Joshua Pressman
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Last night the Cinematic Orchestra played to a sold out El Rey crowd of instrumental enthusiasts, like myself. If you haven't heard any of their music then you have no idea what you're missing out on. With nearly eight years under their belt, the UK based outfit, led by Jason Swinscoe, has produced some of the finest jazz infused electronica I've ever heard. However, seeing them live is a whole other experience. The Cinematic Orchestra...
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Only one man in the electronica realm could entice me to endure the 378 miles from Los Angeles to San Francisco just for a measly DJ set. Simon Green, a.k.a. Bonobo, hails from Brighton (UK) and has released three full length albums of downtempo that have changed my musical world. With that said, when my friend asked me if I wanted an extra Bonobo ticket for a show in the city by the bay...
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Iron & Wine The Shepherd's Dog Sub Pop Records Release Date: 09/25/2007 Iron & Wine, Sam Beam's moniker, is one of those prolific songwriters that can pump out album after album of, for the most part, flawless tunes. I'd like to think that he just wakes up one day, arbitrarily decides to go into the studio, and then effortlessly bangs them out. On The Shepherd's Dog, Iron & Wine consciously explores a variety of...
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Last night Spoon played alongside Kool Keith at the Henry Fonda Theatre. Need I say more? Oh and it was for a great cause! Both artists rocked out to raise money for the non-profit organization Creative Commons. This was the third time they've held a CC Benefit. Prior CC Benefits featured David Byrne, Gilberto Gil, Girl Talk, Diplo, and Peeping Tom. I had no idea who was opening this special event until I arrived...
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Tonight marks the first night of alt-rock band Acute's residency at Tangier. Every Sunday this month will be glorious thanks to frontman Isaac Lekach's wonderful taste in music. He has organized a fantastic lineup for their month long residency. Michael Runion, Taylor Goldsmith (of Simon Dawes), and Whispertown2000 will be playing tonight's show. Miniature Tigers, Ryen Slegr (of Ozma), and Soft Pipes (Ant from Low vs. Diamond) are slated for the second night, September...
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Last Labor Day weekend I desperately needed to escape the disagreeable, torturous heatwave. So I made a last minute decision to fly to Seattle and bumbershoot. As luck would have it, my spontaneity provided for a much more temperate and rainless 70 degree haven. The Bumbershoot Festival has been running 37 years strong and every year it seems to progress into a bigger and better animal. Situated within the spacious Seattle Center amidst the...
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In order to appease the overwhelming influx of dissatisfied early adopter iPhone customers, Steve Jobs has issued an open letter addressing the $200 qualm. Although the logistics seem to be in the works, Jobs has decided to offer $100 of store credit to those who bought the iPhone through either AT&T or Apple without a rebate or any other consideration whatsoever: Therefore, we have decided to offer every iPhone customer who purchased an iPhone from...
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As if I don't feel badly enough for shelling out nearly $600 for my iPhone. Today Apple unveils a bevy of product updates. The iPhone's touch screen, internet browsing glory was jacked for the brand new "iPod touch", a Wi-Fi ready iPod with a 8GB or 16GB capacity. This is essentially the iPhone without the phone capabilities and much more thinner. Great. So, what you're telling me is that I'm not going to be one...
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Last night Jeff Tweedy and the boys of Wilco performed a stellar two hour long set at the Greek. Since I had a wall pass, I had the pleasure of people watching and I must say that Wilco fans are happy folk. Singing along and even dancing at times, the fans were enraptured by the incredible musicianship. The bashful yet charismastic Jeff Tweedy led the crowd through a set comprised of half Sky Blue...
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Fuck Yeah Fest has officially ended and it was Fuck Yeah-tastic. I was on my feet for nearly seven hours, regularly traversing Sunset Blvd to see eleven bands perform on Saturday. Between eight rolls of film and hundreds of digital pictures, this is day one through my lens....
Stories by Joshua Pressman
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