Friday, October 30, 2009
Congrats to Sabertooth Tiger (pictured above) on the release of their new record Set the Controls on vinyl, which they celebrated last night at Three Clubs with Holloys and Brother Reade . They sounded great. Be sure to pick up their new record asap... Also, congrats to anyone who showed up early to the Hotel Cafe last night for a surprise set by Donovan, who was sitting in with his daughter Astrella Celeste.
So, by now, you already have your weekend plans situated. If not, here's a brief thingy on what's up...
First, Dead Man's Bones has two sold-out shows tonight and tomorrow. Also tonight, Dengue Fever at the Broad Stage. The Growlers and Pocahaunted at the Bootleg. The Night Marchers, Night Horse, and others at Alex's Bar. Kissing Cousins, Future Ghost, and others at Silver Factory. Crash Kings, Oliver Future, and I Fight Dragons at Viper. Mumiy Troll at the Key Club. Annie Stela opens for Amy Millan at Spaceland. Halloween cover party at pehrspace. Carnival of Terror party at L'KEG. Korey Dane record release at Open. Jon Brion at g'net. Manhattan Murder Mystery residency conclusion at Echo Curio. Pandora's Vampire Masquerade at Vibiana. Bright Wright, Jade Everett, and others at the Hotel Cafe. And Hard Haunted Mansion has two nights at the Shrine. the big Halos N Horns Fest down the OC. Also, be sure to listen to Fancy Space People on Demolisten tonight.
Saturday, we're presenting a fine little show at pehrspace. We hope you can stop by. If not, you might want to catch an early book signing by the man himself Ray Bradbury at Vroman's. Then head out to the Park Plaza Hotel for Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, DJ Shadow, Sea Wolf, and Little Dragon. Big Business, 400 Blows, and Tweak Bird at Nomad. Mad Gregs Halloween show. The Fuxedos, Peculiar Pretzelmen, and others at Spaceland. Very Be Careful and crooked Cowboy & the Freshwater Indians at The Bordello. Pocahaunted, LA Ladies Choir, and Former Ghost at Sync. Moment Trigger, Not the Government, and others at Women. Nico Vega and After Midnight Project open for Chevelle at Club Nokia. Robe Zombie at the Hollywood Palladium. And Monster Massive returns to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
Sunday, Pizza!, So Many Wizards, Old Blood, and Fort Wife at Spaceland. Rats concludes their residency at Echo Curio. Cyan Ides celebrate the release of their new EP at The Airliner. Shiloe opens for Girl in a Coma at the Troubadour. Mia Maestro, The Appletons, and others at the Hotel Cafe. And Jaq Gallier and others at The Standard downtown.
Full calendar listing here.
Happy belated birthday to Geoff Geis of Pizza!/Big Whup this past week. Happy birthdays this weekend go out to Joe Fielder (Radio Free Silver Lake), Anthony Kiedis, and Sophie B. Hawkins.
Have a safe weekend, everyone...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
We have to be honest here for a second. We're not big fans of Halloween. There's just something not right about giving out treats freely to kids hidden behind masks who after a night of running around coked up on those damn addicting Sour Skittles wind up hours later egging your house and stencil bleaching swastikas on your front lawn. And yet, every year like clockwork, we get those 6lb variety bags of sweets and hand those things out like idiots. This year will be different...
Because we won't be home.
We're presenting a show Saturday at pehrspace with Asa Ransom, boxViolet, Eliza Rickman, and The Blind. You know, given our dislike for the holiday, we really don't shy away from doing shows in its honor. This is our fourth consecutive year doing a show around October 31st, but our first on the actual night so it should be fun. Here's a few words about the bands...
On March 11, 2009, we Tweeted this after a show at The Prospector. Asa Ransom is that band. Minutes after that show, we asked them if we could host them the next time they were in town. This is that show. They recently self-released a new EP entitled "The Gold EP" and are in town for the next few months working the West Coast. Fans of The Deadly Syndrome, Cold War Kids, and Vampire Weekend might want to jump on this.
It might not be a secret anymore but we love boxViolet. What also might not be a secret is that the band has been recording a new EP with the help of Chris Fudurich (Nada Surf, Jimmy Eat World) and Mark Needham (The Killers, We Are Scientists). This will be your chance to get a sneak preview.
Eliza Rickman performs some of the most eerily wonderful songs in town. Regularly performing with just a toy piano and a voice seemingly ripped out of Snow White's larynx, she'll be backed on this night by a string quartet. This is going to be too good.
Lastly, we have the Bay Area's The Blind. They come to us on the recommendation of Matthew Teardrop of Manhattan Murder Mystery so we're looking forward to seeing them for the first time.
So that's the show. Please stop by before or after all the Halloween festivities you'll be attending. Food, drink, and other fun stuff will be provided as well. And, sure why not, wear your Michael Jackson circa "Thriller" slash circa now zombie get-up. Just don't forget your choreography.
October 31, 2009
Los Angeles Loves... All Hallows' Eve
ASA RANSOM
BOXVIOLET
ELIZA RICKMAN
THE BLIND
pehrspace
325 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Map
ALL AGES / 9pm / $5 donation
Asa Ransom - "Relic" (MP3)
boxViolet - "Swallow" (MP3)
Eliza Rickman - "Lily Love" (MP3)
The Blind - "April 29th" (Live on Vlaze)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thanks to everyone for coming out on Monday for the Correatown residency finale at The Echo. All the bands were terrific. Angela Correa now goes out on a month-long solo tour with Tom Brosseau across Europe... Last night, we stopped by Echo Curio (and earlier Vacation) for the long-awaited return of Rose Melberg to Los Angeles (pictured above with Dave Greenwald of The Rawking Refuses To Stop! on the left). We hadn't seen Ms. Melberg since The Softies opened for Lois in San Francisco in 1999. Since then, she's moved from NorCal to Vancouver and was in town last night for the first time in a decade to promote her new album Homemade Ship (out now on K Records). Seeing her again got us a little nostalgic of all the great indie pop/twee shows at Koo's in the 90's. And given the packed crowd at Echo Curio we're probably not the only ones.
In other news: A special evening "Remembering Amy Farris: A Gathering of Friends" will be held 11/8 at McCabe's Guitar Shop with performances by Dave Alvin, Peter Case, Stan Ridgway, and others. Tickets are on sale now here with part of the proceeds going to Hungry For Music... Knitting Factory quietly closed its doors last week. A temporary new website is up as we await their next move... The Scene is now called LaBrie's. What's interesting is that we were at the old club not too long ago and it can't be that much different, making this review on Yelp a bit too obviously contrived (but it was a good try)... JAXART just released two new records by Rademacher and Fay Wrays. Listen/purchase here... Check out Ferraby Lionheart's album teaser (out next Spring). We're presenting a show on 11/10 at the Bootleg with him, Inara George, Eleni Mandell, and Daniel Martin Moore. If you haven't gotten tickets, you better hurry...
And just in time for Halloween, download Castledoor's much sought after track "Family Fun Festival." Thanks, Castledoor! Their next show is 11/14 at the Music Box.
Castledoor - "Family Fun Festival" (MP3)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Raves and thanks go out to Michael Nhat and How To Be A Microwave for inviting us to be apart of the fun on Saturday at the Vermont House (pictured above). Pick up his new album here and catch him 11/7 at the Hive Gallery... More raves go out to Elaine Layabout for Friday's "Hella Hipster Hoedown #6." We believe that lineup to be the best of her Hoedowns thus far. Los Angeles just doesn't know it yet.
On to the week ahead which will surely be filled with more tacky costumes and candycorn confections than you can possibly bear...
Tonight, we're presenting a great night at The Echo/Echoplex with Correatown, Leslie and the Badgers, The Grizzly Owls, and Joanie Mendenhall upstairs and Olin & the Moon and Michael Runion downstairs. Elsewhere, the rest of the Monday residencies come to a close. We were able to stop by all of them, including The Fling down at the Detroit Bar, and they have been great. Be sure to check them out. Also, We Are the World open for Gossip at the Music Box. Our old friend Emm Gryner is at the Hotel Cafe with Holly Cole, Marie Digby, and others. The one and only David Liebe Hart and others play Sean Carnage's Mondays at pehrspace. And later catch Har Mar Superstar on Jimmy Fallon and a rerun of The Like on Carson Daly... Tuesday, The Voyeurs, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, The Monolators, and The Karabal Nightlife join force at The Echo in the name of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac, ABBA, and T-Rex, respectively. Caitlin Crosby, Bobby Long, and others at the Hotel Cafe. Jamie Drake concludes her residency at Crane's. Manhattan Murdery Mystery, Odd Modern, and others at The Bordello. The Finches, Anna Oxygen, and others open for Rose Melberg. And the big Pandora grand opening at Vibiana... Wednesday, Jogger celebrates the release of their new record at Low End Theory. Joshua Radin, The Watson Twins, and Emily Wells at the Music Box. Ceci Bastida and others at Spaceland. Pilar Diaz at La Cita. French Semester, Halloween Swim Team, and others at Silverlake Lounge And Cricket and the 2:19 finish their residency at TAIX... Thursday, tune into Morning Becomes Eclectic for a performance by Fool's Gold then catch them later at Westfield Century City for free. Rare apperance/signing by Robert Crumb at Royce Hall. Built to Spill at Echoplex. Jack Wilson, Jr. residency at Echo Curio. Alela Diane and Marissa Nadler at The Echo. Eulogies opens for Land of Talk at Spaceland. Jail Weddings, Seaspin, and Night Horse open for The Night Marchers at the Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock. Sabertooth Tiger celebrate the release of their new record at Three Clubs. And The Antlers and Timbre and Timbre at the Bootleg Theater.
Complete calendar listing here.
Also, a heads up for the weekend, we're presenting a show at pehrspace with Asa Ransom, boxViolet, Eliza Rickman, and The Blind. If you have any Halloween-related music recommendations we should play that night let us know. And we hope to see you there!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
As you may or may not know, Correatown is the weekly resident at The Echo for the month of October. They invited a few local badass blogs (Web in Front, Buzzbands, and Classical Geek Theatre) to present each night and somehow we were included to help with the residency finale.
And it's a big one.
First of all, we must point out the band Correatown put together for this month since it's what they call in the business, all-to-the-effing-star. Joanie Mendenhall, a member of one our favorite San Diego bands ever The Exfriends, is on keys and backup vocals. She also put out a great solo album last year entitled On a String (get it here). Next, of course, you have Ms. Sweet Hurt on keys, who for the last year has been off traveling the world playing bass (and showing off her dance moves) with The Bird and the Bee, Priscilla Ahn, and Obi Best. She's recording her first full-length record at the moment so it's great she could make time out of her busy schedule to play on these nights. Then you have Dan Long slumming it on bass. Yeah, the guy who engineered/produced records by Ferraby Lionheart, The Jealous Girlfriends, The National, and many other bands is playing four strings. Double-You-Tee-Eff. These three are supporting the core three of Correatown consisting of Mike Corwin, Rob Poynter, and Angela Correa. C'mon, you've got to be kidding us. All six of these people on stage together equals love.
So for the final night, Correatown invited a fantastic lineup of Leslie and the Badgers, The Grizzly Owls, and the aforementioned Joanie Mendenhall. If you haven't seen these bands, we know you've at least seen their names on your friend's tweets saying how awesome they are. Added to this is a bonus show with Olin & the Moon and Michael Runion downstairs at Echoplex. Set times will be staggered so you can see all the bands. And it's free for 21+ ($7 for 18+). Talk about a show for those who like it spoon-fed on a silver platter. Jeez.
October 26, 2009
Los Angeles Loves...
CORREATOWN
LESLIE AND THE BADGERS
THE GRIZZLY OWLS
JOANIE MENDENHALL
The Echo
1822 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Map
21+ FREE / 18+ $7 / 8:30pm
and downstairs...
OLIN & THE MOON
MICHAEL RUNION
Echoplex
1156 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Map
21+ FREE / 18+ $7 / 8:30pm
Correatown - "Green Cotton Dress" (MP3)
Leslie and the Badgers - "The Torture" (MP3)
The Grizzly Owls - "I Am A Shootist" (MP3)
Olin & the Moon - "Terrible Town" (MP3)
Friday, October 23, 2009
This Saturday, Michael Nhat celebrates the long-awaited release of his self-titled record out on How To Be a Microwave. Two years in the making, this sequel to The Prequel (released earlier this year), features Nhat's signature hypnotic rhymes over playful toy factory beats with occasional guest appearances by K-The-I???, jbts (Luna Is Honey), and Cardio Pulmonary. And where else could we celebrate such a record than at the Nhat/HTBAM homebase of The Vermont House, one of L.A.'s favorite DIY venues slash party houses ever. Get there early for the whole lineup. It's massive...
October 24, 2009
Los Angeles Loves... Michael Nhat
MICHAEL NHAT record release
VOICE ON TAPE
HALLOWEEN SWIM TEAM
NARWHAL PARTY
REDEMER
BLUE TAPE RED TAPE
LUNA IS HONEY
The Vermont House
1515 S. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90006 | Map
All Ages / Donation / 9pm
Michael Nhat on MySpace
Michael Nhat on How To Be a Microwave.
Pre-order Michael Nhat's self-titled new album here.
Michael Nhat - "Everyone Knows Werewolves Kill" (MP3)
Exciting week of activities leads us to the beginning of a week-long (or is it a long week?) parade of Halloween-related events around town so let's get to it...
Tonight, listen up for Spirit Fangs on Demolisten. Castledoor, We Barbarians, and others at the Bootleg. Spindrift, Xu Xu Fang, and others at Viper. Jeremy Jay and others at The Smell. Jon Brion at g'net. White Arrows opens for Kurt Vile at Spaceland. Manhattan Murder Mystery continues their residency at Echo Curio. Elaine Layabout's "Hella Hipster Hoedown" at pehrspace. Jogger at Hyperion Tavern. Vermouth at Taix. Iglu & Hartly and Malbec at Saint Rocke. Brian Wright, Those Darlins, and others at the Hotel Cafe. My Pet Saddle, Rough Kids, Charlie and the Moonhearts, Thomas Function, and Yussuf Jerusalem at Five Star Bar. And don't forget about Smokeout Festival and Baconstock (in honor of the Cinema Bar's longtime bartender Sara Bacon who will be leaving Los Angeles).
Saturday, we're helping out with Michael Nhat's record release at the Vermont House (posting to follow). You also might want to check out a couple of good in-stores with Frank Fairfield at Amoeba and Weave! at Origami Vinyl. Also, Charlie Haden is honored by Bass Player Magazine at the Key Club. SoKo and Hymns open for Daniel Johnston at the Music Box. Craig Robinson (of "The Office") and The Nasty Delicious plays a show at The Mint. 10th Annual Dia De Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever with Lila Downs, La Santa Cecilia, and many others. L.A. Guns at the Knitting Factory. Kevin Smith at Orpheum Theatre. Jackson Browne, Tim Robbins, and others at the Actors Gang. Miss Derringer opens for Tiger Army at the Wiltern. Weezer at the Palladium. Abe Vigoda, Moses Campbell, Mi Ami, and These Are Powers at The Smell. El Ten Eleven and others at the Bootleg. Mad Gregs residency continues at Echo Curio. Lemon Sun and Voxhaul Broadcast at the Unknown Theater. Mike Watt and the Secondmen at Alex's Bar. Little Red Radio and others at Spaceland. Liz Pappademas and The Level, Dirt Dress, and others at pehrspace. Shakey Graves, Collisions, and others at The Cocaine. Familiar Trees at Open. And Telomere Repair, Gestapo Khazi, and The Littlest Viking at The Prospector.
Sunday, Greg Laswell celebrates the release of his new "Covers" EP at the Hotel Cafe. The lovely Linda Ronstadt Y Mariachi Los Camperos at the Gibson Amphitheatre. Jello Biafra at the El Rey. The Parson Red Heads, Hymns, and The Street Babe & Shadow at Casey's. Rats continue their residency at the Echo Curio. Okie Dokie, Rough Kids, The Spits, Davila 666, and others at Five Star Bar. Big Moves, Cartographers, and other others at The Mint. And The Polar Future, Wild Pack of Canaries, and others at $ucka Free.
Complete calendar listing here.
Pictured above is the Hunx in Hunx and His Punx breaking out the thong for the last song at Mountain Bar on Tuesday. Sexxxy.
Monday, October 19, 2009
It's CMJ week so lots of kids are out on the other coast. Pictured above is Ms. Love Grenades (holding our deflated heart in her hand), one of dozens of Los Angeles bands that will be destroying New York venues this week. We wish them all the best on their travels and efforts to be huge rock stars. While they're away, we'll be keeping local venues warm for them...
Tonight, Mozella celebrates the release of her new record Belle Isle at the Hotel Cafe with Nicole Simone, Tiff Jimber and others. Matt Costa, Emily Wells, Sonos, Leah Andreone, and others at Echoplex. The lovely Sarah Vowell does an in-store signing for her new book "The Wordy Shipmates" at Book Soup. Gaby Moreno, Amber Rubarth, and others at Room 5. Tearist opens for La Roux at the El Rey. My Pet Saddle, Forcefield ON, and others open for The Mumlers a the Continental Room. Pit Er Pat and others at Echo Curio. Mikki & the Mauses, Art of Bleeding, and others at pehrspace. The Health Club, Guppies, and others at Tribal. Allah Las and Peg Leg Love at Crane's. And the Monday residencies. Also, catch The Damselles on KXLU later tonight... Tuesday, Louden Swain celebrates the release of their new record A Brand New Hurt at The Mint. We remember seeing some early shows they did at one of our favorite old clubs Jacks Sugar Shack and it still brings a smile to our face when they show up on calendars still working it even with "Felicity" no longer on the air (sorry, we had to namedrop this one). Tom Brosseau with special guests at g'net. Caitlin Crosby continues her Hotel Cafe residency while Jamie Drake continues her residency at Crane's. Naomi Striemer at Room 5. Evidence opens for Brother Ali at the El Rey. Robert Francis opens for Noah & the Whale at the Roxy. El Ten Eleven and Rainbow^Arabia at Cinespace. Seasons, Eliza Rickman, and Sweet Little Things at pehrspace. The Mormons, Stab City and others at the Redwood. And The Monthlies, Eugene & the 1914, Megasapien, and others at the Silverlake Lounge... Wednesday, Low End Theory celebrates 3 years. Moving Units opens for The Sounds at The Wiltern. Pilar Diaz continues her residency at La Cita. Soul Puppet, Dietra Kruschev, and others at the Silverlake Lounge. Eagle Winged Palace at Territory. And Cricket and the 2:19 continue their residency at Taix... Thursday, listen up for Hope Sandoval & the Warm Inventions on Morning Becomes Eclectic then check them out later at the Mayan (with the lovely Suki Ewers opening). Shiny Toy Guns open for The Sounds at The Wiltern. Joey Ryan, Katie Costello, and Astrella Celeste continue their residency at the Hotel Cafe. 60-Watt Kid and others at The Smell. Jack Wilson, Jr. continue their residency at Echo Curio. The Royalties, Ezra Reich, and Superhumanoids at The Bordello. And boxViolet, The Hard to Get, and many others at the Knitting Factory.
Full calendar listing here.
Happy birthdays over the weekend to Ken Ramos (Shiloe) and Jonneine Zapata. Happy birthdays this week to Sterling Andrews, Chris Seefried, Ariana Delawari, Jes Hudak, and Franki Chan.
Also, just a heads up, we're helping with Michael Nhat's record release show at the Vermont House on Saturday. Prepare yourselves for that one...
Friday, October 16, 2009
What a rainy, lazy week of non-blogging. We'll post about the three hundred bands we saw this week sometime soon. Until then, here's the much more interesting weekend thingie.
Tonight, listen up for Restavrant on Demolisten. Then head out to Aimee Mann and Fountains of Wayne at The Wiltern. Darker My Love opens for A Place To Bury Long Band Names (I mean Strangers at Echoplex). Captain Ahab and others at The Smell. Manhattan Murder Mystery residency at Echo Curio with Crooked Cowboy, Fort Wife, and others. Oh Not Stereo, The Ringers, The Ruse, an others at Viper. Jon Brion at g'net. VOICEsVOICEs at Casey's. God Equals Genocide, Pu$$ycow, and others at Juanita's. And James Webber record release at the Hotel Cafe.
Saturday, Heart and The Bangles at the Greek. Tenacious D at the Actors' Gang. Chali 2na, Aceyalone, and others at the Roxy. Juliette Lewis, The Ettes, and others at the El Rey. Mayer Hawthorne at Century City then later at Saint Rocke. Nosaj Thing, Rainbow^Arabia, Ras G, and others at Ground Zero. Tribute to Desmond Dekker with tons of great bands at Mad Gregs residency at Echo Curio. The Press Fire!, Halloween Swim Team, and others at Women. Eugene & the 1914 and others at The Prospector. Interface 29 and Jelly Roll, both downtown. Mexican Institute of Sound and others at La Cita. And The Pogues return to town for a show at Club Nokia.
Sunday, Pizza! celebrates the release their new Manimal Vinyl compilation Bogus Rimshots from the Fourth at The Echo with Weave!. Aztlan Underground, Germonimo, and Killsonic at the Troubadour. Butthole Surfers and The Melvins at Club Nokia. Caitlin Crosby, Samantha Stollenwerck, and Rachael Cantu at Saint Rocke. VOICEsVOICEs open for The Black Heart Procession at the Echoplex. Our old friend Chris von Sneidern opens for John Wesley Harding at McCabe's. Michael Runion, Haim, The Pink Snowflakes, and Two Guns at Spaceland. Chantal Kreviazuk and Elizveta at the Hotel Cafe. Rats residency at Echo Curio. And The Builders & The Butchers do an early in-store at Origami Vinyl.
Full calendar listing here.
Pictured above is Le Switch outside of Alex's Bar preparing to rock Long Beach last night. That truck is huge.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fun weekend. Yup, short and quick. Oh, and here's that half-ass weekly thing we do...
Tonight, Monday residencies continue. Go to as many as possible, please. Also tonight, Family of the Year opens for Bell X1 at the Troubadour. The Smart Set opens for Marianne Dissard at the Hotel Cafe. Whitman, Clark 8, Sex Worker and others at Carnage Mondays at pehrspace. Signals and others open for These Arms Are Snakes at The Smell. Also, catch a rerun of Emily Wells on Carson Daly tonight... Tuesday, Binary releases their new record LA Lights at Echoplex. Lots of Love, Paige Stark, and others at the Bootleg. Low Stars, Jay Nash, Shane Alexander, and Justine Bennett at the Troubadour. Caitlin Crosby and others at the Hotel Cafe. Nadja, Aidan Baker, Pedestrian Deposit and others at Sync. Spider Problem, Shirley Rolls and others at The Bordello. Barr, Kutmah, and others at Five Star Bar. Mono plays the El Rey. And Dylan does a couple of nights at the Palladium... Wednesday, Daniel Lanois Black Dub at the Troubadour. The Temper Trap and Jets Overhead at the Roxy. Pilar Díaz begins her residency at the La Cita. Jail Weddings, The Polyamorous Affair, and VOICEsVOICEs at the Mountain Bar. Random Patterns, Superhumanoids, and others at the Bootleg. And Cricket and the 2:19 continue their residency at Taix... Thursday, Pete Yorn does a special show at the Hard Rock Cafe. thenewno2 opens for The Streets at Club Nokia. Jack Wilson, Jr. continues their residency at Echo Curio. The Growlers open for BLK JKS at Spaceland. Joey Ryan, Katie Costello, and Astrella Celeste do their residency at the Hotel Cafe. Le Switch, Paperplanes, and others at Alex's Bar. Tony Gilkyson at TAix. And Vulture, Moment Trigger, and Tearist at L'KEG.
Full calendar listing here.
Happy belated birthdays over the weekend to Rob Danson (Death to Anders), Eleni Mandell, Kevin Bronson, and of course the lovely Haden Triplets. Happy birthdays this week go out to Jillinda Palmer (The Breakups/The Monolators/The Damselles), Bryony Atkinson (Merrick), and Margot Paige (boxViolet).
Pictured above is HM157 where 60-Watt Kid, Halloween Swim Team, Hair Envelope played on Friday.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Not sure if there more people were downtown last night for Artwalk or for the seemingly endless buffet of food trucks that were scattered all over the streets, but it was another win-win situation. Another win-win situation was Pitchfork's random act of kindness this week as they gave two Los Angeles bands (not from The Smell scene) higher than a 1.6 rating. We don't read Pitchfork and, in general, we're completely illiterate, but we've been made aware that Dead Man's Bones' 7.1 rating and Fool's Gold's 7.6 rating of their respective records is apparently the music review equivalent of hell freezing over. So special thanks to DMD and FG for making it a little cooler down there for those Pitchfork writers.
Tonight, The Guppies are guests on Demolisten. John Doe & Exene sing songs at the Echoplex. Fool's Gold opens for Metronomy and Destructo at the Roxy. Motorhead, Reverend Horton Heat, Nashville Pussy, and Chelsea Girls at Club Nokia. The Nightwatchman opens a few nights for Steve Earle at the Troubadour. 60-Watt Kid, Hair Envelope, Pearl Harbor and others at HM157. Holding Hands Music Therapy benefit featuring battle sets by Mikki and the Mauses, Woah Hunx, The Widow Babies, The Amazements, The Press Fire!, Narwhal Party, and others. LACO$TE, Jogger, and others at Mr. T's Bowl. Manhattan Murder Mystery continue their Friday residency at Echo Curio with The Mormons, The Health Club and others. Slang Chickens opens for O'Death at Spaceland. The Half-Hearted and Sea Worthy at pehrspace. And Suki Ewers and others at Taix Lounge.
Saturday, Love Grenades and Pollyn at Mountain Bar. Ancestors celebrates the release of their record at two one nine (we just made up the name of that venue, it's a warehouse downtown). Dawn McCoy celebrates a new record of her own at the Hotel Cafe. Mad Gregs, Learning Music, and L.A. Fog at Echo Curio. Bastidas, Cobalt Cranes, Peg Leg Love, and others at The Smell. Art of Elysium "Genesis" event at HD Buttercup. Polvo at Spaceland. The Rosewood Thieves and Dead Trees at the Bootleg. Dietra Kruschev EP release show at Open. And old school Aquabats will no doubt reminiscing the old days as the band opens for Blink-182 at the Palladium.
Sunday, the 2nd Annual Part Time Punks Festival at Echoplex is the night's best bet with locals Abe Vigoda, Rainwbow^Arabia, WEAVE! and many others scheduled to perform. Elsewhere, Sunny Day Real Estate and The Jealous Sound together again at the Music Box. Penelope Fortier Monogram at DiPiazza's. And Rats at Echo Curio.
Full calendar listing here.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Linda Perhacs made her debut performance of the brilliant recording of Parallograms last night at REDCAT. If Perhacs were just some 20-something buzz indie folk artist promoting her hot new album that statement wouldn't probably be such a big deal, but Perhacs is no longer in her 20's and Parallelograms is 40 years old. And that's perhaps why a capacity crowd came out to celebrate a woman who wrote an album that is helping to define a new generation of music in Los Angeles.
The night began with Perhacs discussing everything from stories of her dental patients to philosophies of music, color, and shapes. It seemed necessary to introduce herself since for the last few decades she's been hiding in the Valley working as a dental hygienist while the so-called New Weird America generation was discovering her music. The sweetness of her demeanor and just the gentle way she spoke set a calmness in the room that would last the entire night. It also made us want to switch dentists.
It's difficult to single out any one performance as every artist brought something new and surprising to the stage, but let's face it, we all came to see Ms. Perhacs show off that pretty voice of hers. We also have to mention that We Are the World's version of "Moons and Cattails" (and Nicole McDonald's visuals) made 300 jaws drop. Other highlights included Hecuba's haunting version of "Hey Who Really Cares?" with companion visualizations; Blank Blue and Mia Doi Todd joining forces for a version of "Sandy Toes"; and LA Ladies Choir's beautiful rendition of "Parallelograms."
Huge raves must be given out to Dublab (who are celebrating 10 years of awesomeness this week) for the organization and execution of this event. It was, by far, one of the most beautiful tribute nights we've ever seen. And a proud declaration that indeed Los Angeles loves Linda Perhacs.
Linda Perhacs on MySpace.
Parallelograms available now through Sunbeam Records and CD Baby.
Linda Perhacs - "Parallelograms" (MP3) Limited time download
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Stopped by Dead Man's Bones' video release show for "Dead Hearts" last night at a sold-out Silent Movie Theatre. The video was somewhat nervously introduced by the band's two frontmen Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling (as if they weren't aware they'd be asked so many questions by the night's regular proprietor Jerry Beck) who both also directed the video with help by sculpture artist Arthur Ganson and set direction by Jed Hathaway. Seems like the band could present every song on this new record (out now) in a similar cinematic fashion as every song lends itself to creative visualizations (something we all probably wish Tom Waits did with Mule Variations). There are rumors that the band plans to tour using local children's choirs in each city for the ghostly voices that haunt their songs, which is pretty ingenious and perfect for the Halloween season. This whole project is actually pretty brilliant (we've been listening to the record non-stop for weeks) and, if anything, it finally puts to rest that Hollywood bands don't just come in pre-packaged Keanu/Leto containers. Dead Man's Bones perform at the Regent Theatre on 10/30, presented by Little Radio.
Tonight, Sheila Nicholls celebrates the release of her new record Songs From the Bardo at the Hotel Cafe. Old-school Nicholls fans should love the record, which has all the familiar political-minded eclecticisms she's been performing in town for over a decade. Joining her will be our ex-girlfriend Catherine Feeny who's in town promoting her new fantastic record People in the Hole, which she self-released a few weeks back. Also on this great lineup are the lovely Chapin Sisters who launch their First Wednesday residency at the club. We've known the Chapins since their very first shows in town (we might have booked one or two of them) so we love that we get to see them at a regular spot every month for the next few months. They recently finished a new record so we'll assume they'll be debuting some songs from it tonight. Sounds like a lock.
Also tonight, Thavius Beck celebrates the release of his new record Dialogue, which you might have caught us bumping on the way to the Crane's last night. We believe the record was supposed to come out next week on Mush Records but it's now not coming until 1/26 so this release show is a bit premature, but we're pretty sure everyone at Low End Theory tonight won't mind too much. "Go!," "Hardcore," "Sheepish" are the early go-to tracks for showing off your new Thunder 9500's... Nosaj Thing opens for Fever Ray at the Music Box (maybe he'll stop by LET after?). Mika Miko opens for Teenage Jesus and the Jerks at the El Rey. Toy Robots and Lowlight joint record release at Crane's. Cricket and the 2:19 begins their residency at TAIX. Robyn Hitchcock plays The Little Room of g'net with special guests Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and others. Kissing Cousins opens for Hot Toddies and The Foxes at the Silverlake Lounge. Slang Chickens opens for Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Bird down at Alex's. Duhkha, Narwhal Party, Stab City, and Not The Government at L'KEG. And the big Linda Perhacs show at Redcat.
Full calendar listing here.
In other news: Everyone's favorite punk rock drum corps Foot Village premiered their new video for the title track off their new album Anti-Magic. They go on another Euro tour in November... The prettiest member of The Press Fire!, Ms. Merisa, officially announced her departure from the band this week to pursue other creative projects. No word on how this effects Friday's scheduled show at The Smell but you should go anyway... In other band breakup news, The Guilty Hearts play their last show ever at the Redwood Bar on Saturday... If you missed the JoYo performance this morning on MBE, check it out here... Finally, raise your hands if you're excited about "The Office" wedding episode tomorrow. We apologize for being softies but this preview is killing us. Nice touch with the Powter track too (Drootin?).
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Kissing Cousins messaged us on their last stop of the tour, Seattle, where they proceeded to rock locals at a club called the High Dive. This time, guest Cousin Sean Foye provided all the juicy details of their time in the Emerald City. Special thanks to all the Cousins for calling us during their trip. Once again, the homecoming show is tomorrow (10/7) at the Silverlake Lounge with Foxes!, The Hot Toddies, and Rachel in the Woods.
Full dates below. Read their full tour diary via Facebook.
10/7 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
Purchase Pillar of Salt through Velvet Blue Music or iTunes.
Photo by Day 19.
Song in video is "First in the Fire" off their new record Pillar of Salt. Hear the whole song in its entirety at the Silverlake Lounge tomorrow.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Kissing Cousins gave us another booty call over the weekend, calling in from that other City of Roses, Portland, OR. There, they rendezvoused with their lovely flutist Kara Haro, as well as made time to spend with friends in the area including Richard Swift. After which, they headed to their next destination, Seattle (posting tomorrow), and then back home for a show on Wednesday!
Full dates below. You can also read their full tour diary via Facebook.
10/4 - High Dive, Seattle, WA
10/7 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
Purchase Pillar of Salt through Velvet Blue Music or iTunes.
Photo by Day 19.
Song in video is "First in the Fire" off their new record Pillar of Salt.
We left for the hills over the weekend to spend some time staring at the desert while listening to some good music at Manimal Festival. This was probably the best top-to-bottom lineup of bands of any festival this year and with many of these bands growing past the small stages of Silver Lake it was nice to see them all in such a relaxed setting. With the exception of Chairlift and EXITMUSIC canceling, the festival was nearly flawless thanks to Manimal founder Paul Beahan's tireless work. This one will be hard to top. Also, shout outs to the Joshua Tree Inn, which is still a pleasant stay after all these years; Route 62 Diner (Har Mar and friends were seen taking up all the booths); and Mastodon Peak for kicking our ass on Sunday morning.
So, in case you haven't figured it out already, the wonderful month of October is upon us...
Residencies this month include: Jonneine Zapata, Light FM, Correatown, Kyle Krone & Chris Wulff (of The Shys), The Fling, Jack Wilson, Jr., Manhattan Murder Mystery, Mad Gregs, Rats, Jamie Drake, Jon Brion, Pilar Diaz, Joey Ryan & Katie Costello, Cricket and the 2:19, Tony Lucca, Marie Digby, and our good friend Astrella Celeste (daughter of Donovan)...
Release shows include: Light FM (their whole residency is a release party), Breakestra, Pizza!, Mozella, Ancestors, Greg Laswell, Sheila Nicholls, Thavius Beck, Meaghan Smith, Louden Swain, Dawn McCoy, "L.A. Lights," The Paper Raincoats, Dietra Kruschev, Toy Robot, James Webber, Jason Diaz... Tomorrow, two of our favorite records of the year come out with The Happy Hollows releasing Spells and Dead Man's Bones releasing their debut self-titled. Get them both.
Festivals and big events this month (yes, some already happened) include: Eagle Rock Music Festival, Manimal Festival, Monster Massive, Hullabaloo, Hard Haunted Mansion, Part Time Punks Festival, Longhair Illuminati Art & Music Festival, KCRW's Masquerade Party, Low End Theory 3 Year Anniversary, Smokeout 2009, Droid Behavior 7 Year Anniversary, Elaine Layabout's Hella Hipster Hoedown #5, Ennio Morricone with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, An Evening with R. Crumb, the return of Sunny Day Real Estate and The Jealous Sound, and probably a ton of other Halloween-related events...
We're presenting two shows this month. One at The Echo on 10/26 for Correatown's free Monday residency with Sweden's First Aid Kit and San Diego's Joanie Mendenhall (all of whom we've had a crush on at one point in our lives). And we're also presenting a Halloween slash Autumn party at pehrspace on 10/31 with Asa Ransom, Eliza Rickman, and The Blind...
Happy belated birthdays over the weekend to Jeff Weiss (Passion of the Weiss), Josh Klinghoffer (Warpaint), Shannyn Sossamon (maudegone/Sissy), Josh Caldwell (Les Blanks), and one of celebrated a birthday as well. Lots of birthdays this week too: Angela Correa (Correatown), Jason71 (Eskimohunter), Juliette Commagere, Jeff Electric (Downtown/Union), Lisa Cole (Castledoor), and Jimmy Fusil (Bloody Robots) to name a few...
Also, sad news to report... While hanging out at Pappy & Harriet's we learned that Amy Farris passed away last week. We first saw her play with Kelly Willis on tour many years ago but she didn't really come to our full attention until she released Anyway on Yep Roc in 2004. And, in the last few years, she was a bit of a regular at our local watering hole The Cinema Bar. Her voice was unmistakably Nanci Griffith-esque and pure heart of gold Texas. Circumstances of her death are reportedly a bit vague at the moment, but what's clear is that she was a great musician and an integral part of L.A.'s alt-country scene. We'll miss her.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Got another call from our favorite Cousin Kissers last night after their show at Marilyn's on K Street in Sacramento. Sounds like things couldn't be going any better and apparently Sean Foye (producer of the next Summer Darling record) jumped on the tour to show his support for the band (and pick up groupies.)
Full dates below. You can also read their full tour diary via Facebook.
10/3 - Milky Way at Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR
10/4 - High Dive, Seattle, WA
10/7 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
Purchase Pillar of Salt through Velvet Blue Music or iTunes.
Photo by Day 19.
Song in video is "First in the Fire" off their new record Pillar of Salt.
Everyone who isn't sick from this flu bug that's going around will probably be sick by the end of this weekend as there are entirely too many possible ways to catch something with all the events going on. You might want to face mask it the next couple of days...
Tonight, Los Duggans are Demolisten's special guests. Later, Dublab celebrates their 10th anniversary with a special screening of rarely seen music videos at the Downtown Independent Theater. Geggy Tah opens for Amadou & Mariam at the Music Box. Brian Wright, The Idyllists, Carla Werner, and others at the Hotel Cafe. Republic of Letters, Golden State, and others at Silver Factory. The Crabs at the Knitting Factory. the1921a, Frank Fairfield, and Sunny War at McCabe's. Captain Ahab, John Carpenter, and others at Juanita's. Jon Brion at g'net. Shelley Short, Alexis Gideon, Erin Muir, and Queen Victoria at Echo Curio. Whitman, Clark 8, and others at Women. Alex Cuba celebrates the release of his new record at The Mint with RES and the amazing Sunny War. And Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps at the Bootleg. Oh, and this new buzz singer-songwriter fella Thom Yorke plays Echoplex.
Saturday is most definitely the busiest day of the month with the return of Eagle Rock Music Festival, Manimal Festival, and part deux of Longhair Illuminati Art & Music Festival being the day's most prized events. Elsewhere, Holly Conlan celebrates the release of her new record Fascinator at the Hotel Cafe. You Me & Iowa plays their last show ever (?) at Spaceland with Radars to the Sky and others. Tom Brosseau & Correatown open for Elvis Perkins at the Troubadour. Mellowdrone opens for New Model Army and Modwheelmood at the Knitting Factory. CMG and the We Are the Night record pre-release show at Echo Curio. White Leopards, Bestial Mouths, Italic Indian, and Animals on Coke at L'KEG. La Santa Cecilia opens for Anda at Mal's Bar. Pollyn, Big Moves, and Vanaprasta at the Roxy. There's also a Johnny Ramone Tribute at Hollywood Forever and Jolie Holland, Marianne Faithfull, Ming & Ping, Ida Maria and many others are in town on tour.
Sunday, Quazar and the Bamboozled and The Damselles play and afternoon show for the kids at The Echo. Lucky Dragons opens the first of two shows at the Orpheum for Thom Yorke. Shane Alexander, George Sarah, and others open for Tina Dico at the Roxy. Gil Scott-Heron at the El Rey. Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, Yellow Red Sparks, and Olin and the Moon at Alex's Bar. Devon Williams, Sad Horse, and others at Echo Curio. Ingrid Michaelson does an in-store at Fingerprints. Marina V., Billie Myers, and others at the Hotel Cafe. And a special benefit show at g'net with The Scrantones.
Full calendar listing here.
Have a good weekend, friends.
The Idyllists - "You're Going To Break My Heart Someday" (MP3)
Les Shelleys (Tom Brosseau & Angela Correa) - "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" (Les Paul & Mary Ford cover) (MP3)
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Kissing Cousins hit the first-ish stop of their quickie West Coast tour last night at San Diego's The Bitter End and were nice enough to call in for our little phone call report thing we started (then stopped) a few months ago. The band recently released one of our favorite records of the year with Pillar of Salt and are doing what bands have to do these days to spread the word of its brilliance. And that would be touring. According to drummer Beth Zeigler, things went great so thank you San Diego (or is it "you're welcome, San Diego"?). You're next, Sacramento. Full dates below. You can also read their full tour diary via Facebook (here's entry uno).
10/1 - Marilyn's on K Street, Sacramento, CA
10/3 - Milky Way at Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR
10/4 - High Dive, Seattle, WA
10/7 - Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles, CA
Purchase Pillar of Salt through Velvet Blue Music or iTunes.
Photo by Day 19.
Song in video is "First in the Fire" off their new record Pillar of Salt.
