Great American Music Hall
May 21, 2003
Review by Jake Thomas
A fine evening of jesus rock plus the Stratford 4 (who may like Jesus but probably not in the way that these other bands do) at the Great American Music Hall. Or alternately, a pleasant night of shoegazery-type rock plus Pedro the Lion. Take your pick, either description fits the show at hand. I've been known to complain about bills that are too big, but it didn't bother me so much on this night, probably because I enjoyed every one of the acts that played.
I wouldn't normally mention a band I only saw 2 songs by, but I liked what I heard by Ester Drang well enough to at least mention it briefly. If I hadn't gotten such a quick parking space I would have missed them all together, so thanks parking fairy. From what I heard they sounded like a weird meld of more recent Mogwai with My Bloody Valentine, plus lots of keyboards. I picked up their CD a couple of days later and like it fairly well. If they're ever opening for someone else, I'll be sure to get there in time to see their entire show.
Starflyer 59 was the second band on the bill. Although I like all of the next three bands plenty, they were the main reason for coming to the show. They did not disappoint à in fact, it might have been the best show I've seen by them. The vocals are always buried when they play live, but this time you could actually kinda hear them. I was happy. But you know what made me ecstatic? They played my favorite song of theirs 'E.P. Nights', as well as a bunch of other stuff I was stoked on. If they had only played 'Fell in Love at 22' it would have been perfect. Everyone should rush out and buy their album 'The Fashion Focus' and the EP 'Fell in Love at 22' now, or you're sorely missing out. They have a few songs up on mp3.com or in the 'music' section of their website (just scroll over the album to see any available mp3s) to check out if you're on the fence.
The Stratford 4 had the third slot of the night. What more can be said of these guys? They're getting tons of press all over, 4 stars and a small article on them in Rolling Stone, and it's all well deserved. This was the final show on their tour with Pedro the Lion, and their sound was tight in the way a band can only sound after having been on the road for a while. They played a lot of new material and seemed really glad to be home. I especially enjoyed all of Jake Stratford's noises and feedback, it's my favorite part of their music.
Finally, Pedro the Lion took the stage. I have no idea how many times I've seen David Bazan both with and without all of his different line ups, and I always enjoy it. Even though I don't listen to him as much as I used to, I still love his first full length 'It's Hard to Find a Friend', and having him start the show with 'Bad Diary Days', my very favorite song of his, only reinforced why I continue to go to his shows. After hearing that song I could have left a happy man - everything else was gravy from that point on. He played lots of tracks from that first album as well as a number from the last couple of albums. No new material was played if I remember correctly, but he talked of recording the new album some during his between song Q&A sessions (which always prove numerous and entertaining in and of themselves à his deadpan delivery always cracks me up). Even though he'll probably never be able to pull off another 'It's Hard to Find a Friend' in my eyes, I'm sure it will still be fine music and I look forward to seeing him play some of it live next go around.
Stratford 4
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Check out our previous Stratford 4 experiences:
Review: April 3, 2003 @ Popscene @ 330 Ritch
Review: April 25th, 2001 @ Edinburgh Castle w/Planets West
Review: Pseudocandy: Chris & Jake take part in a Jesus and Mary Chain tribute jam night
August 29, 2001, Modular Lab @ the Edinburgh Castle