There are a few shows I do not miss when they come through town (if I can help it). And two of them are in May this year: Nada Surf on May 24 at the Belly Up Tavern (yay!) and Ben Folds which happen on May 12 at the House of Blues.

My first thought about opening act Kate Miller-Heidke from Australia was, “Why her?” Once I got over the shock of her 80’s inspired red, sequined prom dress and her husband/guitarist, Keir Nuttall looking exactly like Ben Folds (well, at least from a distance), I realized she was an awesome match. Her vocals rivaled Ben folds skills on the piano. Classically trained but wildly creative, Kate throws her voice and captures you for the duration of her performance. Favorites of mine included “Caught in The Crowd” (which reached the top of the charts in her native land) and this awesome song:

Note: This version was filmed by VEVO @ SXSW 2010.

Ben Folds strolled on stage to his solo piano waiting for him to storm the hall. Starting out with “Annie Waits” and left us wanting and not waiting for more. Mixed into his set, he weaved stories of his life including the recent loss of one piano, some keyboards, amps and tapes due to the flooding in Nashville. And then took at least half of the set to satisfy requests. I managed to recall most of the set list from the evening (not necessarily in exact order… at all):

1. “Annie Waits”
2. “All You Can Eat”
3. “Landed”
4. “Bitch Went Nutz”
5. “Army”
6. “Not the Same”
7. “Jesus Land”
8. “Rockin’ the Suburbs”
9. “Brick”
10. “Still Fighting It”
11. “Kate”
12. “You Don’t Know Me” (w/ Kate Miller-Heidke)
13. “Levi Johnston’s Blues”
14. “Zak and Sara”
15. “Morgan Davis”
16. “The Ascent of Stan”
17. “Carrying Cathy”
18. “Steven’s Last Night in Town”
19. “Fair”
20. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces”

Some “of the best moments in his show included:

• His drum solos  in “Steven’s Last Night Town” and “One Angry Dwarf”, where the techs built the drum kit around him.
• “You Don’t Know Me” duet with Kate Miller-Heidke. Really, this was just too cool to describe. Well… Here it is from Indiana University last September.
• The incredible fan base. I never actually wrote about any of the previous Ben Folds shows I have been to, but I have to say, they completely amaze me. He tours through San Diego once a year (maybe) and yet the fans know ALL of his albums PLUS all of the rarities. You know, the ones that aren’t officially released and tucked away under someone’s mattress (or perhaps drowning in a Nashville basement, ouch… to soon).

Another awesome show that I’m pretty sure many of you missed… or else you really should have come over to say “hi.” Next time I guess.

I got all pumped up when I heard that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were coming to San Diego. One more band that I wasn’t worried about missing at Coachella. Check! Pre-sale tickets are the way to go. If you want to get tickets to potentially sold out shows, you need to sign up for a few mailing lists. The following are my recommendations:

Belly Up Tavern VIP: frequent ticket giveaways and pre-sales
FM 94.9 Insiders: lots of contests and pre-sales
KPRI Freeqs: free shows all the time (but only for those signed up)
Any of your favorite bands: some have pre-sales, but really, who wants to miss out on their favorite band coming to town.

On with the show… I made sure to get there early to catch He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister. By the way this show wins for the longest band name pairing that I have been to. The gypsy, co-op vibe perfectly paired with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. It wouldn’t surprise me if they weren’t really related – ala The White Stripes, Jack and Meg. The uniqueness of this band was actually the performance of tap dancer, Lauren Brown, who served as additional percussionist tapping along to the beat. Here is their cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Baby Be Good, Do What You Should”:

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros took the stage, opening with a children’s song they wrote called “Janglin.” The sound quality became worse as the headliner’s volume increased. I apologize for the distortion.

Overall, I was disappointed with the performance, and the hippie, glow stick twirling crowd was just a part of the issue. To boos of the crowd, Alexander stated that they were “saving themselves for Coachella.” It was also very evident that he did not want to play the hit single, “Home” from their debut album, Up From Below. Even as Jade chanted, “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home,” Alexander gave her a look as if to say, “Noooo, why?” Sadly, they, well at least he (Alexander), has reached that point of disdain for the band’s most popular song. Like Radiohead’s “Creep” or Nada Surf’s “Popular,” I am disappointed when bands take the low road in hating the song that brought them to the next level instead of embracing it and hoping that the the masses latch onto something more. Not playing the song makes for dissatisfied listeners. Jade and Alexander managed to push through “Home” including the spoken word part, where Jade said “I don’t even know what to say here.” That’s alright Jade.

At the end, Alexander after inviting the audience to sit on stage, convinced the rest of the crowd to sit on the floor. Yes, the same floor where drinks were spilled and most likely a few glasses were broken. I must admit the stunning effect this had. It was on the same level as when Tegan and Sara convinced the entire audience at Spreckels Theatre to stay completely silent for a un-amplified version of “Ghost.” I sort of felt giddy inside to be a part of something so cool. For that I do have to say, “Thanks.”

I realized after I got the press release for this week’s upcoming Samuel Stewart show at Lestat’s on Friday, April 23, that I never actually finished my show review from his last visit at the Casbah on February 22, 2010. I was expecting alot after hearing the gourgous EP, The Beginner ahead of time. Although Samuel is all grown up, he has an air of childishness about him. The professional musician shines through as he launches into Devil Music. His incredible vocals took me on a rollercoaster ride… swelling highs and lows caused my insides to flit about like the youngish crowd who were there actually dancing without inhibitions.

I do plan to go to Friday’s show with the little one, hoping to see more dancing in the aisles. I hope you are able to join.

This Friday’s show claims that doors open at 8:30pm. Lestat’s is not known in my circle of friends for adhearing to these times. So be prepared to wait a little outside or be rushing in to finding a seat (since they often mix up the door time with the show time).

Ok, I’m addicted. I was introduced to Rafter a while back through Emily who works behind the bar at The Casbah. She sings and plays drums in a quirky, fun little band called Bunky, while he supplements by playing guitar. Well he isn’t simply playing guitar. It is hard for me to find my words today. There are pedals and maneuvers that produce lots of cool sounds that go along with the beat. How’s that for knowing what I am talking about?

Anyhow, I then fell more deeply in love with them when I found out that both Bunky and Rafter’s solo material were release through Asthmatic Kitty Records (Sufjan Stevens‘ label). Rafter’s solo albums prior to this newest venture include Sweaty Magic, Sex Death Cassette, Music for Total Chickens and aptly named 10 Songs.

I always viewed Rafter as an experimentalist. His childish, fun loving attitude emanates from every note and beat coming from his direction. Animal Feelings bottles that all up to give you a dose of goodness every time you listen to it. Since the album’s pre-release at MBV, I have not been able to tear my ears away.

Listen to Animal Feelings for yourself at MBV and then go buy it tomorrow, National Record Store Day, at M-Theory Records or head over to Tin Can Alehouse for his CD release party and purchase it straight from the source.