Friday, January 30, 2009
We've been going to a lot of club nights lately to get back in the swing of swinging so we were all too eager to see Anoraak and College for the first time last night at Binary and The Glitch Mob at Low End Theory on Wednesday -- although the latter was a bit too much of a fire hazard for us to stay any longer than a few rotations of one record. In any case, let's hope these boys get a Sahara tent nod so that we can properly sweat to the oldies in the desert. Speaking of... Although there aren't nearly enough local bands (Happy Hollows? Warpaint? Edward Sharpe?), the Coachella lineup finally looks to be worth the $500+ weekend investment. And while Genghis Tron and Glass Candy appear to be the only (good) surprising selections so far, the totally killer dude additions of TRAV$DJ-AM and Steve Aoki basically means we'll be subjected to Benji Madden yelling "Holla at your boy!" from the VIP area all day long.
So we know you're in a hurry to get in line for that Franz Ferdinand in-store at Amoeba later today so we'll make this quick...
Baseck is tonight's guest on "Demolisten." Alex's Bar celebrates their 9th anniversary with two special shows with The Riverboat Gamblers and special guests. The Submarines and The Morning Benders kick off their month-long tour together at the Detroit Bar. Eleni Mandell concludes her month-long residency at the Hotel Cafe with Greg Laswell and others. Infinity, LoveLikeFire, and Shiloe at Spaceland. Meredith Meyer, The Victorians, and Pam Shaffer at pehrspace. Kissing Tigers, Who Is Chuy Vega, and others at Downtown 81. NASA Space Universe, Okie Dokie, and others at The Smell. Jon Brion/Dave Palmer at g'net. Be sure to catch Benji Hughes on Kimmel tonight as well. Also, KCRW just started their winter fundraiser today so donate when/what you can, preferably during Anne Litt's weekend slot.
Saturday, local dance punk godfathers Babyland celebrate the release of their phenomenal new record Cavecraft at The Smell with special guests Former Ghosts. The show is free and it's going to be crazy. Elsewhere, Warpaint opens for The Black Heart Procession at Spaceland. Katy Perry plays at The Wiltern. Mother Hips, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, and The Pacific at Saint Rocke. My Pet Saddle, The Living Suns, and others at 627 Soto. The Spectral Company at The Que Sera. Saint Motel are shooting a music video and need extras so contact them if you're in the OC area and would like to famous. And Hungry Beat dance party at pehrspace.
Superbowl Sunday has tons of options for your tailgate party. "Timeless" kicks off their incredible 4-part hip-hop homage series at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex featuring performances by the legendary Mulatu Astatke and 15-piece orchestra with DJ sets by Cut Chemist, Quantic, and Egon. Devon Williams, Sharon Cheslow, and others open for Calvin Johnson. Radio Free Silver Lake presents a HD benefit show at Spaceland with Fol Chen, Radars to the Sky, and Light FM. Shiny Toy Guns is playing a free show at the Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City Walk. The Polyamorous Affair, Halloween Swim Team, The Press Fire!, and Dalmacio Von Diamond at the Viper Room. The Cure tribute nite at PTP. Alex & Sam and Charles DeCastro at Home. Shiloe, Useless Keys, and Happy Dwart at $ucka Free $undays. Or you can hang out with Bret Michaels and Brande Roderick at the Playboy Mansion's annual Game Day party for a reasonable $1500 entrance fee.
Rooting for Cardinals but...
Steelers 27 - Cardinals 16
Riverboat Gamblers - "A Choppy Yet Sincere Apology" (MP3)
Babyland - "Search And Rescue" (MP3)
Mulatu Astatke - "Yekermo Sew" (MP3)
The Press Fire! - "As If!" (MP3)
Saint Motel - "Do Everything Now"
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Congrats to The Voyeurs boys on a great night last night at The Echo. We knew after the end of E>K>U>K a year ago they'd come back strong but goodness gracious me oh my. As expected, a big crowd enjoyed probably the band's best show to date as the core duo of Jonathan Hylander and Sean Johnson were joined by their fellow Vaudevillians Dan Woods and Jacob Maltinsky to steamroll through all the hits. Be sure to pick up the new album Well Known Drag (released through JAXART) online and at shows. Also, congrats to Go West Young Man on the release of their new record last night as well. We picked up a copy on the way out to The Airliner (seen above) for a Manimal Vinyl lineup we couldn't miss. Speaking of miss... We sure will miss you, Tomolator.
By the way, to the door dudes at The Airliner who sneakily upped the advertised admission just so you could pocket the extra few bucks... You could have just asked us nicely to help pay for your child support payments and/or bail bondsman. We love you that much.
A benefit in support of 60-Watt Kid's Kevin Litrow is happening Monday 2/2 at Echo Curio. We love them and anything we all can do to help his situation would be great, so show your support. Playing that night is the fantastic lineup of 60-Watt Kid, Pizza!, Voice on Tape, VOICEsVOICEs, Billygoat, and others.
Benji Hughes returns to town playing Spaceland tonight. He also tapes an appearance for Jimmy Kimmel on Friday, scheduled to air that night.
Our former lover Catherine Feeny just wrote us saying she'll be back in Los Angeles on 3/15 at the Hotel Cafe with apparently a new project of some sort. We love her and miss her so of course we're going, especially since also playing that night is Alela Diane. We remmeber Ms. Alela when she went by Alela Menig several years ago and we traveled up the coast on a scouting trip to see her in Nevada City. Having both these Cali-turned-Oregon girls on one lineup is going to be fantastic. A dream would be to have Correatown, Shelley Short, and Jessica Lea Mayfield on it as well, but such is a dream. Anyway, mark your calendars for 3/15.
Other stuff: Tickets for M83 and the LA Philharmonic on 3/7 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall go on sale this Friday at 10am. Other recent on-sales: Orenda Fink @ The Bordello (2/11), The Von Bondies @ the Roxy (3/14), Great Northern/O+S @ the Silverlake Lounge (3/16), The Proclaimers @ the Hotel Cafe (3/24), Marnie Stern @ the The Echo (3/25), Stereo Total/Leslie and The Ly's at the El Rey (4/4)... Shiny Toy Guns are playing a free post-Super Bowl show at the Hard Rock Cafe (Universal City) on Sunday... Cold War Kids perform "I've Seen Enough" on Conan tonight... Those who didn't catch The Bird and the Bee's performance last Monday on Leno with the lovely Alex Lilly (Obi Best), Juliette Commagere, Willow Geer, Wendy Wang (The Sweet Hurt), and another singer we couldn't place should check it out here.
Videos, yeah!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Congrats to both West Indian Girl and One Trick Pony on their respective release shows Saturday. While we were tempted to hit up both that night, the latter had the added bonus of its proximity to L'KEG's opening reception of "Nostalgia's No Good," not to mention We Are the World playing right down the street at Echoplex. Incidentally, L'KEG moving a few doors down from pehrspace has to be one of the more wonderful things to happen to the L.A. scene in awhile. This move basically makes 300 Glendale the place to be on Fridays and Saturdays. In any case, both OTP's release show and "Nostalgia's No Good" had packed rooms of beautiful people wandering back and forth between the venues, creating a very festival-like atmosphere.
We highly recommend you pick up OTP's new long EP/mini album Full of Life anywhere you can find it (namely here and here and here). It is superb. We also highly recommend stopping by L'KEG (seen above) to see the wonderful NNG exhibit of photos, video, and art surrounding L.A.'s true underground DIY scene.
On to the last week of January in which the Monday residencies come to a close. We have to say, we've never seen so many people come out for January residencies. It's typically a slow month for shows in general and we're kind of surprised by the turnouts. If you haven't seen any be sure to get out tonight. We'll be at a few ourselves. Also tonight, the debut of 826LA's Tiny Vaudeville at Echoplex with a performance by Pop Levi. One-time local gal Amy Correia returns to where she should be tonight at the Hotel Cafe with buzz artists Gabriella Cilmi and Asa (who had to cancel last week's performance opening for Femi Kuti due to his illness). LACO$TE, Birth!, and others at The Bordello. Sun, Smog, and Hate compilation release show at pehrspace with Whitman, Voice on Tape, and others. Also, check out The Bird and the Bee tonight on Leno.
On Tuesday, The Voyeurs celebrate the release of Well Known Drag on JAX Records at The Echo with friends The Monolators, Les Blanks, and Go West Young Man. Downstairs at the Echoplex, Io Echo, Zaza, and JJAMZ for Check One Twosdays. N.A.S.A. release the Spirit of Apollo at Cinespace with Metronomy. Azalia Snail celebrates a birthday at Echo Curio with Featherbeard, Puppies and Kittens, and others. Hecuba, Rainbow^Arabia, We Are the World, and others at The Airliner.
Wednesday, The French Semester celebrate the release of their new record Good Friends Only I Could See at the Silverlake Lounge with Tigers Can Bite You, Moving Picture Show, and Divisadero. Benji Hughes returns to town at Club NME at Spaceland. Last American Buffalo at the Knitting Factory. Rachael Cantu and others at Echo Curio. The Soft Pack and A.M. at The Echo early then No Culture later. The Glitch Mob and others at LET. And Big Search and John Webster Johns and Three Clubs.
Thursday, LA Record presents RTX, Night Horse, Green & Wood, and The High Saints at The Airliner. Killola and others at Alex's. Dead Rock West, The Deadbirds, Holly Conlan others open for Lelia Broussard. Sara Watkins and Tom Brosseau at g'net. The May Fire, Wake Up Lucid, and Divisible at the Silverlake Lounge. And Thee Makeout Party and others at The Que Sera.
Full calendar here.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Congrats to Exile on the release his new record on Wednesday at Low End Theory. Definitely one of the better straight-up hip-hop shows we've been to in a long time. Be sure to pick up Radio on iTunes or at any fine record retailers. It's easily one of the best of the year so far. Also congrats to Two Guns on the release of their new record, which they celebrated down in Long Beach last night. We couldn't make it down for it but we're quite sure it was a success. Be sure to pick it up on iTunes, Amazon, etc. "One Direction" has been our 710 driving music for the last month... We went to Respect last night to get another look at B.Traits (pictured above), who was as impressive as ever. Nearly two hours of DnB breaks and dubstep, wonderfully executed by a lady that many say could be the next superstar DJ and we're not one to argue with them. And, oh yeah, she ain't bad to look at either.
We purposely took it easy this week to prepare for the weekend before us...
Friday: Audacity is tonight's guest on "Demolisten." Miss Derringer at the Roxy. Death to Anders, The Hectors, Divisadero, and Tasso at the American Legion. Busdriver at the Airliner. Pizza!, Luna Is Honey, Tleilaxu Music Machine, and others at The Smell. The Deepsea Goes, Blue Jungle and others at the Knitting Factory. Bipolar Bear, Dirt Dress, and Vessels at pehrspace. Jon Brion/Dave Palmer at g'net. Very Be Careful at The Mint. And the lovely Ms. Caitlin Crosby, Kari Kimmel and others at the Hotel Cafe.
Saturday: New Image Art Gallery celebrates 15 years of being one of L.A.'s greatest institutions for artistic expression and we all have the goddess that is Marsea Goldberg to thank. Pretty much every local artist you love has had their work displayed on their walls over the years including that one guy who billions of people now know. We expect a massive crowd -- oh yeah, No Age is playing too... West Indian Girl celebrates the release of their new album 4th On The Floor: Remixes Vol. 2 at the Roxy with Juliette Commagere and His Orchestra opening. Meanwhile, One Trick Pony celebrates the release of their long-awaited new long EP Full of Life at pehrspace. Both of these albums have already been released so you should already have them. Elsewhere, The Raveonettes and The Soft Pack at the Music Box. Peanut Butter Wolf at Dakota. We Are the World opens for Futurecop and Thunderheist at the Echoplex. Eleni Mandell and The Henry Clay People at The Prospector. LACO$TE, E&E, Stress Ape, and others at The Smell. Blue Jungle, Okie Dokie, and others play the opening of "Nostalgia's No Good" at L'KEG. Jail Weddings at El Cid. The Minor Canon, The Kris Special, and others at Echo Curio. And Moving Units at the Glass House... muthafunka that's a lot to get to in one day.
Sunday, get up early for an afternoon show with No Age, Mika Miko, Abe Vigoda, Rings, Wavves, David Scott Stone, and Jennifer the Leopard at The Smell. Later, Divisadero, Jubilee Singers, Daniel Brummel, and Roman Candles at All Star Lanes. Alex & Sam, Haim, and others at the Hotel Cafe. Pizza!, Blue Jungle, The Press Fire!, Narwhal Party, and Not the Government at L'KEG. Anavan plays PTP. Seasons, The Karabal Nightlife, Cobra Lilies, and Odd Modern at The Scene. Avi Buffalo, Naima Earth, and others at MotionLA. You Me & Iowa and others at Dakota. And Eugene, Big Death, and Artichoke Heart Souffle for $ucka Free $undays.
The Deepsea Goes - "It Isn't Gay If You Use A Condom" (MP3)
One Trick Pony - "Masonry " (MP3)
West Indian Girl - "To Die in LA (Carmen Rizzo Remix)" (MP3)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Correatown drew a good early crowd to Spaceland on Monday with friends from The Broken West, The Breakups, Jack Wilson, Jr., The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, and others nearby. Meanwhile, over at The Echo Avi Buffalo was joined by Aaron Embry (still glowing in new-found fatherhood) for a few songs. Elsewhere Monday, weyou. and friends were the highlight lineup of the night -- we were kind of blown away by French voice artist/DnB beatboxer Aymeric Hainaux. Missed Castledoor at Echoplex on Inauguration Tuesday due to a few early shows elsewhere and the fact they went on at the strange time of 10pm, but caught Summer Darling down at at The Prospector just like we did for Election Tuesday.
Tonight, Grammy nominee Charlie Haden is The Grammy Museum's special guest with Alan Broadbent on piano. His song "Is This America?" off the superb Rambling Boy album is nominated for Best Country Instrumental Performance for this year's Grammy's. That record, incidentally, was our favorite record of 2008. Tickets for tonight's special performance are $14.95 available through the Grammy Museum website.
While you're downtown, you might want to hit up the L.A. Art Show 2009 opening night gala at the Convention Center. This is one of the anchor events for January's "L.A. Arts Month". Tickets are a measly $250.
In other news: Nice interview with the amazing James Intveld... Blabbermouth reports local soft rock boy band Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Darrell Roberts has left the band... According to AllHipHop.com, L.A.'s own J.J. Fad (who undoubtedly paved the way for many a hipster white girl rapper) is reuniting for the 20th anniversary of their great album Supersonic. Produced by Dr. Dre back in 1988, Supersonic will be re-released this year with plans of a promo tour with fellow old schoolers The Fat Boys.
Videos you didn't bother to search for your own damn selves...
Monday, January 19, 2009
Had a great time at Downtown 81 on Friday with boxViolet and Odd Modern, dancing into the wee hours of the morning. On Sunday, Jenny O. and Tenlons Fort re-teamed for a show at the Hotel Cafe. It was T-Fort's last show for awhile as he prepares for the project of a lifetime. And Ms. Ms. Jenny (seen above) will be the next big star out of the Hotel Cafe scene. This we promise you.
Happy belated birthday to Ms. Rebecca Coleman of Avi Buffalo. Suzanne Santo of HoneyHoney celebrates one of her own this week.
Tonight: Residencies get some competition from Vaginals, Knight Rider, I.E., E&E, and others at pehrspace for Carnage. The Health Club, Billygoat, and Magick Orchids at Echo Curio. The Mae Shi does a DJ set with Metronomy at The Standard. And weyou., Vosotros, The Belle Brigade, and others at The Scene... Tuesday, Sara Lov continues her residency at Spaceland with Willoughby, and The One AM Radio. Castledoor, Earl Greyhound, and He's My Brother, She's My Sister at Echoplex. Crystal Antlers, Ancestors, Magic Lantern, and Slang Chickens at The Smell. Toys That Kill, Pu$$y Cow, and others at Juanita's... Wednesday, Exile celebrates the release of his new album Radio at Low End Theory while The Swords of Fatima celebrate the release of their new record at The Bordello. The Mae Shi open for Metronomy at the El Rey. The Ettes and Useless Keys at Spaceland for Club NME. 60-Watt Kid, KaiserCartel, VOICEsVOICes, and others at the Silverlake Lounge. Glacier Hiking, Army Navy, and Sara Haza at the Troubadour. Summer Darling, Vaudeville, and others at The Prospector. Dead Ponys, Autodrone, and Little Red Radio at Boardner's. The Mormons, Panic Movement and others at Good Hurt. And definitely check out the 14th Annual L.A. Art Show at the Convention Center... On Thursday, Two Guns celebrates the release of their new self-titled album at The Prospector. Love Grenades, War Tapes and DJ set by Sam Sparro at the Roxy. Ben Lee is back for another night at g'net. El Ten Eleven, Falsetto Teeth, Creedle and others at the Silverlake Lounge. And Hecuba and Infinite Body open for The High Places... For a complete listing of shows go here.
Also, don't forget: The Bird and the Bee's new album Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future (due 1/27) is now pre-selling through iTunes and other retailers. It's great. The band appears on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 1/26 and Jimmy Kimmel on 2/4...
Benjamin Hoste, photographer extraordinaire, started a new site. Check it out here.
You might have caught our tweet on Clues (former members of Unicorns, Arcade Fire, and Shanghai Triad) coming to Spaceland with Loch Lomond on 2/26. Tickets just went on sale. Get them early. New recordings are spreading like wildfire...
Speaking of tweets, be sure to hit follow on @O+S, the new band featuring Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) and Cedric Lemoyne (Remy Zero). Ms. Orenda has apparently just moved to Los Angeles and if you're counting that makes
Exile - "We're All in Power"
Friday, January 16, 2009
What a whirlwind week of crazy happenings.
First, congratulations to Warpaint on the release of their new EP Tuesday night at Echoplex. If the music gods are kind, we will be seeing a School of Seven Bells/Warpaint house party tour in 2009, beginning with our casa, por favor. And you'd be doing a huge disservice to your ears if you do not pick up a copy of their new EP sometime soon. It's quite good.
We heard a rumor that The Deadly Syndrome played Jessica Alba's husband's birthday bash a few days ago. And, yes, Cash Warren can only be referred to as Jessica Alba's husband -- or the luckiest guy in the world, or I don't get what she sees in him, or doesn't she realize she's made a horrible mistake.
Thursday a plane crashed in NY -- and a radio station crashed in Los Angeles. We got a few emails asking what we thought of Indie 103 being relegated to an Internet stream and we kind of just shrugged. We have nothing against radio, but with the exception of KXLU's Demolisten and KCRW's Anne Litt (both of which we tune in online and donate to regularly), we rarely listen to it. In fact, we're actually a little surprised that people still enjoy so much. In any case, we will admit that the best show on Indie 103 was by far Henry Rollins' "Harmony in My Head," not just because of his expertly crafted playlist -- Gorch Fock, Hawnay Troof and Sun Ra Arkestra in the same block while waiting out a cancelled flight at LAX was a godsend -- but to hear the man talk about these records like one of those snobby music geeks behind the Info desk at Amoeba was just brilliant. Getting back to the point, some will remember that this all happened back in 2000 (and before that in 1998) to the same channel in much the same way so this whole thing is is kind of, well, predictable. Groove Radio is still going strong (although it's been streaming online since the beginning) and World Class Rock, whose site now is the home of Colorado's KBCO, ended after only one year. Is Los Angeles now ready to listen online on a more consistent level to warrant full-time programming? Can Internet radio survive without ads, commercially-driven playlists, and paying their DJs? Not sure, but when your audience is primarily made up of people sitting at computers the competition is pretty tough when you've got Little Radio, playlist.com, Hype Machine, and hard drives filled with mp3s a few clicks away. As always, we hope good things come from this. We believe there will be.
Oh, and we just heard Xray OK apparently broke up and won't be playing tonight at the Downtown 81.
Wow, what a week, right? Well, it ain't over yet...
Delta Spirit tapes an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live before headlining the El Rey Theatre tonight. Tleilaxu Music Machine performs live on KXLU's Demolisten. The Muffs return to the stage with a show at Spaceland with The Dollyrots and Calamity Magnet. Ozomatli, Wait Think Fast, and The Little Bastards at Echoplex. Eleni Mandell, Emily Wells, Pedestrian, Theresa Andersson and others at the Hotel Cafe. Jon Brion/Dave Palmer split rooms at g'net. We Barbarians, The Fling, and Greater California at Alex's Bar. boxViolet, Odd Modern, and others at Downtown 81. Moses Campbell, Jack Wilson, Jr., and others at pehrspace. The Start, The Ringers, and others at the Troubadour. Robedoor, Horse Head, and others at Echo Curio. Victim Vision and Red Cortez at The Echo. And Post Sound Tribe 2 happens tonight and tomorrow at the Roxy with two good lineups.
Saturday, Autolux plays the Music Box. Fool's Gold and others at the Troubadour. The Ditty Bops at McCabe's. The Ofersures, Pulse Out, The Mind Blasters, and others at the Knitting Factory. Theresa Andersson at Amoeba. Mika Miko and Little Red Radio at Echoplex. The Mormons, Manhattan Murder Myster, The Primos, and The Studiofix at pehrspace. The Amazements, The Widow Babies, and Traps, PS at the Tribal. CROCODILES, Okie Dokie, and others at MotionLA. The Soul of John Black at The Mint. And Repeater and others at The Prospector.
Sunday, great lineup Hello Dragon, The Hectors, Spider Problem, and The Breakups play Spaceland. Wet Cassette, Avi Buffalo, and others at the Prospector. Jenny O., Tenlons Fort, and others at the Hotel Cafe. And Eastern Conference Champions at The Scene.
Everyone just take a deep breath. Everything will be ok...
Delta Spirit - "Trashcan" (MP3)
Greater California - "Midnight #5" (MP3)
Theresa Andersson - "Birds Fly Away" (MP3)
Hello Dragon - "Birds of Prey" (MP3)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Saw some shows over the weekend but that all takes a backseat to some more important news...
Congratulations to Aaron and Nikki Embry (of Amnion) on the birth of their new daughter Mayla Ray. We hear mother and daughter are doing great and we are overwhelmed with excitement to see another Embry in the world. Oh, and this video of Mayla's "television debut" is the perfect Monday morning pick-me-up...
In other wonderful news, we have to mention the greatness that was Heath Ledger's win for the Golden Globes Best Supporting Actor award. Sadly, only since his passing have we learned what a great person he was and the amazing things he did, most of which came off the big screen. It started with a show we saw in 2007, one of the greatest nights of our lives. Mr. Ledger was in the audience, which we didn't mention as to not take away from the show, but little did we know of his connection to the bands who played that night. LA Weekly recently published an article detailing his contribution to the arts. In one quote, we love the use of the word mecenate to describe his efforts, but from we've gathered from friends that was only the half of it. In any case, given the current state of the economy, we definitely need more mecenates in the world.
Happy belated birthday to Lili de la Mora of The Year Zero. Birthdays this week include Jon Hershfield and Shannon de Jong (Amateurs/Cobra Lilies).
Residencies tonight. All the clubs had really good crowds last week and it should be even stuffier on this evening. Also, Katy Perry returns to her roots at the Hotel Cafe. If she returned to the 50-capacity Genghis Cohen Cantina or Highland Grounds where she really started now that would be something (especially since Highland Grounds/The Dive closed last year). Meho Plaza, Kid Infinity, Luna Is Honey, and others at The Airliner. And of course Carnage nights at pehrspace... On Tuesday, Warpaint finally celebrates the release of their superb self-titled EP at Echoplex for Check One Twosday with Brother Reade. Gliss returns to the stage opening for Sweden-based buzz act Ida Maria at Viper. And Sara Lov continues her Spaceland residency... Wednesday, The Nels Cline Singers at g'net. Meat Puppets, Stab City, and others at Alex's Bar. Les Blanks, Death to Anders, and The Soft Hands at Three Clubs. Shane Walsh, Alex & Sam, and others at The Bordello. And Claire Holley, Geoff Pearlman, and Nicole Gordon at Room 5... Thursday, "Then Was Then & Now Is Now: A Tribute to Cy Coleman" EP release is the big show of the night at g'net with our friend Dave Palmer along with special guests Fiona Apple, Nikka Costa, Sara Watkins, Sarabeth Tucek, Perla Battala, and others scheduled to perform (don't miss it). The Entrance Band, Indian Jewelry, and The Growlers at the Troubadour. Ariel Pink and 60-Watt Kid at Detroit. Meiko, Obi Best, Lelia Broussard, and others at the Hotel Cafe. The Long Lost, The One AM Radio, and Jogger at Dakota. Blank Blue and The Year Zero at The Prospector. Two Guns and The French Semester at The Que Sera. Ben Lee in the small room at g'net. And there's a big DFA Records showcase at the Roxy with The Juan MacLean, Yacht, T&T, and Classixx. RSVP here to get in free.
In other news: Cat Power returns to Los Angeles on 2/10&11 at the Avalon. Mates of State/Black Kids tour hits the Music Box on 4/23... Apparently, JPG Magazine isn't dead. In related news, we had one photo featured at PhotoLA this past weekend. It was a photo we took in Istanbul last year, shot on film, developed and frame matted in NYC by our friends who know how to take crappy photos and make them presentable. Met lots of new friends who promised to tell us what an F-Stop is... We highly recommend getting tickets for Ms. Victoria's show at Spaceland on 2/4 earlier than later, especially if you're dialed into this huge neu wave of UK/Euro dance pop artists. She was one of a handful of artists we went to Europe to see last year and she's in town recording her new album. Also playing Cinespace on 2/3.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Reporting to you live from Photo L.A. where we are quite honored to be taking part in the festivities at Barker Hangar for the third consecutive year (it's in its 18th year). We highly recommend coming by sometime this weekend to see all the great local (and not so local) talent we have. Then later, check out shows by...
Afternoons have a two-night engagement at Spaceland tonight and tomorrow with very special guests. You'll want to get there early and be sure to contact any of the bands to get on a discount list. Elsewhere, there's a huge-mongous lineup at the Anaheim House of Blues that Anaheimians will need to see with Darker My Love, The Living Suns, The Shys, The Growlers, Fool's Gold, and Audacity. That lineup is pretty stunning. Starts early at 7pm and is only $10 (all ages). Gram Rabbit and Pop Levi at the Troubadour. Jon Brion/Dave Palmer in separate rooms at the g'net. Fascinoma, Tenlons Fort, and Elroy Leroy at pehrspace. We Are the World, Teeth, and others at The Smell. The Transmissions, The New Room, Franco Near Death, and The Lost Libraries at The Scene. Monster, Demo Team, and others at Old Towne Pub. Malbec and others at The Roxy. Jes Hudak at Genghis Cohen. And Devlin & Darko, Drop the Lime, and others at the Avalon.
Also don't forget to listen to LACO$TE on "Demolisten" at around 7pm tonight. Saw Cole at the Pocahaunted show last night (pictured above).
Tomorrow, Blue Jungle celebrates the release of their new record Baby Don't Cry at The Smell with CROCODILES, De Hombres, and Niki Obscure. Shitn-A, Kevin Litrow, Halloween Swim Team, and others at Echo Curio. Jim Merson's Monster Mash, Narwhalz, I.E., Voice on Tape, and others at Bow and Sparrow... Sunday, the almighty Hawnay Troof is back with All Leather, David Scott Stone, and others at The Smell. Voice on Tape, Corridor, Zombelle, and others at Echo Curio. Eagle and Talon and Talia Rose at the Que Sera. Casxio and others at Cinespace. The Press Fire!, Narwhal Party, and others at Alex's Bar.
Afternoons - "Line 'em Up" (MP3)
The Growlers - "Conquered Sun" (MP3)
Malbec - "Falling Off" (MP3)
Blue Jungle - "Here We Go Again" (MP3)
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Got a parking ticket last night. Our first of 2009. Over the years, we've amassed thousands of dollars of these things. A scrapbook of concert ticket stubs hold just as many memories as the parking violation tickets scotch-taped right next to them. It's the price to pay when one goes out a lot, we suppose. And although it doesn't bother us as much as it used to, we've always wondered if the money we're "donating" to the city (this time $55) actually goes into making less parking spaces. You think those "Permit Parking Only" signs and red-painted curbs just fall off trees? All we know is that if the city continues to make it less possible to park cars near clubs, galleries, and theaters, it's going to make people less inclined to leave their houses. Just ask anyone who's been to the new Largo.
L.A. Film Forum and L.A. Record present Avant-Garde Silent Film series every Wednesday of January beginning with tonight's screening of Tom Verlaine and Jimmy Rip: Music For Experimental Film at the Silent Movie Theatre.
Also tonight is the debut of the new weekly No Culture with resident DJs Guns N Bombs and Goddollars at the Echo.
It's Matt Gangi's birthday on Thursday and he's celebrating with friends Daedelus, Blank Blue, and The Gaslamp Killer at Spaceland. That's a great lineup.
Also, for those interested, Lenka tapes an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel tomorrow. Get free tickets here.
In other news: The Hip Hop 101 Music & Arts Festival is 2/21 at the L.A. Sports Arena with Ludacris, Common, Mix Master Mike, Janelle Monae, and others... Rockville, CA premieres 3/17 on thewb.com, says Variety... So that's where they're all going...
Videos you've probably already seen but we're posting them anyway...
Monday, January 05, 2009
Great to see some friends over the weekend and thank you to The Mormons, Seasons, The Monolators, Spider Problem, Bodies of Water, Jubilee Singers, and Wounded Lion (aka seven of our favorites) for making this first weekend of '09 the best weekend of the year (so far).
Bunch of singer/songwriter residencies this month: Sara Lov, Eleni Mandell, Robert Francis, Rocco DeLuca, Jon Brion/Dave Palmer, La Santa Cecilia, Daniel Morones/Mothers Sons, Mike Stinson/Dave Gleason, Olin and the Moon, Lelia Broussard, Coby Brown, The Rescues, Theresa Anderson...
Record release shows: Babyland, Warpaint, The Voyeurs, One Trick Pony, The Swords of Fatima, Theresa Andersson, The French Semester, Chris Pierce, Two Guns, The Deadbirds, Blue Jungle, Swordfights, Glacier Hiking, Exile, Lily Wilson, Saba, Paul Dateh...
Big stuff: Cinefamily presents Avant Garde Silent Film series at the Silent Movie Theatre every Wednesday with special guests... Gangi birthday show at Spaceland 1/8... Photo L.A. 2009 at Barker Hangar... Cy Coleman Tribute show at g'net... Blue Note 70th Anniversary tour at Royce Hall... Los Angeles Art Show 2009... First Fridays at NHM.
Listen up for Green and Wood on GTFU tonight. LACO$TE on "Demolisten" on Friday...
Finally, everyone wish our old friend Jenny Lewis a very happy birthday on Thursday.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Well, hello you. It's been awhile, yes? It's like a whole new year or something. We trust you had a good holiday and spent some time with family and friends. We were doing the same, albeit on the other coast, and as much as we rag that other coast, we actually kind of had a wonderful time. If you follow us on that one site, you only heard part of the story...
There were mechanical issues with our plane that freaked a few people out and so we diverted to Dallas which freaked even more people out. We were actually tracking our flight online while in the air, testing that new in-flight web service (for work purposes) and saw the route deviation and airspeed drop. No biggie. We sleep better in air terminals (especially DFW) than we do in airplanes.
Hung out in NY, NJ, PA, VA, DE, DC, and MD the next few days. We know this area fairly well so it was semi-nostalgic seeing old places and old faces, traveling for non-business purposes. There are two such places in NY we spend way too much time at: Zabar's and Strand. Saw some shows at Cakeshop, one of our favorite venues in town. Missed out on hanging out with Amy Cooper (sorry Amy!) because we were preparing for a small one-night exhibit of crap we designed with our fellow PS combatants. Finally, it's always important for us to visit the Towers for a good cry. Anyway, thanks to our Brooklyn friends for playing hosts. We shall see each other very soon, wethinks.
Long story short, we made it back to L.A. in one piece (on an even more eventful flight than the first). Saw a few shows when we got back including the return of Katie the Pest who announced her finale back in August but came back with a roar with one of the best shows we've ever seen her do in front of a huge crowd at ye ol' Prospector. Later that night, we went to T's for the 1:30am slot, which of course is our favorite slot at T's. That slot, the 9pm Sunday Spaceland slot, and a few others are one of the true tests of a band and boxViolet nailed that mother... On New Year's we settled back into our normal pattern and hit the Foxtail for that new kid Asher Roth, but that was more work-related and given the amount of Botoxed/tummy-tucked ladies in the house not really our thing -- although some big boys were there to see him. For non-work-related fun we stopped by The Echo for We Are the World but we just missed them (that won't happen again) then to Spaceland for just long enough to realize it was way too crowded (but we heard a rumor that HCP would be touring with TATE so maybe we'll see them soon) so we chose to spend the beginning of 2009 at Comaspace for the Static Aktion-presented/Sean Carnage-endorsed/Captain Ahab-headlined NYE show. We chose wisely. On the way home we saw several drunk drivers that we would have reported but the use of cellphones while driving is prohibited and the irony of being locked up in the same jail with the person you ... New Year's Day we worked the Rose Parade for a few hours. It's the one time of the year when you can fart and it will still smell like roses.
So it's 2009 and you know the deal...
Listen up on "Demolisten" for Le Face. Seasons' "First Fridays" starts off the new year at American Legion with The Monolators, The Mormons, Spider Problem, and Megalosaurus. BlackBlack and others at The Smell. You Me & Iowa and Shiloe at Redwood. Hive, Gaslamp Killer, Machete, and others at Echoplex. Reid Speed, Paparazzi, and others at Boardner's. Hello From Reno at the Buccaneer.. On Saturday, Babyland, The Kris Special and others at Spaceland. Nora Keyes, Billygoat, Fort King, and others at pehrspace. Shiloe, The Tender Box, and others at The Scene... Sunday, Bodies of Water, Jubilee Singers (formerly No Little Kindness), and others at The Smell. Rainbow^Arabia and Bridez at PTP. Fishtank Ensemble, The Monthlies, and others at the Hotel Cafe. Pizza! and others at Cinespace.
In other (sad) news: JPG Magazine is closing down on 1/5. Most of the photos we take are never published or posted anywhere (they're more embarrassingly bad than the ones we post on Flickr). There are some, however, that make us smile and a few of these we submit to JPG. They'll be gone come Monday so feel free to smile along with us for a few more days. A couple of them have been exhibited around the country, most recently on a trip to New York.
Good to be back.
Asher Roth - "Dey Know Asher" (MP3)
Spider Problem - "Big Thunder" (MP3)
Fort King - "Antique Dreams" (MP3)
Bridez - "Rolling Stoned"
