Music

Rooney/The Redwalls/Everybody Else Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA 4/16/05 Chain Reaction is an all-ages club in Anaheim. I thought that meant people under 21 were allowed to mix with grown-ups. What I discovered is that “all-ages” meant that the bar served soft drinks and candy, offering sugar and amped-up caffeinated drinks …

I posted this today on my own blog, Between Wisdom and Murder. It’s more of a personal anecdote than a proper concert review, but I decided to repost it here as a service to anyone who might be wondering (like I was) what this show is like. Joe and Todd …

Elvis was in the building Friday night, and the sold-out crowd at the Beacon Theater was eager to see him. Costello, nattily attired in a three-piece suit and accompanied by the Imposters, was clearly just as happy to be there when he took the stage at 9:00 and opened his …

Ted Leo + Pharmacists Galaxy Theater, Santa Ana, CA 2/18/05 It was a dark and stormy night, unusual for Orange County, even during the winter. The recent, sporadically torrential, rainstorms had had a daunting effect on the locals. Most stayed home, safe from the elements, tuned to the local channels …

Good songs, good musicians, an excellent CD and great live energy make The Explosion well worthy of carrying on the tradition of their punk forebears.

For a bunch of nerdy-looking guys who appear as if they haven’t seen the sun in years, Galactic sure do make a joyful noise. Galactic plays highly danceable instrumental funk, but unlike some jam bands they don’t allow their songs to overstay their welcomes. They mix up their grooves and …

Johnny Hi-Fi and his fine band cranked out a tight set of melodic rock that brought to mind a slightly less crunchy, more lyrical Weezer.