World Cup.
Black Diamond Run at Squaw Valley.
Election Day.
Season premiere of Burn Notice.

So – I also enjoy Freezepop’s version of this 80s anthem.
Rock on. Rock on.

Last night, we sat in the same seats I had for graduation at the Greek Theater and watch the New Zealand duo rock my world. Sure, most concerts at the Greek are about the music. Last night, it was all about entertaining the Cal crowd.

Binary Solo! from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Susan and Tom introduced us to this band via their self-titled HBO series. I remember listening to the soundtrack as we drove home from Vegas a few years ago. Either way, they were funny and I enjoyed their homages to all genres of music; from 70s space rock ala David Bowie to boomin’ raaga beats for the dance floor.

After opening up their show with “The Humans are Dead,” Bret and Jermaine tangled with classic tunes like “Beautiful Girl” and “Too Many Dicks (on the Dance Floor).” They also hit up some new tunes as well.

My favorite part of the evening: an encore with “Business Time.” You know what it means when Jermaine’s down to his socks….it’s Business Time. Ah yeah.

[From http://stepthroughtheportal.com/]

The last episode reminded me of my college radio DJ days at Cal with a new track by Apples in Stereo, “Dance Floor.” Solid, glitchy riffs paired with sweet lyrics add up to a dance party in my little Corolla.

Let’s get this party start. Quickly. Right!

This was one of the many roadside landmarks we passed by on our Buffalo vacation.

We also had a chance to check out the Artpark in Lewiston. I knew about the spot from Ruth Reichl’s memoir: “Tender at the Bone.” In the 1960′s, the New York Times food critic spent a summer at Artpark. Inside the artist commune, she made a name for herself
by baking some amazing brownies without weed.

Our trip to Artpark was a blast to the past. Thousands showed up for Tuesday in the Park. It’s a free concert series and on that night, Peter Frampton was the headline act.

Mick Hayes Band from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

The Mick Hayes Band opened for Frampton.

Frampton at Art Park from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Frampton performed this interesting cover of Soundgarden’s Black Hole Sun. He’s old, but still a fine guitar player. People went wild for “Baby I Love The Way,” and other Frampton classics. That was one of the only songs I was able to ID in his line-up. I felt a little out of place because I didn’t fit the audience demographic. I was under 40 and one of 3 Asians in the crowd of thousands.

Still, it was a fine night to listen to live music under the stars. I also had a couple of Mike’s Hard Lemonades. That helped me make it through the rest of the night.

I felt more comfortable at a Emo Rock concert in Williamsville. Red October is not easy-listening music. However, the band had a fresh, raw sound and they were willing to challenge the boundaries of Emo and Punk music. They didn’t have to rely on tired crowd-pleasing tunes to get fans bumping around on the dance floor.

Red October from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

They rocked! If you like loud beats, screaming lyrics and tight guitar riffs – Red October will rock your world as well.

Little Al, originally uploaded by queenkv.

We had a blast at the State Fair this week. Our $8-admission ticket also granted us access to the Weird Al Yankovic concert. It’s the best concert I’ve been to this year.

That Anakin Guy from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Weird Al and crew played their own twisted, at times polka-lovin’, versions of hip-hop, rock, R & B and pop hits. I was tickled to hear the Weird version of Complicate, Beat It, Gangster’s Paradise and Don McLean’s epic American Pie. Weird Al is brilliant, sharp and outrageous with his lyrics. According to Wikipedia, he’s been cranking out hits since his first parody tune aired on the radio in 1979.

Good times.

LA-Based Foot Foot opened up the show.

Foot Foot @ UC Davis from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.

Foot Foot had a sweet, indie folk sound. At times Josh and Robin Brown flirted with country twangs…but they stayed grounded with solid string harmonies on guitars, banjo and any other percussion tools they can get their hands on. Robin’s airy voice wrapped around lyrics looking back on memories of childhood, love and more wistful times.

Casiotone at UC Davis from Kris Vera-Phillips on Vimeo.
I fell in love with Casiotone for the Painfully Alone almost 8 years ago, back when I was a KALX DJ. During my midnight DJ shifts, Owen Ashworth’s electronic landscapes helped ease me into the world of free-form, independent music. “A Normal Suburban Lifestyle Is A Near Impossibility Once You’ve Fallen In Love With An International Spy,” from his album “Answering Machine Music,” was one of the first songs to show up on my playlists. That album had me hooked on glitches, tinny keyboards and electronic-pop harmonies.

His lyrics were conversational, funny and sarcastic, with a timeless touch of hope.

At this KDVS concert, I was amazed at the lush sound he produced all by himself. He was wizard on the mixer, keyboard, vocals and anything that could be plugged into his show. He played a couple of songs off his 2006 Album, “Etiquette.” After his set, I introduced myself and told him I’ve followed his work since my Berkeley radio days. I sounded nervous and stupid, I’m sure and Ashworth’s such a down-to-earth kinda guy…

In any event, my hubby and I walked away with my own copy of “Answering Machine Music” and on the way home, we listened to the origins of my aural fixations.