Concert Catch-up (2/3/06 - 3/10/06) 4 Shows



Jeff Klein / Limbeck / Koufax / Honorary Title (2/3/2006)

This concert was the same night as Aimee Mann, but I opted for the youthful-rock show at the Grog over the more sophisticated adult-alternative choice. I first heard of Jeff Klein because of Patty Griffin being on one of his earlier albums... His show was good, kind of Bright Eyes meets Andrew Bird. Koufax was the run-away band of the night. I would describe their sound as Guster meets Franz Ferdinand, with a little bit of Travis (and some 70's rock soul).

It was at this point of the night that I realized how busy this place was and how I was the oldest person there (!). Well, except for the bartenders and a couple of the locals at the end of the bar, who would have been there no matter who was playing.

Limbeck started out a little weak, but ended strong and I really had a great time watching them. The Honorary Title ended the night. They were much more polished than any of the other bands. Kind of Interpol-esque, led by a little pale goth guy with a deep booming voice. He had a great personality and it was fun to watch him fuck with the drunks in the crowd. As part of the responsibility of being the oldest person in the room, I had to leave before the end (4 bands are a lot to watch at this advanced age). :)

Fred Gillen Jr. (2/22/2006)

Fred is one of my favorite recurring shows at the Barking Spider. He's political, fun and energetic. However this night he was with Steve, who was definitely the "top" in this duo. I'm sure he is a good musician and all, but I wasn't crazy how he controlled the show. Hopefully it'll just be Fred next time.

The Black Keys (2/25/2006)

It was hard to believe that such a loud, booming sound could come from two guys on a stage, but it did. These guys were amazing and the crowd had to be one of the coolest I've seen in a while. They talked about recording their new album in Akron and played started to play on of their new songs. The crowd went wild, which is such a great sight to see, instead of people wading through the new stuff waiting the songs they know every word to. I would highly recommend you attend their new show at the Agora next month.

Lucinda Williams (3/10/2006)

I think this is the last show that brought me to the House of Blues. I hate going there for shows. Lucinda sounded great, but because of the acoustics and the obnoxious crowd, I couldn't hear a spoken word she said. I was surprised (shocked) that she gave this venue a 15 on a scale from 1-10... I started questioning how hard I was being on the HOB, that is until the luke warm reaction they gave when she gave a shout out to support independent record stores. That sealed it, this place sucks. :) Hopefully I'll get to see her again in a place like the Beachland.

Posted: Wed - October 18, 2006 at 08:29 PM           |

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