My poor little neglected blog. And to think I had such enthusiastic intentions when I first started this thing. But alas, life seems to have gotten away from me and finding the time, and more importantly, the words has been more difficult than anticipated.

My muse seems to be in hibernation, hiding out from late arrival of another California summer, which is a shame because I've been to quite a few amazing shows lately and have added even more to the already full list I started back in May.

Angus & Julia Stone at The Hollywood Forever Masonic Lodge back on May 26 turned out to be a delightful show. It was a decidedly unusual place to hold a gig, but the venue itself was lovely and set a really incredible mood and tone for the night. Julia Stone, as it turns out, is a remarkable jack of all trades and it was amazing to watch her hop from one instrument to another with each new song. Highlights of the night: having Nick Maybury accompany them on "Yellow Brick Road" with his masterful, haunting guitar skills and getting to hear/see "Private Lawns" live (if you didn't already know, it's a cover of Doris Day's "Just Blew In From The Windy City" from Calamity Jane, a film I grew up watching and adoring).



And then there was Mumford & Sons, for which I have so many words I'm going to skip them here and just say that it was, without a doubt, the best show I've ever been to and I've yet to recover. I also had a chance to briefly meet the guys at a radio event the day before and they are arguably some of the nicest, most genuine people you will ever meet. Look for a obscenely long recap of said events in the near future where I wax poetical and ramble on about new standards being set and the sheer joy they've brought to my life. It's gonna be a doozy.





The night after Mumford & Sons was another British act of a completely different vein: The xx. I wasn't really sure what to expect of the show or how their rather mellow music would translate to a live performance, but it turned out to be surprisingly powerful.



My friends and I then caught the first night of Sam Bradley's Tuesday night residency at The Hotel Cafe on June 22. We've seen Marcus Foster and Bobby Long a handful of times, so we thought we'd finally give Sam a go and I'll just come right out and say it: didn't really do much for any of us. He has a really fantastic voice and buckets of charm and charisma on stage, but I'm a little confused as to what kind of musician he is, what sound he's going for, and I think maybe he is too.

That didn't stop the usual horde of fangirls from showing up and a large majority of them making complete asses of themselves. The needle on my Secondhand Embarrassment Meter never left the "Holy Fuck I'm So Embarrassed For Them - Please Don't Judge Me By Their Actions" mark all night. Sam also gets a gold star for being incredibly gracious and staying after the show to sign, take pictures with, and speak to the longest line of fans I've ever seen outside that particular venue, even as the staff was trying to clear the alleyway. 'A' for effort, man. And then, then there was Bobby Long's show at The Troubadour. This was my fifth time seeing Bobby and it could very well be my last. It's a really long story and like my forthcoming Mumford & Sons post, it'll get its own dedicated review. I'll preface it by saying that my heart is a little broken. And by a little, I mean a lot.

Now I'm all caught up. Upcoming shows I'll hopefully be posting about in a more timely manor: Laura Marling (!!!) on 7/28, Civil Twilight on 7/29, We Are Scientists on 8/6, John Mayer on 8/22, Something Corporate on 8/28, Local Natives on 9/18, The xx and Warpaint on 9/22, The Black Keys on 9/28, Matt Hires on 10/9, and last but not least FLORENCE + THE MACHINE on 11/6.

Needless to say, I'm a bit excited for what's to come.

live music is my second job

Physically, I've been back from New York for almost two weeks now, but that non-corporeal part of myself that really counts...fairly sure it's still wandering around the Village or lounging about drinking a latte at Cafe Grumpy or up to its neck in books at The Strand. Why do vacations ever have to end? Oh, that's right, they don't pay for themselves and reality is nothing if not the greatest buzzkill of all time. I want to go back. I need to go back. But alas....

That being said, this summer is shaping up to be chock full of distractions of the concert kind and so I'm here to compile a list of shows that are confirmed (i.e. I haven already paid the modest ticket prices and the dreadfully outrageous service/"convenience" fees) and unconfirmed (still working on finding tickets and/or partners in crime to accompany me).

It's safe to say that 2010's list of concerts far exceeds lists of previous years (last year I only made it to thirteen shows). I'm beyond stoked. Also, consider this a list of recommendations; you can't go wrong with any of these bands or musicians. I've linked to all the artists and venues should anyone be interested in checking them out via the web or in person. Without further ado:

.SUMMER CONCERT LINEUP 2010.(* unconfirmed)
5/19* - Horse Feathers @ Bootleg Theatre
5/20* - Freelance Whales @ The El Rey Theatre
5/26 - Angus and Julia Stone @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
6/4 - Mumford & Sons @ The Music Box
6/5 - The xx @ The Music Box
6/22 - Sam Bradley @ The Hotel Cafe
6/26 - Sarah Jaffe @ Bootleg Theatre
7/9 - Bobby Long @ The Troubadour
7/12* - Kings of Leon @ The Hollywood Bowl
7/15* - Jay Nash @ The Hotel Cafe
7/28 - Laura Marling @ The El Rey Theatre
8/22 - John Mayer @ The Hollywood Bowl
8/28* - Something Corporate @ Club Nokia
9/25 - Band of Horses @ The Greek Theatre
9/27 - The Black Keys @ The Hollywood Palladium

Needless to say, I'm pretty excited for this summer. I might not be in New York any longer, but living in Los Angeles certainly has its perks.

*edited to add the Something Corporate show. I WILL have tickets come Friday. (ETA: I wasn't lying. Got my ticket!)