UPDATE: LA Live Music Options: 3/30/09 - 4/5/09

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Spaceland on Wednesday

Pretty good week for shows. Unfortunately Thursday is loaded in an obscene way.

Monday 3/30/09
[Pick of the Night] Nico Stai / The Grates / Timothy James (of the Movies) / Line and Circle @ Spaceland (Free)
[Recommended] White Magic / Imaad Wasif (solo) / Jarrett Silberman / Douglas Shaw @ The Smell ($5)
[Recommended] Summer Darling / Wait.Think.Fast. / Kissing Cousins @ The Echo (Free)
Emiliana Torrini @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Tiny Vaudeville: The Pity Party @ Echoplex ($12) – 826LA Benefit
The Renderers @ Echo Curio
Rocking Horse People / Bixby Knolls / Junius / Atlantic Line @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
The Jake LaBotz Band @ Redwood

Tuesday 3/31/09
[Pick of the Night] Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch @ Largo ($25)
[Recommended] Mike Stinson / Dave Gleason @ Redwood – Good country artists.
Thenewno2 @ Amoeba (Free) – 7:00 PM show. Dhani Harrison’s band.
Mia Doi Todd / Christy and Emily @ the Echo ($10)
Bohren & der Club of Gore / Void of Voices @ Spaceland ($12)
Signal Hill @ Bootleg Theater ($3)
Random Patterns / Starkiller / Intricate Machines / Captain’s Package @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)

Wednesday 4/1/09
[Pick of the Week] White Denim / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart @ Spaceland ($12) – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart do that early My Bloody Valentine sound as well as anybody going right now. Gorilla vs. Bear has been praising White Denim for the past couple of years.
[Recommended] Bonnie “Prince” Billy @ Amoeba (Free) – 6:00 PM show.
The Rakes / Fol Chen / Lower Heaven @ Troubadour ($15)
Low End Theory Club: Computer Jay / Radius @ Airliner ($10)
Gregory and the Hawk @ the Echo ($10) - Early show at 7PM
Tristan Prettyman / Jesca Hoop @ Hotel Café
Dub Club: Triston Palma / Michael Palmer / Clive Chin @ the Echoplex ($15)
Gavin DeGraw @ El Rey (Sold Out)
Reno 911 Live @ Largo ($40)
War Tapes / Laco$te / DonniePepper / Moment Trigger / Bloody Robots @ The Smell ($5)
Paging Beto @ Redwood

Thursday 4/2/09
[Pick of the Night] Bonnie "Prince" Billy / White Magic @ El Rey ($20) - His new record doesn’t come with a download, so I haven’t been listening to it much. He’s not the most dynamic performer in the world and I’m not sure if he’s got a band out with him. Anybody know? I’ve only seen him play solo acoustic a few times.
[Recommended] Gooseberries Release Show: Afternoons / Golden Gram / Le Switch / One Trick Pony @ Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock (Free with RSVP) - This is the release party for local photographer Sterling Andrews’ new book. Starts at 7:30 PM.
[Recommended] Lily Allen / Natalie Portman's Shaved Head @ The Wiltern (Sold Out) – Seems like she’d be fun to see live.
[Recommended] Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit / Justin Townes Earle / Frank Fairfield @ Spaceland ($15)
[Recommended] Har Mar Superstar / JJamz / Dot Hacker / DJ Boom Bip @ The Bootleg Theater ($10) – 2220 Beverly Blvd – Dot Hacker is Josh Klinghoffer’s new band. JJamz features members of Maroon 5, the Like, Rilo Kiley and Phantom Planet.
[Recommended] Jeremy Jay / Princeton / The Tartans @ The Smell ($5) – Jeremy Jay continues to get a lot of great attention (mostly outside of LA).
[Recommended] Robert Francis / The Parson Red Heads / Haim @ Troubadour ($10)
Plain White T's @ House of Blues Sunset ($16)
The Phenomenauts / Peelander-Z @ Knitting Factory ($12)
Tift Merritt / Miranda Lee Richards @ Largo ($25)
Spirit Vine / Voxhaul Broadcast / My Pet Saddle / Olin and the Moon @ The Echo (Free)
Signal Hill / Charts and Maps @ Mr. T’s Bowl
The Capshuns / Queen Kwong / New London / 3D Stereo @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Anya Marina / Jim Bianco @ Hotel Café
Adolescents / TSOL @ Key Club ($10)

Friday 4/3/09
First Fridays: Busdriver / Tim Fite @ Natural History Museum ($9)

[Pick of the Night] Mere Mortals / Eagle Winged Palace @ the Echo ($8) - Eagle Winged Palace recently put out an EP on Park the Van Records.
Jon Brion and Friends @ Largo ($25)

Valient Thorr / Night Horse @ Spaceland ($10)
Acid Mothers Temple / Kinski / Sonic Suicide Squad @ Echoplex ($12)
The Get-Up Kids @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Jail Weddings / Blue Jungle / Audacity / Allah Las @ The Smell
Lamb of God @ Hollywood Palladium ($40)
Hail Citizen / All Spots to Black / Stacy Clark @ Mr. T’s Bowl
Christopher Walk-Ins / The Hard to Get / The Breakups / The Active Set @ Pehrspace
Pedestrian / Andy Clockwise @ Hotel Café

Saturday 4/4/09
[Pick of the Night] Ratatat / Tussle / Despot @ Hollywood Palladium ($23)
[Recommended] Free Moral Agents / Blank Blue @ Knitting Factory ($10)
[Recommended] Great Lake Swimmers / Kate Maki / Travel By Sea @ Spaceland ($14)
[Recommended] Noodles / The Outline @ Silverlake Lounge ($10) – Early show at 7:00 PM – Noodles is an all girl Japanese band. Lots of fun.

[Recommended] The Meeting Places / boxViolet / Phoenix and the Turtle / EXITMUSIC @ Silver Factory Studios ($8) - Located at 915 Mateo St.
Stereo Total / Leslie and the Ly's @ El Rey ($20)
John Wesley Harding with Eugene Mirman @ Largo ($25)
Beausoleil @ McCabe’s (Sold Out)
Puscifer / Into the Presence @ Club Nokia (Sold Out)
Moses Campbell / Franklin for Short / Da Bears / Enid the Dowl @ The Smell ($5)
Rachel Yamagata @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Berlin @ House of Blues Sunset
White Leopards / Combat! / Italic Indian / Alien Soundtracks / Skyline Electric @ Echo Curio
One Trick Pony / Erinn Williams / The Surrenders / Evan Voytas @ Pehrspace

Sunday 4/5/09
[Pick of the Day] Grand Ole Echo: Old Californio / I See Hawks in LA / Whispering Pines @ the Echo (Free) - 5:00 PM show – For the country fans.
Part Time Punks: DJ Cut Chemist / Sixteens / Secret Society of the Sonic Six @ the Echo ($5)
Steven Severin @ Echoplex ($15)
Puscifer / Sweethead @ Club Nokia ($46)
Pam Shaffer / Exitmusic / Natyhn Knott @ Echo Curio

photo credit: Pavla Kopecna

Saturday Night at SXSW

The Knux at Vice

Janelle Monae at Vice

Janelle Monae at Vice

The Knux at Vice

Asher Roth at Vice

So I finally looked at a SXSW schedule on Saturday evening. What did I come up with? A hip-hop showcase at a club called Vice.

Readers should know by now that I'm not an avid hip-hop fan. Records typically have to crossover for me to really pay attenion. Which leads us to the first artist of the night, Asher Roth.

I'd never heard of Asher Roth before. Apparently he's a middle to upper middle class white fella from Pennsylvania who got lots of attention by sampling Weezer. As I walked in, I got really nervous. Out of all the choices at SXSW this is what I chose? Bummer. Special guests The Cool Kids came on stage for a couple of tracks and that made it somewhat interesting.

Next up was the Knux. If it wasn't for Jeff Weiss, I wouldn't know who the hell the Knux was either. Knowing very little about them, I was a tad fearful they were going to be some fairly bland backpack rap act. Thankfully they were not. Apparently there's a growing trend in hip-hop to have musicians on stage. I have my suspicions that the keyboard player wasn't doing much, but he looked cool. It was a high energy performance and infinitely better than Asher Roth. Very fun to see live. Things were looking up.

The artist I'd heard the most about was Janelle Monae. I read somewhere a while back that she's originally from Kansas City, so I took an interest in her. (I still hadn't brought myself to listen to her stuff, but I was curious.) She wasn't what I expected at all. She's a tiny, slighly Grace Jones looking, spitfire of energy. Her band of musicians includes a guitar player who modeled his look after Andre 3000 in the "Hey Ya" video. Her music had a lot of range. She effortlessly moved from manic, "Hey Ya" style hip-hop-meets-rock to an emotional version of the standard, "Smile" (popularized by Nat King Cole). She ended her set by leaping into the crowd and crowd surfing all the way to the back of the house. No surprise that No Doubt has tapped her to open their reunion tour.

A very fitting and positive way to end SXSW 2009.

Groupee's Top 30 Emerging SoCal Artists

In late January, Groupee.com asked me (and eight others) to submit our 15 top up and coming bands in the LA / Long Beach / OC / San Diego area. The rules were pretty loose. The band couldn't have released more than two full length albums, couldn't have recieved any major radio airplay (bands like SSPU and TATE) and we couldn't vote for bands we're in (not a problem for this tone deaf blogger).

The list was recently published.

The Top 10 from Groupee's Emerging 30:
1) The Henry Clay People
2) Red Cortez
3) Avi Buffalo
4) The Happy Hollows
5) The Parson Red Heads
6) Afternoons
7) Radars to the Sky
8) The Sweet Hurt
9) The Voyeurs
10) Les Blanks

Check out the full list HERE.

A couple of observations:

10 of my 15 selections appeared in the top 30 but three of my top five did not.
The Movies snuck in at #30, but I didn't vote for them, because I didn't consider them eligible (I consider In One Era, American Oil, Based on a True Story to all be full lengths).
I've only seen 15 of the Emerging 30 play live.

Speaking of The Henry Clay People, they were a pretty good choice to top the list. They recently signed with the C3 Management Company out of Austin. Other artists on C3's roster include Sparklehorse, Black Joe Lewis, Heartless Bastards, Thievery Corporation, What Made Milwaukee Famous and Robert Earl Keen (full list). Pretty good company. C3 also has a talent buying/booking arm that books Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Fest, Emo's and Stubb's.

[UPDATE] Recent Concert Announcements

Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever:

4/6/09 - St. Vincent (on sale Friday at Noon at Ticketweb)

Hollywood Palladium:

5/10/09 - The Shins (on sale Friday at 10 AM)

5/20/09 - Ben Folds (on sale Friday at Noon)

5/27/09 - The Prodigy (on sale now)

The Fonda:

6/11/09 - Camera Obscura (on sale Saturday at 10 AM)

Troubadour:

5/6/09 - Ryan Bingham (on sale 4/2/09)

5/15/09 - Lucero / Black Joe Lewis (on sale now)

5/28/09 - Passion Pit (on sale Friday)

6/15/09 - A Camp featuring Nina from the Cardigans (on sale now)

Spaceland:

4/17/09 - Cave Singers (on sale now at Ticketweb)

4/21/09 - Heartless Bastards (on sale Friday at Ticketweb)

6/16/09 - 6/18/09 - Art Brut (on sale 4/4/09 at Noon at Ticketweb)

The Echo:

5/29/09 - 5/30/09 - King Khan & the Shrines (now at Ticketweb)

The Echoplex:

5/10/09 - Destroyer solo (now at Ticketweb)

5/29/09 - Passion Pit (now at Ticketweb)

6/11/09 - Handsome Furs (now at Ticketweb)

Pomona Fox Theater:

5/21/09 - Gogol Bordello (presale Friday at 10 AM, password = GYPSY; Saturday at 10 AM)

The Wiltern:

5/28/09 - Ben Harper & the Relentless 7 (on sale Friday at Noon)

Verizon Wireless:

5/9/09 - KIIS FM's Wango Tango w/ Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and more (on sale Saturday 10 AM)

6/5/09 - The Offspring (on sale Saturday at Noon)

Saturday Day Parties at SXSW

Crystal Antlers appearing at Mess with Texas

Lucero appearing at Mess with Texas

Lucero Appearing at Mess with Texas

Aaron Espinoza of Earlimart Appearing at Home Slice Pizza

Viva Voce Appearing at Hot Freaks

Saturday was another slow start. Instead of heading to see bands, we headed straight to Rudy's for a little BBQ. Rudy's is a bit controversial with barbecue snobs since it's a chain and doesn't have the soul and sweat of some down home joints. But screw that, they've got great prices and some tender meat. We had 1/2 lb of delicious brisket, 1/2 lb of pork ribs, 1/2 link of sausage, beans (not good), potato salad, Dr. Pepper and a Welch's Grape Soda for $20. The rub was a little salty, but that's my only complaint. I've been to almost all the places in LA and nothing compares.

After Rudy's we cruised over to the Hot Freaks party at Mohawk. I missed Roadside Graves (again) and we got there in time to watch Viva Voce sound check for about 40 minutes. Kind of agonizing. We grew restless and hoped back in the car to hit up the Ship party at Home Slice on South Congress. When we got there The Rosebuds were playing. If you want to know where the hip young families in Austin hang out during SXSW, it's Home Slice. Breeders everywhere. The Rosebuds were pleasant. Next up was Aaron Espinoza from Earlimart. He had some cool looping and sample gadgets working but we've seen him a million times (and there was no shade) so we headed back to Red River for the Mess with Texas party. 

There was a pretty massive line for the Mess with Texas. By the time we got in we were parched.  A Miller tallboy was $6 - the most expensive beer of the weekend. We walked over the main stage and sat on the grass while Lucero soundchecked. I appreciate Lucero's live show, but I'm not a huge fan. We watched five or six songs and walked over to the small stage to see Crystal Antlers. They sounded pretty good (last year they were a last minute addition to the big stage) but we were getting hungry for some Tex-Mex. 

Many of the best Mexican restaurants in Austin are "Interior" Mexican, which isn't the same thing as Tex-Mex (although the line gets blurred at some place). After a couple of false starts, we settled on Chuy's. Chuy's is super cheesy but I've always loved their Deluxe Enchiladas. After Chuy's we opted to head to the Tavern to watch some college basketball. Silver Lake or Los Feliz could really use a new sports bar (Ye Rustic isn't enough). 

While drinking a Dos Equis at the Tavern I finally decided to look at a SXSW schedule. Stay tuned for what I chose for Saturday night.....

Photo Credit: Sylvia

[UPDATED] Live Music Options 3/23/09 - 3/29/09

Radar Bros. Will (Gently) Rock You and Your Kids This Sunday 

Why bother with SXSW when you can see this many great bands in LA in one week?

Monday 3/23/09
[Pick of the Night] PJ Harvey and John Parish / Howie Gelb @ El Rey (Sold Out) – Tried to get in to see them at SXSW, but PJ didn’t text our guy back….
Dark Meat / Long Legged Woman / In Retrograde @ the Smell ($5)
Bishop Allen / Miniature Tigers / Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band / Singsing and Marmar @ Troubadour ($12)
Kamran’s Birthday Night Bash @ the Echo (Donations to APLU) – Prince vs. the Rat Pack
Nico Stai / The Temper Trap / Rosie and the Goldbug / Oh Land @ Spaceland (Free)
Lovelikefire / French Miami / Legs on Sale @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
The Jake Labotz Band @ Redwood Bar & Grill

Tuesday 3/24/09
[Pick of the Night] The Minor Canon / Western States Motel @ Home Restaurant on Riverside (Free)
[Recommended] Spinto Band / Maps and Atlases / Light FM @ Spaceland ($12)
Ten Out of Tenn @ Troubadour ($12) – A bunch of singer-songwriters out of Tennessee
T Model Ford / Dark Meat / Grampall Jookabox @ the Echo ($10)
An Horse / Wintersleep @ Echoplex ($10)
Bart Davenport / Sugar and Gold / Botticellis @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Mike Stinson / Dave Gleason @ Redwood Bar & Grill
Brett Dennen @ House of Blues Sunset
HR of Bad Brains @ Knitting Factory
Margaret Cho @ Largo ($25)
Franco Near Death / Chores / Divisible / Manhattan Murder Mystery @ Mr. T’s Bowl
The Proclaimers @ Hotel Café

Wednesday 3/25/09
[Pick of the Night] Marnie Stern / Starfucker / What’s Up? @ the Echo ($12)
Thee Oh Sees / The Fresh and Onlys / Restaurant / Ty Segall @ Silverlake Lounge ($10)
Club NME: No Kids / Parenthetical Girls / Black Gold @ Spaceland ($10) – Tomlab night.
Tricky / We Are the World @ The Fonda ($25)
Sam Roberts Band / Mother Mother @ Troubadour ($15)
Brett Dennen @ House of Blues Sunset
Sarah Silverman @ Largo ($25)
The High Society / Black Fortys @ Bordello ($8)

Thursday 3/26/09
[Pick of the Night] Early Man / Red Fang / Barrio Tiger @ Spaceland ($12) - I always like a good metal show at Spaceland. 
[Recommended] These Arms Are Snakes / Tera Melos @ the Echoplex ($12)
[Recommended] Kenan Bell / Illinois / Dot Hacker / Boom Bip DJ Set @ the Echo ($10) - One of the many LA artists that got a lot of great exposure at SXSW this year. 
Pre / The Mae Shi / Past Lives / Foot Village @ the Smell ($5) - Big lineup at the Smell
The Tallest Man on Earth / Emily Wells @ Troubadour ($12) - Some good buzz from this Swedish singer-songwriter. 
Rhett Miller @ Largo ($30) - The Old 97's frontman. 
Great Northern / The Jakes / Lemon Sun @ the Roxy ($7) - The new Great Northern is really well produced and should exponentially grow their fan base. They're heading out in May with Eulogies and the Dears. 
Beep Beep / Sebastian Grainger & the Mountains / The Show is a Rainbow / Princeton @ Knitting Factory ($13)
Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks / The Ditty Bops / Van Dyke Parks @ El Rey ($28.50)
Blank Dogs / Fancy Space People / Naked on the Vague @ Pehrspace
Alaska in Winter / New Villager / Juliette Commagere @ Bordello ($10)
Hot Panda / Agent Ribbons @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)

Friday 3/27/09  

[Pick of the Night] Pelican / Wolves in the Throne Room / Tombs @ Troubadour ($15)
Jon Brion & Friends @ Largo ($25)
Cold War Kids / Crystal Antlers @ Orpheum ($19) - I'm sure this bill would really confuse that 75% over at Pitchfork that is so clueless, self-righteous and overly serious.
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour @ The Echo ($15)
Gliss / The Takeover UK / Hello Vegas @ Spaceland ($10)
Los Lobos @ Conga Room ($36 - $75)
J.J. Cale / Pieta Brown @ McCabe’s (Sold Out)
Seasons / Go West Young Man / Marvelous Toy / The Shade @ Perhrspace
Zee Avi @ Hotel Café

Saturday 3/28/09
[Pick of the Week] Prince @ Conga Room (Sold Out) – Show at 9:30 PM
[Recommended] Prince @ Nokia Theatre (Sold Out) – Show at 7:00 PM
[Recommended] Prince @ Club Nokia (Sold Out) – Show at Midnight
[Recommended] Chad VanGaalen / Women / The Boat People @ Spaceland ($12)
[Recommended] Patton Oswalt / David Cross @ Largo ($25) - Two of my favorite comics. 

Herman Dune @ Natural History Museum - Shows at Noon and 2:00 PM - French duo. Everybody's pal Todd Clifford is tour managing them. 
J.J. Cale / Pieta Brown @ McCabe’s (Sold Out)
The Grates / The Gibbs @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Hardcore / Punk Matinee and Record Swap @ the Echo ($8)
Madeleine Peyroux @ Club Nokia ($40 - $50)
The One AM Radio / Amateurs @ Space 1520
AIDS Wolf / White Mice / Bipolar Bear @ the Smell ($5)
Z Berg @ Home (Free)
Tom Morello Justice Tour @ The Fonda ($15) – with guests Slash, Shooter Jennings, etc.
Boo and Boo Too / Band of Outsiders / Spider Problem / Fun Machine @ Echo Curio
Suicidal Tendencies / Biohazard / The Prodigal Son @ Hollywood Palladium ($32.50)
Hungry Beat Dance Party @ Pehrspace

Sunday 3/29/09
[Pick of the Day] Kidrockers: Radar Bros. / Le Switch @ the Echo ($12) – Hosted by Matt Dwyer; adults most be accompanied by a kid and vice versa
[Recommended] Part Time Punks: The Homosexuals / Silver Apples / Shark Toys @ the Echo ($12) - A couple of legendary artists. 
Lil’ Wayne / T-Pain / Gym Class Heroes @ Gibson Amphitheatre ($51 - $96) - Gym Class Heroes? 
The Renderers / VOICEs VOICEs @ The Smell ($5)
Neil Hamburger/ The Fuxedos @ Spaceland ($8)
Japan Nite 2009 @ Knitting Factory ($15)

Friday at SXSW - Hot Freaks, Little Radio, Stubb's, The Parish

Okkervil River At the Parish

Black Joe Lewis At the Parish

Airborne Toxic Event @ The NME Showcase

After trying not to overload on bands on Thursday, Friday was a little different. We got a late start and then hustled downtown to try to catch the end of the Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We missed it, but at least they won. Unfortunately we'd already paid our $10 to park and still needed to get our passes for the Guitar Hero show later that night at Stubb's. Sylvia dutifully agreed to go get them (thanks!).

Starving, I ran over to the Hot Freaks party at the Mohawk for the promise of some free tacos. A touch hungover, the tacos (and a bloody mary) started to do the trick. I was admittedly a bit distracted, but caught most of the Henry Clay People's set. Another strong one. I couldn't seem to shake those guys all week. Hung out for a bit waiting for Port O'Brien to set up (a recurring them throughout the week), gave up and walked over to the Little Radio party.

Once there, I waited a little more until Horse Feathers finally took the stage. I like their Kill Rock Stars release, House With No Name. While it sounded pretty, it was just a little too mellow to hold my interest for long. The Henry Clay People were setting up inside (and there was a TV tuned into March Madness) so I followed. This was the loosest set I saw them play, so about 2/3 of the way through, I headed back outside to get a good spot for Phosphorescent.

As I've mentioned, Phosphorescent's To Willie is one of my favorite releases of the year. I've seen Phosphorescent before, so I knew he had an engaging voice. I was pleasantly surprised to see a full band, including Ricky Ray Jackson, who played pedal steel on the record. It was a pretty rousing set. The back patio at Red Eyed Fly was packed. They totally exceeded my expectations. I stumbled inside to see a song from Restaurant (the crowd was digging it) before heading back down to the Mohawk.

I stumbled by Club De Ville and watched one Hold Steady song from the street, before catching the tail end of the Delta Spirit's set. We walked over to Stubb's hoping to grab a quick bite before the Guitar Hero party, but the wait was an hour. We opted instead for the Stubbs counter (mediocre) and listened to Echo & the Bunnymen finish their set at the Spin party ("The Killing Moon" and "Lips Like Sugar").

We waited in line for about 45 minutes for Silversun Pickups & Metallica at the Guitar Hero party. Well worth it, both bands exceeded my expectations. Read about that HERE and HERE. I stayed at Metallica for the very end, but Sylvia left a little early to see Airborne Toxic Event at the NME showcase. See the photo above.

I totally could have called it a day and felt like a winner. Instead we decided it was our best chance to finally see Black Joe Lewis. We rushed over to the Parish and experienced a whole lot of attitude, but finally got in. I thought he was great. Based on his record, I think people are expecting some sort of over the top James Brown type of performance. He's not that guy. He's a got a strong band, but mostly just stands and plays guitar (there was a little dancing at the end). Take him for what he is, and I think you'll really enjoy his show as much as I did.

Up next was Okkervil River. I really like Okkervil River, but we were exhausted. We sat down in the back corner of the club to try to regain our energy until security came over to tell us that it was against fire code. Whatever. Waited and waited as they soundchecked and re-soundchecked. Okkervil started off with a downer and Will Sheff was acting a little precious so we split during the second song. Tons of people had left after Black Joe, so there was plenty of room inside. We were surprised to see 50 or 75 people still being held at the door. I felt bad for them, so I told the security guard he should take a look up stairs because it wasn't very full. He responded with an aggressive "Yeah right." Good sound in the room but awful lighting and lots of rude people. I wasn't loving the Parish.

All in all a pretty great day at SXSW.

Photo Credit: Sylvia

Thursday's Edition of Fuzzy Unreliable Memories from Austin

The mix of a vacation to Austin (where I used to live), the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament (I'm an avid fan) and SXSW made for an intense few days. We got into town too late to do anything on Wednesday, so we headed straight for Magnolia for some migas. Nobody in LA makes migas like that (if you know of a place, please leave me a comment).

We didn't get a particularly early start on Thursday. Once we finally left the hotel, we decided to head straight to Guero's for some Mexican food. Good stuff. The normally reliable margaritas were disappointing due to some particularly bitter lime juice.

With our bellies full, we headed over to Peckerhead's for the Aquarium Drunkard/My Old Kentuckly Blog party. I unfortunately just missed Roadside Graves, but I heard they were fantastic. Caught a bit of Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band. Good vibe. We headed over to the Little Radio party at Red Eyed Fly and watched Alberta Cross set up their equipment for about 35 minutes before getting bored and heading to the Rhapsody party at the Mohawk. We'd hoped to catch the School of Seven Bells at the Mohawk, but had already missed them. Instead we watched a few songs from Glasvegas who sounded just like their record. Uninteresed in seeing Trail of Dead (I've seen them a number of times over the years) we headed back to Peckerhead's.

When we got back to Peckerhead's we'd just missed Those Darlins (who I heard were really good) instead catching the end of Dark Meat. Good energy, but not my thing. Megafaun was next. I can't remember anything about their set. The Henry Clay People were up next on the stage in the other room. They packed the house. It was a strong set and nice to see them draw a good reaction from a crowd outside LA. The Grates played after them in the next room. Good energy, but not particularly memorable. After they finished, Le Switch played on the stage in the other room. Again, it was great to hear an LA band draw a strong reaction from an out of town crowd. In some alternative universe I'd like to visit some day, Le Switch is huge and nobody cares about all the Pitchfork buzz bands that are still trying to figure out their guitar.

Starts to get a little fuzzy after this. You see, all the parties we attended had free beer, but you had to buy your water. So it was an economically responsible decision to drink beer. I remember stumbling around some studio in Austin waiting for Silversun Pickups to do a Daytrotter session. At one point I pushed open a door looking for a restroom to realize I was standing right in the middle of Peter Bjorn and John's Daytrotter session (sorry guys). They were running over an hour late before Silversun even started, so we gave in to our hunger pains and headed for Ironworks. While it was a step up from anything I've had in LA, it wasn't particularly memorable.

I can't really remember if we tried to see any bands at this point, but I know I didn't see any. We opted instead for Lovejoy's for drinks, then we stumbled over to back patio at Casino El Camino before ending our night (quite sloppily) at the Driskill. Ran into many friends along the way....

Metallica at Stubb's

The indie dickhead in me recognizes that Metallica playing a Guitar Hero party at SXSW runs kind of counter to what the original intention of the festival was. And while my junior high classmates were analyzing the lyrics to "One," I was listening to U2 and R.E.M. So what was I doing at Stubb's on Friday night?

Like them or not, Metallica's one of the most influential, important rock 'n' roll bands of the last 25 years. Opening with "Creeping Death" and going into "For Whom the Bell Tolls" showed they were not fucking around. I lived in Austin for several years, and while I've always loved seeing shows at Stubbs, sometimes the volume is a little too quiet. Not tonight. 

A band like Metallica is on a higher plane when it comes to a live performance. Their equipment is superior, their sound guy is superior, their stage movements are well thought out without being cloying. Despite what you may have thought after Some Kind of Monster these guys are professionals who love what they're doing. 

They mostly stuck to the hits, but played a couple off of the new album. Other highlights were: "Master of Puppets," "Seek and Destroy," "Fade to Black," "One," "Ride the Lightning." I probably won't pick up Guitar Hero: Metallica when it comes out in a few weeks, but I'm seriously considering getting those vinyl reissues of the first three records. 

I saw some great indie bands before and after too - more about that later. 

photo credit: Sylvia (we didn't have a photo pass, so we didn't get super close)

Silversun Pickups at Stubbs

Standing in line at Stubbs, I was a little worried for the Silversun Pickups. As the two massive semis on Red River indicated, this was a Metallica show. If you still weren't sure the rumors were true, the first 150 people in line were in black Metallica shirts. As soon as the doors opened, the diehards sprinted to the front of the stage.

Bassnectar opened the show. I would see Girl Talk every day for the next five years if you promised me I would never have to see Bassnectar again. Mashing up the most obvious samples from Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, the Beatles. Ick. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the dreadlocked stagehand dancing in front of me and imagined that this must be what Burning Man is all about. Hell.

Stubbs was finally filling up by the time Silversun took the stage. Brian Aubert engaged the hardcore Metallica fans in front, telling them that how much he loved their devotion, and joked, "Don't worry, the Spin Doctors will be out shortly." 

There was a good share of Silversun fans in the house. The band looked most comfortable with the old songs, but previewed four (that I remember) from the new record. Fans will be very happy. The crowd erupted when they started "Lazy Eye." Seeing Metallica's crowd respond to them so positively showed how much they've grown as a band. 

photo credit: Sylvia

Photos of Le Switch at Peckerhead's

Photo Credit: Sylvia

Photos of The Henry Clay People at Peckerhead's

Photo Credit: Sylvia

Obligatory SXSW Post

It’s spring break at the University of Texas, so that means SXSW starts tomorrow. If you’re heading to Austin, remember to take a break from seeing mediocre bands, and take in some of the sights. It’s a beautiful city and most of the Barbeque and Tex-Mex restaurants are way better than what you get for free at those parties. Maybe I'll see you down there? I'll be the white guy with brown hair, medium build....

Here are some of the LA related parties/showcases (listing the bands would be too cumbersome):

Wednesday Day:
Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – Von Bondies, Tallest Man on Earth, Megafaun (Lineup HERE); free beer and bloody marys

Spaceland Party @ Maggie Mae’s – Wavves, Vivian Girls, Marnie Stern (RSVP HERE)

Wednesday Night:
KCRW Showcase @ Buffalo Billiards – Ida Maria, School of Seven Bells, Port O’Brien, Other Lives

Thursday Day:
Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – Port O’Brien, Loch Lomond, Viva Voce, Afternoons, Imaad Wasif (Lineup HERE); free PBR and bloody marys

Aquarium Drunkard Party @ Peckerhead’s [402 E. 6th St.] – Rosebuds, Eli “Paperboy” Reed, J Tillman, Le Switch, Henry Clay People, The Grates, Dark Meat, Megafaun, Port O’Brien (RSVP HERE); free Red Stripe and wine and breakfast

Thursday Night:
LA Record @ the Independent – Blu, Busdriver, Very Be Careful, Henry Clay People, Blank Blue, Castledoor

Hotel Café @ the Parish – Cary Brothers, Greg Laswell, Meiko, Lenka, Thao Nguyen, Lisa Hannigan, Anya Marina

Dangerbird @ the Ranch – Eulogies, Dappled Cities

PPM @ Red 7 – Mika Miko, Abe Vigoda, Soft Circle, Gun Outfit, Silk Flowers, Total Abuse

IHEARTCOMIX @ Beauty Bar

Friday Day:
Hot Freaks (co-presented by Aquarium Drunkard) @ Mohawk/Club De Ville – Hold Steady, American Analog Set, Thermals, Handsome Furs, Richard Swift, Henry Clay People, Wrens (RSVP HERE)

Little Radio Party @ Red Eyed Fly – White Denim, Phosphorescent, Restaurant, Henry Clay People. Horse Feathers, Great Northern, Pity Party (Lineup HERE); free PBR and bloody marys

Buzz Bands Party @ Cheers [416 E. 6th St.] – Harlem Shakes, Red Cortez, Local Natives, The Shys, Mother Hips

Friday Night:
In the Red Records Showcase @ Beerland - Vivian Girls, Kid Congo and The Pink Monkey Birds, Thee Oh Sees, Intelligence, Christmas Island, TV Ghost, The Strange Boys

Hotel Café @ Alehouse – Rocco DeLuca, Tyrone Wells, HoneyHoney

DimMak @ the Parish Downstairs – The Willowz, Gil Mantera’s Party Dream

The Roxy Theatre @ Rusty Spurs – Semi Precious Weapons, Nico Vega, Valient Thorr, Bigelf, Alberta Cross

Saturday Day:
The Smell Party @ Domy Books – No Age, Mika Miko, The Mae Shi, Anavan, Bastidas

Mess with Texas (curated by Sean Carlson) @ Waterloo Park – Black Lips, Circle Jerks, Monotonix, Thermals, Cursive, King Khan, Red Cortez, Kid Sister, Busdriver, Akron Family, Soft Pack, Crystal Antlers, Jason Lytle, Abe Vigoda

Hot Freaks (co-presented by Aquarium Drunkard) @ Mohawk/Club De Ville – Jeremy Jay, Sebastian Grainger, The Grates, The Girls, Camera Obscura, Viva Voce, Jason Lytle

Saturday Night:
IHEARTCOMIX Party @ Texas Nightclub – Diplo, Switch [RSVP HERE]

Hotel Café @ Alehouse – Buddy, Pedestrian, Whispertown 2000

Silversun Pickups Party @ Antone’s – Silversun Pickups, Happy Hollows, Pity Party, Duke Spirit, Afternoons

Greek Theatre Announces Initial Lineup

The Greek Theatre has also announced its initial lineup. They don't have quite the deals the Bowl has, but they do have some good shows in the lineup. You can beat the rush by doing a Premiere Marquee Club membership with the purchase of as few as three concerts. I'm not going to list them all (go HERE for full lineup) but you might consider the following shows:

Neko Case / Jason Lytle on 6/12

Emmylou Harris / Shawn Colvin / Patty Griffin / Buddy Miller on 6/24

Andrew Bird on 7/10

Jackson Browne on 8/12

Heart / The Bangles on 10/17

Somebody at Nederlander is a huge fan of Yacht rock too. The Doobie Brothers, Michael McDonald and Loggins and Messina will all be making appearances (but unfortunately not on the same night).  

Hollywood Bowl Announces Full Schedule

Beastie Boys Appear on 9/24/09

The Hollywood Bowl has announced its full lineup. If you're willing to splurge for five shows, you can place an order now. I'm not going to run through the whole lineup (check HERE) but you might want to consider:

Femi Kuti on 6/21

Adele / Etta James and the Roots Band / Janelle Monae on 6/28

Death Cab for Cutie / Tegan and Sara / New Pornographers on 7/5

Ray LaMontagne  / Jenny Lewis / Blitzen Trapper on 7/12

Phillip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi on 7/23

Grace Jones / Of Montreal / Dengue Fever on 7/26

Blame It on Rio: Seu Jorge / Bebel Gilberto from 9/11 - 9/13

Beastie Boys on 9/24 

Live Music Options: 3/16/09 - 3/22/09

Primal Scream Play Club Nokia This Monday

It's SXSW week, so the post-Monday pickings are a little slim.....

Monday 3/16/09 
[Pick of the Week] Primal Scream / Brian Jonestown Massacre / Kuroma @ Club Nokia ($33.50) 
[Recommended] The Soundtrack of Our Lives / Shane Alexander / Grace & Manners @ Troubadour ($15) 
Great Northern / O + S @ Silverlake Lounge (Adv tix sold out) - Limited tickets available at the door. Great Northern's new record comes out April 28th.
Mika Miko / Clipd Beaks / Lovvers / Megawand @ The Smell ($5) 
Larytta / Hecuba / Nosaj Thing @ Echoplex ($8) - Dublab presents... 

Wait.Think.Fast. / VOICEs VOICEs / The Late Birds / Dame Satan @ The Echo (Free) - Origami Records curated residency. 
Nico Stai / Youth Group / Red Riders / Josh Pyke @ Spaceland (Free) - Nico Stai continues his Monday night residency. 
The Jake Labotz Band @ Redwood Bar & Grill
Simian Mobile Disco / JDH / Dave P @ The Fonda ($22)
Meg Baird / Lucky Dragons / Kurt Vile @ Echo Curio – Meg Baird from Espers
Bo-Peep / Black Tales / Dashing Suns / Ross Sea Party @ Bordello ($8) 
Felix Cartel @ the Roxy ($20) - MSTRKRFT record release party
Madd Happy / French Quarter / Hell-Kite / The Seizure / Hello My Name Is Red @ Pehrspace
Vanessa Carlton @ Hotel Cafe


Tuesday 3/17/09 
[Pick of the Night] And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead / Funeral Party / Midnight Masses @ the Echoplex ($18) 
Ladyhawke / Jeppe @ Troubadour (Sold Out) - Electro/disco pop. 
Vital Transformation / Stab City / Narwhal Party @ L'Keg Gallery 
Skid Row @ The Keyclub ($20) - "18 and Life"
Lovemakers @ Bordello ($10) 
Traditionist / So Many Wizards / Furcast / Roughed Up Folk @ Silverlake Lounge ($8) 
M. Barkley Green's Working Jazz Trio / Kathleen Grace @ Home (Free) 
Ollin / Speedbuggy @ Spaceland ($10) - St. Patrick's Day celebration. 
Mickey Avalon / The Pricks @ The Roxy ($20) 
Bonebrake Syncopators / Nutty @ The Echo ($8) - Two shows - 9 PM and 11 PM
West of Texas @ Redwood Bar & Grill
Jason Webley / Sxip Shirley @ Echo Curio ($8)

Wednesday 3/18/09
[Pick of the Night] Greg Proops Chat Show: Dave Grohl / David Cross @ Largo ($25)
Club NME: Smith and Pyle / The Happy Problem / Hotel St. George @ Spaceland ($8) 
Nightfur / The Breakups / Old Toy Trains @ Silverlake Lounge ($8) 
Sucker for Pumps / Giant State / The Idyllists / Fat City Reprise @ Troubadour ($8) 
Taylor Hicks @ the Roxy ($35) - For the Idol fans. 
Stab City @ Old Town Pub 
Golem / The Sway Machinery @ The Echo ($8) - Early show at 7 PM
Dub Club: Anthony B. @ Echoplex ($15) 
Whales / Arlo and Aisling / Last Pop Nation @ Echo Curio
French Semester / Shout to the Left @ Knitting Factory Alterknit ($5)

Thursday 3/19/09
[Recommended] Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch @ Largo ($25) - I saw a few minutes of them at the Jon Brion show a couple of weeks ago and now I want to go back and see a full performance. 
Nick Jago @ Spaceland ($5) - The drummer from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club 
Rick Springfield @ the Roxy ($50) - Voices of Uganda benefit

Victim Vision / Future Ghost / Black Apples / Burning of Rome @ Silverlake Lounge ($8) 
Chick Correa & John McLaughlin Five Piece band @ Royce Hall ($38 - $80)
Michael Schenker Group @ House of Blues Sunset ($25)
Soft Fants / Icy Lytes / Realicide / Pemdas / Walter Gross @ Echo Curio

Friday 3/20/09 
[Pick of the Night] Four Tet / Jon Hopkins @ the Echo ($13) - Kieran Hebden of Four Tet can count Radiohead amongst his fans. 
Jon Brion & Friends @ Largo ($25)
Mike Watt / Jason and the Punknecks @ Redwood Bar 
The Adicts / The Dickies @ The Keyclub ($23) 
The Movies / Ema & the Ghosts / Gena Rowlands Band @ Where Gallery ($5) - Exhibit of three local music scene photographers with acoustic sets from local bands. 
The Coral Sea / The Spires / Karin Tatoyan / Avi Buffalo @ Spaceland ($8) - Good local lineup. 
Jeppe / Jean Paul Yamamoto @ The Echoplex ($8) 
James and the Animals / UV Lights @ L'Keg Gallery 
David Liebe Hart and Adam Papagan / My Imaginary Friends / Mouse Kills Tiger @ Echo Curio
RKM & Ken-Y @ Club Nokia ($42 - $82)
Julianna Raye / Cydney Robinson @ Home (Free) 

Saturday 3/21/09
[Pick of the Night] Black Mountain / The Sadies @ Echoplex ($14) - Druggy, psych rock band from Vancouver. 
Alice Russell @ Troubadour ($15) 
The Adicts / Billybones / The Spooky @ the Keyclub ($23) 
Low Flying Owls / Carina Round / The Sweaters / Square on Square @ Spaceland ($8) 
The Watkins Family Hour @ Largo ($25)
Will Bernard Band featuring John Medeski @ The Roxy ($20) 
Missy Higgins / Justin Nozuka / Lenka @ Orpheum ($25)
Blue October / Ours @ Club Nokia ($35)
June Madrona / Mad Gregs @ Echo Curio

Sunday 3/22/09
Jaguar Love @ Space 15 Twenty (Free)
Miranda Cosgrove @ Troubadour ($12)
Part Time Punks: Factory Records Night @ The Echo ($5) 
The Lynx Technique / Hands / Wells of Rickett @ Echo Curio

Sinking Radio - Black Joe Lewis "Get Yo Shit"

This is my weekly reminder to point your internet browser to Little Radio tomorrow for the Sinking Radio show. The show broadcasts from Noon to 2:00 PM PST.

Each week on the show, the hosts play an official You Set the Scene pick of the week. My pick for tomorrow's show is "Get Yo Shit" by Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. I must admit that for the past couple of years (before I actually heard Black Joe Lewis) I was skeptical. What's a young dude in Texas doing calling himself Black Joe? I mean, what kind of shit is that? But several people I respect insisted I check him out, so I finally did. And hearing is believing. 

It's been a disappointingly dull year for new music, so I've been digging into old Stax stuff. That context is perfect for absorbing the new Black Joe Lewis record (coming out next Tuesday on Lost Highway). Produced by Jim Eno of Spoon, Tell 'Em What Your Name Is! is a ten song, 30 minute garage soul joy ride (that's my best Gene Shalit impersonation). "Get Yo Shit" is a strong representation of the fun you get with Black Joe Lewis - forgetting his woman's name, running from the pigs and eating a box of chicken. 

As LA prepares to descend upon Austin, Black Joe Lewis is one of the artists I'm most looking forward to catching. 

Lots of opportunities to see these guys:

Mar 14 2009 7:30P SXSW - The Belmont - Verizon/Texas Music
Mar 14 2009 8:00P SXSW - Red Eyed Fly - FREE SHOW
Mar 17 2009 11:00A SXSW - WOXY session : East Austin Recording
Mar 18 2009 1:30P SXSW - Bourbon Rocks - Paste Day Party
Mar 19 2009 2:00P SXSW - Threadgill’s - Roky Erickson Ice Cream Social
Mar 19 2009 4:00P SXSW - Cedar Street - Filter Magazine Party
Mar 20 2009 4:00P SXSW - Waterloo Records
Mar 20 2009 11:00P SXSW - The Parish - Constant Artists
Mar 21 2009 12:30A SXSW - Buffalo Billiards

Recent Show Announcements

Explosions In the Sky (If You Don't Watch Friday Night Lights, you're missing out)

Recently Announced Concerts:

Hollywood Bowl
8/16/09 - 8/17/09: Depeche Mode (presale Friday at 10AM, password = KROQWRONG; Sunday at 10AM)

Wiltern
5/16/09: Doves (Saturday at 10AM)

Spaceland
3/14/09: Juliette Lewis and the New Romantiques / Sky Larkin (now at Ticketweb)
3/26/09: Early Man / Red Fang (now at Ticketweb)
4/1/09: White Denim / The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (now at Ticketweb)
5/16/09: Loney Dear (now at Ticketweb)

Hollywood Palladium
6/27/09: Explosions in the Sky (Saturday at 10AM)

Echo
4/15/09: Wavves / Fol Chen (now at Ticketweb)

Echoplex
4/10/09: Flying Lotus (now at Ticketweb)
4/21/09: James Pants / Mayer Hawthorne / The County & Dam-funk (now at Ticketweb)
5/10/09: Destroyer (now at Ticketweb)
6/6/09: Ralphs World w/ Lisa Loeb (Tuesday at 10AM)

Largo
5/16/09: The Blanks [Ted’s band from Scrubs] (call club)

Greek Theatre
6/24/09: Three Girls and Their Buddy [Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller] (TBD)

Troubadour:
4/28/09: Tinted Windows [Taylor Hanson, James Iha, Bun E. Carlos, Adam Schlesinger] (now)

El Rey
5/14/09: Indigo Girls (Saturday at 10AM)

Oak Canyon Ranch
7/4/09: Hootenanny (Reverend Horton Heat, Los Lobos, etc.)

Club Nokia
4/20/09: Common / Biz Markie / Slick Rick (Friday at 10AM)
5/9/09: Shiny Toy Guns (Presale Friday at 10AM, password = DISKO; Saturday at 10AM)

The Music Box @ Fonda
6/6/09 – 6/7/09: Peaches (Friday at 10AM)