Tuesday 07.28.09: 89.9 KCRW presents BAND OF SKULLS / USELESS KEYS / THE FILTHY SOULS

Band of Skulls || Listen || Watch

Band of Skulls doesn’t come out of nowhere. Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is drenched in classic rock overtones. It never comes off as part of the recent groundswell in classic-rock revivalist bands, though, as modern indie guitar tones and a sickly, dark atmosphere pull the band out of nostalgia. Plopped right down in the middle of the rock spectrum, Band of Skulls isn’t defending rock’s longstanding traditions, looking back fondly or even trying to save the style. It just is.

That Zen approach to its music steers Baby Darling around a lot of potential pitfalls. Band of Skulls sound like what every rock band might sound like these days if the style hadn’t shed its innocence to become so cynically self-aware in the late ’60s. By its very rock’n'roll nature, “Death By Diamonds and Pearls” sounds descended in a left-hand line from Led Zeppelin through The White Stripes and The Hold Steady; the band doesn’t dwaddle around with its lineage, though, as its meaty blues-rock riffs are ready to fit into indie-rock clubs anywhere. “Blood” is even closer to pure blues-rock, devoid of any misplaced faith in tradition as only British bluesmen can be, with a slinky tune that’d sound great opening up for The Heartless Bastards or The Black Keys. “Patterns” succumbs to late-’00s fascinations with moody atmospheres and sleek guitars, though it’s not enough to clean up the band’s ’70s-rock influences. “Bomb” is the perfect soundtrack for cruising in either a rebuilt muscle car or a brand-new hybrid, with sweaty riffs cleaned up just enough to fit into modern, sophisticated society.

Bands and listeners will probably never be able to escape the shadow of rock history and its legacy. For about 45 minutes, though, you’ll be able to pretend like you can. Band of Skulls plays it like there’s no tomorrow, and, even better, no yesterday, either. – Aversion

With:
Useless Keys || Listen
The Filthy Souls

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

Thursday 07.09.09: CAVE COUNTRY / SPARROWS GATE / QUIET LIFE

Cave Country || Watch

“…They kind of reminded me of sixties band New Riders of the Purple Sage with the sweet vocal work of The Byrds, but with a freshness and spirit that felt contemporary. With beautiful swelling harmonies over lush yet precice guitars, the songs are well crafted indie/country/rock. I was kind of surprised, when we talked afterward, to find out at least some of them are surfers. But I see the connection, now, in that the dexterity and balance required of a surfer seems to infuse the precision of their music.” – RadioFreeSilverlake

With:
Sparrows Gate
Quiet Life

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 07.08.09: Club NME with ARMY NAVY (Club Fandango / Fierce Panda 7″ Release Party) / WHITE ARROWS / THEE MIGHTY ANGELS

Army Navy || Watch (Club Fandango / Fierce Panda 7″ release party)

I am going to say something Army Navy will love, followed by something that will make them want to kill me. Army Navy’s self-titled album is a dandy collection of jangly pop rock that will have fans of Robyn Hitchcock and Teenage Fanclub jumping for joy. Singer Justin Kennedy has a delicate but steady voice, and his melodies are instantly hummable. Now for the part that will make their blood boil: they’re a power pop band, which is usually the kiss of death for a band’s commercial prospects. Still, who knows: Jack’s Mannequin’s first album was a power pop record, and they’re doing just fine, thank you. That said, Jack’s Mannequin never wrote anything as dreamy and harmony-laden as “Dark as Days” or “Slight of Hand,” the latter of which just scored a spot on the soundtrack for “Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.” Will Kennedy’s connection to Ben Gibbard (they were both in the band Pinwheel) carry Army Navy over the power pop barrier? God, we hope so. We understand the bias against power pop – most of the bands that play it admittedly suck – but Army Navy deserves better than that. Here’s hoping they get it. – ESD Music

With:
White Arrows
Thee Mighty Angels
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Thursday 08.27.09: CROCODILES / PENS / GRAFITTI ISLAND

Crocodiles || Watch

When we gathered up our favorite artists’ year-end lists No Age included Crocodiles’ “Neon Jesus” as one of their top 10 “shredders” of ’08: “[Crocodiles are] a great new band from San Diego. This song is a real good kinda early eighties electro punk pop jam. It is super catchy.” All true, but something No Age didn’t mention is that it also sounds — in a great way — like Velvet Underground-swinging Jesus & Mary Chain. And if you take a look at one of the sunglasses-with-attitude photos of ex-Prayers/The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower’s Charles Rowland (guitar, synth) and Brandon Welchez (vocals, programming), there’s more to it than just the sound. The below picture’s pretty colorful, but songs like “I Wanna Kill” and “Summer Of Hate” are more shades of gray, despite the hooks (in the same way the brothers Reid can make rain, psycho candy, and darklands sounds so inviting). It also shouldn’t be surprising that they’ve posted Crystal Stilts on their Skull Kontrol blog. Sound comparisons aside, the two recently followed fellow Southern California distortion lover Wavves, signing a two album deal with Fat Possum. The first one, Summer Of Hate, is out in May. We have No Age’s beloved “Neon Jesus” along with “I Wanna Kill” and “Summer Of Hate.” Dig into the feedback. – Stereogum

With:
PENS || Listen
Grafitti Island

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Wednesday 08.26.09: Club NME with FRUIT BATS / DEATH VESSEL / A B & THE SEA

Fruit Bats || Listen || Watch

Fruit Bats were greeted by a very house when they hit the stage. They opened with a song from 2005’s Spelled in Bones, “Canyon Girl”, and then played a few newer songs, but not before bandleader Eric Johnson asked for permission first, saying “We’ll play some old shit, I promise” and joking that they would “play all four albums in a row, plus a mystery album of your choosing.” After a solid set of newer songs (some of which they also performed during KEXP’s Bay Area broadcast), they pulled out a few revamped classics, such as “Seaweed” (with added harmonica) and “The Little Acorn.” They followed up with a few more new songs that were equally impressive. Behind Eric Johnson’s distinctive voice, a change in style was prevalent in the new music. Although he never gives up the band’s signature pop and twang elements, the songs were a bit more sprawling and mined a similar vein of classic rock as Grand Archives and before that Neil Young. Fruit Bats finished with a couple of classics, including “The Rainbow Sign” and “When U Love Somebody.” It was a great show, and we’re looking forward to the next time Fruit Bats hit town… and to the new album we hope to see later this year! – KEXP

With:
Death Vessel || Listen
A B & The Sea

8:30pm / $12 adv, $15 doors / 21+

Sunday 08.09.09: Manimal Vinyl presents WARPAINT / CAROLINE WEEKS (of Bat for Lashes) /CORRIDOR / UNIVERSE

Warpaint || Watch

If you’re feeling bold, you might point out the possibility of Warpaint usurping Chan Marshall’s throne. As Cat Power delves deeper into “covers only” madness, it wouldn’t seem too out of step for another talented dream-pop songstress (or in this case, songstresses) with a penchant for slow-dissolve acoustic lilt and smoky harmonies to divert your attention. Warpaint’s “Billie Holiday” is in fact half of a cover, borrowing large chunks of the Smokey Robinson-penned 1964 classic, “My Guy” (a hit for Mary Wells) and rerouting the original’s giddiness to adopt a sort of apathetic haze that’s very much in need of a Xanax, or perhaps the victim of one too many. What Warpaint contribute otherwise (lullaby verses that give a shout-out to Lady Day, arresting vocal blending) is memorable, as the track conjures a palpable atmosphere, its subtle mix overseen by Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante. Instead of employing any sort of trendy gimmick, Frusciante has the good sense to lay things bare and let the voices, arrangements, and guitars speak plainly, hinting at what’s found on the remainder of their Exquisite Corpse EP. – Pitchfork

With:
Caroline Weeks || Listen
Corridor
Universe

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 07.02.09: THE ROUGE / HELLO VEGAS / HALOS / DON’T TELL SOPHIE

The Rouge || Watch

If you read the profile of the Rouge in this week’s issue, you know that the band blanches at the prospect of being considered a pop band. Nonetheless, one listen to Joshua Vaught’s instantly memorable melodies couched in the beyond tuneful framework of the compositions, and it seems glaringly remiss to file the band’s music under anything else. Semantics aside, for our money, the Rouge is one of the brightest new acts to emerge in recent memory — which speaks volumes considering the wealth of talent this town is producing right now. By all means, don’t just take our word for it. Check out footage of the group we shot last weekend in Fort Collins and pick up the title track off the band’s new EP for free after the jump. If you like what you hear (and we’re confident you will), head over to Max3 and purchase the rest of the disc. – Westword

with:
Hello Vegas
Halos
Don’t Tell Sophie

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 08.17.09: Filter, Aquarium Drunkard & KROQ Locals Only present Monday Residency with LOCAL NATIVES / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / SOKO / THE LONELY H

Local Natives || Listen || Watch

Watching California’s Local Natives perform Sunday night at DC’s Black Cat was like standing on the outskirts of a drum circle. Out of the band’s six musicians, five contributed to the heavy tribal-influenced pounding and clacking of drum sticks. The only instrument used more often was the voice—something every band member contributed at one point, whether it was singing or shouting during the climactic breakdown of the energetic “Sun Hands.”

I’ve written before that the Local Natives are a mellifluous harmony-driven group. After seeing them perform live, that almost seems like an understatement. The band is a vocal group that performs like a small orchestra; a contemporary Zombies that might not be as pretty, but plays with more bite. Precise instrumentation—that comes in the form of a keyboard, bass, violin, and two guitars—mimics and riffs on the melodies sung by the band’s core of singers: the mustached and guitar-swinging Taylor Rice, the deftly reserved Ryan Hahn, and the bearded Kelcey Ayer with his seemingly whale-sized lungs.

Nearly every moment of the performance featured some sort of collaboration. During the band’s two best songs, “World News” and “Airplanes,” that collaboration was seamless with the various voices and instruments delivering a tightly woven tapestry of choral soul and marching band-sized percussion. Whether it was the cover of the Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” or “Stranger Things”—which at one point was broken down to nothing but vocals and hand-clapping by all six musicians—the Local Natives delivered a clear vision of songs uniquely their own. – Everybody Taste

With:
Voxhaul Broadcast
Soko
The Lonely H

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 08.24.09: Filter, Aquarium Drunkard, & KROQ Locals Only present Monday Residency with LOCAL NATIVES / THE PARSON REDHEADS / RED ARROW MESSENGER / FLYING TOURBILLON ORCHESTRA

Local Natives || Listen || Watch

Watching California’s Local Natives perform Sunday night at DC’s Black Cat was like standing on the outskirts of a drum circle. Out of the band’s six musicians, five contributed to the heavy tribal-influenced pounding and clacking of drum sticks. The only instrument used more often was the voice—something every band member contributed at one point, whether it was singing or shouting during the climactic breakdown of the energetic “Sun Hands.”

I’ve written before that the Local Natives are a mellifluous harmony-driven group. After seeing them perform live, that almost seems like an understatement. The band is a vocal group that performs like a small orchestra; a contemporary Zombies that might not be as pretty, but plays with more bite. Precise instrumentation—that comes in the form of a keyboard, bass, violin, and two guitars—mimics and riffs on the melodies sung by the band’s core of singers: the mustached and guitar-swinging Taylor Rice, the deftly reserved Ryan Hahn, and the bearded Kelcey Ayer with his seemingly whale-sized lungs.

Nearly every moment of the performance featured some sort of collaboration. During the band’s two best songs, “World News” and “Airplanes,” that collaboration was seamless with the various voices and instruments delivering a tightly woven tapestry of choral soul and marching band-sized percussion. Whether it was the cover of the Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” or “Stranger Things”—which at one point was broken down to nothing but vocals and hand-clapping by all six musicians—the Local Natives delivered a clear vision of songs uniquely their own. – Everybody Taste

With:
The Parson Red Heads || Listen
Red Arrow Messenger
Flying Tourbillon Orchestra || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 09.04.09: THE HAPPY HOLLOWS (Record Release Party) / THE PITY PARTY / THE BOXING LESSON / THE HEALTH CLUB

The Happy Hollows || Listen || Watch

The Los Angeles noise-pop trio is fronted by wild woman Sarah Negahdari, who Wired Magazine called a “killer hybrid of Kim Deal, PJ Harvey and Emily Haines”. Titled Spells, this full-length effort comes fresh off the heels of 2008’s Imaginary EP and both were produced by David Newton, formerly of the Mighty Lemon Drops.

And while other female-led groups may have steered away from the noise-pop ferocity, Negahdari and company are going full force with an album chock full of effects, distortion and feedback, all built from the shredtastic and primal shows that the band, and especially Negahdari, put on. Despite their force, however, The Happy Hollows knows how to bring the love and show off some smiles with a side of snark and effervescent vocal work. – Consequence of Sound

With:
The Pity Party || Listen
The Boxing Lesson
The Health Club || Listen

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 Day of show / 21+

Monday 08.31.09: Filter, Aquarium Drunkard, & KROQ Locals Only present Monday Residency with LOCAL NATIVES / FUN / AUSHUA

Local Natives || Listen || Watch

Watching California’s Local Natives perform Sunday night at DC’s Black Cat was like standing on the outskirts of a drum circle. Out of the band’s six musicians, five contributed to the heavy tribal-influenced pounding and clacking of drum sticks. The only instrument used more often was the voice—something every band member contributed at one point, whether it was singing or shouting during the climactic breakdown of the energetic “Sun Hands.”

I’ve written before that the Local Natives are a mellifluous harmony-driven group. After seeing them perform live, that almost seems like an understatement. The band is a vocal group that performs like a small orchestra; a contemporary Zombies that might not be as pretty, but plays with more bite. Precise instrumentation—that comes in the form of a keyboard, bass, violin, and two guitars—mimics and riffs on the melodies sung by the band’s core of singers: the mustached and guitar-swinging Taylor Rice, the deftly reserved Ryan Hahn, and the bearded Kelcey Ayer with his seemingly whale-sized lungs.

Nearly every moment of the performance featured some sort of collaboration. During the band’s two best songs, “World News” and “Airplanes,” that collaboration was seamless with the various voices and instruments delivering a tightly woven tapestry of choral soul and marching band-sized percussion. Whether it was the cover of the Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” or “Stranger Things”—which at one point was broken down to nothing but vocals and hand-clapping by all six musicians—the Local Natives delivered a clear vision of songs uniquely their own. – Everybody Taste

With:
Fun (Feat. members of the Format) || Listen
Aushua || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 08.20.09: MOTHER MOTHER / SING ORPHEUS / BALLERINA BLACK

Mother Mother || Listen || Watch

O My Heart opens appropriately with its title track, an introductory song heavy on the rhythm section and simpler lyrics than the rest of the record. The bands picks up its hyperbole on “Body”, which begins with staccato violins and vocals and effortlessly merges into a lullaby chorus. “Ghosting” and “Try to Change” boast acoustic plucking Iron And Wine would be jealous of, with the latter incorporating interesting vocal changes Regina Spektor would find promising. The main members of Mother Mother are not afraid of sharing lead vocal duties. This is strongly evident on album closer “Sleep Awake”, a track that, with its sweet pitchy female vocal track, recalls so many of the lullabye ending nineties altrock albums as much as a Decemberists album track.

The album is one of those rare jewels that saves its best stuff for the seond side. “Hayloft” is a standout track, and not only because it demands attention like a petulant toddler in its terrible twos. The instrumentalism is even tighter than the rest of the album’s already deeply pocketed sound, and the vocal work is some of the most exciting in recent history. “Wrecking Ball” combines old timey bluegrass with dance beats to the effect of creating a haunting three minute long hook. “Arms Tonight” is a high school sweet love song no summer record should be without, however it retains its cred with poetic comparisons of love to death and a solid off beat.

With each release, Mother Mother shows their growth potential paying dividends. It certainly does not hurt that they have left themselves so much evolutionary slack; not only can each album go in any direction, every song can. Look for Mother Mother to take off in the very near future, especially with guilty pleasure hooks like candy and television commercial friendly tracks (apparently that is how indie bands know they’ve made it nowadays, see: Iron and Wine, Throw Me the Statue, The Shins). In all, the record is a solid choice to finish out your summer with. – Radio Exile

With:
Sing Orpheus || Listen
Ballerina Black || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 08.10.09: Monday Residency with LOCAL NATIVES / RED CORTEZ / SWIM PARTY / RADEMACHER

Local Natives || Listen || Watch

Watching California’s Local Natives perform Sunday night at DC’s Black Cat was like standing on the outskirts of a drum circle. Out of the band’s six musicians, five contributed to the heavy tribal-influenced pounding and clacking of drum sticks. The only instrument used more often was the voice—something every band member contributed at one point, whether it was singing or shouting during the climactic breakdown of the energetic “Sun Hands.”

I’ve written before that the Local Natives are a mellifluous harmony-driven group. After seeing them perform live, that almost seems like an understatement. The band is a vocal group that performs like a small orchestra; a contemporary Zombies that might not be as pretty, but plays with more bite. Precise instrumentation—that comes in the form of a keyboard, bass, violin, and two guitars—mimics and riffs on the melodies sung by the band’s core of singers: the mustached and guitar-swinging Taylor Rice, the deftly reserved Ryan Hahn, and the bearded Kelcey Ayer with his seemingly whale-sized lungs.

Nearly every moment of the performance featured some sort of collaboration. During the band’s two best songs, “World News” and “Airplanes,” that collaboration was seamless with the various voices and instruments delivering a tightly woven tapestry of choral soul and marching band-sized percussion. Whether it was the cover of the Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign” or “Stranger Things”—which at one point was broken down to nothing but vocals and hand-clapping by all six musicians—the Local Natives delivered a clear vision of songs uniquely their own. – Everybody Taste

With:
Red Cortez || Listen
Swim Party || Listen
Rademacher

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 08.05.09: Club NME with THE CAPSHUNS / SHILOE / QUEEN KWONG / THE BIXBY KNOLLS

The Capshuns

Silver Lake quartet the Capshuns have been busy making new recordings in the Eagle Rock studio of producer Kiyoshi Graves, and a sneak preview reveals the same infectious, ’60s-influenced power pop that earned them a tour last year with Swedish lads Mando Diao. Well, that and maybe writing a cool song called “Swedish Lads,” which appeared on 2008’s “Made of Castles” EP. Songwriters Patrick Thomas and Ryan Herbert cultivate an affection for Britpop-style hooks, and this single makes me curious for what’s coming next. – Buzz Bands

With:
Shiloe || Listen
Queen Kwong || Listen
The Bixby Knolls

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Monday 08.03.09: Filter, Aquarium Drunkard & KROQ Locals Only Present: Monday Residency with LOCAL NATIVES / THE UNION LINE / THE OUTLINE / WE BARBARIANS

Local Natives || Listen || Watch

If Win Butler ever sets aside his well-worn copy of Born to Run and starts obsessing over Remain in Light-era Talking Heads, Local Natives might have cause to sue for royalties—the rippling waves of nervy New Wave, jittery tinges of world music and the cascading crush of wild-hearted rock ‘n roll generated by the L.A. six-piece on Monday night hop-scotched from sonically referencing Byrne and Butler to skipping a few steps ahead in their own challenging and highly catchy direction, with songs like the sidewinding rumble of “Sun Hands” filling the extremely packed Silverlake Lounge with a sound that fused bluesy rock, vocal-heavy indie and an off-kilter and arresting brand of rhythmically-charged tribal pop.

In a performance that was by turns controlled and intricate, then frenzied and howling like a red state revival set to afropop and indie, Local Natives turned in an eclectic, energetic set that more than lived up to any ‘net-based hype (like this) while surely generating more (like this) with a sweaty and explosive stage show that married hooks and melodies to mad, genre-hopping pop freakouts (which, thanks to the band’s own sound man, sounded as pristine and clear as rock music can get in a venue like the sardine-canned Silverlake Lounge, which typically sounds muffled and muddy). If you like your concert reviews to count the negatives, I’ll say that they could’ve played longer than their brisk 35-minute set; however, seeing as how Local Natives have a whole month to make their case, there’s nothing wrong with a succinct opening statement when your musical argument is as good as theirs. – Web In Front

With:
The Union Line
The Outline || Listen
We Barbarians || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 07.26.09: Comedy Night with THE METAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY / HARVEY SID FISHER / BRENT WEINBACH

The Metal Shakespeare Company || Listen

Many a long-haired college student has studied Shakespeare while listening to Iron Maiden, but THE METAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY is the first band to forge the greatest texts of all time with the most epic style of music known to man. This Portland four-piece dresses like a formal Shakespeare company, but brings guitar harmonies, high-range vocals, and minute-long keyboard solos to such famous speeches as “Saint Crispian’s Day” from Henry V, and the scene of the drunken porter from Macbeth. Since their inception in January 2006, the Metal Shakespeare Company has performed with such greats as Doro, Zolar X, Thor, Dead Moon, the Hunches, the Epoxies, the Clorox Girls, and more. – Sir Matthew

With:
Brent Weinbach || Listen
Harvey Sid Fisher || Listen

8:30pm / 21+

Thursday 07.23.09: SPIRIT ANIMAL / ROBOTANISTS / TIGERS CAN BITE YOU

Spirit Animal || Listen || Watch

While celebrating the release of “Free Music EP”, the artist formerly known as the Gray Kid covers Genuwine’s 1993 single for an X-rated space-age come-on. “If you’re horny, let’s do it / Ride it, my pony” sounds even sleazier here, as the mere notion mines dangerous lust rather than the middle school exploration of the original – URB Magazine

With:
Robotanists || Listen
Tigers Can Bite You || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 07.10.09: Buddyhead presents SEASPIN / HESTA PRYNN / MY IMAGINARY FRIENDS / DALMACIO VON DIAMOND & THE ENOCHIAN KEYS / DJ TRAVIS KELLER

Seaspin || Watch

File under shoegaze revivalism: Seaspin, the new project from former Your Enemies Friends bandmates Ronnie Washburn and Jennifer Goodridge, has fashioned a vaguely turbulent strain of dreampop on their initial EP, “Reverser.” The touchstones come right out of the hall of fuzz — the Cocteau Twins, early Lush and perhaps the peppier ‘gazing of the Darling Buds — and it’s about 180 degrees from the bratty, fun rock of their former band. “Reverser” soon will hit iTunes thanks to a digital distribution deal with Buddyhead. – Buzz Bands

with:
Hesta Prynn
My Imaginary Friends
Dalmacio Von Diamond & the Enochian Keys
DJ Travis Keller

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 10.07.09: Club NME with JACK PENATE / MIIKE SNOW

Jack Penate || Listen || Watch

Jack Penate has responded by junking his previous incarnation, finding a sympathetic producer in Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Maxïmo Park) and re-emerging with an album of good-natured, more-ish dance-pop, its multi-layered sound so unexpected that Matinee now seems like the work of someone else entirely. Once noted for his strange knock-kneed dance moves, Peñate has suddenly found a sense of rhythm; recent single Today’s Tonight merges Afrobeat and house music, while Give Yourself Away piles on the samba drums and squalling guitars, suggesting recent discovery of the Santana back catalogue.

There are trumpets, strings, a barrage of percussion and all manner of instrumental flourishes that might have left Peñate, in his eagerness to reinvent himself, mired in self-indulgence. Despite the broader palette, there’s no sign of bloating and the album comes in at just nine tracks, all of them punchy, and in their lyrical and sonic optimism, defiantly pop. The title track is both hymn to the joy of seeing the world through less jaundiced eyes and faintly autobiographical, given its chorus of “everything is new now/dance away defeat”, and the overarching mood is of facing down your fears. That includes the biggest one of all, as Let’s All Die celebrates the arrival of the grim reaper by breaking out the party hats, its mariachi brass and rattling drums equal parts Mexican Day of the Dead and New Orleans funeral march.

After a few listens to Everything is New, it’s clear the title is no plea to be forgiven for past sins. Skins have been shed, batteries recharged and the traditionally difficult second album dashed out with apparent ease. Of all the young artists that might have managed that feat, who’d have thought it would be this one? – The Guardian UK

With:
Miike Snow

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Friday 06.26.09: TWO SHEDS / OLD LUMPS / THE TRADITIONIST / LINE & CIRCLE

Two Sheds || Listen || Watch

Hailing from the Sacramento area, Two Sheds formed in 2003 when John Gutenberger (bass,vocals), Rusty Miller (drums) and Caitlin Gutenberger (guitar,vocals) began playing together for fun. In 2004, Caitlin tried her hand at writing a song at John’s encouragement, and has yet to stop. Their collaboration made them realize their overwhelming natural musical chemistry, and Two Sheds went on to record 2006’s Strange Ammunition on UnderAcloud Records.

Their live shows take a different turn than the recordings. Two Sheds tends to go electric most of the time on tour thanks to the addition of James Finch, Jr. (guitar) in 2007 who helped flesh out the sound the band was able to capture on earlier recordings. This has led Two Sheds to share the stage with artists such as Victoria Wiliams, the Chapin Sisters, the Duke Spirit, Scout Niblett, Akron Family and Be Your Own Pet.

After several tour dates on the West Coast and a talked about performance at SXSW this year at Filter Magazine’s “Showdown at Cedar Street,” the band is touring behind their self-titled EP on Filter U.S. Recordings. The digital-only EP conjures similarities to a vast array of artists — from Mazzy Star to Lucinda Williams, Neil Young to Nirvana. Guitarist/vocalist Caitlin Gutenberger revealed the recording process of standout track “To Be Alive.” – The Bay Area Takeover

With:
The Traditionist
Line and Circle
Old Lumps

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Saturday 08.08.09: SATURDAYS OFF THE 405 with THE DODOS / DJ TURQUOISE WISDOM @ Getty Center Courtyard

The Dodos || Listen

The Dodo’s were the lone support band and are another act to appear out of nowhere in 2008. Their Visiter album was a revelation and definitely the best example of combining african and indie rhythms from the recent crop of releases trading in that area. As a three piece they conjured up a tight and fierce sound with driving intertwined polyrhythms and percussive guitar. The vocals of Meric Long soared urgently and melodically over the coordinated racket though the soundman could have brought his voice more to the fore in the mix. On songs like ‘Fools’ The Dodos showed they could combine the chiming vocals with clockwork drums and folky blues guitar to capture the audience’s attention. I’m sure many would have been checking out the Dodos online the next day. – Doubtful Sounds

With:
DJ Turquoise Wisdom

Getty Center Courtyard
1200 Getty Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

7pm / FREE / all ages

Saturday 07.11.09: SATURDAYS OFF THE 405 with MAS EXITOS / DOMINGO SIETE @ the getty center

Mas Exitos (DJ Collective)

Fridays Off the 405 are now Saturdays Off the 405! The free outdoor performance series is back on Saturday nights this summer with a lively mix of today’s most exciting emerging bands and DJ sets to open and close the night. And starting this summer, parking is free at the Getty Center on Saturdays after 5pm.

Mas Exitos, the legendary twice-a-month event held at the Verdugo Bar in Highland Park, comes to the Getty! The DJ collective—featuring Lengua, Hoseh, Ganas, and Enorbito—unfold their international music selections and transform the Museum Courtyard into a hot spot south of the border.

Think of it as a National Geographic documentary on sound that takes you from the Andes of Peru to the streets of Mexico City to the East Side of L.A.—cumbias, low-rider music, tropicalia, funky jazz oddities, y más. Listen as the crew plays their heritage on turntables.

With:
DJ Hoseh
DJ Lengua
DJ Exorbito
DJ Ganas
Domingo Siete || Listen

Getty Center Courtyard
1200 Getty Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

6pm / FREE / all ages

Saturday 07.25.09: SATURDAYS OFF THE 405 with CUT CHEMIST / WE ARE THE WORLD @ getty center

Cut Chemist || Listen

Fridays Off the 405 are now Saturdays Off the 405! The free outdoor performance series is back on Saturday nights this summer with a lively mix of today’s most exciting emerging bands and DJ sets to open and close the night. And starting this summer, parking is free at the Getty Center on Saturdays after 5pm.

Fans of DJ Shadow, RJD2, Jurassic 5, and masterful recent instrumental opuses from J-Dilla and Madlib would be wise to check out The Audience’s Listening (Warner Brothers), the major-label solo debut from longtime J5 mainstay Cut Chemist. Chemist takes audiences on an invigorating sonic journey that skips deliriously from genre to genre and is animated throughout by an infectious sense of rhythm and a prankish sense of humor. Strap on some headphones and enjoy the ride… – AV Club

With:
We Are The World

Getty Center Courtyard
1200 Getty Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

6pm / FREE / all ages

Saturday 08.29.09: THE WARLOCKS / THE USELESS KEYS / THE BLACK APPLES

The Warlocks || Listen || Watch

However, what you and I may consider to be average would be a million miles away from Hecksher and co., as song titles like ‘Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell’ and ‘There Is A Formula To Your Despair’ suggest. With the current shoegaze revival in full swing, they’ve probably chosen the right time to unleash The Mirror Explodes, although one accusation no one could ever level at The Warlocks would be to brand them as calculated mercenaries; far from it in fact, as their refusal to build on the (near) commercial success of album number two Phoenix seven years ago evidently demonstrates.

Despite their being a more mellow aura throughout the record, there’s still a gnawing level of intensity, not to mention the band’s legendary three-guitar assault. New bassist Jana Risher also brings a more dominant, brooding kind of menace to their already cataleptic sound, transforming the aforementioned ‘Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell’ and closing epic ‘Static Eyes’ into orgasmic trance-like epilogues that shift between drone and dirge effortlessly.

Gone are the days when songs like ‘Baby Blue’ or ‘Hurricane Heart Attack’ could be considered radio-friendly in a perverse parallel universe. None of the eight pieces of music here fit into that vein in any way shape or form. ‘Red Camera’ and ‘Slowly Disappearing’ both evoke morbid fantasies (or should that be nightmares?) yet prove richly engaging, while the penultimate surge of ‘Frequency Meltdown’ – the now customary instrumental jam that The Warlocks include on nearly all of their albums – is possibly their most incisive to date, a swirling six-minute opus that mixes Sound Of Confusion-era Spacemen 3 dynamics with a structure reminiscent of the first Doors record. That this record will probably go largely ignored by many is rather sad. Though no longer flavour of the month in ‘cool’ circles, as far as The Warlocks are concerned it’s business as usual, and The Mirror Explodes is up there with their finest works to date. – Drowned in Sound

With:
The Useless Keys || Listen
The Black Apples

Get tickets for both Warlock shows below at Ticketweb for only $20

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Friday 08.28.09: THE WARLOCKS / THE MORNING AFTER GIRLS / GLISS

The Warlocks || Listen || Watch

However, what you and I may consider to be average would be a million miles away from Hecksher and co., as song titles like ‘Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell’ and ‘There Is A Formula To Your Despair’ suggest. With the current shoegaze revival in full swing, they’ve probably chosen the right time to unleash The Mirror Explodes, although one accusation no one could ever level at The Warlocks would be to brand them as calculated mercenaries; far from it in fact, as their refusal to build on the (near) commercial success of album number two Phoenix seven years ago evidently demonstrates.

Despite their being a more mellow aura throughout the record, there’s still a gnawing level of intensity, not to mention the band’s legendary three-guitar assault. New bassist Jana Risher also brings a more dominant, brooding kind of menace to their already cataleptic sound, transforming the aforementioned ‘Standing Between The Lovers Of Hell’ and closing epic ‘Static Eyes’ into orgasmic trance-like epilogues that shift between drone and dirge effortlessly.

Gone are the days when songs like ‘Baby Blue’ or ‘Hurricane Heart Attack’ could be considered radio-friendly in a perverse parallel universe. None of the eight pieces of music here fit into that vein in any way shape or form. ‘Red Camera’ and ‘Slowly Disappearing’ both evoke morbid fantasies (or should that be nightmares?) yet prove richly engaging, while the penultimate surge of ‘Frequency Meltdown’ – the now customary instrumental jam that The Warlocks include on nearly all of their albums – is possibly their most incisive to date, a swirling six-minute opus that mixes Sound Of Confusion-era Spacemen 3 dynamics with a structure reminiscent of the first Doors record. That this record will probably go largely ignored by many is rather sad. Though no longer flavour of the month in ‘cool’ circles, as far as The Warlocks are concerned it’s business as usual, and The Mirror Explodes is up there with their finest works to date. – Drowned in Sound

With:
The Morning After Girls || Listen
Gliss || Listen

Get tickets for both Warlock shows below at Ticketweb for only $20

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Sunday 08.16.09: HellYa! Night with THE MONOLATORS / ALASKAN SUMMER / SCARLET SYMPHONY / TANDEMORO

The Monolators || Listen || Watch

Doing their best to find the Venn Diagram intersection between Buddy Holly, Jonathan Richman, and, say, Win Butler is the L.A.-based quintet the Monolators, all the while skating somewhere along that fine line that (sometimes) separates garage rock from indie pop. Backed by speeded up, bottom-heavy Cricket rhythms, vocalist Eli Chartkoff here employs an endearing sort of yelling/singing to express the defiant disappointment of the unlucky in love.

Keeping this from becoming just another edgy bit of indie angst is the band’s forcefully choreographed primitivism, driven by tom-toms, handclaps, a feverish bass line, and reverb-laced guitar squawks. As a group they never stray too far from their inner Buddy Holly: check out how the 30-second instrumental break in the center of the song (beginning at 1:13) begins with the band flying in different directions only to coalesce (1:31) into full Cricket mode. These are some of rock’n'roll’s most primal rhythms. They still work because they never stopped working; we just sometimes stop paying attention. This is song is less homage than reminder.

The Monolators began life in 2002 as a trio, stripped down at one point to a husband-wife duo (Eli and his wife Mary), and now appear to be a five-piece. You’ll find “I Must Be Dreaming” on the CD Don’t Dance, the band’s third, which was released this past fall. – Fingertips Music

With:
Alaskan Summer || Listen
Scarlet Symphony || Listen
Tandemoro || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 08.15.09: Aquarium Drunkard presents LE SWITCH / ROADSIDE GRAVES / WORLD RECORD / FLASHING RED LIGHTS

Le Switch || Listen

Aaron Kyle sings as if he’s never five minutes from his last whiskey, or five minutes from his next, occasionally lurching into a down-deep growl you wouldn’t think could come from an angular white dude in a collared shirt and old browline spectacles.

But it’s that voice, and the woeful tales it conveys, that have endeared L.A. fans to the distinctly vintage soul-pop of Le Switch. “We’re not the fashion police,” Kyle says. “I think if you write a good song, people are going to respond, no matter whether it’s gonna end up in Vice magazine. Besides, I’d trade soul for cool any day.”

Le Switch’s sound, which nods to the likes of Leon Russell, Dr. John and Randy Newman, first began to take shape when Kyle fell in with drummer Joe Napolitano in 2005. Maria DeLuca (trumpet, viola, vocals) joined next, and by the time keyboardist Josh Charney and bassist Christopher Harrison had come on board, Kyle was eager to “make the Leon Russell or Harry Nilsson album we wanted to make,” he says. “Everybody in this band listens to a huge assortment of ’60s and ’70s music — there’s not a lot of new music I can drive with.” – LA Times

With:
The Roadside Graves || Listen
The World Record || Listen
Flashing Red Lights || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 doors / 21+

Tuesday 08.04.09: SEXTUS / THE SHORE / IO PERRY / RED CAR / THE HOLLISTON STOPS / GARLAND

Sextus || Watch

So is it worth the wait? Well mostly yes. The guitar work is outstanding and is reminicent of Imperial Drag for sure. I felt the album builds up a bit too slowly, albeit dramatically. The opening intro, brings to mind heavier guitar rock of Steve Hackett or even Yngwie Malmsteen. The point being, you play this music loud. “Wild To Make You Mine” is the most Imperial Drag-like, full of intricate guitar flourishes and layered solos and vocals. This can backfire a bit on “Mystery of O” which sounds like a mashup of both Queen and The Propellerheads. It’s not bad, but so dense with sonic detail, we lose the vocals and melody at times. Mid way through the album it hits it’s stride with the awesome “On The Freak Side” and becomes a real R-rated adventure with “Tricki Tina.” The gems are sprinkled throughout with “Break of Morning” and the raunchy “Ballmi” (Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is). The lyrical wordplay here would make even Prince blush. So overall, Sextus lives up to his name (don’t play this around the kiddies) and fans of Jellyfish, or Imperial Drag will lick it up. – Powerpop-a-holic

With:
The Shore
IO Perry || Listen
Redcar || Listen
The Holliston Stops
Garland

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 07.15.09: FOL CHEN / 60 WATT KID @ pershing square

Fol Chen || Listen || Watch

“We are cryptic and joyful and we would like you to dance,” claim the enigmatic Fol Chen, likening themselves to the mysterious black monolith on the cover of Zep’s Presence – a complete red herring as regards the group’s musical approach, which favours synths and strings rather than rock and riffs.

One aspect they do share with the former rock gods is a careless attitude to personal responsibility, with the protagonist of “Cable TV” trying to lure the object of her affections to some dubious motel, while the singer of “You and Your Sister in Jericho” offers her temptations more bluntly: “Fuck your friends, they don’t care/ Smoke too much, and dye your hair,” she murmurs enticingly, while guitar, pedal steel and horns perform a slow, slurred waltz over an enervated drum-machine pulse, before it all dissolves into a blur of drums and thunderous distortion. It’s impossible to pin the sextet down to a specific area of the musical map: one moment they create a kind of quirky electro-pop, as on the funky “No Wedding Cake”, but elsewhere, disparate elements – lumbering, brusque drums; lap steel; prepared-piano; calliope-textured synth lines; various horns – are mingled in intriguing combinations that avoid definition. – The Independent UK

With:
60 Watt Kid

Pershing Square
532 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

7pm / FREE / All ages

Wednesday 07.22.09: VOXHAUL BROADCAST / THE FRENCH SEMESTER @ pershing square

Voxhaul Broadcast || Watch

Outta the OC, Voxhaul Broadcast, flavored a whole lot like Cold War Kids and Kings of Leon, already moves with the poise of a well-embraced band, apparently settled comfortably in a working groove and enjoying their gig of life as successful rockers. Maybe they’ve had a look in a crystal ball. Let’s hope that forecast is accurate. The band’s general sound is psychedelic haze, heavy on sedative properties of dope or Robitussin, pavement inside your shoes when the wind’s gusting, or suspension in a vat of sticky warm molasses with your very special someone. I personally vote for the last of the three…an interesting dilemma that would take time to navigate. But I digress. Voxhaul Broadcast comes across wavy. Listening is satisfying at all levels of effort. From a nonchalant low-scale effort, the vibe is fuzzy with enough variation and effects to maintain the awareness of an interesting flow of appeasing music in the background. At a more engaged level, the song construction is far from lazy – each tune is spackled with hooks from great to small and doused with memorable, effective repetition. Lyrically, Voxhaul Broadcast’s songs call for an active stretch of the imagination: rather than feeding you the story, they ask you to make the story your own by connecting the dots and coloring in the background. – Luxury Wafers

With:
The French Semester || Listen

Pershing Square
532 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

7pm / FREE / All ages

Thursday 07.02.09: AMAZING BABY / BAND OF SKULLS / DAZZLER @ Hammer Museum

Amazing Baby || Listen
Band of Skulls || Listen
Dazzler || Listen

Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024

8pm / FREE / all ages

Saturday 08.08.09: CASIOKIDS / THE WAVE PICTURES / SLOW CLUB

Casiokids || Listen || Watch

I always say, if you want some enormously danceable, minimalist Afro-funk and space-disco (with a donk on it), then you need to reach out to beardy Norwegians, for it is only they who are capable of making records as brilliantly lunatic as this. For a start, it’s entirely instrumental; for another start, it is propelled along its golden path by the single greatest synth noise in the history of electricity and wires; and, for a third start, it’s all over in less than three minutes. Everything lovable about popular music is here and it has a video to accompany it that is both mentally compelling and sort of hilarious. Casiokids: you rule in all sorts of wonderful new ways. – The Guardian UK

With:
The Wave Pictures || Listen
Slow Club

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 doors / 21+

Friday 08.07.09: THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION / CIRCUS MINOR / THIS IS NOT MY LIFE

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:
Circus Minor || Listen
This Is Not My Life

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Thursday 07.16.09: DIRTY SWEET / BLOODCAT LOVE / WHITE ARROWS / HEAVY YOUNG HEATHENS

Dirty Sweet || Listen || Watch

At a time when the music industry is folding in upon itself—labels are disappearing, sales are plummeting, and even one of the biggest bands on the planet (Radiohead) is going it alone—San Diego’s Dirty Sweet are aiming for the stars. Well, maybe not the stars, but they definitely have their sights on the arena. They are, in the very purest form of the words, an “arena rock band,” one that is not soiled by the excess and attitude of the genre. Nope, the Dirty Sweet, much like their name implies, are a gritty rock band, one that solos, stomps, and hollers with the best of them. Granted, they look like they stumbled out of a time machine that was set to “Woodstock, 1969,” but their blistering guitar chops and howling vocals never come across as revisionist. The selling point might be how they can rock the bushy-mustache look without a shred of irony, in addition to getting away with wearing a leather vest (frills or no frills, it matters not) without a shirt underneath. Jealous? Yeah, me too. – Portland Mercury

With:
Bloodcat Love || Listen
White Arrows
Heavy Young Heathens || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 doors / 21+

Sunday 07.19.09: HellYa! Night with LINKS / THE YELLING / EVAN VOYTAS / SAMUEL STEWART

Links || Listen || Watch

LINKS packed a lot of action into 25 short minutes. The four musicians who make up the band truly compliment each other very well. The first thing I noticed was the interplay between Vocalist/Guitarist Robbie Arnett and Lead Guitarist Eric Frank. The way these two connect is very impressive and will only get better with time. Guided by an impressive rhythm section of Robby “B” Barnett on Bass and Curtis Marrero on Drums, the entire band sounded tight and well rehearsed all night.

The band mentioned to the enthralled crowd it’s plans to debut a new song each week. Frank mentioned the song had not yet been named, but secretly the band had been calling it “Dark Chocolate”. The song started a bit slow and funky but seemed to develop into a rather solid rocker. For me, the song that stood out the most was a song called “710″. I personally could relate to it’s opening lines of stalking attractive members of the opposite sex while cruising the wonderful freeways of Southern California.

The best way to describe this band is a mix of Maroon 5 and Kings of Leon, with a dash of Ray LaMontagne. Truthfully, 25 minutes was not enough. Each song had me taping my feet, or shaking my head back and forth without me even realizing. The band sounded tight and are truly ready to bring it to the next level. In between nailing down tight grooves the band managed to find the time to show us they have a sense of humor. Robby was knighted by Robbie, as apparently it has become tradition for a different member to be knighted each week.

Closing with a song called “Coldwater” the four piece was all smiles, truly enjoying what they were creating together. With it’s infectious hook, and Frusciante-esque solo I couldn’t help but smile along with the guys. I wanted more, I really wanted more. So while the world now knows that tonight was not the night for Adam Lambert, perhaps just feet away from the venue Idol finales once called home it was the night LINKS was discovered by someone a bit bigger than yours truly. – Tales From The Pit

With:
The Yelling || Listen
Evan Voytas || Listen
Samuel Stewart

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 07.17.09: THE BUILDERS & THE BUTCHERS / ILLINOIS / EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

The Builders and the Butchers || Listen || Watch

What King did to the classic western adventure, Portland’s The Builders and The Butchers have done to the story telling, old west-inspired record. Like King borrowing from Tolkien, they have managed to use all the right parts with help from Johnny Cash by way of the Reverend Horton Heat and The Felice Brothers. Now on their second record, Salvation is a Deep Dark Well, the Builders continue down that dark and dusty trail they started on a few years back.

“When your heart’s deep and dark as a well, everything that is golden and green goes to hell” is the opening message of the record that will resonate throughout as it moves from one barn burner to the next. Tracks like “Devils Town” and “Short Way Home” shuffle their way through old Americana dusting off themes of spirituality and frustrations with life. Speedy mandolins litter the record, and coupled with the horns of “Barcelona” create a Spanish influence that appears more than once and compliments the themes mentioned before which add a southwestern flavor. “Raise Up Your Weary Hands” takes this subtle direction once more as Ryan Solle warns of deals with the devil, which he seems to do a lot of.

These themes are a major part of the band’s song writing as Salvation shuffles from one cautionary tail to the next. This style is very visual as it details the setting and the characters almost into fruition. Now while it’s far from anything new, for a generation born in the late eighties and nineties this could very well be a reintroduction to one of the original forms of American music. The most blatant throwback is the old gospel tune, and all too appropriate closer “The World is a Top”. The song ditches the over the top theatrics for a single guitar and simple vocal harmonies that, thanks to a lo-fi recording, hallmarks that distant past feeling as he sings “We have to take it back one day”. – Consequence of Sound

With:
Illinois || Listen
Eastern Conference Champions || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 doors / 21+

Sunday 07.12.09: LOCH LOMOND / GRAHAM FOREST

Loch Lomond || Watch

Despite a dry program description that made them sound like the walking history of roots folk, I was pleased to discover Loch Lomond as my new favorite band from Portland. When someone dressed straight out of your grandpa’s high school yearbook walks out on stage, and the first words out of their mouths are “the sound of children laughing makes my eyes bleed,” you can’t help but fall in love. They obviously practice together a lot, because in a festival full of mediocre vocals, they harmonized five across with perfect pitch and timing, matched by precision musicianship that was full of personality. They knew they could rely on one another to be where they needed to be, and they never disappointed…That something “special” that every band needs: Loch Lomond has it in spades. – Tiny Mix Tapes

with:
Graham Forest

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 07.27.09: Monday Night Residency – ANDY CLOCKWISE / THE AUDREYS / CARLA WERNER / MATT ELLIS / EBONY BONES

Andy Clockwise || Listen || Watch

Andy Clockwise might not be a household name where you live, but for me, he might as well be Bruce Springsteen. I’ve seen many incarnations of the Andy Band, as we call it, but his newest, tightest and most mature version is the finest. Andy is hard to describe. He’s a singer-songwriter from Australia with the musical ear and skill of Jeff Lynne and the heart and soul of the Boss himself. He’s a soft-spoken intellectual that puts everything he has into his music and his performance. The audience gets it, feels it and always responds.

There is nothing manufactured about Andy. You never ask yourself if you buy it because there’s nothing to buy; he’s not selling. He’s giving himself to the audience and the rest of his band mates. Local “hired-gun” and guitar maven Joshua Norton backs him well on the bass and keys while also serving as the glue that holds the many pieces together. – Lumino Magazine

With:
The Audreys || Listen
Carla Werner || Listen
Matt Ellis || Listen
Ebony Bones || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 07.20.09: Monday Night Residency – ANDY CLOCKWISE / LITTLE RED RADIO / THE ’87 STICK UP KIDS / PTERODACTYL

Andy Clockwise || Listen || Watch

Andy Clockwise might not be a household name where you live, but for me, he might as well be Bruce Springsteen. I’ve seen many incarnations of the Andy Band, as we call it, but his newest, tightest and most mature version is the finest. Andy is hard to describe. He’s a singer-songwriter from Australia with the musical ear and skill of Jeff Lynne and the heart and soul of the Boss himself. He’s a soft-spoken intellectual that puts everything he has into his music and his performance. The audience gets it, feels it and always responds.

There is nothing manufactured about Andy. You never ask yourself if you buy it because there’s nothing to buy; he’s not selling. He’s giving himself to the audience and the rest of his band mates. Local “hired-gun” and guitar maven Joshua Norton backs him well on the bass and keys while also serving as the glue that holds the many pieces together. – Lumino Magazine

With:
Pterodactyl || Listen
Little Red Radio
The ’87 Stick Up Kids || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 07.06.09: Monday Night Residency – ANDY CLOCKWISE / THE VLA / GLOBES ON REMOTE / MINIATURE TIGERS

Andy Clockwise || Listen || Watch

Andy Clockwise might not be a household name where you live, but for me, he might as well be Bruce Springsteen. I’ve seen many incarnations of the Andy Band, as we call it, but his newest, tightest and most mature version is the finest. Andy is hard to describe. He’s a singer-songwriter from Australia with the musical ear and skill of Jeff Lynne and the heart and soul of the Boss himself. He’s a soft-spoken intellectual that puts everything he has into his music and his performance. The audience gets it, feels it and always responds.

There is nothing manufactured about Andy. You never ask yourself if you buy it because there’s nothing to buy; he’s not selling. He’s giving himself to the audience and the rest of his band mates. Local “hired-gun” and guitar maven Joshua Norton backs him well on the bass and keys while also serving as the glue that holds the many pieces together. – Lumino Magazine

With:
Miniature Tigers || Listen
The VLA || Listen
Globes on Remote || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 07.03.09: INFINITY (The female fronted Tribute to Journey) / PRISS (The female fronted tribute to KISS) / VENUS ENVY

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:
PRISS
Venus Envy

8:30 / $12 / 21+

Wednesday 07.01.09: Club NME with FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS / JENNY O.

Fitz and The Tantrums || Watch

You can practically hear the record needle drop on the scratchy 45 when listening to Fitz and The Tantrums, a stylish retro-styled 60′s pop/soul combo from L.A. The influences and references, a mash up of early Motown, Stax and even a touch of British Invasion and Hall and Oates blue-eyed soul, knock against each other with cool abandon but there’s no doubt that Fitz and his revue also have a keen eye on the recent success of other neo-soul singers such as Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Adele.

Noted Winehouse producer Mark Ronson is a fan and it’s easy to see why in the “imitation and flattery” play book. The material may not be in the majors yet — there’s just a bit too much studied retro structure and marketing concept at play here — but fortunately the band’s August 11 debut five-track EP Songs For A Breakup, Vol. 1 has just enough small pleasures and downtown grit to keep things interesting. We’re not in the Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings territory yet but just getting this close makes it worth a listen. Lead track “Breakin’ The Chains of Love” is one of the best of the batch, a song that manages to bring a fresh, “where have I heard that” melody to the super-stylized sound – Direct Current Music

With:
Jenny O.
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Tuesday 06.30.09: LESLIE & THE BADGERS / THE CHAPIN SISTERS / OLIN & THE MOON / EAGLE WINGED PALACE

Leslie & The Badgers || Watch

If you like country, you’ll like Leslie and The Badgers. If you don’t like country, you’ll still like Leslie and The Badgers. Formed in the summer of 2006 by songwriter Leslie Stevens, the Los Angeles based band plays a brand of bourgeois country in the American tradition (Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris) while exploring other musical influences appealing to non-country folk. Stevens writes sultry lyrics and sets them to powerful melodies that sweetly pierce the most hardened of hearts.

Schooled in the tradition of jazz, opera and The Great American Songbook, Leslie kept those trade secrets in her back pocket as she played in Los Angeles’ female-fronted punk band, Zeitgeist Auto Parts, from 2002-2006 before forming the folk rock group Leslie and The Badgers. The band consists of Glenn Oyabe, former member of “The Moberlys” on lead guitar, cig fiddle, and lap steel, Charlene Huang on Violin, Ben Redell on bass and Travis Popichak on drums. Recording a full-length self-titled record before the band even honed its live show, Leslie is now unveiling her secrets with each new show she plays and song she writes.

The Badgers made their TV debut in April, 2008 playing their original, “Old Timers”, as the bar band in the critically acclaimed FX series, “The Riches”, with Minnie Driver and Eddie Izzard. They have also licensed material from their debut album to ABC Family as part of a licensing deal with Rhino Independent (a division of Warner Music Group). The Band has garnered spins on Los Angeles’ KCRW, Chris Morris’ “Watusi Rodeo” on Indie 103.1 and on other stations across the country. The Badgers have appeared on stages at The Eagle Rock Music Festival and the Topanga Days Music Festival. Leslie has toured solo acoustic to over 12 states since 2007 and is increasingly touring out with the band. Perfecting their craft and mesmerizing audiences with every show they play (be it city hipsters or small town folk, country and non-country fans alike), Leslie’s secrets won’t be hers for much longer. -CD Baby

With:
The Chapin Sisters || Listen
Olin & The Moon || Listen
Eagle Winged Palace

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 06.24.09: Club NME with THE PICTURE / AUSHUA

The Picture || Watch

The Picture’s first full-length effort, Connect, is a compilation of songs written with the express purpose of realizing the best of what the band and the current musical scene have to offer. Their radio single, “Blind Side” incorporates all of the elements that make a good song great – catchy lyrics, great development and execution, combined with a tight blend of guitars and drums… This Brooklyn band is consciously attempting to bridge the US/UK gap as far as indie rock is concerned… “marvelous indie pop/rock” is applicable. – Loose Record

With:
Aushua || Listen
DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 06.21.09: HellYa! Night with VENUS INFERS / FEELINGS MUTUAL / LE MOOD / THE VALLEY ARENA

Venus Infers || Listen || Watch

“Venus Infers, on the other hand, was a small revelation. ‘Everybody gonna talk, everybody gonna stare … but I don’t care,’ frontman Davis Fetter sang early on, and he meant it – not flippantly, just with the sort of confidence that comes from knowing you’ve really got something sharp to offer. With the room virtually at capacity, Fetter strolled to the microphone as the house lights dimmed, keeping the crowd waiting while he took his time to ensure equipment for this auspicious coming-out was set just right. Then he fearlessly led the quartet into 50 minutes of hearty, rousing music that in almost every regard was a cut above what passes for modern or indie rock these days. What Venus Infers has that others lack is passion, the sort you find from the Killers and Coldplay, but gratefully conveyed with much less polish. ” -OC Register

With:
Valley Arena || Listen
Feelings Mutual
Le Mood || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 06.12.09: Benefit for Taco Zone with KENAN BELL / ROBERT FRANCIS / RED CORTEZ / BARRIO TIGER

With:
Kenan Bell || Listen
Red Cortez
Robert Francis
Barrio Tiger

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 at the door / 21+

Sunday 06.14.09: THE PRESENT / QUEENS / JULIA HOLTER

The Present || Watch

The Present is the new music project of legendary New York musician and producer Rusty Santos (Panda Bear ‘Person Pitch’, Born Ruffians ‘Red Yellow & Blue’, Animal Collective ‘Sung Tongs’). Described by one band who worked with him as a hyper boy genius, Rusty has always fixed his attention on producing music that is experimentally rich whilst remaining accessible. By attempting to create music that arises unconsciously through improvisation, The Present’s debut album ‘World I See’ hauls this ethos over its shoulders as it tramples on musical boundaries and preconceptions, whilst leaving an album that is still capable of relating musically and emotionally to a wide audience.

After many years and variant modes of collaboration, Rusty formed together with Mina and Jesse who bring a plethora of extra dimensions to the sound of The Present. Mina’s background in classical piano and the love of japanese traditional songs meets at intense and imaginative levels with the expressive attitude of the band, whilst the long standing musical partnership between Jesse and Rusty, which began when they were in high school together, provides the cemented sound giving the songs one voice and the band the sound of a single instrument.

Though the instruments on ‘World I See’ aren’t necessarily new(the basic elements are piano, guitar and drums), guided by intuition the band attempt to make timeless music by using the most minimalist methods in innovative new ways. The result of capturing and developing these sounds is the beautifully elegant yet emotionally powerful sound of The Present.

With:
Queens
Julia Holter

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 06.07.09: Ecclesia benefit for Kenya w/ DEEP SEA DIVER / WE BARBARIANS / THE RIO BRAVO

Deep Sea Diver || Watch

Oh, my god: Jessica Dobson’s ditched the bubble gum pop for whiskey-on-the-rocks rock, coming off like PJ Harvey channeling I’m With Stupid-era Aimee Mann. Her songs are primed for a Jon Brion session, lush and bent on pairing simple choruses with layers of sink-your-teeth-in keyboard hooks and guitar riffs. As a woman, it’s (still) always a little thrilling to see a gal playing lead guitar, more so when Dobson moved to keyboards for “Confidence” and “Most Sundays” (cue silent coo) and then to bass for a cover of the Clash’s “Police and Thieves.” Having never seen her back in the day when she was playing her acoustic guitar for anyone who’d listen at the Hub, I have no idea if her stage presence (confident, alluring) is new or not, but combined with her new songs the result is magnificent, the kind of performance that makes you step back, shake your head, blink and think: Thank god. We were right all along. – OC Weekly

With:
We Barbarians || Listen
The Rio Bravo

8:30pm / $10 adv, $15 at the door / 21+

Wednesday 06.03.09: Otik Records Presents CLUB NME with THE NEW FIDELITY / THE LIEUTENANTS / EVAN VOYTAS

The New Fidelity || Listen

The New Fidelity takes the stage in sharp suits to play well-tailored songs that capture moments of everyday life. The New Fi’s unique brand of 60′s influenced Mod Power Pop shines through the smog of Southern California’s indie rock sprawl.

Influences include British Pop Rock such as Small Faces, The Who and The Beatles with a bit of Motown and Stax, mixed with the punk sensibilities of the Clash and the Jam.

Move on up to The New Fidelity.

with:
The Lieutenants
Evan Voytas || Listen
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 06.19.09: MERE MORTALS / LOWER HEAVEN / CHIEF NOWHERE / BLACK KITES

Mere Mortals || Watch

SPACEGUNS DON”T KILL YOU

Mere Mortals have evolved from their Brit-pop comparisons into a mix of spaced-out-psychedelic songs that mix structure with mind-bending freak-outs. They effortlessly move between moods and there isn’t a fill-in-the blank band to compare their music to. (LA Record).
Combining the tunefulness of the Brits + the fuzzbox euphony of the Scots + the psych rock-repurposing smarts of the Americans.
(Las Vegas City Life), Mere Mortals create psychedelic rock reminiscent of Primal Scream or The Jesus And Mary Chain, earning them ‘best unsigned band’ accolades left and right (NME).
As a matter of fact Mere Mortals are not so unsigned any more. The all-wheat, no-chaff (LA Times) “Rebel Radio” EP, expanded to a full-length album, will see a Japanese release later this summer.

With:
Lower Heaven || Listen
Chief Nowhere
Black Kites
DJ set by Big Sonic Heaven’s Darren Revell

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 06.11.09: CHILDREN COLLIDE / BLOODCAT LOVE / THE CAPTAINS

Children Collide || Listen || Watch

The Long Now is nothing less than a super solid album. It has all the makings of a stand-out debut. There is a strong pop/rock sensibility, encased in a consistent edge. Embracing space, whilst keeping an organic view of Earth and its people seems to be the reoccuring theme, and one delivered with alot of passion and poetry. Musically there is an overall darker sound that creeps about in many shades. Driven by the watery nature of reverbious guitars that build and crash with waves of heavy distortion, Children Collide can set the mood for both a heart-pumping, white water rafting trip or a pleasant gondola ride.

This is a band that have obviously tested these tracks out in the real world of gigging and trying to burst the seam. After hearing once, I feel that I would like to see them perform live. I only hope that the constant, unfading energy that inhabits Children Collide’s first album will continue to grow true to seeds that have been sown for their future endeavors. Too many bands these days are losing their raw power by their second album. I don’t think that will be the case for this band! – The Independent Weekly

with:
Bloodcat Love || Listen
The Captains

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 at the door / 21+

Tuesday 06.23.09: GEORGE ELLIAS / PAIGE STARK / SHAKEY GRAVES

George Ellias || Watch

Deep in the murky reveres of dimly lit pubs and musty, minute venues or Los Angeles, lays a young singer/storyteller by the name of George Ellias. What the kids are calling folk now is a sub-genre called ‘freak folk’ with artists like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom as the poster children; but we old folks know that when discussing folk and blues, names like Dylan, Guthrie, Baez, Waters, Williams and Leadbelly pop up. George Ellias fully and acutely embraces and pays homage through his art to the latter group mentioned. With nothing more than a guitar, harmonica and a voice as his band, Ellias gives us a peak into his life with all them no-good gals breakin’ his poor aching heart and how his bucket’s got a hole in it. Blending traditional folk, blues, country and psychedelia (as displayed in the dozy “Donna, Donna”), George Ellias’ raw undertaking on the world around him will leave anyone thinking they have just left Newport Festival. – Loudvine

With:
Paige Stark
Shakey Graves

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 06.05.09: THE FUXEDOS (CD Release Party) / KILLSONIC / QUAZAR AND THE BAMBOOZLED / MOXY PHINX

The Fuxedos || Listen || Watch

THE FUXEDOS are America’s favorite apocalyptic comedy-lounge-punk-jazz-storytelling-cinematic-what-the-hell?-art rock band, complete with costumes, props, and bizarrely humorous theatrics.

Members’ touring credits include such bands and acts as Les Claypool, Stolen Babies, Faun Fables, Coheed & Cambria, Idiot Flesh, and Cirque du Soleil. They’ve also individually recorded or performed with everyone from Erykah Badu to Eric Clapton and from the Silversun Pickups to The Game, and have appeared not only on the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” game series, but also on Hans Zimmer’s score to “The Dark Knight.”

Their eponymous debut CD (available June 2009) features mixing by Steve “Steve B” Baughman, whose credits include 50 Cent, Michael Jackson, and Eminem; and mastering by Dylan “3-D” Dresdow, who’s worked with everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to U2 to the Wu-Tang Clan.

Meanwhile, The Fuxedos have been gaining notice and blowing minds through the power of their unusual live performances. The band’s sound and stage show are unique and defy easy categorization, but the result is an innovative, high-energy, theatrical, and hilarious show, underscored by creative, eclectic, and freakishly tight musicianship.

with:
Killsonic
Quazar and the Bamboozled
moxy phinx

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 06.25.09: DEASTRO / TELEPHONE JIM JESUS / HEALAMONSTER & TARSIER

Deastro || Listen || Watch

Deastro is the new kid on the electro-pop block. Pigeonholed as having a sound akin to indie-mainstreamers Death Cab For Cutie and hushed electronic darlings M83, in truth Randolph Chabot is a 22-year-old synth master who has created his own separate musical world — a world where crushing, noisy dance parties live amongst simpler arrangements and an impending, desperate sense of isolation.

Chabot has been recording since the age of 12 — and as someone used to the independence of his music — he self-released three albums and was a regular performer in many of Detroit’s DIY venues before eMusic signed him to their Selects label to release Keeper’s, a sort of “Best Of” compilation of his work thus far. Quickly becoming one of the site’s fastest-selling artists, Ghostly International soon picked up Chabot and re-released the album. Keeper’s is complicated. Complicated like the three-eyed cat-wolf thing adorning the intergalactic album cover. And intergalactic is a good word to describe the album as well, with its soaring electronic instruments and wide open musical spaces that sometimes fuzz over lyrics on the vocal tracks. – Venus Zine

With:
Telephone Jim Jesus
Healamonster & Tarsier || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 at the door / 21+

Wednesday 06.10.09: Club NME with RAINBOW ARABIA / SPIRIT VINE / VOICES VOICES

Rainbow Arabia || Listen || Watch

With feral vocals, shattering guitar riffs, and a collection of microtonal keyboards ordered off of a Lebanese Web site, Rainbow Arabia combines Middle Eastern beats and modes with the vibrant energy of Los Angeles’ experimental punk/dance scene. The result is a hypnotic neo-tribal, hipster-dub sound that falls somewhere in the vicinity of post-punk spiritualists Gang Gang Dance and These Are Powers. The band is composed of Danny and Tiffany Preston, both 36. The husband and wife duo were married for more than three years before they started playing music together and recording in their basement in early 2008. Before Rainbow Arabia, Danny played in punk-dub outfit Future Pigeon and Tiffany in Licorice Piglet. – SFBG

With:
Spirit Vine || Listen
Voices Voices

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Tuesday 06.02.09: THE MINOR CANON / SING ORPHEUS / MATT DWYER / DNTEL

The Minor Canon || Watch

There’s no shortage of musicians who toot their horns in Silver Lake. Ah, but those who play horns — they’re noticeable. Take the Minor Canon, a six- or seven-piece (depending on the night) that have been crowding onto club stages to dispense a brassy orchestral pop that, while no threat to make the Top 40 charts, ought to find its way into the hands of an indie filmmaker in need of a soundtrack. Singer-songwriter Paul Larson has roots in the indie scene that date back to the ’90s, when he was a member of Strictly Ballroom with Chris Gunst (Beachwood Sparks) and Jimmy Tamborello (the Postal Service, Dntel). In fact, Larson contributes guitar work to the forthcoming Dntel album “Dumb Luck,” which was out in April. “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” the Minor Canon’s initial foray into the shadows of pop melancholy, was self-released on Feb. 20, and even at its birth the debut album has a history, since it was recorded at the Silver Lake house where the Postal Service’s “Give Up” took shape (and, Larson points out, where the movie “Heathers” was written. – Buzzbands LA

with:
Sing Orpheus

Plus Comedian:
Matt Dwyer

and DJ
Dntel

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Saturday 06.27.09: HALLOWEEN JACK / ROCKET / THE DAMN SONS

Halloween Jack

Gilby Clarke is the legendary guitar-slinger from Guns N’ Roses. Stephen Perkins is the thunderous heartbeat of Jane’s Addiction. John Dolmayan is the raging rhythm of System of a Down (John is taking over while Stephen tours with Jane’s Addiction). Daniel Shulman is the pulsating bass of Garbage and Run DMC. Eric Dover is the prince of wails for Slash’s Snakepit, Imperial Drag and the guitarist for notorious band Jelly Fish. Together as Halloween Jack, they are laying down an old school glitter party that will cook your eardrums, blow your mind, and rock your world.

With:
Rocket
The Damn Sons
DJs Jim Freek and Crystal Ann spinning

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 21+

Saturday 06.20.09: HALLOWEEN JACK / SABROSA PURR

Halloween Jack

Gilby Clarke is the legendary guitar-slinger from Guns N’ Roses. Stephen Perkins is the thunderous heartbeat of Jane’s Addiction. John Dolmayan is the raging rhythm of System of a Down (John is taking over while Stephen tours with Jane’s Addiction). Daniel Shulman is the pulsating bass of Garbage and Run DMC. Eric Dover is the prince of wails for Slash’s Snakepit, Imperial Drag and the guitarist for notorious band Jelly Fish. Together as Halloween Jack, they are laying down an old school glitter party that will cook your eardrums, blow your mind, and rock your world.

With:
Sabrosa Purr || Listen
DJs Jim Freek and Crystal Ann spinning

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 21+

Saturday 06.13.09: HALLOWEEN JACK / THE SWEET KILL

Halloween Jack

Gilby Clarke is the legendary guitar-slinger from Guns N’ Roses. Stephen Perkins is the thunderous heartbeat of Jane’s Addiction. John Dolmayan is the raging rhythm of System of a Down (John is taking over while Stephen tours with Jane’s Addiction). Daniel Shulman is the pulsating bass of Garbage and Run DMC. Eric Dover is the prince of wails for Slash’s Snakepit, Imperial Drag and the guitarist for notorious band Jelly Fish. Together as Halloween Jack, they are laying down an old school glitter party that will cook your eardrums, blow your mind, and rock your world.

With:
The Sweet Kill || Listen
DJs Jim Freek & Crystal Ann spinning

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 21+

Saturday 06.06.09: HALLOWEEN JACK / THE RINGERS

Halloween Jack
featuring Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), Eric Dover (Jellyfish / Imperial Drag / Alice Cooper), Daniel Shulman (Garbage), Muck (Buckcherry)

Glam Rock is back, jack. Bowie. Kiss. Alice Cooper. Queen. Elton. Sweet. Iggy and the Stooges. The New York Dolls. Lou Reed. Mott the Hoople… And Halloween Jack. 4 rock and roll heavies ready to party all night long. Gilby Clarke is the legendary guitar-slinger from Guns N’ Roses.Stephen Perkins is the thunderous heartbeat of Jane’s Addiction. Muck (Buckcherry) will be taking over while Perkins tours with Jane’s. Daniel Shulman is the pulsating bass of Garbage and Run DMC. Eric Dover is the prince of wails for Slash’s Snakepit, Imperial Drag and the guitarist for notorious band Jellyfish. Together as Halloween Jack, they are laying down an old school glitter party that will cook your eardrums, blow your mind, and rock your world.

With:
The Ringers || Listen

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 21+

Saturday 06.20.09: Saturdays Off The 405 – CHAIRLIFT / DJ FROSTY @ Getty

Chairlift || Listen || Watch

Plus:
DJ Frosty (Dub Lab)

Fridays Off the 405 are now Saturdays Off the 405! The free outdoor performance series is back on Saturday nights this summer with a lively mix of today’s most exciting emerging bands and DJ sets to open and close the night. And starting this summer, parking is free at the Getty Center on Saturdays after 5pm.

Starting off the new series in June is Brooklyn-based trio Chairlift. They are best known for their hit single “Bruises,” which was featured in the latest iPod Nano commercial. Band members Aaron Pfenning, Caroline Polachek, and Patrick Wimberly perform a unique blend of synth-pop that weaves together keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, and tambourines. The night includes sets from Dublab DJs Frosty and Ale.

Getty Center Courtyard
1200 Getty Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

6pm / FREE / all ages

Sunday 06.28.09: NEIL HAMBURGER / IMAGINE THE BAND / DJ DOUGGPOUND

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:
Imagine The Band || Listen
DJ Douggpound

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 06.29.09: Monday Night Residency – CASTLEDOOR

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.22.09: Monday Night Residency – CASTLEDOOR / LOCAL NATIVES / THE GLASS BEEF / MUSIC FOR ANIMALS

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

With:
Local Natives || Listen
The Glass Beef
Music For Animals || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.15.09: Monday Night Residency – CASTLEDOOR / DEEP SEA DIVER / GUMSHOE / AGENT RIBBONS

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

With:
Deep Sea Diver
Gumshoe
Agent Ribbons

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.08.09: Monday Night Residency – CASTLEDOOR / HOPEWELL / JOHN WEBSTERS JOHNS / EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

With:
Hopewell || Listen
John Webster Johns || Listen
Eastern Conference Champions || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.01.09: Monday Night Residency – CASTLEDOOR / BUTTERFLY BOUCHER / THE MONOLATORS / CALE PARKS

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

With:
Butterfly Boucher || Listen
The Monolators || Listen
Cale Parks

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 06.09.09: Filter presents THE LEMONHEADS / MODEL/ACTRESS

The Lemonheads || Listen

Evan Dando’s image as a slacker and a lost romantic soul was built more on his social adventures than his music. The origins of The Lemonheads were in the early hardcore punk of Hate Your Friends back in 1987 before he began the transition to the dippy country pop songs that he perfected on the classic It’s A Shame About Ray. Wandering on stage with a battered acoustic and a grin he paused to honour The Saints ‘Stranded’ that was playing over the PA. From there on in it was a mixture of the pure brilliance and the random kookiness that has come to surround Evan Dando. – Doubtful Sounds

With:
Model/Actress

8:30pm / $15 adv, $18 dos / 21+

Thurs 06.04.09: Aquarium Drunkard presents COTTON JONES / THE PARSON REDHEADS / LINDA DRAPER

Cotton Jones || Watch || MP3

For all intents and purposes, Cotton Jones seems like an older and less cheerful Page France. Nau’s nasally bawl has lost some of its childish naïveté, and comes across as a little more mature but sadder for its lost innocence. “Gone the Bells’” melancholy country twang makes it immediately apparent that Nau has “gone through some shit.” The tune feels like it could be the last track played for all those lost souls crying in their beers at bar close. The song’s lyrical refrain of “I was looking for your heart/through the flowers in the park” evokes the kind of images of hopelessness and regret that tend to find their home on the lonely barstool. In “Gotta Cheer Up Now” it sounds like Nau has done just the opposite of cheer up, wailing on the edge of despair over a gloomy keyboard beat. (Incidentally I love sad music so these happen to be two of my favorite tracks.) I honestly hope for the best for Michael Nau’s personal life. Until it gets better though, I hope that he continues to channel it into gorgeously sorrowful music as he has done with Paranoid. Though it may be too early to tell, after a few listens this record has affected me more than any that Page France ever released. – Culture Bully

With:
The Parson Redheads || Listen
Linda Draper || Listen

8:30pm / $8 adv, $10 dos / 21+

Thursday 06.18.09: Filter presents ART BRUT / RUMSPRINGA / VOXHAUL BROADCAST

Art Brut || Listen || Watch

It’s hard to fathom it’s already been almost four since Art Brut somehow managed to both celebrate and poke fun at the music industry with its stellar debut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. However, at the time, many critics wondered how far the English outfit’s tongue-and-cheek style could take them – after all, pretty soon they would run out of stuff to make fun of, right?

Well, come four years and two albums later, Art Brut is still running on full-force, as evident by the band’s latest creative endeavor, Art Brut Vs. Satan, officially due out May 12th via Downtown Records. Produced by Frank Black – you know, Frank Black, the Pixies frontman turned solo artists? – the 11-track effort was recorded during what the band described as a “punk-as-fuck two weeks in Salem, Oregon.”
Sound wise, Art Brut has remained fairly tight lipped about Art Brut Vs. Satan, but did not in an interview with Pitchfork that it will include an “eight-minute song.”

As for what’s up with the title, it’s simple as Argos revealed in the same interview: “Satan is everybody that’s against us. [laughs] If you are not for us, then you are Satan, and I am against you.” – Consequence of Sound

With:
Rumspringa || Listen
Voxhaul Broadcast

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 Day of Show / 21+

Wednesday 06.17.09: Filter presents Club NME with ART BRUT / NICO STAI / TALL HANDS

Art Brut || Listen || Watch

It’s hard to fathom it’s already been almost four since Art Brut somehow managed to both celebrate and poke fun at the music industry with its stellar debut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. However, at the time, many critics wondered how far the English outfit’s tongue-and-cheek style could take them – after all, pretty soon they would run out of stuff to make fun of, right?

Well, come four years and two albums later, Art Brut is still running on full-force, as evident by the band’s latest creative endeavor, Art Brut Vs. Satan, officially due out May 12th via Downtown Records. Produced by Frank Black – you know, Frank Black, the Pixies frontman turned solo artists? – the 11-track effort was recorded during what the band described as a “punk-as-fuck two weeks in Salem, Oregon.”
Sound wise, Art Brut has remained fairly tight lipped about Art Brut Vs. Satan, but did not in an interview with Pitchfork that it will include an “eight-minute song.”

As for what’s up with the title, it’s simple as Argos revealed in the same interview: “Satan is everybody that’s against us. [laughs] If you are not for us, then you are Satan, and I am against you.” – Consequence of Sound

with:
Nico Stai || Watch || MP3
Tall Hands

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 Day of Show / 21+

Tuesday 06.16.09: Filter presents ART BRUT / MIIKE SNOW / GOLDEN YEARS

Art Brut || Listen || Watch

It’s hard to fathom it’s already been almost four since Art Brut somehow managed to both celebrate and poke fun at the music industry with its stellar debut, Bang Bang Rock & Roll. However, at the time, many critics wondered how far the English outfit’s tongue-and-cheek style could take them – after all, pretty soon they would run out of stuff to make fun of, right?

Well, come four years and two albums later, Art Brut is still running on full-force, as evident by the band’s latest creative endeavor, Art Brut Vs. Satan, officially due out May 12th via Downtown Records. Produced by Frank Black – you know, Frank Black, the Pixies frontman turned solo artists? – the 11-track effort was recorded during what the band described as a “punk-as-fuck two weeks in Salem, Oregon.”
Sound wise, Art Brut has remained fairly tight lipped about Art Brut Vs. Satan, but did not in an interview with Pitchfork that it will include an “eight-minute song.”

As for what’s up with the title, it’s simple as Argos revealed in the same interview: “Satan is everybody that’s against us. [laughs] If you are not for us, then you are Satan, and I am against you.” – Consequence of Sound

With:
Miike Snow (from Sweden)
Golden Years

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 Day of Show / 21+