Tue 8 Mar – Asobi Seksu, BRAHMS, The Dandelion War
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It's been two years since Asobi Seksu played a show in San Francisco. I know because I went to that show way back in March 2009 at the Independent. I was kind of surprised when I found out they'd be playing at the Bottom of the Hill this time around; when you compare both venues the Independent is about three times as big, and if that show was pretty crowded, then… yeah.

And truth be told I haven't been to the Bottom of the Hill much. In fact, this…

Tue 28 Sep – X JAPAN
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Man, it feels like such a long time since I've written up a review for a show, much longer than the five months since the Zion I show. And heck, I went to two shows in the span of a week. Both bands happened to be Japanese, and on both cases my girlfriend treated me since I'm always inviting/dragging her to see bands I like, heh. This is the first of the two shows.

As much as I like - and loved - Japanese pop and rock, I mostly like the bands that…

Fri 2 Apr – Zion I
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It felt like forever since I'd been to a show, so last night was definitely a refreshing change of pace for me, especially considering I'm not exactly a fan of Zion I – or at least, I wasn't before last night. Like with the Del show back in November, I happened to catch an e-mail post advertising the show, told my friend Johnny, and from there it turned into a nice group outing.

Honestly, I love The Independent. Being a 21+ venue, they seem way more laid back than even the Great American…

Wed 25 Nov – Del tha Funkee Homosapien
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A first for me in that I had never been to a hip-hop show before, but I'm glad I went. When glossing over GAMH's calendar a few months back I happened to see Del - part of one of my friend Johnny's favorite bands, Hieroglyphics - was going to be performing, and we decided to go. Surprisingly enough most of our friends, many of which don't even listen to hip-hop, came with us.

The night started off kind of weird, because I realized at the door that I didn't actually order…

No one can argue the importance that music has on a movie. A great soundtrack can make a bland movie a bit more colorful, and can turn an otherwise dead-pan scene into a creepy or suspenseful moment. And sometimes there are moments when the music flares up and sends a tingle down your spine, gives you goosebumps, makes you just think to yourself, "That is IT." It's an impression that can stay with you long after that initial contact.

That's kind of how I felt the other day when I chanced on an old playlist of songs I've had on…

Mon 12 Oct – Mono, Maserati
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This was one of those rare occurrences when I decided to go ahead and buy tickets for this show when A) I didn't know if my girlfriend would even be able to go with me, and B) I wasn't very familiar with the artists performing. I mean, as a big post-rock listener I've naturally heard of Mono, but I've only ever listened to You Are There which, though it's incredibly good, has never gotten much playtime on my iPod or computer. And don't get me started on Maserati - I think I…

Fri 31 Jul – The Offspring
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blink-182, New Found Glory, and The Offspring. Those were the three bands I listened to religiously back in high school, the ones whose music really inspired and resonated with me. Now, about eight years later I've finally seen all three bands perform live. Better late than never, I guess (like this week-late review!).

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this show despite it being free. A few friends of mine told me about it a week before, and they already had a few priority tickets (each worth…

Sat 25 Jul – VAMPS LIVE 2009 U.S.A.
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Talk about your deja vu. This show made me feel like I was back in 2006, probably because of the two Hyde shows my girlfriend and I went to last time he was in San Francisco. Well, he said he'd be back, and I guess he made good on that comment, huh?

For me, the show technically started on Thursday since there was an autograph session held outside of Japantown's Kinokuniya bookstore. After waiting in line for six hours my girlfriend and I got to see Hyde and K.A.Z. in person,…

Fri 24 Apr – An Evening with Vienna Teng
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I realize this post is coming almost two weeks late, but whatever. Figured I'd write a little something about the show since I did in fact have a lot of fun, and it was very different than I imagined.

Originally I was a bit skeptical about heading all the way to Oakland to see a show, even though I missed seeing Vienna Teng at the Palace of Fine Arts back in December. Something about taking public transportation to and from Oakland, especially late at night, is kind of unsavory…

Fri 13 Mar – Asobi Seksu, Bell, Resplandor
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First show of 2009 for me, and it was a good one. Truth be told I haven't been all that into going to live shows in the last few months, and I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's the atmosphere, or the fact that I don't usually go with a big group of friends since they all have very different tastes. Whatever the case, before last night I hadn't been to a show since seeing Deerhoof back in October.

I like The Independent a lot. Since their shows are usually 21+…