forYoungModerns

FYM ON THE LIST: IMAAD WASIF/THE DODOS/THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS

Imaad Wasif opened the show and we’re pretty sure he was floating in a thick cloud of smoke. One of his early comments was that he thought the ceiling of the Fox Theater was an acid flashback of his and he also believes that a song of his got him kicked out of a cult. This man has friends in high places and you can’t argue that when he played guitar for Yeah Yeah Yeahs and opened for The Raconteurs as well as having Lykke Li make a cameo on a song of his. He managed to put everyone in a comfortable zone for The Dodos and The Fox Theater seem’d like the perfect gem for him. We managed to catch him at the merchandise booth between sets and he was as kind as ever and talked about how colors equal sounds. This man is a treat and meant to be seen live.

The bay area’s Dodos were up next and after seeing them 4 times prior, we couldn’t help but to be excited. The boys started off with a few new songs of which was “Fables” which gets in some solid shouts and then went into their classics of “Red and Purple” as well as their song made popular by Miller Chill “Fools”. Their set left us enjoying their new album, but believing that their preview album “VISITER” is going to be a tough time to be out done.

When The New Pornographers came out, they had a backdrop that was a bit reminiscent of Weezer’s W that is usually behind them. Neko Case came out earlier in the evening and had a cameo with The Dodos, doing a simple back up vocals for them. At times, you almost forget that AC Newman and Neko who did work with Jakob Dylan, actually have their own band that got them to where they are. If you haven’t caught their set. This is what you should expect.
Set List
Sing Me Spanish Techno
Up In the Dark
Myriad Harbour
Crash Years
The Laws Have Changed
Jackie, Dressed in Cobras
Adventures in Solitude
Twin Cinema
Jackie
Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk
All the Old Showstoppers
Go Places
Moves
Your Hands (Together)
Execution Day
My Shepherd
Use It
Silver Jenny Dollar
Mass Romantic
Bleeding Heart Show
Encore:
Challengers
Slow Descent into Alcoholism
Testament to Youth in Verse

FYM ON THE LIST: SPACEHOG @ KEY CLUB: LA

Spacehog continued to fuel their resurgence with a show at Sunset Strip locale The Key Club on Tuesday night. The band looked and sounded refreshed and energetic (with confidence firmly captured behind the rock star sunglasses that seemed permanently attached to singer Royston Langdon’s face) as they tore through a set that included songs new and old, hard-rocking and spaced-out.

Check out a video of their smash 1996 single “In the Meantime” at last night’s show, shot front-and-center by FYM:



Even though the group are natives of England and actually formed in New York City, they are no stranger to the Hollywood lifestyle, as singer and bassist Langdon is the ex-husband and father of the child of Liv Tyler. (And you’re pretty much guaranteed to become famous with a name like Royston Langdon). They paid homage to this fact by performing a song titled “Sunset Blvd” that is a shoe-in for appearing on their forthcoming fourth studio album, and first since 2001’s The Hogyssey.





Highlights of Spacehog’s set included the Langdon solo rarity “Cool Water”, with it’s rhythm perpetually building up until its refrain of “When I dream, I dream of you” offers release, and also the band’s own eponymously titled theme song, “Spacehog”, a glam punk song from their debut Resident Alien album that wouldn’t sound too out of place on a Nuggets collection.

Spacehog will continue to work on their new album, and their next scheduled live dates aren’t until September, with a show at Altar Bar in Pittsburgh on September 23 and another at The Basement in Columbus, Ohio on September 26. Be sure to follow them on Twitter HERE and at their official site HERE.



Please click on all of the pictures in this article to see larger versions:







(All photos by Will Sellers)

FYM ON THE LIST: JAGUAR LOVE @ BLOCK PARTY

Jaguar Love proved to be a sprightly presence, last night at the Capitol Hill Block Party. The compact Vera Stage allowed Johnny Whitney to become one with the crowd as he started out their set screaming “I Started a Fire” (their first single off Hologram Jams).

A true-to-form Highways of Gold and a more combative version of Bats Over the Pacific Ocean were the only songs off 2008’s “Take Me to the Sea,” Jaguar Love played during their 45+min set. But it’s not about the old, on a beautiful night like this, it’s about sharing the new.

Johnny and Cody, blazed up more aggressive (like we are going to battle) versions off of ”Hologram Jams.” A new cut Jaguar Warriors was set to light speed-sending the audience back to Blood Brothers (how we miss those) days.

Johnny Whitney is still one of the most  formidable frontmen in rock n’ roll today. One might say his scream is possibly better than Dennis from Refused? Regardless, FYM had an awesome time seeing the continuation of JL, and their more aggressive, 808, electro-freakout sound.

And on a side note, it was nice to see Mark of Champagne Champagne out supporting ex-bandmate Johnny Whitney stage-side. Jaguar Love pushed things forward for us last night, and we are excited for the future of this new project.

Check out their new album which can be purchased through Crystal City Clothing’s site.

(photos by: j codling)

FYM ON THE LIST: BLITZEN TRAPPER, CHK CHK CHK

FYM ON THE LIST: BLOCK PARTY, DAY THREE

The Dead Weather made the sun tremble, as they rambled through a seek and destroy mission of sonic dominance, closing the main stage Sunday night at Capitol Hill Block Party.

Block Party bystanders did just about anything (scaling telephone poles, buildings, phone booths) to get a glimpse of black magic front-woman Alison Mosshart, and her dark leather vocals.

“Die By the Drop” the first single off Sea of Cowards (released May 2010) played live sounds like a southern death trip/let’s make a deal with the devil in Clarksdale Mississippi kind of song.

Mosshart and White’s intense connection worked themselves into a  vocal frenzy, trading kinetic jabs during “Cut Like a Buffalo.”

But the FYM highlight of the night was witnessing the “Will There Be Enough Water” duet between White and Mosshart. Seeing Jack White play guitar live is similar to seeing an unexplained stellar occurrence in the sky. You know you witnessed it, but it cannot be explained in words.

Go to Third Man Records and purchase Sea of Cowards on vinyl NOW!

FYM ON THE LIST: MOOOLS/WOLF PARADE, SEATTLE

I first met Spencer Krug while taking photos archiving the infamous Frog Eyes/Sunset Rubdown daytrotter.com session. At the time I met him, he was coming down the studio stairs, and as I roamed around the studio archiving both sessions, Kurg’s talent was searing and mythically apparent. Over the course of the evening he eliminated most of a bottle of Jameson, and recorded some remarkable music with both bands.

Last night FYM was able to see (finally!) Spencers other musical denomination, Wolf Parade. Over their past three albums FYM has had a listening love affair with the dual song-writing dynamic between Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. Their work together in Wolf Parade has created some of the most intense musical landscapes for dreamers. It’s the lonely drinking music that can get you through the night, or an entire summer away from your lover.



The sold out evening at the Showbox in Seattle, began with the Japanese rock superheroes, MOOOLS (FYM has wanted to see these guys for a REALLY longtime). Their set was comprised of well-crafted, technical indie rock jams.

Moools, who play their entire set in their native language,  reminded FYM of how universal music is. Their sound, and high-spirited performance, transcended language boundaries, rapidly winning the approval of the crowd tune after tune.

In an age of digital incognito, The Moools live show, lifts a heavy-heart, and unified the audience before Wolf Parade started their set.

Wolf Parade took stage at 10:30pm. Their 90 mintue journey started off with “Soldiers Grin,” a song we obsessively listened to last summer (we are still rooted to the place that we sprang from).


The band looked stoked to be performing on this sold-out evening (many-many sincere thank yous were given to the audience throughout the night), and Spencer assured the crowd a well balanced set from all three albums would be played. The setlist was sooo nonpartisan that Dan and Spencer literally went one for one, evenly trading off performing lead vocal duties for each of their songs.

The first singles off Expo 86, “What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” both sounded flawless. I soon realized, their albums are merely a reference point for the energy, and musical prowess that these guys put into their live shows.

The enthusiastic crowd hit their zenith as Arlen Thompson (drums) repeatedly beat out the first notes to “I’ll Believe In Anything” Wolf Parade’s most epic mountain of emotional din. We pushed our way forward pointing fingers to the sky, screaming out the words we’ve heard so many times.

Wolf Parade’s last song before the inevitable encore, closed with Spencer Krug’s heart crushing ”California Dreamer.” By this time the alcohol, and coffee, had dehydrated (and over-heated) our damp bodies. We stood shoulder to shoulder, with the chanting audience, awaiting the ENCORE!


Wolf Parade came back for a three jam encore, with each song representing one of their three albums. This exhaustingly amazing show ended with a song both Spencer and Dan sing on “Kissing the Bee Hive.” They jammed out for 15 minutes getting as close to the 12am Showbox curfew as they could!

Moools, and Wolf Parade both gave stellar performances. And nights like these, are the reason why we keep chasing the thrill of seeing live music. It’s a special thing when people step away from their computers to go sweat and sing along with their favorite tunes in a compact environment for 120 minutes. A special thanks to Moools for giving us a spot of the guest list, to go on an adventure with two incredible bands.

(Story and Pictures By: J Codling)

FYM ON THE LIST: TOADIES ARE BACK!

Remember that weird part of the high-school parking lot, where kids hung-out by the tennis courts before class (getting stoned, and playing hacky-sack) wearing black on the outside, because black is how they feel on the inside? We DO, very well.

FYM ON THE LIST: WAVVES/ABE VIGODA/THE GROWLERS/THE LOVELY BAD THINGS @ THE GLASS HOUSE - POMONA

(Nathan Williams of Wavves)

Last night at the Glass House in Pomona, California, FYF, who are mere weeks away from hosting their big bash in downtown Los Angeles, hosted their FYF Summer Night. It was a bit of a preview of the large FYF Fest on September 4, as a few of the bands who played at The Glass House are playing both shows (Wavves, Abe Vigoda, The Growlers).


(Wavves)

Headliners Wavves, featuring singer-guitarist Nathan Williams and Jay Reatard’s former backing band, played a set that equally favored both new album King of the Beach and 2009’s Wavvves. The Pomona youth was no match for the Glass House’s security team, as many kids (as well as Wavves’ own backstage guests) hit the stage and dove into the crowd from early in the set during the pop punk “King of the Beach” all the way through noise punk closer “No Hope Kids”.


(The Growlers)

The Bill Murray-approved group The Growlers can be described as a Western-influenced surfpunkabilly band featuring a genuine frontman in Brooks Nielsen, who looks and sounds like the kind of guy Nelson Muntz from The Simpsons would be if he grew up to be a gloriously sleazy 70’s lounge singer. The crowed seemed most interested in The Growlers than any other band the entire evening and for reason as The Growlers are now rapidly increasing in national prominence as they have been in local LA prominence over the last few years.


(Abe Vigoda)

Abe Vigoda is a true Los Angeles local band as they basically play about 8 shows in the southland per week. Their forthcoming album Crush should solidify them as an elite indie band as the addition of electronic percussion and icy synths to the sound of many of the new material they performed at The Glass House could open them up to a wider audience.

FYM had kind of a non-run-in with Abe Vigoda guitarist and Microkorg maestro Juan Velasquez at The Oinkster in Eagle Rock and on Twitter the other day, and then briefly met him face-to-face at The Glass House show. Nice guy!

One-time FYM Jam of the Day and Crush track “Throwing Shade” was a highlight of their set and we captured it on video:




(The Lovely Bad Things)

La Mirada’s The Lovely Bad Things seemed about as young as most of the crowd there and they definitely fed off of each other’s energy. Besides the energetic quality of their music, their constant swapping of instruments kept things interesting throughout their set and the crowd felt it too, as they seemed to want to hear more after they finished.

As previously mentioned, Wavves, The Growlers, and Abe Vigoda all will be playing FYF Fest on September near downtown LA along with a ton of other excellent bands. Don’t miss out:

FYM ON THE LIST: MIDWEST REPRESENT!

SubPop Records latest dulcet contingency Jaill, bucked up and blew FYM away Wednesday evening at the Showbox in Seattle. Hailing from Milwaukee Wisconsin USA, Jaill played in front of a loose crowd coasting to their Midwestern guitar-rolling, Lake Michigan surf sound!

Jaill LIVE is something to witness! Balancing their rapid tunes with a witty one-liner undertow (even dedicating a song to all mustached men who are poor lovers). Jaill kept spirits high, and motivated to hear more! 

FYM’s stand out track of their set was Always Wrong: featuring an engagingly, energetic-despondence in lead singer Vincent Kircher’s vocals, and dynamic dueling guitar riffs. It’s a floaty tune we can’t get out of our heads! Jaill has a new record out on SubPop called That’s How We Burn. It’s a well-rounded album that deserves multiple listens, to take in a few of the tracks (including FYM’s standout jam of the show Always Wrong) go HERE!

Jaill continue their tour across the United States through mid-September, after seeing them live you won’t be disappointed!

PART 2: THE HOLD STEADY

The Hold Steady are based in Brooklyn now, but lead signer Craig Finn’s heart, still remains in the upper Midwest. The FYM crew can relate to Finn’s preaching, as two-thirds of forYoungModerns grew up alongside the Mississippi River (Quad Cities, USA). 

The frontman’s lyrics are like a cannery row (John Steinbeck) of Midwestern archetypes, about the boys and girls in America. His words are a rapid reminder to us of our friends back in a place we will always call home. If you ever want to know about the issues, scene politics, and mythology that has happened in the heart of the United States, listen to The Hold Steady.

With that said, FYM was on the scene Wednesday ordering double-whiskey cokes with no ice (in honor of the Constructive Summer lyrics), and donning a Lock and Dam 15 river hat JCodling’s father had given him, needless to say we were pumped!

The second song into The Hold Steady set: Constructive Summer sent the FYM crew dashing past bodies to the front of the stage! This is our sing-along song! Screaming our hearts out to the words we’ve sang many-a time before, it felt good to be sandwiched up front with other feverish brothers and sisters.

THS put to rest any anxiety we had about keyboardist Franz Nicolay’s departure. Craig Finn’s energy surpasses any other frontman we have ever seen live. Finn’s “look” resembles the college dude you would go to when you’re 17 and looking to score beer before the Iowa game. And that’s not a knock at him, it’s real. The Hold Steady remind us that rock n’ roll is not dead, and doesn’t need to be played while wearing eye-liner (green day :l ).

FYM can’t recall a time during the show when Finn wasn’t engaging the audience with a smile. The Hold Steady allow their fans to put their problems behind them for 90 minutes, and suddenly a “we’re in this together feeling” starts to come out.

THS broke into their encore with sing-along scriptures, Gotta Stay Positive. The Hold Steady can only give us hope that one day, in the scene where I come from, “there’s gonna come a time when the true scene leaders will forget where they differ, and get big picture.”

But for now, go down to your local record store (silver platters) and pick up Heaven is Whenever, The Hold Steady’s latest release!

(Editors Note: Cheers to SubPop, Jaill, and The Hold Steady for an unforgettable slice of back home last night.)

FYM ON THE LIST: OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL