Alie Ward

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Fifi on Fire

Alie Ward
Fiona Apple, With Damien Rice at the Greek, June 24 I am to Fiona Apple what a 40-something gay man is to Cher: a drooling, fawning fanatic. Nevertheless, I approached Saturday’s concert with one eyebrow dutifully cocked. And still it was among the most moving live performances I’ve ever attended......

LA Vida

Alie Ward
I have two sisters, both of whom are writers: One is the wife of an Evangelical pastor, and the other is married to a heavy-metal rock star. My sisters have long represented a scenario ripe for sociological study, or, at the very least, an ideal premise for a laugh-track-fortified WB......
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Puttin' the Hella in Coachella

Alie Ward
SATURDAY, 11:23 A.M. Sporting a backpack stocked with sunblock, I arrive, consult a pocket-sized map and wander like a lost freshman. The grassy expanse of the Empire Polo Field bears an eerie similarity to the quad of my high school, complete with a circle of dudes wearing hemp necklaces and......
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Festivus Maximus

Alie Ward
Summer heatwaves are poised to blast forth and scorch us all; so, too are the ’06 music festivals. If you like free love and overpriced drinking water, you’ve got decisions to make. Unfortunately, many festival lineups remain woefully unannounced or incomplete, and some sport nearly identical bills. (Beck’s headlining more......
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Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!

Alie Ward
I. INTRODUCTIONWere I to saunter up to a podium and announce through the condescending gaze of a monocle that “Two-piece bands are really hot right now!” you might just roll your eyes and leave my lecture hall.Of course two-piece bands are hot right now. They’ve been hot for a while......
Two Gallants: This shot is deceptively rocking. (Photo by Wild Don Lewis)

Last Train to Snoresville

Alie Ward
{mosimage} Two Gallantsat the Troubadour, April 4Too much of a good thing can be tiresome. Too much of an “okay” thing can make a girl smack her own face to stay awake.Such was the case Tuesday night at the Troubadour, where hundreds braved the sloshy rain to attend a sold-out......
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’Stache Attack ‘06

Alie Ward
Epidemics are cyclical by nature, and 2006 has been forecast as a high-risk year for facial-hair prevalence. The most notable among identified strains is the Ironic Hipster Mustache; experts report increased incidences of this bizarre 21st-century growth in the close quarters of an incestuous music scene. The Hipster Mustache has......
Dorothy Hamill

OK OK OK

Alie Ward
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with Gris Gris & Lavender Diamond at the Troubadour, March 4 On the eve of the Oscars, Angelenos had two options: botulism toxin injections and stomach-flattening colon hydrotherapy, or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Fortunately, my agenda involved the latter. As I approached the oversold Troubadour with giddy......
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Little Ghost

Alie Ward
Joanna Newsom at ArthurBall, February 25 Okay, so I have this theory: Joanna Newsom is actually a dead person. Stay with me here. First off, she appears to be a dead person. She strides onstage like an apparition, with hair the color of sunlight draping down her back and falling......
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Monkey Hump Supreme

Alie Ward
WOLFMOTHER at Cinespace, February 14. It’s Valentine’s Day; I’ve arrived alone into an atmosphere thickened with frustrated randiness and beer breath. Wolfmother are playing their third L.A. show in 24 hours, and the throngs who have opted to spend this amorous occasion rocking their asses off are far larger than......