Monday 12.01.08: THE MOVIES / EAGLE & TALON / WRONG WAY DRIVER / THE LEMURS / DJ KEVIN BRONSON

The Movies

…the Movies were, more than anything celebrating being the Movies—a ferociously talented live act bathed in a synthy haze of weary sleaze and winking, knowing lyrics, while simultaneously echoing the Bunnymen and remaining firmly, wildly original… Their set was an impassioned, alternately subdued and unhinged performance, as James whirled around the stage in a wild-eyed fever between bassist Jessica Gelt’s sinewy, rhythmic sway and the ambient wash of keyboardist Brian Cleary, demanding that audience members kiss to win copies of the new LP, furiously running in place, and riding the mic stand—once again proving that he is one of the funniest and most dynamic singers in the L.A. music scene (the man can croon, too). The Movies’ show spun between two poles: songs like the melodic, synth-stung “Get Your Macho Out” and the slow-motion whirlpool of “Creation Lake” were a down-tempo counterpoint to the warped snarl of “Autograph” and the glistening stutter-cool of “If I Had the Cash,” with the reeling keyboard intro and propulsive, howled choruses of “Missed Opportunities” unifying both ends of the band’s spectrum before falling into “When I Was in Nam”’s sleep-drawled slow groove of Caucasoid funk. – Web In Front

with:
Eagle & Talon || Listen
Wrong Way Driver
The Lemurs || Listen
DJ Kevin Bronson

8:30pm / FREE SHOW / 21+

Tuesday 12.02.08: VIOLENT SOHO (from Australia)

Violent Soho || Watch

2008 has already been a huge year for the four piece, having toured almost non stop with a bunch of other Aussie acts, including their current jaunt with The Mess Hall.

June saw the release of their debut album, “We Don’t Belong Here”, which has been causing quite the stir among music fans and critics alike. It’s a dirty, relentless rock affair that doesn’t skip a beat from opening track “Love is a Heavy Word”, which has been a Triple J favourite.

While the band’s early nineties influences are apparent, the question remains whether or not we are allowed to call them grunge.

“We used to call ourselves a grunge band, but then people started talking about a grunge revolution… we didn’t want to get swept up in some kind of fashion thing, and we don’t want to be pigeonholed”, says Luke.

That would be a nightmare for a band whose lack of pretension is apparent in everything they do.

“At the end of the day, you can call us whatever you want. We’re continually writing and we just want to make good, honest music”.

While Luke says the boys aren’t nervous about playing to a bunch of discerning Pixies fans at the Black Francis gigs, he’s shit scared of what the man himself might think.

“It’s slowly sinking in… we might actually get to speak to Frank Black, Frank Black might actually watch us play”.

It wouldn’t seem that Violent Soho have much to worry about in that regard. In the short time they have been gigging around the traps, they have already carved out a reputation as one of the best live acts going. – Virgin Music Blog

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 12.03.08: Indie 103.1 Presents AFTERNOONS / USELESS KEYS / BILLYGOAT

Afternoons || Watch || MP3

The Afternoons delivered a sparkling set that strayed only slightly from the musical styles of Irving. A propulsive bass riff kicked off “Graffiti Artist” as the jangling guitars glided into place. My ears were already perked when a trumpet sounded to fill out their sound. Brian Canning and Steven Scott handled the guitars and vocals with Claire Mckeown adding another layer of opera like vocals. The Afternoons only have four songs on their Myspace page but I assume they will have some more material in time for their Spaceland residency in June. It won’t take long for the Afternoons to reconstitute the buzz they had with Irving and propel them to greater heights. – Amateur Chemist

with:
Useless Keys || Listen
Billygoat

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 12.04.08: RELENTLESS SEVEN / GRACE WOODROOFE

Relentless Seven

with:
Grace Woodroofe || Listen

8:30pm / $20 / 21+

Friday 12.05.08: DAWES / ROBERT FRANCIS / THE ROMANY RYE / THE NATIVES (DJ SET)

Dawes || Watch

Robert Francis

with:
The Romany Rye
The Natives DJing all night

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Saturday 12.06.08: DRESSY BESSY / COLOURMUSIC / THE MINOR CANON

Dressy Bessy || Listen || Watch

When Tammy Ealom started singing about a gal obsessed with the ‘60s in the song “Do You Whisper?” on Saturday night, it was hard not to think the song was, well, about Ealom herself. In most photos of the band you’ll find Ealom decked out in a ‘60s-inspired get-up and she plays a Hagstrom II guitar from the era as well. You can also hear it in a lot of the bouncy pop tunes she’s written over the last decade.

But on the band’s new album, Holler and Stomp, that ‘60s thing just ain’t quite as prevalent as it’s been on previous albums. Buy hey, musicians have to grow and with that comes change. While the music gotten a tad edgier and harder and some of the bubblegum pop has been shaved off, Ealom, guitarist John Hill (who also plays in Apples in Stereo), bassist Rob Greene and company still put on a hell of energetic show.

They ran through nearly the entire new album, tossed in few awesome cuts from their 2003’s self-titled album like “This May Hurt (A Little),” “Baby Six String,” and “Just Once More,” as well as a few from Electrified. And if that wasn’t enough, the band pulled out “Extra-Ordinary” from its 1999 debut album, Pink Hearts Yellow Moons. – Westword

with:
Colourmusic || Listen
The Minor Canon

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

Sunday 12.07.08: Indie 103.1 presents FRIENDLY FIRES / FUNERAL PARTY / GLASSER

Friendly Fires || Watch || MP3

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I’ve been waiting for a band to fully realize — that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can’t seem to use right.

They have a humdinger of a single in “Paris,” whose lovestruck take on the City of Light (“And every night we’ll watch the stars, they’ll be out for us”) is as cliched as the day is long, but still hits with a panoramic wallop. The snare drum-less chorus is a weird little thing, and almost a comedown from the percussion-mad, Tom Tom Clubby verses, but the endearingly clumsy-dancing frontman Ed Macfarlane has an athletic falsetto that can veer from sounding like Bilinda Butcher to arena-emo in a single line.

The rest of their self-titled debut (out Sept. 1) is a bit more martial and Rapture-ish, especially the almost offensively catchy, Blondie-inspired “On Board,” but it’s expert party music (they cover old-school Chicago house dude Jamie Principle’s “Your Love” live) with the kind of starry-eyed romanticism that should transcend the nightclub circuit and into some off-peak MTV play. It doesn’t hurt that, as seen above, they look pretty good doing it. I could totally see this band opening for Panic at the Disco as easily as LCD Soundsystem, and that’s no slight. Makes a boy want to crack a decanter of Burgundy and make out with a raccoon-eyed little art student on the banks of the Seine, no? – LA Times

with:
Funeral Party
Glasser

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

Monday 12.08.08: THE MOVIES / RADEMACHER / VIBE SLAYER / SARAH NEGAHDARI / DJ DAVE NEWTON

The Movies

…the Movies were, more than anything celebrating being the Movies—a ferociously talented live act bathed in a synthy haze of weary sleaze and winking, knowing lyrics, while simultaneously echoing the Bunnymen and remaining firmly, wildly original… Their set was an impassioned, alternately subdued and unhinged performance, as James whirled around the stage in a wild-eyed fever between bassist Jessica Gelt’s sinewy, rhythmic sway and the ambient wash of keyboardist Brian Cleary, demanding that audience members kiss to win copies of the new LP, furiously running in place, and riding the mic stand—once again proving that he is one of the funniest and most dynamic singers in the L.A. music scene (the man can croon, too). The Movies’ show spun between two poles: songs like the melodic, synth-stung “Get Your Macho Out” and the slow-motion whirlpool of “Creation Lake” were a down-tempo counterpoint to the warped snarl of “Autograph” and the glistening stutter-cool of “If I Had the Cash,” with the reeling keyboard intro and propulsive, howled choruses of “Missed Opportunities” unifying both ends of the band’s spectrum before falling into “When I Was in Nam”’s sleep-drawled slow groove of Caucasoid funk. – Web In Front

with:
Rademacher
Vibeslayer
Sarah Negahdari (from Happy Hollows)
DJ Dave Newton

8:30pm / FREE SHOW / 21+

Tuesday 12.09.08: ROBOTANISTS / KISSING COUSINS / ONE TRICK PONY / TWO GUNS

Robotansists || Listen (EP Release)

Only seven (7) songs/almost thirty-seven (37) minutes long, it’s not something of grand proportions. But, it is filled with stuff that can tickle your fancy like you’re trying to get a Tickle Me Doll modeled after you. The opener track is “Wait A Minute Here.” This was the second song that I’ve heard from this act(first being the Joy Division cover). I’ve heard this song many months ago. Still, it brings such a strong longing sense that it’s hard to properly compare it to something else. The simplicity of it adds such an epic feeling to the song. You might ask how is such possible. It’s simple, really, the fact that it feels so bare bones is how it fuels the “just out of reach” sensation of the song that the lyrics bring. Vocally, Sarah(lead vocalist) is amazing. The first half of the song, it sounds like she’s singing in the shower with the water off. Alone. Thinking about the muse of the song. Either that, or inside of an empty building strolling the halls while you listen to her from the other end. I can’t tell you how many music video ideas I had swimming around in my head when I heard this song(and still do every time I hear it). Daniel(lead guitarist)’s finger work is nothing to downplay in the least bit. He’s not merely strumming an acoustic guitar, he’s plucking at you’re heart’s attention while Sarah holds your head in a submission maneuver. If you’re not captivated by this song, then I don’t know how you can ever claim to have been in love and possess a heart. – Opinionhated

with:
Kissing Cousins
One Trick Pony || Listen
Two Guns

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 12.10.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with POP LEVI / FRENCH MIAMI / THE NEW REGIME

Pop Levi || Listen || Watch

Nobody is putting out music like Pop Levi’s right now. Levi calls his sound astral rock ‘n’ roll-much catchier than the more descriptive psych-glam-garage-blues-rock fusion. If you need an artistic point of reference, think Prince meets Marc Bolan mixed with probably a bit too much Syd Barrett for his own good. It’s not the most unusual group of influences, but Levi works them into a sound all his own.

Infectious up-tempo numbers like “Sugar Assault Me Now” and “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut” show that Levi has some ready-for-primetime swish in his step, especially the latter, with its overt sexuality. He seems equally comfortable with his acoustic, strumming some contemplative tearjerkers like “Skip Ghetto” and “From the Day That You Were Born,” and he has enough soul to pull off blues-funk tracks like “Blue Honey” and “Hades’ Lady.” This is to say that Pop Levi can do it all, and do it all well. – Prefix Mag

with:
French Miami
The New Regime || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 12.11.08: SPACELAND ON ICE with HOLLOYS / RUMSPRINGA @ Pershing Square

Spaceland Productions Presents:

Holloys
Rumspringa || Listen

@ Pershing Square
532 South Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

FMI: Downtown On Ice

7pm / FREE / all ages

Thursday 12.11.08: AUTOMATIC DRAWING / COLLISIONS

Automatic Drawing || Watch

It’s a rare case when you find a band just immediately fucking likable… where multiple songs grab you right away and you wonder why or how the hell you’ve never heard of them before.

It’s the very definition of a band crush – and new group Automatic Drawing (who make smarty pop music loosely reminiscent of early Belle & Sebastian and Interpol) is, as such, infinitely crushable. – Radio Free Silverlake

with:
Collisions

8:30pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 12.12.08: RADARS TO THE SKY (record release party) / WILDBIRDS & PEACEDRUMS / ARCHWAYS / THE HECTORS

Radars to the Sky || Watch

I can report to you with confidence that Radars to the Sky took advantage of the opportunity in every dimension conceivable; it was by far the best show I have seen them play… 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 Greek Theater

with:
Wildbirds & Peacedrums || Listen
Archways
The Hectors || Listen

9PM / $8 advance; $10 day of show / 21+

Saturday 12.13.08: 18TH DYE / DEVON WILLIAMS / THE MEETING PLACES

18th Dye || Listen || Watch

Comparisons to Sonic Youth aside, groundbreaking, catchy, and consistently explosive rock have always been the sonic signature of legendary 18th Dye. On the new album, Amorine Queen, 18th Dye proves their reputation from the 90′s as a well acclaimed, highly respected international rock band.

Amorine Queen reflects the energy of group’s past releases, but mixes the hard-hitting and noisy rock sound with a more melodic approach. As a result to this development, 18th Dye doesn’t just thrill the fans from ten years ago, but also carry away a new audience – a fact that’s hard to miss at their recent concerts. As in the old days, the new songs are characterized by loud guitars and catchy pop melodies – delivered with an ultra cool, almost arrogant detachment.
-Spectre Music

with:
Devon Williams
The Meeting Places || Listen

9PM / $8 / 21+

Sunday 12.13.08: VAN STONE / THE RINGERS / LIGHTNIN WOODCOCK

Van Stone || Watch

Van Stone is Palmdale’s number 3 rock band, right behind number 1 Skirge, and number 2 Wind Jammer. DUH! Now, the only way we’re ever gonna catch Skirge is if all you Van Stoniacs pull together and help us raise money for a van… My mom said we can’t borrow her Nissan Sentra anymore, ‘cuz the last time we used it to haul all the ekwipment to the gig we scratched her roof with “Terry” (our six foot stainless steel lazer skull). Now I got all you Stoniacs beggin’ me to play here and there and promisin’ that you’ll let me skrew your sister and shit. BUT WE AIN’T GOT NO WHEELS!!… So if you want us to come to yer shit hole town then get off yer asses and buy our debut album: Van Stone I… and while yer at it pick up a t-shirt… the shipping is still the same, so you save money… and you could save a life too… Our shirts have been approved by the American Medical Response association for use as an emergency tourniquet… and that’s one to grow on. LIVE STONED!

with:
The Ringers
Lightnin’ Woodcock

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

Monday 12.15.08: THE MOVIES / NICO STAI / DEMO TEAM / THE SAVAGES / DJ JIMMY TAMBORELLO

The Movies

…the Movies were, more than anything celebrating being the Movies—a ferociously talented live act bathed in a synthy haze of weary sleaze and winking, knowing lyrics, while simultaneously echoing the Bunnymen and remaining firmly, wildly original… Their set was an impassioned, alternately subdued and unhinged performance, as James whirled around the stage in a wild-eyed fever between bassist Jessica Gelt’s sinewy, rhythmic sway and the ambient wash of keyboardist Brian Cleary, demanding that audience members kiss to win copies of the new LP, furiously running in place, and riding the mic stand—once again proving that he is one of the funniest and most dynamic singers in the L.A. music scene (the man can croon, too). The Movies’ show spun between two poles: songs like the melodic, synth-stung “Get Your Macho Out” and the slow-motion whirlpool of “Creation Lake” were a down-tempo counterpoint to the warped snarl of “Autograph” and the glistening stutter-cool of “If I Had the Cash,” with the reeling keyboard intro and propulsive, howled choruses of “Missed Opportunities” unifying both ends of the band’s spectrum before falling into “When I Was in Nam”’s sleep-drawled slow groove of Caucasoid funk. – Web In Front

with:
Nico Stai
Demo Team || Listen
The Savages || Listen
DJ Jimmy Tamborello

8:30pm / FREE SHOW / 21+

Tuesday 12.16.08: KARIN TATOYAN / WAR TAPES / SEASONS / EXITMUSIC

Karin Tatoyan || Watch

A performer who swirls between musical extremes, Kárin Tatoyan is the possessor of a unique and hauntingly gorgeous voice, one that alternately croons and erupts from the center of an increasingly left-field musical approach. Her music is a strange, prismatic nebula strewn with jagged, twinkling glass—it kisses even as it cuts, it shatters and shimmers simultaneously as layers of electronica fold into pockets of post-rock minimalism and booming orchestral majesty. – Web In Front

with:
War Tapes
Seasons
Exitmusic

9PM / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 12.17.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with THEM TERRIBLES

Them Terribles || Watch

Them Terribles kicked things off with an amazing set. The singer, Matt Green, has an amazing stage presence. I bought their album when I saw they were playing this show, and it’s an amazing record. I love a band that can command a crowd, and these guys are going to be something to see after a few more years of winning fans. The set got the crowd moving and the band kept the energy high through the whole set – A Face In the Crowd

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Thursday 12.18.08: CLOSED

Thursday 12.18.08: SPACELAND ON ICE with DOGWEED / BOLLWEEVIL @ Pershing Square

Spaceland Productions Presents:

Dogweed
Bollweevil

@ Pershing Square
532 South Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

FMI: Downtown On Ice

7pm / FREE / all ages

Friday 12.19.08: YAHOWHA 13 / THE MOON UPSTAIRS / ROBEDOOR

YaHoWha 13

“YaHoWha 13 makes Devendra Banhart look like Don Rumsfeld” -LA Times

YaHoWha 13 is the experimental musical outlet of The Source Family, a communal religious group living in the Hollywood Hills in the early 1970s who decided to fuse their musical talents and spirituality by forming an improvisational, psychedelic music group.

They began making LPs in 1973, all of which were recorded after hours of meditation at 3-6 AM in a soundproofed garage that served as the musicians studio in the family’s communal residence. All of the records with Father Yod’s participation were completely improvised, with no rehearsals or overdubs. Most of the albums were small-press runs, with only 500 to 1000 copies made under the Higher Key Records imprint. They were sold to the general public in Father Yod’s wildly popular vegetarian Source Restaurant for $10. These same records currently retail for thousands of dollars and are highly sought after by record collectors around the world. Though only 9 LPs were produced and released, it is rumored that more than 65 albums were recorded by the group and have since been destroyed.

The band changed members occasionally, morphing into various incarnations from Father Yod & The Spirit of ’76 to YaHoWa 13 to The Savage Sons of YaHoWa, Yodship, and Fire Water Air, but the key players were always the same (Djin Aquarian on guitar, Octavius Aquarian on drums, and Sunflower
Aquarian on bass). YaHoWha 13 released their latest, “Sonic Portation,” on October 28th via Prophase Records.

with:
The Moon Upstairs || Listen
Robedoor

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

Saturday 12.20.08: THE GREAT DECEIVERS (Tribute to King Crimson) / NINJA ACADEMY / POLAR GOLDIE CATS

The Great Deceivers || Watch

The Great Deceivers consist of drums, bass, keys, electric guitar and violin, plus a host of pedal boards and psychedelic effects. They faithfully reproduce some of the most challenging and original music of the late 60s and 1970s. The violinist in particular is an extraordinary talent and managed to sound alot like Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp at times. The keyboardist seamlessly melded with the harder edged sound produced by the group and sang quite well to boot. It is to the band’s credit that they managed to coordinate arrangements with violin and keys on a song like “Red” that didn’t originally feature these instruments. The Great Deceivers’ guitar player probably has the hardest job in this band and he pulled it off admirably for this first gig. He even threw in a few musical nods to Adrian Belew now and again which added a freshness I was not expecting since this material pre-dates Belew’s now famous additionto King Crimson. The rhythm section played with a non-traditional and accomplished flair. The fat, distorted bass and precision drumming provided a steadfast epoxy that solidified this radical, visionary music. – All Access Magazine

with:
Ninja Academy || Listen
Polar Goldie Cats || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 12.21.08: THE TERRAPIN / SUMMER DARLING / VAUDEVILLE / CORREATOWN

The Terrapin || Watch

with:
Summer Darling
Vaudeville
Correatown || Listen

9PM / FREE / 21+

Monday 12.22.08: THE MOVIES / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / THE DAMSELLES / ADELINE & THE PHILISTINES

The Movies

…the Movies were, more than anything celebrating being the Movies—a ferociously talented live act bathed in a synthy haze of weary sleaze and winking, knowing lyrics, while simultaneously echoing the Bunnymen and remaining firmly, wildly original… Their set was an impassioned, alternately subdued and unhinged performance, as James whirled around the stage in a wild-eyed fever between bassist Jessica Gelt’s sinewy, rhythmic sway and the ambient wash of keyboardist Brian Cleary, demanding that audience members kiss to win copies of the new LP, furiously running in place, and riding the mic stand—once again proving that he is one of the funniest and most dynamic singers in the L.A. music scene (the man can croon, too). The Movies’ show spun between two poles: songs like the melodic, synth-stung “Get Your Macho Out” and the slow-motion whirlpool of “Creation Lake” were a down-tempo counterpoint to the warped snarl of “Autograph” and the glistening stutter-cool of “If I Had the Cash,” with the reeling keyboard intro and propulsive, howled choruses of “Missed Opportunities” unifying both ends of the band’s spectrum before falling into “When I Was in Nam”’s sleep-drawled slow groove of Caucasoid funk. – Web In Front

with:
Voxhaul Broadcast
The Damselles
Adeline & The Philistines
DJ Solid Todd

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 12.23.08: CLOSED

Wednesday 12.24.08: CLOSED

Thursday 12.25.08: CLOSED

Friday 12.26.08: CLOSED

Saturday 12.27.08: PRINCETON / BODIES OF WATER ACOUSTIC DUO (Meredith and David Metcalf) / NO LITTLE KINDNESS

Princeton || Listen

They may have an Ivy-bred name, but Eagle Rock, CA’s Princeton are more concerned with chamber-pop than condescension. Comprised of brothers Jesse and Matt Kivel, plus longtime pal Ben Usen, Princeton combine the Glaswegian gloom of Tigermilk-era Belle and Sebastian with sublime orchestration and Vampire Weekend’s bouncy, lilting rhythmic structures to formulate a sound that will send listeners off to a regal pop Valhalla. Check out the fluttering woodwinds and galloping melody of “Ms. Bentwich.” – Spin.com

with:
Bodies of Water as an Acoustic Duo (Meredith and David Metcalf)
No Little Kindness || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Sunday 12.28.08: NEIL HAMBURGER / THE JUGGOLOS / ABE LINCOLN STORY / JASON ROUSE

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:
The Juggolos
Abe Lincoln Story
Jason Rouse

9 pm / $8 / 21+

Monday 12.29.08: THE MOVIES / EVEREST / LOVE LIES SLEEPING / ROSES KINGS CASTLES (Adam Ficek from Babyshambles)

The Movies

…the Movies were, more than anything celebrating being the Movies—a ferociously talented live act bathed in a synthy haze of weary sleaze and winking, knowing lyrics, while simultaneously echoing the Bunnymen and remaining firmly, wildly original… Their set was an impassioned, alternately subdued and unhinged performance, as James whirled around the stage in a wild-eyed fever between bassist Jessica Gelt’s sinewy, rhythmic sway and the ambient wash of keyboardist Brian Cleary, demanding that audience members kiss to win copies of the new LP, furiously running in place, and riding the mic stand—once again proving that he is one of the funniest and most dynamic singers in the L.A. music scene (the man can croon, too). The Movies’ show spun between two poles: songs like the melodic, synth-stung “Get Your Macho Out” and the slow-motion whirlpool of “Creation Lake” were a down-tempo counterpoint to the warped snarl of “Autograph” and the glistening stutter-cool of “If I Had the Cash,” with the reeling keyboard intro and propulsive, howled choruses of “Missed Opportunities” unifying both ends of the band’s spectrum before falling into “When I Was in Nam”’s sleep-drawled slow groove of Caucasoid funk. – Web In Front

with:
Everest || Listen
Love Lies Sleeping || Listen
Roses Kings Castles (Adam Ficek from the Babyshambles) || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 12.30.08: YOU ME AND IOWA / CALAMITY MAGNET / COLA-COLA / DISSOLVER

You Me & Iowa || Listen || Watch

The band exists somewhere within a triangle created by the technical mastery of Minus the Bear, the lyrical complexity of Death Cab for Cutie, and pop sensibilities that have been hard to find since the heyday of the Beach Boys. From the first cut, “Dress the Stage,” the record sets sail across waves of poppy rock hooks that are firmly grounded by the band’s musical knowledge – perhaps not surprisingly, knowing that the quintet has between them a wealth of formal training. Adventures was produced and engineered by Dave Newton of Mighty Lemon Drop fame and mixed by J. Robbins (Dismemberment Plan). Couple that production experience with a band as drenched in talent as YM&I and the result is an album that never slows, sinks, or ever sounds anything like any other band on the scene. – The Source Weekly

with:
Calamity Magnet || Listen
Cola-Cola || Listen
Dissolver

8:30pm / $8 / 21+

Wednesday 12.31.08: Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE / THE PITY PARTY / THE HAPPY HOLLOWS

The Henry Clay People || Listen || Watch

The spasmodic sagacity of the Henry Clay People can be a little like watching somebody karaoke the encyclopedia, and the L.A. quartet’s spate of shows in late 2007 seemed to augur their rise to bigger stages. The prolific foursome is getting ready for a February residency at the Echo (batten down the fixtures) by putting the finishing touches on a new EP. With last year’s album “Blacklist the Kid With the Red Moustache” just making it into many local music collections, TCHP will have the five-song “Working Part Time” EP ready for the residency. The title track ought to be the anthem for every indie rocker who juggles a day job with being in a band. And, front man Joey Siara says, the band is writing and recording more new material. – LA Times Buzz Bands

with:
The Pity Party
The Happy Hollows || Listen

8:30pm / $10 / 21+