concert review el olio wolof + sholi + castanets

well, the show was billed as starting @ 8, which seemed freakishly early for a show. of course, when i got there @ 8:05, the show was not starting...for another hour and a half. okay, whatever. not a big deal. we got to hang out and chat.

the castanets went on first, and there were parts of the show i enjoyed. they were an odd duo, and i'm not quite sure how to describe their set accurately. i dug many of the guitar parts. at times, you could really feel a sort of alt-country tinge. but, the whole set was kind of a big musical blob. and, a really didn't care for the vocals. not the sound of the vocals, just the delivery.

sholi was up next. they hail from the bay area, which really isn't that important for the description of the set. it was very good, and reminded me of radiohead @ times, brazzaville @ other times, and their own mix of it all. i was rather impressed with the way many of the songs incorporated two sets of drums. the did a song called hejrat which was originally done by a iranian singer named googoosh. this was a beautiful number, and it may have been the highlight of the show for me. i was also stoked that they were selling a 7" vinyl that had it, which i bought.

el olio, well what haven't i said about them before? to me, they are often like the music of a dream. @ other points, they continue to remind me of a tim burtonesque carnival. songs about dragons, brontisauri, tree climbers/shakers and more weave together to make a fabulous musical tapestry. i continue to be blown away by the bouncing bass lines. and r.c., that guy is nimble on his feet, as well as being a great musician and vocalist.

so, i enjoyed the night. there is just something about seeing live music performed that makes my pulse jump.