I Know A Place Called The Roxy: Courtney Barnett live

COURTNEY BARNETT

CHASTITY BELT

DARREN HANLON

ROXY, LA

30 MAY, 2015

Momentum has been building as Courtney Barnett tours the country in support of her full-length debut, Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit. The frenzy accompanying the first of two sold out nights at LA's Roxy Theater served as confirmation, as well as a homecoming of sorts. A home away from home, if you will, as LA served as one of four places on the globe blessed with a gallery premier show of the new work back in March, Fully engaged with her rhythm section, the trio blazed through their set, balancing new and old material, but the tipping point for viewing how far she's come occured during "Depreston", when the crowd spontaneously sang the end refrain back to her. Truly a touching moment. "Small Poppies" and "Dead Fox" were also standouts, capturing the polar ends of her spectrum.

While waiting for Chastity Belt to hit the stage, one was given to ponder just what the appropriate name for this tour would be: "Battle of the C.B.'s", or perhaps a more formal "Courtney Belt". Ruminations aside, the band more than held up their end of this magic billing. Last fall in Lancaster, CA, we got our first taste of the songs that would form the spine of Time To Go Home, and the LP saw formal release in March. Roadwork in the interim has sharpened up the songs, to the point where their set featured only the Home material, plus even newer unreleased songs, ("Dull"). "IDC", the title track, and especially "On The Floor" served to spotlight the band interplay, and opener "Drone" is one of the better examples of Julia Shapiro's incisive writing. Moving forward is what Chastity Belt does, and the Roxy's refurbished system really brought out the depth of their sound. 

Veteran Australian troubador Darren Hanlon opened the night with a witty and engaging set of story songs, peaking with "Punks Not Dead", a reminisce of his days living in a punk house in Sydney. It was a great introduction to an artist we'll make a point to get more familiar with. If your ears bend to the taste of Paul Kelly or Peter Case, make a note of his name. Only bum note of his set was on the too-talkative audience members, but it's a measure of his professionalism that he didn't go full Kozelek on them, instead quickly expediting the situation. 

 COURTNEY BARNETT

CHASTITY BELT

Annie elevates her sock game...

1st song (obscured) was "Drone"...

DARREN HANLON

Boss Style: Speedy Ortiz live

SPEEDY ORTIZ

ALEX G

TANCRED

CATALYST, SANTA CRUZ, CA

23 MAY, 2015

Touching down in Santa Cruz as the gateway to the northern California leg of their current tour business, Speedy Ortiz brought the goods to the Catalyst. Also booked that night for the venue's big room was UK reggae vets Steel Pulse, making for a fascinating mix of crowd outside the hall. Ever since our first taste of Speedy Ortiz, last year at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown, we've been awaiting their return out west. Working primarily from their latest release, Foil Deer, the band hit the stage with a vengeance, heralded by Petey Pablo, turning the new songs inside out, and the main question was, with this being their most produced/intricate LP...how would the 'difficult' songs translate live? The mid-set combination of "The Graduates" into "My Dead Girl" answered handily, proving the emotional high point of the night. Other highlights included an airing of "Bigger Party", a song cut for last year's Adult Swim singles program, and a welcome addition to any set.

Quality was the evening's watchword, and extended all the way down the line, with both opening acts more than measuring up to the challenge. Tancred is the solo project of Now Now's Jess Abbott, and she seems to have found her comfort zone, spinning off songs from the self titled LP, as well as previewing tunes from a forthcoming album that they just wrapped recording on. Working with Anna Waronker and Redd Kross/Off's Steven McDonald, we look forward to the finished product. There's video below to get a taste of the band. Reminiscent of the 90's Fort Apache scene in Boston, with echoes of Juliana Hatfield and Throwing Muses/Belly, Tancred is a name to make a note of.

Philadelphia's Alex G (Giannascolit) hit the stage with a full band, the Temple U. student transforming bedroom indie songs into vibrant workouts, crossing the pull/release tension of classic live Television with a Malkmus-ian songwriting bent to deliver the goods. Stuck in the unforgiving middle slot, the band seemed intent on punching their way out. Since picking up the latest release, the oddly compelling DSU, it has rarely left my turntable, and like Mitski's Bury Me At Makeout Creek, will probably be one of my favorite left-field releases come the end of the year. Due to technical snags, the video from their set met a cruel fate, but we'll drop in a song to give you a taste.

SPEEDY ORTIZ

 

ALEX G

TANCRED