Sunday 08.02.09: LOST LIBRARIES / RADIO FREQ! / SO MANY WIZARDS / SOL GIANT

Lost Libraries

The Lost Libraries is a five-piece band based out of Los Angeles, California. They formed out of the ashes of their previous musical efforts (Shoot Out The Lights, Golden Arms, Brian Jonestown Massacre) with the common goal to create something different from anything they’ve done before. They are currently preparing the release of their debut five-song EP entitled Safety In Slumber, which will be available July 2009. The EP was engineered, produced and mixed by Mike Terry (Foo Fighters, BRMC, Ash, Earlimart), & The Lost Libraries at Elliott Smith’s former recording studio, New Monkey, in Van Nuys, CA.

Safety In Slumber is the first markings of what the group anticipates to be a growing body of work. While initial listens may show signs of rock influences, the more you dig into the layers of the music going on, the more you’ll start to see where genre lines start to blur. The guitars bleed out shoegaze-esque atmosphere and brit-pop melodies reminiscent of Ride and The Stone Roses. The rhythm section tap into unexpected changes while piling on post-rock bombast in the essence of Mogwai and Grizzly Bear. Tying the two cross sections together, the pianos, violins and vocals teeter on the line of post-punk and moody indie-rock; bringing to mind elements of The Cure, The National or as alt-rocker Ryan Adams described the band “…kind of like The Walkmen, but with bigger, hookier choruses.” The end result is an EP that reflects small elements of rock history, but is bent on progressing with its future.

with:
Radio Freq!
So Many Wizards
Sol Giant

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 10.10.09: POLVO / THE MOON UPSTAIRS / MODERN MEMORY

Polvo || Watch || MP3

Polvo are the O.G.s of math-rock, doing densely epic and tightly wound guitar epics back when everyone was trying to find flannel in their size and do songs with only three chords. Then Polvo went away in the 1998 when the group imploded after moving to Tough & Go from the comfy confines of Merge. But in 2008, the group got together to do All Tomorrow’s Parties in New York and decided to reunite in wax form, cutting the eight tracks that form In Prism, their third album for Merge (and fifth overall), and first since 1997’s Shapes. There are a few things you can count on: loud guitars, the mood claustrophobic, and the overall sound 1995-like. All of which are great things. – Prefix Mag

with:
The Moon Upstairs || Listen
Modern Memory || Listen

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Thursday 09.10.09: OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY / THE TYDE / ASTEROID #4 / DEVON WILLIAMS

Outrageous Cherry || Listen || Watch

It’s been a good run in recent years for Outrageous Cherry. Aside from having a hits compilation curated by Little Steven Van Zandt and their spacey version of Junior Kimbrough’s “Lord, Have Mercy On Me” being picked for the excellent Black Snake Moan soundtrack from a couple years ago, the band has also released a solid ninth album, Universal Malcontents. Ever the American music revivalists, the new record doesn’t break much new sonic territory for O.C. (or rock n’ roll in general), but that’s the point– its self-conscious vintage flavor will make fans of their stripped down psych pop feel right at home in a dreamy version of the Seventies.

There’s plenty of reasons to believe O.C. are fully conscious and unapologetic of their decidedly old-school references. Clap-along “It’s Not Rock N’ Roll (And I Don’t Like It)” explores the inreasingly Internet-based soundscape of pop culture (”computers only made you smile/ program you with so much style”) and “The Song Belongs To Everyone” nods at the changing music industry (”the song belongs to anyone/it swept through fibers and wires to meet your desires”). Futuristic references, like the rocketship synth touches on “What Have You Invented Today?” and lyrics that mention new dances point further to an overall feeling of clash between an increasingly old-fashioned artform and wherever it is American popular music is heading. There are some tracks, like the slow, stripped down “Horizon”, that lack O.C.’s fortes of psychedelia or wit. But even if O.C. isn’t your bag, Universal Malcontents might find a nice niche as a groovy addition to a summer soundtrack. – The Detroit Dish

With:
The Tyde
Asteroid #4 || Listen
Devon Williams

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 09.17.09: Clean Air Clear Stars Pre-Party with MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS / THE SHINE BROTHERS / HIGHWAY / GO FEVER

Miranda Lee Richards || Listen || Watch

The difference between regular ol’ country music and the California variety is the difference between life as it is and what it could be. The Nashville industrial complex makes a fetish out of shoehorning everyday images into grand song structures. L.A.’s ladies of the canyons, such as Joni Mitchell and Miranda Lee Richards, see it differently. They’ve long traded some of the pop immediacy on the back end for a woozy, magic-hour daze that in the right hands can be just as vital.

Richards often errs on the side of wispy and ephemeral on her new album, “Light of X,” but albums can do worse things than wash over you like a hillside sunset. “Early November” and “Mirror at the End” add some creepy, minor-key minimalism to the atmosphere, while “Lifeboat” is so intimately recorded you can hear individual brush hairs scraping the snare drum. Richards’ workably lilting alto would do well to be challenged by some more ambitious or revealing material in the future. But as Nashville reminds us, real life has enough strain. These days, taking it easy is a worthy fantasy in itself. – LA Times

With:
The Shine Brothers (Featuring Nate Ryan of The Black Angels)
Highway (Featuring Peter Holmstrom of The Dandy Warhols)
Go Fever

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 09.06.09: NEBULA / CROOKED COWBOY / THE MEEK

Nebula || Listen || MP3

Just like you can point to Nirvana’s Bleach and say “THAT was what Sub Pop sounded like,” someday I’ll point to Nebula’s Heavy Psych and tell an inquisitive great-niece that “THIS was Tee Pee Records!” Songs such as “Dream Submarine” shoot for the star-struck wizardry of Hawkwind and Amon Duul II, yet deceptively Satanic sounding songs like “Crown of Thorns” emulate the bombastic bluesy-ness of early Foghat and ZZ Top. And then Nebula pauses ever so slowly over some low power chords a la Sabbath and Pentagram before ripping into some blistering stoner-rock Deep Purple guitar licks. It’s not pure metal because there is that heavy wah-wah usage and Subway Sect’s bubbling synth sound. But it’s not merely the Dazed and Confused soundtrack either—there’s some “No More Tears”-era Ozzy on the vocals, and even a little bit of Jackyl, yet also some Mark Arm Mudhoney aggression in the delivery of lyrics like “I was swimmin’….. on the other side of my mind!” Like all post-Mojo meta-metal, there’s a bit of an ironic wink over the whole thing, something like the Stone Roses’ approach to raw rock a la “Love Spreads.” But you have to love a band that can play together for twelve years and still come out with an album that takes music from before you were born and makes it into something fresh. – LA Record

with:
Crooked Cowboy
The Meek

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

Saturday 09.19.09: THE MOST SERENE REPUBLIC / THE GRATES

The Most Serene Republic || Listen || Watch

The Most Serene Republic’s third release for the Arts & Crafts label (founded, famously, by fellow Canadians Broken Social Scene) sees the Ontario collective return with a more mature sound. Often that hints at a reduction in quality, or a manifesto to be less ambitious, but that’s not the case here.

Simply put: though the blueprint remain the same – that is to say, artful but accessible, cluttered yet cohesive – you can hear immediately that the seven-piece have refined their songwriting and arranging in the months since 2007’s Population.

Adrian Jewett and Emma Ditchburn’s evocative harmonies are a focal point throughout, particularly on the record’s poppiest cuts Heavens to Purgatory and Don’t Hold Back, Feel a Little Longer – the latter of which channels the spirit of fellow North American innovators of Montreal. Their voices complement each other so perfectly that hearing either in isolation afterwards isn’t quite as satisfying.

The most grandiose statement they make here, though, comes courtesy of sublime quasi-classical instrumental workout Patternicity. Clocking in at nearly six minutes, it’s the album’s longest track – the group deal in brevity, for the most part – but it could easily be double that and still hold this writer’s interest. Like …And the Ever Expanding Universe, it’s a compelling listen from a band growing in confidence and ability with each new release. – BBC

With:
The Grates || Listen

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

Friday 09.25.09: TELEFON TEL AVIV / THE RACE / SEASPIN

Telefon Tel Aviv || Listen || Watch

At the time of writing this review, the Telefon Tel Aviv website simply consists of one page that reads “Charles Wesley Cooper III, April 12, 1977-January 22, 2009.” Cooper formed Telefon Tel Aviv with high school friend Joshua Eustis at the tail end of the 20th century, and their musical collaboration came to an unceremonious end just as this third full-length album was nearing release. There’s a sadness deeply embedded in most of the music Cooper and Eustis made together, but the emotional ante is considerably raised on realizing this is the final outing for this particular incarnation of the band.

Opening song “The Birds” is among the best tracks the Chicago-based duo recorded during its brief history together, and if there’s one song that forms a suitable musical epithet for Cooper, it’s this one. Comparisons have often been drawn between the band and M83, the Knife and Hot Chip, but Telefon Tel Aviv skirt closer to the emotional core of acts like John Maus, the coda of Animal Collective’s “Chores” and Japan’s “Ghosts.” Like many of their best songs, “The Birds” is built from a simple jittery riff, with Cooper and Eustis fading subtle electronic tones and textures in and out of the mix as the track progresses.

Depeche Mode is regularly mentioned in relation to the band, but they’re closer in feel to Vince Clarke’s post-Mode experimentation with Yazoo (or Yaz, as they were called on this side of the Atlantic) and the Assembly. “The Birds” and its follow-on track, “Your Mouth,” both contain the same feeling of wanton yearning, of displaced happiness, that are deeply rooted in Clarke’s “Only You” or “Never Never.” The coiling repetition of krautrock bands such as Cluster and Harmonia also exert a sizable influence, with the looped outro of “M” desperately requiring some kind of CD/MP3 equivalent of the lock-groove to aid its circuitous journey into infinity.

There are two shades to Telefon Tel Aviv, but they rarely venture into outright pop here, and it’s the album’s one major foible. Immolate Yourself needs a few more tracks like “Helen of Troy,” which is built from similar stock to A-ha’s “Take on Me” and proves that Cooper and Eustis had a real knack for song structure as well as the kind of trance-y electropop grooves they could bend into such beautiful shape. The second half of the record is the direct inverse of the first, with forgettable antsy techno such as “Stay Away From Being Maybe” and the rattling drum patterns of “Your Every Idol” lacking the concise cohesion that pulses through the best Telefon Tel Aviv tracks. – Prefix Magazine

With:
The Race || Listen
Seaspin

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

Friday 08.22.09: Sunset Junction After-party with BENJI HUGHES / THE BELLE BRIGADE

Benji Hughes || Listen

He looks like an Allman brother, sings like Beck and suffers the dating travails of George Costanza. But on his sprawling double-CD debut, Benji Hughes is unmistakably — and always hilariously — his own man. The North Carolina-and-Tennessee-reared artist specializes in laugh-out-loud vignettes about hipster culture, with catchy, eccentrically arranged songs that straddle folk, lounge, electro, synth rock and a half-dozen other styles. There are tales of concertgoing and shrooming (“I Went With Some Friends to See the Flaming Lips”) and starry-eyed odes to unattainable hotties (“Tight Tee Shirt”). Hughes sings in the drowsy voice of a slacker, but he has a poet’s ear for telling details, and his mountain-man beard hides a wry smile. When Hughes’ drolleries and hopeless romanticism combine, the effect can be sublime. In the stately “All You’ve Got to Do Is Fall in Love,” he croons, “Wouldn’t it be sweet if you could be in love with me/The way that I’m in love with you?/It’s so easy to do/All you’ve got to do is fall in love with me.” Hughes’ logic — like his tunes and his wit — is unimpeachable. – Rolling Stone

With:
The Belle Brigade

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 doors ; $6 dollars with Sunset Junction stamped wristband / 21+

Friday 08.21.09: Sunset Junction Pre-party with BENJI HUGHES / B.R.A.M

Benji Hughes || Listen

He looks like an Allman brother, sings like Beck and suffers the dating travails of George Costanza. But on his sprawling double-CD debut, Benji Hughes is unmistakably — and always hilariously — his own man. The North Carolina-and-Tennessee-reared artist specializes in laugh-out-loud vignettes about hipster culture, with catchy, eccentrically arranged songs that straddle folk, lounge, electro, synth rock and a half-dozen other styles. There are tales of concertgoing and shrooming (“I Went With Some Friends to See the Flaming Lips”) and starry-eyed odes to unattainable hotties (“Tight Tee Shirt”). Hughes sings in the drowsy voice of a slacker, but he has a poet’s ear for telling details, and his mountain-man beard hides a wry smile. When Hughes’ drolleries and hopeless romanticism combine, the effect can be sublime. In the stately “All You’ve Got to Do Is Fall in Love,” he croons, “Wouldn’t it be sweet if you could be in love with me/The way that I’m in love with you?/It’s so easy to do/All you’ve got to do is fall in love with me.” Hughes’ logic — like his tunes and his wit — is unimpeachable. – Rolling Stone

With:
B.R.A.M

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

Saturday 08.01.09: COMPANY OF THIEVES / ENDLESS HALLWAY / LAKES

Company of Thieves || Listen || Watch

Now Hear This… not only the name of a Billboard column but a serious announcement: Company Of Thieves is truly THE new band to check out. They have yet to release their physical debut album Ordinary Riches, however the buzz on their digital is undeniable. Not only have they been on Last Call With Carson Daly, but their single “Oscar Wilde” won them the 2007 New York Songwriters Circle contest.

It took me awhile to try and identify the spot on the “music spectrum” that Thieves would fall. My findings? Nothing. I cannot figure out the right genre in which to to stick them. They defy categorization and that is something that can take years for bands to do. For me, they’d be the genre that goes perfect in a bar, with a piano in the corner, wooden walls and the lights dimmed just slightly.

“Old Letters” starts the album in a Fiona Apple mode. With drawn out words/notes, minimal guitar and drums that thrash, this song rocks with its own style of sensuality. “In Passing” continues that sensual feeling, but kicks it up with an electric guitar and some excellent riffs. “Oscar Wilde”, the token single, comes in at the #3 spot. With this song, the feeling’s a bit lighter. Want a soundtrack for running through a field of daisies? I can see this song working for that. There’s some definite and obvious mass appeal. If I take it upon myself to skip down to a favorite, I’d go to “Even In The Dark.” This song is even LIGHTER than “In Passing,” if you can believe it. It’s very mellow and very calming. It’s as though a bit more emphasis was put on the lyrics for this song. Or at least more emphasis on the ability to hear and feel them. Genevieve’s amazing voice hits some great octaves and shines through. The powerfulness near the end makes you wonder if there was some heartbreak factored into the composition of this song. “The Fire Song” has so much depth to it; it’s almost hard to keep up. Between the tempo changes, the volume changes and even the changes in Genevieve’s style of singing, this song is incredible. Her whispers midway through definitely bring up some goose-bumps. “New Letters” ends the album, and very appropriately I might add, and as “Old Letter” started with a Fiona influence, “New Letters” followed suit. This song is so soft, easily a Company Of Thieves lullaby. Sure it rocks out at the end, guitars blazing and all, but the general feeling could drift you to sleep. – Hybrid Magazine

With:
Endless Hallway || Listen
Lakes || Listen

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

Friday 07.24.09: THE NEIGHBORHOOD BULLYS / GOLDEN STATE / PURPLE MELON

The Neighborhood Bullys || Listen || Watch

If you haven’t experienced Neighborhood Bullys yet, consider this a consolation prize until you do. So-talented-it’s-stupid bassist/frontman/songwriter Davey Meshell, pop-maniac guitarist Eugene Edwards, ex-Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash drummer Joey Galvan and guitarist Michael Hays teamed with ’80s super-producer Mike Chapman (Blondie, the Knacks) for this pugilistic outing. If “I’m Bored, Let’s Fight” and “Why I Steal” best capture their twisted humor, “All the Way Down” and “Alive” beautifully showcase their balance of tough musical chops and raw emotion. – Pasadena Weekly

With:
Golden State || Listen
Purple Melon

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 08.06.09: SPINDRIFT (Legend of God’s Gun Vinyl Release) / ASSEMBLEHEAD IN SUNBURST SOUND / MAGIC MIRROR / ALL BABES ARE WOLVES

Spindrift || Listen

Truly out-of-sight, the seven-piece band celebrates the outlaw spirit with spooky, tripped-out variations on Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti Western tradition. Live, they swirl and tremble like a lucid dream, banging a gong and shaking their tambourines for rattlesnake effect, jamming until the audience feels engulfed by a sandstorm (of course, it helps if it’s an outdoor concert and the wind is already fierce). Spindrift founder Kirpatrick Thomas (who holds together portions of the band’s East and West Coast factions) recently recorded a soundtrack to Mike Bruce’s bizarre concept film Legend of God’s Gun, which is like the original Ocean’s 11 with psychedelic rockers replacing tony rat packers. Visually schizophrenic, Gun follows a preacher turned gunslinger who travels to Playa Diablo to avenge his true love’s death. Trippy shoot-’em-ups ensue. Go west! – Salt Lake City Weekly

With:
The Assemblehead In Sunburst Sound
Magic Mirror
All Babes Are Wolves

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 08.14.09: SHELLSHAG / SCREAMING FEMALES / PROTECT ME / SIGNALS (members of the Mae Shi)

Shellshag || Listen || Watch

Theres only two people in Shellshag. Shell and Shag. Shell plays guitar and sings while Shag plays drums standing up and also sings. She has bells sewn on her belt and ankles, so there’s lots of frantic wiggling to coax the noise out of them. They both sing into a mic stand they built themselves that’s shaped like a Y, so they face each other while they play. They’re known for putting on shows that bring the house down, sometimes literally. You can always expect some crowd surfing, things being thrown accross the room, and the singing along that sometimes threatens to drown them out. The end of their show usually results in the two of them either building a sculpture out of their instruments, amps, and themselves, or completeley smashing Shag’s drums. Shellshag’s approach to art and music far exceeds the edge of the stage and the walls of the club, and as a very active entity within the American music scene, Shellshag on stage and Shellshag off stage are one in the same. Shellshag’s intentions are not to sell an illusion, but rather to interact directly with the world of music while remaining true to themselves and the creative lifestyle they have built over 15 years of D.I.Y. recording and performing. – Johnny Nopants

With:

Screaming Females || Listen || Watch

Bred in one of the country’s strongest DIY punk communities, the New Brunswick, New Jersey-based trio Screaming Females have actually got only one shrieking lady. Her name is Marissa Paternoster, and she is 2009’s answer to Sleater-Kinney’s 2006 breakup, using her throaty pipes and serious chops to channel that trio’s femme-shredder legacy to a new generation. The band’s pint-size leader — whose signature stage attire includes a mandarin Sergeant Pepper-style dress and a bowl haircut covering her eyes — is known for ripping until her fingers bleed. Screaming Females’ third full-length and first-ever label release Power Move is packed with fuzzy riffs and gritty, epic solos layered over Mike Rickenbacker’s disciplined bass lines, with drummer Jarrett Dougherty’s fierce beats pushing it all forward. The LP gets poppy on “Bell” and psychedelic on “Skull,” but Paternoster’s core influences (”I listen to Sleater-Kinney and the Pixies”) shine through. – Rolling Stone

plus:
Protect Me
Signals (members of the Mae Shi)

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Friday 10.30.09: AMY MILLAN (OF STARS) / BAHAMAS / ANNIE STELA

Amy Millan (of Stars) || Listen || Watch

Before she became the shimmering voice of Canadian indie heroes Stars, Amy Millan lived with members of bluegrass band Crazy Strings and it’s her old roommates’ influence – and presence – that shines through her debut solo album. Her themes of love, loss and loneliness, are nothing new, and nor are the songs, written between 1990 and 2000.

But Millan has never sounded more enchanting or as exposed, oozing resignation as she relinquishes her grip in Losing You, woozily sinking to the bottom of a glass in Pour Me Up. The warm bluegrass of Blue in Your Eye sounds like a Be Good Tanyas gem, while the rocky sensuality of Skinny Boy stems from her day job.

Pop fans will think it’s a country album, country purists will deem it pop and contributions from friends in both Stars and Broken Social Scene adds a conflicting rock slant. What’s not in doubt is that Millan makes it work. – The Guardian UK

with:
Bahamas
Annie Stela || Listen

8:30pm / $13 adv, $15 doors / 21+

Saturday 09.26.09: COTTON JONES / OLIVER FUTURE / SENECA HAWK

Cotton Jones || Watch || MP3

Cotton Jones is the new-ish project of Michael Nau, who spun out several twee-pop statements as the brains behind Page France until the group called it quits last year. The Cumberland, Md. bandleader had quietly released a trio of EPs and 2008’s full-length, The River Strumming, under his new moniker (which was itself shortened from the Cotton Jones Basket Ride). However, Paranoid Cocoon is the strongest indication yet that Nau is ready to forge ahead with a unified new approach replete with more vintage instruments and fewer overt religious references in the lyrics. Most of all, Nau’s most noticeable adjustment is his voice, which scraps the previously favored fragility of his upper register in favor of a deeper, raspier timbre.

PF alum Whitney McGraw softens his newfound roughness with call-and-response moments and soaring harmonies on the lounge-ready “Up A Tree (Went This Heart I Have).” Together, Nau and McGraw revive the cowboy psychedelia originally captured in songs like “Some Velvet Morning” by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra (and, more recently, She & Him). Recurrent use of the words “velvet” and “morning” in songs doesn’t hurt either.

A moment that pushes the collection up from good toward great is the whistled refrain of “By Morning Light,” which proves to be as memorable as any of Andrew Bird’s, if slightly less virtuosic. Only the instrumental “Photo Summerlove” takes the record’s lounge stylings too close to snoozefest territory. Overall, Paranoid Cocoon’s bedroom chamber pop spins with variety and subtle dissonances aplenty. “I Am The Changer,” replete with hypnotic organ and guitar patterns, closes out the album. The song’s engaging simplicity resembles And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out-era Yo La Tengo, perhaps the last band this adept at trying on different musical styles and making them fit. – Paste Magazine

With:
Oliver Future
Seneca Hawk

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

Monday 09.28.09: KROQ Locals Only presents MONDAY NIGHT RESIDENCY with SAINT MOTEL / GANGI / MISSISSIPPI MAN / LINKS

Saint Motel || Listen || Watch

It is not often you see a gaming trophy being hoisted onto the stage of the Viper Room. Staring deep into the eyes of a dead deer, I asked the young man standing in front of me again, “You said you shot this yourself?” Lead singer A/J Jackson just smiled at me and joined his band mates, lugging some small trees on stage. With the addition of smoke and soft lighting, Saint Motel had turned the Viper Room into a forest glen at twilight. As they emerged from the mists, the band members dressed the part of young princes in matching white button-down shirts and jeans. I almost expected a white steed to show up half-way through the show. As soon as the music started, though, it was clear: handsome faces and whimsical trappings aside—these boys could rock.

Jackson, who resembles a young Alex Kapranos, wooed the crowd with a warm and comforting voice, projecting an earnestness to melt any cynic’s heart. Jackson was backed up by his wild-man guitarist, A. Sharp, who howled mercilessly on his guitar while shamelessly flirting with the crowd; and, giving balance to the universe, bassist Dak, who masterfully provided a backbone to the music as he shuffled from right to left like a leaf caught in the pull of a breeze. Drummer Greg Erwin whipped himself into a frenzy, beating his drums with the ferocity of a man with his hands on fire; his playing gave life blood to the bouncy garage rock that radiated from the stage. – LAist

with:
Gangi
Mississippi Man
Links || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 09.21.09: KROQ Locals Only presents MONDAY NIGHT RESIDENCY with SAINT MOTEL / LEMON SUN / ARMY NAVY / RED WIRE BLACK WIRE

Saint Motel || Listen || Watch

It is not often you see a gaming trophy being hoisted onto the stage of the Viper Room. Staring deep into the eyes of a dead deer, I asked the young man standing in front of me again, “You said you shot this yourself?” Lead singer A/J Jackson just smiled at me and joined his band mates, lugging some small trees on stage. With the addition of smoke and soft lighting, Saint Motel had turned the Viper Room into a forest glen at twilight. As they emerged from the mists, the band members dressed the part of young princes in matching white button-down shirts and jeans. I almost expected a white steed to show up half-way through the show. As soon as the music started, though, it was clear: handsome faces and whimsical trappings aside—these boys could rock.

Jackson, who resembles a young Alex Kapranos, wooed the crowd with a warm and comforting voice, projecting an earnestness to melt any cynic’s heart. Jackson was backed up by his wild-man guitarist, A. Sharp, who howled mercilessly on his guitar while shamelessly flirting with the crowd; and, giving balance to the universe, bassist Dak, who masterfully provided a backbone to the music as he shuffled from right to left like a leaf caught in the pull of a breeze. Drummer Greg Erwin whipped himself into a frenzy, beating his drums with the ferocity of a man with his hands on fire; his playing gave life blood to the bouncy garage rock that radiated from the stage. – LAist

With:
Lemon Sun || MP3
Army Navy
Red Wire Black Wire || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 09.14.09: KROQ Locals Only presents MONDAY NIGHT RESIDENCY with SAINT MOTEL / ASTRA HEIGHTS / THE BLACK AND WHITE YEARS / DIVISIBLE

Saint Motel || Listen || Watch

It is not often you see a gaming trophy being hoisted onto the stage of the Viper Room. Staring deep into the eyes of a dead deer, I asked the young man standing in front of me again, “You said you shot this yourself?” Lead singer A/J Jackson just smiled at me and joined his band mates, lugging some small trees on stage. With the addition of smoke and soft lighting, Saint Motel had turned the Viper Room into a forest glen at twilight. As they emerged from the mists, the band members dressed the part of young princes in matching white button-down shirts and jeans. I almost expected a white steed to show up half-way through the show. As soon as the music started, though, it was clear: handsome faces and whimsical trappings aside—these boys could rock.

Jackson, who resembles a young Alex Kapranos, wooed the crowd with a warm and comforting voice, projecting an earnestness to melt any cynic’s heart. Jackson was backed up by his wild-man guitarist, A. Sharp, who howled mercilessly on his guitar while shamelessly flirting with the crowd; and, giving balance to the universe, bassist Dak, who masterfully provided a backbone to the music as he shuffled from right to left like a leaf caught in the pull of a breeze. Drummer Greg Erwin whipped himself into a frenzy, beating his drums with the ferocity of a man with his hands on fire; his playing gave life blood to the bouncy garage rock that radiated from the stage. – LAist

With:
Astra Heights
The Black & White Years || Listen
Divisible || Listen (Record Release Party)

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 09.07.09: KROQ Locals Only presents MONDAY NIGHT RESIDENCY with SAINT MOTEL / THE JAKES / FIGHT FROM ABOVE / GIANT STATE

Saint Motel || Listen || Watch

It is not often you see a gaming trophy being hoisted onto the stage of the Viper Room. Staring deep into the eyes of a dead deer, I asked the young man standing in front of me again, “You said you shot this yourself?” Lead singer A/J Jackson just smiled at me and joined his band mates, lugging some small trees on stage. With the addition of smoke and soft lighting, Saint Motel had turned the Viper Room into a forest glen at twilight. As they emerged from the mists, the band members dressed the part of young princes in matching white button-down shirts and jeans. I almost expected a white steed to show up half-way through the show. As soon as the music started, though, it was clear: handsome faces and whimsical trappings aside—these boys could rock.

Jackson, who resembles a young Alex Kapranos, wooed the crowd with a warm and comforting voice, projecting an earnestness to melt any cynic’s heart. Jackson was backed up by his wild-man guitarist, A. Sharp, who howled mercilessly on his guitar while shamelessly flirting with the crowd; and, giving balance to the universe, bassist Dak, who masterfully provided a backbone to the music as he shuffled from right to left like a leaf caught in the pull of a breeze. Drummer Greg Erwin whipped himself into a frenzy, beating his drums with the ferocity of a man with his hands on fire; his playing gave life blood to the bouncy garage rock that radiated from the stage. – LAist

With:
The Jakes
Fight From Above || Listen
Giant State

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 08.30.09: NEIL HAMBURGER / J.P. INCORPORATED (formerly PLEASEEASAUR) / BRENDON WALSH / ERIK CHARLES NIELSEN

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:
J.P. Incorporated (formerly Pleaseeasaur) || Listen
Brendon Walsh
Erik Charles Nielsen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 09.02.09: Club NME with DIVISION DAY / BAD VEINS / LOVELIKEFIRE

Division Day || Listen || Watch

The Los Angeles quartet Division Day are releasing their sophomore full-length Visitation the middle of next month. The 11-song collection was produced by NIN/Beck bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen, who gave the group a denser, thicker sound. Compositionally, the guys have reinvented themselves as a more maturely dark and focused band than you heard on Beartrap Island. They’re calling the shift “post-industrial blackened romantigaze,” though even with some face paint on the album art, they’re still nowhere close to being mistaken for fellow Californians Xasthur or Leviathan. (Instead, there’s something vaguely MBV about one of the backdrop guitar squeals.) Listen to the newborn Division Day via the album’s lead track “Chalk Lines.” – Stereogum

With:
Bad Veins || Listen
Lovelikefire || Listen

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Tuesday 07.21.09: MATT VASQUEZ (of Delta Spirit) / THE PARSON RED HEADS / THE ROMANY RYE

Matt Vasquez (of Delta Spirit)

with:
The Parson Red Heads || Listen
The Romany Rye

8:30pm / $10 Advance, $12 Day Of Show / 21+

Saturday 07.11.09: THE DAMSELLES / VAUDEVILLE / COBRA LILIES

The Damselles || watch

with:
Vaudeville
Cobra Lilies

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 08.18.09: THE MINOR CANON / THE GROWNUP NOISE / BLANK BLUE / JUSTIN JANER QUARTET

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:
The Grownup Noise || Listen
Blank Blue || Listen
Justin Janer Quartet

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 08.12.09: Club NME with SKY PARADE / DISSOLVER / IZZY THE ESKIMO / NICK JAGO

Sky Parade || Listen || Watch

I’ve recently stumbled across an amazing band that delivers the most captivating psychedelic 60’s-style rock that I’ve heard in a long time. They’re called Sky Parade and I don’t believe that there is any possible way to dislike this band. Lead vocalist Tommy Dietrick was also in Brian Jonestown Massacre and it’s definitely in a similar vein of high energy retro rock ‘n roll revivalism. I don’t yet have their new album “Love Is Forever” but from what I’ve heard, this is a band that could certainly develop into being one of my favourites. Just sampling the songs they have posted on their myspace page sets me in a “my mind is blown” state of mind. You’ve got to hear the song “Free My Love” which is a must for fans of the aforementioned BJM as well as Stone Roses, Love and Rockets or The Verve. Apparently, their first album “Fire In The Sky” was relatively successful for an indie release. After hearing what I’ve heard recently, it’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to know this band sooner but I’m looking forward to hearing them even more in the future. – It’s Not The Band I Hate, It’s Their Fans

With:
Dissolver
Izzy The Eskimo
Nick Jago
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Tuesday 10.06.09: 89.9 KCRW presents ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE VENUS 3 (featuring Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey) / THE PARSON RED HEADS

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 (feat. Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin and Scott McCaughey) || Listen

In spite of a violet, twilit snowscape on the cover and the title’s nocturnal farewell, Goodnight Oslo is Robyn Hitchcock’s sunniest record in ages. Recording with a gaggle of friends will do that. It’s the prolific eccentric’s second with The Venus 3—Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin—and guests include lead Decemberist Colin Meloy, Egyptian Morris Windsor, and Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger. Two songs even feature female backing vocals, a rarity for Hitchcock. “Saturday Groovers” best exemplifies the light mood: Its bounce is borne along by harmonies and handclaps. The good vibes go hand-in-hand with playful experimentation. “TLC” has a ’50s-style lope, the gallop of “Hurry For The Sky” brings it close to country, and Peter Buck lays “Sixteen Years” on a bed of bristly guitar fuzz. (Longtime fans looking for something slower and more contemplative can enjoy “I’m Falling” and the ominous title track.) Since his last batch of originals in 2006, Hitchcock has reissued much of his discography. Thankfully, that glance backward was just that: a glance. The vitality that fuels Goodnight Oslo makes it feel like Hitchcock is saying hello for the first time. – A.V. Club

with:
The Parson Red Heads

8:30pm / $18 advance, $20 doors / 21+

Wednesday 09.09.09: Club NME with THE ANSWER / SEA OF AIR / IT’S CASUAL

The Answer || Listen || Watch

The Answer are new rock and old rock at the same time. Their performance oozes the spirit of the 70s. Neeson takes to the stage with a real swagger. He’s enthralling to watch; all leg-stomping and body-shaking, his long hair flailing like a cross between Robert Plant and Joe Cocker.

As they open with ‘Never Too Late’, the new single, guitarist Phil Mahon is all action, barely pausing for breath as he swivels his guitar like a machine-gun spraying out killer notes. On the second song, ‘Only the Strong Survive’, Neeson sings: ‘I can talk coz I got the blues, It ain’t strange, it ain’t news’. This sums up the Answer who sound like a cross between Led Zep and the Black Crowes, with a hint of Bad Company and Free. – Classic Rock

With:
Sea of Air || Listen
It’s Casual || Listen
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

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

Wednesday 08.19.09: Club NME with MAX TUNDRA / DEATH KIT / VERY

Max Tundra || Listen || Watch

On the contrary, Tundra’s show was everything a true fan could have hoped for. He smartly played around his catalog and tore through old gems like “Lysine,” from his 2002 album “Mastered by Guy at the Exchange,” as well as tunes from his latest release, like the infectiously-catchy “Which Song.” Tundra gave an audience not entirely savvy to his music a varied taste of his limited but impressive body of work. Skittering beats and MIDI horn bits piled out of the PA at rapid fire.

But the best part about seeing him live was watching what he did with these computer-generated themes. Bolting between keyboard solos, various percussion instruments, a Stratocaster guitar, his diva-inspired vocals on the mic and little 5-yard-radial laps around the stage, his spectacle radiated the essence of sheer joy. These antics, coupled with his clever and polite banter in that charming British accent and a couple of covers, tongue squarely in cheek (try Rogers and Hemmerstein’s “So Long, Farewell”), made the whole thing seem like a cartoon. – The Denver Post

With:
Death Kit
Very
Resident DJs Dia and Solid Todd spinning

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

Wednesday 07.22.09: Club NME with NOISETTES / THE MAGIC WANDS / BARRACKS

Noisettes || Listen || Watch

In this case, the most likely thing you’ll think about the music is that it’s good. It’s a good example of a pop record, simply done and all the better for it, but it’s also quite moving, and, unlike the kind of album that someone like Britney makes, it lacks the presence of totally ambivalent fillers around the singles. Instead there are the upbeat radio ones, the upbeat album-y ones, and then some surprising little gems that throb quietly at the heart of the record. The first one of these is the opener ‘Sometimes’ which in the lyric of “sometimes we start over, and go solo”, contains a universal pathos not heard since ‘Eternal Flame’ by the Bangles. Then there’s ‘24 Hours’, a track largely ignored by most album reviews, but which, in the simple melancholy of its central hook (see title), should be taught in a class on songwriting. These songs positions as number one and number four on the album, also indicate that the band treat their introverted moments with as much importance as the potential hits.

But of course, on a record like this, you don’t overlook the rhythm. The Noisettes do rhythm exceptionally well. You will have heard, of course, the number 2 single, with its title that could have been chosen by a title-generating computer programme, and you may have found it strangely un-obnoxious. Well, the same goes for most of the big tracks on this record. Where a lesser band would have had you grinding your teeth at something as relentlessly upbeat as ‘Saturday Night’, the Noisettes have you both charmed and un-annoyed – maybe even impressed that they slipped in the word ’shenanigans’. Then there’s the sixties moments, about which there is absolutely no dilemma. ‘Wild Young Hearts’ and ‘Never Forget You’, in their full-bodied Phil Spector glory, are the crowning jewels of this album. Jubilant and anthemic, there’s even a hint of Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ in the closing minute of the former – a musical trigger that reminds you of all the great, unashamed pop songs you’ve ever enjoyed, and rockets the Noisettes, in their best moments, right up to their league. – Drowned in Sound

With:
The Magic Wands
Barracks

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

Tuesday 07.14.09: THE CHILD (with HOLLY MARILYN) / MINI MANSIONS

The Child (w/ Holly Marilyn) || Watch

THE CHILD is a new band with Holly Marilyn (GOLDEN SMOG), Norm Block (SWEETHEAD, MARK LANEGAN), Gianni garofalo(TAPE) and christian stone(CAMPFIRE GIRLS) playing their debut show ….Also on the bill is Mini Mansions who are a three piece psych band from l.a. who serve a mix of baroque pop requiems, motown euolgies and mersey era break beats. Picture the zombies playing ODB’S funeral. Also opening the show is a acoustic set with Christian stone…..

With:
Mini Mansions || Watch

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 08.19.09: GREAT NORTHERN @ pershing square

Great Northern || Listen || Watch

On the cover of Great Northern’s debut album, Trading Twilight for Daylight, sits a barren tree backed by an arctic landscape. Such a dormant image is ironic considering the band’s lively and articulately layered sound, with traditional instrumentation being complemented by the likes of strings, brass, and other orchestral elements that are often considered too complex or overbearing to even visit the usually simplistic world of indie pop. Demonstrating the ability to take risks, Great Northern are one of the more capable bands of their element I have heard lately. Based out of Los Angeles, Great Northern was formed due to the strong friendship of pianist Rachel Stolte and guitarist Solon Bixler, both proficient songwriters and lead vocalists. – Obscure Sound

Pershing Square
532 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

7pm / FREE / All ages

Wednesday 08.12.09: OLIN & THE MOON @ pershing square

Olin & The Moon || Listen || Watch

Three Idaho boys bring their rural charm to the Los Angeles scene with a little help from a pretty face along the way. Olin and the Moon’s self-titled album is a promising start for these old friends as they attempt to stand out from the crowd they’ve chosen to surround themselves with.

Drummer Marshall Vore allows the band to reside confidently in between the overtly fast and the unconsciously mellow, while singer David LaBrel shines with storytelling skills that stand up to the likes of Bright Eye’s Conor Oberst. Invoking images of a rock star retiring to the moon, “Moon Man” is like a monotone ballad version of “Ziggy Stardust.” In “Home,” the band conjures up fond memories of simple farm life protecting innocent love: “I wanna take you to the trees / Where the forest and the farm lands meet … Where you can lay out on the grass all day / Where it is safe.” Songs like these benefit from acoustic guitar strums, heavenly bells and sweet piano undertones.

Tracks like “Oh Bells” and “Song of the Summer” are focused more around the band’s own experiences on the road as musicians, referencing sound guys and getting drunk while singing. Olin and the Moon’s adolescent drive comes via David LaBrel’s brother Travis and his powerful lead guitar. His chord formations draw in ears to his trickling melodies — most notably on “Changin’“ and “Take It To Hell” — but they often overtake the songs, drowning out Erica Wheeler’s bass and David LaBrel’s vocals.

Olin and the Moon desperately strive to engage listeners in music that expresses their love for the art form; with an album like this, they just might succeed. – Performer Mag

Pershing Square
532 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

7pm / FREE / All ages

Wednesday 08.05.09: LUKE TOP @ pershing square

Luke Top || Listen || Watch

Do you love your friends “more than lightning?” Are they “much more than a passing storm?” If so, perhaps they are also Friends with Luke Top and you can all connect for brunch, or form another band. It seems that everything Luke Top does seats a party of at least ten, be it with Fool’s Gold or this project, which also involves Fool’s Lewis Pesacov, Giant Drag’s Micah Calabrese, Cass McCombs, and Matt Popieluch and Ariel Rechtshaid of Foreign Born, to name a few—almost like a disease, each of these guys spreads his germs around town in different bands and projects. But rather than bring us any closer to swine flu, Luke Top’s music wants to make happy. It’s the sound of driving nowhere on a sunny afternoon. Opener “Lord, Save Me From This Valley” starts the car, then “Infant Rose” pulls the top down, shaking off a few leaves and dried berries before we hit the coastal highway. We arrive at title track, “Friends,” in third gear, jangling tambourine, handclaps, and vocal harmonies. While instruments pile up over the course of the album, adding horns and strings and even some nature sounds to the blend, every note fits in a streamline design: the road is clear, the car is clean, and the passengers smile behind their sunglasses. – LA Record

Pershing Square
532 South Olive Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013

7pm / FREE / All ages

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 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+

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+

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

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

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+

Friday 07.31.09: FUTURE OF THE LEFT / JAPANDROIDS / DEAD PONIES

Future of the Left || Listen || Watch

I’d like to humbly ask my peers to stop using “ex-Mclusky” tag with these guys, because with Travels With Myself and Another, they’re done fucking around. Every seemingly strange left turn from their debut, Curses, is stranger, carried further, and more focused and much catchier here. The band still starts and stops on a dime, the vocals are still layered and ambitious even when seething, the song titles still raise a challenging bar for the music to live up to (“Yin/Post -Yin”, “You Need Satan More Than He Needs You”), and the low-end on the guitars still sound like angry bears. Granted, this is how both Mclusky and FOTL built the niche that drew in a loyal, fervent audience, but Travels is the sound of band who still have a lot they want to prove.

With a few striking exceptions, most of the keyboards from the band’s debut have been ditched in favor of searing guitar tones (see “Chin Music” or “Land of My Formers”). Many of the albums’ hooks come from strident, almost militaristic melodies– I doubt that “Arming Eritrea” is too concerned with real geography, but damned if I wouldn’t help fund the revolt now after the record’s screaming, indelible opening track. The woozy march of “The Hope That House Built” is an existentialist call-to-arms, while the mid-tempo chug of “I Am Civil Service” floats up a few melodic, playful bars just to shoot down with its blistering chorus. Straightforward and snarling, these tracks suggest the band still thinks modern rock might be a genre worth infiltrating and upending. – Pitchfork

With:
Japandroids || Listen
Dead Ponies

8:30pm / $12 / 21+

Thursday 07.30.09: CASTANETS / WARMER MILKS / TYLER BATES & LISA PAPINEAU (OF PET)

Castanets || Listen || Watch

Ray Raposa’s collaborative effort, Castanets, commences its 5th studio album Texas Rose, The Thaw, & The Beasts with “Rose”; starting with just an acoustic guitar over Raposa’s raspy Dylan-esque voice, the track builds with blues piano, flutes, and back-up soul singers until the song ends with Raposa echoing, “Singing for you in the distances alone” in an attempt to reconcile a long-lost love.

“Thaw and the Beasts” begins as a melancholy country track until after the first chorus, when the track breaks down into noises that are similar to what a creaky door sounds like when it is slowly opening or closing. Thankfully, the tune digresses into a pleasant piano solo, accompanied by a person speaking the lyrics to the song as Raposa blissfully sings them. – Filter

With:
Warmer Milks || Listen
Tyler Bates & Lisa Papineau (of Pet) || Listen

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

Wednesday 07.29.09: Club NME with THEMSELVES / POST FOETUS / EMILY WELLS

Themselves || Listen || Watch

When it comes to art-rap, the pair that make up Oakland’s Themselves—Adam “Doseone” Drucker and Jeffrey “Jel” Logan—are some of the biggest innovators in the game. In their first two years of working together (’97 through ’98), they contributed to three classic albums via the hallowed cult names Deep Puddle Dynamics, cLOUDDEAD, and Themselves. They also co-founded the Anticon collective/label, which has just celebrated its 10th year of turning hip-hop on its head. In honor of this milestone, Themselves have returned from a six-year absence to release two albums this year—a surprise considering how busy Drucker and Logan have been in the interim. Of their numerous sidelines, including a collaboration with The Notwist called 13 And God, the Subtle sextet has been their most widely toured and well-loved, but last year, the band declared a hiatus after releasing its third highly musical, imaginative album.

Now, it seems the duo at that band’s core is ready for something a bit simpler. Themselves’ first release for 2009 is theFREEhoudini, a free digital mix-tape that wrangles all Anticon’s founding artists, along with familiar names like Buck 65, Atmosphere’s Slug, Busdriver, and Aesop Rock, for a fierce showing of rap might. The mix-tape is interspersed with freestyles culled from a rap class that Drucker teaches in Oakland (he first made his name on the battle circuit), and with moments that tease the August release of Themselves’ forthcoming LP, CrownsDown. – AV Club

With:
Post Foetus
Emily Wells

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

Saturday 07.18.09: SO MANY DYNAMOS / CAST SPELLS (DAVE DAVISON from MAPS & ATLASES) / KINCH

So Many Dynamos || Listen || Watch

So Many Dynamos represents the ever more beautiful evolution of common music into something inherently interesting and cool. Unlike other bands that are attempting the same metamorphosis, SMD succeeds in bridging the gap, maintaining singable and danceable material, while bringing so much more intelligent interplay to the table. They lie somewhere between Weezer and Q And Not U; using radio friendly rhythms that change in the moment and widen the songs into multiple layers, while the vocals dance around, crisp and meaningful.

Almost everything is done correctly on this album, from the asynchronous guitars to the steadfast drums and subtle use of electronica. All are well executed showing precise breaks and changes that pull the listener in the desired direction. Vocals ably meet the feel of each song, harsher here, and softer there, with the correct amount of pathos. Backing vocals are used smartly; barely audible on certain songs, a main force in others, and not at all in the rest, illustrating one of my favorite points of music: its not what you have, its how you use it. And this band uses it perfectly, knowing when to use all players or only a handful at moments to get the right message across. – Hybrid Magazine

With:
Cast Spells
Kinch || Listen

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

Wednesday 07.15.09: Club NME with THE VEILS / LUKE TOP / OTHER GIRLS

The Veils || Listen || Watch

The previous Veils album, Nux Vomica, was a grower. Andrews’ approach is so mannered, songs like “Jesus for the Jugular” hit me first as entertaining, superficial blasphemy. The pretty songs were so pretty I wasn’t sure there was any depth to them. Was he was more than the sum of his parts – parts assembled mostly from black-clad artists of decades past? But the best material on Nux Vomica feels even stronger given a few years to steep. As Sun Gangs sinks in, his skills are thrown into relief. He assembles a Brill Building melody for “The House She Lived In,” and the sweetly nostalgic mood doesn’t break when lines like “you’re lawn ablaze and your razor blade drawn” roll by. Andrews is subtle and sufficiently smug, enough of a showman to stage grand gestures, and enough of an imp to keep us guessing as to what they could possibly mean. – Dusted

With:
Luke Top
Other Girls

8:30pm / $12 adv, $14 at the door / 21+

Monday 07.13.09: ANDY CLOCKWISE / NATALIE PORTMAN’S SHAVED HEAD / BROKEN METERS / HEY CHAMP

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:
Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head || Listen || Watch
Hey Champ || Listen
Broken Meters

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 07.04.09: Filter & When You Awake present DEER TICK / DAWES / MOONDOGGIES

Deer Tick || Listen || Watch

Like many musical endeavors, Deer Tick’s mussy blend of blues-rock and faux-country started in the bedroom of the Providence, Rhode Island native, John McCauley III. Where a frayed larynx, nylon guitar and trusty four-track recorder once served as a “band,” Deer Tick (or Ixodes scapularis) has since bloated to a quartet that includes: Andy Tobiassen, Dennis Ryan and Chris Ryan. Born On Flag Day is their second LP and follow-up to the 2007 debut War Elephant (reissued in 2008 by Partisan Records with a strange bikini-and-guns cover .) Flag Day ’s title comes partially from McCauley sharing his birthday with the U.S. holiday, and his love of Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. , and Oliver Stone’s adaptation of Ron Kovic’s novel Born on the Fourth of July . The Tickheads sealed the deal on the title during one late-night drive when they saw a mysterious dark sedan with a “JUNE 14″ vanity plate. Curiously the album’s release date isn’t on the holiday. – Prefix Mag

with:
Dawes
Moondoggies

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

Saturday 07.25.09: THE HANDSOME FAMILY / DANIEL KNOX / EVAN WAY

The Handsome Family || Listen || Watch

Brett and Rennie Sparks have been married and making music for more than a decade, and over that time, they’ve settled into a signature sound combining Brett’s deep baritone and penchant for mid-tempo alt-country balladry with Rennie’s surreal, macabre, often whimsical lyrics. For eight albums, the approach has yielded more than its share of solidly crafted gems, though by now surprise is no longer much of a factor. The new Honey Moon colors within the same lines. Recorded to mark their 20th wedding anniversary, the album narrows the lyrical focus to a single topic—love—and downplays the murder ballads and apocalyptic imagery of earlier discs. Still, Rennie’s choice of romantic imagery is as genially warped and haunted as ever. “A Thousand Diamond Rings” returns to a favorite theme of finding moments of strange beauty in the utterly mundane, as an Albuquerque sunset reflects off broken glass next to a pawnshop. She paints an idyllic vision of love in verdant groves in “Junebugs,” but her puckish sense of humor turns that idea on its head elsewhere, exploring the tenderness in the courtship of insects and primitive cave-people: “I perch on branches and bellow, while dreaming only of thee.” – The A.V. Club

With:
Daniel Knox || Listen
Evan Way (of Parson Redheads)

8:30pm / $12 / 21+