Tacocat Returns To LA

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN

BOOTLEG THEATRE, LA

10 NOVEMBER, 2018

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN

Tacocat returned to LA, providing a necessary outlet to blowing off some of the nervous energy pent up in a fire-ridden state. Holding down the bar at the Bootleg Theatre, courtesy of Sid The Cat Presents, they tore through a set heavy on their most recent release Lost Time, and prior breakthrough NVM, (both on Hardly Art), and found room for some new songs. Playing "I Hate The Weekend" on a saturday night is pretty much peak Tacocat, and as one who works retail, very much appreciated at this time of the year. They capped off the evening with a spot-on cover of Talking Heads "Psycho Killer".

Support act Black Belt Eagle Scout, was the big revelation, with the question beforehand being how Katherine Paul's stark and intense songs from her debut Mother Of My Children (Saddle Creek Records), would translate live. In the company of an intuitive rhythm section, Black Belt Eagle Scout opened with "Soft Stud", and when KP stepped out to solo it home, all doubts were dispelled. "Indians Never Die" kept the audience transfixed, and a transcendent "Sam, A Dream" effectively blew the doors off the place, highlighting what was one of the most memorable sets of the year.

Over the course of two EP's and a full-length LP on San Diego's Volar Records, LA trio Susan has carved a particular niche, melding girl group harmonies with a buzz saw attack. Can't believe it's been four years since we last crossed paths, but happy to report that their opening set was as tight and feisty as ever.

TACOCAT

BLACK BELT EAGLE SCOUT

SUSAN

Listing To Starboard...Fifty Favorite LP's 2017

FIFTY FAVORITE LP's: 2017

If nothing else, The Year That Was certainly reflected the world at large, ranging from systemic unease to pure distress, and everything in between. These were the LP's that saw us through, that said something about where we're at, if not how we got there, and what the hell do we do next... For the so inclined, here's a playlist with a cut off of each LP, otherwise, check the links below... Happy listening, and we'll see you out on the trail next year!

50) ANGEL OLSEN: Phases

49) KING WOMAN: Created In The Image Of Suffering

48) BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE: Hug Of Thunder

47) MARK LANEGAN: Gargoyle

46) THE NATIONAL: Sleep Well Beast

45) HURRAY FOR THE RIFF RAFF: The Navigator

44) METZ: Strange Peace

43) SHANNON LAY: Living Water

42) SLEAFORD MODS: English Tapas

41) LAS ROBERTAS: Waves Of The New

40) COURTNEY BARNETT/KURT VILE: Lotta Sea Lice

39) MEKLIT: When The People Move The Music Moves Too

38) HAUNTED SUMMER: Spirit Guides

37) WOODS: Love Is Love

36) CHELSEA WOLFE: Hiss Spun

35) COURTNEYS: II

34) BOSS HOG: Brood X

33) LOMELDA: Thx

32) MAKTHAVERSKAN: III

31) SAY SUE ME: Say Sue Me

30) BJORK: Utopia

29) BIG THIEF: Capacity

28) DOWNTOWN BOYS: Cost Of Living

27) PRIESTS: Nothing Feels Natural

26) JAY SOM: Everybody Works

25) ZOLA JESUS: Okovi

24) VAGABON: Infinite Worlds

23) ALEX G: Rocket

22) GOLD CLASS: Drum

21) GREAT GRANDPA: Plastic Cough

20) JEN CLOHER: Jen Cloher

19) DIET CIG: Swear I'm Good At This

18) SPOON: Hot Thoughts

17) JAPANESE BREAKFAST: Soft Sounds From Another Planet

16) DREAM SYNDICATE: How Did I Find Myself Here

15) PROTOMARTYR: Relatives In Descent

14) GIRLPOOL: Powerplant

13) GRANDADDY: The Last Place

12) AFGHAN WHIGS: In Spades

11) JENS LEKMAN: Life Will See You Now

10) CAYETANA: New Kind Of Normal

9) TWO INCH ASTRONAUT: Can You Please Not Help?

8) STEF CHURA: Messes

7) LOS CAMPESINOS!: Sick Scenes

6) PALEHOUND: A Place I'll Always Go

5) WAXAHATCHEE: Out In The Storm

4) CLOUD NOTHINGS: Life Without Sound

3) PEAKING LIGHTS: Fifth State Of Consciousness

2) CHASTITY BELT: I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone

1) RADIATOR HOSPITAL: Play The Songs You Like

Alone Together: Chastity Belt live

CHASTITY BELT

NEVER YOUNG

VELVET JONES, SANTA BARBARA, CA

08 AUGUST, 2017

Waking up from the citywide hangover that constitutes the immediate aftermath of the post-Old Spanish Days/Fiesta madness that envelopes Santa Barbara every year, Chastity Belt rolls into town, like that first restorative Bloody Mary the morning after. With new LP I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone out now on Hardly Art, the band is currently on the West Coast swing of the tour, supported by Never Young. The Oakland quartet set a noisy high bar early on, and proved an eye-opener worth following up on. Their sound gave hints of many different scenes, from classic shoegaze to DC post-hardcore, but remained defiantly their own. Their latest release, last fall's Singles Tape II: Soft Bank EP is out on Father/Daughter Records.

Front-loading hard and barely looking back, Chastity Belt has come a long ways from their formation in Walla Walla, Washington, and eight of the ten songs in their main set were from their newest release, with the remainder coming from their previous, Time To Go Home. It speaks to the strength of the proceedings that they could ignore the ostensible title track of the LP, such was the depth. Underpinned by Annie Truscott's bass, "Caught In A Lie" was an early highlight, and Julia Shapiro took over drums to bring Gretchen Grimm forward for her song "Stuck". Guitarist Lydia Lund took her share of the spotlight on her track "Lydia", and the inclusion of the delicately intense "What The Hell" proved a winner. Shapiro led the jam in an unhinged set closer, "5AM", and the band returned to encore "Joke". After chasing Chastity Belt around this great state, it was a pleasure to welcome them to Santa Barbara.

CHASTITY BELT

NEVER YOUNG

Previous Chastity Belt features:
LA, March '16
LA, May '15
Lancaster CA, October '14