Bleached live – 7th Level Music

Bleached let us “Daydream” with their latest single.

“Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? is one of the year’s best rock albums, and far more than a survival tale.” – Billboard

“The evolution from raw to polished is a common one for rock bands, but on Bleached, it sounds positively inspired.” – AV Club

“the grit and grime has been wiped off in favor of a style that, while still giving off the same dangerous edge, often has the glittering sheen of some femme fatale’s soundtrack” – Paste

“Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? reveals the sophisticated songwriting Bleached has matured into. The songs seem familiar…but they contain unrestrained personality, which froths and ferments as it resolves into intimate portraits of living.” – LA Record

Bleached – the Los Angeles-based duo of sisters Jessie and Jennifer Clavin – present a video for “Daydream,” off Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough?, released earlier this year via Dead Oceans. Propelled by Clavin’s defiant vocals, anthemic drums, and a refined version of their distorted guitar sound, “Daydream” is about realizing that living in the past, daydreaming of what could have been, is just a waste of time. The video, once again directed by Giraffe Studios, the sister team Bleached has worked with for all facets of Don’t You Think… visuals, presents the sisters and their band performing in the middle of a vast, hilly setting in Santa Clarita, CA.

“‘Daydream’ was born from a premonition about driving to the desert to write a song. It is my favorite song on the record,” says Jennifer. “While it can be interpreted as a love song at its core, it’s about how our minds are our masters. We tend to dwell on the past, live in regret with ‘what ifs’ but what’s the point? It’s a waste of our time and takes us out of the present. Letting go can be challenging but it’s worth it when the weight lifts and you finally feel free.”

Bleached have just kicked off their North American tour in support of Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? All tour dates can be found below.

Watch Bleached’s “Daydream” video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9b35XulJQ

Watch: “Hard To Kill” video – https://youtu.be/bQYgcc02m5c

“Kiss You Goodbye” video – https://youtu.be/InvEKijp7WM

“Shitty Ballet” video – https://youtu.be/v8pGMcSylH4

Purchase Don’t You Think You’ve Had Enough? – bleached.ffm.to/dontyouthink

Bleached tour dates: Sun. Sept. 15 – Raleigh, NC @ Motorco ^ Tue. Sept. 17 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall ^ Thu. Sept. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere ^ Fri. Sept. 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA ^ Sat. Sept. 21 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^ Mon. Sept. 23 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern ^ Tue. Sept. 24 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement ^ Wed. Sept. 25 – Nashville, TN @ Exit In ^ Fri. Sept. 27 – Urbana, IL @ Pygmalion Festival Sat. Sept. 28 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry ^ Sun. Sept. 29 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall ^ Mon. Sept. 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Firebird ^ Tue. Oct. 1 – Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room (Outdoors)* Thu. Oct. 3 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall* Fri. Oct. 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room* Sat. Oct. 5 – Boise, ID @ The Olympic* Mon. Oct. 7 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile* Tue. Oct. 8 – Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret* Wed. Oct. 9 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater Fri. Oct. 11 – Oakland, CA @ New Parish* Sat. Oct. 12 – Los Angeles, Ca @ The Lodge Room* ^ = w/ The Paranoyds *= w/ Dude York

Keep your mind open.

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Bleached return with new single ahead of U.S. tour with Refused and the Hives.

Bleached – the Los Angeles-based rock duo of sisters Jessica and Jennifer Clavin – return with a new single, “Shitty Ballet,” and an accompanying video. “Shitty Ballet” is the first taste of new music from the band since 2016’s “highly melodic and often sunny” (Los Angeles Times) Welcome the Worms and 2017’s Can You Deal? EP.

“Shitty Ballet” is the first studio work from the Clavins relying heavily on acoustic guitars. Written in just a few hours in a deluge of heartbreak, the striking emotion of the demo stuck. They stayed true to its stripped-down original, starting off with minimal instrumentation before bursting through with a full band. The accompanying one shot video, directed by Giraffe Studios, shows the Clavins awash in soft, violet-tinted light, performing as masked ballet dancers, young and old, twirl alongside them.

“Bleached has always been a pretty loud rock band so we felt it was time to explore a more stripped down style of playing,” says Jennifer. “With the vulnerability of the lyrics we decided to carry that into the instruments as well for the first time recording with just an acoustic guitar and vocals. Sonic change is important to us right now. More of that coming soon.”

Bleached will be supporting Refused on the road this May. The band have scheduled an intimate underplay in their hometown of Los Angeles on July 11th at the Moroccan Lounge. More Bleached announcements are on the horizon.

Watch “Shitty Ballet” Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8pGMcSylH4

Bleached Tour Dates: Mon. May 20 – Chicago, IL @ The Vic Theater * Tue. May 21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant * Wed. May 22 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall * Fri. May 24 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Hall * Sat. May 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Union Events Center * Tue. May 28 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater * Fri. May 29 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park * Thu. July 11 – Los Angeles, Ca @ Moroccan Lounge *= w/ Refused and The Hives

Keep your mind open.

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Top live shows of 2017: #’s 30 – 26

I’ve arrived at the end of my live music year for 2017. I saw over 60 performances this year, and the majority of them were a fun time. There were some that might’ve had lame crowds or that just didn’t thrill me, of course, but 2017 was good for live music. To save time (and my sanity and your patience), I’m counting the top 30 live shows I saw this year. Here are the first five.

#30 – A Place to Bury Strangers – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL May 11th.

I’ll see APTBS at any opportunity, and seeing this set where they opened for the Black Angels was a no-brainer for me. It was also the first time they played Thalia Hall, and they sounded great in there. I was lucky enough to chat with front man Oliver Ackermann before and after (along with the rest of the band – Dion Lunadon and Lia Braswell) the set, so that made the show extra special.

#29 – Joe Walsh – Scottrade Center – St. Louis, MO May 12th.

Joe Walsh had a fun time opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He joked with the sold-out crowd, played every hit you’d want to hear at one of his gigs, and had a huge, excellent backing band. He also showed that he could still shred on guitar, and his performance of “Take It to the Limit” brought my wife to tears.

#28 – Bebel Gilberto – City Winery – Chicago, IL December 20th.

The last show I saw this year turned out to be a delightful night with bossa nova legend Bebel Gilberto. It was a lovely set in an intimate venue. Everyone needs to see Ms. Gilberto at least once, and hear her often.

#27 – Bleached – House of Blues – Chicago, IL April 23rd.

If you’re in a band, I wish you could’ve seen Bleached with me twice within six months because you’d have seen a perfect example of how to step up your game. This show, which had them opening for the Damned, was the second time I’d seen them in that time period. The first was at a gig in Cleveland in October 2016. I thought they were good then, but this performance left me gobsmacked. They’d become tighter and stronger in just half a year. It had been at least a couple years since I saw so much improvement in one band.

#26 – Partner – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL January 22nd.

This was Partner‘s first gig in Chicago, and one of their first in the United States. Shame on you if you missed it, because they are now indie rock darlings and their debut album, In Search of Lost Time, is one of the best of 2017. This show was an absolute home run and wowed everyone there.

Stay tuned for #’s 25 – 21!

Keep your mind open.

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Live – The Damned and Bleached – Chicago, IL – April 23, 2017

Spoils of moshing: A Damned 40th anniversary U.S. tour poster, a signed Bleached t-shirt, and a broken watch band.

I’ve wanted to see the Damned for a long while and was bummed that I missed them when they played Chicago’s Riot Fest a couple years ago. Lo and behold, they came to the U.S. again for a 40th anniversary tour, and this time I was able to catch them with Bleached opening for them. That’s a win-win.

I saw Bleached in October of last year in Cleveland. They put on a good show, so I figured they’d be solid again. I did not know that they would be even better in just six months’ time. It was quickly evident (within two songs when they were absolutely gunning on “Trying to Lose Myself Again” from Welcome the Worms) that Bleached has seriously upped their game in just half a year. They powered through many cuts off their excellent new EP Can You Deal? and even one I hadn’t heard before (“Electric Chair”). I was gobsmacked by the end of their set. I caught up with sisters Jennifer and Jessie Clavin at their merch table between the first and second encores of the Damned. I told them their set was a home run and how much they’d improved since Cleveland.

“Being on this tour has been really good for us,” Jennifer Clavin told me. “Playing in front of a lot of people who don’t know us has really made us work on our stage presence.”

“It’s only been six months!” Jessie Clavin said.

“I know,” I said. “That’s what make it more impressive.”

Speaking of impressive, the Damned were just that.

“We’re back from the mists of time,” said lead guitarist Captain Sensible, “to save the world from shitty music like Mumford and Sons!”

The band tore into literal floor-shaking classics like “Generals,” “Disco Man,” and “I Just Can’t Be Happy Today” before a mosh pit finally broke out during “Love Song.” The first of two beers went flying through the air during this. For the record, I’ve been in some wild, fun crowds at the House of Blues. I’ve never seen cups of beer, hats, shoes, and jackets thrown into the air during a show there until I saw the Damned play there.

I stayed in the pit for “Love Song” and “Street of Dreams.” The Damned continued a great set (and Captain Sensible kept decrying Mumford and Sons – as well as Kurt Vile, whom he called a “pillock,” Duran Duran, KISS, and Billy Idol) that included such fine tracks as “Eloise,” “Wait for the Blackout,” and “The History of the World (Part 1).”

Of course, the crowd (and I) went berserk during “Neat Neat Neat” and “New Rose.” Moshing to those punk classics was a dream come true for me. Truth to tell, I wasn’t sure I’d ever hear “Neat Neat Neat” live, so being in the middle of a friendly mosh pit ten feet from David Vanian as he sung it was great.

As I mentioned earlier, they played two encores. The first included “Jet Boy Jet Girl,” sung by the Captain, “Noise Noise Noise,” and “Smash It Up.” The last track especially showed off keyboardist Monty Oxymoron’s skill. The second encore included “Nasty” (the first Damned song I ever heard thanks to them performing it on The Young Ones) and “Antipope.” A guy near me had been yelling for “Antipope” for the last third of the show, so I was happy for him (and all of us) that they played it. He went bananas.

It was a fun show. They haven’t lost anything. Sensible is still a great guitarist and Vanian (“the Vincent Price of rock,” as Capt. Sensible called him) still commands a stage like few can. The Damned are touring extensively throughout the U.S. before they head to Europe. Catch them if you’re near you.

By the way, here’s the list of things I found on the floor during and after the mosh pit: A button labeled “GW,” a spiked bracelet (belonging to a guy in a Misfits jacket behind me), a nickel, an opened (but thankfully unused) condom, a peacock keychain and attached house key (belonging to a young woman I found after the final encore), a hat (owner unknown), and a sweater (owner unknown). A guy next to me in the pit found a cell phone. I don’t know if he ever found the owner.

Keep your mind open.