Two shows worth seeing

It is touring season and a lot of bands worth seeing are on the road. We just got tickets to see sparta in a month, and went to a couple of shows in the past month.

The Black Angels

On the album it literally sounds like Jim Morrison meets Nick Cave. I had no idea what to expect for the show, and it was at the "Independant" in SF. The first song was an acoustic with a guest guitarist. Then they went into their set with songs from the album (it was their first full length from what I understand). I was pretty amazed at the stage presence of the entire band. I don't think I saw the singer's eyes for the whole shot. Every member of the band traded off instruments at some point. The girl drummer rolled onto bass while their incredibly gifted indie guitarist (yeah, he rocked a 12 string at one point) went onto the drums and just kicked ass. There were a few songs that were a bit heavy on the keyboards... and they had some songs that were rough, but it was a great show, and if you see them in your town you should go.

To give you a bit of flavor, becky found out the reason for their name:

Illness, insanity and death are the black angels that kept watch over my cradle and accompanied me all my life. -Edvard Munch

Lucero

Another band you should try to go see if you can. Kurt, if you read this you should go. I dig their recorded stuff somewhat (it is a bit on the country side for me) but live is a whole different story. Alot more intense and interesting. The style of music is perfect for a bar with a whiskey in your hand. The new album (which I picked up right after the show) sounds a lot like bruce springsteen... mostly because of the piano accompaniment. The show sort of "devolved" as the band got more and more drunk - which both made it more fund, and made us want to leave and get a slice of pizza.

Two good shows, if you are in the mood.