(Not so) Final Countdown

We are trampling upon the final days of 2009 and I normally don't make a big deal of year ends but as a blogger, it makes for great themes and easy categorization. So let's just move on and start with the first list. And let's also recall, everything's in no particular order.

Some of the more interesting shows I've attended this year:
-Islands at Sunset Junction. Their performance of "Where There's A Will There's A Whalebone" was entrancing as the crowd was bopping along the best that hipsters can. But when local act Busdriver came to rap the bridge, I was floored. Better than the original track.
-Bon Iver at the Forever Hollywood Cemetery. 6 am with rolling fog through the grove of palm trees, chanting monks for an opening act, and as the bleak sun peeks through the gray clouds, Justin Vernon's haunting falsetto carries over the cemetery field.
-Dead Man's Bones at the Echo. Children's choir in black robes. No harm, no foul, no kool-aid involved. Everyone was in the Halloween spirit and Ryan Gosling proved to be more than a pretty face and transcended the "actor-slash-musician" curse.
-Diplo at La Cita. My friend called me, "Hey, do you want to have some beers tonight? There's a DJ set at La Cita." He failed to mention it was Diplo. Granted the man only performed for less than an hour but on that rainy night as we were about to trudge our way home, we stayed an extra hour as the pulsating beats dragged us back into Diplo's lair.
-Choir of Young Believers at Spaceland. For a band that doesn't speak much English, I commend the head Believer for writing his songs in English. I also think without their celloist, their live performance wouldn't have had such an impact on me. But orchestral pop always has a soft spot in my heart.

These shows were but the tip of the iceberg of shows I went to in oh-nine. I'm already looking forward to what 2010 has in store for me and though the year hasn't started, I've penciled in a few dates. I'm also too lazy to post the pictures I took from these shows, but trust me when I say they were epic. Which means, you, yes, YOU should catch these band at one point in your life.

Oh and be proud of me. I didn't mention any Conor in this list. Granted, I saw him more times than I should have but he's my Conor. And I (musically and lyrically) love him. Always have, always will.