Videohippos / Lazy Magnet / Bird Names @ The Church Of Crystal Light (01-30-09)

I had been looking forward to this show for quite some time. Missed the opportunity to see Videohippos when they stopped by in C-Ville in 07 due to ride situations falling through. So it was a great surprise to hear that Videohippos were stopping by in Richmond around January to play a show.

Then the night of the show actually came with me feeling kind of sick, with my head in a complete haze. This however wasn't going to let that stop me from missing this show, So I got myself together and go to the venue (sure I got their a little late and missed the first two acts, but I did make it)

First act that played was this group called Bird Names. They had some tight tropical rock vibes coming from them. It was an enjoyable set but nothing I'm gonna ape-shit over. Just a good chill way to start the evening off....and thats about all I have to say on that

Next up was Lazy Magnet. Didn't know much about them before the show but by the end of the set I left feeling pleasantly surprised . It started off in typical underground noise-dance-fashion, heads nodding and people dancing in some sort of minimal fashion. But suddenly and I'm not sure what sparked it the venue went real crazy. Bodies colliding into one another, arms flinging everywhere. it was good shit / real tight shit

I must mention this, off topic on the music of the show, but after the lazy maget set I went to use the restroom of this venue. What I came to find is quite possibly the worst bathroom of all of the Virginia. Liquid brown junk on the floor, doors that don't shut, me having to pull of some real MacGyver shit by holding the door and urinating at the same time, it was awkward, it was mad impressive.

After that interesting disaster it was time for Videohippos to play. For the show they had this paper rad esc video show going on in the background which really helps bring to life visually the colorful nature of this bands music. Their live set was quite mind blowing as well, real great lo-fi wham city rock. They bring this great almost spiritual element to their live set that is something you just have to witness to fully understand, and the moshing at this show was fantastic, never have I seen people this happy to dance since I saw Animal Collective, and that was almost 2 years ago, so congrats Videohippos you bring the energy crazy style.

The night was a real success, great vibes / great concert, and i'm quite happy to see the Church Of Crystal Light crowed last night, Its good to see more people are catching onto this unnamed music bug that has kept me so fascinated the last couple of years (this crowed however did make it hard for me to get a decent shot of the show, so unless I find a better photo online someone else took your sort of going to have to deal with the crummy photo I took)

VIDEOHIPPOS TONITE @ THE CHURCH OF CRYSTAL LIGHT
Go to this show
Should be killa-tight
I feel sickly but I'm gonna man it up
No excuses you have to go too this show

Fucked Up / Ultra Dolphins / Order @ The Outback Lodge (01-23-09)

After a few rough starts for my first show of the year (Wu-Tang & Silk Flowers both canceling their shows) The new year was finally ready to start, and the show last night was no let-down at all

The night started off in typical Andy fashion. Got to a place that serves burgers, digest said burger, chit-chat about this and that with friends, made terrible jokes, etc, etc.

Ended up going to the venue slightly early to make sure my friend Erika would have a ticket to get into the show (probably something we didn't have to worry about due to the show being at Outback Lodge, but a sold-out show is something to always fear)

After getting said ticket, we decided to leave the venue to get some pre-gaming in, and by pre-gaming i mean going to McDonalds and drinking some soda (MADHARDCORE). While their, other friends of mine showed up / in-particular my good old friend Dennis who I was quite happy to see (I'm also quite ecstatic that starting Sunday he is going to be my next door neighbor in Richmond, its scary shit, should be tight)

After lolly gagging around McDonalds long enough we went back to the venue around the time Ultra Dolphins started their set. They were your typical Charlottesville underground rock thing, which is something that I never fully understand. Bands like them, Order & Truman Sparks are just bands that I've never gotten into. The members of the groups are real nice, and quite interesting people, but something about these bands sounds has just never struck me as much of anything (maybe i haven't been in the right frame of mind, or maybe I just don't get it). Also I missed Order play their set, I assume it was the same old/same old with them, but I could be wrong.

After a short wait Fucked Up came on. When they started playing the venue turned into a mad house. Bodies flying everywhere, people getting hit in the head by folks attempting to crowd surf, and general go time rowdiness was everywhere. Basically to appreciate a Fucked Up show, you need to bring your A-game and (party/attack) like no bodies business, because if you don't your going to be spending the attire time of the set looking for some sort of shelter (and that isn't why you pay money to go to a concert is it?)

Basically Fucked Up was quite amazing to see live. Not sure if I fully understand the punk scene yet (seems like it lives off being a dick for the sake of being a dick). Their is however a lot of great music coming from this punk/noise/experimental beast that I enjoy quite a bit, and I would consider Fucked Up to be apart of that lumping. They really have something quite great going for them right now, and if you have the chance to see them live by all means go. But if you do go, be ready to do battle.

*photo courtesy of john daniel reiss (there was no way in hell I was going to risk my camera at this show, I'm happy to see someone else took the risk)

keillor rubble bubble

Forgot to mention this but Garison Keillor is going to be in richmond on sunday doing something @ The Landmark Theater. Not exactly sure what is going to happen, but Keillor is a bad-ass which makes this something most defiantly worth looking into.

FEBUARY 27TH

FEBRUARY 27TH IS GONNA BE FUCKING AMAZING
2 GREAT (shit) MOVIES ARE COMING OUT
SO TEMPTED TO SKIP GIRL TALK AND SEE THESE MOTHA FUCKAZ OPENING NIGHT
SURE THIS ISN'T MUSIC RELATED (unless you count the jonas brothers as music)
BUT DAMN I'M SO PUMPED
ALL CAPS 4 FUCK

*photo above is of my friend Garth / he has nothing to do with these events / but he is a fly fuck

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience


Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li

wu

WU TANG GOT CANCELED
REASON = BLAH BLAH BLAH NEED TO RECORD MUSIC BLAH BLAH BLAH
In positive news panda bear remixes good

GWAR @ The National (12-31-08)

Got up around 10am, preparing to get to richmond early and do some thrifiting before the show. Sadly trying to gather up a group of 5 to richmond isn't as easy and said and done so we ended up in richmond around 3 ish, leaving us enough time to check out some record shops, buy cheap records/art from diversity thrift and got some eatery food on (deal with it forrest, the place is bad-ass)

Arrived at the show around 9 while the first act Stuck Backwards was playing. If you know me I'm really not that huge of a metal fan (i dig some Boris, SunnO))) and other things that drone but straight up metal usually isn't my thing) So it really wasn't to much of a surprise that their set didn't do much for me, just typical metal music attempting to freak people out but just doesn't do shit for me. In positive news they had a song called "Tiny Vaginia.

After their set their was a 30 minute wait of down time, That was in till GWAR set up this countdown telling us the fans when we were going to die. The place started to get a little rowdy and once the countdown was done a video of Sleazy P. Martini came on explaining how to way we elected the people of are country earth is retarded, that instead of debating we should have intergalactic wrestling matches instead. (GREAT IDEA 4 FUCK)

After this the band started playing and got into their typical GWAR business which is just fan tastic (you know blood everywhere, chopping heads of people, you get wet, its fun). I think it might be a little trivial to explain in full detail a typical gwar set-up in this review due to the fact that anyone who is reading this review is probably from vriginia, and I'm just gonna assume they know how GWAR delivers their ruckus live (due to them being from Richmond and all). So let's discuss the things that made this show different from he time I saw them in May. As a I explained earlier it had a wrestling thing going on (with politicians such as John McCain, Barrack Obama & Hillary Clinton going against people from the GWAR universe. The show also had a really bitching robotized M1 caring version of Ronald Regan (that after looking up learned is called "Reganator".BAD ASS IS WHAT IT IS). Sadly the show sadly seemed to have less blood and also less ridiculous things going on the the background like it did last time i saw them, this did however not really take away from the show, because GWAR is top-notch and is something that anyone should at least experience live once due to it being so ridiculous, Even if you not a fan of their music (which is the boat I am in, its just something that is so perfect live)

After the show we the group had a very great cold wet run back to the car only to find the car battery was dead. Spending a good hour in a half in the parking lot trying to figure out how to actually jump start a car. Luckily my friend dylan was their with his trust worthy blackberry to save the day (oh internts, how I love you) and we were to get the bitch working and able to make it back to c-ville around oh I don't know 4am. A very promising way to start the new year I must say.

*photo courtesy of me.me.me.