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.