ADEMLP - April 2012

Apparently this was Ann Delisi's 22nd listening party. I didn't realize she has been doing this for nearly two years! It's only my sixth. She also had a guest co-host tonight, Brett Callwood, of the Metro Times. You can read his take on the listening party here.

There was some very interesting descriptions of the bands this week. Ben Howard's song was described by Mr. Callwood as music that would be great in a driving scene of a Hollywood film. Alabama Shakes was described as what you would hear if you "let a hobo loose in a studio." She also played Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. One of the attendees called them "Pink Floyd meets Johnny Cash," while another said she didn't like them because they sounded like "Hare Krishna pop...the airport acoustics made it sound good." I actually felt like there was a lot of Edward Sharpe type music tonight. We also heard The Temper Trap, Young Man, and School of Seven Bells, all of whom I would put in the same genre as Edward Sharpe.

Ann played a new Garbage song that was very different than their original stuff. I thought it had something of a Sublime/ska/reggae feel. She said this song made them seem "desperate for a radio hit," which I'm not sure I agree with, but I do like their old stuff better. My favorite two were Kimbra, who Mr. Callwood called "the most manufactured, pop, generic...", and History of Pan!c. I personally thought Kimbra didn't sound generic at all. I felt like that song kind of popped. It was well-punctuated, which I don't normally hear in pop music. I feel like generic pop is very bland usually. The History of Pan!c reminded me a bit of Lenka and a bit of the Submarines.

We were also treated to a 15-year-old local artist that Ann met at an earlier listening party, whose name was Leah Levine. I personally thought it was a little poppy, but still good. One of the other listeners said she needs to "keep working at it," which I second. I think she has a lot of potential but needs to grow into her own sound. It was excellent for a 15-year-old but doesn't quite stand on its own yet.

Mr. Callwood introduced us to a local death metal band called Writhing. Everyone was a little thrown off by that one. Ann made an executive decision to not play that one on the air, but as Mr. Callwood mentions in his blog, it led to an interesting discussion about the differences between the types of heavy metal music. I may have been the only one there besides our guest host that had an idea of the difference already, but it was still helpful to hear his description of the distinctions. And as much as I appreciate metal, I'd have to agree with Ann that metal probably doesn't belong on her show. Especially not death metal.

Doop and the Inside Outlaws closed out the night. They definitely have something of a distinct sound. When Ann played them I knew who it was, but I still feel like most of what I'd heard by them was very country and not something I'd normally listen to. But I definitely liked them better live. Some of what they played definitely made them harder to pigeonhole into the country genre. They actually played a few songs that reminded me a bit of Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") or the Wallflowers ("One Headlight"). I also appreciated the plug for their guitarist's solo project and the sample we got of his music. Unfortunately, I didn't catch his name.

Doop and the Inside Outlaws performing at the Listening Party

They have a pedal steel guitar

List of bands that Ann Delisi played this month:

• Ben Howard
• School of Seven Bells
• Alabama Shakes
• Rio and the Rockabilly Revival
• Leah Levine (spelling?)
• The Temper Trap
• Young Man
• Doop and the Inside Outlaws
• Writhing
• Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
• Kimbra
• Garbage
• Jassepy Moses and the Vagytarians
• Heartbreak Dallas and the Unfaithfuls
• Spiritualized
• Justin Jones
• The History of Pan!c

Ingrid Michaelson!

I feel like I haven't seen a sold out show in a very long time, if ever. Royal Oak Music Theater was packed!

Unlike the last time I was at ROMT, the audience was actually nice to Pearl and the Beard. That may have had something to do with the fact that they were awesome! It also may have helped that they were very interactive. They had the audience clapping along with songs like "Sweetness," among others. Pearl and the Beard returned the favor, giving props to the audience, and to the venue. That's the first time I can remember anyone thanking the behind-the-scenes sound guys.

All of the members are talented enough to play and sing simultaneously, which for a three piece band is excellent because it allows for great harmonies. The vocals also had some abrupt tonal and volume changes which kept the songs from getting boring.

The cellist was a lot of fun to watch. She really got into her parts and it was especially neat to watch her because you don't often get to see strings players at pop concerts. That made "Black Hole of Calcutta" exciting because it was all cello. There was even a cello solo! And later, the percussionist busted out a kazoo! Kazoos are hilarious. And sweet.

Pearl and the Band performing at Royal Oak Music Theater

And one more for good measure

A lot of the other concertgoers really enjoyed them, too. According to Bernadette S, the main vocalist had a great voice that reminded her of Adele. She and her group of friends described Pearl and the Band as very different from other stuff that they had heard, and they mentioned that they'd definitely recommend them to their friends. They were also described as "Folk, but not," which, although not terribly descriptive, is accurate. Songs like "Hot Volcano" reminded me a lot of Murder by Death.

Then it was time for Ingrid Michaelson. The entire venue erupted in a cheer when she walked on stage. It was MUCH louder than I expected it to be. But it was warranted. I'm glad everyone got into the music. Actually, I'd really like to hear some of the sing-alongs, like for "Soldier" or "The Way I Am." The audience harmony for "Ribbons" sounded a little off at the time, but that may have sounded better from the stage.

Ingrid is hilarious, by the way. I felt like I was partly at a stand up comic show and partly at a concert. She told some great stories including one about her Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade experience. She also kept it interesting by moving/dancing around for songs when she wasn't playing an instrument.

And Ingrid's band gets props for taking a picture of us in the audience. That was kinda neat and definitely unexpected. I'm slightly disappointed that I missed her when she came to Seattle, but I'd love to see her perform again. I'll just need to keep in mind that her shows do sell out, so I need to plan ahead and get tickets in advance.

Ingrid performing at the Royal Oak Music Theater on the guitar

And with her band

I took a few videos of her, too, available here. It surprised me how involved the crowd got. They did a lot of singing. It was really good for "The Chain" because a huge part of that song is the harmonizing. Just a heads up, Skydrive is being weird right now. You might need to download them first to see them.