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Event
LITTLE BARRIE (PRIMAL SCREAM), DIAMOND LIES, the BLOODFLOWERS & the BIXBY KNOLLS
LITTLE BARRIE (Primal Scream)
DIAMOND LIES
the BLOODFLOWERS
the BIXBY KNOLLS
$6 IN ADVANCE / $8 DAY OF SHOW
DOORS: 9 PM / SHOW: 10 PM
LITTLE BARRIE: It's been a long wait, but it's about to feel very worthwhile. Little Barrie are back, and they've brought the much-missed spirit of real rock 'n' roll with them. Nearly five years on, the English trio are totally match-fit and ready to return with a new drummer and a strikingly unusual record deal but the same unshakeable passion for music that got them noticed in the first place. 'King Of The Waves,' Little Barrie's first album for four years, is co-produced by the group with their friend, supporter and longtime collaborator, the mighty Edwyn Collins. Since we last heard them, they've also honed their reputations among the most in-demand musicians in the business, playing live with Primal Scream, on Paul Weller's '22 Dreams' album and with French Polynesian actress-singer Mareva Galanter. Barrie Cadogan has long been the guitarist to call, and not many have had that request from both Morrissey and Johnny Marr and, recently, from Mark Ronson. Very appropriately for a band of such renown as a live act, 'King Of The Waves' will be released in the UK on Bumpman, the indie label founded by Alan Day, co-owner of the Hawley Arms, the famous venue in Camden, north London. 'King Of The Waves' Is already riding its own wave of massive success in Japan. It raced to #1 in iTunes' alternative album chart and Amazon's rock album chart there, and #2 in Amazon's main album chart. Recent gigs by the trio in Japan have seen such an uprising of Little Barriemania that they've had to block out entire floors of hotel rooms to keep their obsessive fans at bay. The band have been sponsored and photographed in Japan by menswear icon Paul Smith, in whose clothes Little Barrie were recently the subject of a prestigious eight-page spread in Japanese Rolling Stone. If the eternal quest for any band is to generate the electricity of their live performances in the studio, then Little Barrie have caught lightning in a bottle. 'King of the Waves' is an album that fans of undiluted rocking soul will be ravenous for. It sounds like Link Wray meeting The Creation in Detroit with the MC5 and Motown both in residence, but with an uninhibited explosive fieriness that's completely Little Barrie's own. The album also sees them renewing their working relationship with Collins, who co-produced all but two tracks with the band, just as he did their first, 2005's 'We Are Little Barrie,' again with engineer Sebastian Lewsley, at Edwyn's West Heath Studios in north London. Collins also sings backing vocals on 'Money In Paper.' 'Waves' is the much-anticipated evidence of the brilliant new combination the band have been working up, both in the studio and on stage, since guitarist and frontman Cadogan and bassist/vocalist Lewis Wharton were joined on drums and vocals by Virgil Howe in 2008. The son of Yes guitar giant Steve Howe, Virgil's distinguished and varied background includes live and studio dates for Amorphous Androgynous and Bryan Ferry, and plenty of dance-friendly work including an underground club identity as Sparo. He also contributes organ, synth, Minimoog and Mellotron to the new album, and Barrie can even be heard at the Wurlitzer. While other complete careers have risen, fallen and faded away in the time since we last heard Little Barrie, the band have kept their counsel, stayed true to themselves, dodged the meddlesome hands of corporate intervention and reminded everyone that good things don't come quickly. "We've basically just been doing different things," says Barrie modestly. "A bit of it's been about a matter of personal survival, and also getting to the stage of finding somewhere we could work." Happily, that led them all back to Edwyn's. "When we did the first album, working at Edwyn's was such an amazing experience," Barrie continues. "Our first time doing an album, and to go to one of the best studios in Britain. Doing anything after that, it makes you realise how lucky you were. We wouldn't have got this far if it wasn't for Edwyn Collins. He's almost like a patron of music." Even by then, Little Barrie's name had been on many a tastemaker's lips for years. Formed in Nottingham, they released their first single 'Shrug Off Love' for a small local indie in 1999, "they" at the time being Barrie and original drummer Wayne Fullwood. Down in Portsmouth, Lewis Wharton was listening, so intently and enthusiastically that he talked his way into the band. 'We Are Little Barrie', which produced the chart single 'Free Salute', received rave reviews for its passionate mixture of rock and old-school rhythm and blues elements. By early 2007, it had led to 'Stand Your Ground', a second album which the band now see as an important stepping stone, but not entirely in the right direction. All the same, 'Stand Your Ground' proved to be an appropriate title. "Some of the second album was good, but in hindsight we probably would have found a different way of doing it," says Barrie. "But hindsight's a wonderful thing. You can't have any regrets. I just think we like the idea of constantly doing different things." So, it turns out, a band that's in it for the long haul and the right reasons wins the race against the 15-minute fashionistas. "We probably thought we were paddling upstream, with all the hype for other bands," says Lewis. "We didn't know it at the time, but it's worked in our favour." Now, they're completely in control of their own destiny, and not about to let anyone impose a sound or stick a label on them. "The only effect any of our experiences has had on us," Barrie goes on, "is knowing not to do what people tell you, you should do, and do what you want to do." That's why 'King Of The Waves' has such a natural swagger about it. "Feeling the red light fever is what makes your recordings sound different to your live performance," says Virgil. "So the more relaxed you are, the more like your live performance it's going to be." That's the beauty of this album: that far from hibernating, the band have been road-testing its songs constantly. "We've been playing quite a few of the new songs live anyway," Barrie explains. "We didn't want to tour too much without the album being out, but we kept a semi-residency going at the Blues Kitchen in Camden. Things like that have kept our hand in, and we've had the odd gig abroad, one in Switzerland, one in Paris and a few other things just to keep things ticking over." In May 2010, they supported Paul Weller at his Royal Albert Hall show. More recently, Barrie's been on the road as lead guitarist in Primal Scream's live band, and was recently invited by Mark Ronson to play on the soundtrack of the upcoming remake of 'Arthur' starring Russell Brand. Lewis keeps his hand in as a DJ, and if you get into a conversation about old vinyl with them, be sure to have plenty of time, as they rave about everyone from the Shadows via the Stooges to the Cramps, from Tony Joe White via Ennio Morricone to Funkadelic. "I feel like we've got nothing to prove, that it's all done from music we want to make," says Virgil. "We've just made an album we really like"!
DIAMOND LIES: A 5-piece band out of Southern California, formed in 2012. They are combining various influences to form a rock & roll sound that is not only vintage, but modern. Bringing a rough edged pop style, that will be sure to leave you singing along, this band is poised to leave they're mark on the music scene of today. With an E.P. on the way one thing is certain, the future isn't what it used to be.
the BLOODFLOWERS are keeping the true spirit of Rock n Roll alive in San Diego straight up with no chaser!
the BIXBY KNOLLS: "The hardest working bands are the ones who write songs with meaning and play those tunes by kicking people's faces in," Joe Cardamone remarked to Sammy Fayed as they sat down to embark on a long flight from Los Angeles to Bangkok. This was the doctrine lived and breathed by singer/songwriter and LA native Curt Barlage who met Sammy a year before when he responded to a local 'drummer wanted' ad for Curt's new project "The Bixby Knolls." "There was an interesting energy in the bar before I even met Sam," Curt recalls, "it felt like we knew what each other were about before we even started speaking to one another." There was a strong sense of understanding in the air between the singer and the drummer. Perhaps it was the frustration with the existing musical climate in LA or perhaps it was which records either of them were playing back in their minds that evening. They both felt that either one 'got it' and none of them had to do the routine and awkward 10-question inquisition game to check one another for being a 'faker'. The forming of a band, the musician's philosophy, the struggle against the 9 to 5 work schedule, creative pursuit, songwriting, great records, good watering holes with proper tunes, women, relationships, touring, the economy, and the dislike of the fleeting flash in the pan shit that perpetuated the streets of their local East LA circuit all ensued as topics of conversation over the wall of Silverlake noise groups on the bill that evening. In the span of a 5-minute chat the two had formed a unique bond over these shared ideals and 'The Bixby Knolls" were born. After some odd months and changing faces in the line up, Curt and long time friend (8 years to be exact) Cesar Saez De Nanclares of Mexico City, found themselves in a late night tequila and cerveza sinking session discussing their frustrations with the music business. Having shared the stage with early incarnations of the bixby knolls in his own outfit (the wallburds), Cesar decided to take his chances on a musical voyage while sitting in a Mexican holding cell at the border (for reasons not stated). Cesar made a phone call in the morning to Curt ready to join the brethren of The Bixby Knolls. Shortly thereafter Curt found himself on the prowl for a final member at a premier venue in Silverlake, fascinated by the energetic and floor stomping live performance of 20 year old Christian Morales on bass. The two chatted over some pints and immediately established a brotherhood. After 6 months of unsuccessful musical prospects, in the midst of turmoil, pressures with school, and frequent battles with heartbreak, Christian declared his engagement to the knolls. Hence, the final perfected line up was born. A few weeks later Sammy found himself on a 13-hour commercial flight to Bangkok where he sat next to Joe Cardamone, the self established madman and leader behind the punk outfit 'The Icarus Line'. Cardamone and Sammy chatted about the lack of energy in the music scene in LA and over what seemed like 8 courses of food and no sleep. As the flight began it's descent the two agreed to 'be in touch' while sharing some humorous remarks questioning how each of them had ended up en route to a third world country on the brink of civil war. Packets of cigarettes later and having survived a stint in the baking hot jungles of Thailand Cardamone and Fayed returned to LA with an agreement to work on a record together. Joe had recently formed a small label with local muse Annie Hardy from Giant Drag and had begun his new venture of producing bands he liked locally. In late 2010 The Knolls found themselves recording their first album at the Sound Factory in Hollywood with Producer Joe Cardamone, head Engineer Greg Gordon (who has worked with the likes of Oasis, Supergrass, The Dandy Warhols, Jet and many more), and Mark Chaleki as mastering engineer. The Bixby Knolls' sound shows each of the members' deep influence of classic records. In sharp contrast to the plaid and American-Apparel wearing sea of 'brohemia,' the Bixby Knolls share a vision and identity comparable to a band of musical brothers. Roxy Music, 'baggy' Kasabian, The Libertines, the Stone Roses, The Mondays, Arthur Lee and Love, Primal Scream, The Clash, The Modern Lovers, The Cramps, The Stones, Joy Division and Supergrass are heard throughout their record's sonic landscape while Barlage's voice emotes the affected themes of heartbreak and struggle heard in classic R&B and soul from the sixties such as The Zombies, Four Tops, and Nolan Porter. "Our record reminds us of Bobby Gillespie and Joe Strummer in a fist fight," Barlage puts bluntly when asked directly. Frustrated and sick of their jobs, school, heartache, and the pains of modern society, the beating heart of the knolls is a deafening thump ready to bleed through the veins of the masses with the same anxieties, fears, and frustrations that come to all modern humans near and undear.
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LocationThe Shakedown Bar (View)
3048 Midway Drive
San Diego, CA 92110
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 21 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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