“She wears a halo of ashes
Specter on the wind
Waits on me so patiently
I no longer can pretend
Tomorrow my thousand miles behind
Face painted in the moon below
Wake me where you find me
Pretend you don’t know
I been a long long time away…”
~”Halo of Ashes”, Screaming Trees
This would be my second sold out show at the Troubadour in a week. But that would be where the similarities in those two shows would end.
Upon entering the historical room, Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss were perched on the stage, crooning and strumming their desert rock ballads. This would be vastly different than the Sun Trash show I saw ages ago, but this mellow music lulled me into the evening after a long, stressful day. The most memorable part of the set was the end, where they broke out a cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry†and then got crowd participation in their final song, first from the girls, then from the guys…and it sounded good! LA’s latent talent pool…
Mark Lanegan, of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age fame, would perform a stripped down solo set with only a guitarist by his side. Lanegan’s gravely, Tom Waits-esque tone intoxicates, as does his unique stage presence. A mix of creative genius and social misfit, his reluctant vibe makes him more the mystical creature. His voice makes even the covers off his recent release, Imitations, writhe with the pain of his life story. It was really beautiful to have the two sets be only vocals and guitar. Focused and hypnotic at times, it felt like storytelling by a campfire on a brisk night. The room was under a spell, with the only interruptions in the vibe laid over us being the too frequent light bursts of camera flashes or the drunk girl yelling “OH MY GOD!”. After every song, I would watch Lanegan pull away from the mic, a grimace on his face, as if it pained him to stop singing, to stop expressing himself. The guitarist chords melded with the haunting voice, and we consumed the painful poetry like it was our favorite delicacy. As the duo left the stage, I realized going back to basics is often the best way to experience music.
“And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I’m dying Are…
“The sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive And the sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive, keeps me alive…
“It’s early morning, the sun comes out Last night was shaking and pretty loud My cat is purring, it scratches…
“Too much horror businessDriving late at nightPsycho 78My bathroom is newYou, you don’t go in the bathroom with mePsycho 7812…
“Now a new look in my eyes my spirit riseForget the pastPresent tense works and lastsGot shit on, pissed on,…
“Gimme danger, little strangerAnd I feel with you at easeGimme danger, little strangerAnd I’ll feel your disease There’s nothing in…
“Living out the days and nights in absolute fearNever knowing when and where thethreat of the undead draws nearThoughts of…
“Now, listen up She’s a razor sharp If she don’t get her way She’ll slice you apart Now she’s a…
“Oh, they should have knownNot to play with the powers of HellSome people have lost their waySome people have lost…
“I’m the walking dudeI can see all the worldTwist your minds with fearI’m the man with the powerAmong the living,…
“And I find it kind of funny I find it kind of sad The dreams in which I’m dying Are…
“The sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive And the sparkle in your eyes Keeps me alive, keeps me alive…
“It’s early morning, the sun comes out Last night was shaking and pretty loud My cat is purring, it scratches…
“Too much horror businessDriving late at nightPsycho 78My bathroom is newYou, you don’t go in the bathroom with mePsycho 7812…
“Now a new look in my eyes my spirit riseForget the pastPresent tense works and lastsGot shit on, pissed on,…
“Gimme danger, little strangerAnd I feel with you at easeGimme danger, little strangerAnd I’ll feel your disease There’s nothing in…