Friday 08.08.08: KARIN TATOYAN / LEARNING MUSIC / ROCCO DELUCA / SARAH NEGAHDARI AND THE SAD SOLIDS (FROM HAPPY HOLLOWS)

Karin Tatoyan

“Think of Tatoyan as a baroque Bjork. If her haunting vocals don’t dazzle you, her odd music will — counterposing, as it does, weird electronics, sound effects and loops with the very organic tones of a French horn and cello. Seeing her is like watching an Escher come to life. Almost-mathematical repetition gives way to chaos; melodies build and build yet resist payoff, like stairways to nowhere” – LA Times

with:
Learning Music || Listen
Rocco DeLuca || Listen
Sarah Negahdari and the Sad Solids (from Happy Hollows)

8:30 pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 08.01.08: WHITE ARROWS / AUSHUA / LOVE LIES SLEEPING / PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS

White Arrows

New Yorkers by way of LA, White Arrows are a little-known but catchy, fun, exciting group. Their riffing on new wave, dusty lo-fi exemplified on ‘City Boy’ may leave something to be desired at first, but by around verse 3/chorus 2 they’ll have you in a grasp of excitement as tight as their sweet pop hooks.
Tasteful, haunting riffs bend and twist through ‘The Voyeur’, as Mickey Schiff’s angst-ridden, thinly disguised vocals give a hint of despair, howling “There you go/ walkin’ round with your boyfriend”. But this bittersweet sound is masked gloriously by Evan Koga’s catchy, sweet guitars and their cute, impeccable drums, all mounting up to quite-possibly-perfect alt-pop music! – Einstein Music Journal

with:
Aushua || Listen
Love Lies Sleeping || Listen

plus special guests

Official viewing party for Airborne Toxic Event live on Conan O’Brien – 12:30am in the back bar – FREE.
DJs Dia and Sylvia spinning

8:30 pm / $8 / 21+

07.31.08: HELLO DRAGON / THE HECTORS / BARRIO TIGER / COSTA NOVA

Hello Dragon

the music pulls you in right away and makes you want to stay for melodic guitar hooks and remarkably creative lyrics linking rats in palm trees, Machu Picchu, El Chupacabra, Stephen Hawking and other unexpected things to life and love in Los Angeles. – Pasadena Weekly

with:
The Hectors || Listen
Barrio Tiger
Costa Nova || Listen

8:30 pm / $7 / 21+

Thursday 10.16.08: Filter & KXLU present BORN RUFFIANS / PLANTS AND ANIMALS / NURSES

Born Ruffians || Listen || Watch

Born Ruffians is on the up and up. The young Toronto band has mostly charmed critics with its two EPs to date, but guess what? Get past Luke Lalonde’s reedy voice and the yelping singalong tendencies in backing vocals and it’s clear the group is onto something: their debut album Red, Yellow and Blue is a consistent, and consistently unexpected, pleasure.

If you took Vampire Weekend’s melodic sensibility (the clean, simple melody and bass lines), threw in a serving of Animal Collective’s late-period experimental pop joy, and laid something like Alec Ounsworth’s pointed voice over the top, you might end up approaching something like Born Ruffians’ sound. What’s most apparent on their debut is the middle bit. It’s 40 minutes of joy, with few breaks. When Lalonde sings, on the opening “Red, Yellow and Blue”, that on the flag for his own country he’d include “Blue, because I’d still have sad days”, you never quite believe it. – Popmatters

with:
Plants and Animals || Listen
Nurses || Listen

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Humming Bird to 467467

8:30 pm / $10 advance; $12 day of show / 21+

Wednesday 10.15.08: Indie 103 presents CLUB NME with THE RUMBLE STRIPS / BIRDMONSTER / THE FRANKS

The Rumble Strips || Listen || Watch

The Rumble Strips’ music sounds lifted from an era when seven-inch singles were the norm and post-punk British bands approximated old soul records using a limited skill set. Those R&B-inspired rock tunes sounded just wrong enough to emerge as something new and very right.Singer-songwriter Charlie Waller evokes the passionate yowl of XTC’s Andy Partridge and Dexys Midnight Runners’ Kevin Rowland, and he sings of the usual stuff: Girls and Weather, as The Rumble Strips’ debut CD title indicates. As Waller fights the urge to join the rat race with the aid of a manically strummed guitar, sax-and-trumpet blasts animatedly back up his decision to lay low. If the English band sounds slightly tipsy, that may well be because it is. Raw skills, however, can’t hide the witty, warm and inviting soul in The Rumble Strips’ songs. – NPR

with:

Birdmonster || Listen
The Franks || Listen

Dewar’s drink specials: $3 before midnight, $1 after midnight

Resident DJs Dia and guests spinning. No cover after midnight.

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Cowboy to 467467

9pm / $10 advance; $12 day of show / 21+

Thursday 10.09.08: Clean Air Clean Stars kickoff party with THE BLACK ANGELS / SKY PARADE / HOPEWELL / SWOON 23

The Black Angels || Listen

Local tripsters the Black Angels bring the aura of mid-1966 – the drilling guitars of early Velvet Underground shows, the raga inflections of late-show Fillmore jams, the acid-prayer stomp of Austin avatars the 13th Floor Elevators – everywhere they go, including the levitations on their second album, Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic). Mid-Eighties echoes of Spacemen 3 and the Jesus and Mary Chain also roll through the scoured-guitar sustain and Alex Maas’ rocker-monk incantations. But he knows what time it is. “You say the Beatles stopped the war,” Maas sings in “Never/Ever.” “They might’ve helped to find a cure/But it’s not over.” Even so, this medicine works wonders. – Rolling Stone

with:
Sky Parade || Listen
Hopewell
Swoon 23
Very Special Guests
DJ Kelsey “Short-Shorts” spinning

Tickets for the Pre-Party at Spaceland:

You can also buy tickets for the Clean Air Clean Stars Festival right here:

Friday 09.12.08: INFINITY / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / DOGWEED

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:
Voxhaul Broadcast
Dogweed

8:30 pm / $10 advance; $12 day of show / 21+

Tuesday 09.09.08: DAMIEN JURADO / JENNIFER O’CONNOR / LITTLE WINGS

Damien Jurado || Listen

Jurado’s way with words, the manner in which he wraps his tales so magnificently around barely-there music that touches you – me – in such a strong way that it’s impossible to feel anything but moved by the experience, is exquisite. His cadence is perfect, his tone a perfect conductor of feeling regardless of the precise words that swim within it. His not-so-bothered singing voice, which can be mistaken for deliberate deadpan on occasions, belies the true soul within these compositions, within the man behind the microphone. – Drowned in Sound

with:
Jennifer O’Connor || Listen
Little Wings

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Clockwork to 467467

8:30 pm / $10 advance; $12 day of show / 21+

Sunday 09.07.08: DEATH VESSEL / MIA DOI TODD / THE FRENCH SEMESTER

Death Vessel || Listen

“Nothing melts a jaded man’s heart like the sound of a beautiful female voice singing songs of love, loss, and longing—even when they’re being sung by a guy. Joel Thibodeau, a slight young man with a freakishly high-pitched (but gorgeous) voice who goes by the name of Death Vessel (which could also fall under the “Best Band Name” category), is one of the city’s most talented singer-songwriters.” – Village Voice

with:
Mia Doi Todd || Listen
The French Semester || Listen

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Bruno to 467467

8:30 pm / $8 advance; $10 day of show / 21+

Tuesday 09.02.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents: CENTRO-MATIC / SLEEPERCAR (feat. Jim Ward of Sparta) / SOUTH SAN GABRIEL

Centro-Matic || Listen

With the release of Fort Recovery, Austin/Denton’s favorite sons celebrate a decade together, all the more remarkable when one considers how fresh Centro-matic still sounds…The band’s 10th full-length contains some of bandleader Will Johnson’s best songwriting. He and his compatriots, Matt Pence, Scott Danbom, and Mark Hedman, have grown into a band that chills you with washes of orchestrated chaos and seductive melodies, creating intense vistas, memorable pop hooks, and moments of rare intimacy…Ultimately what makes Fort Recovery a success is Centro-matic’s ability to make distinctively American music with uncommon fervor and without cliché. – Austin Chronicle

with:
Sleepercar (Jim Ward of Sparta) || Listen
South San Gabriel || Listen

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Dualhawks to 467467

8:30 pm / $10 / 21+

Tuesday 08.26.08: THE DELTA SPIRIT Record Release Party / AA BONDY / DAWES

The Delta Spirit || Listen

There’s no guilt associated with my cutting and pasting a portion of the Delta Spirit album bio below to describe the reasons that we think Ode To Sunshine is one of the finest albums to have been released during the 365 days of 2007. Kindly, I was asked to write the piece that became the San Diego band’s official record bio earlier in the year and spending hours with a rough copy of the album – still tacked onto the beginning of one of the songs was a false start where one of the band members freaks out over a spider – gave me the time to appreciate the five-piece for what it is and what it can be. There is more alive in each of these five soulful dudes than there is alive in a plastic ball pit full of innocent little kids at a carnival. They feel free to dream big, to anger over injustices and inequalities and they rejoice in all of the bright, warming things that happen on more of a regular basis than most cynics or optimists give credit to. They’ll give you their own music and they’ll trade you for an album of a live Sam Cooke show that they insist you must hear. It’s music that can change you in the nicest ways, make you a little happier, a little more alive. Cooke sings, “Don’t fight it, baby, feel it,” hence we have Delta Spirit’s Ode To Sunshine. – Daytrotter

with:
AA Bondy
Dawes

8:30 pm / $12 INCLUDES A COPY OF THE NEW DELTA SPIRIT ALBUM “Ode to Sunshine”; $10 for entry only / 21+

Sunday 08.17.08: STEVE BARTON AND THE OBLIVION CLICK / EXTRA / MEGASAPIEN / SIDEWALK SOCIETY

Steve Barton and the Oblivion Click

Barton remains a true foot soldier, pursuing the rock’n’roll mystery. His love affair with Britpop and his knack for tunes that roll off the tongue and from his guitar effortlessly have cemented his status as a lifer. For this thematic homage to time, Barton takes on its passage in crashing waves of sound and verse, from the Hitchcockian (Robyn variety) “Cartoon Safe,” and “Goodbye Oblivion” to “Winter Light” (righteous first-wave art punk). Throughout, Barton maintains his real-deal ties to the road that leads all the way from Memphis. – HARP

with:
Extra || Listen
Megasapien
Sidewalk Society

8:30 pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 08.16.2008: Manimal Vinyl presents THE MUSLIMS / GANGI / PIZZA! / AMANDA JO WILLIAMS

The Muslims

Assured-beyond-their-years San Diego quartet the Muslims will definitely get a lot of attention for their name, but we’re much more interested in the band’s catchy, sorta sloppy and stark post-punk-infused rock ‘n’ roll. They mix a kind of Strokes-y, and therefore VU, detachment and something that bumps in the night like Hell and his Voidoids (or, better yet, Hell and the Heartbreakers doing “Love Comes In Spurts”). You can also hear a bit of the Stooges — not just because the band cites ‘em, along with the Replacements, as an inspiration — and early Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers (see “Future Rock,” “On My Time,” etc). Whatever the mix of forerunners, the Muslims find a way to make it their own — it’s kinda uncanny. – Stereogum

with:
Gangi
Pizza! || Watch
Amanda Jo Williams || Watch

Thursday 08.14.08: CHESTER FRENCH / JEPPE (of JUNIOR SENIOR) / INVERSE

Chester French

While their classmates were busy interviewing with Goldman Sachs, singer Wallach and multi-instrumentalist Drummey camped out in their dorm’s basement studio, recording their demo, Love the Future — a collection of pop songs with Brian Wilson melodies, early-Beck humor and synth beats. – Rolling Stone – Artist to Watch
with:
Jeppe (of Junior Senior)
Inverse || Listen
DJ Quickie Mart spinning all night

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Jimmychoos to 467467

8:30 pm / $10 advance: $12 day of show / 21+

Thursday 08.07.08: HOCKEY / ANDY CLOCKWISE

Hockey

A relieved audience swayed through Hockey’s first song before infectious jams like “Too Fake” and “Preacher” turned all the stagnant feet into a full-on dance party. With the singer wearing a baggy, one-sleeved San Francisco Giants jersey and an unflappable drummer donning giant isolation headphones throughout the whole set, the scruffy Northwest natives’ hearty funk influence coerced even the guy in a Bape hoodie to jump around and sing along. And although the room cleared out after a sweat-filled set, their earworm-heavy, self-released album, Mind Chaos, was used as the house music for the rest of the night, ensuring everyone left with a case of repe-tune-itis. – LA Record

with:
Andy Clockwise || Listen

Tim Rogers has CANCELLED due to Visa Issues

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Hysteria to 467467

8:30 pm / $8 ADV; $10 DAY OF SHOW / 21+

Saturday 08.02.08: RUN RUN RUN / VOYAGER ONE / BEDTIME FOR TOYS / THE CORAL SEA

Run Run Run || Listen

with:
Voyager One || Listen
Bedtime For Toys || Listen
The Coral Sea || Listen

8:30 pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 08.01.08 @ 12:30 am: Official Viewing Party for Airborne Toxic Event live on Conan O’Brien in the Back Bar

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen

Official Viewing Party for the Airborne Toxic Even live on Conan O’Brien at 12:30 am in the Back Bar

“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

12:30 am / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 07.30.08: Indie 103 presents CLUB NME with THE VIRGINS / FRIENDLY FIRES / HEARTS OF PALM UK

The Virgins

Gossip Girl’s got nothing on this. Over 38 taut minutes, these New York kids reflect the mirror-ball gleam of primo INXS and Emotional Rescue–era Rolling Stones onto the lives of today’s young, rich, and wasted. If “She’s Expensive” didn’t slink along so suavely on a skittering high-hat and burbling bass groove, if “Fernando Pando” didn’t perfectly capture low-lit hedonism and morning-after regret, if every damn song didn’t have an such a stylish chorus, The Virgins might draw some jealous sneers. But they do—so it doesn’t. – SPIN

with:
Friendly Fires
Hearts of Palm UK

Dewar’s drink specials: $3 before midnight, $1 after midnight

Resident DJ Dia and guests spinning. No cover after midnight.

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text richgirls to 467467

9pm / $12 / 21+

Saturday 08.09.08: GOD’S POTTERY / JESSI KLEIN / NEU TICKLES / KYLE KINANE

God’s Pottery || Watch

“Heavenly. The combination of dark comedy and joyful sincerity works wonders.”
–The Times of London

“The genius of God’s Pottery is that from the pudding-basin cut of Lamb’s hair, to Smallchild’s freakishly fixed smile, to their abominably cheesy banter, the duo remain utterly consistent throughout”
–Metro UK

“If Christianity were always this funny, I’d go to church.”
–The Guardian

“An inventive, brilliantly sustained…not quite like anything else you’ve seen before.”
–The Times Of London

Members Jeremiah Smallchild and Gideon Lamb use their unique blend of music, people-skills and Biblical know-how to inspire all who are willing to listen with open hearts.

with:
Jessi Klein
Neu Tickles
Kyle Kinane

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text teamjesus to 467467

Tuesday 07.29.08: EEF BARZELAY (of Clem Snide) / AMATEURS / YELLOW RED SPARKS

Eef Barzelay || Listen

When Eef Barzelay released his first solo record, 2006’s Bitter Honey, it wasn’t really obvious what he was getting out of the experience. In many ways, it sounded pretty much like a Clem Snide record, which is to be expected since Barzelay was the band’s leader and sole songwriter. Bitter Honey might have been a little stripped-down, but “Ballad of Bitter Honey”, his narrative from the perspective of a dancing girl in a Ludacris video, had Clem Snide archness written all over it. Looking back at songs like “Ballad of Bitter Honey” in the context of his newest solo effort, Lose Big, however, it’s now obvious that Barzelay was beginning to explore characters and personas to say something serious and genuine in his songs.

Lose Big continues in that vein, and it’s a clear sign that Barzelay is faring quite well in his post-Clem Snide world. The record finds Barzelay stretching out, not only in terms of subject matter, but also in terms of arrangements and sound. – Popmatters

with:
Amateurs || Listen
Yellow Red Sparks

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
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8:30 pm / $8 adv; $10 day of show / 21+

Tuesday 07.15.2008: ROLL THE TANKS / DARTH VATO / THE TV LIERS

Roll The Tanks || Listen

“Roll The Tanks is a band governed by few doctrines and represented by unknown forces. Born from Lowell and now incubating in Los Angeles, band members Danny, Scott, Phil, and Mike bring convention and composition without explanation to their utility. They adhere to what they know and belong to nothing. They get angry at the sky, and sometimes paint in numbers. Its beautiful to them, but its dark at times. Its all on one side but sometimes its on the other. There are some clouds. There is some sun, pavement, and plastic. There are buildings and there is truth. There is you. And there is this band… Welcome to Suffer City.” -Davis Powers, Guns and Ammo Feb 2006

with:
Darth Vato || Listen
The TV Liers

8:30 pm / $5 / 21+

Tuesday 08.05.08: INTERNATIONAL POP OVERTHROW with KRISTIAN HOFFMAN / 17 PYGMIES / SAUCY MONKEY / IO PERRY / AARON DAVID GLEASON / THE HOLLISTON STOPS

International Pop Overthrow || Listen

with:
Kristian Hoffman
17 Pygmies
Saucy Monky
Io Perry
Aaron David Gleason
The Holliston Stops

8:30 pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 07.27.08: NEIL HAMBURGER / AMERICAN SHERIFF (feat. J.P. Hasson of Pleaseeasaur) / RON LYNCH / ABE LINCOLN STORY / ART HINTY

Neil Hamburger

If Neil Hamburger wasn’t the Funniest Man in America, why would the record company keep letting him make so many albums? Can’t answer that question, can you? No, it’s beyond dispute, he is the funniest. End of debate. Don’t even mention Jack Kevorkian, Neil is waaaaay, waaaaaaaay more side-splittingly hilarious, and he’s a much bigger bummer. And he’s got a million of ‘em – why, if one of his jokes falls flat or makes you groan or feel like gagging, or say the next 80 or 90 “gags” don’t exactly make you howl with uproarious laughter, just wait, because Neil will pounce with just a killer, killer line that will make you pee in your pants and nudge the guy next to you so he spills his drink (and when he hits you, that’ll be funny too). You’ll be glad you shelled out your money and chose to spend your time, on a Sunday night, no less, with America’s funny man, Neil Hamburger. – LA Weekly

with:
American Sheriff (feat. J.P. Hasson of Pleaseeasaur)
Ron Lynch
Abe Lincoln Story
Art Hinty

9 pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 07.09.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with SETTING SUN / QUITZOW / LAYER

Setting Sun || Listen

Setting Sun is a quintet led by frontman and producer Gary Levitt. The band’s third album, Children of the Wild, evokes the laid-back simple life of Levitt’s Upstate New York home. Driven by simple acoustic guitar lines, Erica Quitzow’s graceful string orchestrations, and Levitt’s hushed vocals, Setting Sun’s arrangements are dramatic and poignant.

Levitt’s whispery vocals might remind listeners of a less depressed Elliott Smith. Levitt mixes softly cooed choruses and murmured spoken-word verses on the album’s opening track, “What We Wanted,” giving the sense that he’s playing and singing to himself. This personal, confiding style lends the music its defining intimacy. Levitt the storyteller is immediately alluring, offering an inviting closeness in the whisper and croon of his honest lyrics. – NPR

with:
Quitzow
Layer

plus DJ Dia spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

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

Tickets Available at the Door

Saturday 07.05.08: THE NEW CENTURIES / MASTER SLASH SLAVE / 11:11

The New Centuries || Listen

Independent since 2005, The New Centuries made a name for themselves with a self-titled release in February of 2007. With songs like “Midnight Shows” and “Sharp Darts” the indie quartet greeted unsuspecting audiences with infectious guitar-synth dance rock (yeah, I made that term up — think Bloc Party). The latest effort from Centuries is no different. Perhaps a little more upbeat, but with no less Curesque crooning from lead singer Ryan Beaujolais, Paradise Massage demonstrates that these guys deserve a second listen. – Stranger Dance

with:
Master Slash Slave || Listen
11:11

Tickets at the door

Saturday 07.26.08: HOWLIN RAIN / CRYSTAL ANTLERS / FRANK FAIRFIELD

Howlin Rain || Listen

The emphasis in Howlin Rain is on the howlin. Lead singer Ethan Miller’s throaty delivery is the star of this show. Miller also croons for Comets on Fire, but in that band his vocals share equal billing with the group’s psychedelic instrumental explorations. Howlin Rain’s approach is much more classically classic rock, complete with shades of soul and gospel. It often seems like the band is on stage at a rural Christian revival meeting, with Miller proselytizing at full volume.

It doesn’t take long on Magnificent Fiend for Miller’s voice, a strained howl that makes Greg Dulli’s singing sound crystalline and refined, to take center stage. The album opens with the short instrumental “Requiem,” that rolls on barreling piano chords and blaring trumpets straight into “Dancers at the End of Time.” A minute and a half into that song, after guitar and organ jamming that sounds like it’s straight from Haight-Ashbury circa 1969, Miller’s voice arrives on the scene, and for the rest of the album it dominates the proceedings. – Prefix Magazine

with:
Crystal Antlers
Frank Fairfield

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Howlin to 467467

Friday 07.25.08: THE REPUBLIC TIGERS / RADARS TO THE SKY / THE FIEROS

The Republic Tigers || Listen

If you somehow haven’t caught on yet, or didn’t read my review of their EP, let me introduce you to The Republic Tigers. For comparison’s sake, their sound is equal parts Love, The Killers, and Modest Mouse with drugged-out, psychedelic melodies mixed in. But these five guys from Kansas City, Missouri are doing more than channeling their favorite artists on their full-length debut, Keep Color. Tracks like the spaced-out and catchy “Buildings & Mountains” and the possible breakthrough single “Fight Song” are chamber pop anthems with balls. The 1960s vocal harmonies embrace you as the huge guitar licks kick you, albeit gently, in the ass. Other songs, such as “Made Concrete” and “Feelin’ the Future”, are Americana dripping with hints of an acid trip. Whether they are lulling you to sleep or inducing a hazy daydream, The Republic Tigers hardly show any weaknesses here. Now it’s time for you to just hear Keep Color for yourself and beat the hoard of indie-kids sure to grab hold of this album and never let go. – Popmatters

with:
Radars To The Sky
The Fieros

Saturday 07.19.08: THE LONG WINTERS / SAY HI / THAILAND

The Long Winters || Listen

The Long Winters will return to the studio this summer to record the band’s fourth full-length album, a current untitled affair, which, in an exclusive phone interview, creative force John Roderick tells SPIN.com will drop in “early 2009.” Hooray!

But, explains Roderick, fans can expect a change of gears, as the Seattle-based songwriter has drifted from his “folk songwriter” methods — as found on 2006′s Putting the Days to Bed — picked up a loop pedal and immersed himself in layering track upon track. “[They have] a much looser feel,” Roderick says of the 120 one-minute loops he’s written in preparation for recording. “[They're] a lot more melodic,” and have “more rhythm and feel.” – Spin

with:
Say Hi || Listen
Thailand

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Pushover to 467467

Thursday 07.17.08: JASON FALKNER / WHAT CHEER? BRIGADE / THE BREAKUPS

Jason Falkner || Listen

The most wonderful aspect of I’m OK…You’re OK, however, is that Falkner brings an intimacy to his songs that we simply don’t hear nowadays. These tracks, put together, are true, real, and beautiful, alternating between moments of pure joy and pure sadness. Like Beck’s Sea Change, on which he played, the emotions of this album are not manufactured to sell records or to impress everyone with his “lo-fi” credentials. (This album was, incidentally, recorded without the aid of a professional studio — not like you could tell, as the instruments are pitch perfect and the lower fidelity adds to the charm and warmth of the songs.) Jason Falkner isn’t trying to prove anything. He is simply trying to share his songs with us. His stunning, complex, rich, and eminently enjoyable songs. – Blogcritics

with:
What Cheer? Brigade || Listen
The Breakups || Listen

Wednesday 07.16.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with ARMY NAVY / ALBERTA CROSS / REVISIONISTS

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. Known for an explosive live show, Army Navy performs regularly with artists as varied as Teenage Fanclub, Wolfmother, Spinto Band, The Like, and Arctic Monkeys. – NME

with:
Alberta Cross
Revisionists

Dewar’s drink specials: $3 before midnight, $1 after midnight

Resident DJs Dia and guests spinning. No cover after midnight.

9pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 07.13.08: TUNNELMENTAL EXPERIMENTAL ASSEMBLY / SECRET SOCIETY OF THE SONIC SIX / APE HAS KILLED APE / THE MAY FIRE

Tunnelmental Experimental Assembly || Listen

with:
Secret Society of the Sonic Six || Listen
Ape Has Killed Ape || Listen
The May Fire || Listen
Reverend Dan from KXLU spinning

FREE SHOW

Friday 07.11.08: Indie 103.1 presents ALBERT HAMMOND JR. / THE PARLOR MOB

Albert Hammond Jr. || Listen

By all published accounts, the Strokes haven’t even begun to work on their fourth album, but devout fans are offered one hell of a conciliation prize: Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo material. And “GfC,” a tune off his forthcoming sophomore set ¿Cómo Te Llama?, out July 8, will certainly ease the potentially long wait.

With unadorned, meat and potatoes instrumentation, “GfC” opens with starry guitar twinkles, which segue into pop-smart slashes and hip-shaking bass, and soon, an all out chorus in which Hammond Jr. stretches his vocals like never before. A sliding mess of Beatles “White Album”-like guitars seal the deal. – Spin

with:
The Parlor Mob

Limited Tickets available at the door

Thursday 07.10.08: PORT O’BRIEN / THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS

Port O’Brien || Listen

Port O’Brien has stirred up quite a lot of press coverage in a few short years, thanks in part to being name-checked by M. Ward as his favorite new band and exposure on tours opening for Bright Eyes, the Cave Singers, and Modest Mouse, among others. The group, based in California when not working in a cannery off the coast of Alaska, also garnered a place on several “Best of 2007” album lists. If you happened to see any of those tours, you know that all the accolades are not empty hipster hype. If you had the misfortune to miss them, a new release offers another chance to get on board.

“Stuck on a Boat” reflects the other Port O’Brien experience, the one endured through long, lonely days on an endless ocean. In fact, Port O’Brien’s music shares many characteristics with the sea that dominates much of its material. It’s beautiful. It is ever-changing. It can move from a peaceful calm to an impassioned squall in a matter of moments. It’s exciting, enveloping, awe-inspiring, and often overwhelming. – Popmatters

with:
The Builders and the Butchers

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Monday 07.28.08: Monday Night Residency – UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS / SABROSA PURR / BEARDO / AUDRA MAE

Under The Influence Of Giants || Listen

Under the Influence of Giants (frontman/lyricist Aaron Bruno, guitarist Drew Stewart, bassist Dave Amezcua, drummer/keyboardist Jamin Wilcox) is not the norm when it comes to young bands. The L.A. foursome certainly doesn’t shrink from the question of influence; the fact that they are influenced by the likes of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Prince, Talking Heads, Sly and the Family Stone and a host of others across the broad spectrum of musical achievement is right there on the marquee and on the cover of their eponymous debut.

It’s also in the incredibly diverse pop/rock/soul fabric of UTIOG’s songs and in the band’s individual histories and heritages; Bruno and Stewart have been writing together since their teenage years and were, in fact, the creative core of the post punk band Home Town Hero, and Wilcox (the son of famed Utopia/session drummer Willie Wilcox) came to UTIOG from a stint with the similarly structured Audiovent. Together, they make music that transcends their pasts and stands comfortably with the giants they emulate. – Amplifier Magazine

with:
Sabrosa Purr
Beardo
Audra Mae

FREE SHOW / 21+

Monday 07.21.08: Monday Night Residency – UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS / THE SNOW / BATHROOM MURDERS / HELLO VEGAS

Under The Influence Of Giants || Listen

Under the Influence of Giants (frontman/lyricist Aaron Bruno, guitarist Drew Stewart, bassist Dave Amezcua, drummer/keyboardist Jamin Wilcox) is not the norm when it comes to young bands. The L.A. foursome certainly doesn’t shrink from the question of influence; the fact that they are influenced by the likes of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Prince, Talking Heads, Sly and the Family Stone and a host of others across the broad spectrum of musical achievement is right there on the marquee and on the cover of their eponymous debut.

It’s also in the incredibly diverse pop/rock/soul fabric of UTIOG’s songs and in the band’s individual histories and heritages; Bruno and Stewart have been writing together since their teenage years and were, in fact, the creative core of the post punk band Home Town Hero, and Wilcox (the son of famed Utopia/session drummer Willie Wilcox) came to UTIOG from a stint with the similarly structured Audiovent. Together, they make music that transcends their pasts and stands comfortably with the giants they emulate. – Amplifier Magazine

with:
The Snow
Bathroom Murders
Hello Vegas

FREE SHOW / 21+

Monday 07.14.08: Monday Night Residency – UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS / LUKAS HAAS / PAUL DILLON (OF MERCURY REV)

Under The Influence Of Giants || Listen

Under the Influence of Giants (frontman/lyricist Aaron Bruno, guitarist Drew Stewart, bassist Dave Amezcua, drummer/keyboardist Jamin Wilcox) is not the norm when it comes to young bands. The L.A. foursome certainly doesn’t shrink from the question of influence; the fact that they are influenced by the likes of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Prince, Talking Heads, Sly and the Family Stone and a host of others across the broad spectrum of musical achievement is right there on the marquee and on the cover of their eponymous debut.

It’s also in the incredibly diverse pop/rock/soul fabric of UTIOG’s songs and in the band’s individual histories and heritages; Bruno and Stewart have been writing together since their teenage years and were, in fact, the creative core of the post punk band Home Town Hero, and Wilcox (the son of famed Utopia/session drummer Willie Wilcox) came to UTIOG from a stint with the similarly structured Audiovent. Together, they make music that transcends their pasts and stands comfortably with the giants they emulate. – Amplifier Magazine

with:
Lukas Haas
Paul Dillon of (Mercury Rev)

FREE SHOW

Monday 07.07.08: Monday Night Residency – UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GIANTS / BRIDGES / NICO STAI

Under The Influence Of Giants || Listen

Under the Influence of Giants (frontman/lyricist Aaron Bruno, guitarist Drew Stewart, bassist Dave Amezcua, drummer/keyboardist Jamin Wilcox) is not the norm when it comes to young bands. The L.A. foursome certainly doesn’t shrink from the question of influence; the fact that they are influenced by the likes of the Beatles, the Bee Gees, Prince, Talking Heads, Sly and the Family Stone and a host of others across the broad spectrum of musical achievement is right there on the marquee and on the cover of their eponymous debut.

It’s also in the incredibly diverse pop/rock/soul fabric of UTIOG’s songs and in the band’s individual histories and heritages; Bruno and Stewart have been writing together since their teenage years and were, in fact, the creative core of the post punk band Home Town Hero, and Wilcox (the son of famed Utopia/session drummer Willie Wilcox) came to UTIOG from a stint with the similarly structured Audiovent. Together, they make music that transcends their pasts and stands comfortably with the giants they emulate. – Amplifier Magazine

with:
Nico Stai
Bridges || Listen

FREE SHOW

Wednesday 07.23.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with LUCERO / JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD / GLOSSARY

Lucero || Listen

If the Pogues embody the Jameson-addled anthems of Ireland, Lucero turns the whiskey into bourbon aged in Tennessee oak and chased by a Bud. Their sound is a roll-up-the-sleeves-and-take-a-deep-sniff kind of pure angst. It’s like rain on the windshield as you drive through a cold November morning after a particularly regrettable evening. Raspy-voiced lead man Ben Nichols sings about themes associated with good loving and good drinking—thieves, love, getting drunk, and losing control—in a world where getting into trouble with a lady makes things turn thirsty fast. – Popmatters

with:
Jessica Lea Mayfield || Listen
Glossary || Listen

plus DJ Dia spinning rock, indie, punk, electro & alternative

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

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Friday 07.18.08: Filter presents EARLIMART / HOCUS POCUS / THE MOVIES

Earlimart || Listen

In the mesmerizing, disturbing dream that is Mentor Tormentor, Espinoza and Murray wrap their sweetly uneasy voices around misty melodies, while the deceptively sophisticated production reinforces the sense of uncertainty. Pretty guitars, pianos and strings come and go, creating a layered wall of sound effects, but it’s hardly a seamless construction. Oddly compelling electronic squiggles and blips are embedded in virtually every track, implying that whatever takes place in the foreground, there’s a contrary undercurrent bubbling underneath. – Paste Magazine

with:
Hocus Pocus (Members of Dios)
The Movies

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Tuesday 07.22.08: A Benefit for The Prids: BABYLAND / SHILOE / SLEEPMASK

Babyland || Listen

This Southern-California duo is one of the most interesting projects in the scene. Existing for more than 15 years and still producing interesting, unique records does mean something. Could their music be labeled as simple? Maybe only when referred to number of instruments used (don’t forget sticks and barrels!), but lyrics, rhythms and beats are far from rudimentary. It only takes couple of listens and you get the bigger picture. – Electromedia

with:
Shiloe || Shiloe
Sleepmask || Listen

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Sunday 07.20.08: PIERCED ARROWS (members of DEAD MOON) / ANGUS KHAN / WOOLLY BANDITS

Pierced Arrows (with Fred & Toody of Dead Moon)

During the explosive first few songs of the set, Haliburton’s sticks lingered on the toms, giving his simple beat an unforgiving strength. Then Fred blew a harmonica and Toody went into a bass-line that could have been slowed down and put on a Miles Davis record. A few songs later, Toody sang a softer number over a marching beat. These experiments complemented the more straight-forward songs and they also made it clear—for anyone who doubted—that Pierced Arrows is not Dead Moon. They did play one Dead Moon song though—“Over the Edge,” a particularly rhythmically dynamic song that had largely been retired since its release in 1991. About six songs in, the audience took the opportunity to take a deep breath, decompress, and rock the fuck out. And surely, there was cause to rejoice: Haliburton, the new songs, everything, everything was great. – Harp Magazine

with:
Angus Khan
Woolly Bandits

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Tuesday 07.08.08: SURPRISE ME MR. DAVIS (FEAT. MEMBERS OF THE SLIP) / BIG LIGHT

Surprise Me Mr. Davis

Back from a brief hiatus, Surprise Me Mr. Davis, comprised of prolific songwriter Nathan Moore and the members of The Slip, made a triumphant return to Higher Ground. The band, fresh off a ten day marathon reinvention/rebirth stint in Montreal, proved their worth performing a set heavy with brand new gems topped off with some Davis classics and a trademark magic trick from Moore.

The band hit the stage looking exceptionally sharp in their thrift suits. There was a magic in the air as the set started and by the second song, the Davis standard “I Want To Get To Heaven Before I Die,” the band had the crowd held tightly. What followed was a set of mostly brand new compositions. The highlight was a melancholy ballad called “Joelle,” the kind of song that just woefully tears into your heart and makes you appreciate love, the good times and bad. That spirit flowed through the other new tunes as Moore’s lyrics, filled with confusion, heartache, hope and appreciation of life’s small and precious details, blend especially well with Brad Barr’s driving compositions. – Glide Magazine

with:
Big Light || Listen

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Sunday 07.06.08: LEGENDARY SHACK SHACKERS / MERLE JAGGER / SARAH GAYLE

Legendary Shack Shackers || Listen

Jello Biafra has called Legendary Shack Shakers vocalist J.D. Wilkes “the last great rock and roll front man.” I don’t know about the “last” part, but I agree that there are not many singers left who can compare with Wilkes when it comes to capturing an audience’s attention.

I first saw the Shack Shakers about ten years ago when they were more or less a rockabilly band and Wilkes was a skinny guy in vintage shirt and horn-rim glasses who did hilarious pantomime-like routines while singing. Since then they’ve retooled and regrouped several times and have grown into something else: a weird mixture of swamp blues, bluegrass, Cajun music, polka, and punk rock, all steeped in a Southern Gothic aesthetic that Tennessee Williams would have envied. Wilkes now earns comparisons to Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. But even back when I first saw them, it was clear that the Shack Shakers had the potential to live up to the “legendary” in their name.- San Diego Reader

with:
Merle Jagger
Sarah Gayle

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9 pm / $10 / 21+

Tuesday 07.01.08: 88.9 KXLU & Filter present THE MAE SHI / DEATH TO ANDERS / DIE ROCKERS DIE / THE LIGHT FM

The Mae Shi || Listen

[Re-]familiarize yourself with the Mae Shi, because they aren’t quite the same 5RC-spastic outfit they were a couple years ago. With the willingness to make your cousin’s bat mitzvah come alive if you asked ’em, the guys’ earlier brand of post-punk thrash was cinched together with slightly busted electronics and a barrage of jagged guitar attacks. Erase the screechiest parts from the Blood Brothers, beef up the art-prog and voila! The same potent combo is on the table a lot these days, but with more attention to crafting pop hooks along the way (see: Les Savy Fav, Dan Deacon). HLLLYH can’t possibly be louder than its predecessors, but it’s smarter. Who knew the Mae Shi would suddenly be pillaging pop glee as successfully as the New Pornographers? – Paper Thin Walls

with:
Death To Anders || Listen
Die Rockers Die || Listen
The Light FM

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9 pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 07.24.08: THE LIFE AND TIMES / NUEVA VULCANO / SOLARE

The Life and Times || Listen

….there has always been room for more authentic, inventive and complex guitar-driven rock. For anyone who might doubt the veracity of my claim, may I offer The Life and Times. Formed out of the ashes of the constantly rotating cast of players of Shiner, Suburban Hymns is the kind of album that would’ve propelled these guys to superstardom in the early ’90s, but that still surprisingly packs a potent punch. From the opening epic guitar riff of “My Last Hostage”, guitarist and vocalist Allen Epley sets the bar high and consistently reaches it through the next 10 tracks. This is alternative rock the way it’s supposed to sound. There are no weird time signatures, “angular” guitar lines (or angular haircuts, thank God) or fashionably self-referencing lyrics. Nope, this is good old-fashioned alternative rock that deliver big killer riffs, loud drums and dare I say it actual singing of poetic lyrics. But unlike the knuckleheaded brand of FM rock that plagues the airwaves now, the Life and Times twist the mix, with Moogs, synths and an acute sense of atmosphere creating a unique soundworld that is a wonder to explore. – Popmatters

with:
Nueva Vulcano
Solare || Listen

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Saturday 07.12.08: RTX / EARTHLESS / BAD DUDES

RTX || Listen

Jennifer Herrema formed the trio RTX in 2004 after her musical and matrimonial split from Royal Trux partner-in-grime Neil Michael Hagerty. Western Xterminator ventures further from the ’90s opiate-blues legacy of Trux, sounding more exploratory than RTX’s debut, Transmaniacon, even as it embraces rawk conventions like four-to-the-floor cowbell (“Dude Love”), double-kick thrash (“Knightmare & Mane”), and hair-metal guitar. Herrema and Co. throw the horns without a whiff of irony, and if the Ratt-like “Balls to Pass” is a nod to the album’s title, they’re geniuses.- Spin

with:
Earthless
Bad Dudes || Listen

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