Reviews music

Peter Murphy House of Blues Anaheim 5/28/05 Peter Murphy and his band came through Anaheim on the U.S. leg of the tour supporting his latest release, Unshattered. Murphy is an impressive performer who is very theatrical and flamboyant. He has a wonderful, deep voice that he augments by moving his …

Umphrey’s McGee Key Club, West Hollywood, California 05/05/05 Umphrey’s McGee returned to Los Angeles on their West Coast spring swing. They are one of the few bands that have been predicted to pick up the baton from Phish, who previously picked up the baton from the Grateful Dead. One major …

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.