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Soundcheck ~ Orange County music news, OC concert announcements and more from Orange County Register critic Ben Wener.

Coachella lineup changes: Grace Jones falls off but Bad Lieutenant, Sigur Ros’ Jonsi added

February 8th, 2010, 3:51 pm by BEN WENER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

badlieutenantJust got word that Bad Lieutenant, the new project from Bernard Sumner of New Order (to the left in that pic), has been added to Coachella’s Saturday lineup, as the group is finally headed stateside for the first time since issuing its debut, Never Cry Another Tear, last October.

Further enhancing their set will be Joy Division/New Order drummer Stephen Morris, who played on the album and is part of the touring unit. Also, Sumner says to expect some songs from his earlier groups “and a few other surprises.” Could be very interesting.

But when I went to check the Coachella site to see which day the band was playing, I noticed several other changes to the event’s poster.

Biggest disappointment of all: Grace Jones is no longer in the mix.

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Vivian Girls, Best Coast charm the Detroit Bar

February 8th, 2010, 12:40 am by ANGELA POTTER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Girls didn’t drink free Friday night at Detroit Bar, but it was lady’s night on stage.

After first appearing earlier in the day further down the 405 at UCI, Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls bantered and giggled their way through a speedy 45-minute set Friday night at the Costa Mesa club. Their energy was contagious: an abridged version of “He’s Gone,” a Chantels cover, was fitting, as the band’s surf ‘n’ shoegaze sound is influenced by nothing so much as ’50s and ’60s girl bands like the Shangri-Las.

Singer/bassist Kickball Katy’s voice is softer and sweeter than her fierce name and fiery red hair let on. The bouncy rhythm of “Can’t Get Over You,” punctuated by Katy’s and guitarist/co-vocalist Cassie Ramone’s jumps, was a standout in a show dominated by tracks from Everything Goes Wrong, the band’s sophomore release from September.

The Girls once again showcased their musical skills, switching up instruments and playing a tight (if not flawless) set. The only thing lacking from their performance, actually, was some of the rawness and ferocity that comes across on their self-titled first release, from 2008. Vivian Girls, like too many other bands, are quickly smoothing out their punk edge as they mature. Their softer, more melodic music is blissful — it’s just missing a little something.

The intimate venue suited Best Coast perfectly in the evening’s middle slot … Read the rest of this entry »

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Rhett Miller impresses sans Old 97’s in Santa Ana

February 5th, 2010, 11:12 am by ROBERT KINSLER, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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It’s too bad the Galaxy Theatre wasn’t packed Thursday night. More people should have indulged an outstanding evening of alt-country-rock courtesy of Rhett Miller and the Serial Lady Killers, as well as solid performances from countrified folk-rockin’ upstart Leslie and the Badgers and singer-songwriter Tim Whalen.

Featuring songs from his solo efforts -– notably his excellent self-titled 2009 album –- as well as choice tracks from Old 97’s (don’t worry, that band is still together, they just played here last summer), Miller performed two dozen tunes in a loose, authentic rock ‘n’ roll style that served as a flip side to the recent Grammy Awards, where image, slick production and shock ‘n’ awe attire completely overwhelmed music-making at every turn.

Sonic shades of Buddy Holly, Uncle Tupelo and early Elvis Costello came to mind at various times during Miller’s 100-minute set, but there’s no doubt that he has found a well-marked corner of the music universe, especially when he gives tours of it as part of a boisterous show. Adding to the magic: Miller has found a cast of great players to back him now. Bassist Greg Beshers, lead guitarist Tommy Borscheid and drummer Angela Webster played with every bit as much power as their ringleader this night in Santa Ana.

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Unique Peter Gabriel show headed to the Bowl

February 4th, 2010, 3:41 am by BEN WENER, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

82914567SJ073_Peace_One_DayWhen last we saw Peter Gabriel — a little more than seven years ago, December 2002, at what was then still called the Pond — he was singing “Growing Up” from inside a giant plastic ball, like the one Wayne Coyne would famously use two years later to kick off the Flaming Lips’ Sunday evening set at Coachella.

Having already donned a glowing suit for “Sledgehammer,” traversed a gravity-defying catwalk for “Downside-Up” and inexplicably sprinted on a miniature bicycle throughout “Solsbury Hill,” here he was capping his absurd performance by bouncing and rolling around upon an enormous, spinning in-the-round stage. “Amusing for a moment, sure,” I wrote back then. “But for seven minutes?”

His voice was as haunting as ever; his new material, from the almost instantly forgotten Up, much less so. Yet, for reasons I still don’t understand, he played to a mostly empty arena that night. Had his popularity really declined so much after a decade away? Did more people go see him at Staples Center the next night? Were people just tired of the silly stuff? I never found out.

He sounded as strong as ever that night, but “the pudgy, professorial Englishman has lost spryness,” I found, “relying on high concept and hydraulics to entertain.” Recommendation: “his strangely unsatisfying set suggests some rethinking is in order, starting with a toning-down of gimmicks.”

You know, like this: Peter Gabriel, backed by a 54-piece orchestra, no drums or guitars, just the man, his music and a bit of someone else’s, live at the Hollywood Bowl.

That’s what’s happening May 8 May 7 (they moved the date to 5/8, then back to 5/7).

And that’s more like it.

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Tenacious D spearheads comedic bash in L.A.

February 3rd, 2010, 3:41 pm by DAVID HALL, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Since announcing themselves as “the greatest band on Earth” before even releasing their first album in 2001, novelty duo Tenacious D has been known for using self-promoting superlatives liberally — and under threat of obscene berating, they refuse to be told otherwise.

So when Jack Black introduced last night’s Stand with Haiti benefit show at the Wiltern as “the most powerful night of rock-comedy” ever — “the Prius of benefits,” co-founding member Kyle Gass added — well, nobody jeered.

After a soulful (painful?) rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by former Saturday Night Live star Maya Rudolph, followed closely with a surprise interpretive dance by her former co-star Will Ferrell to “Popcorn,”  the fluke ’70s hit by short-lived instrumental group Hot Butter, the bar was set well above anyone’s expectations.

While Radiohead’s recent benefit show at the Fonda was so spectacular for its low-key, bare-bones delivery, Tenacious D & Friends Stand with Haiti was stunning for nearly the opposite reason: the entire show was star-studded and over-the-top, culminating in comedic relief to ease minds amid the ongoing Haitian disaster.

frankblackGranted, the three main musical acts — Pixies frontman Frank Black, the ShinsJames Mercer, and singer-songwriter Aimee Mann — did manage to deliver thoughtful, slapstick-free turns that, much like Radiohead’s set, seemed to inject the crowd with a sobering antidote, reasserting the benefit’s deeper purpose.

More so than anything offered from the evening’s other artists, Black’s selections seemed to form a meaningful tale. Playing his signature Fender Telecaster alone under a solitary spotlight, he began with “Los Angeles,” a cut from his 1993 solo debut that served as a deliberate call to his current audience.

Next, Black epitomized the feelings many have regarding the Haitian earthquake via the Pixies hit “Where is My Mind?,” barely pausing before launching into “All My Ghosts,” an appropriate choice from his time with backing band the Catholics that mentions “going past a scene of gore” and asks the relevant question, “Who needs that now?”

The 15-minute slot ended with two singalong Pixies favorites, “Monkey’s Gone to Heaven” and “Nimrod’s Son,” both reinforcing Black’s apparent focus on themes of religion, death and redemption.

At various other points, notably during Mercer’s haunting, acoustic-driven performance and Mann’s stripped-down version of “Freeway” — a song with this blatant message: ‘If you’re rich, give more!’ —  tears seemed likely to flow as audience members sunk into the show’s momentarily somber tone.

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