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REVIEW: Tomahawk @ Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – 2/13/13)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Being a longtime Mike Patton fan, I got into Tomahawk right when the self-titled debut hit in 2001. Mike Patton stated early on that Tomahawk was led by Duane Denison (from The Jesus Lizard). It comes and goes at Duane’s pace. With that, Tomahawk has tended to change a fair bit from album to album. While Mit Gas (2003) was fairly similar to the debut in approach, the shape-shifting sound really caught me off-guard with their Native American-inspired third album – Anonymous (2007).
Their latest album, Oddfellows, hit two weeks ago. I’ve let it sink in a bit. It’s a bit more “straight-forward” rock than their prior albums. Still some Patton & Denison-isms thrown in to make it buck the normal rock trend. Overall, it’s a solid record and I’ve been warming up nicely to it, getting ready for the show.
Their official video for the song “Oddfellows” came out late last week. This is the one song on the album that I could see on the final Faith No More album (sandwiched in between Home Sick Home & Pristina perhaps)… it just has that “feel” to me…
The opener was Retox… and they played 30 minutes of homogenous tunes that were fairly screamy with muddy-drumming. Nothing else to say there…
Tomahawk hit the stage a bit later than expected… at about 10pm after a 45-minute loop of the “Tomahawk Chop” chant (think Atlanta Braves cheering section, but with no game). The band this go around is the previously mentioned Mike Patton on vocals/keys/sounds and Duane Denison on guitars with original Helmet drummer John Stanier and Mr. Bungle/Fantômas/Trio Convulsant/many more groups/NYC jazz bassist Trevor Dunn.
They played a great mix from their four records – showcasing the difference in the band’s catalog and the variety in Patton’s voice. As this was the start to the tour, they seemed amped to be out there. At one point during “God Hates A Coward,” Patton got a bit overzealous and yanked the cord out of his mic. He got us to help him out, and while that’s oddly not a song where the “crowd takes over” technique would seem to fit, we worked through the technical difficulty well.
Setlist: about 90 minutes
- Oddfellows
- Flashback
- 101 North
- Stone Letter
- Birdsong
- Rape This Day
- Baby Let’s Play ____
- Capt. Midnight
- White Hats / Black Hats
- God Hates a Coward
- I.O.U.
- Rotgut
- South Paw
- Point and Click
- Waratorium
- Laredo
- Encore 1: Totem
- Stalkin’ [Duane Eddy]
- *Encore 2: Pay To Cum [Bad Brains]
- Just One More [George Jones]
*per FB & Setlist.fm commenters
Apparently they came back on after the 1st encore. The house lights had already come on, and I was out the door before I heard anything; alas, I missed the 2nd encore. Damn! I’m still stoked to have gotten to see them live – it had been far too long!
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Tomahawk’s Site (Ipecac Records)
- Tomahawk’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Retox’s Site / Facebook
- Other Related Reviews~
- Trevor Dunn solo (Eugene – Jan 2012)
- Moonchild Trio (Seattle – Nov 2007)
- Trevor Dunn solo (Eugene – Jan 2012)
- Wonder Ballroom’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
This was only the second date of the West Coast U.S. Tour; so definitely check out more tour dates below. They’re hitting Australia after the U.S. West Coast and then hitting the rest of the U.S. hopefully later in the year.
Next show for me… two shows at the PDX Jazz Fest next weekend in Portland (Steve Kuhn Trio & Steven Bernstein’s Sex Mob).
~Dan – np: Tomahawk – Mit Gas
TOMAHAWK PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2013 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Tomahawk – West Coast & Australia 2013 Tour
- 2/12 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
- 2/13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
- 2/15 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 2/16 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
- 2/17 Santa Ana, CA The Observatory
- 2/19 Los Angeles, CA The Mayan
- 2/23 Brisbane, AUS RNA Showgrounds
- 2/24 Sydney, AUS Olympic Park
- 2/26 Sydney, AUS Metro Theatre
- 2/27 Melbourne, AUS Billboard the Venue
- 3/1 Melbourne, AUS Flemington Racecourse
- 3/2 Adelaide, AUS Bonython Park
- 3/4 Perth, AUS Claremont Showground
- 3/30 Sao Paolo, BR Lollapalooza Brazil
- 4/2 Buenos Aires, AR Malvinas Argentinas Stadium
- 4/4 Santiago, CH Teatro La Cupula del Parque O’Higgins
- 4/6 Santiago, CH Lollapalooza Chile
REVIEW: dredg @ Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – 11/9/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
Call me a focused, but I showed up shortly before dredg‘s 8:35pm start time and left immediately after*. Frontman Gavin Hayes came on and said something along the lines of “we’re hypocrites,” and they kicked into their first song “Ode to the Sun” – a bombastic lead off from Catch Without Arms. I’m not sure what he was referring to regarding the “hypocrites” comment, maybe it was just the mood he was in…
As one of the several openers, they only got an opener-sized slot, but they made the most of it…
Setlist: about 45 mins
- Ode To The Sun
- Same Ol’ Road
- Pariah
- Jamais Vu
- Upon Returning [new song]
- Bug Eyes
- Saviour
- Lightswitch
- Down to the Cellar
Their new album, as of yet untitled, comes out March 29, 2011. If it’s anything like The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion – it’ll be awesome. Great melodic prog-ish rock. Gavin tweeted on Nov 5th that the album was done (with compelling photographic proof):
a few more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- dredg’s Site
- dredg’s Social Media Links (see below)
- My Other Related Reviews~
- Hawthorne Theater (Portland – Apr 2009)
- Wonder Ballroom (Portland – Aug 2009)
- Wonder Ballroom’s Site / Facebook
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*– or perhaps call me dickish… I love music, but I don’t generally enjoy the 4 or 5 band “rock tours” – especially when 3-4 of the bands are underwhelming and the crowd is annoying (see POV video below). I will apologize, as I didn’t give Circa Survive a fair shake (or a shake at all). I’m sure they’re great. Sorry, after a 4 hour round-trip drive, a couple sour beers at Cascade Brewing and dredg was what I cared about. And I’m getting old (rock bands! get off my lawn!). Sorry. It is what it is. If the Circa Survive kids troll my comment section… well, it’s understood.
“POV Rock Concert“
~Dan – np: A Perfect Circle – The Thirteenth Step
dredg PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
dredg review soon…
dredg was excellent last night in Portland…
Setlist: about 45 mins
- Ode To The Sun
- Same Ol’ Road
- Pariah
- Jamais Vu
- Upon Returning [new song]
- Bug Eyes
- Saviour
- Lightswitch
- Down to the Cellar
Review & more photos by Thursday…
~Dan – np: Eisley – Combinations
REVIEW: dredg @ Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – 8/15/09)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
This was my third time seeing dredg, and the second time this year. Their latest record (The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion) is an amazing album… a definite front runner for album of the year for me. It is inspired by Salman Rushdie’s essay “Imagine There’s No Heaven: A Letter to the Sixth Billionth Citizen.” I gladly made the trek up to Portland, and now that I’d been able to soak in their latest album (it wasn’t out when I saw them in April), I knew much more of the material being played. I was also able to bring my camera… yay!
The first opener As Tall As Lions were really good. The first song, the bassist was acting a bit goofy. I thought it seemed weird, or that he was “overacting.” However, throughout their whole 5-6 song set (35 minutes), he kept it up. Maybe it grew on me, or maybe I changed my mind and felt he really was into it that much (plus he’s got some backing vocal chops). :) Anyway, As Tall As Lions were a 6-piece in this live setting. They’re from New York, and had a good indie rock vibe – nice vocals, nice groove, and good use of horns. The band was way forward on the stage; so my only downside was that I was right next to the drums, which drowned out a lot of their vocals. But, all in all, a very good opener.
The second opener Rx Bandits may as well have been a co-headliner (maybe they were billed as such). It seemed as if tons of the crowd were there to see RxB. They started the set with all four members on drums, which was fun. One of the highlights of their 70 minute set was their lead guitarist and their drummer. Their drummer had a dirty Daniel Johns (of Silverchair) look, and was kicking the crap out of his drumkit. And their lead guitarist didn’t have the most “rock” stage presence, but he seemed like he could fit in a really into a shredder band… he played some really complex underlying scales, all while having a nonchalant look on his face. :) Their vocalist reminded me physically as Brett McKenzie (from Flight of the Conchords). And vocally, he seemed like he could fit in a jamband meets reggae/punk band. Their bassist looked like he also fit in a jamband, and he had a very nice groove and bounced around the stage a lot. It was an odd mix for a group, but it worked. I’ll definitely see them if they swing through Eugene. I took a few pics of RxB, but they didn’t turn out… oh well… next time…
Dredg came on right at 10:50pm and blasted into the trio of songs that kicks off The Pariah, The Parrott, The Delusion. They seemed a little toured out (only compared to the last show in April). They still put on a great show. Gavin (singer/ lap steel), Dino (drums/ keyboard), Drew (bass) and Mark (guitars) were joined by a second guitarist for a few songs (I didn’t catch his name). He played with them on Pariah, Drunk Slide, and Information. Great 85 minute set. Here’s what they played…
Setlist:
- Pariah
- Drunk Slide
- Ireland
- Ode to the Sun
- Catch without Arms
- Same Ol’ Road
- Saviour
- RUOK?
- I Don’t Know
- Δ
- Bug Eyes
- Information
- Light Switch
- Zebraskin
- The Tanbark is Hot Lava
- The Canyon Behind Her
- Down to the Cellar
- Cartoon Showroom
No encore (again), but perhaps that’s their M.O. I’m not putting my usual “a fave of the night” notations by any song, because, quite frankly, it was all amazing. At the end of Down the Cellar, the crew took Dino’s drum kit away one piece at a time at the end, with him ending on piano and no drums around him. That was fun.
The only song I really wish they played but didn’t was “Gathering Pebbles” (from their new one). I could play that song on repeat all day…
As much as I can get across in words, dredg is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands. Rarely does an opener hit me, and ever since I saw dredg open for Coheed & Cambria (a few years back), I’ve been an immediate fan. Their latest is their best yet, and their other albums are great as well. I’d recommend picking The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion up on CD, vinyl (from the dredg store), or if you are silly… on mp3 (why go for the lower quality folks?). :)
dredg “Information“
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.dredg.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/dredg
- http://www.myspace.com/rxbandits
- http://www.myspace.com/astallaslions
- http://www.wonderballroom.com/
~Dan – np: Dub Trio – New Heavy
DREDG PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2009 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Higher Resolution (6 pics)
Limited to 1200 pixels wide or tall (31 pics)
REVIEW: Yann Tiersen @ the Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR – – 4/29/09)
(that’s unnatural)
So, I was soooo stoked about seeing French musician Yann Tiersen for the first time. His albums are quite delightful. I, like many people in the States, first heard of him via the soundtrack/score to Amelie. But then based on the Brooklyn Vegan (photo credit above) and photobear 2009 tour reviews, I got a little sad. No accordion, very little violin, and Yann on guitar for most of the night!? Pardon my French, but… viens m’enculer!? Viens m’enculer!?
Well, I didn’t know how it would turn out; so I figured it’s still a rare occasion to see Yann in the U.S. I already had the tickets, it was only 2 hours away… so… I gotta go. No photos allowed at the venue. Boo.
The opener, Skinni Dip yogurt (on Burnside – downtown), was awesome. The opener (at the venue), Asobi Seksu, played far too long. I’m having a bad streak of uninteresting / painful openers. Sorry. Just didn’t like them at all.
Yann Tiersen and his band came on around 9:45pm, and the first two solid songs were rock numbers that had very little resemblance of a Yann Tiersen song. The 3rd song was finally one I recognized, but only vaguely as it was turned into some sort of messy, too fast rock blast.
No try on the set list… it’s too difficult to remember song names originating in a foreign language to mine. Also, the set that we caught didn’t even seem to be a Yann Tiersen show. I mean, I have 95% of his catalog (all but the latest Tabarly soundtrack)… and the songs were completely foreign to the crowd. Had I wanted to go to a decent/mediocre rock band play a poorly mixed show, I would have gone to my local rock venue and paid $3 to see what was going on that night. I went to see Yann Tiersen’s songs in a live setting. Unfortunately, we really didn’t get that. I mean, I’m all for artistic expression, and the artist doing what they feel is their artistic direction versus what the fans “want” – – but to some extent on a live tour, you’d expect to give the fans what they expect… again, at least to some extent.
Maybe this was his French way of pulling a prank on us stupid Americans. It just makes you wonder. Oh well… if he comes back, I’m not buying tickets until I read some reviews with more mention of accordion solos. :)
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.yanntiersen.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/yanntiersencomposer
- http://www.asobiseksu.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/asobiseksu
- http://www.wonderballroom.com/
~Dan – np: Celldweller – Symbiont -EP- & then… O.S.I. – Blood
To cleanse the palate… here’s what I was hoping for in a Yann Tiersen show…
(or)
(or, from Amelie)
Sigh. Maybe next time.
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
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