ThisSmallPlanet.com: Parquet Courts: The Best Young Rock Band in The 21st century (so far). Check out live videos featuring songs from their forthcoming Danger Mouse-produced album "Wide Awake!" ThisSmallPlanet Video: Parquet Courts live Santa Cruz, February 2018

Parquet Courts, one of my favorite indie rock bands, played Santa Cruz, California last night, featuring songs from their forthcoming Danger Mouse-produced album Wide Awake!

Parquet Courts: 35 Live Videos (2013 - 2018)

Opening for Parquet Courts was The Thurston Moore Group, with guitarist Thurston Moore and drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth.

One had to wonder if bassist Sean Yeaton from Parquet Courts (who did the Yellow Kitchen album last year with Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek) and Steve Shelley (who also drums for Sun Kil Moon) had any wacky Mark Kozelek stories to share while on the tour.

Parquet Courts setlist, Santa Cruz, February 22, 2018

A wag seated at a table near the back of the room, unheard by the crowd, yelled at the stage to Moore: "Why did you break Kim's heart?... Why did you betray true love?... Why did you tell us Santa Claus isn't real?... And that dead puppies don't go to doggie heaven?...." and so on.

It wasn't very funny.

Still, it's true, many of us indie folks cried a little bit on the inside when Thurston and Kim broke up both as a couple and as the band Sonic Youth. It meant there was literally no hope for true love in today's world. Sad.

I have to admit I was never a Sonic Youth fan, although I did like their covers of "Superstar" (made famous by The Carpenters) and Dylan's "I'm Not There" for the film of the same name. I liked Kim's book a lot, and appreciate her friendship of Kurt Cobain and her powerful singing of Nirvana songs with the surviving members at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony in 2014.

Thurston's new stuff was interesting but unremarkable.

Parquet Courts has a new album coming out, produced by Danger Mouse, responsible for such masterpieces as The Grey Album and Dark Night of The Soul, so many people are expecting big things from this forthcoming release (it's due out May 18th).

They were in fine form Thursday night, playing some older songs as well as several new ones.

Here are some videos from the Santa Cruz show:

Parquet Court's A. Savage In Tribute To The Late Mark E. Smith Covers The Fall's "Frightened" (Audio)

Listen (above) to Andrew Savage (of Parquet Courts) In Session at BBC Radio 6 doing a tribute to the late Mark E. Smith, covering The Fall's "Frightened".

Parquet Courts, featuring two dynamic lead singer/guitarists (Andrew and Austin), are one of the most creative avant garde high energy bands around. Bass player Sean did the album Yellow Kitchen last year with Sun Kil Moon's Mark Kozelek, and Andrew, under the monicker "A. Savage", recently released a solo album of Americana-leaning songs called Thawing Dawn.

Parquet Courts are currently on a West Coast tour of North America with Thurston Moore Group (including a stop in Santa Cruz on February 22nd). Parquet Courts will play Levitation 2018 with Ty Segall at Stubb's BBQ in Austin on April 26th.

Was very impressed by the work Parquet Courts & Karen O (of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs) contributed last year to Daniele Luppi's Milanoproject:

Finally, here are ThisSmallPlanet.com favorite live videos we shot of Parquet Courts in Portland and San Francisco 2013 - 2016, including two versions of their slacker classic "Stoned And Starving":