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5/05/2007

BOTW (April 30-May 5)

When I started this whole Band Of The Week thing I knew I’d eventually stick my neck out there for a new band b/c of some concert or something and today’s the day. After a GREAT show here in Shanghai, this weeks BOTW is Madison, Wisconsin’s breakout band, Locksley.

Tonight (last night, by the time I finished the post) Bet, two friends and me went to see Locksley play at a small place here in Shanghai.

The venue was a little music bar here in Shanghai called 4 Live. This is the second time I’ve gone to this place for live music and it won’t be the last; they get great local bands and, obviously, international acts too.

-side note- Every year our school organizes a charity concert; a bunch of high school bands play and all the money goes to help Chinese children go to school. This year 4 Live has donated their space for the charity concert. So ya, this is a good little venue.

Back to the band/show, Locksley sounds like the early Beatles and Kinks with more distortion and a lot more energy; basically a garage rock version of the early 60’s rock scene. If you still don’t get it, try to imagine the band from the movie ‘That Thing You Do’ mixed with The Strokes. If you still don’t get it you’re out of luck b/c I’m out of similes. Any of you that know me know that this kind of music is ‘my bag.’ But as they say on Reading Rainbow, “don’t just take my word for it;” The three other people I went with (one loves Lilith fair, one loves U2, and the other loves movie scores) were all VERY impressed. If you can please that broad of a demographic, you’re doing well.

Here’s where it gets tricky; if you heard their music w/o seeing them live you might dismiss them as just a retro pop act riding that whole Hives schtick. Also, if you just googled them and read their story, you might think they’re a little too mainstream b/c they owe a lot of their success to MTV. (which is very lame, but it’s not their fault) So to prevent this from happening, or to just let you know you’re wrong, I’ve included some videos here to give you a better perspective on the band. That’s not to say that they won’t turn out to be all those things and thus, I end up looking foolish…

Oh ya, if you're over 50 the odds of you liking this band are drastically reduced by the second. (that's not meant as an insult; points for honesty?)

'She Does' (live on BLK20Live)


'Don't Make Me Wait' (live on Jimmy Kimmel)


'Why Can't I Be You' (music video)


Ok last of all is a little video clip I made of the show last night. Before you watch this you should know a few things:
- yes I know that the audio quality is horrible
- yes I know that the video quality is horrible
- my movie program was messing up when I made it so it's very 'bare bones'
- watch the whole thing b/c there are a few great moments in there

They closed w/ a new song that they've never played before b/c the crowd kept cheering them back out and they ran out of songs that they know. In a moment of honesty they came out for the second encore and announced that this would have to be the last song b/c they don't know any other songs and that this new song that they were playing had only been rehearsed while it was being written. The song sounded flawless, the show was great and the crowd was left happy, well done fellows!

Here ya go, sorry for the bass overload w/ about 1.5 minutes left but it goes away and there's some GREAT 'riffing' around the 1 minute left mark. Watch the little timer...




oh ya, almost forgot:

Barkley, Barkley, Barkley! (that's just for you John 'DC' Taylor)

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