The Pity Party 10/03/09 - 11th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival - Pep Boys - The Ship Stage, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photo by "happyjed1")

In our third, and possibly final installment on our look at the 11th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival this month, we feature the Los Angeles-based duo The Pity Party. Some may recall that half of the The Pity Party had already been mentioned here, when drummer Heinsenflei played with The Raveonettes on their mini-tour back in January. Here, though, we look at a proper show of theirs.

Ironically enough, I first heard of The Pity Party (not unlike Leslie and the Badgers) at the 2007 version of the Eagle Rock Music Festival, when they played on the Emerging Stage. Admittedly, I didn't give them much of a chance(I only listened to them perform one song before wandering off) at the time; so, when I saw that they were on the line-up again this year, I was determined to give them another chance. And I'm glad I did, for this set was a marked improvement over the previous one. Web-In-Front gave a good description of them, saying "great rhythmic noise-pop with fractured guitar lines, darkly seductive lyrics and Hesenflei’s howled vocals and tribal drums."

A couple of notes - this performance took place near the tail end of the festival, so there is a bit of crowd chatter. Also, there was some buzzing/feedback on a couple of songs.

1.) Introduction FLAC MP3
2.) Dronebots FLAC MP3
3.) MAS FLAC MP3
4.) ??? FLAC MP3
5.) Wanting Want FLAC MP3
6.) Love Lies FLAC MP3
7.) Yours, That Works FLAC MP3
Text File
MD5
Fingerprint

Leslie and the Badgers 10/03/09 - 11th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival - Emerging Stage, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photo by Eric Meacham)

Last Saturday, Leslie and the Badgers performed at the 11th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival. Held the first Saturday of every October along a stretch of Colorado Blvd. in the Eagle Rock neighborhood, I consider it to be one of L.A.'s finest (and free no less!) annual music festivals. Or as the blog Web In Front put it "it was impossible not to compare the Eagle Rock Music Festival to something like the Sunset Junction Street Fair, and equally impossible not to note how much more relaxed, orderly, organized and entirely enjoyable the ERMF was by comparison. It was a music festival that was free to the public, featured a kaleidoscopic array of local bands on 15 stages (with sets that began on-time [imagine that]), wasn’t swelteringly hot, and played host to a bevy of local merchants and food vendors (as well as the beloved Oinkster)–the ERMF epitomized the eclectic neighborhood vibe of its surroundings with class and style." (and yes, I went to the 1st day of Sunset Junction this year - it was not a positive experience by any means)

Ironically enough, I first heard of Leslie and the Badgers at the 9th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival in 2007, when they were on the line-up that was booked into the Women's 20th Century Club. (and even more ironically, this is the venue Jesca Hoop played at during the 2006 festival, which was the first one I attended) I didn't see them play that year, but since then have seen the band's name pop up in a variety of places, from numerous blogs to numerous concert listings. When I first noticed that Leslie and the Badgers were going to be playing at the festival again this year, amidst friend's recommendations, I made it a point to go see them play.

Their 35-minute set was a good one, culling from material on their newly-released Roomful Of Smoke. Definite highlight would be "My Tears Are Wasted On You" Also, for all those Jesca Hoop fans out there (who I mentioned previously) her back-up singer Nicole Eva Emery also does backing vocals for Leslie and the Badgers (and it was announced at the show that she appears on Bob Dylan's soon-to-be-released Christmas album)

1.) Introduction FLAC MP3
2.) My Tears Are Wasted On You FLAC MP3
3.) Winter Fugue FLAC MP3
4.) The Torture FLAC MP3
5.) Americans In Rome FLAC MP3
6.) It's Okay To Trip FLAC MP3
7.) Salvation FLAC MP3
8.) Don Juan FLAC MP3
9.) Roomful Of Smoke FLAC MP3
10.) That'd Be Fine FLAC MP3
Text File
Fingerprint
MD5