That's what I hit on the way to a show downtown this past month. Mother nature pummeled roads into peanut brittle, making craters the size of Hellas Planitia. That was expected. What wasn't expected was a box of balloons (and other items) in the middle of 3rd Street. As the rain has somewhat subsided, I'm left with a severe alignment problem, a container of assorted party goodies, and memories of a month of good shows.
Hardcore rap and hardcore punk converged every Friday in February with 8bit and The Mormons' weekly residency. Things often got messy... Not only is Languis' new material probably the best of their long career, but also some of the most hypnotically gorgeous music I've heard in awhile. I had to see them more than once this past month just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "City of Lights" will knock you to your knees... The Monolators finally got their big shot at Spaceland and they delivered. They never sounded better... I overheard someone at the Mudpuppy say that Matt Curreri sounds like Bright Eyes. Whatever. Curreri's last release is better than most albums put out in the entire Midwest let alone some overrated music scene in Nebraska. "Willow Tree" is brilliant. But, yeah, he does a sound a little like Bright Eyes... Saw Romeo et Juliette at the good ol' Dorothy. I have a weakness for Shakespeare, sure, but I'm also a sucker for Anna Netrebko, the reigning goddess of opera. Her last appearance in L.A. was a few years ago for Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. While Bellini's masterpiece is still a favorite to most, Gounod's version does have some beautiful arrangements in Act II and a nice change of events in Act IV... Yes Dear impressed a couple hundred kids at the Key Club. Former members of Ozma and Arlo lead the group, who only after a handful of shows, have suddenly appeared on weasel lists everywhere... Lucinda Williams got tired of sitting on her keyster and joined the Truckee Bros., Lisa Sanders, and Dead Rock West for a hoedown that lasted until the wee hours of the morn... There are a lot of great bands coming out of Texas these days, but Pilotdrift could very well be the best of them all. Predictors predict that they'll soon be playing to thousands of more people than the handful that were perceptive enough to show up early to see them at the Knit. And was that Chauntelle Dupree of Eisley working the merch table? Hmm...
The Kiss, yes, the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin. I saw it while in Paris recently and perhaps with all the romance in the air surrounding a certain greeting card holiday, it suddenly comes to mind. Not so much for it's monumental influence in the world of art but more for its creator Rodin and what he once said: "People say I think too much about women, yet, after all what is there more important to think about?" And suddenly everything becomes so clear. So in honor of Rodin, St. Valentine, and most importantly, women, I offer a little ode to a few lady friends I saw around town the last month or so, some of whom I took a few pictures of and some I'll comment on...
12 hours after landing from one of the worst experiences in air travel history, I was at El Cid watching Les Shelleys and Margo Lee. Hadn't seen ML since their band name change and their new lineup. They're probably still working out the kinks but they're oh-so close. And we all know Les Shelleys by now, right? And we're all thankful they're not changing their name to that other one, right?...
Modicum played their last show with Flash on skins at the Derby. Ryan Yerdon's the lucky new drummer who gets to see Toikka and Levy's backsides every night. The new Modicum returns in March. Prepare yourself... To be honest, I don't really care much for the two records put out by local indie pop duo Looner. And they might be a bit too quirky for some people. But I can't help not liking their shows. They're a sequencer-loaded pair that combines drum loops, live percussion and melodic guitar with beat boxing and pop vocals. I'm telling you right now they're pretty good. Ziggy Marley saw them last year at the Good Hurt and brought them on tour with them; they live a few blocks from Spaceland; and they still can't get booked in Silver Lake. Give them a bone... Cindy Wasserman's been back off touring with Grant Lee Phillips and has been playing with her band Dead Rock West for a few months. Insider hint: Be at their 2/14 show... The Sweet Hurt played at UCLA's noon show at Bruin Plaza where they were giving out free In-N-Out burgers to students. I think I only got one thing for free in college and it still itches...
Regina Spektor was a marvel to see again. She played a year ago at Spaceland as a virtual unknown and didn't draw half the crowd she did for these two Hotel Cafe shows (they even misspelled her name on the marquee). People that do know her realize that she's brilliant, in an Annie Hall meets Little Orphan Annie kind of way. If you've heard the "Summer In the City" or "Belt" demos you know what I mean. In any case, "Poor Little Rich Boy" and "Uh-Merica" were great and so was that lovely parachute blouse. Leerone, LA's own ivory-tickling chanteuse, was in the audience. Go see this girl... Kate Earl is the closest thing to an angel you'll find anywhere. You won't believe me until you meet her or until your heart bursts out of your chest when the opening lines of "Hero" are played. But you'll find out soon enough... So nice to see Red Car after about a year of hiatus. Heather Reid always delivers the sizzle. And I'm sure everyone's heard of The Bruises by now. They've only just recently completely settled in Los Angeles and they're already probably one of the better bands in town. Scouts should watch closely on this one...
A couple of Bay Area ladies visited the other night at Tangier. Why that room wasn't filled to the curb is beyond me since these artists are among the very best around. Susie Suh is going to have Rachael Yamagata fans in her pocket and you might recognize her smoky voice from your Deep Water Slang record (members of Zion I were in the house). Some fella named Glen Ballard produced her new record, out soon on Epic. Odessa Chen put out one of the most darkly poetic records last year but on stage her music hits a whole new level of beauty. Together with drummer Richard Douthit's ambient cymbal scrapes and deep kicker pounds, her songs transcend like a winter snowfall. Seriously so good. And what hasn't already been said about Amy Cooper, who finished off the night playing songs off her new record Water/Fire, produced by John Vanderslice. It's a good album but her performances are really what you should check out...
Kansas City indie rockers, Veda, did a brief stint in LA after doing some shows with Thrice. Lead singer Kristen May's wail will remind you of Maura Davis and Carina Round. And the band go heavy on amperage, enough to power a small town. They're already on many tipsheets. Here's a tip, bring earplugs. Here's another tip, I'm old... Mia Doi Todd had her long awaited CD release for "Manzanita" at the Echo. You can tell she's still getting used to playing with a band but she sounded great and what a crowd.
