Live Music Options 10/13/08 - 10/19/08

Fresno's Rademacher Continue Their Echo Residency Monday Night

The big shows of the week have to be Antony & the Johnsons, Jay-Z and Wire.

Monday 10/13/08
[Recommended] Rademacher / Eagle & Talon / Transmissions / Wrong Way Driver @ the Echo (Free) – For the indie rock fans.
[Recommended] Kenan Bell / Rumspringa / 87 Stick Up Kids / El Ten Eleven @ Spaceland (Free) – For the hip-hop fans.
[Recommended] Mike Stinson @ Redwood Bar – For the country fans.
Manhattan Murder Mystery / The Savages @ Mr. T’s Bowl
Pendulum / Guns N Bombs @ Mayan ($27)
Dos / Nasa Space Experiment / The Amazements @ Pehrspace
Murky Water District / Polar X / Pegasissy @ Silverlake Lounge ($7)
Obama Benefit: Brett Dennen / Ben Lee / Rocco DeLuca @ Hotel Café
Jolie Holland / Herman Dune @ Troubadour ($15)

Tuesday 10/14/08

[Recommended] Wire / The Muslims @ the Echo ($22) - Legends.
Weezer / Angels and Airwaves / Tokyo Police Club @ the Forum ($30 - $58)

Antony & the Johnsons @ Walt Disney Hall ($40 - $70) – If you really want to go, there are still some great single tickets.
The Ting Tings / Santogold / Mates of State / Low vs. Diamond @ Wiltern ($30)

These United States / Vandaveer / Intricate Machines / Stop Revolt @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Janeane Garofalo @ Largo Little Room
PacificUV / Melodyguild / Peter Piek / Languis (DJ set) @ Spaceland ($5)
Johnette Napolitano @ Hotel Café
Tony Gilkyson @ Redwood Bar
The Dead Science / Deathday Party / Devon Williams Something / Zombelle @ the Smell
Three / Art of Chaos / Middle Class Rut @ Troubadour ($14)

Wednesday 10/15/08

[Recommended] Jay-Z @ Hollywood Palladium (Sold Out) – The grand opening of the re-designed Palladium.

The Rumble Strips / Birdmonster @ Spaceland ($12) – Pitchfork gave London’s The Rumble Strips debut a respectable 7.6/10 and compared them to Dexys Midnight Runners.
[Recommended] Army Navy / The Henry Clay People @ the Echo
Dead Ponies @ Redwood Bar (Free) – They’re doing a month long residency at the Redwood
Hearts of Palm UK / Obi Best / The Sweet Hurt @ El Cid ($8) – Record release party for Hearts of Palm UK
Kings of Leon / We Are Scientists / The Stills @ Nokia Theatre ($30 - $45)
Black Kids / The Virgins / Voxhaul Broadcast @ Mayan ($20)
Low End Theory Club: Free Moral Agents / Zechs Marquise @ Airliner
John C. Reilly’s Variety Show @ Largo
Total Chaos @ Safari Sam’s
Dub Club @ Echoplex
The Atma @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Juliette Commagere @Tangier ($8)
Ryan Calhoun @ Hotel Café
The Locust / The Chinese Stars / Awesome Brothers @ The Smell
Jackie Greene / Carney @ Troubadour ($17)

Thursday 10/16/08

[Recommended] Born Ruffians / Plants and Animals / Nurses @ Spaceland ($12) – Three pretty interesting indie rock bands. Pitchfork gave Toronto’s Born Ruffians debut album (on Warp) a respectable 8.0/10. What I’ve heard on Myspace is pretty good indie rock. Pfork gave Montreal’s Plants and Animals that same 8.0/10.
Jaguar Love / The Pity Party / The Library @ Silverlake Lounge ($10) – Matador noise band.
Hayes Carll / South Austin Jug Band @ the Mint ($12) – Carll had some good buzz at Stagecoach last year. He’s on Lost Highway records.
Wild Sweet Orange / The Audrye Sessions @ Hotel Café
Ghostland Observatory / DJ Kid Lightning @ Mayan ($26)
The Rescues @ Hotel Café
Tina Turner @ Staples Center
Tegan and Sara / City and Colour / Girl in a Coma @ the Fonda ($35)
Petra Haden and Woody Jackson @ Largo
The Chinese Stars / Awesome Brothers / Bad Dudes / Bipolar Bear @ the Smell
Hot Little Pony / Blackout 101 / Bangkok Five @ Troubadour ($15)
Gilby Clarke @ Viper Room ($20)

Friday 10/17/08
[Recommended] Jon Brion @ Largo
[Recommended] Heroine Sheiks / Qui @ Spaceland ($12) – The Heroine Sheiks lead singer used to be in the Cows. But I’m mostly recommending it for Qui.
The Roots / Gym Class Heroes @ Hollywood Palladium ($10 tix available) – For $10 you can see the Roots and then split.
The High Society @ Redwood Bar
Say Hi / Jukebox The Ghost / Princeton @ the Echo ($8) – Indie pop.
Exitmusic / The Black Pine / Voices Voices @ Pehrspace
Jackopierce @ Key Club Tegan and Sara / City and Colour / Girl in a Coma @ the Fonda (Sold Out)
Panic Movement @ Echo Curio
Bob Schneider @ Safari Sam’s ($22.50)
Love Grenades / Little Red Radio @ Echoplex ($8)
Very Be Careful @ El Cid ($12)
Yael Naim / Peter Von Poehl @ Troubadour ($25)
The Boat People @ Viper Room ($10) – Early show at 7:30 PM

Saturday 10/18/08
The Muslims / AM @ Pehrspace – Good buzz behind the Muslims right now. Pehrspace holds about 25 people and is BYOB.
Patti Smith and Her Band @ Orpheum ($35)
Franklin for Short / The Spires / Angela Correa @ Mr. T’s Bowl – Mr. T’s site says the Ruby Suns are playing, but it isn’t listed on the Ruby Suns’ Myspace page.
The Boat People @ Spaceland ($8) – Australian indie pop.
The Greg Proops Chat Show @ Largo
Tegan and Sara / City and Colour / Girl in a Coma @ the Fonda (Sold Out)
Random Patterns / Wobbly Bones / BBVV (Bobb Bruno + Voices Voices) @ Echo Curio
Wonder-Full Tribute to Stevie Wonder @ Echo & Echoplex ($20)
Rachel Cantu / Theresa Flaminio / One Trick Pony @ Tangier ($8)
The Family Band / Alex and Sam / Jessica Fichot @ Hotel Café
Polysics / Io Echo @ the Roxy
Jail Weddings / Wounded Lion / Wild Youth @ the Smell
Under the Influence of Giants / War Tapes @ Troubadour ($15)

Sunday 10/19/08
The High Dials / The Quarter After / The Shore @ Spaceland ($8)
Carl Wilson Foundation 10 Year Anniversary Tribute Concert & Fundraiser: Al Jardine / David Marks / Dick Dale / Carnie & Wendy Wilson / The Honeys / Adam Marsland’s Chaos Band / Special Guest Brian Wilson @ the Roxy ($100)
Mary J. Blige / Robin Thicke @ Gibson Amphitheatre ($50 - $250)
The Skatalites @ Key Club
Tegan and Sara / City and Colour / Girl in a Coma @ the Fonda (Sold Out)
Gaelic Storm @ El Rey ($20)
Obedient Waves @ Echo Curio
The 1921a @ McCabe’s ($10)
Brunch Americana: Amy Farris / David Serby / Red Rock West @ Safari Sam’s (Free) – Early show at Noon.
The Go-Getters @ Redwood Bar

Malcolm (Rademacher) Sosa's Top 10 Performances By LA Bands

Day 2 of my top 10 lists from special guests is from Malcolm (Rademacher) Sosa. You can order Rademacher's new LP, Stunts, directly from the band. They'll be playing a record release show at the Echo on 12/21.

Top Ten LA Bands that won over my heart with an awesome live show in 2007

I play a lot of shows and I book a lot of shows (in Fresno) and sometimes I just go to shows for fun. I like shows. In the month of November I saw over 60 bands perform. IN NOVEMBER. I think that is a lot. Probably several hundred over the course of the year and I can think of about 50 LA bands I've seen live this year. Most more than once. That is why I wrote this.

1. Henry Clay People (Fresno -- Tokyo Garden, November 24th) - Probably the best live show I've seen in forever. I saw them once in dresses at All Star Lanes, which was good, but the second time I saw them in my hometown of Fresno! Ohhh boy. Both times involved a lot of fierce gesticulations and convulsions and some falling down. Sheer awesomeness. Joey hi-fived everybody in the place. their tune, "Elly vs the Eczema Princess," is available for free download on their myspace.

2. Light FM (Los Angeles -- Spaceland, December 7th) - We've done a bunch of shows with these kids and I have to say that I think there is no better rhythm section in rock n' roll right now than Harry Trumfio (drums) and Brian Barbier (bass). When someone asked me to think of a better one the other night when I saw them play at Spaceland, the only for sure answer that made sense was "The Who". Powerful pop.

3. Correatown (Fresno -- Tokyo Garden, November 8th) - I have only seen Correatown once. She came and played a show with us in Fresno, CA and it was a very eclectic bill: hip-hop, rock and then her, without a band, playing her singer-songwriter sort of set. And though the general carousing taking place in the room started off like 10 decibels louder than the her voice over the PA, she managed to ease the crowd into a silence and made people cry and drink. Great voice and great presence and an absolute gem.

4. Radars to the Sky (Los Angeles -- Spaceland, August 4th) - They invited us to play a weekend show at Spaceland some months ago (which is a quick way to any musician's heart) -- and it was one of the best damn rock shows I've ever seen. There was a horn section and a recently not-pregnant keyboard player rocking and the best part: at the end of the set, their guitar player Seamus absolutely mangled his guitar onstage and spent 5 minutes playing feedback with a set of six strings and a shattered neck. I am convinced he could make lincoln logs and yarn sound great.

5. Silversun Pickups (Portland, OR -- Crystal Ballroom, April 14th) - I saw them in Portland at the Crystal Ballroom last summer -- and I had seen them before in LA and even played a show with them once in Sacramento -- but this time seemed completely different and surreal. The show was sold out. The crowd was tightly packed. The 16 year old girl in front of me was CRYING before the set even started. They came out onstage and shot through an amazing set laced with their hits and some of the stuff from their old EPs. It was the first time I witnessed a a group of LA musicians decimate an audience that large in a place other than Los Angeles. I just left thinking, "These guys are sooo ROCK STARS!", and hummed "Lazy Eye" to myself the whole flight home.

6. Le Switch (Los Angeles -- Boardners, May 22nd) - We played a show with them at Boardner's back when they used to be called "THE Switch" and I hadn't heard them yet, but I saw they had a trumpet player, and I had a terrible fear that they would be a ska throwback band. I hadn't (and still haven't) heard a ska throwback band yet, but I know they (ska bands) are coming. So I was worried. But I stopped worrying and just sang a long with everyone else once they started. If anything, they remind me a little of Quasi. Who are my favorite band ever.

7. Earlimart Duo (Los Angeles -- Spaceland, November 18th) - I know these guys pretty well and I love their new record. Especially Arianna's song "Happy Alone". And I saw them play two or three times in 2007, and all of them were good, but their show with us at Spaceland where they did their duo thing made me so absolutely proud of them. It was just a simple, sparse set full of great songs and tiny moments and things you couldn't put your finger on. Goosebumps and deja vu at the same time.

8. The Monolators (LA/Fresno -- Que Sera / Tokyo Garden , 9/15 or 11/29) - I saw the Monolators twice in '07. Once in Long Beach and once in Fresno. I was freaking out at the latter show, as was the rest of the audience. They took a dull night and a dull crowd in a dull town and made it into something exciting and fun and once-in-a-lifetime. The show in LBC was remarkable as well, but mostly because Eli took the biggest onstage fall I have ever seen (we're talking from standing on the drum kit, tumbling down an amp, across the floor and into a tangle of mic cables -- and let's not forget that Eli is a very tall guy) and continued to play right on through the tune. Despite his gameface, I imagined it hurt, but now I know that if the gods of rock are on anyone's side, they are for damn sure on Eli Chartkoff's.

9. The Pity Party (Los Angeles -- Silverlake Lounge, 1/8) - At the beginning of the year I saw Pity Party perform at the first night of their residency at the Silverlake Lounge. There was a huge crowd and bright faces and they worked their asses off onstage. It was the first LA show of '07 for me, and they got things off to a great start.

10. Mezzanine Owls (San Francisco -- Make Out Room, 8/12) - The hardest part about picking out the coolest shows of '07 is remembering all of them. I'll admit I had to do a bit of research to come up with Number 10 Mostly because the Mezzanine Owls are one of the hardest drinking bands I know... and they made me drink hard at this show (at least that's how I foggily recollect it). We played a couple other dates during the year, but my favorite show of theirs was the date they headlined at the Makeout Room. That's where I first became intoxicated with their music as well as ... uhm, alcohol. We'll always have the Mission District, Mezz Owls.

Rademacher Free Downloads

It's week two of Rademacher's Blog Residency. To celebrate the release of their new record, Stunts, they're sharing two songs each week with a different SoCal blog. Last week, Joe at Radio Free Silver Lake shared track #1 "Arkansas" and track #4 "If U Got Some Magic."

The band's from Fresno but recorded in LA at the Ship with Earlimart's Aaron Espinoza. I'm excited to be a part of the stunt (which got a nice press mention from CMJ last week). I put a lot of thought into the two songs I picked to share with my readers.

Here you go:

Download "Letter to Fresno, CA" - This is the last track on the record and feels a little bit like an epitaph (to a city, to the album and to a girl). It's titled "Letter to" but the lyrics say "Letter from" which might be an indication of the narrator's state of mind. I've never been to Fresno, but I get the feeling it's the type of place (much like my hometown) that a lot of people move away from. I could relate to that feeling as well as the line about city kids.

Download "Today Is Different" - This track's full of great lyrics. Malcolm juxtaposes all these (seemingly) disparate elements and then ends it by repeating "Your folks were right" and "There ain't nothing you can do." I'm still not sure if he's saying that his folks instilled a sense of hopelessness , but it does seem like something my folks would tell me. Either way his toes are still tapping.

If you like what you hear, you can order the record directly from the band. They're playing all over California this month. If you're in LA you've got three more chances to see them. This Sunday at the All Star Lanes in Eagle, or next Sunday at Spaceland (with Aaron and Ariana from Earlimart) and the Sunday after that back at the All Star Lanes.