for serious seekers of concerts and events worldwide
December 16, 2011 Leave a comment
Hello Everyone!
We’re happy to say that the eventseeker blog has settled into its new home at blog.eventseeker.com! Head on over to catch up on our latest posts! If you’ve been awesome enough to subscribe to our feed, please switch it over to our new blog!
Happy Holidays!
Best,
eventseeker team
November 11, 2011 Leave a comment
Back in October, I wrote a review for indie, dance-rock band Reptar‘s second consecutive show at the Fillmore with Foster the People. After that show, I had the chance to chat with a few of the members outside the venue, and they were kind enough to offer me contact information so that we could set up an interview at a later date. It just so happened that Reptar was coming back to the Fillmore only a few weeks later to play a show with the electronic-indie duo Phantogram, on November 2nd, so I jumped at the chance to get an interview with the up-and-coming band.
Originally, I was scheduled to do a phone interview with Reptar the day of the show, but after a game of phone tag–a succession of failed call attempts on both sides–Reptar keyboardist William Kennedy invited me to come down to the venue for the show. I couldn’t believe my luck!
After meeting up with Kennedy outside of the venue, he rounded up drummer Andrew McFarland, lead singer Graham Ulicny and their behind-the-scenes man/ videographer Ross Brubeck, and we entered the dressing room of the Fillmore for a quick interview. I have to admit: when I first entered the room I had an internal nerd moment and tried to wrap my head around how many rock and roll legends stood in the same spot I was in. That mental relapse aside, my conversation with the guys was like talking to old friends. Like myself, they are all very obvious products of the 1990s.
How is San Francisco treating you so far?
Soo Good. It’s amazing.
Have you had time to see the city?
Yeah the beach! There was a surf competition. We saw Slater kill it! Slater went AWOL. (laughs)
Reptar. Photo courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR.
November 10, 2011 2 Comments
This week, Yelle returns to San Francisco. The Mezzanine will play host to the electronic dance band from France this Saturday night, November 12th. Band members Tepr, GrandMarnier and Yelle herself were last here in San Francisco back in May of this year at the Grand Regency Ballroom just after playing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA in April.
I had the good fortune to see Yelle not only at Coachella this year, but on Halloween night three years ago, also at Mezzanine, when the group was on tour promoting its first album, Pop-Up. My friends and I discovered Yelle despite not knowing a lick of French. As with most fellow fans of Yelle, having a less than working knowledge of the French language is certainly not a hindrance. What makes Yelle so appealing is the band’s character and energy, which shine beyond any language barrier. With the release of the band’s follow-up album, Safari Disco Club, all members of the band are a little older and a little wiser, but still always in the mood to have some fun and make you want to dance.
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity, through Skype, to catch up with Yelle herself, Julie Budet, after the band wrapped production work on a new music video. Naturally, some topics discussed included her (as well as the band’s) passion for music, the band’s style and aesthetic, Halloween and even a little bit about making a fan out of Katy Perry and getting a chance to open up a few shows for her in the UK this year.
Yelle. Photo by Grégoire Alexandre.
October 28, 2011 1 Comment
I recently got the chance to set up a chat with the lead singer of the fun Australian rock quintet Little Red. The group boasts success in their home country with their first EP, Listen to Little Red, meeting good national reviews upon release in June 2008. It was named album of the week on Triple J. It was subsequently snatched up by UK label Lucky Number Records for its Northern Hemisphere debut. The latest album, Midnight Remember (Liberation Records, September 2010), has enjoyed a warm welcome over the past year as it went gold in the Outback. The ‘Red men are now touring their most recent musical fruition. Needless to say, I was rather excited to talk with Dominic Byrne, the lead singer and one of two guitarists. So I “gave him a bell” last Tuesday. The band was in New York for a couple CMJ performances where Paste Magazine named them one of the “10 Great Bands” at the festival. Well done, Aussies.
Little Red. Photo by Angelo Kehagias. From left to right: Adrian Beltram (guitar, vocals) Dominic Byrne (vocals, guitar) Quang Dinh (bass, vocals) Taka Honda (drums) Tom Hartney (percussion, vocals).
Dominic picks up his cell phone on the streets of the Big Apple and away we go.
You all started in 2005 or 2007? I found a couple dates.
I’m not sure. It was either ’05 or ’06. It’s starting to get a little bit fuzzy. Yeah, it was one of those. I don’t know. I actually seriously don’t know.
October 17, 2011 1 Comment
In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re highlighting the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a fundraising event that takes place in nine different cities across the United States. To be a walker, you have to sign-up, raise $1,800, train and then walk a marathon and a half (39.3 miles) in two days. You can also participate by volunteering or just showing up and cheering on the walkers. I did this walk in 2009 in San Francisco, and one of my closest friends, Yasmin Firouzi, did the walk this past summer in Santa Barbara. To give you a sense of what one of these walks is like, I got a hold of Yasmin to have a chat.
Yasmin Firouzi. Photo by Yasmin Firouzi.
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