Last year was the same year I graduated high school… so what? Sure it means that this won’t be a huge nostalgic throw back, but at least you can get a good laugh at what carried me through four years of pep rallies at a Catholic school. The kind of school where if you are less than five minutes late to any class you get a Saturday detention and have to pay a $5.00 fee. It’s still a fresh wound. So the truth is I listened to lots of random shit. Of course there were the soldiers of the group who carry on today like The Beatles and The Strokes. But some artists found themselves strewn across the dresser or shelves in my room (and later the floor of my car) for a rather temporary stay because they fit my mood that week. Amongst these you will find the four years of my awkward social situations, amazing live shows, the first time I ever got high (err… on life), and maybe a belated streak of independence.
Seeing Darwin Deez live on July 7 at The Echo in Silver Lake was kind of like getting two scoops of your favorite ice cream for the price of one. It wasn’t just a setlist of a couple of songs and a fun night. It was 13 songs (probably more, I lost count because there were a couple raps in between), synchronized dancing and cabbage. Yes, cabbage, the vegetable.
Entering the stage to the intro of “Star Trek”, and holding cabbage above their heads, Darwin Deez gave the audience something odd yet curiously fun to look at. Moments later, they broke into a dance that was part ninja, part robot, and part just crazy. They kicked off with “Up in the Clouds,” a track off his self-titled debut album, and Darwin wiggled his way into the crowd’s heart with his dancing and not-to-be-forgotten clear vocals. He had them swaying in his little-boy-just-having-fun way after just the second verse.
When the band jumped into song two, “DNA,” the crowd really started moving. I mean hips swinging, heads tossing, hair-whipping… MOVING. Everything Darwin did, the crowd did with him. He sang, we sang. He danced, we danced. When he said “Ladies, if you’ve got your own money, your own car, you’re going to school, let me hear you say ‘GET FRUGAL!’” The ladies got frugal. And when an audience member from the crowd tossed him a piece of cabbage, he ate it.
Above all, it seemed like everyone was just excited to have a good time with him. His set was wild, fun, original and energetic. Darwin even surprised the crowd when he said “Much peace and love to the people serving in Afghanistan,” and then jumped into a song about how the city is dead and the sky is green, and it’s been that way since they dropped the bomb. It was a show more than worth seeing. It was a show listeners were very, very lucky to have attended. And the best part? He didn’t need to do any of the crazy stuff. This crowd was sold on him. Two scoops for the price of one.
Darwin Deez is coming to LA on July 7th to play at The Echo, and trust me this is one you don’t want to miss. Since the release of his debut album, Darwin Deez in 2010, the band has played over 200 gigs in 18 months – so it’s not just me who thinks he’s worth seeing. If you’re a Darwin Deez virgin, check him out on Youtube; his music videos are entertaining and a bit unconventional. His music is easy to like for a couple of reasons. First, it couldn’t be further from mainstream “indie pop” music. His vocals are pleasant and personal and his style is sometimes a baited half-singing, half-talking delivery. Another reason Darwin Deez is enticing is because of his happy-go-lucky style. It’s hard not to pick up on his goofy who-cares attitude. Wearing an elastic headband across his forehead with wire-rimmed, rather large, glasses, Deez puts forth an image that is pretty hillarious. His music is catchy for its bizarre lyrics and simple percussion with electric guitar. He is worth seeing, and if you’re the I-love-crazy-people-who-do-crazy-things type of person, then I will probably see you there.
SXSW 2011 kicked off last night in Austin with a high-energy set from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and new tunes from The Antlers and The Dodos.
Nashville’s Tristen and her band opened the KCRW showcase with their bouncy, breezy, at times melancholy pop with a charming hint of twang.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.‘s addictive brand of guitar pop boasts floor-shaking electonic and live beats with a near-constant stream of gorgeous vocal harmonies. They debuted some songs from their upcoming album, It’s a Corporate World, and offered this piece of wisdom: “If you feel embarrassed about singing and dancing, then the person next to you must be an a**hole.” Sing it, brother.
Minneapolis trio Now, Now pairs sweetly restrained vocals with soaring, distorted guitars, and the result is both refreshing and incredibly rocking.
NYC’s Darwin Deez was out to entertain, performing synchronized dance moves in between their funky, danceable pop songs.
As great a record as Hospice is, it’s a relief that with The Antlers‘ second album on the way, their live shows can now contain songs about something other than hospital/cancer metaphors. They devoted most of their set to material from Burst Apart, due out in May.
The Antlers’ Frenchkiss labelmates The Dodos also focused heavily on new material, from this week’s release No Color. Their current setup of drums and two electric guitars gave the songs a more traditional sense of rock power, but Long’s acoustic guitar playing was missed–as were all of their older fan favorites.
Valentine’s Day, the day for expressing love or pouting because you got no love. You either love it or hate it. I personally am pretty fond of it, solely because every Valentine’s I’ve celebrated has been a disaster, from giving a boy food poisoning to breaking a toe on my left foot. Whether you’re lonely or need some good ideas, check out some of these bands’ Valentine’s Day stories, and share some of your own in the comment section below!
“Me and Zinzi have been going out for about 5 years. Two years ago Zinzi was living in Echo Park and I decided to create an elaborate Valentine’s Day. I woke up early and went to the Mexican supermarket and got the cheapest bacon, eggs, and pancake mix there and whipped up a delicious breakfast. The whole house was full of smoke, but the food was actually quite excellent. I also made some mimosas which was extremely classy. I also got Zinzi some flowers which she is always a big fan of. For dinner we had some pizza from Andiamo, a place that was awesome but has since closed. All in all, it was a pretty relaxed day, but I’m kind of a quiet guy who likes to stay at home and lay low. “- Jesse Kivel of Kisses
“Once upon a time, on Valentine’s Day, I surprised my then-girlfriend at work with $100 worth of flowers. The bouquet was so huge it looked comical. She worked at the Met. Security refused to let me in. There were so many flowers; you could have hidden an AK-47 in there. Clearly that was their logic. I could barely hold them all. I figured if you’re going to get someone flowers on Valentine’s, you had better do it right. That was a one-time thing. “Oh, let me put these in water!” was unthinkable. 45 minutes on the subway with this floral abomination was not appealing, so we walked to the park and scintillated with grass and rocks and took pictures. Then we spotted another couple down the hill and tried to sneak up behind them with one of the bouquets and leave it close enough to them that they’d know it was meant to be a gift. I can’t remember if we succeeded in this or not. I think we also gave a few away to random pedestrians. Afterwards we decided to wait at a bus stop with them, and my girlfriend shyly gave some of the flowers to the bus driver and got back off. We felt full of love for the world. We broke up a year ago.” -Darwin Deez – Get his latest S/T album Feb. 22nd!
“The love of my life once gave me a sexy beat-up Red Stratocaster for Valentine’s Day.” – Jenny O. — See her every Monday of the month FREE during her residency at LA’s Bootleg Theater!
“Last year for Valentine’s, we played an in-store show for Friends With You during Art Walk in Miami. The Jacuzzi Boys had a kissing booth set up too! We wrote an original song, inspired by the title of the show, “Love is Magic.” That song made it on our debut album, it’s the last track. We also brought along the acoustic guitar, and did a cover of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by the Police but changed the words to fit one of the Friends With You characters’ name. 
”Every Little Thing That Malfi Does Is Magic!’” – Cuci Amador of Afrobeta — Get the Do You Party EPhere! And check them out at Ultra 2011 in Miami March 25th!
“Conceited nightmare seeks God-knows-what: Lots of ooey gooey affection available. Grossed out by people trying to hastily drag me into relationships before any sort of real connection is made. Not looking for a weird NSA anonymous fuck buddy, but for someone interested in looking beyond my initial awkward charm before they try to wife me. Oh yeah, and a guy who isn’t so dumb as to compel my friends to craft personalized demeaning nicknames for him. That too. Help.” Sierra Frost of The Downer Party‘s Craigslist ad for a V-Day date. Get tickets for their Noise Pop show at Bottom of the Hill Feb. 25th here!
“One year, I was in high school, and this girl had been calling my home nonstop and hanging up to the point where my parents were gonna kill me! So when I told her to stop calling my house, she went on a mission of V-Day love, and figured out how to get into my locker. At first I didn’t notice someone had been going through my things, but then my binder went missing and a love note appeared. Then on Valentine’s Day, I found a pair of “<3″ boxers in my locker with a teddy bear and a note that said “I will have you.” Let’s just say Valentine’s Day has never been the same.” – Daniel Lannon of The Frail — Get the new Lasers Over Lovers EP March 1st.
“Valentine’s Day is a cool day for some of us, and a pretty ordinary day for the rest. My ideal Valentine’s Day would be spent with a nice, pretty girl, obviously. I guess it wouldn’t really matter what you did with that person as long as that person is special. But, at the same time, you wouldn’t want to sit at home the whole day, so doing something wouldn’t hurt. The beach is a great place to go, or you could always go to a park and have a picnic. Pretty much if you’re anywhere pleasant and outside, you’re in a good place to be on Valentine’s Day. Also, Valentine’s Day is full of candy, which is always good. If you’re mad at your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife, try to save the argument for the next day, and yeah…enjoying each other’s company is pretty much the whole thing.” – Jordan Avesar of Infantree –Would Work re-release out March 8th, and see them live Feb 17th at Hotel Utah, get your tickets here!
Darwin Deez popped up on our umm…radar about 6 months ago when he was giving away songs on his myspace. He’s stopped that unfortunately (you’re late to the party – sorry), but recently finished a couple videos that will get you in touch with your hipster side and make you feel bad you missed the band when they rolled through the Rickshaw stop last November.
From time to time you can download free mp3s from artists and bands that we love listening to. We scour the web for these links, occasionally hosting our own, in the hopes of influencing you to go out and buy/support these artists and bands. If that bugs you, because you hate free stuff and wish to be compensated for it, let us know and we will remove it ASAP. Happy listening.
