Divisible at Bordello, 12/10/08

Robust and earthy,
But with delicacy that
Shola does quite well!

Ryan Adams and Oasis at the Staples Center, 12/4/08

Ryan Adams

Comically large amp
Morphed his lame new tracks into
Earnest power pop.

Oasis

Fifth grade me couldn't
Stifle her disappointment
Sigh.... fallen from grace.

Jonathan Richman at the El Rey, 12/3/08

There are few people 

In this world that I love half

As much as this man. 

Yeasayer at the Troubadour, 11/23/08

They are road-weary

But the year's experience

Worked wonders for them!

El Guincho at The Echo, 11/20/08

A conga line brought

A smile to the band, token

Of our gratitude.

Beck at Club Nokia, 11/10/08

The man's got style, true

But style is wasted on a 

Wasted, sweaty crowd. 

TV on the Radio with The Dirtboms at the Wiltern, 11/6/08

The Dirtbombs

Double Drumming sans

Pause makes for concentrated

Chest-rattling rhythm

TV on the Radio

My era, my age

Is golden and grateful for

Having them in it. 

Ane Brun at the Hotel Cafe, 10/30/08

A Gillian Welch

In Scandinavian, A

Voice to haunt one's dreams. 

Antony and the Johnsons with the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, 10/14/08

A rugby body
Disproportionate cage for
Such delicacy.

Port at the Mint, 10/7/08

Die-hard superfans
Kept the room so full of noise
The band seemed to blush.

War Paint with Them Hills at the Troubadour, 10/3/08

War Paint

Sirens abundant
Paired well with visual art
Disarmingly cool

Them Hills

Love them some shoegaze!
An apparent legacy
Brought John Frusciante (!!!)

David Byrne at Humphrey's, 10/2/08

Rubber vertebrae
Allowed that slight body to
Compliment that voice!

The Flying Smolinskis at Table 10, 10/1/08

Brother, brother, pop
Mashin' up the sixties hits with
Smatters of polka.

Calexico at the Henry Fonda Music Box, 9/29/08

Nothing left to prove
And so they simply reveled
In loving their job.

The Silver Jews at the Echoplex, 9/26/08

So historical
And likeable, they swore to
Love us to the MAXXXX!

Mission of Burma at the Echoplex, 9/25/08

Tinnitus indeed!
While my ears barely survived,
My soul roared, alive!

The Brazilian Girls at the Wiltern, 9/24/08

Ethereal, yes,
But also drumming to put
Those machines to shame.

Okkervil River with Sea Wolf and Zykos at the Henry Fonda Music Box, 9/23/08

Zykos

The John in question
Made famous by O.R.'s own
Disgruntled groupie?

Sea Wolf

Little Jeff Tweedy
In looks and vox, fronting a
Nada Surf-esque scene.

Okkervil River

BALLS OUT, instructed
Will, and we obliged so well,
We earned two encores.

The Fleet Foxes with Frank Fairfield at the El Rey, 9/22/08

Frank Fairfield

God bless a crowd that
Gives ample love to an ol'
Delta escapee

Fleet Foxes

A comedy hour
Of sorts, paired with harmonies
To moisten the eyes.*


*Note: "Eyes" because "panties" was too many syllables.

San Diego Street Scene (Saturday) at the Gaslamp, 9/20/08

Spiritualized

Same set as Wednesday
And yet I came away with
Redemptive feelings.

Del The Funkee Homosapien

Such a grand, snarky
Sound from a body leaner
Than I imagined

Tokyo Police Club

(Insert generic
Indie rock haiku here, and
Then quickly forget).

Ghostland Observatory

A laser show with
Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Sexing up vocals.

X

Ambassadors from
My town brought experience
To these amateurs!

The National

Robust and forceful
Their strength in numbers was clear
They sounded perfect.

DEVO

Hideous indeed
But lord, they did everything
Right with those strange tools.

Man Man

HONK, BANG, HONK, BANG, HONK
(feathers, bacon, war paint, sweat)
BANG, HONK, BANG, HONK, BANG

San Diego Street Scene (Friday) at the Gaslamp, 9/19/08

TV On The Radio

The notes I heard from
The parking lot were full of
Truth, goodness and light.

Cat Power

Smokey vocals on
A back-alley stage made the
Night a bit colder.

DeVotchKa

Power-packed quartet
Reaffirmed that tubas are
Really un-sexy.

Justice

Sorry, Jane, but I
Just don't give two shits about
This band. I tried, though!

Beck

The man knows how to
Play to his audience, and
Pulled the rock guns out.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with Cat Power and Spiritualized at the Hollywood Bowl, 9/17/08

Cat Power


A brave little one!
You could see pride in her eyes
Despite muffled sound

Spiritualized


A Brit-pop essay
On American gospel
Aimed to salvage us.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds


The audience's
Collective virginity
Was taken by force.

Brian Wilson with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, 9/13/08

Fireworks!!!!

LA Philharmonic

Disneylike lushness
Unworthy of the strange crowd's
Reactions to them.

Brian Wilson

Thank you, Fleet Foxes
For carrying the torch, for
Godfather can't sing.

Built to Spill with Quasi at the Troubadour, 9/10/08

Quasi

Joanna, Janet
And Sam all assembled... it's
Hard to forget Smith.

Built to Spill

"Car" in unison
Made us avow to remain
Perfect from now on.

Nada Surf at the Troubadour, 9/6/08

In every respect,
They are the least offensive
Band on the planet.

Angel City Jazz Fest at the Barnsdall Art Park, 9/1/08

Sweeter Than The Day:

Interlocking parts
So delicate, they swirled like
Love-struck cherubin

Alan Pasqua Quartet:

Starry night canvas
Over which the golden ribbon
Saxophone emceed.

Nick Mancini Collective:

Sneaky vibraphone
Added a sexy, sleek lounge
Intrigue narrative

Robbie Marshall Group:

Indie rock jazz kids
Threw me a bone with their
Sultry Smith cover.

Nels Cline Quintet:

Nels wields those fingers
Over trigger strings and fires
Darts into our ears.

Neil Halstead at the Hotel Cafe, 8/28/08

A bathwater voice
a la Sun Kil Moon, accent
Adding to the peace.

The Donkeys at the Echo, 8/26/08

I feel as though, based
Solely on the set versus
Album, they've regressed.

A.A. Bondy and Bon Iver at the Troubadour, 8/25/08

A. A. Bondy:

He compacted my
Southern upbringing into
Thirteen tawny tracks.

Bon Iver:

Cannot fend off the
Vague essence of Dawson's Creek
And Abercrombie.

Radiohead and Liars at the Hollywood Bowl, 8/24/08

Liars:

In the daylight while
the venue filled, their howls were
Hollow and tortured.

Radiohead:

REM lyrics
Whispered assure that this band
Remember their roots.

Radiohead Set List:

1. 15 Step
2. There There
3. The Morning Bell
4. All I Need
5. Pyramid Song
6. Nude
7. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
8. The Gloaming
9. The National Anthem
10. A Wolf At The Door
11. Faust Arp
12. Exit Music (For A Film)
13. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
14. Idioteque
15. Climbing Up The Walls
16. Body Snatchers
17. How To Disappear Completely
18. Video Tape
19. Paranoid Android
20. Dollars and Cents
21. Street Spirit (Fade Out)
22. Reckoner
23. House of Cards
24. Lucky (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
25. Everything In Its Right Place (began with a quote from REM's "Electrolite")

Dear lord, guys. Someday I am going to ask Colin Greenwood what it feels like to yield such a sound. I thought he was going to split the sky open with it during "Climbing Up The Walls." Also, I advise every last one of my readers to reexamine "The Gloaming" for evidence of other-worldly messages. I will attest to their presence as of last night. It probably goes without saying that this concert, nor any of their concerts, can be compacted into language other than that which they deal in (usually lightwork and distortion), so rather than frivolous commentary, I have striven for documentation with this haiku. Do yourselves a favor and go see Radiohead live before you die.

Miranda Lee Richards at Spaceland, 8/21/08

Typical Spaceland
Homage to Jenny Lewis,
Sweet Thursday night fare.

Boredoms' 88BoaDrum at the La Brea Tar Pits, 8/8/08

Arise ye mammoths
From your sludgy tombs via
The power of DRUM.

The Hold Steady at the Avalon, 7/30/08

Midwestern man's men,
Foppish gesticulation
Only adding style

White Lies at the Echo, 7/30/08

Will not write off as
A fetal Franz Ferdinand...
These kids have got soul!

Gnarls Barkley at the Hollywood Bowl, 7/27/08

Rotund minister's
Hallelujahs in the form
Of sweaty hymnals.

The Pitchfork Music Festival (Sunday) at Union Park in Chicago, 7/20/08

Times New Viking

Surprise! A lady
Raged through their cacophony
Of an arrangement

The Dirty Projectors

All could fail around
This band and they'd save the day
With their loveliness

High Places

I volunteer my
Service as your bass player
Take it. You need me.

Boris

See-through magenta
Not just a kit, but a sound
Coupled with burning

HEALTH

Nomenclature to
Shed a tear to, they blew out
An eardrum or two

Les Savvy Fav

Oh, dear. Joke's on me
For judging books by titles
Small French chicks they're NOT!

M. Ward

Youthful finger work
Octogenarian soul
Sepia photo songs

The Dodos

Would not have taken
Meric to be such a ham...
Jumbo-Tron grin!

Spiritualized

Liam Gallagher
But with power, focused force
Unleashed unto us

Dinosaur Jr

I sacrificed my
Body so that Barlow could
Bless me with his smile.

Spoon

Quite keyboard savvy
These days, perhaps to distance
From Vampire Weekend?

The Pitchfork Music Festival (Saturday) at Union Park in Chicago, 7/19/08

Titus Andronicus

Rambunctious Persians
Remarkably melodic
In the warm downpour

Jay Reatard

Ted Nugent-tastic
With the hair and the gut and
Utter gnarliness

Caribou

Never would I have
Predicted such jam band force
Unleashed by duel kits

Fleet Foxes

Their bashful nod to
Pitchfork's power endeared them
To all in ear-shot

Dizzee Rascal

Granted, I may have
Snoozed through his set, I heard him
Demand his name lots.

!!!

Holy daisy dukes!
Shameless flaunting backed by beats
To weaken morals

The Hold Steady

Commiserating
In the major key with the
Broke-down in us all.

Jarvis Cocker

I was not pre-warned
Of the hips that would haunt my
Dreams for nights to come!

Animal Collective

Sanguine, raw, glowing
Emoting like a poker
Slicing through a cloud.

Devendra Banhart and Gilberto Gil at the Hollywood Bowl, 6/29/08

Devendra Banhart

And from the furthest
Corners of the bowl flowed all
Hippies, young and old!

Gilberto Gil

Brazil's national
Treasure schooled us in how to
Do the summer right

The Fleet Foxes with The Duchess and the Duke and Frankie Fairfield at the Echo, 6/28/08

Frankie Fairfield

So authentic that
We swore he was as blind as
Lemon Jefferson

The Duchess and the Duke

Liam Gallagher
And happy couple jangled
With harmonies rich.

Fleet Foxes

Barbershop quartet
From a woodsy thicket like
Crosby, Stills and Nash!

Hayes Carll and the Old 97's at the Crash Mansion, 6/19/08

Hayes Carll

Sharp, creased jeans bely
The "good-ole-boy-from-AK"
Drinkin' anthem lyrics.

Old 97's

Ashton Kutcher of
Alt-Country howlin' his
Way into my heart.

Erykah Badu at the Greek Theater, 6/12/08

Cornell West suit with
Interludes for each era
Of her heritage.

Beck at the Echo, 6/9/08

Shoe-gazey surf rock?
Indeed, interwoven with
Back-catalog's best.

Abe Vigoda and Mika Miko at the Smell's Vegan Pancake Breakfast, 6/8/08

Abe Vigoda

"Turn Into Something"
The A.C. track that inspired
Their live repertoire.

Mika Miko

Rachel Dratch and co.
Shouting of sandwiches and
Boasting flannel pride.

The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl, 5/31/08

Soaking in the love,
Goth Messiah seemed comfy
In his own thin skin

Subtle at the Knitting Factory, 5/30/08

Clockwork Oranginess
Subdued, it seemed, backseat to
Caustic stage banter.

R.E.M. with The National and Modest Mouse, 5/29/08

The National

Boys first trip to the
Bowl that made this town famous
Their lovely standard

Modest Mouse

"Marred" by a unique
Guitar tone, ex-redneck rock
Glistened with glam sheen

R.E.M.

No band in this world
Contains more soul, more truth,
More life, more wonder

Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Jonathan Rice and Co., 5/28/08

Shrouded in luck, this
Night brought bright glee to the face
Of stoic Elvis.

Teitur at The Roxy, 5/23/08

Erratic tempos
And sugary Swede-like gab
Tough not to love him!

Robyn at the Wiltern, 5/17/08

Platinum wedge haircut
Had every pelvis present
Gyrating with glee!

Brett Dennen and Mason Jennings at some fucking high school auditorium, 5/13/08

Brett Dennen

Yet another Paul
Simon ripper-offer with
Like 5 words per song.

Mason Jennings

Set list from heaven
Couldn't save my love from the
Venue from deep hell.

Everest and Film School at the Viper Room, 5/12/08

Everest

A birthday cake and
Doctor's coat distracted not
From melodies gold.

Film School

A skosh oppressive
Audibly, yet bass lines
to awaken hips.

Everest at McCabe's Guitar Shop, 5/9/08

Never was there a
More appropriate setting
For strumming so sweet

Duran Duran (OMG) at the Nokia Theater, 5/4/08

Justin Timberlake
Ain't got nothin', to this day,
On Simon Le Bon.


15 years ago, I received my FIRST CD EVER as a gift for my 9th birthday. It was Duran Duran's "Wedding Album", and I loved it with all my heart and soul. I memorized the liner notes, sang into my cheap Sony microphone along to every lyric, and even illustrated (in my little drawing journal) what each of the songs meant to me. Tonight, when I heard "Come Undone," another little piece of my life clicked into place, and for a moment, all was right in my world.

Jonathan Rice at Spaceland, 4/28/08

My optimistic
Hopes for Jenny Lewis's
Main squeeze fell flat hard.

Dawes at Tangiers, 4/27/08

Addition of the
Pianist lent an air of
East coast gravitas

Jon Brion with Fiona Apple, Benmont Tench, Nickel Creek and Friends at Largo, 4/26/08

Jon Brion (solo set)

Mind with a 4-track
Recorder rolling as he
Drops all of our jaws.

Jon/Fiona Apple/Benmont Tench/Sarah and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek/Etc.

We were flies on the
Walls of LA history
Drinking in magic.

Yeasayer and Man Man at SOhO Restaraunt Santa Barbara, 4/24/08

Yeasayer:

Sitar inspired
And sensual, the ladies
Clearly loved this band.

Man Man

Clusterfuckery
And kitsch can only inspire
In deserving crowds.

Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses at King King, 4/09/08

As if I needed
A new reason to love the
Nineteen-seventies.

Kaki King at the Roxy, 3/26/08

Her foul-assed mouth to
Match her bad-assed guitar work
Almost turned me gay.

Born Ruffians and Cadence Weapon with Subtitle at the Echo, 3/19/08

Born Ruffians:

Sondre Lerche-like
With Avey-Tare-esque howling?
Yet, forgettable.

Cadence Weapon:

Puff-paint T-shirt plus
Capri pants, with a dash of
Pwnage concentrate.

Subtitle:

Six-foot-nine and gaunt
He wielded the cool without
Mercy or chagrin.

Port at the Hotel Cafe 3/14/08

Future Brushfire band
Complete with pseudo-reggae
And Led Zep covers.

The Mountain Goats with Jeffery Lewis and the Jitters at the Troubadour, 3/5/08

Jeffery Lewis and the Jitters

Americana
With a Beat Happening feel
Anarchist rage, too.

The Mountain Goats

All hail Nerd Rock King!!!
Rancor disguised with a smile
And cunning lyrics.

Be Your Own Pet at the El Rey, 3/4/08

Confidence displayed
That one wouldn't expect from
Teenage food fighters.

Be Your Own Pet at the Detroit Bar, 3/2/2008

Every punk girl's dream
Jumping on your bed, singing
Into a hairbrush.

Grizzly Bear and the LA Philharmonic at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, 3/1/08

LA Philharmonic

Magenta oboes
Among other surprises
Pushed their envelope.


Grizzly Bear

God's such a trickster
Hiding those angel voices
In gay indie boys!

Cat Power at The Wiltern, 2/29/08

Confident and sharp!
I'll be damned, but Chan showed us
Her greatest version.

British Sea Power with White Denim at Spaceland, 2/28/08

White Denim:

Prepubescent bass
And daring rhythm changes
Arrestingly good.

British Sea Power:

Loud? Check! British? Check!
But distinct vibes of something
Unnecessary.

Stellastarr* at The Troubadour, 2/27/08

Spittin' attitude
Warbling through the flu, he
Poured out all he had.

The Meat Puppets and Built to Spill at the EchoPlex, 2/23/08

The Meat Puppets:

Ugly Kirkwood bros.
Make scathing, scintillating,
Raw, joyful, true rock.

Built to Spill

A rare smile from Doug
As honest and lovely as
"Carry The Zero".


I know that this is a haiku site and you did not come here for my long diatribes on the Los Angeles concert scene. I could not let this show go without a few more than 17 syllables, however. The Meat Puppets and Built to Spill reminded me why I love music last night. Damn right, it was sweaty and old and hairy and experimental. It was not post-punk Italian boots and asymmetrical hairstyles. It was not a display of one's American Apparel wardrobe. It was without pretension, without glamor, without insecurity.
The Kirkwood brothers produced tempo-changes, bass-thumping and effortless, that will haunt my dreams. With every finger moving, they produced notes and layers of melodies that I could barely keep up with from the front row. Their faces shone with maturity, with a sage understanding of the beauty they were creating.
Doug Martsch was not be outdone, so after carefully soaking in the Meat Puppet's performance from the side of the stage, he unassumingly emerged and began his opus. He does not give too much of himself via stage banter... no, he saves his expression for the breathless music that seeps from his guitar, all the guitars. Every now and then, while sharing a harmony with his bandmates, a subtle smile would creep across his face and one could not help but appreciate how much he loves what he is doing. The show was not about us, the self-centered crowd always heckling for more. It really wasn't about him either. The show was about the anthemic moment at then end of "Carry The Zero" when everyone shouted along at the top of their lungs, knowing every damn word and hearing nothing but Doug, guards down, eyes closed, souls free,
"fractions of the sum."

That's the shit for which one bleeds... for which I bleed. I remember that now.

No Age and Liars at the El Rey, 2/22/08

No Age:

Piss and vinegar
But long, fuzzy noodling
They're starstruck, methinks.

Liars:

Greasy Nick Cave mug
Drum & bass straight out of hell
The night's word: sweaty.

Taylor Goldsmith at Tangiers, 2/20/08

Even acoustic
That sound explodes from his face
Vocal tsunami

Dean & Britta at The El Rey, 2/19/08

H. Potter on drums
Much smarter music than the
Bland album implies.

What Made Milwaukee Famous at Spaceland, 2/18/08

Billy Joelish vibes
On tape, but live, they channel
Freddy Mercury!

The First Half of the Month (Jan. 31- Feb. 15)

Ryan Adams at Royce Hall, January 31, 2008

On/off the wagon
With his Rufus-like antics
Ryan steals my heart.

Your Vegas/The Switches at the Crash Mansion, February 2, 2008

UMG bands both
"The poor man's Franz Ferdinand"
But accents abound!

Dawes at the Hotel Cafe, February 5, 2008

Braless Malibu
Bitches yap the whole show through
But Taylor is gold.

Dave Barnes at Safari Sam's, February 8, 2008

WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHY?
I have to be polite though...
Georgia friends are fans.

Dawes at the Hotel Cafe, February 12, 2008

Sixth time I've seen them
Blood and Guts ev'ry damn time
Best small band in town

Hayes Carll at the Hotel Cafe, February 13, 2008

Whiskey-soaked, he charmed
Espec'ly when he challenged
Jesus to a duel.

The Black Lips at the El Rey, February 14, 2008

Comical mustache
Crowd-surfers and stage-divers
Made me want to MOSH!

St. Vincent at the EchoPlex, February 15, 2008

She is damn cute, but
I love her because she shreds
LIKE A METALHEAD!!!

Concert Haikus: The Idea

Once long ago, during a bygone era, I was a concert reviews editor (in chief, damnit!) for www.UCLAradio.com and it was awesome. I was a frequent concert goer here in Los Angeles, and I would scratch down little notes in my brain as I danced the night away. I have not since been able to break myself of this habit.

This has been the bane of my existence these days, for I am working the music industry and I am finding myself at more shows than my little brain can bear to record. I need an outlet. However, being as I am no longer in college, I find that I am at least 50% stupider and less attentive than I used to be. I need a compact form of expression, release. Something that gets the point across while being short enough for me to get away with at work.

I do greatly enjoy making myself laugh, and haikus are hilarious regardless of context. Their brevity is also attractive....

Needless to say, that is the origin of the brilliance of this project. I give you, ladies and gentlemen, ConcertHaikus.com. Please enjoy.