Warped Tour: Technical problems dog Say Anything

There's not much to say about Say Anything's first Warped Tour set except: better luck next time.

Savaged by technical problems, the emo sextet was reduced to playing only a handful of songs -- the final two solo efforts by frontman Max Bemis, who handled the sticky situation with as much aplomb as could be expected. "This didn't happen to Angels & Airwaves," he said, referring to the band that preceded him onstage.

He thanked the audience profusely for its patience. And his solo renditions of "Baby Girl, I'm a Blur" and "Walk Through Hell"? Pretty darned memorable.

--Photo and post by Kevin Bronson

One down, 45 Warped Tour dates to go.

If you were 14, female and near the rail for Katy Perry's set, you probably thought the fresh-faced 23-year-old had a pretty killer debut on the Warped tour. You could see the pink eyeliner ("I'm bringing pink to the Warped Tour," she declared), the "Jesus" tattoo on her wrist (she's the daughter of pastors from Santa Barbara); and you might have caught one of the strawberry balloons her minions threw to the crowd.

The L.A. contingent at this year's Warped Tour isn't quite as deep as in past years, but it's always interesting to see bands outside of the Southland club environment, where they are taking aim at new fans.

Two of those local heroes, the Aggrolites and the Briggs, pushed themselves to the limit.

Warped Tour producer and founder Kevin Lyman put attendance for Friday's opening date at 16,000.

That's fewer than the 20,000 that packed the grounds last year (for a bill a bit heavier on veteran, big-name punk bands) but more than the 14,000 from two years ago. Lyman reasons that having the tour start a week earlier, along with the general economic doldrums, kept attendance down.

If you walked briskly Friday afternoon in the 102-degree heat (and dodged the kids with squirt guns), you departed the northern main stage at the Pomona Fairplex just as Gym Class Heroes were finishing their catchy but kitschy low-brow anthem "Clothes Off!" and arrived at the southern main stage in time to hear Against Me! break into its strident anthem "Stop!"

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: Katy Perry’s balloon takes off

One down, 45 Warped Tour dates to go.

If you were 14, female and near the rail for Katy Perry's set, you probably thought the fresh-faced 23-year-old had a pretty killer debut on the Warped tour. You could see the pink eyeliner ("I'm bringing pink to the Warped Tour," she declared), the "Jesus" tattoo on her wrist (she's the daughter of pastors from Santa Barbara); and you might have caught one of the strawberry balloons her minions threw to the crowd.

The L.A. contingent at this year's Warped Tour isn't quite as deep as in past years, but it's always interesting to see bands outside of the Southland club environment, where they are taking aim at new fans.

Two of those local heroes, the Aggrolites and the Briggs, pushed themselves to the limit.

Warped Tour producer and founder Kevin Lyman put attendance for Friday's opening date at 16,000.

That's fewer than the 20,000 that packed the grounds last year (for a bill a bit heavier on veteran, big-name punk bands) but more than the 14,000 from two years ago. Lyman reasons that having the tour start a week earlier, along with the general economic doldrums, kept attendance down.

If you walked briskly Friday afternoon in the 102-degree heat (and dodged the kids with squirt guns), you departed the northern main stage at the Pomona Fairplex just as Gym Class Heroes were finishing their catchy but kitschy low-brow anthem "Clothes Off!" and arrived at the southern main stage in time to hear Against Me! break into its strident anthem "Stop!"

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: The Aggrolites, the Briggs get warm

The L.A. contingent at this year's Warped Tour isn't quite as deep as in past years, but it's always interesting to see bands outside of the Southland club environment, where they are taking aim at new fans.

Two of those local heroes, the Aggrolites and the Briggs, pushed themselves to the limit.

Warped Tour producer and founder Kevin Lyman put attendance for Friday's opening date at 16,000.

That's fewer than the 20,000 that packed the grounds last year (for a bill a bit heavier on veteran, big-name punk bands) but more than the 14,000 from two years ago. Lyman reasons that having the tour start a week earlier, along with the general economic doldrums, kept attendance down.

If you walked briskly Friday afternoon in the 102-degree heat (and dodged the kids with squirt guns), you departed the northern main stage at the Pomona Fairplex just as Gym Class Heroes were finishing their catchy but kitschy low-brow anthem "Clothes Off!" and arrived at the southern main stage in time to hear Against Me! break into its strident anthem "Stop!"

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: Got shade?

Warped Tour producer and founder Kevin Lyman put attendance for Friday's opening date at 16,000.

That's fewer than the 20,000 that packed the grounds last year (for a bill a bit heavier on veteran, big-name punk bands) but more than the 14,000 from two years ago. Lyman reasons that having the tour start a week earlier, along with the general economic doldrums, kept attendance down.

If you walked briskly Friday afternoon in the 102-degree heat (and dodged the kids with squirt guns), you departed the northern main stage at the Pomona Fairplex just as Gym Class Heroes were finishing their catchy but kitschy low-brow anthem "Clothes Off!" and arrived at the southern main stage in time to hear Against Me! break into its strident anthem "Stop!"

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: Gym Class Heroes, Against Me! play opposite ends of the field

If you walked briskly Friday afternoon in the 102-degree heat (and dodged the kids with squirt guns), you departed the northern main stage at the Pomona Fairplex just as Gym Class Heroes were finishing their catchy but kitschy low-brow anthem "Clothes Off!" and arrived at the southern main stage in time to hear Against Me! break into its strident anthem "Stop!"

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: Only the volume is the same for Story of the Year, the Bronx

Nothing against Story of the Year, but the excitement generated by the St. Louis quintet -- and several like it every year on the Warped Tour -- makes me think it doesn't pay for artists to stay true to much of anything in the way of influences or roots. The commercial formula seems to be: Throw all kinds of stylistic variations against the wall; produce it so it sounds really, really big; and perform it as if the world's angst were on your shoulders.

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Warped Tour: 50-plus bands, 100-plus degrees

Welcome to the 2008 Vans Warped Tour, where peace (but precious few other things you can't get in a mall) is in fashion.

It's the first of 46 dates on the annual punk rock traveling show, and, about 10 minutes through the gate, you wished maybe you would've waited until Sunday's date at Seaside Park in Ventura, where cooler breezes are likely to prevail.

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Buzz Bands: New heights for Everest

On “Black Covers,” one of the sylvan gems on L.A. quintet Everest’s debut album, “Ghost Notes,” frontman Russell Pollard sings, “Sometimes you’ve gotta step out of line to be seen.” Ain’t it the truth.

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Buzz Bands: Ravens & Chimes’ literate New York noise

Despite having earned accolades from both Leonard Cohen and the blogosphere tastemakers, New York group Ravens & Chimes are still hunting for their Big Apple break. "I naively assumed the record would speak for itself," says frontman and songwriter Asher Lack (pictured in front). Indeed, "Reichenbach Falls" (the sextet's 2007 debut) has garnered comparisons to the Arcade Fire with its blend of bombast and impassioned lyricism. Cohen's approval came after hearing a Ravens & Chimes cover of his "So Long, Marianne." The reclusive singer-songwriter -- one of Lack's idols -- "e-mailed us about it and said your record is really good," he says.

But pats on the back don't sell records: "Reichenbach Falls" has only scanned 2,000 copies -- hardly Vampire Weekend numbers. "We quit our day jobs and got new day jobs and quit our new day jobs," Lack says. The band fits work in between a hectic tour schedule that's seen them play over 60 dates this year. Several members live in Brooklyn, a hype tornado where the local scene can be a fickle mistress. "There's a little bit of the too-cool-for-school attitude," Lack says. "The neon pants to the big beards, it's a costume." Still, with an album under their belts and a national tour underway, the band can't help but be confident.

"I was super anxious about the future," Lack says. "Now I feel like I've got a handle on the process."

||| Live: Ravens & Chimes will join Afternoons' free residency at Spaceland on Monday along with Neil Young-approved local quintet Everest.

||| Listen: "January"

||| Also: L.A. duo the Submarines -- their sophomore album "Honeysuckle Weeks" just released -- play the Echo on Friday (along with Castledoor)... Easygoing L.A. indie-popper Devon Williams celebrates the release of "Carefree" at Amoeba on Tuesday.

--David Greenwald

Photo by Elizabeth Perrin

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.

Beck, back again — with update

No, this post is not redundant -- for the second time in three days, Beck trotted his new band onstage at the Echo on Wednesday night for a surprise show. With three new band members joining him and keyboardist Brian Lebarton, Beck obviously wants to work some things out before the release of his new album, the Danger Mouse-produced "Modern Guilt," and the summer tour supporting it.

Wednesday's musical calisthenics spanned 12 songs and 43 minutes. The players seemed more comfortable and spirited, and if the energy seemed a notch lower than Monday's set, it was only due to the fact that the room was only about one-third full, word about the show not having leaked as it did earlier in the week.

Nobody on Wednesday's regular bill seemed to mind that Beck crashed the party. It was the EP release show for singer-songwriter Daniel Ahearn's "Pray for Me by Name." Once he got started, Ahearn (a familiar face in the venue since he pays some of his bills by tending bar at the Echo) thanked the man who preceded him onstage ... with a wink.

"Good local artist," Ahearn said. "I think he's going places."

-- Photo, post by Kevin Bronson

JUST IN:  A few moments ago, Beck fan club members were alerted that he's performing at the Echoplex tomorrow. Tickets go on sale at 5 p.m. today at ticketweb.com. The password is CHEMTRAILS; two-ticket limit. Looks like Beck can't stop showing off those sunglasses in the Eastside clubs.