Mystery Skulls & Robert Delong - El Rey Theater - January 31, 2014

Robert Delong

One of the things I love most about a live show is when I haven't seen the band or artist perform in a while, so that I have something to compare the performance to. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of pretty much any type of performance - new or old to me. There's just something great about being able to say to yourself, or if you're fortunate, the artist, "Wow, you've come a long way." In this case, I was able to say that very thing to both artists.

I first saw Robert Delong perform at Echo Park Rising almost 2 years ago, Summer 2012. He wasn't very well-known then, at least not to my knowledge (or by the appearance of how many fans he had at that point). He had much less fancy equipment then. Fast forward to January 2013 and he's selling out a headlining tour and having the Mowglis surprise everyone on-stage.

Mystery Skulls (aka Luis Dubuc)is a new project, but it's obvious as the time passes that Luis has such diversity as an artist. Having just seen his first performance as Mystery Skulls last summer and enjoying it thoroughly, I wasn't sure what to expect when I found out he was touring with Robert Delong. From the moment I stepped into the room and saw his extensive set-up on stage and felt the energy of the crowd, I knew that he had grown even just in the past months since summer.

The way that he owns the stage and has this presence over everyone, that isn't looking down on them, but making an experience everyone can enjoy together, is astounding. He truly has a way of capturing an audience. Although many of the fans may have showed up initially for the headliner, Robert Delong, I can't imagine anyone left forgetting Mystery Skulls' name.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus & The Material @ The Roxy Theater

Show reviews are much like album reviews in the struggle that involves morphing a beautiful live experience into the proper words. I started listening to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus when I was probably 10 years old and they were part of my regularly listened to playlist over my early teenage years. Their first album Don't You Fake It, was a popular one that I couldn't stop listening to and sharing with everyone.

Not having seen them live for years, I was really excited when I found out my buddies in The Material were going to be on a leg of their tour! Stepping into The Roxy near the beginning of the night, I was so excited to see how many people were there. Not just for the main act, but in support of local music and for The Material, who over the years have gotten themselves quite the following as well.


The Material took the stage, and I glanced around to see how many fans pushed their way to the front, as well as how full the venue was. Often when you go to see a show, many people are standing outside or haven't even arrived until the headliner takes the stage. If you didn't know better, you'd have thought The Material was headlining the show. As vocalist Colleen started to belt out her strong, mesmerizing vocals, the crowd sang and clapped along with songs they were clearly familiar with. Something that's always caught my attention with their music is not only the quality of the vocals, but the power behind them. Impressive is the length at which she sings without taking a breath. Add to the mix two skilled guitarists and a kick-ass bassist, a drummer who seems he could go on for hours, and you've got yourself a band that's a real team. Safe to say besides being able to draw a crowd and put on a great show, The Material has truly grown into themselves and has so much to offer in terms of a real live experience.


When Red Jumpsuit took the stage, it was apparent that many didn't quite know what to expect. If you're like most modern Americans, you listen to so many different genres and bands, which means it's hard to keep up with every band. Many, like myself, are most familiar with RJA's first album, despite having listened to their newer albums over the years. Ronnie, after so many years in the band, still almost has a shyness about the way he performs, which seems to endear fans to him even more. Playing a mixture of songs from the beginning straight through to their latest album, the band made it clear why they're still around after so many years. With solid harmonies and passionate vocals, the guys still love what they're doing for the sake of the music.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Red Jumpsuit show without two of their most famous songs, "Your Guardian Angel" and the last song, their most popular, "Face Down." Any fan who wasn't singing for the entirety of the set was definitely singing and moving for the last few minutes of the show.

THE MATERIAL
(All live show photos shot by Molly Calvo)





RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS

The xx, John Talabot, and 2:54 @ The Hollywood Palladium 10/12/12

The xx is one of my favorite bands and has been since the first time I heard them. I listened to their album (xx) several times over in one day, and became somewhat obsessed with their music. The fact that they only had one album out likely added to me becoming such a huge fan, but their first album stood alone for three years, so I obviously wasn't the only one who stuck around patiently waiting for their second album to be released. Of course, along with the release of their second album, Coexist, came a tour around the U.S., which isn't their native country. That was another thing that had become a dreaded feeling for me as I fell in love with their music: the fact that they are from the UK meant that I would likely never see them in concert. So earlier this year, when I heard The xx was going to be doing a U.S. tour, I practically jumped for joy. My friend and I decided we would go together and we got the tickets. It had sold out within minutes, so we were fortunately able to find tickets with hiked prices from a resale website. (Totally worth it.) Outside the Palladium before the show, I was interviewed on camera for Livenation!

The two bands opening for The xx were 2:54 and John Talabot. I hadn't heard either of them live before, but  I knew the band 2:54 was also from the U.K.

I didn't hear much of John Talabot's set after finding the first couple of songs uninteresting and uncomfortable, but listening to 2:54 was the best way I could have imagined to prepare myself for The xx. The crowd seemed to get really into the band and the energy building inside the venue

When The xx took the stage, I think the only reason I didn't go deaf was my own loud cheering. I've genuinely never felt suck positive energy and heard so many people who knew the lyrics to the songs being played at a show before.

I was a little concerned that they might overtake the show with only songs from their new album, which although I liked, wasn't what I'd been listening to for the past few years on repeat! They managed to play quite the balanced set-list between both albums that pleased the crowd very much. The band's stage presence is phenomenal and their gratitude obvious. They even added a light show that changed throughout the night, which just added to the experience. I was impressed by how many fans knew the lyrics to the songs from Coexist, considering it didn't come out long ago.

Without question, it was my favorite concert of the year and possibly of all time.
Photos by Daisy Marietta, (c) October 2012

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