Deserted At The Palms: Sights and Sounds

DESERTED AT THE PALMS FEST

PALMS RESTAURANT,

WONDER VALLEY, CA

17 MAY, 2014

Cate Le Bon

Leaving behind the 108 degree temperature on the desert floor, the climb in elevation took a certain edge off so that it was barely triple digits upon reaching Joshua Tree. The Palms Restaurant sits in the epically named Wonder Valley, and if your taste runs, (as does mine), to desert scapes, then it might not be misnamed after all. "Deserted At The Palms" brought together an eclectic lineup of acts for an exploratory foray into the one day mini fest, and like any first effort, had some strategic opportunities that could be addressed, but on the music end, it was nothing short of a rousing success;introducing exciting new acts, and reconfirming compelling artists, all in a venue that provided enough room to move, and coordinate between an indoor and outdoor stage. Cate Le Bon and her band turned in a scintillating set, expanding on their recent Amoeba Music appearance, Alex Lilly and Hott MT provided energy in the heat, Nite Jewel was a captivating presence at sunset, and the day's big takeaway was a bouncy punk band from LA, Sex Stains. It will be interesting to see if Deserted At The Palms becomes an annual gathering or a one shot gig, but it was certainly worth the trip.

 

CATE LE BON

NITE JEWEL

 

SEX STAINS

HOTT MT

ALEX LILLY

Cate Le Bon: live at Amoeba, Hollywood

CATE LE BON

AMOEBA RECORDS, LA

30 APRIL, 2014

While the calendar said the end of April, for all intents and purposes it was the first day of summer, as it sat comfortably, (or not so much), in the mid-90's in Hollywood. The evening backed off to balmy, and with it, brought Cate Le Bon to Amoeba for an in store appearance. Just to allay confusion, as we've trundled between, Amoeba has two Bay Area locations, in Berkley and the Haight, and this evening's location, a giant superstore on Sunset Blvd. Last fall we caught up with Cate at the El Rey Theater in LA, previewing material from what was then her forthcoming LP, Mug Museum. She then held court at the Bootleg Theater in December, exploring the album at depth. Most recently she comes to us fresh off a stint opening shows for Franz Ferdinand, and at every juncture, the band is tighter, the sound more fully realized.

With this, her second appearance on the Amoeba stage, she seemed quite at home as the band plunged into "No God", followed two of her catchiest numbers, "Are You With Me Now" and "I Can't Help You". Most notable is the interplay between the guitarists, the communication approaching the level of Television's Tom Verlaine/Richard Lloyd combination. "Duke" changed the pace, ending with a flawless high note the rapt crowd did not fail to appreciate. "Sister" brought the tempo back up, and led into the calculated stomp of "Wild", finishing with a double time coda at the end, trailing off into a hail of noise, before dropping into a breathless take on "Fold The Cloth", from Cyrk and the only non Mug Museum track. As their first LA appearance this year, it was a fine homecoming for the relocated Welsh singer/songwriter, and we'll catch up with them again in mid-May out in Twenty Nine Palms for the Deserted At The Palms Festival.