LIVE SHOW REVIEW
Looking for the next hot electro synth-pop band to idolize? The
CHEW LiPS could be it.

LIVE SHOW REVIEW
The Fall, a punk-then-post-punk band from the UK, was a Camden Crawl headliner this year. A huge influence on modern indie music, Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem, and The Smiths credit them for inspiration. I am a fan of their early music, especially their first album Live at the Witch Trials.

Unfortunately, their influence appears to be waning, as they played a relatively uninspired show at Camden's legendary Electric Ballroom.

Lead singer, and the only original member, Mark E. Smith appeared as if he was still exhausted and having health problems. I felt sad for him, and when the keyboard player's audio kept kicking out, it was even worse.

I really wanted to like the show. I really wanted to enjoy the performance. It just wasn't connecting. It felt blank. I wasn't digging the repetition.

LIVE SHOW REVIEW
Whether you realize it or not, but the Ukulele is taking over the world. Ukuleles are being used by tons of indie musicians (Soko, Beirut, Arcade Fire). Ukelele festivals are being held all over the globe. Ukeleles are even the topic of feature movies.

Originally an instrument from Portugal, it was brought to Hawaii in the 1880s. Queen Lili'uokalani, the last of Hawaii's monarchs, immediately began composing songs on the instrument and the ukulele became a fixture of the Hawaiian music landscape. Her instruments and compositions are on display at the Iolani Palace in Honolulu, which you should really check out next time you're in the Islands. Seriously, it's rad.

When booking my trip to the Camden Crawl, I had no idea that London is almost as obsessed with the Ukulele as I have been since a 1982 ukelele lesson with my music teacher grandma. Case in point, this summer at the London Uke Festival, attempting to gather 1,000 ukulele players to break the world record. In London, there's even a live ukulele karaoke band called Karauke.

And guess what? They were playing at the Camden Crawl.

I would walk thirty billion miles (give or take) to see a live ukulele karaoke band. Luckily, it was only a kilometer to the pub where they were playing. With cider pulsing through our veins, and blister covered feet, one kilometer seemed like ten.

The walk was so worth it. The pub was a lovely place with large windows, lots of light and friendly people. We put up our feet and immediately administered another dose of cider pain-relief.

Eventually, the Karauke band started up. The band was full of excellent musicians and peppered with a nice sense of humor. Made up of a bass ukulele player and about 8 soprano players, they played a few covers of popular tunes then opened it up to karaoke.

The best karaoke is amatuer karaoke. No one wants to see some American Idol semi-finalist take over the mic. We want to see someone who sucks as much as we do. Luckily, some brave amateur singers (actual video from the day) took the mic and started the fun. By the time we got up there to do a HORRIBLE rendition of Ring of Fire, we felt right at home. And when we froze during our Johnny Cash hatchet job, the band jumped in to help us get back on track. Phew! More cider, stat!

Singing with the Karauke crew was one of my favorite memories of London. It inspired me to practice my ukulele a bit more so that next time I can (maybe) sit in. I just wish I could be there to help them break the world record.

LIVE SHOW REVIEW
Echoand the Bunnymen played a brilliant show at the legendary Koko in Camden Town. The crowd on the floor danced their asses off, while the kids in the top levels stole the light fixtures engraved with the Camden Crawl logo.

The Bunnymen's melodic, beautiful tunes mingled with the cider in our veins. It was cider-fueled bliss. Here's a video of them performing Lips Like Sugar. The blog the Londonist wrote a more in-depth review of the night. Also, for you Bunnymen fans, a video of the Back of Love.

EVENT REVIEW
I was ready for a trip out of the states, so in April, I headed to London for one of the best indie music festivals in the world, the Camden Crawl.

The Camden Crawl is set in Camden Town, just north of central London. One of the birthplaces of UK punk, the neighborhood oozes musical history. It's home to Dingwalls, where members of The Clash got in a brawl with members of The Stranglers. It's home to the Roundhouse, where, in 1976, the Ramones played to an audience of baby punks from new bands called The Clash and The Damned. It's home to the Music Machine, now Koko, a venue who hosted the early shows of the Clash and Richard Hell. It's home to the Dublin Castle, a small pub where Madness began spitting out the ska. It's also home to the Hawley Arms, where Peaches Geldof, Amy Winehouse, and Kelly Osbourne get blitzed together, but who's keeping track? For an amateur punk historian like myself, it's mecca.

So the Camden Crawl works like this: Pay 100 pounds, and you own a wristband that gets you into 40 different venues in Camden. The venues at Camden Crawl host comedy shows, trivia quizzes, music, and poetry. To see the most current and popular acts, like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you have to wait in a separate line to get another special wristband ala Bumbershoot.

We didn't have to wait in line for Echo Bunnymen or the Fall. I guess they're not as popular anymore.

Each day, you pick up a schedule that details what's happening and where. When you get the calendar, you sit down, plan out your day, and hope you don't miss anything good.

You will miss something good. You will. No use worrying your pretty little head about it....The best bands in the world play at the Camden Crawl. Sometimes in the smallest and most unexpected venues.

LIVE SHOW REVIEW
X dropped in on Seattle again for an all-request set at the Showbox at the Market on March 31. They played an energetic set to a crowd of old punks, rockers, and sububan closet x-ophiles. Oh, and I even saw a 13-year old.

On previous legs of X's last tour there were rumors that Exene's vocals were sloppy. In Seattle, she was all over it--in tune, in time, and clear. In the words of a very wise man, the critics can suck it.