Mon 9 Apr – Garbage, Laura Escude, DJ Darren Revell

I'm writing this review from the airplane, as we fly over Nevada, where I'll be in a few short days for the next Garbageaholics Anonymous meeting in Las Vegas (also known as show #3 of the tour). To sum up the past two days….WOWZERS! I met a ton of really fantastic people at the shows, I chatted with Duke and very, very briefly chatted with Butch (two very cool and down to earth guys) and experienced two concerts I will remember for a lifetime. Not a bad way to spend…

Sponge's debut album, Rotting Pinata, was released way back in 1994 and it's always been an album I could listen to from start to finish, repeatedly, even after *gasp* 17 years - one of the pleasant surprise purchases I bought after seeing Molly (Sixteen Candles) on MTV. You know, back when MTV played music. Soundgarden's Superunknown was another great album I bought during that era, which I bought only because I liked Black Hole Sun.

I brought Rotting Pinata out for a spin on my run tonight and was reminded just how good it is, collectively. If…

Mon 3 Oct – Ladytron, SONOIO

The night started off with a DJ set from Jake Rudh, who hosts the weekly dance night and radio show, Transmission. I have to give Jake a lot of credit for knowing his audience and for putting together music perfect for a Ladytron show. We heard everything from Kraftwerk to the Dr. Who theme to The Orb's Little Fluffy Clouds.

Sonoio opened things up right on time at 8:10 pm. It was just Alessandro Cortini on stage, with, what I presume, was the gadget you see in this video, hooked up to the lights:…

After missing Ladytron back in 2006 right when I started getting into the band, I was extremely excited for this show. Unfortunately, it was a big let down. The sound was way too bass heavy and the vocals were drowned out. I can't fault the band for that.

Since I'm writing this review 2 years later, mostly just to have the set list documented for my own sake, I'll mostly refrain from commenting on the somewhat stoic personas each of the band members portrayed throughout the evening. I am pretty sure this was their intention - to blend into the…

Sat 19 Feb – Emilie Autumn

I hadn't heard much of Emilie Autumn's music, but I did know that she's a violinist and that was enough to get me to see her live. It was questionable whether she'd be able to perform, as she had to cancel the past few dates due to a throat infection and no voice. The show went on and despite being under the weather with a voice less than 100%, she gave the performance her all.

It was an interesting night. Even though most of the music was pre-recorded (minus the vocals and an…

I arrived to the Triple Rock about 5 minutes into Gracepoint’s set. As Cwn Annwn guitarist Neil James commented during the interview on Aztalan Turf, episode 23, Gracepoint is an extremely technically talented group of musicians. They are also a very tight band. Sound-wise, Tennessee’s vocals are a cross between Second Coming’s Travis Bracht and Metallica’s James Hetfield. They had lots of nice guitar harmonies, fast drumming, and fancy bass playing.

I would have liked to see more movement on stage, however, especially out of vocalist Matt Tennesse. So while there were some very technically and…

I:Scintilla continue to push their genre defying sound in their latest full length, Dying & Falling, released on November 26. Before I get too far into this review, I do have to issue a disclaimer. I've been following I:Scintilla since 2004, when I stumbled across their MySpace page in search of new industrial-type bands. At the time, they were a young but promising band out of Urbana-Champaign, IL and what really set them apart from the other electronic bands I was encountering were the vocals, the emotion and the fusion of styles present in their early work. I:Scintilla have…

The contest is now closed and winners have been announced. Thanks to all who entered!

In anticipation of the release of I:Scintilla's latest album, Dying & Falling, I'm running a contest via Twitter. Each of two winners receives a copy of I:Scintilla's Dying & Falling (standard edition). I:Scintilla is an excellent band with an amazing new album that I think everyone should hear, so I'm spending a little of my own money to get the album in the hands of some new listeners and future fans.

I'll be playing new tracks from I:Scintilla in each of the upcoming…

Disclaimer: The sound in this room was TERRIBLE, so it’s hard to write a fair review for the openers.

Johnny and Chris from The Dreaming were wandering around before their set, listening to some of the openers, which was very cool. Chris recognized me from the 3 other shows I was at and walked up to say hello, which was also very cool of him. They’re a great bunch of people, aside from being talented musicians, and it really makes me want them to do well because of it. So please excuse me if I get overly excited about them.…

Fri, 16 Jul, 2010 – Hole at First Avenue

Courtney Love owns the stage. Period. If you've been to or seen videos of performances from the mid-90s, you've seen the power she has over a crowd. You also saw her at her most unpredictable and unstable. Though Courtney Love continues to deal with her inner demons, her July 16 performance at Minneapolis' famous First Avenue showed that things are looking up for the newly turned 46 year-old and it's pretty clear that she's still got it.

Doors opened at 10 pm and the night started out with Foxy Shazam,…