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Don’t Be That Guy

by Danny on March 9, 2010 in Advice with Comments

The 90’s cult-classic PCU put a name to a well-known concept: “That Guy.” Jon Favreu is a metal head who’s excited to see his favorite band play. So excited, in fact, that he’s wearing his shirt with the band’s logo on it. Jeremy Piven notices this and says “You’re wearing the shirt of the band you’re going to see? Don’t be that guy.” And these, my friends, are words to live by. But how do you know if you’re exhibiting T.G. behavior? To be safe, here are a few things to avoid:

1. If you’re over 50 or under 13, it’s OK to wear the band’s shirt to the concert. If you fall anywhere between those ages, avoid this pit-fall at all costs.

2. It’s ok to sing along quietly to yourself. Screaming the lyrics and pointing at the band while they play is not only annoying, but it makes you look like an axe murderer.

3. Don’t show off your tattoo of the band. Usually this involves wearing a sleeveless shirt of some kind, and unless you came to the concert straight from football practice, there is now reason to do this. And it’s gross. Cut it out.

4. Don’t talk to strangers at the show about the band. You will start talking about what a big fan you are and it will inevitably turn into a pissing contest that only you are pissing in.

5. And for the love of God, don’t yell out song requests. In my decades of concert going, I’ve never seen a band take a request from a shouty guy who drank 6 Jack and Cokes. Plus, you’re always yelling the name of a song they are definitely going to play later in the show anyway.

So for the greater good, you guys, I beg you to not be “that guy.” See it as a common courtesy for the rest of us and for you. We can enjoy the concert and you won’t be universally hated. Cool? Cool.

VENUE REVIEW: The House Of Blues Sunset Strip

by Danny on March 8, 2010 in House of Blues with Comments

The House of Blues Sunset Strip is a nice concert venue that wants you to think it’s not. It’s a one of the few well-maintained venues (hell, buildings) on Sunset, yet they find a way to make their shows feel like they’re happening in an underground rock club. But how does the House of Blues stack up against other venues? Let’s find out.

1. Size
The size and lay out of the HOB puts the concert-goer in an odd position. The floor is small and packed with people — which is good if you want to feel like you’re at a real rock show but bad if you’d like to just kick back and have a ($12) beer. Even when standing in the areas surrounding the floor, I never feel like I’m not mashed right up against somebody else.

2. Sound
The sound guys know what they are doing. The levels are always good and the PA system is top-notch. If only they could lower the sound of the drunk guy next to you hitting on a variety of uninterested women…

3. Cleanliness
This place is clean but looks dirty, so you don’t feel like too much of a sell-out seeing a show here. I’d liken it to seeing a concert on Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland. It’s got lots of fake rotting wood everywhere, but you know a diligent and underpaid cleaning crew scrubs it down every night.

4. Bands
If you’re a fan of good punk rock or low-level radio rock music, the House of Blues is perfect. It’s because the HOB is a happy middle ground where an established punk or ska band can pack it no problem, and bands that are just getting popular on the radio can get their feet wet. If you’re looking for bigger touring acts or coffee-shop intimacy, however, this isn’t for you.

Overall grade: B+
The House of Blues isn’t the most comfortable place to see a show, but it does make for an exciting underground feel (even if its manufactured… which it is).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Most Underrated Live Music Experience In Los Angeles

by Danny on March 5, 2010 in Jimmy Kimmel Live with Comments

Seeing live music in Los Angeles is an expensive endeavor, but sitting right in the heart of Hollywood is an inexplicably well-kept secret for seeing great live music: The “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” outdoor concert stage.

Seeing a taping of Jimmy Kimmel Live is free, and to get in, all you have to do is reserve tickets online and wait outside the show for about an hour. Once you’re in, you’re treated to music by some of the world’s biggest musical acts and even at maximum capacity you’re never more than 100 feet away from the stage (so it still kind of feels like an intimate performance). In the past few years, I’ve seen bands on that stage like No Doubt, Green Day, Kanye West, Neil Young, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Stone Temple Pilots, Modest Mouse, and Slayer – just to name a few.

The bands that play outdoors always do two songs “on air” for the show, and usually do a few more after that just to thank the crowd for coming out to watch. If you’re lucky, on rare occasion a band will play a full-on set (I’ve seen both The Arctic Monkeys and 50 Cent do this very thing.)

The show also has a lobby stage, which is much more intimate. You aren’t always treated to extra songs when a band plays on this stage, but if an artist you really like is playing, it’s like watching them perform in your living room (and you don’t have to clean up rock-star vomit afterward).

You can check out the concert schedule and get tickets at 1iota.com; and really, you should.

SHOW REVIEW: The Toasters At The Cobalt Café

by Danny on March 3, 2010 in The Toasters with Comments

When I heard that the legendary ska act, “The Toasters,” were going to be playing at a coffee shop in the Valley, I knew I had to check them out. The circumstances were just too weird to miss.

The venue itself was odd – The Cobalt Café is sort of a coffee shop and sort of a concert venue, but it’s closer to an elementary school multi-purpose room than anything else. It is barren and dank, which is not a knock on the place at all, I just find it interesting that a place like the Cobalt even exists in the Valley. An unassuming all-ages punk rock club sandwiched in between two restaurants on Sherman Way. Pretty cool if you ask me.

The Toasters hit the stage with little fanfare. They just slowly assembled on stage, Bucket said hello, and they launched into a block of crowd favorites including “2-Tone Army” and “I’m Running Right Through The World” among others. And while the set list was great, I couldn’t help but notice the band’s unfortunately slimmed-down line-up. They were without a keyboard player and, more noticeably, someone to “toast” (ironically). While Bucket is a reliable front man, he’s not terribly interesting. I think the flavor and the swagger the Toasters are known for, comes from the rapping/toasting verses in their songs; the current line-up of the band, literally skips over these parts of the songs. The result was that every song seemed 2 minutes too long and the set felt rigid.

While I did have a good time at the show, and it was fun to hear all my favorite Toasters songs loud and up close, I think I’m subconsciously pretending I saw a Toasters cover band on Friday night and that the real band is touring out there… somewhere.

I’m Worried About Seeing The Specials

by Danny on March 2, 2010 in The Specials with Comments

As a huge ska fan, an interesting problem has arisen for me. After a lifetime of worshiping The Specials, a band that broke up before I was even born, the ska legends have reunited for a tour. As you might imagine, I was thrilled when I heard this news. Seeing The Specials live has been something I’ve always fantasized about and now it’s actually happening. It’d be like if you were an American history buff and you heard that Abraham Lincoln was not only back from the dead, but that he was not a murderous zombie creature and he was going to be doing the Gettysburg Address at Club Nokia in April. You’d be stoked right? Ok, you get it.

But then I started to think… what if they’re rusty? What if those bootleg mp3s I have of them playing at a London pub in 1979 outshine seeing them live in person? Will it be depressing if my concert-going life has led up to this moment and I leave the show thinking “meh, at least they played Ghost Town?” Yes, it will be.

So I broke one of my cardinal concert rules – I watched footage of a band I’m going to see soon playing live on YouTube. Doing this takes away the element of surprise and excitement when you see the show , but I had to know. I felt like a suspicious girlfriend going through her cheating boyfriends emails… I didn’t care what I found I just had to know.

But luckily, what I found was very good news. I watched a version of “Do The Dog” from their Brixton Academy show and it sounded great. So great that I found my self dancing a little bit in my office chair until my coworkers noticed. I had to stop myself there or I knew I’d find a set list and watch a whole show on the internet. But for now my nerves are calmed.

The only thing I’m worried about now is figuring out how to pass the next month and a half until that damn Club Nokia show.