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Review of our show at the Troubadour on November 1st, courtesy of CWG Magazine...catch us again at the Troub when we open for Mellowdrone on December 12th! xo http://cwgliveanddirect.blogspot.com/2009/11/two-nights-with-shiloe.html
At the risk of sounding like a band-aid, Shiloe, in my opinion, is
one of the best and freshest indie bands in Los Angeles. This is a
rarity. I came to L.A. with the misguided notion that every band in
town would be awesome, as this is where the majority of mainstream
bands come from. I was disheartened to find that a lot of acts in Los
Angeles suck just as much as the bands throughout the rest of the
country. With that said, I’m always excited to find a new gem. In 2006,
this was the After Midnight Project, in late 2009, it’s Shiloe.
With
a totally crushable bass player and a drummer that’s ape-shit crazy on
stage, Shiloe’s balls-to-the-wall rhythym section is a perfect pairing,
or paradigm, to Ken’s subdued-yet-pretty vocals and surf effects-ladden
lead guitar. The dichotomy between the thumping bass (Melissa is an
exceptional player), the sparkling clean guitar, and drums that sound
like Jimmy Chamberlain dueling with U2’s Larry Mullen Jr., makes
Shiloe’s music interesting and fun. I also like the banter: Melissa
banters with the audience, Ken banters with Melissa, it makes that
transitional period between songs less boring. I guess you could say
I’m pro-banter.
Anyhow, on Halloween, CWG threw the wildest
party ever at the CWG Mansion in the Hollywood Hills. We convinced
Shiloe a few weeks in advance to headline the event. They graciously
accepted, and history was made.
Fast-forward to 10:00PM on
Halloween night; patrons, free-loaders, fans of Shiloe, and people
dressed in a variety of costumes (my favorite being the guy in the full
Gumby suit), stood in line halfway down the side of the canyon
surrounding our mansion. They had come for the gala of a lifetime – a
chance to see Shiloe streamed live over the internet for CWG Magazine’s
first-ever live concert series, and of course the opportunity to party
until 4AM in a giant mansion.
Party-goers as far as the eye
could see passed through the mansion’s front door, down three flights
of stairs, and out onto the lower balcony (our mansion had 4) for the
kegs, full bar, and scheduled performance.
Anticipation grew, as
our sound engineer running the live stream fussed over the sound check;
he wanted everything to sound perfect, and it did. The audience was
half-lit, as the band finally ripped into their opening song; an hour
later than scheduled. The stream went off without a hitch, and the
crowd exploded, dancing through Shiloe’s whole set. As Shiloe attempted
to put their instruments down, a guy dressed in a full Gumby suit
grabbed the microphone and demanded the band do an encore. The crown
roared in approval. Shiloe put their instruments back on and rocked the
crowd for the rowdiest encore in Halloween history.
After a
short meet-and-greet with fans, Shiloe packed up, and the crowd
funneled back into the mansion for drinks and all-night music from
three of L.A.’s best local DJs.
I was so unbelievably blown away
by Shiloe’s Halloween performance, I had to go see them at the
Troubador the following night. They had the opening slot for Black
Gold/Girl in a Coma. I showed up ridiculously early (a rarity for me),
and waited in anticipation. People started to trickle into the venue as
Shiloe had taken the stage.
“Oh my God, they have a girl bass
player!” shouted one of the girls in the front row. Melissa winked at
her while strapping on her bass. They opened with the same song as the
previous night, as the crowd, previously not knowing what to expect,
began to bob their heads to the music. The first song ended and the
audience erupted in applause. The venue began to fill up as Shiloe
played through their set, making for a very decent turn-out (the best
I’ve seen for an opening band in my history of going to L.A. shows)
My one and only complaint about Shiloe’s Troubador show was that there was no encore!
These guys are definitely worth checking out! See the links under the top picture for more info.
8:45 PM
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