Friday 07.30.10: PEPPER RABBIT / CANDY CLAWS / LONELY TREES

Pepper Rabbit || Watch

Pepper Rabbit is a trio from Silver Lake, Los Angeles, and they remind me of the Shaky Hands, holding onto the same clackety, psych-pop aesthetic, but less precious and wheedling and more exploratory and somber. The singer plays guitar and keyboard and has a really incredible voice, while the drummer and bass player hold down the rhythm section, which gets up-tempo and bouncy but just as quickly turns on its heel to become more saturated, irregular, and sonically dense. For three guys to manage such a dynamic sound is no easy feat. And somehow, in the dark, back corner of Milk, they orchestrated a sense of unexpected sunshine to ward off the chill coming in from the west, keeping the ocean breeze and fog at bay, at least for the moment. But maybe that’s the optimism in me talking: Pepper Rabbits are going to going to find some coveted musical mileage this year, mark my words. – Crawdaddy

With:
Candy Claws || Listen || MP3
Lonely Trees

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Saturday 07.31.10: City Of Devils presents BLACK MATH HORSEMAN / CROOKED COWBOY / GIANT SQUID / BROTHERS COLLATERAL

Black Math Horseman || Listen

Wyllt, Black Math Horseman’s debut, is a fascinating compendium of the last 30 years of rock. Many bands are retro-aware– see Bigelf, as well as most of Black Math Horseman’s labelmates on Tee Pee– but few embody the past yet avoid merely wearing its clothes. Retro awareness usually involves blinders to the present, which Black Math Horseman do not wear. One school of thought says that everything that can be done has been done. If so, Black Math Horseman have sharp filters. They’ve funneled the best parts of rock’s giants into a richly idiosyncratic entity.

Black Math Horseman = Led Zeppelin’s bombast + Black Sabbath’s rhythm section + 1970s psych rock dilation + Isis’ minimal-maximal dynamics. This is a horrible description, I know. But when listening to Wyllt, it’s impossible not to hear decades of record collecting riffling by. Parts of “Deerslayer”, for example, could have been on Badmotorfinger (Soundgarden chaneling Sabbath), Ritual de lo Habitual (Jane’s Addiction channeling Zeppelin), and, of all things, She Hangs Brightly. Sera Timms’ mostly cool-tempered voice suggests Nico on 4AD, complete with ghostly reverb. The gauzy “Torment of the Metals” recasts the Doors’ “The End” as Krautrock. – Pitchfork

With:
Crooked Cowboy
Giant Squid || Listen
Brothers Collateral

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 08.01.10: YELLOW ALEX/ FUTURE GHOST/ JACQUES BARABAN

Yellow Alex || Watch

With:
Future Ghost
Jacques Baraban

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Monday 08.02.10: Monday Night Residency – WHITE ARROWS / KENAN BELL / STONE DARLING / THE FRANKS

White Arrows || Watch || Mp3

A few months ago we introduced you to Cali-based band, White Arrows, and their outpouring of beachband badassery. Their debut EP, Hearts and Lungs, has been one of constant rotation here in Beastonia, thanks to most catchy tracks like Coming or Going and The Voyeur. Now, the boys are back and better than ever with a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song, I’m On Fire. Now, your initialy behoovement might be to say, “don’t cover The Boss!”, HOWEVER, when Mickey and his mates tackle this tune, the end result is one that you’ll be praising. With their signature keyboard, loosely laidback undertone and vocals that effortlessly channel the Jersey rock god, you’d be hard pressed not to love this live recording of a classic! – Sheena Beaston

with:
Kenan Bell || Watch
The Franks || Listen
Stone Darling

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 08.03.10: RADEMACHER/ HEXHAM HEADS/ NAME OF STARS/ WRONG WAY DRIVER

Rademacher || Watch

Produced after a tumultuous year of lineup shifts (and a resultant stripped-down sound) and touring, Rademacher’s newest EP may have been painful to craft, but it isn’t quite a flop–though it may lack the far-reaching sonic weirdness and sheer adventure of the band’s last full-length, Stunts, the Bellyflop EP carries with it the sharp and nuanced songwriting of Sosa’s sideways rock and pop, from the noisy, wild-eyed buzz of opener “Champion in the Pool” to the Television-styled angularity and throbs of closer “Car Wash Donations.” Also present are live highlights like the slowly building swagger and stomp of the Panty Lions cover, “Herndon and 99,” and the spidery guitars and howls of “Charles,” two songs that showcase the Rademacher’s harder-edged sound without losing the band’s penchant for oddball sonic details. If anything, Bellyflop feels more like a cannonball dive: it’s hard and fast and it splashes and crashes through its fifteen minutes with a survivalist determination–not quite as painful, but still pretty spectacular. – Web In Front

With:
Hexham Heads || Listen
Names of Stars
Wrong Way Driver

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 08.04.10: ANDY CLOCKWISE / SWEATERS / THE MOOR / BOYZ SKOULE

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:
Sweaters
The Moor
Boyz Skule || Listen

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Thursday 08.05.10: MANIMAL VINYL presents ASKA / SIDDHARTHA / ST. CLAIR BOARD

Aska || Watch

Aska is a classically trained pianist with a disarmingly ethereal voice, her cosmic presence spanning the Los Angeles art music scene through an eclectic range of projects. Before embarking on her own as a solo artist, Aska played with several bands, as well as writing and playing in the conceptual art band The Sads. As a live gallery installation, The Sads have performed throughout Europe and the US, at Art Basel in Miami, Palais de Tokyo Museum in Paris, and The Journal Gallery in New York. Alongside Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond, The Decemberists), Aska composes, arranges and performs in the 30 member, all-girl LA Ladies Choir, whose debut album comes out this July (Teenage Teardrops). Aska’s first EP will be released from Manimal Records this September with a single, “There Are Many of Us”.

With:
Siddhartha
St. Clair Board

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 08.06.10: EVAN VOYTAS/ THE COOLING TIME/ ALL WRONG & THE PLANS CHANGED

Evan Voytas || Listen || Watch

The sonically inventive Evan Voytas tentatively dips his toe into the unforgiving metropolis of synth-pop on his latest EP which has been previewed on the vowel-phobic/music-philic RCRD LBL for your pleasure. It’s pretty difficult to stop being swept out to the saccharine sea by the quirky technicolor tide of “Getting Higher.” Forget glossy production, the retro summer has got its groove on. – Transparent Blog

Saturday 08.07.10: RESTVRANT/ DOLPHIN CITY/ KIEV/ STARVING DAUGHTERS/ PARKER MACY BLUES

Restavrant || Watch

“Restavrant are two screemin freeks—term used so respectfully—from adorable Victoria, Texas, that use expired license plates for drum parts and bodily drag truly addled hillbillyism into the digital age. They engineer a sloppy collision between Hasil Adkins and DJ Assault that boils down to beat, guitar and rooster-at-sunrise screaming, and behind them the drunkest dancers fall obediently in line.” – LA Record

With:
Dolphin City || Listen
Kiev
Starving Daughters || Listen
Parker Macy Blues || Listen

8:30pm / $7 / 21+

Sunday 08.08.10: IPO (International Pop Overthrow) presents DEVLIN MURPHY / SUSANNAH BLINKOFF / SOFA CITY SWEETHEART / BULLET & SNOWFOX / THE HARD TO GET / INGENUE / MARVELOUS TOY / THE RELATIVE STRANGERS

Devlin Murphy || Listen || Watch

Here’s a stunner. LA’s Devlin Murphy has come out of nowhere to give us one of the more exciting debut releases of the year. Here’s hoping My First won’t be his last, as Murphy manages to channel many of the classic power pop influences, from young to old. I hear traces of everything from The Click Five to Fountains of Wayne to Michael Carpenter (to whom he bears a slight vocal resemblance) to Jellyfish in here, and it’s always a treat when someone puts a fresh spin on familiar sounds. (Actually he sounds exactly like the lead singer of Cone of Silence, for those familiar with that obscure reference.)

No quality disc is without a great opener, and My First is no exception with “Today”, which will take you in on its first listen, and then stick you with it’s “Today-ay-ay-ay” chorus for the rest of the day on rotation in your head. “You” isn’t particularly remarkable lyrically, but damned if it isn’t ultra-catchy. Meanwhile, he manages to come up with the first theme song for dollar stores with “99 Cent”, and his “Another Day” is almost as melodic as McCartney’s. He even demonstrates a facility for the (power) ballad with “Nowhere”. And don’t miss “Alright”, which hits all the right power pop buttons. – Absolute Power Pop

With:
Susannah Blinkoff || Listen
Sofa City Sweetheart || Listen
Bullet & Snowfox
The Hard To Get || Listen
Ingenue
Marvelous Toy || Listen
The Relative Strangers

Presented by: IPO (International Pop Overthrow)

7:30pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 08.09.10: Monday Night Residency – WHITE ARROWS / LOST IN THE TREES / WAIT.THINK.FAST / TOMORROW’S TULIPS / VANAPRASTA

White Arrows || Watch || Mp3

A few months ago we introduced you to Cali-based band, White Arrows, and their outpouring of beachband badassery. Their debut EP, Hearts and Lungs, has been one of constant rotation here in Beastonia, thanks to most catchy tracks like Coming or Going and The Voyeur. Now, the boys are back and better than ever with a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song, I’m On Fire. Now, your initialy behoovement might be to say, “don’t cover The Boss!”, HOWEVER, when Mickey and his mates tackle this tune, the end result is one that you’ll be praising. With their signature keyboard, loosely laidback undertone and vocals that effortlessly channel the Jersey rock god, you’d be hard pressed not to love this live recording of a classic! – Sheena Beaston

With:
Lost in the Trees || Listen
Wait.Think.Fast || Listen
Tomorrow’s Tulips || Listen
Vanaprasta || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 08.10.10: THE BLACK WATCH/ CMG & WE ARE THE NIGHT/ MOLECULES INTERNATIONAL/ DON MCGLASHAN

The Black Watch || Listen

“the black watch have in frontman John Andrew Fredrick an artist capable of both My Bloody Valentine miasma AND Nick Drake quietness. Shame that this highly literate LA indiepop band has to rely on a tiny label out of Dorset UK to get its wonderful melodies heard–on their 15th CD no less. Steven Schayer, ex of The Chills (NZ) lends even more clout and terrifyingly Velvety-beautiful guitar and otherworldly harmonies to Fredrick’s ability to find chaos in the calm, melody in the dissonance”–Andy Gill of Gang of Four in The Independent UK

With:
CMG & We Are The Night || Listen
Molecules International
Don McGlashan || Listen

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 08.11.10: Twilight of the Gods presents BANDITO ROYALE/ JACK FRIS RADIO CHOIR/ MOAN RED LAND

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 08.13.10: THESE UNITED STATES / OR, THE WHALE

These United States || Listen || Watch

Don’t be fooled by the easygoing vibe: These United States’ intoxicating third album brilliantly captures the overwhelming jolt of simply being alive. If the quintet brews a familiar American stew — mixing bent folk, groggy country, and thrift-store rock — few others have the ability to deliver it so gracefully. Like wise elder Robert Plant, crooner Jesse Elliott swings between a sleazy leer and a dreamy purr as he savors the sun (the title track), mourns a friend (“Good Night Wish”), and hits the town (“Night & the Revolution”), deftly blurring the line between carnal and cosmic. – Spin

With:
Or, The Whale || Listen

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

Saturday 08.14.10: PUFFY AREOLAS/ ZIG ZAGS

Puffy Areolas || Watch

Shipped in from somewhere in the Midwest is Puffy Areolas, playing long weird fuzzed out guitar jams. The band’s site has a quote explaining it as Black Flag covering Hawkwind. Sounds about right. – NY Press

With:
Zig Zags

8:30pm / $7 / 21+

Sunday 08.15.10: Buddyhead presents BIG MUFF NIGHT featuring THE SPITS/ PERSONAL & THE PIZZAS/ SLAB CITY/ THE ANOMALYS

The Spits || Listen || Watch

The Spits build their two-minutes-or-less tunes out of some pretty grimy spare parts—lurching puck-rock progressions, barking staccato vocals, and tinny guitar and keyboard sounds that trap a lot of white noise—and the Seattle band’s been known to wear such accessories as ski masks and flowing white robes onstage. The resulting bursts of static are full of hyper hooks, and the lo-fi finish actually helps to conduct the catchiness rather than smother it. The Spits have channeled this pleasingly raw collision of new-wave and punk-pop into a run of self-titled albums, the fourth of which was released earlier this year. – The AV Club

With:
Personal and the Pizzas
Slab City || Listen
The Anomalys || Listen

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

Monday 08.16.10: Monday Night Residency – WHITE ARROWS / THE TYDE / THE OUTLINE

White Arrows || Watch || Mp3

A few months ago we introduced you to Cali-based band, White Arrows, and their outpouring of beachband badassery. Their debut EP, Hearts and Lungs, has been one of constant rotation here in Beastonia, thanks to most catchy tracks like Coming or Going and The Voyeur. Now, the boys are back and better than ever with a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song, I’m On Fire. Now, your initialy behoovement might be to say, “don’t cover The Boss!”, HOWEVER, when Mickey and his mates tackle this tune, the end result is one that you’ll be praising. With their signature keyboard, loosely laidback undertone and vocals that effortlessly channel the Jersey rock god, you’d be hard pressed not to love this live recording of a classic! – Sheena Beaston

With:
The Tyde
The Outline || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 08.17.10: ADAM HAWORTH STEPHENS (of Two Gallants) / PAPA / THE HOLLOYS

Adam Haworth Stephens || Listen || Watch

As lead singer and songwriter of San Francisco duo Two Gallants, Adam Stephens (with band mate Tyson Vogel) released four critically acclaimed albums and toured incessantly over the past five years. A well-deserved break was finally taken providing Adam with a chance to write material for a new project. After forming a band and playing various west coast shows over the past year, Adam went into Sunset Sound and Kingsize Soundlabs in Los Angeles and recorded his debut solo record with producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The Shins, White Stripes).

The result is his debut solo album WE LIVE ON CLIFFS. Set for a September 28th release on Saddle Creek, WE LIVE ON CLIFFS features Adam on vocals, guitar and piano and a list of guest musicians including Patrick Hallahan and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket), Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Joey Waronker, Cody Votolato (Blood Brothers / Jaguar Love), Mike Daly, Petra Haden, Andy Cabic (Vetiver) and current band members Jen Grady, Matt Montgomery and Omar Cuellar.

Beginning August 7th in Salt Lake City, UT, Adam will head out as a four-piece band for a 9-date club tour to premiere these new songs to fans.

With:
Papa
The Holloys || Listen

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

Wednesday 08.18.10: STAR ANNA AND THE LAUGHING DOGS / JACK LITTMAN

Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs || Listen || Watch

“Ellensburg’s Star Anna debuted last year with Crooked Path, a promising album of rootsy alt-country, and while the roots influence is still there on her 2nd album, Star and her band have cranked up the electricity, giving her emotionally scarred songs an additional rock ‘n’ roll punch. Her throaty, aching vocals sound better than ever, and the band earns their co-billing with tight, tough-sounding accompaniment. Crooked Path was a great beginning, but this one packs a mightier wallop”.   - Don Yates KEXP

With:
Jack Littman

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

Thursday 08.19.10: WOVEN BONES / ANIMAL STYLE / CATWALK / THE MEEK

Woven Bones || Watch

Over in under a half-hour, “In and Out and Back Again,” lurches inexorably forward, chewing up and spitting out anything that gets in its way. The album’s cavernous, live feel makes listening to it a bit like standing at the back of a thunderous rock club without ear plugs, praying that your cochleas will survive. Frontman Andrew Burr, a recent Florida-to-Texas transplant, doesn’t so much sing his lyrics as let them trail from his lips in a wounded, grungy syrup that at times rises into a piercing hiccup. The solid rhythm section of Matty on bass and Carolyn on drums keeps it all tied together in an ominous and fuzzy package, providing the perfect backdrop for Burr’s occasional apocalyptic guitar passages. – L.A. Times

With:
Animal Style
Catwalk || Listen
The Meek

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

Friday 08.20.10: HA HA TONKA / SMITH AND PYLE

Ha Ha Tonka || Listen || Watch

Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South is based on a 1907 novel by Harold Bell Wright called “The Shepherd of the Hills,” which is an Ozark classic. The novel tells the story of a man who leaves the city to live in the hills, where he finds peace and manages to overcome the losses he has suffered. This is southern music, and while it may be easy to draw musical comparisons with southern brothers Kings of Leon, this album asks you to dig deeper for its meaning. The lyrics can be sort of inscrutable, which means that the digging isn’t always easy, but there are rewards for the intrepid. In the end, it’s sort of a virtual tour of the south, replete with religion (“Walking on the Devil’s Backbone”), lynching (‘What Shepherd of These Hills”), mob violence (“Thoreau In the Woods”), and lost childhood (“Word Climbing”).

What’s perhaps most amazing about Ha Ha Tonka is that this is a recording so full of confidence that you would think it came from a band that has been around for many years. This is the kind of concept album that can give the idea a good name. Of all the young bands worth watching these days, Springfield, MO’s Ha Ha Tonka is at the top of my list. – Popdose

With:
Smith and Pyle || Listen

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Saturday 08.21.10: THE BELLRAYS / ANGUS KHAN / THE SUPERBEES

The BellRays || Listen || Watch

Hard, Sweet and Sticky was the BellRays’ first release for Anodyne Records. They’ve often been pegged as a punk band, but they sound more hard rock or thrash to me. It’s hard to pinpoint a genre on the BellRays. Punk, thrash, rock, gospel, soul, jazz — it’s all here. The mixture makes for a raucous soul-rock sound. Sure, there are bands with twinges of R & B and funk entrenched in their sound, but not the all-out bluster found on Hard, Sweet and Sticky. A vocalist can make a good band great and a great band unique, and as always, Kekaula’s stunning and versatile voice adapts easily to any genre, whether it’s a soulful ballad or thrash rocker. – Blog Critics

With:
Angus Khan || Watch
The Superbees || Listen

8:30pm / $5; free with Sunset Junction Wristband / 21+

Monday 08.23.10: Monday Night Residency – WHITE ARROWS / RUMSPRINGA

White Arrows || Watch || Mp3

A few months ago we introduced you to Cali-based band, White Arrows, and their outpouring of beachband badassery. Their debut EP, Hearts and Lungs, has been one of constant rotation here in Beastonia, thanks to most catchy tracks like Coming or Going and The Voyeur. Now, the boys are back and better than ever with a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song, I’m On Fire. Now, your initialy behoovement might be to say, “don’t cover The Boss!”, HOWEVER, when Mickey and his mates tackle this tune, the end result is one that you’ll be praising. With their signature keyboard, loosely laidback undertone and vocals that effortlessly channel the Jersey rock god, you’d be hard pressed not to love this live recording of a classic! – Sheena Beaston

With:
Rumspringa || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 08.24.10: DJ BOOTH.NET presents TANYA MORGAN/ U-N-I/ AFRO CLASSIC/ AHMAD

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

Wednesday 08.25.10: JASON FALKNER

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

Thursday 08.26.10: RADARS TO THE SKY/ DEATH TO ANDERS/ SMOKERS IN LOVE

Radars To The Sky || Watch

The energy they exuded was unfathomable. Any time I tried to look for somebody else, buy a drink at the bar, or write some notes I would immediately have my attention taken back by whatever was happening on stage. They are purveyors of an epic sound that demands and thrives on an excellent soundsystem. Their clever musical moves, swift guitar flourishes, keys that haunt beneath the skin of the thing, Andrew Spitser’s undeniable voice, and their penchant for roping you in with the beat and rhythm were as engaging as any piece of musical entertainment you could ask for. – Classical Geek Theatre

With:
Death To Anders || Listen
Smokers In Love || Listen

8:30pm / 21+

Friday 08.27.10: THE FLING record release featuring DEEP SEA DIVER/ SAM OUTLAW/ ARCHEOLOGY

The Fling || Listen || Watch

For Long Beach band The Fling, their warm folk rock shows harmony-soaked shards and psychedelic musings of bands their parents probably used to listen to. Whatever the secret behind their sound may be, it’s definitely earned them a steady swell of notoriety these days. – OC Weekly

8:30pm / $7/ 21+

Saturday 08.28.10: ONEIDA/ JONAS REINHARDT/ THE LIGHTS

Oneida || Listen || Watch

Maybe you’ve never met Oneida. When so inclined, they’ll fill a whole side of vinyl with one long track, one whole CD’s running time with two or three– and if you haven’t seen them on the festival circuit lately, it’s because they went ahead and started their own. The reason they can do this (aside from keeping their dayjobs) is that their fans– being open-minded enough to absorb the many permutations of repetitive, inexhaustible rhythms, and stinging vintage organ and guitar over 10 years– eat it right up. Those fans won’t be surprised by the behemoth Rated O– some have been waiting for it ever since it was planned and then scrapped before 2006’s Happy New Year. – Pitchfork

With:
Jonas Reinhardt || Listen
The Lights

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

Monday 08.30.10: Monday Night Residency – WHITE ARROWS / HAIM / SUPERHUMANOIDS / WHISPERTOWN 2000

White Arrows || Watch || Mp3

A few months ago we introduced you to Cali-based band, White Arrows, and their outpouring of beachband badassery. Their debut EP, Hearts and Lungs, has been one of constant rotation here in Beastonia, thanks to most catchy tracks like Coming or Going and The Voyeur. Now, the boys are back and better than ever with a fantastic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s song, I’m On Fire. Now, your initialy behoovement might be to say, “don’t cover The Boss!”, HOWEVER, when Mickey and his mates tackle this tune, the end result is one that you’ll be praising. With their signature keyboard, loosely laidback undertone and vocals that effortlessly channel the Jersey rock god, you’d be hard pressed not to love this live recording of a classic! – Sheena Beaston

With:
HAIM
Superhumanoids || Listen
Whispertown 2000 || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 09.01.10: TY SEGALL/ GAROTAS SUECAS (tropicalia/soul from Sao Paulo, Brazil)/ GRASS WIDOW

Ty Segall || Watch

Lemons gives new life to a psychedelic garage sound bolstered with giant riffs meant for huge venues. And in the hands of a manufactured monstrosity like Jet, this approach led to commercially-viable disaster. But Ty Segall isn’t a fake. Lemons dials up the wattage and bombast with hooks that stray often and unabashedly from the soulful-screeching of his self-titled debut, but without sacrificing the intensity that won him notice. Ty Segall was a more than solid debut, but did not strive to stand-out in the cluttered garage-punk trenches. Despite the fact that no new ground was broken, Ty Segall’s first remains a fun record created with considerable energy and the contagious zeal of an O.C. college boy that don’t wanna be no O.C. college boy. And this attitude translates to Lemons with added dexterity, confidence and approachability.

The wider accessibility of Lemons is actually one of its best attributes. This is not often something I find myself saying about a record. Ty has written, without compromise in craft, tracks like “Lovely One” and “Can’t Talk” that could share Clear Channel rotation with singles from The White Stripes and The Vines. The difference being (at least, considering The Vines) is that the aesthetic of Ty’s songwriting is not ad agency window-dressing: the rock & roll is there, it just happens to be catchy as hell. And it’s great to hear an artist pumping out songs that could easily ‘move units’ without alienating fans. Denim pin junkies familiar with the self-titled record might be turned off by some of the more straightforward tunes, but will quickly find appeasement in noisier takes including a cover of Captain Beefheart’s “Drop Out Boogie” and “Johnny,” a minute-and-a-half-long shrieker consistent with the precursor to Lemons. – Buddyhead

with:
Garotas Suecas
Grass Widow

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

Thursday 09.02.10: MONDO GENERATOR/ TWEAKBIRD

Mondo Generator || Watch

While Queens of the Stone Age has soldiered on with Homme’s new cast of musicians, character actors at best, what became of Nick Oliveri, the goateed dark side to QOTSA’s even temperament? From the sound of it, he’s been locked away carefully crafting the beautiful chaos that is, Dead Planet. Mondo Generator has been around since before Queens of the Stone Age was even a blip on the alt radio radar, and while their first release didn’t surface until 2000 by way of Cocaine Rodeo, the band’s origins date back to Oliveri’s time with punk filth merchants, the Dwarves. 2002’s, A Drug Problem that Never Existed, was a quantum leap from that debut recording and subsequently, Dead Planet ups the ante even further with a stronger batch of songs and much more focused performance. – Anti Music

With:
Tweakbird || Listen

8:30pm / $12 adv, $14 dos / 21+

Friday 09.03.10: THE DELTA MIRROR

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 09.05.10: Aquarium Drunkard Presents THE GORIES

The Gories || Watch

Formed in January of 1986 over a six pack of Budweiser and “Scum of the Earth” on the record player. Played dives around Detroit for six and a half years with a couple of trips to New York City and Chicago. Released three LPs and a handful of singles. Toured Europe in the Spring of ‘92. Broke up.

8:30pm / $20 advance, $22 day of show / 21+

Monday 09.06.10: Monday Night Residency : EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 09.07.10: CROOKED FINGERS WITH MYNABIRDS

Crooked Fingers || Listen || Watch

Crooked Fingers fans who enjoyed Eric Bachmann’s 2006, bare-bones acoustic To the Races LP, yet yearned for the kind of heavily orchestrated, E Street Band-fueled Americana that graced 2003’s Red Devil Dawn and 2005’s Dignity and Shame, will no doubt be pleased by Forfeit/Fortune. Picking right up where Shame left off, Bachmann, along with an all-star cast of characters which includes longtime collaborators as well as indie rock stalwarts like Brian Kotzur (Silver Jews), Tom Hagerman (DeVotchKa), and Neko Case blow through an 11-song set of dusty, horn-laden, highway driving, drink-spilling heartache that stands as the group’s most solid piece of work to date. Opener “What Never Comes,” a fully loaded showstopper that comes on like a cross between David Bowie’s “Heroes” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” sets the pace, and from there it’s an unusually wild ride from a bandleader who often favors straight-to-tape authenticity over studio experimentation. Funky instrumentation and wild percussion abound throughout, especially on the cool and visceral “Luisa’s Bones,” an old-timey tale filtered through a digital water bag. “Cannibals,” a straight-up power pop nugget that could have peen peeled off the back of the first Cheap Trick album, also impresses, but it’s Forfeit/Fortune’s final two tracks, the mesmerizing, anthem worthy “Modern Dislocation” and its equally rousing counterpart “Your Control” — the latter a duet with Neko Case — that seal the deal. – All Music

With:

Mynabirds || Listen

8:30pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show/ 21+

Wednesday 09.08.10: MODERN TIME MACHINE

8:30pm / $7 / 21+

Thursday 09.09.10: DAX RIGGS

Dax Riggs || Watch

That DNA runs deep through the rough hewn “Demon Tied To A Chair,” “Didn’t Know Yet” and “Radiation Blues,” all of which will strike warm familiar notes with the deadboy contingent, though they may be a bit more on the muscular side. Those wading deeper in however are in for some pleasant surprises: Dax’s vocals straining to more passionate extremes on “Terrors of Nightlife” and “Ouroboros,” the ragtag assortment of musical misfits helping Dax bring some serious glam rave-up to “Living is Suicide” and “I Forgot I Was Alive,” a complete curveball cover of Richard Thompson’s “Wall Of Death,” and, yes, a few more nods to the deadboy faithful in the form of “Scarlett Of Heaven Nor Hell” and “Dog-Headed Whore” before the album collapses upon itself, spent but still mustering the final throes of “dethbryte” (chopped and screwed by Andrew W.K.).

All told, We Sing Of Only Blood Or Love is Dax Riggs stepping out as a markedly grown up deadboy–a work imbued with newfound vitality, intensity and maturity, yet one that still begs anyone’s best guess as to where things go from here. deadboy is undead, long live Dax Riggs. We hope.

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 day of show/ 21+

Friday 09.10.10: DAX RIGGS

Dax Riggs || Watch

That DNA runs deep through the rough hewn “Demon Tied To A Chair,” “Didn’t Know Yet” and “Radiation Blues,” all of which will strike warm familiar notes with the deadboy contingent, though they may be a bit more on the muscular side. Those wading deeper in however are in for some pleasant surprises: Dax’s vocals straining to more passionate extremes on “Terrors of Nightlife” and “Ouroboros,” the ragtag assortment of musical misfits helping Dax bring some serious glam rave-up to “Living is Suicide” and “I Forgot I Was Alive,” a complete curveball cover of Richard Thompson’s “Wall Of Death,” and, yes, a few more nods to the deadboy faithful in the form of “Scarlett Of Heaven Nor Hell” and “Dog-Headed Whore” before the album collapses upon itself, spent but still mustering the final throes of “dethbryte” (chopped and screwed by Andrew W.K.).

All told, We Sing Of Only Blood Or Love is Dax Riggs stepping out as a markedly grown up deadboy–a work imbued with newfound vitality, intensity and maturity, yet one that still begs anyone’s best guess as to where things go from here. deadboy is undead, long live Dax Riggs. We hope.

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 day of show/ 21+

Saturday 09.11.10: REALrocknroll.com presents REAL RocknRoll LIVE featuring QUEEN CAVEAT/ TARANTULA/ SUPER BLACK MARKET/ COLIN TYLER

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Monday 09.13.10: Monday Night Residency: EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 09.14.10: SHONEN KNIFE

Shonen Knife || Listen || Watch

There’s a certain novelty in hearing a petite Japanese girl state her admiration for British 1970s heavy metallers Richie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio, and then watching her demure band grind through a loud, sludgy pastiche of that genre. J-Pop trio Shonen Knife aren’t some kind of novelty act though, they’re a first-rate pop group in their own right. For nearly 30 years, this band have been mashing Western rock, punk and girl group styles together with their own Osakan aesthetic. Introduced to a transatlantic audience by the patronage of hipster outfits like Nirvana and Sonic Youth, the Knife’s approach has remained fresh over the band’s career – as has their last remaining founder member, singer and guitarist Naoko Yamano, who will be 50 this year but could easily pass for half that.

Showcasing songs from their last but one album Super Group (the last, Free Time, hasn’t yet been released in the UK) and wearing the colourful tunic-and-trousers uniforms from its cover, the band played a set characterised by manic, gleeful energy. Bassist Ritsuko Taneda grinningly devil-horned every other song, recently-drafted drummer Emi Morimoto leaped on to her seat to top off a human pyramid shape during the rumbling Pyramid Power, and Yamano introduced an encore cover of Wings’ Jet as being “by one of my favourite artists”. It was both loveable and glorious, much like her band. – Scotsman

8:30pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / 21+

Thursday 09.16.10: RADIO MOSCOW/ NIGHT HORSE/ THE SHRINE

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

Friday 09.17.10: PARSONS RED HEAD

8:30pm / $7 / 21+

Saturday 09.18.10: CASXIO

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 09.20.10: Monday Night Residency: EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 09.22.10: TOMMY KEENE performing “Songs From The Film”

Tommy Keene || Listen || Watch

In what seemed like an attempt by Geffen to make a “big” pop record and endear Keene to an audience wider than critics and a small cult of discerning record buyers, renowned producer Geoff Emerick (Elvis Costello, Beatles) only succeeded at rounding the edges, thus stealing the spark from Keene’s performance. The drums are buried in the mix and Keene’s distinctive vocals obscured behind a wash of studio processing, but fortunately, Keene’s talent shines through in memorable songwriting and biting guitar solos. “In Our Lives” and “Goldtown” are classic Tommy Keene melodic power rockers, while “The Story Ends” stands among his best Beatlesque ballads. But the infectious “Places That Are Gone,” which opens side one, sounds awkwardly sped up and doesn’t come close to matching the quiet intensity of the version that appeared as the title track of the 1984 Dolphin EP. The story has it that Geffen rejected the original Songs From the Film sessions, produced by T-Bone Burnett and Don Dixon, to make this record, although the label at least momentarily came to their senses and released tracks from those sessions later that year on the excellent Run Now EP. [Geffen's 1998 CD reissue of Songs from the Film includes the Run Now EP, plus four previously unreleased songs: "Take Back Your Letters," "We're Two," an alternate full-band take of "Faith in Love" and a live cover of the Flamin' Groovies' "Teenage Head."] – All Music review of “Songs From The Film”

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

Friday 09.24.10: EARTHLESS/ CROM

8:30pm / $10 / 21+

Monday 09.27.10: Monday Night Residency: EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 09.29.10: SARA HARMER

8:30pm / $15 / 21+

Thursday 09.30.10: MUCCA PAZZA

8:30pm / $1o advance, $12 day of show / 21+

TUESDAY 10.12.10: REMY ZERO

Remy Zero || Listen || Watch

With very little fanfare, Alabama-bred Remy Zero have done the near impossible–they’ve squeezed some originality and drop-dead beauty out of the standard guitar band format. Of course, Radiohead excels at precisely the same thing, so it’s no wonder they are big fans of Remy Zero themselves. But Remy Zero are no mere Radiohead copyists. Villa Elaine their second release is both strikingly original and thoroughly compelling in vision–an album in the old sense of the word, not merely a collection of songs.

“Hollow” combines pure Queen pomp with shades of end of the millennium anxiety. “Life In The Rain” is the most subtle and affecting rock song I’ve heard this year–mixing complex dynamics and layering ala OK Computer with an impassioned vulnerability. The music is carefully composed, stunning artrock that ranks alongside Radiohead and The Verve in its quality and Cinjun Tate’s strong emotive voice is rather akin to Thom Yorke crossed with Freddie Mercury–both outstanding singers in a genre that doesn’t boast many great singers. It’s a shame that Villa Elaine has been so roundly ignored because Remy Zero have proven here that they most assuredly belong in the big leagues. – Pop Matters

Click to buy tickets

8pm / $13adv; $15dos / 21+

Wednesday 10.13.10: BETTIE SERVEERT

Bettie Serveert || Listen || Watch

Bettie Serveert’s new album Pharmacy of Love probably isn’t going to get its due for what it is: a solid, consistent album that sounds like the all-out rock recording the Dutch indie veterans have wanted to make all along. Whoever came up with the bright idea to hype Bettie Serveert as the next big thing in the early ‘90s did them a disservice, since overblown expectations and misperceptions of the group were set with its evergreen debut, Palomine. As revisionist history would have it, either the band is a punching bag for everything that went wrong with the pre-Internet alt-rock feeding frenzy or they’re tragically misunderstood and underappreciated. Unable to ever completely escape the shadow cast by the strong first impression it made, Bettie Serveert turned from most-likely-to-succeed into could-have-beens, then somehow became underrated along the way.

The band itself hardly seems weighed down by either history or baggage on Pharmacy of Love, the worthwhile product of an unexpectedly durable and workmanlike career. Wherever critics and fans come down on the new album, everyone should be able to agree that it’s a return to form in the artistic direction it takes, finding original members Carol van Dyk, Peter Visser, and Herman Bunskoeke recovering their rock attitude. Beyond just regaining its footing or rediscovering a formula that worked well once, the group comes off the most confident and determined it has ever been, after spotty forays into more “mature” and atmospheric sounds for much of the last decade. – Pop Matters

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 day of show/ 21+

Saturday 10.06.10: VALIENT THORR / RED FANG

Valient Thorr || Listen || Watch

Valient Thorr seem to be angling for a position at the head of a marching mob; their combination of punk-rock speed, crushing riffs, screaming solos and anti-The Man lyrical sloganeering is a compelling and forceful one. The MC5 did this pretty well back in 1970, but Valient Thorr do it just as strong. They’re smarter than they pretend to be, synthesizing obvious influences (everyone from Bon Scott-era AC/DC to Turbonegro) into a pummeling roar, over which frontman Valient Himself rants about the cops and the conspiracy that keeps us all slaves. Their MySpace page lists David Icke, Alex Jones, Wilhelm Reich and Nikola Tesla as influences. Google those names while you rock out to this killer slab of plastic. Valient Thorr won’t save the world, but they’ll shake your candyass loose for you. – Alternative Press

With:
Red Fang || Listen

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

Wednesday 10.27.10: REIGNING SOUND

Reigning Sound || Listen || Watch

The Reigning Sound was born in Memphis, TN. Its daddy was a Flash & The Memphis Casuals 45 and its mother a Barbara Pittman single. Life was not easy for this musical what-not. Kids shunned it for its rock`n’roll sensibility and obvious lack of polished shtick. In true stepchild fashion though, the band continued to develop a unique sound all it’s own that didn’t really focus on any of the preconceived genres. Within weeks they found their audience and were shakin’ down the house at clubs all over town. “Hail, Hail Rock ‘n’ Roll and fuck your prefab garage” appears to be some sort of battle cry for them. This from their leader Greg Cartwright whose previous bands The Oblivians & Compulsive Gamblers were so closely linked to the “Garage Punk” stereotype of ten years ago. “We were never really like most of the other bands” says Greg.” I covered R&B, gospel or country songs with absolutely no regard for any 60’s aesthetic or sound, I just enjoyed finding an obscure song and breathing some new life into it.” This same instinct for a truly inspired cover or a genius original can be found in the Reigning Sound. Greg is aided by bass player Jeremy Scott, organist/guitarist Alex Greene and drummer Greg Roberson.

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

Friday 11.05.10: TRANS AM/ NICE NICE/ JONAS REINHARDT

8:30pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / 21+