Went to the Azure Ray/Crooked Fingers show last night at the at the Glass House in Pomona. It’s a bit of a hike, but man, it’s a completely different world – easy parking, laid back ins-and-outs, nice people all around, nice and spacy, and clean restrooms to boot. A sharp contrast to the hellhole that is LA. Also, and this is just strange – all ages and no bar – how does the place make money? In any case, quite cool. My friend said it reminded him of high school, and I knew what he was talking about; really makes one nostalgic for simpler days.

Azure Ray/Crooked Fingers will be at Bottom of the Hill tonight in SF and at Berbati’s Pan on the 8th and in Seattle on the 9th, would definitely recommend catching them if you can. Crooked Fingers and Azure Ray play together, first w/ Crooked Fingers backing up Azure Ray: vocals that don’t seem to be coming from their mouths and songs so pretty they make you want to lie down. And then the band sort of reconfigured (apparently everyone is multi-instrumental, they pretty much play musical chairs until practically everyone plays everything; it was quite surprising when Orenda first picked up a trumpet) and Eric Bachmann (also a great voice; grounded and a perfect complement for Azure Ray’s ethereal vocals) sung a set of his songs, equal parts sad and rockin’, a Tom Waits/Springsteen feel. One of the most satisfying shows I’ve been to in a while.