Thursday, September 6, 2012
Palmas @ Holocene
Awesome show! It wasn't as well attended as I had expected. Surprising, since this band's music is really unique and totally danceable. There were a lot of people up front with me, but I don't think anyone was dancing, except me. I just saw a lot of head bobbing. I dunno. Maybe people were too self-conscious? At any rate, IMO Palmas set the tone for a great night of music.
Also, I really liked Holocene as a venue. In fact, of all the venues I went to, it is my favorite. It's fairly spacious with two main rooms: one set up with DJ equipment and the other set up with band equipment. We were in the latter room. The vibe was always really good whenever we were there. Lots of comfy couches and plenty of seating all around. Great selection of craft beer on tap!
I really liked the long bench with stools in the band room that overlooked the main DJ room. It was kinda cool when we were there on Saturday night for DJ Jonathan Toubin, because we could just chill at the bench, sip our drinks and watch people below dance to old 60's and 70's music. Really cool.
Nosaj Thing @ The Wonder Ballroom
The Wonder Ballroom was packed with people so, I couldn't get as close I would have liked. Nosaj Thing played a lot of new stuff mixed with some of his older stuff. I posted a mix earlier to a set that he did at the University of Washington. He weaved in a few tracks from that set, which really worked with the overall vibe he had going in this set. One thing I noticed is that his music is so cerebral at times that it's not really danceable. It seemed that some of the tracks would have been better suited for a more chilled out setting like a bar lounge. Overall, I find Nosaj Thing's tunes to be great while relaxing and having a whiskey or when going for a walk with coffee. That being said, it was still a great show.
Flying Lotus @ The Wonder Ballroom
Flying Lotus really took over The Wonder Ballroom. The music was bass heavy and thick like aural syrup. You could see how into the music he was from the stage which added to the overall vibe. At some point, he even lit up a joint on stage, which I found rather amusing. This video showcases a brand new, yet to be released track that Ellison decided to share with the audience. I loved it, as it was full of soul and emotion. It's a nice little groove. I have to say, it is no wonder Ellison was the Cartoon Network's go-to producer for the Adult Swim bumps. It was a great experience seeing him play live.
