It had been ages since I had been able to walk through the doors of The Smell and finally being able to on December 26th was literally the best late Christmas gift. Besides meeting up and catching up with friends, I got to see Heller Keller headline the night and had as much fun as I always do at their shows. They are the best and it was amazing finally seeing them perform again after almost two years of just hearing them in my iPod (fucking Heller Keller mosh pits). Another band that performed that night were Anus Kings and I am a bit obsessed with their folky sound sound now.
The state of Mutually Awkward’s music section is just sad. From once being the guy who went to 2-3 shows a week to going to zero in almost three months almost made me want to throw myself in front of a speeding mini-bus. Luckily, Best Coasts’ arrival in Hong Kong during the end of October really kicked off me getting back going to gigs more frequently and I’m happier to say things have been better lately. I was really excited and happy when I initially found out that they would be coming to Asia and like I expected, their gig was both intensely fun and bittersweet. It was bittersweet in that they pretty much brought California itself to my friend and I as we both suddenly felt ourselves caught up in homesickness during their set. I also felt a revelation of sorts while watching their gig. Seeing Best Coasts’ Bobb Bruno performing again made me remember seeing his solo act several times in 2008 back when I was still a student. I especially remembered one of his gigs during one rainy evening at The Smell where he performed to a small crowd with most of us sitting cross-legged on the floor or on the sofa. That night was special then and it was again special now. Seeing him 5 years later in as part of a mega famous band made me realize how much things have changed in such a short time.
Bethany Cosentino.
Bobb Bruno.
Before this set, I was already a fan of Best Coast but with them coming to Hong Kong and in a way restoring my soul after a depressing and difficult month (more on that later) and also really bringing the comforts of home along with them, they will forever be a band that holds a special place in my heart.
One of the best bands from back home have a new album and a new music video of a long time favorite tune. I loved watching it and can’t wait to hear the new stuff. Fucking yessssssssssss.
We are already on the downhill slope to the end of January and I never even put a post about my thoughts of 2012. Those 15+ days of visiting home in California really took its up all chances write a post before the year has ended.
But yeah, 2012 was pretty much the year of changes. From moving out of the U.S. and into Hong Kong and meeting lots of new people, my life was full of new experiences and I loved it. Not only that, but living on the other side of the world allowed me to travel to places that a year ago would have been so much more difficult for me to visit.
Of course, the year wasn’t all peachy. I did lose a friend due to us outgrowing each other and though I sincerely hope that we can reconcile in the coming new year, I am personally fine with moving on with our lives. And then there was Captain Ahab, my favorite band from the L.A. music scene, breaking up. Both guys in the band will no doubt be moving on to great ventures but it was sad to see them go. Being able to visit home for one weekend in November to see their final performance was something I was so happy that I was able to do. Not only was that night the end of one of the best bands today but their breakup also signified an end of an era: the nights my friends and I would go and see Ahab perform were no doubt some of the best nights of my life. So like I said, all the stuff this year pretty much signified major changes.
So last week’s final Captain Ahab show at The Smell has come and gone. It was amazingly epic and I’m completely glad that I made the flight back to L.A. to witness them perform one last time. They gave me some of the best times ever as well as helping me make some great friends through our common like for the band.
Though the other bands performing that night were great as well, it was especially fantastic to see Foot Village. Like Captain Ahab, I have seen them many times throughout the years (they were actually the first band I ever saw at The Smell) and their lives shows are something I dearly missed since moving from L.A. Their new materials kicks ass and I am so excited for their new album.
I’m sure there will be videos of the awesome performance appearing online in the days to come but in the meantime I did find this nice moment of Jim Merson pumping us up for their set while Jonathan Snipes got things prepared.
Monday night, Pehrspace was completely packed wall to wall as everyone in the attendance saw the return of awesome L.A. band The Mae Shi, reuniting after several years of not existing. For me, it was both insane fun and kind of bittersweet as I knew this would be one of the final shows I would be attending in L.A. With that fact, it also marked the second time of me ever seeing The Mae Shi perform, the first being in the summer of 2008 on the night that I first wandered into The Smell. I left that first night having loved The Mae Shi so much that I had proudly bought their “I’m Glad You’re Alive” t-shirt, something that went on to be one of the best tee purchases ever. I saw many people wearing those shirts on Monday at Perhspace as we got lost to the Mae Shi’s return performance.
Yours truly in the front row as their set began. I would get sucked into the pit a few minutes later.
They played a looooooong set and while the heat and lack of air in the packed venue was becoming impossible to handle, we continued pitting. It was only at the end that they slowed down and got everyone to sit in unison for a magic moment together as they concluded their epic set. And what a helluvah conclusion.
I’m going to miss L.A. shows with moments like that. The next gig coming up is going to be Los Campesinos! at the Echoplex on Saturday. I became a fan this band four years ago and have been following them ever since. Why? BECAUSE THEY’VE ALWAYS STAYED AWESOME (Unlike soooo many bands/songwriters from Vincent’s music taste, circa 2008). I hadn’t ever a chance to see them perform before, due to me missing shows and them rarely touring coming to the U.S. from Britain. But DAMN IT, SATURDAY WILL BE THE NIGHT.
Also, updating from two posts down, the Keychain and Peter Pants show at The Smell last Saturday was AWESOME. I also really enjoyed the opening band of the night, Colleagues. They have that alternative pop sound that I love oh so much.
Today is Thursday and it will be a day spent in front of the computer (For mainly work and a bit of nonsense between breaks. Yep, like this!). This week has been pretty good, especially meeting up with a friend in downtown that I hadn’t seen in over a year.
I’m crossing my fingers that work gets done tonight since more great thingys are happening downtown over the next two days. First on Friday, there’s Critical Mass, which I haven’t done since my first epic bike ride in October.
Then on Saturday, Peter Pants and Keychain are playing at The Smell. Keychain should be good as they’re a combination of three bands that I like: Moses Campbell, So Many Wizards & Old Lumps. This should be good. I hate how I haven’t been going to as many shows lately and want to start going more frequently before the big move.
What else to say? These week has definitely been a Cloud Nothings week and I’ve been listening to their song Stay Useless a bit too much. But that’s because it’s awesome. Go! Click on it!
Also the Oscar nominations are out. Harry got snubbed so that pretty much sucks. Especially as I spent most of last weekend having Harry Potter movie marathons, leaving anything Potter related constantly on my mind. BUT Midnight in Paris got the Best Picture nomination and Woody got the Best Director nom. That is totally enough to keep me happy. S000000 since I posted the rad Midnight in New York by @brokenthumbs last posting, I might as well post the Woody original since I’m on topic already:
This past Sunday The Like announced that all their tour dates were being canceled and that they were going on an indefinite hiatus. After a friend and I saw them perform at The Smell last year, they instantly became one of my favorite bands. While their first album was good, it was their second release, Release Me, that took them to a whole different level. With a new sound full of 60s vibes and and pure energetic tracks, they were easily one of the best bands in L.A.
I only got to see them one more time, last December at The Echo and had a total blast. This go arouund, I knew their songs to sing along to and one of the girls in the band gave me a Like button after I nervously told her how great they all were.
Mutually Awkward 