I Never Want To Be Lukewarm Again

Jonah Matranga has been one of the funnest show I've been to in ages.  There is nothing better than an acoustic show on a rainy LA night.  He kept the show going by playing an extra song in the parking garage of the venue.  I wish more musicians care this much about hanging out with their fans.

"I never want to say my best days are behind me."

Jonah Matranga - Lukewarm (Live) from Adam Chazen on Vimeo.

Your Coffin Or Mine?

"It's a been a long time since I've been close to you, It's been a long time since I've been sad."

Jaked On Green Beers was the first song I ever heard by Alkaline Trio.  I had just turned 15 when I picked up the first Atticus compilation from a now closed chain, The Warehouse.  Despite being the first track on the compilation, the Alkaline Trio song always stood out to me more than the others on the playlist.  That song was the start to a long road.  Every Alkaline record holds a place in my heart.  Each with different stories, memories, and feelings of nostalgia tied to them.

I had seen Alkaline Trio a few times through Warped Tour and other Ventura shows, but it wasn't until their Goddamnit tour that I plunged head first into their music. I owe it all to my friend from high school, Tammy, who happened to have an extra ticket to the Anaheim stop of that tour. I've never met anyone more obsessed with the trio than Tammy. She's has multiple Alk3 tattoos including lead singer, Skiba, tattooed in a Jesus/Darwin fish. I guess you can say she's rubbed off on me a bit as I now have a lyric tattooed on me, and a dog named Skiba.

I was lucky enough to see Alkaline Trio twice this week.  Kassi and I headed down to The Glasshouse show on Tuesday.  Dan's band, The Dear & Departed played first and Cursive second.  I'd yet to see Cursive before and they left no disappointment.  Although, I didn't manage to snap one decent photo of their set either night.  

By the time the trio finally came on, saying I was excited would be an understatement. I sang along to every word like it was going to be my last breath. I attempted to keep track of their setlist as followed.

• This Addiction
• Armageddon
• Emma
• Dine, Dine My Darling
• We've Had Enough
• Mr. Chainsaw
• Dead On The Floor
• Fatally Yours
• Crawl
• Fuck You Aurora
• Goodbye Forever
• In Vein
• Continental
• Blue Carolina
• Sadie
• Nose Over Tail
• '97
• Fine
• Attitude (Misfits cover where Derek Sang and Matt Skiba played drums)
• Blue In The Face

They played again the next night at House of Blues on Sunset. This show was even better because Tammy was there, and her excitement is nearly impossible not to pick up on. The setlist was almost exactly the same except for a few songs. I didn't mind as long as they ended with Blue In The Face again (which they did.)  All in all, both shows were absolutely fantastic.  Also, on a side note I'm glad they decided to touch base with their old roots on their new record.  It is everything I have been hoping for since I heard they were recording a new album.  I can't wait to create memories to go along with this cd.  Over and out!

With Grace In Your Heart And Flowers In Your Hair

Three words.  Up and coming.  Though true, those three words do not give near enough justice in describing my all time favorite band for 2009, Mumford & Sons.  Discovering them by somewhat of an accident, I latched onto this British band immediately.  I purchased a ticket for a New Year's Eve show in London with the intentions of seeing Frank Turner play.  Having no idea who anyone else on the bill was I decided to give the headliner, Mumford & Sons, a listen.  To my surprise, they were beyond amazing.  To cut a long story short, Frank Turner didn't end up playing the show as scheduled, but I didn't mind one bit because I discovered Mumford & Sons through it all.

'Sigh No More' was the exact type of album I had been craving and searching for for months.  They've created an atmosphere with their music so broad on the spectrum that at some points I can lay in bed and relax while listening to it, and at other points, I can't sit still because my heart is racing from excitement.  Add some of the best written lyrics of love, heartache, and life to that, and my search to fill my music void was complete.

How fickle my heart and how whoozy my eyes

 I struggle to find any truth in your lies

And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know

My weakness I feel I must finally show

 Lend me your hand and we'll conquer them all 

But lend me your heart and I'll just let you fall 

Lend me your eyes I can change what you see 

But your soul you must keep totally free.

Their performance on New Years Eve was phenomenal.  I couldn't have asked to bring in the new year in a better way.  It's even better that I can tie them in with my trip to England.  Makes everything so much more meaningful for me.  Before I even left England I found out they would be playing The Troubadour February 9th.  It gave me something to look forward to when I came home and helped lessen the blow of wanting to be in England still.

I didn't really know what to expect of an LA crowd after seeing how crazy their London fans were.  I knew there would be no comparison in the energy coming from the audience.  Mumford & Sons, however, put just as much energy playing in front of a crowd 1/4 the size as before.  I haven't been this impressed by a band in ages, if ever.  Lead singer, Marcus Mumford, had my jaw on the ground at multiple points.  He's the first person I've ever seen play drums, guitar, and sing at the same time.  They recently played on David Letterman where he cracked a joke saying, "They're going to use the proceeds from this show to hire a drummer."  I'd like to ask Mr. Letterman if any other band he's featured on his show has ever done that.  I highly doubt it.  He should be praising these guys, not mocking them.

Their set was absolutely amazing. In addition to the great company I was with (Kassi, Sarah, and Jon,) it appeared that Jake Gyllenhaal and Benecio Del Toro were in attendance too.  I'm curious to know how everyone at the show found out about them.  I'm sure I would have stumbled upon them eventually, it just so happens I got lucky to find out about them before The Troubadour show sold out.  

"My head told my heart let love grow but my heart told my head this time no this time no" 

  

I can't wait to see whats in store for this band. They played a couple new songs which sounded amazing. I have a feeling they're going to blow up within the next year. They've got this energy that people tend to gravitate towards. Not to mention they've got British humor to charm everyone with.

Music Is My Substitute For Love

Between hearing about Frank Turner through multiple twitter posts and other online outlets, I've really got to give my friend Katy the credit for introducing his music to me.  I finally got the chance to see Frank back in October on The Revival Tour's Hollywood stop.  I was nothing but impressed.  It's a rare sight to see an LA crowd amped for a show, let alone to actually show it.  Frank seemed to bring all the energy out of the crowd with the intensity of his singing, poetic lyrics, and not to be neglected, his English charm.  It's hard to resist tapping your foot and clapping your hands during his set.  From that moment on I've been addicted to his album 'Love Ire & Song.'

I got to see Frank play twice this week. The first show at a more intimate venue in Hollywood, Hotel Cafe, and again the next night in Riverside for a free college show. I was so wrapped up in the show itself, I didn't get a chance to take too many photos. Oops! He played amazing sets both nights, although I seemed to enjoy myself more at the Riverside show. I was glad I got to sing 'Ballad Of Me And My Friends' word for word with Katy.  Completely worth driving 200 miles roundtrip to see.  

I'm a bit late on posting a Top 5 list for 2009.  Between procrastination on writing one up, and not actually being able to decide who to narrow it down to, I probably won't write one for this past year.  Regardless, Mr. Frank Turner has definitely earned a spot in my top lists in more than one category; Top Albums for 2009, Top Albums that came out in 2009, Favorite discoveries in 2009.  'Love Ire & Song' didn't come out in 2009, so that slides in under Top Albums for 2009.  However, his newest, 'Poetry of the Deed' can squeeze in Top Albums that came out in 2009.  If you haven't had a chance to listen to Frank yet, I highly suggest getting to it right away.  Substitute, The Road, and Back In The Day are three of the catchiest songs that can (and will) get stuck in your head for days.  Don't stop there though, there isn't one song on either of his three records that I skip while listening to.  For those that don't know, I usually help a friend flyer for Goldenvoice.  With Coachella creeping around the corner we've been handing out flyers with the line up on them.  I get so excited when I glance down to see I'm promoting for a show Frank will be playing.  Coachella is just the start.  I can't wait to see what this upcoming year brings to him and his music.

“There’s no such thing as rock stars, there’s just people who play music, and some of them are just like us and some of them are dicks.”