Rooftop Playlist

Better late than never:

Last Wednesday I caught The Black Keys at the Frank Erwin Center for the 3rd time in 2 years. Though I do not count the 2nd time, as it was hot outside in New Orleans and part of me was jamming out just to keep from passing out. I was skeptical at first because I still cannot fathom the idea of the band doing an arena tour, especially when one of the arenas is the Frank Erwin Center.

For a band that claims to be all about “good” music, I don’t understand why they would subject their great sound to such an awful venue with acoustics that are hit or miss. In the last few months I have seen two shows at the Frank Erwin Center besides The Black Keys, both of which were not terrible but not up to par. I will say this; the arena is not made for rap, and Drake sounded mediocre, while Radiohead sounded crisp but their sound still lacked fluidity, but neither performer was at fault.

Fortunately, The Black Keys’ music works for an arena like the Frank Erwin Center. The Black Keys are rock-and-roll-heavy with a lot of soul. Their sound, though not perfect, works with the acoustics of the venue. Putting my venue griping aside, The Black Keys can rock any space. I saw them in a more intimate setting during their Brothers Tour and it was by far the best show I saw in 2010. The same goes for their El Camino Tour.

The one thing that arena concerts force you to do is sit there and engage with music. Auerbach and Carney do exactly that; they both have a massive stage presence. The sound was loud and it amplified their usually brash, hard-hitting chords and pounding drums. Their set list (which you can see below) was heavily on El Camino and Brothers, but they added a few songs from various albums here and there. The Black Keys hit every note and key in stride. The encore was visually beautiful as they lit up the arena with their signature huge disco ball(s). With these guys, 90 minutes of music just isn’t enough.

Setlist: the highlighted denotes encore songs:

“Everlasting Light” by The Black Keys at the Frank Erwin Center:

This takes me back. I have memories of my parents jamming out to Journey towards the latter of their career. I’m glad to have the Greatest Hits in my record collection. The downside is I can’t disassociate  “Don’t Stop Believin’” with Glee. GAG. However, I do LOVE the family guy version of it. lol.

Keeping it local:

Last Saturday I checked out the CD Release Party for the Whalers EP, Paddle Easy at Lambert’s BBQ.  I was a little hesitant because I absolutely hate Lambert’s BBQ as a music venue.  Sure their space above the restaurant is swanky and serene but the sound set up can vary from okay to awful.   But I decided to give it another chance and concluded I still dislike Lambert’s BBQ as a music venue.

 The openers for Whalers were The Zoltars and Young Girls. Unfortunately, I missed The Zoltars and arrived in time to see Young Girls.  I had already seen Young Girls play during Free Week in Austin.  I didn’t like them then and still don’t.  I understand their sound is this lo-fi, messy, grungy rock ‘n roll and that can work but Young Girls are sloppy and it’s not just live sets but even their recorded stuff can be a little slack.

Whalers Paddle Easy is driven with a lot of gusto, crisp notes, and irresistible melodies.  Whalers performed songs off their new EP but also added some old schools and a sweet cover of “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis that they could have done without because their own song catalog is more than sufficient to entertain and get the audience dancing or swaying. Singer, Gus Smalley even performed both parts of the duet on the song “Lighthouse” on his own and nailed it.

 The same type of energy in their recorded version translates to their live sets with the same intensity and scrupulousness in their lyrics and vocals. Smalley’s vocals are absolutely deep, persuasive, and unique which is accompanied by the clarity of each note whether on bass, guitar, or drums - the arrangement of their music is fantastic. Musically every note can be heard and all of it necessary to deliver music that is complete.

Whalers should be on your radar because they are the full package.  Great Songwriting? Check.  Great Sound? Check. Great Vocals? Double Check.

The show was worth $10 and even though I didn’t get my hard copy of Paddle Easy that night, they offered to get it to me still.  What a stand up band.

Favorite Songs of the Night:

Pixel In Your Picture

Cheat On Each other

Lighthouse

Let me preface this review by saying I have owned a lot of headphones and do own a lot of headphones.  I do a lot of listening on the bus and I don’t like using over-the -ear headphones. My taste of music ranges in anything and everything except for metal and country (in the process). I had been in search of good quality ear buds that were not over $200 

The Ultimate Ear 700s by Logitech retail for $149.99 and are well worth the price.Advertised as the headphones of choice for in-studio and on-stage touring musicians, the Ultimate Ear 700s live up to the sales pitch.

UE 700s are about the size of a peanut and the ear buds are extremely comfortable. The fit of the earphones with the inner canal is snug and that contributes to isolating outside noise. It comes with 2 foam tip headphones and 5 different sized silicon ear buds and a plastic carrying case.

The sounds quality lets you hear all the layers of music. It provides clarity and energy driven for the trebles/highs, while the bass/lows are not overpowering with enough kick to satisfy the bass lover. The vocals/mids are smooth and focused. But that is to be expected with a dual-driver design headphone. UE 700s are balanced and crisp. It gives you a neutral and poised sound that accents all the right sound textures.

Note: If you love a lot of bass, I recommend the UE 500s that pack a bigger bass punch and it’s half the cost of the UE 700s or if you’re like me own both. But if the price tag is too much for the aforementioned, then try out the UE 100s because you get solid sound and cool colors. What can I say? Logitech makes some reliable headphones.

Artists I tested the headphones on:

James Blake

David Bowie

Metallica

Raphael Saadiq

Fugazi

Grimes

Michael Kiwanuka

Etta James

Drake

Jimi Hendrix

Santigold

Kanye West

Tune-Yards

The Notorious B.I.G.

Patsy Cline

Fatlip

Queen

∆AIMON

Radiohead

Peter Bjorn and John

…..and probably a lot more.

 2011 Wrap up coming soon. 

•    top 21 albums of 2011 

•    5 honorable mention albums 

•    best songs of 2011 

•    overplayed songs of 2011 

•    best of the best lyrics 

•    and possibly more!

Stay tuned and follow…