Tonight's Live Music Options 7/5/07

Patrick Park Has a Thursday Night Residency in July

I hope everybody had a safe and happy 4th of July.

Tonight's Pick:
Patrick Park / Emily Wells @ Spaceland ($8) – If you like melancholy singer-songwriters then you need to see Patrick Park. Circa 2002/2003 I saw him pretty much every time he played. Usually it was just him and an acoustic guitar. It’s not easy to command attention in a noisy bar like Spaceland or the Silverlake Lounge, but he seemed to always do it. I had a bunch of his demos and was eagerly awaiting his debut album. When it was finally released on Hollywood Records in 2003, I was a little disappointed. A lot of the arrangements were bombastic (and sounded synthetic) and I preferred the stripped down arrangements. Hollywood Records always seemed like a weird place for him (with label mates like Regis Philbin and Hillary Duff) and it took placement on the OC to finally get national exposure. Better late than never. Patrick Park’s doing the New York City / Los Angeles dual residency this month. Local fans can see him at Spaceland every Thursday in July while New Yorkers can see him at the Living Room every Tuesday in July. His new album is coming out on August 21st (according to his Myspace page) on Curb Appeal Records. Curb Appeal’s a label out of my hometown, Kansas City, that was started by Jim Suptic (currently in Blackpool Lights and formerly in Get Up Kids). Tonight's a good night to go because next week you'll want to see Dr. Dog at the Echo.

Download some old stripped down tracks “Desperation Eyes” and “Nothing’s Wrong”

Also Appearing:
Foreign Born / Great Northern @ Hammer Museum (Free) – This is a well curated Thursday series of free shows in July at the Hammer. Upcoming performers include the Little Ones, Sea Wolf, Fields, Pity Party, Midnight Movies and Castledoor.
The Outline / Cavil at Rest / The Valley Arena @ Troubadour ($10)
Low End Theory Club @ the Echoplex ($5)
Canceled – 400 Blows @ the Echo – Last I heard the 400 Blows were stuck in Hot Springs, Arkansas where their excellent drummer Ferdie is hospitalized with a case of adult chicken pox. Adult chicken pox is very serious and like most musicians, I don’t think he has any insurance. Their Myspace postings say he’s doing better, but send him your best wishes and support any benefits they plan because they’re one of the best heavy bands anywhere.