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Interview: G. Love at The House of Blues

April 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

G. Love, Photo Credit: thekey.xpn.org

The Evolution of G. Love: Justin Marini sits down with Garrett Dutton, better known as the venerable G. Love prior to his 4/8 performance at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.

By: Justin Marini

When an artist creates an album that is a “departure” from their regular style, it is often a cause for concern for many fans. In the case of G. Love’s 11th record, “Fixin’ to Die,” I would encourage fans to dismiss that notion, and open their ears to what is sure to be one of the most dynamic and fresh sounds of 2011.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Garret Dutton—aka G. Love—before seeing his April 8th show at the House of Blues.  While hints of hip hop are sparsely tossed into the album, it is clear to see that G. Love’s main inspirations on “Fixin’ to Die” come from the realm of blues, to the likes of Muddy Waters, John Hammond Jr., and Mississippi John Hurt.

“I want to return to my roots,” noted G. Love, who added that this was an album he has wanted to make for a very long time. With the help of his producers—the Avett Brothers–G’s dream became a reality. The “…old-fashioned work ethic…” of the Avett Brothers combined with G. Love’s strong talent and passion for blues makes “Fixin’ to Die” an album that stands out among a generation of increasingly dispassionate musicians.

Although “Fixin’ to Die” is a departure from the classic G. Love sound found on albums such as “Lemonade” or “Philadelphonic,” this is in no way a dismissal of the vintage G. Love sound fans have come to adore. “I want to challenge the audience with my shows,” noted G. Love, who continued by saying that the shows on this tour will be full circle, beginning with new music, integrating the old classics in the middle, and finishing strong with more of his new music.

G. Love, "Fixin' To Die"

G. Love’s show at the House of Blues did just that, beginning with blues jams that left most of the audience jaws on the floor. If that was not enough, as the San Diego local outfit Slightly Stoopid replaced the band Special Sauce on stage and joined G. Love for the middle of his set, the crowd went wild, enjoying classics including Slightly Stoopid’s “Mellow Mood” (with an awesome blues harmonica tossed into the mix). As the show concluded with several strong blues numbers, you could see the trance-like effect G. Love had instilled on the crowd at the House of Blues that night.

Leaving the show, it was a relief to discover that G. Love’s gravitation towards blues is not a rejection of his old hip-hop influenced sound. Instead, “Fixin’ to Die” showcases his evolution into a more versatile musician. When asked about the future of G. Love, he noted, “I want to stay in this direction.” In an effort to delve even deeper into his blues roots, G. Love noted that he yearns to create his own original blues sound based on the Mississippi Delta Blues in the future. All in all, G. Love’s commitment to original, passionate music paves a promising path for the future of blues, and music in general.

Fixin' to Die - G. Love

 

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Show Review: Umphrey’s McGee at House of Blues

April 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Photo by Mackenzie Gilchrist

Renowned jam band brings the funk–On March 18th 2011, Sarah Jorgenson & Mackenzie Gilchrist checked out the Umphre’s McGee show at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.

By: Sarah Jorgenson & Mackenzie Gilchrist

If there is one thing to be said about the performance at the House of Blues on March 18, it is that Umphrey’s McGee brought in the funk and the crowd just loved it. The band had everyone in the packed venue excited and jamming every second from the amped-up opener “Spires” until the second set closer, “Phil’s Farm,” when the people were banging on the walls, clapping and chanting, “we want the Umph, gotta have that Umph!”

Happy to be out of the Chicago cold and into the San Diego sunshine, the band seemed thrilled to be playing for the enthusiastic fans and delivered their awesome performance in true jam band style. Unlike the usual acts that come through the House of Blues, Umphrey’s McGee played two fairly long sets and even went almost thirty minutes past the usually strictly enforced noise curfew. Their extra long jams, phenomenal light show and particularly funky improvisation gave the people exactly what is expected of a jam band show. They played some of their more popular tracks such as “Nemo,” “Partyin Peeps” and “Pay the Snucka,” but also included some new songs and, of course, various teasers—most notably one for “The Triple Wide” thrown into the end of the second set.

Set One remained rather safe territory for the band.  Some of their more well-known songs, like “Words,” came across as rather pop-tinged and canned at first, but were able to transcend this canned sound once the band began to expand into their nuanced and exploratory jams. Like many bands in the jam genre, Umphrey’s McGee seems most at ease while improvising, and some of the songs that serve as the base for the jams fall flat at first.  By the end of the first set, it seemed that the band had really settled into their playing well; the set’s closers “Push the Pig” and “Go to Hell” were two of the show’s highlights.

Set Two brought even more psychedelic improvisation. In particular, the segued series of “Phil’s Farm > Day Nurse > Hangover > Soul Food II > Phil’s Farm” was incredible. The flow from each song to the next was expertly accomplished, even when the mood of the following song was different from the one before. A special treat was the powerful Led Zeppelin cover “The Song Remains the Same” early in the set. Overall, the jamming was extremely funk-inspired and kept the enthusiastic crowd on their feet the entire set.

It is rare that an accomplished jam band like Umphrey’s McGee comes to San Diego, but it should happen more often. It was clear that the packed House of Blues was eager to enjoy the funky jams that the band had to offer, and it was even clearer that the band was having a great time playing for a unique audience of southern Californians. This is one jam band worth seeking out.

 

Photo by Mackenzie Gilchrist

 

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Show Review: Wolfgang Gartner at House of Blues

April 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Los Angeles based DJ takes priority over studies and sleep

S. Handly, USD Radio

This Thursday, March 31, was an important day in my college career. With a micro-economics midterm on 11:00 a.m. the next day, I had to make a choice. To attend, or not to attend. I’m not talking about whether or not I should take the midterm – I’m talking of course about the Wolfgang Gartner show that took place at the House of Blues that same night. Needless to say, I was up pretty late studying for that midterm since I couldn’t resist my chance to finally see Wolfgang do a show here in San Diego.

The House of Blues was absolutely packed. Since the House of Blues had not announced an opening act, it was a pleasant surprise when Felix Cartal took the stage and absolutely killed it. Dropping some of his famous tracks such as The Joker, and Love, he did a great job setting the stage for Wolfgang. I would venture to say that he nearly outperformed the main act.

An awesome LED set-up awaited Wolfgang’s arrival. He was surrounded by L-shaped lights and fog machines, setting the perfect mood for a show that takes place in the dark House of Blues. When Wolfgang finally took the stage around midnight, he kept the party going until 2 a.m. Well, kind of. The place thinned out around 1:30, but there were still plenty of energetic people dancing away their final ounces of energy up until the final beat.

Throughout the night Gartner brought out a heavy arsenal, dropping track after track on the crowd. Gartner’s track selection was different than I expected. Departing from the Funk Nasty, Illmerica, Heartbreaker, Push & Rise stuff that he does so well, he stuck to his older stuff like Conscindo and Undertaker  which is definitely not his best. I would have loved to hear him spin a couple of those tracks. He played some great songs by other DJ’s though, which definitely saved his act. In my opinion, he did not let himself shine.

Overall, I have to say that my first House of Blues experience was awesome. However, I lost the intimacy I felt at some other DJ sets I’ve seen. Since the House of Blues is so big, Gartner had to be posted high above the crowd on the main floor so that the 21+ area on the balcony could see him as well. It was a tough compromise that the House of Blues had to make to please everyone who attended.

Once the show finally winded down and I ascended from the mysterious House of Blues basement I took a huge breath of fresh air, preparing myself for my inevitable next visit. When I arrived home at  3:45 a.m. in the morning, it was probably just about time to start studying for that micro-economics midterm.

S. Handly, USD Radio

By: Spencer Handly

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Gold Motel Breaks Through

October 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Courtesy Greta Morgan

I’ve been sitting on Gold Motel’s most recent release, Summer House, for the past few days, soaking it up and really trying to put together an accurate review on this one. I’ve now listened to it a few times over and boy did I really soak up its summer sound. The album itself has an almost intricate simplicity; it feels laid back and stripped down, yet multiple layers really come together to make each song sound incredibly complete.

Most tracks consist of just guitar, bass, drums, and vocals yet everything feels diverse. Reverb and tremolo come in and out of play in true beach style 60’s music as best exemplified by the title track. In “Stealing the Moonlight” quick palm mutes and dual vocals create a sound that will be loved by those who spent high school with Rilo Kiley.

When you listen to “We’re on the Run,” the playful strums high up on the fretboard could easily be mistaken for a Vampire Weekend song. Other songs on the album such as “Who Will I Be Tonight” add keys to create more of a soulful and shorter feel to the album, as lead singer Greta Morgan seems to look back at a relationship.

It would be impossible to mention the band without discussing the fact that Morgan first reached fame as the pianist and one of the singers of The Hush Sound. While fans of that project are almost guaranteed to have their ears perk up by Gold Motel, it’s important to note that Gold Motel shouldn’t be written off as The Hush Sound. In many ways, it’s a more grown up sound. There’s more indie twang, less piano, and certainly more of a SoCal vibe.

Much of this beachy vibe likely stems from the fact that when looking for inspiration for the album, Morgan moved to Los Angeles where she became involved in the music scene and would go to five or six concerts per week.

The overall album is a solid release that stands on its own, yet pulls from numerous other successful bands. It’s quick, it’s catchy, and most importantly it proves to be an all around fun album. Simply put, I’ll be actively waiting for album number two.

Fans of the band can check out a live performance this Wednesday as Gold Motel opens up for Kate Nash at The House of Blues. In many ways, these acts prove to be a perfect pairing. Morgan, while still young, will most likely find herself to be in Nash’s spot in the near future and we’ll all be in for a treat.

Myspace

Gold

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STS9: Ad Explorata Album Review

February 9, 2010 By 2 Comments

STS9's most recent album, Ad Explorata, was released in December. They will be playing at the House of Blues this Thursday.

Sound Tribe Sector 9, otherwise referred to as Sound Tribe or STS9, released a new album in December called Ad Explorata, and it is beautiful. For those who have never heard this genre-bending band’s music, it has been described as “post-rock dance music” and has a sound that is only enhanced when heard at its full potential: when it’s live.

Ad Explorata is what I would describe as an exploration of the two most amazing parts of the earth: the ocean and outer space. The first track, “Phoneme,” begins with the happy sound of bubbles popping underwater harmoniously. Yet, it is reminiscent of sounds one might here when floating through outer space (think WALL E). It made me feel peaceful, yet motivated, thus I would describe it as a perfect song to put on your late afternoon homework playlist. It’ll keep you awake and help you think.

The eighth and title track of the album, “Ad Explorata,” is much in the same vein as “Phoneme,” and could also be included on a kick ass homework playlist. Though not as epic as I expected it to be (being the title track and all), it is pleasant and thought provoking.

The second track, “Heavy,” is indeed heavy compared to “Phoneme.” More rock than ethereal, it’s a track one definitely hopes to hear at a live show. Then comes the track “Looking Back on Earth.” This track has more of an electronic feel to it, with the beginning sounds fading from the left speaker to the right. It transitions to a more mellow rock sound and then to water drips, so in a way it’s like three types of musical experimentation in one track, but it all fits perfectly.

“Oil & Water’s” sound exemplifies its title. It has a steady drone (the water) with a bunch of other sounds on top of it (oil). They don’t mix, necessarily, but in the way that oil and water look cool when put together, the sounds in this song sound cool when put together.

The fifth track, “Crypto City,” is what it must sound like inside a light up bouncy ball filled with sparkles while being chased by a cat. This is, in fact, a situation that I have seen, and I couldn’t imagine it sounding any other way. That’s not to say the song sounds silly, it just sounds so intriguingly fun for being the shortest track on the album. Much like the cat and ball chase, it doesn’t last long enough.

The sixth track, “EHM,” finds STS9 once again exploring their drum and bass roots. It starts out pretty chill, but towards the middle the track develops more of a hip hop/electronic badass sound, finishing off with a fast-paced drum and bass finale. “ATLAS,” the seventh track on the album, continues with the intense drum and bass feel, but with a little bit of air mixed in, meaning the listener is given points in the track in which they can feel free to take a much-needed breath.

Now to my favorite track, “Re:Stereo.” This track is so peaceful that it makes me not peaceful. If this were the soundtrack to all of my dreams, they would never turn into nightmares. They’d be intelligent, new and happy. About a third of the way through, this track delves into a deeper vibe. The drumbeat is a perfect foundation for all of the changes that this song goes through. If this song were, in fact, a dream, the drums would be the part that held it all together, keeping you asleep and helping bring the dream back to the forefront of your mind as soon as you wake up.

“Central” is a track that samples a woman’s voice reading numbers, that are actually number stations, or coded messages used by governments to correspond with spies that were overseas. The song overall is quite creepy and very, in a way, extraterrestrial.

The second to last track, “Lion,” is reminiscent of a hip lion on the prowl, walking through lives that sound like wind chimes. It’s like a mini-adventure, leading the listener to the final track of the album, titled “Echoes,” which essentially echoes all of the songs you just listened to.

The album is a complete success and lives up to what you would expect from a band like STS9, who are known for their live shows. Luckily for us Southern Californians, the band is playing two shows in our area. The first is Thursday, here in San Diego, at the House of Blues at 7 p.m. (21+), and the second is Friday in Los Angeles at The Wiltern at 7:30 p.m. (all ages).

My three favorite tracks from the album:

Phoneme

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Re:Stereo

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EHM

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