Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead @ Echoplex, 3/17/09
Photos by Andrew Hanson/LAist
It's St. Patrick's Day and where am I? In a pub toasting a nation I technically have no kinship with or have ever had the pleasure of going? No. Out in the bushes pretending to "look for leprechauns" while I retch my guts out in a strong green stream? Nope. This year was spent at the Echoplex with Funeral Partyand ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead henceforce known in this piece as Trail of Dead. I was not alone in my decision to forgo or at least postpone the holiday's traditional activities in order to see the show. The Echoplex on Tuesday was fuller than I expected and there was absolutely no green to be seen.
Arriving just as Funeral Party took the stage, I immediately regretted the decision to come early. Sure, Funeral Party musically sounded great, and I'd salute every member of the band. Every member, that is, with the exception of Chad Elliott, to which I would like to address the following question:
How is it that your vocal chords have not yet ripped themselves out of your throat, packed their things, and left you? Really, they should have done it a long time ago. And probably filed a police report for physical abuse.
Elliott's inane screaming marred whatever beauty the guitarist, bassist, and drummer were trying to create, but the real tragedy is that, occasionally, he would sing in a lower octave before building up to that horrid screeching, and he sounded...good. You could see it in the faces of the crowd when that happened. We were like drowning men who had broken the surface, gasped at the sweet air only to be eaten by sharks before we could be rescued. Don't believe me? Here's a sample lyric:
She loves you. / She loves you. / Yeah, Yeah, Yeah./ She wants to fuck you. / She wants to eat you./ She wants to kill you. / Oh yeah.
Who wrote this stuff? I've heard better lyrics come out of a 7th grader's secret diary. Although it could be quite catchy if sung by a male preying mantis as a lover's lament. Particularly since the song would be shortened as his head would have been snapped off soon after. Funeral Party could be a decent band if they could get their lead singer to slow down and well...sing.
Support for LAist comes from
The Trail of Dead show started with a bang and ended just as quickly. The PA system gave out in the first few minutes. "Fuck, we can't lip sync this show? We're going to have to actually warm up for you guys," joked lead singer, Conrad Keeley. A few minutes and several roadies later, they were back up and running, assaulting the crowd with their monster guitars and powerful drumming. Bands usually revolve around one singular element. Sometimes it's a lead singer's distinct vocals, sometimes it's a crazy guitarist or pianist, but in Trail of Dead it is all about the drums. In perfect symmetry Trail of Dead's two drum set face each other at the back of the stage. Each set commanded by a drummer, who each appeared to be possessed by some sort of drum demon egging him on to pound faster and harder upon the skins, which resulted in a furor of sound that one could imagine could only be duplicated by the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It was incredible.
However, while the music that the Trail of Dead played that evening was powerful enough to fill giant arenas. (A fact confirmed by a huge wall of man working security who muttered in awe, "Man, they really fuck shit up.") They cannot produce the quality of sound that is on their recordings. Which may be an unfair measure, but one that all live bands should be aware of. A recording is the band at it's most perfect. Each piece has been recorded and re-recorded and re-re-recorded so that everything is just so. Now live there are two kinds of bands. Ones that surpass their recordings and those who fail to . Most bands are in this latter category, and Trail of Dead, I regret to say falls into that category. For all their bombast and raw energy, their songs were blurry. It was almost as if a fog had descended upon the music and one had to desperately try to make out the notes. But perhaps that was the point. Perhaps the Trail of Dead are the impressionist painters of rock n roll. They want you to feel the songs rather than sing them. They want to blow your hair back and engulf you in their music, not allow you to think about one lyric or another. If this is true, they certainly succeeded.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars. -
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
Best of LAist