I went to see Toy Robot’s gig at Crane’s on October 7th and it rocked!  I could definitely hear every one of TR’s songs on the radio and the band has SERIOUS potential.  Here is a iPhone photo of me and my friend Loren, lead singer and guitarist of TR:

Loren and I are also working on getting the band’s songs cleared for airplay on Electric Effect, so I hope to be playing them soon!

Toy Robot also has a gig tomorrow night, November 14th at The Bootleg Theatre (2220 Beverly Blvd), 9:30 PM, 18+, $5 with the flyer below ($10 without the flyer - so save some money and print the flyer!)

I look forward to hearing your thoughts after the show!

Rock on,

~D*J*E

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Yogi and I go back several years and I always look forward to hearing music from his solo career and other musical endeavors. My anticipation to hear his latest band, Run Through the Desert, was no exception. The band features Yogi (Buckcherry/Wallflowers/Chris Cornell) on vocals and guitar, Corey McCormick (Chris Cornell) on bass/background vocals and Jason Sutter (American Hi-Fi/Smashmouth/Chris Cornell) on drums.

Run Through the Desert (RTTD) is straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll with heavy psychedelic influences. The band started its set with very high energy and the song “Disintegration.” From the opening chords, Yogi wailed on the guitar and got the audience excited about the music. The band’s tight playing was apparent during RTTD’s second song, “Buried Alive,” which was impressive due to the song’s fast tempo. Corey seemed a bit more serious in his demeanor, reminding me of The Who’s John Entwistle. In addition, Jason showed off his serious chops as a drummer and I happily caught the broken drumstick that Jason threw into the audience. The drumstick’s mutilation is a prime example of the force with which Jason plays, as seen in the photos below. Yogi and Corey also effectively used the stage space by moving around, and playing off each other and Jason. The band interacted with the audience, engaging members in conversation and encouraging them to get close to the stage.

After several rock numbers, RTTD mellowed the set with “Grecian Moon,” a pensive song that reminded me we are “so blessed to be here.” The band then rocked it out again for its last song, “Thrown to the Wolves.” Some artists lose momentum when they change to slower songs mid-set, however neither RTTD nor the audience lost energy while the band transitioned between faster and slower songs.

RTTD has just released its debut album Break the Silence, which is available on the band’s website, or on iTunes and CDBaby. Visit RTTD at www.runthroughthedesert.com and www.myspace.com/runthroughthedesert. I also definitely recommend seeing RTTD live at an upcoming gig and keep listening to Electric Effect to hear RTTD’s music.

My favorite shot from the night

(c) Erin “D*J*E” Jacobson 2009. All Rights Reserved. www.dje-entertainment.com

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When invited to attend Neil Diamond’s recent stint at the Hollywood Bowl, I had no hesitation in accepting. When a friend asked me “Aren’t you a little young to like Neil Diamond?” I had no hesitation in answering, “Absolutely not.”

While I actually was one of the (chronologically) youngest people at the show, everyone that night was young again, including Neil. Still on the momentum of his recent number one album “Home Before Dark,” Neil gave a performance defying his 67 years of age.

He played a few songs from “Home Before Dark,” but stuck mostly to the hits, giving the fans what they wanted. “I Am, I Said” and “Love on the Rocks” came early in the show, and then we danced to upbeat versions of “Crunchy Granola Suite” and “Forever in Blue Jeans” (one of my personal favorites). Backed by a very talented band, Neil also did a swing-inspired version of his composition “I’m a Believer,” made famous by the Monkees and more recently covered by Smashmouth. During “Brooklyn Roads,” childhood home movies of Neil and his family played on the big screens, making audience members feel closer to Neil, the man, rather than Neil the legend. During “America,” the screens flashed images of European immigrants coming to the United States through Ellis Island, evoking memories of many audience members’ ancestors. “Cherry Cherry” and “Cracklin’ Rosie” were both performed true to the original arrangements, as they should be. Neil closed the show with “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show,” commonly referred to as “Hot August Night,” completing what could have been classified as a religious experience on our hot October night. However, the highlight for Neil and the audience was “Sweet Caroline.” The song has become a club anthem in recent years, with Justice even sampling the song at the last Coachella festival. After Neil finished the song, the audience would not stop cheering, so he launched into a few more choruses to everyone’s delight.

I personally missed hearing “September Morn” and “Heartlight,” but honestly, I could not have asked for a better show. To the audience, everything Neil did, said or sang was golden. From my box near the stage, I could see Neil’s beaming smile as he basked in the love and appreciation from his audience, projecting it right back to each and every one of us.

For more information on Neil Diamond, including future tour dates, visit www.neildiamond.com.

The photos were taken by my friend, Kateri DeMartino:

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