Tour Prep: The Pacsun Pactour

There are few things that get me giddy. One is the promise of a delciously meaty meal at Brazilian churrascaria Fogo de Chao. Another is when my favorite bands go on tour...with each other! Yes! The 2009 Pacsun Pactour is like a dream come true for me! The day I heard about it, I jizzed in my pants. Today, I found out the dates, and found that the tour hits me in good ol' San Diego, and this knowledge prompted me to write a Tour Prep, even though the tour is over a month away.

If all you do is listen to the radio, you probably have never heard of Saosin, P.O.S., Innerpartysystem, or Eye Alaska. Don't think this means these bands are not good enough for the mainstream; rather, they are too good for the mainstream. Most people will not be able to appreciate Saosin's soaring vocals, P.O.S.'s intelligent raps, Innerpartysystem's dark electronica, or Eye Alaska's cinematic jazz-pop. But I do. P.O.S. aside, these bands are my all time favorites. I would do anything to see them on tour separately, but together they are the manifestation of Lord Vishnu in tour form.

And now, I present my Tour Prep for this year's Pacsun Pactour.

Saosin

SoCal denizens Saosin play a unique but familiar and accessible style of rock called "post-hardcore," but don't let the name fool you. There is little "post" and little "hardcore"; instead you have beautifully soaring vocals by vocalist Cove Reber, intricate yet catchy guitar lines by guitarists Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski, and super-fast and skillful drumming and bass from Alex Rodriguez and Chris Sorenson. Saosin have headlined festivals and tours, and were on this year's Warped Tour. They put on a great live show with tons of energy, but the real enegry is in the crowd, as Saosin is often on the softer end of the spectrum for some real hardcore kids. Expect moshing and crowdsurfing to the extreme.

Show Staple:

Saosin - "Voices"

Also Playing:

Saosin - "Is This Real"

P.O.S.

Conscious rapper P.O.S. was also on this year's Warped Tour, but his hip-hop act stood out among the largely pop and rock bill. P.O.S. isn't the next Linkin Park, but he blends his emotional, thoughtful rhyming with rock instrumentation and aesthetics. Though black, P.O.S. sounds closer to the likes of Sage Francis and Mike Shinoda (Fort Minor), but his music is akin to that of Lupe Fiasco and MF Doom. Live, P.O.S. engages with the crowd in an emotional show and retains the rock aesthetic from his former state as a rocker.

Show Staple:

P.O.S. - "Goodbye"

Also Playing:

P.O.S. - "P.O.S. Is Ruining My Life"

Innerpartysystem

Okay, if you don't know how much I love Innerpartysystem, you clearly haven't been following my blog (I wouldn't be surprised, though; I have one follower and get like 2 views a week). To me, they are excellent music that was simply missed by the mainstream and even the indie sidestream. They play dark, seductive electronic rock with brooding beats and biting lyrics, made for a dark, sexy club. Based on their most recent, self-titled album, they have the potential to be superstars, following in the veins of British rockers Pendulum and fellow electric rockers Shiny Toy Guns. The mainstream just isn't ready for this type of amazingness. Live, Innerpartysystem is even better than recorded; they remix their own songs, other's songs, and even pieces of sound that turn into full songs. On Warped, their show couldn't reach its full potential, but on this independent tour they will use light shows, effects, and blasts of energy to make their show the best you will ever see.

Show Staple:

Innerpartysystem - "Don't Stop"

Also Playing:

Innerpartysystem - "Heart of Fire"

>Innerpartysystem - "Last Night in Brooklyn"<

↑↑↑IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT WE'RE NOT FRIENDS

Eye Alaska

I was once told that one could describe Eye Alaska as The Cab running into a jazz ensemble. At first listen, the comparison may be apt, but deeper into Eye Alaska's sound you realize a sense of incredible depth and maturity beyond any pop act today. Eye Alaska combine orchestras, keys, and atmosphere with singer and mastermind Brandon Wronski's passionate vocals to create a masterpiece in every song. The genre here is undefinable; there are influences of pop, hip-hop, jazz, classical, atmospheric, post-hardcore...everything into one beautifully urban stew of sound. Eye Alaska are the last innovators in the scene. Live, they are passionate, involved, fun, and just as good as on recordings. Expect P.O.S. to be a surprise guest on "Show Me Daluv." If you come to this show for anyone, make it for Eye Alaska.

Show Staple:

Eye Alaska - "Roll Right Over"

Also Playing:

Eye Alaska - "Good to Go"

See Also: Eye Alaska - Walk Like a Gentleman

Pcasun Pactour Dates:

11/06 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
11/07 - Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre
11/08 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore
11/10 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
11/11 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
11/13 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Murray Theatre
11/14 - Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre
11/15 - Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont
11/17 - Des Moines @ People's Court
11/18 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
11/19 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
11/20 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
11/21 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
11/22 - Columbus Newport @ Music Hall
11/24 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
11/25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
11/27 - NJ @ Starland Ballroom
11/28 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
11/29 - Pittsburgh, PA@ Altar Bar
12/01 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues
12/02 - State College, PA
12/03 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
12/04 - Washinton, DC @ 9:30 Club
12/05 - Norfolk, VA @ Norva
12/06 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
12/08 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
12/09 - Tampa, FL @ State Theatre
12/10 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
12/12 - Dallas, TX @ The Door
12/13 - Houston, TX @ Meridian
12/15 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
12/17 - Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
12/18 - Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee
12/19 - San Diego, CA @ Soma
12/20 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues

Awesome - Paper Route

It would be really awesome if I could take high quality hamburgers, sushi, scrambled eggs, pesto, and pad thai and just throw it all in a belnder and create a drink that took all the best of these things and put it into one creamy, delicious milkshake. Unfortunately, if I were to do that in real life, I would waste a ton of money and end up with a bubbling glass of shit.

It doesn't take a genious to figure out where this metaphor is going. Paper Route is me, their song "Carousel" off of their recent album Absence is the blender, and the auditory orgasm I receive after each listen is the milkshake of greatness. But what are the parts that make "Carousel" so delicious?

Paper Route takes the best parts of many great bands and layers (and layers and layers) them until a complex yet whole sound is produced that will blow you away. They take the piano melodies of Coldplay, the electronics of Innerpartysystem, the guitar work of Modest Mouse, and the technical drumming of Saosin and throw it into an indie crockpot that cooks up a delicious gumbo. The vocals are hushed, but as though to say, "Be quiet, so you can hear the explosion!" The chorus is subdued, but the pounding verses and ass-kicking instrumental bridge more than make up for them. With electronics and machine sounds, this is far from your average indie song.

Paper Route may have an aerie-faerie indie name, but don't let that fool you into thinking they are your run-of-the-mill indie band. Their song is a three-and-a-half-minute jizz, caused by downing a giga-milshake in one swallow. Paper Route is the future of good music.

RIYL Coldplay, Innerpartysystem, Edison Glass, Mute Math

Track:

Paper Route - "Carousel"

For Comparison:

Mute Math - "Spotlight" (right click > save as) (not my link)

Innerpartysystem - "Heart that Heals"

Paper Route:

http://www.myspace.com/paperroute

http://www.paperrouteonline.com/absence/

Awesome - Ladyhawke

Let me first admit that, at the time of writing, I have not yet had sex. Instead, I have mastered the solo equivalent, man's manipulation of his own pleasure center for his enjoyment. Sure, maybe I'm missing out on something wonderful, maybe my near-daily routine is getting old, but really, for that climax at the end, it's worth it to continue solo and not have to face the undiscovered nether-regions of the female body in favor of the assuredness of an amazing feeling.

Why bring up masturbation and my fear of sex in a review of Innerpartysystem's remix of Ladyhawke's "Paris is Burning"? Well, it's all to set up a grand (but appropriate) metaphor for the structure of this song. For you see, listening to it is very much like my ol' faithful, masturabtion.

The song starts out with a slow instrumental intro: this is the foreplay. After about a minute, Ladyhawke's vocals enter and prepare you for what's to come: this is the erection. Soon, a strong beats comes in, and gets stronger with progessively harder levels of energy and instruemtation: accompanied by Ladyhawke's envigorating chanting, this is the fist pumping, getting faster as you get closer and closer to the big shot. Finally, the beats get harder, the notes get higher, and smashing cymbals are added ot the mix just as you get ready to climax, a brief pause, and then SMASH! The orgasm hits you at 4:35, and what's left is a crunchy dance party for the next half a minute before the beat fizzles out and you're left sitting there, reflecting on your momentary bliss.

I won't say this song is perfect; the climax is not mind blowing and the buildup can get repetative, but nonetheless Innerpartysystem did a stellar job remixing it. They make it their own, as if Ladyhawke had intended it that way. The beats could be stronger and the mixing could be a little better, but it would be unreasonable to expect something as beautiful as "Last Night in Brooklyn" again from Innerpartysystem, or any band for that matter. If you want to add a little female-fronted variation to your Club Hopping Playlist, be sure to download this track and relish in it.

RIYL The Ting Tings, Innerpartysystem, Shiny Toy Guns, Feist

Track:

Ladyhawke - "Paris Is Burning (Innerpartysystem Remix)"

For Comparison:

Ladyhawke - "Paris Is Burning"

Playradioplay! - "Loco Commotion"

Innerpartysystem - "Last Night in Brooklyn"

↑↑↑SOFA KING GOOD

Ladyhawke:

http://www.myspace.com/ladyhawkerock

http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/

Innerpartysystem RMX:

http://www.myspace.com/innerpartysystemrmx

Fucking Awesome - Innerpartysystem

Come through the door

A darkened room

She draws white lines to set the mood

So begin the lyrics to perhaps my all-time favorite song, "Last Night in Brooklyn" by Innerpartysystem. A symphony of bass beats and ominously catchy synth riffs, this masterpeice of a song is exactly what you would expect to hear at a dark dance club in downtown Chicago, and its lyrics telling of lust and seduction only reinforce this feeling. The beat is slow and powerful, not like your standard club beat, but with a certain darkness that makes it all the more real.

The vocals, while not displaying any notable talent, suit the song and mood perfectly, as the singer's smooth yet desperate delivery creates the feeling of urban lust that drives the song's mood. Every verse is a steady buildup to a climactic chorus, and the final chorus smashes you into a neon-lit oblvion at which point you are down on your knees, begging for more.

"Last Night in Brooklyn" is the perfect song to drive down a skyspcraper-laden metropolis at night. Imagine everyone moving to synchronized beats, late night in your Scion as neon signs pass you by. You will not find a song that better captures the mood.

RIYL Pendulum, The Graduate, 3OH!3, Shiny Toy Guns

Track:

Innerpartysystem - "Last Night in Brooklyn"

For Comparison:

Innerpartysystem - "Die Tonight, Live Forever (Radio Edit)"

Pendulum - "Granite" (m4a)

Innerpartysystem

http://www.myspace.com/innerpartysystem

http://www.purevolume.com/innerpartysystem

http://innerpartysystem.com/

Get ready to hear a lot from these guys.