so far for me has been the great american music hall in san francisco...i've always had great times in Seattle, San Diego, Sac and Sf...i've been pretty specific to the west coast and l.a. and oc are little too familiar for me

32feet: Who are your favorite bands writing and recording now? And further back, who are your major influences?

TT: i usually reach back for my inspirations a bit, though my influences range from paul simon to radiohead...recently I've started getting familiar with gene clark from the byrds

32feet: Do you feel pressure to make a living solely as a musician? And at what point would you give up your day-job?

TT: no, I don't really feel any pressure about making a living with the music...i think if the money is there it is there and if its not, then I just have to do what I need to do to continue writing, recording, and playing the music...as far as quiting a day job, i'd probably cross that bridge when it's safe to cross

32feet: What should people absolutely know about your band?

The Traditionist: it's the traditionist, not the traditionalist

Listen :: The Traditionist - "I Know My Ocean"
Bonus :: The Traditionist - "No Self Portrait"
Bonus :: The Traditionist - "A Sleep Be Told"

On The List :: Last American Buffalo + Eastern Conference Champions @ Silverlake Lounge [7.6.09]

Last American Buffalo have a name that communicates extermination. In fact, their set isn't going to be left for dead. It is the first of a month-long residency at the Silverlake Lounge. On this night, they take the stage just before 11pm in the west. They are immediately impressive. The sound-check took too long, sure, and some of their affect isn't perfect but this band is low and tight. No set-list but a little less than an hour of American roots-rock; take it or leave it.

Things aren't perfect. Lead singer, Kevin Compton, blows a string on his acoustic in the second song. Compton doesn't show the strain, instead leading his over-sized band through a set of propulsive American rock. It has its moments and it has its moments where you wish something else was happening. Last American Buffalo are good. But they weren't the best band on the bill.

If you rewind 90-minutes, Eastern Conference Champions are taking the stage. They are a disjointed trio but they don't play like it. Lead singer, Josh Ostrander, squeezes his vocals out of the side of his mouth in something that approaches catharsis. Playing lead guitar, Melissa Dougherty has to be one of the best women playing in rock. She is illuminating and moving, soloing in equal frenzy as high-fret thrash. She might be the best part of this band.

Without even playing 2007 single, "The Box," the band rips through an eight-song set built to destroy. Opening with "To The World" and closing with the elevated "Atlas," the band still fit in upcoming single "Common Sense." The sum-total is built on strong opening movements and crushing, wave-of-sound closers. The band leaves the stage after clustering around and pounding on the drums. It is an explosive moment and part of you thinks there isn't a better band in this whole town. You just might be right.

Listen :: Eastern Conference Champions - "The Box"

32ft West :: Fool's Gold :: "Surprise Hotel"

The experiment in LA-living begins. We crashed, almost literally, on the the tarmac of John Wayne Airport in Orange County, rented a car and drove north. Approaching Los Angeles is never impressive for its skyline but there remains something approaching drama about the whole affair. The traffic thickens, the city's trademark punchline, and the low-urban development is noticeably denser. Finally, hills and skyline emerge. If you've been here before, you know the ocean is just to your left. The geographic feeling is always of mountains crashing into ocean and a city spread out like a blanket over the whole tectonic negotiation. We want to lift the blanket.

It is appropriate to start the next month, the whole 32ft West experience off with an LA band. Fool's Gold is made up of Foreign Born's guitarist and a rotating cast of up to 12-members. They make unabashed afro-beat pop. It reminds me of summers in upstate New York with Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints blaring out of my mom's Nissan Sentra. "Surprise Hotel" is a nearly perfect summer tune. It thumps and pulses, while guitar arpeggios explode like tracer fire. Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, the song has a second movement with horns and chanting vocals. This band and I are colliding at the perfect time. To paraphrase Michael Chabon, I anticipate a coming month of dilated time ....

Listen :: Fool's Gold - "Surprise Hotel"

The Avett Brothers :: "I and Love and You"

Later, New York. I trust that these words will still ring true in August. We are headed North (and by North I mean West and South a little). Take care of yourselves. 

Listen :: The Avett Brothers - "I and Love and You"

Happy Birthday, America.

Being an American in 2009 is a confusing assignment. We are supposed to be proud - this is what we're accused of anyways. We are supposed to be ashamed - a simple catalogue of our misdeeds would suffice. We are supposed to be waiting for the end - you know, us being the New Rome and all. So we are arrogant, self-critical, fatalists? Actually, sounds about right.

To the holiday at hand: the Fourth of July. It is a time when we sit outside, cook over open fire and celebrate sending the British home without their supper 233 years ago. The British, ironically, do not have a similar holiday for burning down the White House in 1814 during the War of 1812. Maybe this is why they are not a Superpower. Superpowers, after all, remain excellent at celebrating their success. Look at Russia: no celebrating, instant failure of political system, rejection of Superpower status. Not pretty.

We are and are not everything everyone says about us. We are not a broker of freedom. We aren't Satan. We're just a tiny rebellious colony dramatically morphed into the biggest economy and military in world history; all in less than 25 decades. It's an infomercial success story (actual results may differ). So, as the discussion of what it means to be an American continues, remember this: Don't believe the hype. We're just a little band who went to radio and were rewarded with massive popular support and massive popular backlash. We're doing our best and we'll try to remember where we came from. 

Listen :: Sufjan Stevens - "Star Spangled Banner"