Friday 02.01.08: BIIRDIE / SONS AND LOVERS / MY PET SADDLE

Biirdie || Listen

In just under four and a half minutes, Biirdie shift effortlessly between the countrified balladry of early Wilco, the sunny harmonies of the Elephant 6 collective, and 70′s Laurel Canyon guitar pop. Vocalist Jared Flamm’s creaky moan is perfectly complimented by the accompanying vocal harmonies that the rest of the band supplies; the searing countrified guitar licks near the song’s end add expansive depth as Flamm muses, “Do you feel like you were living life in a dream?” Any of these musical elements standing alone would be considered relatively average; however, Biirdie synthesize their influences to create pretty, laid-back Americana that justifies their sonic flights of fancy. – Spin.com

with:
Sons and Lovers
My Pet Saddle

Tickets Available at The Door

Thursday 02.21.08: Isgoodmusic.com presents EJECT / THE HECTORS / RADARS TO THE SKY / COSIO

Eject

“We are all slaves to the songs,” says Andy Blunda of his new band, Eject. And it shows in Eject’s compelling performances, which breathe life into Blunda’s crafted compositions through cultured arrangements and four-as-one synergy. Having toured the world with platinum Texan trio Fastball and Rick Rubin protégés Paloalto, Blunda became disillusioned with the major label meat grinder. Retreating to his father’s California home for a hiatus he soon found songs seeping out of him and, over a 3 year period, wrote an album’s-worth of material. “I just did what felt natural and easy and didn’t worry about who would like them,” Blunda recalls. Stimulated by the Cure, Smiths, Beatles, Pink Floyd and his classical training, Blunda’s songwriting impetus is timeless: “Usually when I sit down to write it’s because I’m bummed about a girl or I’m happy about a girl or I’m pissed-off at someone. It’s hard for me to write when there’s not some sort of drama in my life.” An ad stating simply “Peter Hook Wanted” brought Brit bassist Paul Rogers on-board, with friend-of-a-friend Irish drummer Gary Sullivan and his countryman Tim Boland soon completing the Silver Lake, CA-based Eject.

with:
Radars To The Sky
The Hectors
Cosio

Tickets Available at the door

Sunday 02.17.08: ELECTROCUTE plus HAR MAR SUPERSTAR

Electrocute

Electrocute is what they aim for, now that Nicole Morier has relocated her electro-punk duo from Germany to Los Angeles, joined by a new partner, Legs Le Brock. Yes, Electrocute are cute with their satiny superheroine-style costumes, but their songs are too catchy to be mere novelties. “Tales of Ordinary Sadness” is a driving pop-punk number that sounds like early Fuzzbox, juiced up with surging distorted guitars, serenely assertive vocals, and lyrics partially lifted from the Monkees’ “Stepping Stone.” – LA Weekly

Plus Special Guest:
Har Mar Superstar || Listen

Sunday 02.10.08: ELECTROCUTE / THE LADY TIGRA / B.R.A.M / ARP

Electrocute

Electrocute is what they aim for, now that Nicole Morier has relocated her electro-punk duo from Germany to Los Angeles, joined by a new partner, Legs Le Brock. Yes, Electrocute are cute with their satiny superheroine-style costumes, but their songs are too catchy to be mere novelties. “Tales of Ordinary Sadness” is a driving pop-punk number that sounds like early Fuzzbox, juiced up with surging distorted guitars, serenely assertive vocals, and lyrics partially lifted from the Monkees’ “Stepping Stone.” – LA Weekly

with:
The Lady Tigra
B.R.A.M
ARP

FREE SHOW

Sunday 02.03.08: ELECTROCUTE / PUNK BUNNY / ARP / LACO$TE

Electrocute

Electrocute is what they aim for, now that Nicole Morier has relocated her electro-punk duo from Germany to Los Angeles, joined by a new partner, Legs Le Brock. Yes, Electrocute are cute with their satiny superheroine-style costumes, but their songs are too catchy to be mere novelties. “Tales of Ordinary Sadness” is a driving pop-punk number that sounds like early Fuzzbox, juiced up with surging distorted guitars, serenely assertive vocals, and lyrics partially lifted from the Monkees’ “Stepping Stone.” – LA Weekly

with:
Punk Bunny || Listen
ARP
Laco$te || Listen

FREE SHOW

Friday 02.29.08: SPINDRIFT / SPIRIT ARMY / MOONRATS / RESTAURANT

Spindrift || Listen

“Kirpatrick Thomas, the founding member of Spindrift, a self-dubbed ‘psychedelic Spaghetti Western’ band, made just such a journey-in true cosmic cowboy fashion-from Delaware to Southern California in late 2001. He was already heading up the experimental post-punk incarnation of a band called Spindrift when he took off. His fuel: fragrant dreams of the Western mystique rooted in the stylized ’60s cowboy movies of Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone (often grandly referred to within the burgeoning L.A. ‘neo-cosmic cowboy’ scene as simply ‘Sergio’).” – LA Alternative

with:
Spirit Army
Moonrats
Restaurant

Tuesday 02.26.08: THE HELIO SEQUENCE / THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS / HEARTS OF PALM UK

The Helio Sequence || Listen

Sub Pop stalwarts the Helio Sequence have always been masters of atmosphere, no stranger to the epic and echoed build-up. While the group stays grounded in pop songwriting, their music absorbs a demure and warm ambiance from soft keyboard textures, loose guitar lines and gentle but eerie, emotive vocals. Sounding polished and radiant on this title track from their upcoming fourth full-length, the Helio Sequence has perfected the art of rise and fall. – Spin.com

with:
The Builders and The Butchers
Hearts of Palm UK || Listen

Wednesday 02.20.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with THE SNOW / THE MINOR CANON / THE DIRTY DIAMOND

The Snow || Listen

The Snow is a melodic, alt-space rock outfit from Los Angeles that formed in a quick beautiful instance in the spring of 2006. Their first two titles “October” and “Trading Post”, recorded in less than 2 days, were enough for them to know that something special was happening. The band’s style is a blend of soaring, spaced out, sonic guitars, a dynamic, tight, and melodic rhythm section, and a quiet-to-wailing vocal assembly all coming together beautifully to create a lush and mesmerizing soundscape. With a live show filled with intensity and passion, the band is continuing to expand an ever-growing fan base.

with:
The Minor Canon
The Dirty Diamond

plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tuesday 02.19.08: RANCH PARTY w/ MERLE JAGGER

with:
Merle Jagger || Listen
Well Diggers Banquet

Tickets Available at The Door

Saturday 02.16.08: KCRW presents LIAM FINN

Liam Finn || Listen

On his full-length debut, the child of Kiwi pop kingpin Neil Finn (Split Enz, Crowded House) is more a descendant of the scattershot aesthetic that Todd Rundgren perfected on his 1972 masterpiece Something/Anything. Often producing and playing all the instruments, Liam loops hook-happy guitars through syncopated rhythms (“Second Chance,” “Energy Spent”), serves up classic-pop reproductions (the Beach Boys-esque “Lullaby”), and tosses in odds and ends both ridiculous (the honking “Better to Be”) and sublime (the gently folk-rocking “Wise Man”). Skillful if occasionally rickety, Lightning showcases a confident, evolving voice. – Spin

with:
Rocco Deluca || Listen
Nico Stai

Friday 02.15.08: AC/DSHE (The all female Bon Scott era Tribute to AC/DC)

AC/DShe || Myspace

AC/DShe is the original all-girl AC/DC tribute band doing Bon-era songs. These gals have been committed to staying true to the heart pounding rhythms and high energy presentation of early AC/DC. The FIRST of the female tribute band phenomenon, they have been performing since the summer of 1999, although the creation of the band goes back several years to 1997. Like AC/DC, AC/DShe knows it’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock-n-roll, but they’ve been doing a kick ass job of delivering some high voltage rock to maximum capacity crowds worldwide. So, put on your best AC/DC tour shirt, grab a beer, and hop on the highway to hell with AC/DShe.

With:
The Binges || Listen

Thursday 02.14.08: MELLOWDRONE / YOUR LIPS, YOUR LIPS – Benefit for the LA Regional Food Bank

Mellowdrone || Listen

Bates, with drums and bass behind him, cloaked the audience with catchy melodies and blasts of sonic dissonance, at times recalling the early days of Radiohead. – VARIETY

A wicked, bratty sense of humor that bubbles up whenever the music threatens to become ponderously serious. – SPIN

Beautiful and catchy – GORILLA VS BEAR

This is a band worth keeping your eyes on. – MODA MAGAZINE

with:
Your Lips, Your Lips

Benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank

Bring a can of food and get in for $6!

Tuesday 02.13.08: TALKDEMONIC

Talkdemonic || Listen

The same can be said of Talkdemonic’s instrumental post-rock, which lays a bevy of acoustic elements over a foundation of pulsing programmed beats and modulating, soft-focus synthesizers. The duo acquiesces to this tension, cheekily dubbing their music “folktronic hop,” a hybrid genre that seems to have its roots in records like Bjork’s Homogenic. But, without a doubt, it’s the players, not the preset laptop tracks, who lend Talkdemonic’s music its emotional heft. Kevin O’Connor plays banjo, guitar, piano, and Wurlitzer on the recording, but it’s his highly expressive drumming that is most memorable. When the punctuated rhythm of programmed percussion gives way to cascading cymbal crashes and spacious break beats, it’s nothing short of cathartic. And viola-player Lisa Molinaro’s performances ooze with feeling, as beautiful swells of strings render the need for vocals understandably dispensable. – Pitchfork

with:
Guam

Thursday 02.07.08: BLOOD ON THE WALL / AFTERNOONS

Blood on The Wall || Listen

Unless you never heard the reedy sneer of the Violent Femmes’ Gordan Gano and The Pixies’ Black Francis, or you completely missed the affected phrasing of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, there’s no denying Brooklyn’s Blood on the Wall’s awkward caterwauls come with ingrained precedents. But with this rumpled revivalist trio the foundation is so strong there’s always a way to craft an accommodating floor plan and accessorize it with soused jangle and splayed arrangements. All the late ’80s college-rawk cast-offs coagulate into an atonal, unhinged, and altogether pleasing condensation of agitated splatter. A somewhat heavier third full-length, Blood on the Wall’s latest still manages to avoid being heavy-handed with its heritage. – XLR8R

with:
Afternoons

Wednesday 02.06.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with UNGDOMSKULEN / MINIPOP

Ungdomskulen || Listen

Ungdomskulen (Frode Flatland, Kristian Stockhaus, Øyvind Solheim) is a Norwegian rock band. Their sound is founded on bass, drums and guitar. Taken individually, the drum beats seem inspired by the city, the bass is syncopated and sonic, and the jazz-like guitar sounds as if it’s possessed by rock demons. And finally, there’s a light but authoritative male vocal on top. Bergen is this young trio’s hangout. These guys love life.

with:
Minipop

Plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Friday 02.01.08: First Fridays w/ A-TRAK & KID SISTER @ The Natural History Museum

First Fridays – Dinner, Discussion, Music & More

with:
A-Trak || Listen
Kid Sister

plus Dub Lab DJs:
Frosty
Take

@ Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007

FMI: http://www.nhm.org/firstfridays/

5:30pm – Tour
6:30pm – Discussion
8:00pm – Music

5pm / Adult $9, students (w. ID) $6.50, Members FREE / All Ages

Saturday 1.26.08: ROCKET

Rocket || Listen

From California’s sunny beaches bursts Rocket, a 5-piece all-girl MySpace phenomenon that surprises its listeners with a spunky mixture of Glam-rock meets Spice Girls that showed actual talent. Roxie Rocket, Lauren W. Rocket, Lauren C. Rocket, Kelly Rocket and Kristin Rocket are the five spicy, boylovin’ bubble-gum chewin’ girls behind Rocket who sold-out the Viper Room at their headlining debut live show mere months after the release of their 2005 album, Too Hot To Be Bothered, and since have toured with Butch Walker and taken the stage at the VANS Warped Tour. – ASCAP

with:
Bedtime For Toys || Listen
Spider Problem

Monday 02.25.08: Monday Night Residency – Bust magazine presents THE PITY PARTY / THE ROLLING BLACKOUTS / MEHO PLAZA / THE SECRET SIX

The Pity Party

Heisenflei (Drums/Keyboards/Vocals) continues to entrance the audience with her multi tasking duties of instrumentation. Maurice-Richard (Guitars/Vocals) has expanded sonic arsenal at his feet ready to destroy the audience without warning. The Pity Party debuted a new song “The Natural Want” which surprisingly had a hip hop flavor to it that even surprised me. Is their any genre they can’t do? “Houses on The Sun” is another live favorite song of mine with its dark drunk synth bass line and slurring beats. I really hope this song makes it on their debut LP. “The War Between Eight and Four” has Maurice digging deep for squeals from his Fender Stratocaster. “Love Lies” does well to showcase Heisenflei’s vocals and is another track I hope to see in its recorded form. The Pity Party saved its ace in the hole for a new song “Yours, That Works” that pasted off kilter drumming from Heisenflei to Maurice’s dissonant guitars. – Amateur Chemist

With:
Meho Plaza || Listen
Rolling Blackouts
The Secret Six

FREE SHOW

Monday 02.18.08: Monday Night Residency – Bust magazine presents THE PITY PARTY / FILM SCHOOL / LADIES AND GENTS / WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS

The Pity Party

Heisenflei (Drums/Keyboards/Vocals) continues to entrance the audience with her multi tasking duties of instrumentation. Maurice-Richard (Guitars/Vocals) has expanded sonic arsenal at his feet ready to destroy the audience without warning. The Pity Party debuted a new song “The Natural Want” which surprisingly had a hip hop flavor to it that even surprised me. Is their any genre they can’t do? “Houses on The Sun” is another live favorite song of mine with its dark drunk synth bass line and slurring beats. I really hope this song makes it on their debut LP. “The War Between Eight and Four” has Maurice digging deep for squeals from his Fender Stratocaster. “Love Lies” does well to showcase Heisenflei’s vocals and is another track I hope to see in its recorded form. The Pity Party saved its ace in the hole for a new song “Yours, That Works” that pasted off kilter drumming from Heisenflei to Maurice’s dissonant guitars. – Amateur Chemist

with:
Film School || Listen
Ladies and Gents
What Made Milwaukee Famous || Listen

FREE SHOW

Monday 02.11.08: Monday Night Residency – Bust magazine presents THE PITY PARTY / TWILIGHT SLEEP / THE HUMAN VALUE / KARIN TATOYAN

The Pity Party

Heisenflei (Drums/Keyboards/Vocals) continues to entrance the audience with her multi tasking duties of instrumentation. Maurice-Richard (Guitars/Vocals) has expanded sonic arsenal at his feet ready to destroy the audience without warning. The Pity Party debuted a new song “The Natural Want” which surprisingly had a hip hop flavor to it that even surprised me. Is their any genre they can’t do? “Houses on The Sun” is another live favorite song of mine with its dark drunk synth bass line and slurring beats. I really hope this song makes it on their debut LP. “The War Between Eight and Four” has Maurice digging deep for squeals from his Fender Stratocaster. “Love Lies” does well to showcase Heisenflei’s vocals and is another track I hope to see in its recorded form. The Pity Party saved its ace in the hole for a new song “Yours, That Works” that pasted off kilter drumming from Heisenflei to Maurice’s dissonant guitars. – Amateur Chemist

With:
Twilight Sleep || Listen
The Human Value
Karin Tatoyan || Listen

FREE SHOW

Monday 02.04.08: Monday Night Residency w/ THE PITY PARTY / THE HAPPY HOLLOWS / LIGHT FM / RADEMACHER

The Pity Party

Heisenflei (Drums/Keyboards/Vocals) continues to entrance the audience with her multi tasking duties of instrumentation. Maurice-Richard (Guitars/Vocals) has expanded sonic arsenal at his feet ready to destroy the audience without warning. The Pity Party debuted a new song “The Natural Want” which surprisingly had a hip hop flavor to it that even surprised me. Is their any genre they can’t do? “Houses on The Sun” is another live favorite song of mine with its dark drunk synth bass line and slurring beats. I really hope this song makes it on their debut LP. “The War Between Eight and Four” has Maurice digging deep for squeals from his Fender Stratocaster. “Love Lies” does well to showcase Heisenflei’s vocals and is another track I hope to see in its recorded form. The Pity Party saved its ace in the hole for a new song “Yours, That Works” that pasted off kilter drumming from Heisenflei to Maurice’s dissonant guitars. – Amateur Chemist

With:
The Happy Hollows || Listen
Light FM
Rademacher || Listen

FREE SHOW

Saturday 02.02.08: MERE MORTALS / XU XU FANG / THE BLACK KITES / SKY PARADE

Mere Mortals

Mere Mortals sound as if they’re angling for a spot in the Britpop pantheon, nurturing a jangly, neo-psychedelic sound that brings to mind early Primal Scream, Supergrass or maybe Oasis as fronted by a man who smiles at the world rather than sneers. The merry band of do-it yourselfers self-released the all-wheat, no-chaff “Rebel Radio” EP late last year, and several of the disc’s seven songs cracked the specialty charts (which track the amount of airplay on “specialty” shows where the DJs program their own music). German-born, London-reared Axel Steuerwald’s deft songwriting touch makes the Mortals slam-dunks to make Jonesy’s jukebox. Maybe they can make yours too. – LA Times Buzz Bands

with:
Xu Xu Fang || Listen
Black Kites || Listen
Sky Parade || Listen

Tuesday 01.29.08: DRUG RUG

Drug Rug

Together the two’s vocals, paired with their brand of sunshine lo-fi, teeter on the shrill end, a la the beginnings of electric-Dylan. But like the D-man, it fits seamlessly. Drug Rug’s self-titled debut, out this week via the Black and Greene label, opens with a ’50s A.M. radio effect, washing over Cronin’s lyrics in treble, before exploding back into equilibrium with a furious blues-y breakdown chorus, “Nobody nowhere can tell you you’re wrong (For the Rest of Your Life).” It sets the tone: sweet and smart, charming ’60s-era pop spiked with erratic wails and modern indie rock sonics. There are some other recruits that flesh out a full-band sound, mainly Apollo Sunshine’s Jesse Gallagher on bass and keys, and Mike Cummings (The Dead Trees) twanging about on strings, some anonymous tambourine smatterings. But the couple shines best with a simple guitar lick and a shared mic. – Spin.com

with:
Amnion
Abbot Kinney

Sunday 01.27.08: Sunday Night Residency – UPSILON ACRUX

Upsilon Acrux || Listen

There’s no shortage of bands around that make brainy, zany instrumental rock, and certainly Galapagos Momentum can go toe to toe with Sleeping People, Zs and Ahleuchatistas in terms of the complexity of the material. But despite all the unpredictable switches between harmony and dissonance, space and clutter, groove and anti-groove, Upsilon Acrux wants to connect. New guitarist Brady Miller applies the kooky melodicism of his other band, Bad Dudes, to songs like “Expiration (Alaska, My Darkness),” resulting in some beautiful, finely textured passages the likes of which we’ve never heard from Upsilon Acrux before. Or any other instrumental rock band for that matter, save perhaps Don Caballero on its watershed 1998 album, What Burns Never Returns. – Prefix Mag

with:
Bob Bruno
Dasuco

FREE SHOW

Sunday 01.20.08: Sunday Night Residency – UPSILON ACRUX

Upsilon Acrux || Listen

There’s no shortage of bands around that make brainy, zany instrumental rock, and certainly Galapagos Momentum can go toe to toe with Sleeping People, Zs and Ahleuchatistas in terms of the complexity of the material. But despite all the unpredictable switches between harmony and dissonance, space and clutter, groove and anti-groove, Upsilon Acrux wants to connect. New guitarist Brady Miller applies the kooky melodicism of his other band, Bad Dudes, to songs like “Expiration (Alaska, My Darkness),” resulting in some beautiful, finely textured passages the likes of which we’ve never heard from Upsilon Acrux before. Or any other instrumental rock band for that matter, save perhaps Don Caballero on its watershed 1998 album, What Burns Never Returns. – Prefix Mag

with:
Peter Kolovos & Chris Hathwell
Abe Vigoda
Bi-polar Bear

FREE SHOW

Sunday 01.13.07: Sunday Night Residency – UPSILON ACRUX

Upsilon Acrux || Listen

There’s no shortage of bands around that make brainy, zany instrumental rock, and certainly Galapagos Momentum can go toe to toe with Sleeping People, Zs and Ahleuchatistas in terms of the complexity of the material. But despite all the unpredictable switches between harmony and dissonance, space and clutter, groove and anti-groove, Upsilon Acrux wants to connect. New guitarist Brady Miller applies the kooky melodicism of his other band, Bad Dudes, to songs like “Expiration (Alaska, My Darkness),” resulting in some beautiful, finely textured passages the likes of which we’ve never heard from Upsilon Acrux before. Or any other instrumental rock band for that matter, save perhaps Don Caballero on its watershed 1998 album, What Burns Never Returns. – Prefix Mag

FREE SHOW

Friday 01.18.08: THE QUARTER AFTER, THE PINK SNOWFLAKES, ROCKING HORSE PEOPLE, THE STEVENSON RANCH DAVIDIANS

The Quarter After || Listen

With crystalline pop melodies and unscalable walls of guitar, The Quarter After finds a delicate, but incredibly well planned, balance between psychedelia and pop. Not rooted so firmly in the wishy-washy pop as many of their psychedelic-pop counterparts, The Quarter After is all shimmers, jangles and melodies. – Aversion

with:
The Pink Snowflakes || Listen
Rocking Horse People
The Stevenson Ranch Davidians || Listen

plus DJ Fredrick Phases spinning all night

Tickets available at the door

Wednesday 02.13.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ ANDRE WILLIAMS, THE FLASH EXPRESS

Andre Williams || Listen

Take one part each of grits ‘n’ grease, two parts garage-rock raunch, and all black comedy, now shake! That’s prezactly the hour’s worth of sonic cock-tales that Andre “Mr. Rhythm” Williams served up for the hundred-plus connoisseurs of the bizarre who caught his headlining performance at Spaceland last Saturday night (May 5).
Now 70 years young, Williams has commanded a cult following ever since he followed up his bumptious ’58 R&B hit “Bacon Fat” with “Jailbait,” a cautionary tale of teenage copulation that was banned immediately upon release.
Specializing in talk-sung tales of soul food and the sportin’ life, Williams subsequently grazed the charts with “Rib Tips,” “Pearl Time,” and the life ‘n’ death story of “Cadillac Jack” (“Sho’ was a Mack”), and his “Humpin’, Bumpin’ and Thumpin’!” b/w “The Stroke” is now universally recognized as the”two-sided funk monster!” it always was when the late, great record dealer Mark Edmunds wrote just those words on the sleeve of the Mint-minus copy he sold to my pal T.G. for two-three bucks – hey, Mark bought it for a dime – sometime back in the mid-’80s. – LA Citybeat

with:
The Flash Express
The High Society

Plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tuesday 01.08.08: CLOSED

Friday 01.04.08: First Fridays w/ SEA WOLF @ Natural History Museum

First Fridays – Dinner, Discussion, Music & More

with:
Sea Wolf || Listen
Afternoons

@ Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007

FMI: http://www.nhm.org/firstfridays/

5:30pm – Tour
6:30pm – Discussion
7:00pm – Music

5pm / Adult $9, students (w. ID) $6.50, Members FREE / All Ages

Saturday 01.19.07: Metromix Presents OLIVER FUTURE

Oliver Future || Listen

Nothing sums up the essence of Oliver Future, and perhaps their mixed feelings about L.A., than the back to back dazzlers that close this suite. “Drowning Parade” is a soulful ballad that could be an Antony and the Johnsons outtake, with its smoky-lounge vocals, alto and tenor saxophones, and Wurlitzer piano. The gentle tune gives way to “The Slow Fast,” filled with scraping guitar riffs, techno beats, and punk rock screams “It’s a-a-a-l-l… o-o-o-n-n.” This record is on alright: on point, and on its way to being one the better surprise releases of the year. To hear for yourself, simply do what I did and put Pax Futura on the stereo. – Lost At Sea

with:
Casxio || Listen
The Forward
Thailand

Tuesday 01.22.08: Ranch Party w/ MERLE JAGGER

with:
Sarah Stanley and They Look Like Cousins
Merle Jagger || Listen
Psychedelic Cowboys || Listen

FMI: Ranch Party on Myspace

Tickets available at the door

Saturday 01.12.08: INFINITY, PINK MOCHI, RANDY KAPLAN

Infinity

Journey sing-alongs are normally reserved for moments alone in your car or an a cappella rock block in the shower. But at Spaceland Friday night, we screeched through the Streeet-light, Peep-pu-u-ul! of “Don’t Stop Believin’,” the staccatoed, Ooh, all night. All night. Oh, every night, of “Anyway You Want It,” the banshee cry I really LOVE you gir-rl of “Separate Ways.” Oh boy, did we sing along. Some of us hadn’t perspired this much since high noon at Coachella.

We were a mixed crowd of longhaired Samoans, classic-rock dudes, hair-metal queens, lesbians and a few hoochy mamas among the club’s indie regulars, all out to catch Infinity, the mustachioed, female-fronted Journey cover band. Singer Woody “Steve Perry,” with sideburns and a shag wig this side of “Oh Sherrie,” tore through song after song, while drummer Sherri “Steve Smith” Solinger, with a faux womb broom above her upper lip, hit the skins like she was going into battle. – LA Weekly

with:
Pink Mochi
Randy Kaplan || Listen

Tickets available at the door

Wednesday 01.30.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ CASTANEDA / ROMAN NUMERALS / ASHER

Castaneda

If you take the time to wade through the clogged pores of the Los Feliz/Silver Lake indie music scene, parting the seas of pretension and expensively torn T-shirts, you’ll uncover a seed of truth. One band is talented, intelligent and confident enough to say, “We are not afraid to be a pop band.”

These hustlers among men are better known as Castaneda – five guys who just want to make you move your feet. Vega, Rob, Sasha, Dana and Warren won’t discuss their day jobs, but they’re more than willing to discuss in certain seriousness the fate of Castaneda.

With the band’s one-year anniversary coming up in December, they still remember fondly their first gig at Safari Sam’s. Their harmonious combination of electronic synthesizers, actual instrumental talent and sheer energy levels only make their pointed lyrics and mysteriously soothing vocals more potent. – Campus Circle

with:
Roman Numerals || Listen
Asher

Plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tickets available at the door

Wednesday 01.16.08: Indie 103.1 Presents CLUB NME w/ ARMY NAVY, THE PROCESSION, ENVY CORPS

Army Navy

Blending British pop melodicism with the grit of the Pacific Northwest, Army Navy recalls the sound of great acts like The Posies and Teenage Fanclub crossed with emotional touches of the The Smiths. Former Pinwheel co-frontman Justin Kennedy has moved on from sharing vocal duties with Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie, Postal Service) to showcase his own pop sensibilities. With its lush harmonies and blankets of guitar fuzz, Army Navy has created something truly unique: a delicate balance between melancholy and joyful resignation. – NME

with:
The Procession || Listen
The Envy Corps || Listen

Plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tickets Available at the Door

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Wednesday 01.09.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ THE CORAL SEA, WAR TAPES, REPEATER

The Coral Sea || Listen

The members of the Coral Sea, led by singer/guitarist/primary songwriter Rey Villalobos, make atmospheric dream/art rock that reflects the city’s Mediterranean climate and purple-pink mountains. Rather than creating beautiful shimmering music to escape a rather bleak area — think of all the diaphanous shoegazer bands that sprung out of drab suburban England — the Coral Sea’s members write music that is the aural equivalent of a Santa Barbara sunset, sweeping colors and soft breezes rustling the palm trees. Though the band is essentially a straight-up indie four-piece, the string quartet the members incorporated into their music is what really makes them stand out. Synthesized strings are usually a nice touch, but when the strings are live, it’s a whole new experience, and Villalobos’s compositions are only stronger for having the quartet on board. Take Sigur Ros, Space Oddity-era David Bowie, Radiohead, U2 and Pink Floyd and add a splash of twee, and the Coral Sea is that sonic cocktail. And Villalobos’s sweet, clear voice is the sugar on the rim. – Prefix mag

with:
War Tapes
Repeater

Plus DJs Dia, Young Pop, & Jim Evens spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tickets Available at the Door

Monday 01.28.08: Monday Night Residency w/ THE PARSON RED HEADS

The Parson Red Heads || Listen

The energy on King Giraffe can barely be contained — it’s as if the album can’t wait to blast through stereo speakers. From the bright and shiny beach-party swelters of “Days of My Youth” to the hectic, crashing waves of acceleration and stillness on “Mossback,” The Parson Red Heads tailspin listeners through a joyous mix of early ‘60s psychedelic-inspired rock.

Evan “Parson Parson” Way leads this group of troubadours and writes the band’s upbeat ditties about chilling with family, loving all and enjoying life. In “Forever,” there is a smile in his words as he instructs listeners, “Stand up straight, follow the rules / Don’t do wrong, don’t be a fool / There are things you don’t know.” This optimism comes straight from the music. – Perfromer Mag

with:
The Idaho Falls
The Monolators || Listen
Papercranes || Listen

FREE SHOW

Monday 01.21.08: Monday Night Residency w/ THE PARSON RED HEADS

The Parson Red Heads || Listen

The energy on King Giraffe can barely be contained — it’s as if the album can’t wait to blast through stereo speakers. From the bright and shiny beach-party swelters of “Days of My Youth” to the hectic, crashing waves of acceleration and stillness on “Mossback,” The Parson Red Heads tailspin listeners through a joyous mix of early ‘60s psychedelic-inspired rock.

Evan “Parson Parson” Way leads this group of troubadours and writes the band’s upbeat ditties about chilling with family, loving all and enjoying life. In “Forever,” there is a smile in his words as he instructs listeners, “Stand up straight, follow the rules / Don’t do wrong, don’t be a fool / There are things you don’t know.” This optimism comes straight from the music. – Perfromer Mag

with:
The Lonely H || Listen
The Shaky Hands
Francisco the Man

FREE SHOW

Monday 01.14.08: Monday Night Residency w/ THE PARSON RED HEADS

The Parson Red Heads || Listen

The energy on King Giraffe can barely be contained — it’s as if the album can’t wait to blast through stereo speakers. From the bright and shiny beach-party swelters of “Days of My Youth” to the hectic, crashing waves of acceleration and stillness on “Mossback,” The Parson Red Heads tailspin listeners through a joyous mix of early ‘60s psychedelic-inspired rock.

Evan “Parson Parson” Way leads this group of troubadours and writes the band’s upbeat ditties about chilling with family, loving all and enjoying life. In “Forever,” there is a smile in his words as he instructs listeners, “Stand up straight, follow the rules / Don’t do wrong, don’t be a fool / There are things you don’t know.” This optimism comes straight from the music. – Perfromer Mag

with:
Mezzanine Owls || Listen
Everest || Listen
Light FM

FREE SHOW

Monday 01.07.08: Monday Night Residency w/ THE PARSON RED HEADS

The Parson Red Heads || Listen

The energy on King Giraffe can barely be contained — it’s as if the album can’t wait to blast through stereo speakers. From the bright and shiny beach-party swelters of “Days of My Youth” to the hectic, crashing waves of acceleration and stillness on “Mossback,” The Parson Red Heads tailspin listeners through a joyous mix of early ‘60s psychedelic-inspired rock.

Evan “Parson Parson” Way leads this group of troubadours and writes the band’s upbeat ditties about chilling with family, loving all and enjoying life. In “Forever,” there is a smile in his words as he instructs listeners, “Stand up straight, follow the rules / Don’t do wrong, don’t be a fool / There are things you don’t know.” This optimism comes straight from the music. – Perfromer Mag

with:
Taylor Goldsmith
Golden Boats

FREE SHOW

Sunday 01.06.07: New Winter Garden Music w/ LILYS

Lilys

Since their formation in 1989, Kurt Heasley has taken the Lilys for quite a ride. With each album comes a somewhat different but appealing album while the frontman oils what appears to be a continuous revolving door of musicians and supporting cast. Perhaps the best complement the group could be paid is that they, much like the Rolling Stones did in their early days, have basically taken a style of music from across the pond and made it their own. The group’s previous album was the closest thing to Britrock from a Yankee band I heard in a long time, and this new album on reinforces that notion. And while it clocks in at under 40 minutes, the listening party for you will be about 55 to 60 minutes after finally realizing you’ve replayed the opening “Black Carpet Magic”. – Popmatters

FREE SHOW

Friday 01.25.07: JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT / WILL HOGE / JEREMY FISHER

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

Jason Isbell only contributed eight songs to Drive-By Truckers during his five-year tenure with the band, but his grit and depth were always a highlight—and with Sirens Of The Ditch, he finally has a disc all his own to show off. Sporting input from his former bandmates as well as legendary keyboardist Spooner Oldham, Isbell’s solo debut doesn’t stray far from his Truckers work, at least at its core. Instead of gargantuan guitars and Skynyrd-style solos, however, he wraps his craggy allegories in skeletal, arid arrangements that let his twang and prose breathe. Free of clutter and the Truckers’ overwhelming gravity, Sirens is the sound of a freshly liberated songwriter scouring his soul—and coming up full-handed. – AV Club

and:
Will Hoge || Listen

Is he the lonesome folkie lamenting a recent divorce on “Dirty Little War,” the honky-tonkin’ rocker of “Sex, Lies, and Money,” the blue-eyed soul man of “Midnight Parade,” or the Dylanesque balladeer of “I’m Sorry Now”? They’re all good tracks, and even better are country weeper “Silver or Gold” and elegiac “Washed by the Water” (the song the Band would have written if they’d be around to witness Hurricane Katrina). With its nicotine-stained vocals, evocative lyrics, searing electric guitar, and lush organ fills, you might even compare Draw the Curtains to that Springsteen feller. In the end, though, Hoge’s a lot like rock ’n’ roll; just a little bit more than the sum of his influences, equal parts Nashville and Asbury Park. – Harp Magazine

Plus:

Jeremy Fisher || Listen

Saturday 01.05.07: VEIL VEIL VANISH / APOLLO HEIGHTS / AMATEURS / FRANKEL

Veil Veil Vanish

There is a great desolation in Veil Veil Vanish, and what small glow does manage to pierce the gloom is sunless, more like the nimbus of a total eclipse than any kind of rational daylight. Singer Keven Tecon sounds almost too sensitive for this world, while Amy Rosenoff’s post-punk bass weaves a spider web to catch Tecon’s inevitable fall. Cameron Ray’s ominous guitar and Robert Marzio’s subdued drums provide the final ingredients of VVV’s somber spell. – Performer Mag

with:
Apollo Heights
Amateurs || Listen
Frankel || Listen

Tickets Available at the Door

Thursday 01.31.08: Indie 103.1 & ASCAP present – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

“Poetry you can dance to…nothing short of amazing.” LA TIMES

“Absurdly rich with talent…Jollett’s baritone could compete with some of the best in Britpop. Live, the group delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY

“These California art-rockers have written the best arty-stomp since ‘Take Me Out.’” THE FLY (UK)

“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POPMATTERS

“Catchy as hell rock that is as smart as its literary allusions.” URB

with:
The Deadly Syndrome || Listen
Castledoor

Thursday 01.24.08: Indie 103.1 & ASCAP present – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

“Poetry you can dance to…nothing short of amazing.” LA TIMES

“Absurdly rich with talent…Jollett’s baritone could compete with some of the best in Britpop. Live, the group delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY

“These California art-rockers have written the best arty-stomp since ‘Take Me Out.’” THE FLY (UK)

“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POPMATTERS

“Catchy as hell rock that is as smart as its literary allusions.” URB

with:
Radars To The Sky
Aushua || Listen
Venus Infers

Thursday 01.17.08: Indie 103.1 & ASCAP present – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

“Poetry you can dance to…nothing short of amazing.” LA TIMES

“Absurdly rich with talent…Jollett’s baritone could compete with some of the best in Britpop. Live, the group delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY

“These California art-rockers have written the best arty-stomp since ‘Take Me Out.’” THE FLY (UK)

“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POPMATTERS

“Catchy as hell rock that is as smart as its literary allusions.” URB

with:
Radars To The Sky
The Adored
Sunday Drivers

Thursday 01.10.08: Indie 103.1 & ASCAP present – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

“Poetry you can dance to…nothing short of amazing.” LA TIMES

“Absurdly rich with talent…Jollett’s baritone could compete with some of the best in Britpop. Live, the group delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY

“These California art-rockers have written the best arty-stomp since ‘Take Me Out.’” THE FLY (UK)

“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POPMATTERS

“Catchy as hell rock that is as smart as its literary allusions.” URB

with:
The Morning Benders || Listen
The Weather Underground || Listen
Davin Givhan

Thursday 01.03.08: Indie 103.1 & ASCAP present – THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

“Poetry you can dance to…nothing short of amazing.” LA TIMES

“Absurdly rich with talent…Jollett’s baritone could compete with some of the best in Britpop. Live, the group delivers total cohesion and unflappable energy.” LA WEEKLY

“In a just and fair world, The Airborne Toxic Event would be indie rock favorites of critics and fans the world over. Maybe, just for a moment, the world will get it right for a change.” POPMATTERS

“Catchy as hell rock that is as smart as its literary allusions.” URB

with:
Canon Blue
The Henry Clay People || Listen
The Natural Disasters

Friday 01.04.08: YOU ME & IOWA

You Me & Iowa || Listen

Featuring a good mix of indie, pop, and dance rock, You, Me, & Iowa stand out from much of the LA indie scene. They make simple, fun, and meaningful rock music that could be adaptable by hipsters, teens, and college kids alike (and everyone else, for that matter). Their short, but impressive six song set featured a mix of songs from their debut EP Bigger Than Boston and a taste of new material from their upcoming, yet to be titled full length. Their lyrics are reminiscent of early Weezer circa Pinkerton with catchy indie pop melodies the likes of Death Cab for Cutie with a hint of prog thrown in to the mix. – Billboard Mobile Beat

with:
Thailand
Signal Hill
Calamity Magnet

Tickets available at the door

Wednesday 01.23.07: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ THE TEENAGERS / RUN RUN RUN / MOSTLY BEARS

The Teenagers || Listen

Seeing the world through teen-tinted glasses The Teenagers (lead singer Quentin Delafon, guitarist / synth man Dorian Dumont and bassist Michael Szpiner) remind us what it’s like to be young. The lyrically ingenious Quentin interweaves snapshots of Johansson’s films as well as teen magazine style ?factoids? over beautifully crunchy guitar and soaring synths. This track is like reading the secret teenage diary of ELO with Kim Wilde for company. – Insound

with:
Run Run Run || Listen
Mostly Bears

Plus DJs Dia & Neil (War Tapes) spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

Dewar’s Drink Specials: $3 before Midnight, $1 after

Tickets Available at the Door

Wednesday 01.02.08: CLOSED

Tuesday 01.01.08: CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY

Friday 01.11.08: THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION, THE MOON UPSTAIRS, PORT O’ BRIEN

The Black Heart Procession || Listen

San Diego’s Black Heart Procession traffics in spectral, timeless music; it could be the audio backdrop for Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the score to a Fritz Lang silent film, or the soundtrack to some post-apocalyptic landscape. Since their debut, 1, in 1998, Black Heart has been steadily filling out their sound, which seemed initially constructed of nothing more than ghostly synth washes, reductive basslines, saw moans, keyboards, and singer Pall A. Jenkins’ yearning vocals (their second record, 1999′s 2, was almost percussion free). By 2002′s murder mystery narrative, Amore del Tropico, Black Heart had added a Latin twist and varied the funereal pace of their earlier records by emphasizing the guitars and punching up some songs until they practically rocked. Amore’s greatest conceit was sustaining Black Heart’s essence while adding layers of additional sonic textures from a host of contributing musicians. But Amore proved difficult to replicate live, so Black Heart’s co-founders and main songwriters — Jenkins and multi-instrumentalist Tobias Nathaniel — trimmed the contributing roster for the next record, leaving only themselves, drummer Joe Plummer (Magic Magicians, Modest Mouse) and Album Leaf members Jimmy LaValle (bass) and Matt Resovich (violin) to concoct The Spell together as a band. While such a shift could have signaled a return to pre-Amore minimalist sonics, The Spell is instead a pitch-perfect blend of Black Heart past and present, and a recording as accomplished as any that navigates similarly dark seas. – All Music Guide

with:
The Moon Upstairs || Listen
Port O’Brien || Listen