Thursday, January 31, 2008
Ah, finally. How excruciating was this? We hope you weren't waiting for some killer finale to this thing. If you were, here it is: We love you.
Ok, see you next year! Wait, it is next year...
L.A. WOMAN 2007
Meiko - Yeah, she's from Georgia, but if L.A. had an 'it' girl in 2007 it was Meiko. The Hotel Cafe waitress became a Hotel Cafe goddess in less than a year. She took a chance and released her album on her own despite offers from more than a few interested parties only to become one of the year's biggest indie sellers on iTunes and CD Baby. That takes guts and look at all the street cred she got. Sure, she got some help from that blogger guy, but it takes more than blogs to get online marketing VP's analyzing your every move and A&R lackeys buttering you up with fancy dinner meetings. Word is that she's now signed or close to a deal with a major, which is probably okay given all the leverage she now has. Let's hope she took them to the cleaners. All in all, it was a great year for Meiko and her success may pave the way for others working the indie angle. Also, if those "I want you" refrains in "Reasons to Love You" don't make you feel horrible for not having a girlfriend/boyfriend, nothing else will.
60 FAVORITE LPs 2007
- Bodies of Water - Ears Will Pop and Eyes Will Blink (Thousand Tongues)
- Holly Palmer - Songs For Tuesday (Bombshell)
- Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation Of Niggy Tardust (Fader)
- Patrick Park - Everyone's In Everyone (Curb Appeal)
- HEALTH - HEALTH (Lovepump United)
- Aceyalone - Lightning Strikes (Decon/Project Blowed)
- Pocahaunted/Robedoor - Hunted Gathering (Digitalis)
- Willoughby - I Know What You're Up To (Self-release)
- Tom Brosseau - Cavalier (Fat Cat)
- The Underground Railroad to Candyland - Bird Roughs (Recess)
- Kevin Shields - The Death of Patience (Deathbomb Arc)
- Percee P - Perseverance (Stones Throw)
- Joe Purdy - Take My Blanket and Go (Self-release)
- Earlimart - Mentor Tormentor (Major Domo)
- Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five (Zedtone)
- Sea Wolf - Leaves in the River (Dangerbird)
- No Age - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
- Great Northern - Trading Twilight for Daylight (Eenie Meenie)
- The Cauterized - Hung Be the Heavens with Black (Musicaz)
- The Henry Clay People - Blacklist the Kid with the Red Moustache (Self-release)
- The Deadly Syndrome - The Ortolan (Dim Mak)
- The Warlocks - Heavy Deavy Skull Lover (Tee Pee)
- Jesca Hoop - Kismet (Columbia)
- Omar Rodriguez-Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo (GSL)
- Ferraby Lionheart - Catch the Brass Ring (Nettwerk)
- Charlie Wadhams - Free Up Your Schedule (Self-release)
- Gliss - Love the Virgins (Cordless) [Self-released in 2006]
- Tenlons Fort - Followed By Bad Luck (Self-release)
- Brother Reade - Rap Music (Record Collection)
- Meiko - Meiko (Lucky Ear Music)
- Lavender Diamond - Imagine Our Love (Matador) [Self-released in 2006]
- Amateurs - Speak Easy (Self-release)
- The Parson Red Heads - King Giraffe (Yukon)
- Let's Go Sailing - The Chaos in Order (Yardley Pop)
- Jessica Fichot - Le Chemin (Self-release)
- Phoenix & the Turtle - Asleep in America (Self-release)
- Liz Pappademas - Eleven Songs (Self-release)
- Io Perry - Split Yourself In Two (Self-release)
- Jacob Golden - Revenge Songs (Self-release)
- Sarabeth Tucek - Sarabeth Tucek (Echo)
- Carlos y Gaby - La Voz Sabia de los Cosmos (Alpha Pup)
- Foreign Born - On the Wing Now (Dim Mak)
- Jeremy Jay - Dreamland (St. Ives)
- The World Record - Guitars Forever (TallBoy) [Self-released in 2006]
- Frankel - Lullaby for the Passersby (Red Rockets Glare)
- John Doe - A Year In The Wilderness (Yep Rock)
- The Section Quartet - Fuzzbox (Decca)
- A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In the Sea (Virgin)
- Emma Burgess - Swim (Love Yourself)
- Division Day - Beartrap Island (Eenie Meenie)
- The Peculiar Pretzelmen - Uncanny Eyes (Self-release)
- Ozma - Pasadena (About A Girl)
- edIT - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
- Chris & Thomas - Land of Sea (Defend)
- Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight (Warner Bros.)
- Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live (SideOneDummy)
- Odd Modern - Caspian Sea Sick (Self-release)
- Sara Bareilles - Little Voice (Epic)
- Leerone - Imaginary Biographies (Self-release)
- Dead Rock West - Honey and Salt (Populuxe)
30 FAVORITE EPs 2007
- Alex and Sam - Sounds Like This (Self-release)
- Nosaj Thing - Views/Octopus (Self-release)
- The Sharp Ease - Falling Together (Self-release)
- Flying Lotus - Reset (Warp)
- The Battle of Land and Sea - The Battle of Land and Sea (Self-release)
- The Airborne Toxic Event - The Airborne Toxic Event (Self-release)
- Amy Cooper - Mirrors (Retone)
- The Monolators - You Look Good on the Train (Ninjastar)
- Miss Derringer - Black Tears (Stay Gold)
- Sara Lov - Three Songs (Self-release)
- The Bird and the Bee - Please Clap Your Hands (Blue Note)
- Ceci Bastida - Front BC (Self-release)
- The Peculiar Pretzelmen - The Grackle EP (Self-release)
- Venus Infers - Venus Infers...(the white album) (Self-release)
- Sam Sparro - Black & Gold (Modus Vivendi)
- The Happy Hollows - Horse Chakra EP (Self-release)
- The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra - Demo EP (Self-release)
- Sunday Drivers - Archetypes (Sunday Drivers)
- In Waves - A Walk (Henry)
- Daedelus - Fair Weather Friends (Ninja Tune)
- I Make This Sound - Everything Means Something (Self-release)
- Solare - Demo EP (Self-release)
- Moonrats - Moonrats (Self-release)
- Aushua - Aushua (Self-release)
- Princeton - A Case of the Emperor's Clothes (Self-release)
- The Hectors - Sometimes They Collide (Tarantism)
- Kissing Cousins - EP 3 (Velvet Blue)
- Castaneda - Castaneda (Self-release)
- No Little Kindness - Rejoice (Judah)
- Boom Bip - Sacchrilege (Lex)
FAVORITE SONGS 2007
Miss Derringer - "Black Tears"
Bodies of Water - "These Are the Eyes"
Holly Palmer - "Girl in Lust"
Willoughby - "Frankenstein"
The Deadly Syndrome - "Animals Wearing Clothes"
Venus Infers - "London's Raining"
Emma Burgess - "Darlin'"
The Parson Red Heads - "Forever"
One Trick Pony - "The Box"
Tenlons Fort - "Change Your Mind"
Lavender Diamond - "Oh No"
Sarabeth Tucek - "Something For You"
Liz Pappademas - "Loma Prieta"
Great Northern - "Low Is A Height"
Eleni Mandell - "Girls"
Meiko - "Reasons to Love You"
The Monolators - "Eagle Fighting Zebra"
The Henry Clay People - "The Bandage on the Bloodclot"
Sea Wolf - "Middle Distance Runner"
The World Record - "We're #1"
FAVORITE COVER SONG 2007
Petra Haden - "Don't Stop Believin'" (Journey) - Recorded for the Guilt By Association compilation, Petra does her take on one of the greatest rock anthems of all time in her patent all-vocal style. Although there is some drum machine sequencing in the song, all the signature Neil Schon licks are still in tact. And, as we all know, no one does guitar solos like Ms. Haden.
Petra Haden - "Don't Stop Believin'" (MP3)
FAVORITE MERCH 2007
Pocahaunted Icon T-shirt
The Monolators custom hoodie
The Happy Hollows "Pick Pockets"
Sara Lov Heart Sticker
HEALTH Hyena T-shirt
The Airborne Toxic Event Deep-V TV T-Shirt
The Sharp Ease Deep-V "Snowflake" T-shirt
Cold War Kids - Cowards T-shirt
Meiko magnets
The Deadly Syndrome Squid T-shirt
FAREWELLS 2007
A few of our favorite bands broke up in 2007. Let's have a moment of silence for The Sharp Ease, Anchors for Architects, PRS HLTN, MTHRFCKRS!!, Los Abandoned, Angeles Drake, Rose For Bohdan, The Colour, and Polus. We'd also like to take a moment to formally say goodbye to a few bands that have left Los Angeles for other pretty places: The Shark That Ate My Friend, Amy Cooper, Tenlons Fort, Sylvie Lewis (2006), Battle of Land and Sea, Shanna Kiel, Richard Swift (2006), Catherine Feeny (2006), Jacob Golden, Alexi Murdoch, and Cass McCombs -- who left (again) upon completing his new record. Also, one final farewell to Sea Level Records. We'll miss you all.
THANK YOU'S 2007
We're extremely grateful to all the bands, bookers, and venues for slumming it with us this past year. Our shows are small, but our hearts are big. We love you: The Shark That Ate My Friend, Master/Slave, Masterslashslave, The New Motherfuckers, The Battle of Land and Sea, Jacob Golden, The Low Standards, Laura Burhenn (Washington, D.C.), Gregory Page, Castledoor, Summer Darling, 8-bit, Amy Cooper, The Henry Clay People, Kissing Cousins, Anavan, The Mormons, Bloody Robots, Lenka (Australia), Jeremy Jay, Ema and the Ghosts, Tenlons Fort, Cobra Lilies, Correatown, The Parson Red Heads, The Fast Computers (Portland), Blue Skies For Black Hearts (Portland), Amateurs, Cat Hair Ensemble, The Sweet Hurt, The Deadly Syndrome, Aushua, Phoenix and the Turtle, Le Switch, The Front, redGIANTS, One Trick Pony, Seasons, Death House Chaplain, E>K>U>K, The Soft Hands, Teddy's Cheer Club, The Secret 6, My Pet Saddle, Dirt Dress, Liz Pappademas, Amnion, The Year Zero, The Natural Disasters, Downtown/Union, Joshua Lanes, National Treasure, and of course our good friends The Monolators. Huge thanks to Arlo and Gus at Mr. T's Bowl, Scott at The Fold, Allen at The Scene, Kevin at Pull Your Pants Up It's Tuesday, Pauline and Darren at pehrspace, Ashley Jex from Rock Insider, Jeff Weiss at Passion of the Weiss, Kevin Bronson at Buzz Bands, Justin Gage at Aquarium Drunkard, Dan at MusicGlob, Hadley Tomicki at LATaco.com, Jeff Koga, Elaine Layabout, and the awesome folks at L.A. Record. We are very lucky to know you. Lastly, we'd like to thank the beautiful city of Los Angeles and all who call it home. Without you, we'd just be dash underground.
los angeles will always love you 2007
Good afternoon, friends. Welcome to chapter três of how much we loved 2007. We know this is extremely past-tense but how can we love the future if we can't love the past? We have no idea what that meant but it sounded good when we typed it so we're sticking with it. See you later for part 4.
FAVORITE MUSIC BLOGGER 2007
Kevin Bronson - If you see a distinguished older gentleman quietly rocking out next to you at your favorite Silver Lake club, hope that it's K-Bronze because that would mean you're at the place to be that night. We like to call him K-Bronze because bloggers as hip to the scene as he is deserve hyphenated nicknames. In the last year since making Buzz Bands into a full-fledged blog, he's instantly made an impact on the music scene with breaking news and straight-to-the-point reviews (not to mention making the L.A. Times something worth reading again). He's got a great ear for the up-and-comers and, boy, can this guy club hop. We once saw him at three different clubs in one night. Tune into his show on Little Radio Wednesdays from 6-8pm for all his latest finds.
FAVORITE PHOTO BLOGGER 2007
"Shanty" Cheryl Groff - If you ever find yourself at any given punk rock show in the South Bay, you can pretty much guarantee that the sweet looking girl beside you with the Nikon and the fisheye lens is Ms. "Shanty" Cheryl. She's single-handedly bringing the San Pedro punk scene to life with her raw action shots and candids of local favorites Toys That Kill, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, and any great locals playing house parties or the diviest of dive bars in the area. All of this is well-documented on her excellent Blah! Zine, which we highly recommend perusing before even stepping anywhere near Harbor City.
FAVORITE VIDEO BLOGGER 2007
Elaine "Layabout" - She stands elbow-locked with her point-and-shoot at most of the best shows in town. Positioned at the front of the stage since doors opened, you're not likely to take her much-coveted spot no matter how good you are at pushing and shoving to the stage. Her videos of music's best underground bands bands are frequently favorited, embedded, and bookmarked by many an indie rock fan. Hence, she's become an invaluable resource for bloggers, fans, and anyone wanting to get a taste of a band before spending the bucks to see them live. She's also famous for making some rather hardcore hummus.
FAVORITE MUSIC COLUMNIST 2007
Falling James - The L.A. Weekly has a treasure trove of great writers, but for the second year in a row, Falling James was our most dearly beloved. This has nothing to do with the fact that we're still big Leaving Trains fans and hope they play more often than every few years. Or the fact that we still think he's the best cross-dressing frontman in punk rock history. Or the fact that he was once married to some girl named Courtney Love in the 80s. It's really because after all these years he's still kept his ear to the underground longer and stronger than anyone else in the scene. And, well, we just love the guy.
FAVORITE BAND BLOG 2007
Gliss - Not enough bands blog. Gliss does and they've been kicking everyone else's non-blogging butt since restarting theirs in the summer. We particularly love their video blogs, which range from shopping at CVS to playing frisbee. And, yes, we watched all 4 minutes of that frisbee toss parade because we didn't know Silver Lake bands did anything but lift Parliament Lights for cardio.
FAVORITE VIDEOS 2007
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
This is Part B. And we should put a disclaimer that if we missed your great band/event/etc. or there is an error in dates/releases/etc., it's because we suck at this and you should probably stop reading at this point or you'll just be more disappointed in us than you already are. We apologize for everything including the war in Iraq.
FAVORITE DJ/SELECTOR 2007
P-Trix - We hadn't seen P-Trix (aka Patrick Arriola) since he won the DMC Championship in 1999 and then we stumbled onto his residency at Club Rockit. As a member of the now-legendary crew IF2 (Immortal Fader Fyters), P-Trix once ruled the land in underground DJ battles. We actually got our ass handed to us once by him at an ITF regional battle, which coincidentally was the day we sold our 1200's for a laptop computer. In any case, even though turntablism has lost some of its glory, the guy still lays down the tracks as good as anyone else. We're hoping to see more of P behind the decks in 08.
FAVORITE SOUND MANIPULATOR 2007
Nosaj Thing - Sure, Flying Lotus, Glitch Mob, and Daedelus got all the big press but Nosaj Thing (aka Jason Chung) totally blew our minds in 2007. His "Views/Octopus" EP was just a mere glimpse of what he has in store for Los Angeles. And don't be thrown by his laid-back approach to this sets. You'll quickly be bouncing off the walls with a few EQ turns and MPC taps. No doubt, everyone who's had the pleasure of seeing him live knows he's minutes away from blowing up in 08.
FAVORITE BAND NAME CHANGE 2007
2007 was the year of un-fucking band names. First, The New Motherfuckers changed their name to Pizza!, which of course is brilliant because who doesn't like pizza!? Then Ima Fucking Gymnist changed their name to Ima Gymnist. Not to mention, PRS HLTN, MTHRFCKRS!! hated the name so much they broke up. All in all, it was certainly time to get the eff away from that infamous 4-letter word and grow up a little. Now if Good Charlotte could just change their name to Horrible Shit the world would be a better place.
FAVORITE MYSPACE BAND PROFILE PHOTO 2007
Captain Ahab - The MySpace profile photo is probably the most important piece of promotional media a band can have and no other band utilized that space better than Captain Ahab. Their photo set by local artisan Renata Raksha will stand the test of time as some of the most beautifully hilarious images in the history of disco metal. You cannot take your eyes off of them and it would be pointless to resist.
FAVORITE BOOKER/PROMOTER 2007
Sean Carnage - Carnage kills. His nights are untouchable. He books bands that won't even answer our emails and he still has time to support other shows, market his DVD, and produce films. He showcases the best in experimental, ghettotronic, (fill in the blank)core, weird folk, and every kind of punk band there is. Plus, his high and tight crewcut is pretty damn fierce.
BEST EMBRACES 2007
Music is cool and all but hugs are the best. Sure, music can uplift the spirit but the power of a hug or a handshake is pretty life-changing too. Try it, you'll like it.
Emma Burgess - Ms. Emma has one of those hugs that make you feel like you're in a De Beers commercial. Seriously, you want to propose to this girl after just one hug. Is that Cat Power singing in my head? And why am I crying? Oh, wait, I just hugged Emma Burgess.
Joe Fielder (RadioFreeSilverLake.com)- We've met Joe once in our lives and it was the firmest handshake we've ever had. That along with his well-tailored suits and strong jawline makes him a sure thing in the next California primaries. Seriously, his handshakes could make mountains move or at least less traffic on the 101-110 interchange.
Nikki & Aaron Embry (Amnion) - Nikki hugs with her soul. She also gives a little scratch of the back when she does so. Not enough people backscratch when they hug. Learn from Nikki. She's the patron saint of hugscratches. Not to be outdone, Aaron is no slouch either. Strong yet giving, it's a hug you won't soon forget. Together, their hugs are a force to be reckoned with... Amnionic.
Christian Biel (The Transmissions) - Christian's embraces are well-renowned the world over. You'll find that it's never about the first touch for him, it's the second and third that matter. If you don't know what we're talking about, well then, shake hands or hug Christian Biel.
The Happy Hollows - Make no mistake, there's nothing hollow about Chris and Charlie handshakes. Both have strong grips and they look at you dead in the eye as if you just closed the deal on your 2500-square foot dream home. And, as for Sarah, if you've ever seen someone walking around Echo Park in a grade school crush state of bliss it's probably because they've just been Negahdari'd.
Summer Darling - With a name like Summer Darling you know you're in for some serious affection when you meet and greet this band. They're known for their sweet displays of head cradling, back-to-front embraces, and the always-welcome massage hugs. Their technique is utterly flawless and genuinely heartfelt.
Anonymous Man on Skid Row, Los Angeles - One late evening in April, after a show at The Cocaine, we took the long way to the 101 (i.e. we took a wrong turn) and at a stop sign near skid row we met a elderly gentleman who stood with a sign that read nothing but "thirsty" on it. After giving him all our fourth meal money, he extended his hand to shake ours, but when he did so he did the double handshake, or the "handwhich". It's our favorite handshake but one we rarely receive. We could almost feel every year of his life on skid row in that handshake. Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the United States. We need to do something about that.
Parts 3 and 4 tomorrow.
We didn't post a "Best of" thingy for 2006 (at least publicly) and we shouldn't even be doing it now except we're tired of saying no to certain people. So here's the abbreviated version of the 2007 list we sent to subscribers of the mailing list. The full version is even more pretentious than this one -- if that is even possible. Ok, let's get stupid...
ART 2007
Favorite solo show: "The Incurable Disorder" by Liz McGrath @ Billy Shire Fine Arts
Favorite group show: "Smitten" featuring Audrey Kawasaki, Stella Im Hultberg, Amy Sol, KuKula, and Brandi Milne @ Thinkspace
Favorite art event: Art Crawl X
FAVORITE RADIO SHOW 2007
"Demolisten" KXLU 88.9FM - Our two favorite radio shows in Los Angeles are KXLU's "Demolisten" and Little Radio's "Get the Fuck Up" but since two-way ties are e-tarded, we'd have to lean towards DMOLSN since we've rarely missed a show in over ten years and they continue to support more local bands than any institution in Los Angeles. Go through their archives and you'll find hundreds of interview/performances with some of your favorite L.A. bands long before any blogs had written anything about them. But more than that, current hosts Fred Kiko and Michael "Octavius" Poirier, have a great chemistry and their banter is hilarious, especially for the 30+ scene vets of Los Angeles (Octavius's ongoing rant about certain transplants living in L.A. is so right it's wrong). And if you're lucky enough to tune in when Chris Checkman stops by, just hope that traffic is worse than usual so you don't miss one second of it. Also, special thanks to Fred for giving us a copy of the much-sought after Chris Checkman documentary. It's pretty much the greatest thing we've ever seen and you all must pray that it finds distribution some day.
FAVORITE CONCERT POSTER DESIGNER 2007
Andrew Vastagh - One day, we hope to have one ounce the skillz of Mr. Vastagh who created some of the best concert artwork we saw in 2007. Our favorites include the brilliant Cat Power - Avalon, the lovely MIA - Wiltern, and the utterly perfect Blonde Redhead - Wiltern. Damn you, Vastagh... We hate you only because we love you.
FAVORITE BATTLE 2007
Franki Chan vs. Steve Aoki - Since their divorce in 2006, the Chan/Aoki feud hit epic proportions in 2007. Their respective Tuesday night clash of Check Yo Ponytail vs. Cinespace Tuesdays had them fighting for the biggest names in indie rock with mutual DJ/band friends getting caught in the middle of it all. It went back and forth all year until Ponytail moved to Saturdays at the much indie-kid friendly Echo/Echoplex with lineups that proved they had pulling power. Not to be outdone, Aoki countered by getting Kanye West to do a "surprise" appearance at Cinespace. While we don't take sides in such things, we at least appreciate what Chan has achieved with his venture, especially being the underdog. His nights are much more accessible to people not interested in stargazing or catering to hipsters. We attended the first Cinespace Tuesdays back when kids really just wanted to listen to good local bands paired with debuts from maybe Bloc Party, Ratatat, and The Bravery. Instead, it's kind of turned into a showcase of how much kids are influenced by MySpace, Vice Magazine, and the photos of Mark Hunter. We think the biggest hit to Aoki, however, is his association with the Madden bros., who "DJ" just about as good as they play "music." But the kids still love Aoki, so what do we know. Meanwhile, Chan has since started a new Tuesday night endeavor at Beauty Bar called "Still Fucking Awesome" to keep Aoki on his toes. In any case, we'll continue to watch this feud in 2008 even though we're not actually cool enough to get into any of their clubs.
15 FAVORITE RESIDENCIES 2007
- HEALTH @ pehrspace (June 2007)
- The Happy Hollows @ The Echo (September 2007)
- Anavan @ pehrspace (April 2007)
- The Pity Party @ the Silverlake Lounge (January 2007)
- Castledoor @ The Echo (October 2007)
- Bodies of Water @ The Echo (May 2007)
- The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Echo (March 2007)
- Sarabeth Tucek @ The Hotel Cafe (September 2007)
- The Deadly Syndrome @ Spaceland (June 2007)
- Rademacher @ Spaceland/All Star Lanes (November 2007)
- The Monolators @ Mr. T's Bowl (First Fridays)
- Eskimohunter @ Spaceland (July 2007)
- In Waves @ El Cid/Silverlake Lounge (February 2007)
- I Make This Sound @ The Bordello (August 2007)
- Gliss @ Spaceland (May 2007)
FAVORITE (non-la-underground) CONCERTS 2007
- 7/18/07 - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Moonrats, Warpaint @ the Troubadour
- 3/24/07 - The Sharp Ease, Devon Williams, The Tamala, BD Breakout, Fucking A, Your Mother's Lover, Spookey Ruben @ The Smell
- 7/29/07 - Dead Meadow, Darker My Love, The Entrance Band, HEALTH, Moonrats, Die!Die!Die!, Phantom Halo Family @ The Echo/Echoplex
- 3/22/07 - Anavan, Monotonix, The Underground Railroad to Candyland, Deadly Fins @ The Smell
- 4/14/07 - The Deadly Syndrome, The Happy Hollows, The Parson Red Heads, Tandemoro @ Spaceland
- 10/6/07 - 9th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival
- 11/7/07 - Dub Lab 8 Year Anniversary w/Blank Blue, DNTEL, Gaslamp Killer @ The Airliner
- 3/26/07 - Alexi Murdoch, Dustin O'Halloran, Sara Lov, Meiko @ the Hotel Cafe
- 11/18/07 - Alex and Sam, Monster, Blanket @ Tangier
- 3/27/07 - Tycho, Test Shot Starfish @ Star Shoes
5 THINGS WE LOVED ABOUT CASTLEDOOR'S THREE MONTHLY RESIDENCIES IN 2007
- "Dumpster Diving"
- "Stand By Me"
- "Cry Me A River"
- Body glitter
- $0.00
We're happy to be back on First Fridays at T's. There's been a last-minute change to the lineup as The Front has to cancel due to a personnel emergency. Ladies and Gents was kind enough to fill in. And The Health Club and The Dirty City Brothers round out the night. So it should be another fun-filled schmoozefest and we hope you can stop by for a few beers and a crowd surf.
February 1, 2008
Los Angeles Loves...
THE HEALTH CLUB
LADIES AND GENTS
THE DIRTY CITY BROTHERS
THE MONOLATORS
Mr. T's Bowl
5621 1/2 Figueroa Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90041 | Map
21+ / FREE / 9:00pm
The Health Club - "Summer Rolls" (MP3)
Ladies and Gents - "Song 9" (MP3)
The Dirty City Brothers - "I'm Feeling So Alive" (MP3)
Monday, January 28, 2008
A few things about Saturday's show. First of all, we love pehrspace and if we could do a show there every day it would be a dream. Thank you to Ms. Pauline and Mr. King for being fantastic people and genuine music lovers and scene supporters. The "I ♥ pehrspace" buttons were made special for you. Secondly, if we could have Ms. Ashley spinning Neko Case every night that would be an addendum to the dream as previously stated. Thirdly, congratulations to Correatown on their new EP and for performing probably the best show the band has ever done. Fourthly, all the bands that played were completely magnificent. Fifthly, thank you to everyone who braved dangerously wet weather to hang out, drink wine, spill wine, eat cupcakes, dance, hug, and generally be awesome the whole night. We did cry a little when it ended. You couldn't tell because it was raining... A few photos here. Great and more thorough write-up by CGT...
With that out of the way, let us discuss this thing called the end of January... Lots of build up to tonight's show with Radar Bros. at the Echo. What will probably be their last show ever (at least with this lineup) will most definitely make for a tearful night. Over on the other side of town, Petra Haden opens for SNL's Fred Armisen at the Troubadour, which may or may not be the L.A. debut of ThunderAnt, Armisen's project with Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein. It's also the end of the January residencies which have been extremely well attended all around town. People coming out and staying out late on a Monday night is one thing, but dancing too? Los Angeles, we're like madly in love with you right now... Other shows of note: Amnion at Spaceland (1/29), Newton Faulkner (who topped the British charts last year) makes his L.A. debut at the Hotel Cafe (1/29), The Year Zero/Katie the Pest at Open (1/29), Monte Negro (who recently signed to Epic) and Ceci Bastida showcase at the Knitting Factory (1/30), Summer Darling at Mr. T's Bowl (1/30), all-locals at the Troubadour (1/30), Chapin Sisters/Kind Hearts and Coronets lead the way at The Bordello (1/30), all-star lineup at Spaceland (1/31), huge L.A. Record lineup at the Knitting Factory (1/31), Amnion at Echo Curio (1/31), The Year Zero/Two Guns at The Prospector (1/31)... Also, get ready for First Fridays at T's (post later this week)... Got some preguntas regarding papercranes (featuring Rain Phoenix) who play tonight at Spaceland. They haven't played in Los Angeles for a few years, but the last show we saw them was at Molly Malone's and actor Dermot Mulroney (who plays in a pretty wonderful Irish local band called Cranky George) played cello on a few songs. They were pretty good, actually. Get there early if you're curious... Also, got some requests to post our "Best of 2007" thing that we sent to certain mailing list members. Maybe tomorrow or not... Listen up to GTFU tonight for special guests Brother Reade along with members of dios (malos) and Toys That Kill.
Get well, Mr. Yow.
Monte Negro - "Me Duele No Estar Junto A Ti"
Friday, January 25, 2008
We heard there were like a hundred car accidents last night. Let's all be careful out there, please. And get your tires rotated or something, 'cause you're sliding into our lane... Saw some friends at Amnion's show on Wednesday. How good was that show? Too good.
We'll be glued to our transistor internet to listen and watch Radar Bros. on tonight's "Demolisten". We must get the full details on their pending finale (of being one of L.A.'s best bands in the last ten years). Also tonight, Mirah and The Blow double dutch at the Music Box, BRMC break out the fog machine again for tonight's show at Safari Sam's, Kárin Tatoyan/Princeton open for Au Revoir Simone at the Troubadour, Lemon Sun/Astra Heights at the Echo, killer lineup at T's with Restaurant/Codpiece/Les Blanks (aka Muso)/Dirt Dress and others, and The Dagons come out of hibernation for a show at The Scene. And, oh my, our long lost San Diego buddy Steve Poltz celebrates the release of his new album, Unraveling, at The Mint. One of the very first shows we ever did was with Poltzie many years ago in San Diego. Nice of him to visit... Saturday, hope to see some of you at the big make out session at pehrspace, but if not, do try and check out the great "Food Not Bombs" benefit at Space Ark with Crooked Cowboy, Bloody Robots, and others. Paperplanes celebrates the release of their new album at the Prospector with The Movies and Le Switch. Monster and The Harpeth Trace close out Alex Johnstone's wonderful art exhibit with a performance at Young Art Gallery. Earthless visits us from their planet of San Diego to play the Mountain Bar. And Rocket, Bedtime for Toys, and Spider Problem duke it out at Spaceland... On Sunday, The Breakups, Liz Pappademas and The Sweet Hurt make friendly for a free show at Mr. T's Bowl. Blake Hazard plays a rare solo show in the front room of Tangier. And The Spires, Frankel, and Franklin For Short bowl for bucks at All Star Lanes.
Notes about tomorrow's show: We'll have posters for sale to donate more to the charity. We're also bringing wine and spirits for you to drink. Good article by the Independent here. Fantastic interview with Ms. Correatown here. Amazing write-ups of the show here and here. New EP now up on iTunes. It features a remix of "Racing Tides" by The Sweet Hurt who, incidentally, are opening the show. Synergy, gotta love it.
Lemon Sun - "The Answers" (live at The Echo, 12/5/2006) (MP3)
Rocket - "Not That Kind of Girl" (MP3)
The Spires - "In The Fine Autumn Time" (MP3)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Now that we're just getting over that heinous cough, everyone else is getting sick. Sorry about that.
Well, if you're feeling well enough, try and make it out to Amnion's first show of the year at 3 of Clubs tonight. Wednesdays at the club are a new weekly called Marathon Live, hosted by Brandon McCulloch (formerly of the great band Silver), and they have been amazing so far. Cass McCombs was a surprise guest last week, but tonight it's all about Nikki and Aaron Embry & Co. who will be playing tunes off their new album AmenNamO, due 2/8 -- although if you're a friend of theirs on any one of their 300 social networking profiles you probably already know that the whole thing is available free for download. Needless to say, we're a bit conflicted on the idea of giving all those great songs for free, but they must do what they must do so get them while you can. The show tonight is free, by the way (there's that word again). Listen to "1LOVe" below if you need more convincing.
We almost forgot to congratulate Mr. Smith and The Smell on their 10th anniversary. We were out of town for most of the shows but we heard they went well. Some of our favorite shows we've seen over the years there include Rilo Kiley, Deerhoof, Rizzo, Syncopation, Central City Transmission (featuring Ms. Jacqueline of Wait Think Fast), Jen Wood, Of Montreal, The Locust, Kid 606, Imaginary Bear puppet shows, Jesca Hoop's first L.A. show, and many lovely nights with Petra Haden, Becky Stark, and The Sharp Ease (to name a few). It's still the best all-ages club in Los Angeles and every 21+ club in town wants to be just like it when they grow up. Good articles on the anniversary here and here.
More congratulations go to our dear friend Kate Earl who recently finalized a deal with Universal Republic for her next record. Rumors, at one point, were that Dan the Automator would produce the follow-up to 2005's Fate Is the Hunter. Nevertheless, expect a much more urban/r&b return for Ms. Earl with the new record.
Tickets for Cat Power's 2/29 show at the Wiltern go on sale 1/26 while tickets for Tim & Eric's Awesome Tour stop at The Echoplex on 5/5 go on sale 1/25.
AmniOn - "1LOVe" (MP3)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Echoes is the new EP by Correatown and we're happy to be celebrating its release to the world on 1/26 at pehrspace. Co-produced by Raymond Richards and Angela Correa, the three-song EP is highlighted by the bittersweet "All the World (I Tell Myself)", which is easily one of the best songs of the new year, but any Grey's Anatomy fan could tell you that. What's more significant is that the EP is just a small taste of a new album that is expected to be released in the coming months. To help celebrate the release, Correatown has invited a few of their friends. The Sweet Hurt is led by Wendy Wang who does double duty as bassist for Correatown. The band will be releasing a new EP of their own soon. Daniel Ahearn recently went solo after playing half a decade with the great band Ill Lit. Jack Wilson, Jr. (featuring members of The Natural Disasters, The Devils Romantics, and The Airborne Toxic Event) recently made their debut at pehrspace and it went so well that this side project could be a not-so-side project soon. And Cobra Lilies, the experimental folk troupe of Mary and Eli Monolator, features members of Cat Hair Ensemble, Smells Like Flan, Ms. Ashley from Rock Insider, and a tap dancer.
All proceeds from the door, EP sales, and the bake sale (Ms. Correa will be baking some of her world famous treats) will go to the Bicycle Kitchen, the non-profit organization promoting the education of bicycle know-how in effort to get more people out of traffic and into the bike lane.
January 26, 2008
Los Angeles Loves...
CORREATOWN
THE SWEET HURT
DANIEL AHEARN
JACK WILSON, JR.
COBRA LILIES
DJ JAX (RockInsider.com)
pehrspace
325 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026 | Map
All Ages / $5 Donation / 9pm
Correatown - "All the World (I Tell Myself)" (MP3)
The Sweet Hurt - "Lost Again" (MP3)
Ill Lit (Daniel Ahearn) - "Worth the Wait" (MP3)
The Natural Disasters - "I'm in Love" (MP3)
Cobra Lilies - "She Won't Come Back" (demo) (MP3)
We're only a couple of weeks into 2008 and already it's been like the best year ever.
We heard that last night. Sure, they were our friends talking about their recent engagement and planned summer wedding, but we still couldn't agree more. The first few weeks of 2008 have been wonderful and just looking at the next six months, makes us giddy with excitement. But let's not get ahead of ourselves...
Tonight, along with the excellent residencies, The Movies and Light FM run the table at Viper while Sean Carnage put together a killer lineup at pehrspace... Our dear friend Matt Costa begins the promotional effort this week for his new album, Unfamiliar Faces, out tomorrow. We haven't seen the old chap in a few years as he's been touring non-stop pretty much that whole time, but the new album is a real surprise, even more charming and refined than the last. He's doing in-stores at Fingerprints (1/22) and Active Rideshop in Westwood (1/24) before headlining two sold-out shows at the Troubadour (2/1, 2/2). Joining Costa at Fingerprints will be Biirdie who also celebrate the release of their new record Catherine Avenue this week and are enjoying some recent success as well. Part-time local girl Sia, world beat Austinites Govinda, celebrity DJ Steve Aoki, and local singer-songwriter WAZ also have CD release shows this week in town... Later in the week, BRMC have two club shows at the Key Club (1/24) and Safari Sam's (1/25).
Coachella lineup is up. Doesn't look complete, but there it is.
Matt Costa - "Mr. Pitiful" (MP3)
Friday, January 18, 2008
Good week. Let's keep it going...
Great psych-rock lineup at Spaceland tonight with The Quarter After, Rocking Horse People, Stevenson Ranch Davidians, and The Pink Snowflakes (visiting from our friendly neighbor to the north, Portland, OR). War Tapes headlines Underground at the Echo. Xu Xu Fang, Winter Flowers, and Exitmusic at The Bordello. Alex and Sam at El Cid. And our old friend n.lannon (apparently going by his full name now) returns to town at the Knitting Factory with Frankel... Saturday, Languis make their 08 debut at pehrspace. While over at Crane's, the lovely Cat Hair Ensemble and Erich Von Kneip play a free show. Bloody Robots and Duchess of Tek converge at The Cocaine. And Oliver Future, Thailand, Casxio, and The Forward power pop at Spaceland... Sunday, Benji Hughes and Whispertown2000 will pack Tangier. The Sweet Hurt leads others for a KillRadio benefit at Lost Souls. At Echoplex, Daniel Brummel of Ozma does an intimate set at Air Condition Lounge, Om brings their monophonic metal to the stage to destroy you and your sense of melody.
But, most importantly, let's have fun.
The Quarter After - "One Trip Later" (MP3)
Winter Flowers - "Fire Song" (MP3)
n.lannon - "Next Obsession" (MP3)
Languis - "Someone Else's Fault" (MP3)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Lots of talk about Coachella. We love how this happens every year for this festival. Everyone anxiously anticipates the lineup by making lots of assumptions based on release dates, purported reunions, or internet chatter. Fake lineups momentarily ease the anxiety, but then become really annoying. The real lineup is released only to disappoint those who realize that their favorite obscure indie rock band isn't playing -- although not disappointed enough to still buy 3-day passes. The long wait to April is filled with reserving hotels, planning meet-ups with fellow forum/blogger/Flickr/MySpace buddies, and of course visiting the Coachella website everyday to check if Led Zeppelin gets added at some point. Coachella happens. Half of us love it, while others hate how commercial it's gotten and run around the festival grounds with huge chips on their shoulders on how they were into Radiohead way before "Creep". The weekend ends. Elated fans take Monday off so that we can spend the whole day recuperating from dehydration and bad sunburns. And so that we can upload all our sweet pix to MySpace and Flickr even though they will never be as good as Cobrasnake's pix of Hayden Panettiere and Steve Aoki hanging out with Justice backstage. A few days later, rumors begin for the next year's Coachella lineup. And the whole cycle repeats itself. That, to us, is Coachella. And that is why we love it... The lineup will be announced in the coming days. And supposedly there will be a "Coachella East" in August. Probably a good move on Goldenvoice's part (with LiveNation taking over the world, Coachella is pretty much its brand event) but it does kind of lose some of the specialness of being a SoCal-based festival.
Congrats to Death to Anders on their hugely successful CD release show last night at "Let's Independent". The night also marked the first show of the year where bloggers, music journalists, and members of well-known bands out-numbered everyone else in the room... X celebrates their 31st anniversary with a big show at the Music Box on 4/10... Miranda Lee Richards recently signed to Nettwerk Records, joining Ferraby Lionheart, Sara Melson, Uh Huh Her, and a growing clientele of local bands under their fold... Lineup for the eagerly-awaited "Willie Nelson Tribute" at Echoplex on 2/17 is shaping up with The Watson Twins, Mike Stinson, and Dave Gleason already on tap with some expected surprise guests in the works... Daedelus celebrates the release of his new live album at the Airliner tonight, the same location where the album was recorded. Get there early if you actually want to see Daedelus. It should be very crowded... Expect another big crowd for tonight's Marathon Live, Brandon McCulloch's amazing night of L.A.'s best psych rock and folk artists.
Monday, January 14, 2008
We're deep in the heart of January 2008. Lots to do this week...
Miss Derringer has a show a show at Viper tonight before heading out on a west coast jaunt. Also, Captain Ahab at pehrspace, Schuyler Fisk at the Hotel Cafe, and of course the massive monday residencies. We'd guess an even larger crowd than last week will form at Spaceland for tonight's crazy lineup. We may stop by even though we don't nearly have enough of a strike beard to blend in with the crowd... Death to Anders celebrates the release of their new album Fictitious Business at Let's Independent on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Harry Nilsson gets a big tribute over at Bordello, Dave Palmer sings love songs over Largo, The Hectors/You Me & Iowa play a free show at the Silverlake Lounge, and David Sedaris begins his "Black Box Readings" at Macgowan Little Theater at UCLA... On Wednesday, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band plays a rare east side show at The Echo and The Breakups and Hello Dragon lead an impressive crew at the Silverlake Lounge... Thursday, clear your schedules for the long-awaited return of Cornelius. Otherwise, Priscilla Ahn plays the Hotel Cafe, Lupe Fiasco at the House of Blues, and ATE back at Spaceland.
Friday, January 11, 2008
That flu bug got to us pretty hard this week and therefore it's taking longer than expected to get back into the thick of things. You know you're out of it when you wake up with the earplugs you put in the night before. We did check out many of the residencies this week... Good to see Radar Bros. after many years. We Barbarians are bringing the buzz that they ended 2007 with to the SLL and late arrivals like us payed the price of seeing mostly the backs of heads for most of the show. In other words, get there early. Parsons had an expectedly humongous crowd. In fact, we shouldn't have even left the SLL because that's as about as far as we had to walk. And our dearest Airborne Toxic Event is sounding better than ever.
This weekend looks fun... The Happy Hollows go Underground at the Echo tonight. We'll be stopping by just to get the hang of paying $10+ for a Happy Hollows show. Also tonight: Jon Brion does his thing at Largo; a rather eclectic lineup of Blackbird and the Feather'd People, Whispertown2000, My Pet Saddle, and The Afterhours at El Cid; all locals at the Troob with The Start, Mere Mortals, and The Dollyrots; and warehouse mayhem with Tweak Bird, Ancestors, and Tsk Tsk at 6th St... On Saturday, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Divisadero, One Trick Pony, and The French Semester bring the funk to the Knitting Factory; Moonrats, Abe Vigoda, and Acid Girls join Men at The Echo; our good friends The Monolators and Dirt Dress are joined at pehrspace by our new friends from Santa Cruz, Man/Miracle (fka Bear on Bear), who are in town for the next week for a bunch of shows... Sunday has Patrick Park, Charlie Wadhams, Pink Mochi, and Black Bear at Tangier for a benefit for Aaron Finley (Rex Aquarium, Kennedy) who was recently bitten by a shark off the coast of Maui; Punk Bunny CD release show at Mr. T's Bowl with very special guests; and the always-fun $ucka-Free $undays down at the Que Sera.
Also this weekend: Photo L.A. begins its weekend affair today and once again you may see one or two things we've done on display. If you're a photography enthusiast we highly recommend you get all your Flickr friends and go... Concrete Frequency continues its stunning visionary series at the Walt Disney Concert Hall... If you missed the Parson Red Heads on MBE this morning check it out here.
The Happy Hollows - "Monster Room" (MP3)
Whispertown2000 - "Restless" (MP3)
Man/Miracle - "Magpies" (MP3)
Monday, January 07, 2008
So sorry for not being there on Friday. Our flight arrived surprisingly on time (basically) but weather delays around the country caused for major ground traffic at LAX allowing for a nice little 3-hour nap while we waited for a gate to open up. Then another few hours getting through paparazzi, waiting for our baggage, and hailing a cab got us in around 4am. All in all, our time at LAX was about as long as the flight from NY but, you know, we weren't really angry or upset. Because, Los Angeles, we love you...
We had a ton of posts we were going to do before the end of the year but we didn't expect internet connection abroad to be so sticky. In any case, we had a very interesting last few weeks in Greece and Turkey. While the history and people were wonderful, modern culture is still a bit lacking, meaning we stayed in our hotel room on most evenings, which is really strange for us given we hardly see daylight here in Los Angeles. We did go out on New Year's Eve in Istanbul, which was enlightening but mostly disturbing.
Ok, so let's see if remember how to do this Monday update thing... How crazy are residencies this month? This is going to be a battle: Radar Bros., The Parson Red Heads, We Barbarians, The Airborne Toxic Event, Jesca Hoop, Mighty Six Ninety, David Garza, The Watkins Family Hour, Buddy, Reeve Carney, War Stories, and Jason Reeves are all doing multiple week performances this month... Other notable things this week include the 22nd Annual Elvis Birthday Bash at the Music Box on 1/8, Songs of the City at Walt Disney on 1/8, and the genius that is Bill Frisell has two nights at the Jazz Bakery (1/10 and 1/11). Let us not forget that Tig Notaro begins her monthly at Largo tonight with special guest Sarah Silverman.
You'll want to tune in to GTFU tonight... Tickets for the Hotel Cafe 2008 tour go on sale 1/9. Local stops (Hotel Cafe, 3/9 and the Music Box, 4/12) include performances by locals Cary Brothers, Priscilla Ahn, Meiko, Jessie Baylin, and Marie Digby alongside Kate Havnevik and Ingrid Michaelson... Please, let's not make a habit of this or this in 08.
Good to be back.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
So we're still about 7000 miles away from Los Angeles, water has been shut off in this part of the city for two days, electricity is intermittent, and wi-fi is kind of hilarious but we're still in good spirits. Maybe because we kind of fell in love with a girl in Izmir, or maybe because we leave in a few hours back to our beloved Los Angeles.
In any case, we're headed back just in time for one of the best lineups of January, tonight for First Fridays at Mr. T's Bowl featuring The Idaho Falls, Teddy's Cheer Club, boxViolet, Masterslashslave (S.F.), and The Monolators. We've done shows with all these bands except The Idaho Falls who haven't performed in a few years and now features Angela Correa on vocals. And, like we always say about these nights, this show shouldn't be free, but is. So please buy some merch if you still got some coin left from your Christmas stockings.
We really can't wait to back with you tonight.
Flyer by The Monolators.
January 4, 2008
Los Angeles Loves...
THE IDAHO FALLS
TEDDY'S CHEER CLUB
BOXVIOLET
MASTERSLASHSLAVE
THE MONOLATORS
Mr. T's Bowl
5621 1/2 Figueroa Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90041 | Map
21+ / FREE / 9:00pm
