Violent Femmes, The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA

Violent Femmes @ The Observatory (Santa Ana, CA)

The Violent Femmes, photo by Chad Keller

Do you like American Music? Well, you and many others, at least that is what the Violent Femmes proved after playing 3 sold out shows in just 2 days around Los Angeles last weekend. The Femmes have been absent from the scene for over a decade, but with the release of their first studio release in 15 years, We Can Do Anything, The Femmes are out on the road and selling out one venue after another.

A packed crowd amassed at Orange County’s Observatory on Mother’s Day to enjoy America’s favorite folk punks. The band walked out onto a stage littered with every manner of instrumentation and percussion prop including a xylophone, a cajon, a large Weber BBQ, an 8 foot tall baritone saxophone and over 14 different versions guitars, violins, and mandolins. The staged looked more like the best flea market ever than a place for the 5-piece to rock the house.

The Violent Femmes played a career-spanning set for over 2 hours including all the favorites ("Blister In The Sun", "Add It Up", "Kiss Off", "Gone Daddy Gone"), but they also dove into much lesser-known cult favorites such as "Breaking Up", "Dance MF Dance", and even "Color Me Once" from The Crow Soundtrack. Their sound was clean, clear and as tight musically as any fan could ask for. We have seen a growing trend of nostalgic bands from the 80s and 90s reuniting to tour lately, some often doing more harm than good by putting their spurs on and jumping back in the fight (**cough**, Guns N’ Roses, B-52's, **cough**). This was not the case with the Violent Femmes. Not this tour, brother! They sounded no different than they did on their self-titled album released back in 1983 and had energy to burn on stage. They were able to bring a completely mixed room of aging hipsters and crowd-surfing teens to a frenzy and play over 22 songs by the time the night was through. Given their current momentum, their latest album title says it all for The Violent Femmes, We Can Do Anything.

The Violent Femmes Setlist

Blister In The Sun
Kiss Off
Good For At Nothing
Country Death Song
We Can Do Anything
?
Prove My Love
?
Traveling Solves Everything
Breaking Up
Jesus walking on the water
Color Me Once (The Crow)
Freak Magnet
Hallowed Ground
mother o mother of mine (acapella)
Dance MF Dance
I Held Her In My Arms
Gone Daddy Gone
Add It Up

Encore

Memories

American Music

They'll be doing the Lord's work by touring various festivals and headlining gigs this summer:
June 14 Millvale, PA
June 15 Richmond, VA
June 17 Camden, NJ
June 18 Brooklyn, NY
June 19 Ashbury Park, NJ
June 21 Washington, DC
June 23 Norfolk, VA
June 25 Fredrick, MD

VCR + Killed by Health + Hey Lover + Cheese Puff May 5, 2016 The Boreal, Eugene, Oregon

VCR is a Eugene band, and the audience was young and warmed up for VCR's fuzzy bass, catchy guitar riffs, garage rock-pop with creative leads sprinkled throughout the performance. The drummer has great control with heavy sticks, while the bassist knows exactly what 'lay down the groove' means.  They got the younger crowd members to fo-mosh as most of the crowd bobbed their heads and twitched their feet, this band is the first in a while that has proven to me you don't need a pedal board to write a good rock song.  Okay, so you still need distortion, but they kept it down to the basics.  Sometimes leaning to southwest rock influences and sometimes straight to pop, VCR is going to establish themselves as a rock steady band.  Their songwriting style, especially lyrical style, brought back memories of the Pixies live (and not just because the bassist is a girl), but because they interacted well with harmonies and vocal trade-offs.  

Oh, and they do my favorite thing where they all switch instruments . . . although this part of the performance could use some fine-tuning, it was still fun to watch, and I don't think they intended for anyone to take it seriously anyways . . . that's part of their charm.

Hailing from Portland, OR, Killed by Health can only explained as this as eclectic, majestic rock with raw shiny shoes. Who said a band had to be technical to get the room moving anyways. Like Dinosaur Jr., they were willing to turn up the room a bit, untamed and with the presence of lyrically undisguised strong character. There were moments on the cusp of the other side. With the lead voice traveling from guitarist, to bassist, to the other guitarist you are sure to be entertained. Their stage presence is that of a band who's been playing together for years although I think it's only been a few shows for the group.  They are rowdy enough to hop off stage, making them set-up to be a great festival band.

Hey Lover, also from Portland, OR is a garage-punk-pop, melodic with bold intentions would appeal to The White Stripes fans, but with less serious vocals and 60's reminiscent poppy hooks. I have to admit I was immediately jealous of the bands' gold pants. Their lyrics were catchy, and, although maybe too 60's pop for some of the crowd, the song topics were on-point for the current generation. I hope they come back to Eugene again soon!

Cheese Puff  from Eugene, had a young sound although none of the players are all that young. Strong riffs but not leaning too far from standard rock. I'm sure soon you'll be able to catch them at Black Forest or Old Nick's if they stick to it. I hope they continue to embrace the punk and remember that dynamics are not in a direct relationship with tempo while leaving any butt-rock jams at the practice space. I'll go out to see them again to see how this plays out.

Underworld @ The Fox Theater - 4/13/2016

Underworld is royalty in underground electronic music and rave scenes and they don't seem to mind not becoming sensations like recent EDM "superstars" such as Calvin Harris and Avicii. In case you were in a coma during the 1990’s or happened to not be born yet, Underworld formed circa 1980 with principal members Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, and now Darren Price since 2005 after Darren Emerson’s departure in 2001. 

Supporting Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future, and 2 days before they took to the desert for Coachella, lucky Angelinos were able to see the band in full action outside of festival traffic and time constraints for over 2 hours of electronic bliss at the much smaller and much closer 2,000-person venue located in Pomona, CA.

Hyde, Smith and Price took the stage and launched immediately into 2 consecutive tunes off of Barbara, Barbara. The tracks (unfamiliar to most) were immediately well received by the sold out crowd of nostalgic UK ravers and expats all jumping simultaneously to the beat. Barbara, Barbara might be the more somber and emotive of albums, but it still delivers the same personal touch and layered electronic complexities that Underworld fans have grown to love for over 30 years. Almost every song off the new album made an appearance at some point in the night, but the overall set was so well structured that there was never too long a wait for a classic banger or other strong hit from the past including "Juanita", "Push Upstairs", "King of Snake", "Jumbo" and "Two Months Off". Fans were also treated to some rare, off-beat tracks that don’t often make it to the stage in shorter festival performances such as the trip hop-infused "Ring Road", "Eight Ball" from The Beach Soundtrack, and a first-time taste of a new remix of Dirty Epic aptly named “Dirty Club.” As Hyde introduced the track to the crowd, he boasted, “We’ve never played this next track live before. You are the first.”

 

The evening's crescendo was an all DJ display as Smith was left on stage alone and feverishly live-remixed three consecutive tracks live free of vocals. The crowd danced away as the lights dimmed and The Fox Theater seemed to transform into an underground London rave. "Rowla" bent and modulated until it became "Rez". "Rez" climbed and climbed analog staircases until finally Hyde retook the stage and jumped into the vocals of "Cowgirl" and the crowd lost their minds. 

The night was capped off with the signature anthem of "Born Slippy". Hyde’s vocals were simply amazing. Every word clean, crisp, and never at a loss for air for the entire 2-hour marathon of sound, which is amazing since all 3 men are now in their mid to 50’s.  Underworld has not lost a step since 1994.  They brought down the house in Pomona and now head off to back-to-back weekend performances in the 100 degree California desert.

See Underworld at 7:35 pm in the Sahara Tent on Friday both weekends at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Purity Ring, HANA Show Review

Purity Ring, HANA 

McDonald Theatre

Eugene Oregon 
October 4th, 2015

HANA came onto the stage to a crowd unfamiliar. Mostly, the crowd consisted of the people under 21 while those over 21 were watching from the McDonald lounge or were still at another watering hole downtown. Her set design was simple consisting of nothing more than some sound activated L.E.D. lights behind parasols and what looked like beaded curtains strung about in the background. The electronic beats came as a refreshing breath to the room and by her first vocal line the crowd was in.  

     HANA walked from one point on stage to the other carrying a persona, like an anime character I wish I had known of before. While demeanor was confident, her vocal didn't always cut through the mix as much as I would have liked, watching a trained vocalist that held the attention of the room reminded me that this EDM movement gives a new place for female artists to shine. Her talent for creating beats that trickle in like a rainforest afternoon shower and her primal vocals, at points hypnotic, will give DJs that simply stand behind their booth a new challenge. And oh, did I mention she totally killed it with a cover of "Here Comes The Rain Again" by Eurythmics!

     The crowd began to shift as more people showed up in the set break. Girls in Japanese-styled school girl outfits, guys wearing animal masks, light up fingers, and girls wearing what I euphemistically describe as "Cochella wear" filed in when it hit me. The Canadian duo of Purity Ring have struck a chord with the American audience by mashing up the surreal and the cool.   

     Megan James, an artist in her own right, had created a futuristic sci-fi vibe with the hair and outfit of a Japanese pop star.  As soon as the music began I felt a music box on steroids with vocals from reverb air had opened in the room.The spherical sounds panned from the stage to my ears and back. It was like being in a snow globe with the arctic lights triggered by Corin Roddick while Megan's vocal lines dripped down to us like icicles. Their dynamics were a favorite for me, moving like a tide luring you in.  

      A strong crowd-pleasing point of the show was when Megan walked up spiral stairs behind Corin to have her silhouette in front of a full moon. Her voice was a wolf's call to dance. And dance we did. The light show alone was worth the ticket price, Purity Ring's art is priceless.

  If anything, the show was a bit short, but don't they always say leave the crowd wanting more? 

Purity Ring has a few more shows in the US and Canada before heading over to Europe:

October 15 San Francisco, California 

October 22 Toronto, Canada

October 24 Halifax, Canada

October 27 Sheffield, UK

October 28 Cambridge, UK

October 29 London, UK

October 30 Utrecht, Netherlands

November 1 Antwerp, Belgium

November 2 Luxembourg, Luxembourg

November 3 Paris, France

November 4 Koln, Germany

November 5 Prage, Czech Republic

November 6 Warsaw, Poland

November 8, Stockholm, Sweden

November 9 Oslo, Norway

Matt Pond + Jake Bellows + Tyler Fortier September 3, 2013 Cozmic Pizza, Eugene, Oregon

Let's talk for a minute about dancing. Little kids do it and it is adorable. Middle schoolers look delightfully awkward. But as we falter into adulthood, our dance style often becomes a bellweather of our self-worth. Those that dance, that let out all the stops with their twirls and prancing, may incur judgment but they number of fucks they give is exactly zero. Zero. The people that hold back and are openly embarrassed—they get the wrath of mockery as well, but it can jeopardize their level fun. Why do we care? Dancing is an individual activity, there are no rules and yet society makes us feel we are doing it “right” or “wrong”.

The opening acts for Matt Pond illustrated the more awkward end of this equation. Tyler Fortier and Jake Bellows both did solo acoustic sets and would be hard to tell apart. Both seemed slightly nervous, sang about the lost loves and nature, and chattered awkwardly with the audience. It was nothing new in the world of music, nor was it done to the best of their abilities. They seemed too aware of every word and note and one misstep could lead them to paralyzing self-consciousness.

Matt Pond is no stranger to the road, in fact, it could be argued that his touring is just as well-known as his albums. There's been recent buzz about him dropping the “PA” from the band name, but here's the rub—people who listened to his music understood it was his evolving vision the whole time. When he took the stage at Cosmic Pizza with other musicians alongside him, it felt just like the last time I saw him play. He has a knack for finding great musicians to play with and this posse was no exception. Backing up his recently released “solo” album, The Lives Inside the Lines of Your Hand, “Bring Back the Orchestra” was played with vibrancy and exuberance. Still a little dorky and lovable, Pond seemed aware but unfazed by the chatter from the audience. Where he opening acts would stumble, he soared and proved that to get better at anything (singing, playing, the proverbial dancing) you have to keep going, and do it without fear.

!!! + Ra Ra Riot September 4, 2013 WOW Hall, Eugene, Oregon

Before the show started, Kaitlin, our delightful photographer, and myself were discussing how some music is less accessible. She cited Snoop Dogg a la the 1990s with his murder scandal. “I'd rather get murdered by Snoop Dogg than punched by Chris Brown now-that guy is just a joke.” Other than being born in the 80s, Kaitlin showed the manufacturing of “celebrities” in current media are left emitting the same bland aftertaste. Those that refuse to be formed by hype machines pay a steep price for keeping their soul—radios are reluctant to play them and success means surviving on the fickle waves of the indie and college radio seas.

Ra Ra Riot has proved to be a name to know, producing a blend of pop and rock that assaults but not insults. They Syracuse-formed band could be a cousin of Los Campasinos!, what with their girl on violins and cellos and angsty but catchy tunes. Wes Miles sported an amazingly pink shirt to sing in, while the bejeweled violin made it seem that Rebecca Zeller was sometimes snuggling a misshapen disco ball. There really isn't a good reason Ra Ra Riot hasn't had more success, they're catchy songs and aloof stage presence are not foreign to an audience—where they differ is the thought and execution of the music (in that they do both). Playing to a small crowd, the band played a full set and I had to remind myself a few times that this wasn't even the main event.

Seafarers worth their salt know !!! as the dance-party of a band with a funny name. Though hipsters don't enjoy looking vulnerable, it is worth it to explain the punctuation (if one doesn't know it is pronounce 'chk chk chk') for they are put out solid albums and amazing shows. During the first song, the vocalist Nic Offer hopped off the stage and went dancing with audience members. This delighted and terrified the girls near me; but when a good looking fellow wearing skivvies starts to dance with you, it is your American duty to dance right back. With his curly locks, stinky tee shirt, undies and loafers, Offer didn't treat Eugene like a lame tour stop,

more like we were a crowd of VIPs who got to hang with the band.

After the initial jam, a general sense of giddiness set into the crowd. A guy I would have considered a 'bro' or the 'I never dance' type fully busted some moves in front of his friends who were clearly stunned. But the guy didn't care because no valid human would stand still during “Californiyeah”! The night solidified for me just how good their album Thr!!!ler is, and thanks to Offer's instructions, I'll be working in my jazz hands whenever I hear my favorite song from the album, “Even When the Water's Cold.” It was also good to see Mario Andreoni get love from Offer and the audience, he's definitely the coolest cucumber on stage but is responsible for the most hip shakes. !!! may not be breaking into the top 40 any time soon (though I would support that), but in the wide open sea of music, they are on the best party boat afloat.

Hooded Fang's New Video and West Coast Tour

It shouldn't matter that Hooded Fang is from Canada. (Toronto, to be exact.) And it shouldn't matter that they shot their video for "Bye Bye Land" in Mexico. But skipping the most favorite nation is not on the long game agenda for Hooded Fang. As they wrap up their current tour supporting Gravez, they'll slither on down the west coast. Might be worth getting out to say hi before they retreat to working on their label (Daps records), side-projects and youth mentoring. 




06/12 Winnipeg, AB - Windsor Hotel
06/13 Saskatoon, SK - MOSO Fest at Vangelis
06/14 Edmonton, AB - Brixx
06/15 Calgary, AB - Palomino
06/16 Vancouver, BC - Media Club
06/17 Seattle, WA - El Corazon Lounge
06/18 Eugene, OR - Cozmic Lounge
06/20 San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
06/21 Los Angeles, CA -Viper Room
06/23 San Diego, CA - Soda Bar 

Beach House, Dustin Wong McDonald Theatre, Eugene, Oregon September 29, 2012

I admit it has been a long time since the McDonald and I have spent an evening together. But if anyone was going to reunite us, it would likely be the indie darlings Beach House. And while Beach House was headlining and I admittedly had a girl-boner over seeing them, it was Dustin Wong that I expected to steal the hearts of the youth painted in eyeliner and flip flops.

Dustin Wong might be someone you've never heard of, and when he walked on stage wearing a gigantic cardigan only a bingo-going grandma could love the crowd responded tepidly. But tucked between two frat gentleman in the front row (really?), I knew better. He gave us a sheepish wave, popped his Converse off, and sat on a folding chair. The first staccato sounds from his guitar were simple and deceiving; until he looped them and began to build. Armed with pedals and a vision most of us lack, Dustin continued compounding sounds to create songs of surprising depth and warmth. Tweaking a guitar here and there is no big feat-any bedroom rocker can get a pedal on eBay-but to have multiple going at once and piling on the sounds to make something better than a wall of noise is tricky.

The crowd fell quiet, trying to figure out what exactly was going on, and on the way, fell in love. Occasionally, Dustin would stand up and sing into the mic for an extra layer, reminding us of the single human responsible for the complex and lovely songs. Near the end, the crowd began to clap along, and Dustin looked up a few times as if in disbelief. “You really like it,” he seemed to be asking. “Oh hells yes,” the audience replied, keeping the beat through the song. After his set, as he was packing up to leave, a girl yelled “you were SO good!” and he blushed. Both gentleman next to me asked who had just played and upon being given the name, went about looking Dustin up on their phones. One must give credit to Beach House for supporting such an inspiring and gentle force.

When the lights dimmed for Beach House (an extended 45 minutes later), some of the stars had fallen out of the crowds' eyes. But what had been lost in momentum was gained in pleasure of seeing Victoria Legrand slink onto the stage and take her place behind the organ. Alex Scally and touring drummer Daniel Franz were steps behind her, and they took a moment before launching into “Wild,” off their recent release, Bloom.

There must be some special deal singers have with the universe; they can get the box set of a big voice, big hair, and big shoulder pads. This isn't the first time a paper-thin singer has been anchored by shoulderpads—nor will it be the last. Probably not the most chatty musical group, the anxious crowd made due with the bare minimum of contact from the band. Which, while a taciturn band helped the dreamy atmosphere, seemed to keep Beach House from really connecting with the crowd.

We Were Promised Jetpacks 11.13.11 Wonder Ballroom PDX

New writer Amanda goes to see We Were Promised Jetpacks and files this report:

We've been promised a lot in music. Promises from various artists that will save our soul, rock our world, or even dance our asses off. The covenants are often broken. This show promised to give you and hour of a lead singer immersing you in Scottish accent and sorrow backed by guitars. If you left diappointed, you are an asshole.

We Were Promised Jetpacks sublimate their broken relationships into sad songs reminiscent of your last failed relationship of want and desire. While most of the audience seemed more familiar with their first album, their new songs bathed me in Scottish Gaelic glory. Am I fixated on lead singer Adam Thompson's accent? Yes, some may even call it obsessed. Go ahead, I dare you to listen to their songs and not want more or 'accidentally' put them on repeat.

Camera Obscura: Wonder Ballroom June 4

All the back vowels in Scotland couldn't shy me away from Camera Obscura; darlings in their own right for being cute and sad with foppy bangs to prove it.  Backing their incredibly solid new album, "My Maudlin Career" they were kind enough to stop in Portland early this June to kick of a summer of light but introspective rock.

Openers Agent Ribbons hail from Sacraments, which is too bad for them, but they mentioned love being on the road.  There is a surreal quality to them, something like early Bjork; just being so entirely true to what they are that it feels like a Chinese-fingertrap: the more you want to be a part of it the less likely you are to obtain it.  So I just sat back and sipped the Malibu and pineapple and let the songs of carnivals and botched love wash over me.  Between the crazy vocal ranges, guitar/drum/cello/violin and the ragdoll attire, it was enough of a show to call it a good night.  Talking to the cellist later, she walked me through the process of how they make and decorate their own cds with little trinkets and pictures.  Each one means something to them, which was pretty sweet.

Camera spared no punches and opened with the title track off  "Maudlin." The live songs off the new album were definately highlights; they sounds a bit more forlorn and richer than the lp/cd/mp3 versions.  But the gem of the nightt was from their aptly named release "Underachievers Please Try Harder:" a sparkling "Books for Girls" which was a happy surprise to see live.  The stage presence of the seven band members (a few who were really moer just shakers of various instruments) looked impressive but the sound waned by the halfway point and it felt like a band gather suchh quiet acclaim was just phoning it in.  Perhaps the tour was weighing more on them than their previous visits to Portland, or maybe the sea of plaid shirts was a little too shocking for them....the ladies Obscura were holding the 50s fashion down on all accounts.  At any rate, the show was good, the girl very pretty, but their melancholy hearts just couldn't quite get into it.

Simian Mobile Disco--PDX April 25, 2008

The Holocene tends to err on the side of brilliant obscurity; Atlas Sound played there earlier this year, a slew of upcoming acts sends one to les internets to get the full story. (Like Thao and the get down stay down coming in July. Check the album review to get ready for the show.) This particular night though it was a more ‘mainstream’ act that got the crowd moving. Mainstream, of course, being measured on an insider’s scale: the SMD boys were recently dropped from their label—but the show proved that stuffy label execs have no clue what they’re doing.

The challenge of electronic shows is making the artists appear to actually…do something. With the gear in a circle, the visual movement of James Ford and James Shaw added to the lively electricity in the air. The show kicked off with “Sleep Deprivation,” though significantly more striped down the their album’s sleek opener.

Ford’s occasional air-pumping and Shaw’s rarer glances and smiles at the crowd kept the crowd believing that on-stage was possible more fun than offstage. Looks of strain and boredom were absent, which was a nice break from those more famous than ourselves who can appear to sulk their way through a show, and seem to guilt their machines into beeping out familiar rhythms while daring the crowd to enjoy themselves. SMD, on the other hand, took notice when the crowd exploded as the beat for “Hustler” morphed from the previous song.

The simple stage set-up with columns of lights and strobes harkens back to a precocious time—the days when people went to parties because dancing around with sweaty people, enduring conductive hearing loss and drinking rum and cokes was just plain fun. If a genie popped out and gave Moby one wish, he’d be wise to request SMD’s ability to bring sound without ego.

Raconteurs--SEA April 21, 2008

The Raconteurs made an early tour stop in Seattle, WA to a tiny 800 capacity venue called Neumos. Needless to say, this show sold out in seconds. With no tickets, my fingers crossed and a bargain with the devil, I made it in to one of the best rock shows of my life. The Raconteurs, consisting of Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Jack White (of The White Stripes on vocals, acoustic and electric quitar, synthesizers and piano), Jack Lawrence (bass) and Patrick Keeler (percussion) wailed out a 2 hour show. I love these men.

Brendan Benson offers a soothing, harmonious counterbalance to Mr. White. White never fails to impress with his multiple stage duties, hopping from electric, to his famed acoustic named Claudette, to the piano, to some bizarre voice synthesizer, then back to the electric. Jack Lawrence puts off an odd Cory-Feldman-Stand-By-Me vibe with the long black hair and thick black glasses, and Patrick Keeler...he gave me a drumstick after the show. So he totally rules.

I secured myself a nice balcony spot where the Pabst was a flowin'. Due to the Pabst my playlist notes are a little rough, but here they are word for word, about 5 songs into the show (the drink line was long damn it!): Old Enough jack on piano, Top Yourself played with Claudette, Intimate Secretary, Level, Steady As She Goes, Blue Veins, Claudette's string breaks, These Stones Will Shout, Rich Kid Blues, encore 3 songs, ends with Carolina Drama.

Hot Chip--PDX April 23

All concerts should be scaffolded by numerous beers and a springy floor. Since both were around for Hot Chip’s latest visit to Portland, the vibe shot from energetic to delightfully dance-a-licious. Frontman Alexis Taylor opted to play up his Kip Dynamite similarities with a long-sleeved pink pinstriped shirt tucked in to crème-colored pants. His thick horn-rimmed glasses made him look a little more demonic than LaFawnduh-seducing. Didn’t stop him from playing his heart out for 90 minutes and trading guitars, synths, and mics with the other band members.

“Over and Over” would have scored as the obvious crowd pleaser but this was an educated audience—“Hold On,” “Shake a Fist,” and “Colours,” got the peoples just as boisterous, keeping the energy high and the smiles wide. The gentlemen directly in front of me could only be described as ‘fratties,’ which worried me and my friend a bit at first. Turns out Hot Chip inspired them to un-pop their colors and go crazy ape shit (while being conscientious of others) and occasionally taking a glimpse back at their less than impressed girlfriends and scream to them the name of each song as if it was the cure for cancer. Gotta love that. By the time the main set ended with “Ready for the Floor,” the masses let loose and were thirsty for more.

The biggest flaw of their new album is that it feels like they didn’t know which direction to go in so they tried to go three routes at once. The encore was the only time this polarity really stuck out as the boys slowed things way down with “Made in the Dark” and “In the Privacy of Our Love.” The latter being kicked off by an acapella cover of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares.” It was far less than seven hours and sixteen days before it turned into an all-ballroom sing along, proving the crowd was happy to trade hopping for swaying as long as Hot Chip was willing to have them.

Justice-- PDX March 26, 2008

What is sexier than two young French djs on stage at the Roseland theater?

Two young French djs off stage in the Tube lounge, that’s what.

Whether you were there for the show, or the afterparty, Justice made their presence known in Portland. This Parisian duo played for a full house of members of the under 30 club. The crowd knew every verse and was high energy, which gave a fantastic vibe.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of them. There is something about a metro Frenchman smoking a cig and mixing house that makes me drool! The two guys never missed a beat and were keeping up the noise with clapping and interaction with the crowd. As the songs came along, I'm pretty sure I was hearing them in album order. Not too spontaneous or daring, but hey, the material is GOOD. I was impressed by the stage set of illuminated speaker boxes and a crafty soundboard light scheme on the front of the dj booth. And of course, the famed Justice lit-up cross at center stage will surely remain a symbol for the bands success.

The show seemed to whiz by but my eardrums where feeling the exposure. Walking out with a smile, we thought we'd better hit up the Tube. Good European techno deserves a good Eurotrash aftershow drink. The bar was rowdy and you better believe I was dancing. When suddenly, my friend excitedly told me that Justice just entered and was making their way toward us (kinda like the video). I played it cool, but just had to walk up to that sexy smoker Xavier and the tall handsome Gaspard and tell them they rock! We exchanged a few words in English and they went about business at the bar.

It was an exciting night of modern new beats and fresh sample lyrics. Justice embraced their night in Portland and really showed us fans how to do it right. I just wish Xavier would've asked me to dance.