Friday Night Live Music Options 11/9/07

That's What I Call a ZZ Sandwich

Friday 11/9/07:

M.I.A. / The Cool Kids @ Wiltern ($25) – I saw M.I.A. at Coachella once. She’s probably worth seeing again. Bloggers love the Cool Kids too. But who listens to bloggers these days?

ZZ Top / Dr. John @ Greek Theatre ($37-$67) – When I was a kid my older brother and sister would tell me these crazy stories about going to ZZ Top concerts. Imagine my disappointment when I finally got old enough to go to shows and there weren’t any farm animals on stage.

Jesu / These Arms Are Snakes / Oxbow @ Echoplex ($14) – Heavy head rock.

Of Montreal / Grand Buffet / Mgmt @ Avalon ($18) – Eccentric indie rock. Their latest album’s pretty good.

Fog / Boom Bip DJ Set / Salt and Samovar @ Spaceland ($8) - Low, Andrew Bird and Why? Guested on the latest Fog record.

Celebration @ the Echo ($10) – AMG calls them cabaret-punk. They’ve got a new album on 4AD.

Junk Science @ Airliner

She Wants Revenge @ the Fonda ($25) Not my deal.

Ben Harper @ Orpheum (Sold Out) – Not my deal.

Joanna Newsom @ Walt Disney Concert Hall ($30-$55) – Not my deal but Van Dyke Parks will be there orchestrating.

Loudon Wainwright III / Joe Henry @ El Rey ($25)

The Lawrence Arms @ Troubadour ($12)

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.

Thursday Night Music Options 11/8/07

Ween Play the Wiltern Tonight

A little something for everybody tonight....

Thursday 11/8/07

In-Store Alert: Gram Parsons Record Release Party @ Amoeba 7:00 PM – Amoeba’s label just released a 2-disc Gram Parsons with the Flying Burrito Brothers live album. Mike Stinson, Dave Gleason, Sin City All-Stars, Chris Etheridge will be performing.

Great Northern / Robbers on High Street @ Echoplex ($12) – Congratulations to our prize package winner. Great Northern has gotten great support from the local alt radio stations.
Download RoHS “Crown Victoria”

Ween @ Wiltern ($30) – Ween’s a lot of fun to see live. I saw them at Stubb’s once and they there was some nudity and oral sex involved (on stage that is).

Madlib / Percee P / Peanut Butter Wolf / J-Rocc @ El Rey ($20) – A Stones Throw extravaganza.

Witchcraft / Saviours / Danava @ the Echo ($12) – Swedish Sabbath disciples.

Of Montreal / Grand Buffet / MGMT @ Avalon ($20) – Eccentric indie rockers. Night one of two.

Valient Thorr / Year Long Disaster @ Spaceland ($8) – This one’s maybe a little bit of sleazy rock show versus the stoner rock show at the Echo.

Ima Robot / The Airborne Toxic Event @ the Roxy

Maroon 5 / The Hives @ Staples Center ($40-60)

David Allan Coe @ Knitting Factory ($25) – You might be a redneck if you like David Allan Coe. He’s a talented songwriter, but some of those songs on the X-Rated albums are indefensible.

Lloyd Cole @ Largo

The Hectors @ Charlie O’s in Alexandria Hotel

Exitmusic / Solare / Raspberry Cocaine @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Download an Exitmusic MP3

Dos / Joe Lally @ Knitting Factory Front Stage ($10)

Culver City Dub Collective @ Bordello ($10) – Ben Harper after party.

Ben Harper @ Orpheum (Sold Out)

Mick Jagger: Too Many Cooks

Here’s my weekly reminder to tune into Sinking with Sylvia (and Sometimes Todd) on Little Radio Thursday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Tomorrow their guests will be The Minor Canon who don’t get all the credit they deserve. If you haven’t picked up their latest album, I recommend it.

As you know, I get to pick one track each week for the radio program as the official You Set the Scene pick. My pick on 10/4/07 was Mick Jagger’s “Too Many Cooks (Spoil the Soup).” I picked this track, because I’d just gotten Mick Jagger’s Greatest Hits and this caught my ear and eye first. The track’s an old Willie Dixon tune but this recording dates back to a 1975 session in LA with John Lennon. Other than the obvious (a collaboration between a Stone and a Beatle) I was also intrigued because it’s part of Lennon’s Lost Weekend. Basically Lennon and Yoko were having marital woes and Lennon moved away to LA with their assistant May Pang who is 17 years younger than Yoko. Pang and Lennon lived together for about 18 months (part of it in LA, part of it in NYC) while Lennon drank and snorted coke (allegedly) with Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon, Alice Cooper and Ringo Starr. Anyway, it’s an interesting time in Lennon’s life and this Jagger track is a lot of fun. Jagger claims he’d forgotten about it, but they found a copy under May Pang’s bed.


Make friends with May Pang on Myspace
Visit May Pang’s website
Vist The Rawking Refuses to Stop to download A Toot and A Snore in ’74 (Lennon jamming with McCartney, Harry Nilsson and Stevie Wonder)
Hear/See “Too Many Cooks” on Youtube

Ticket Giveaway - Great Northern at the Echoplex

Great Northern Play the Echoplex Thursday

I've got one prize package giveaway. You will get:

Two tickets to see Great Northern (with Robbers on High Street) live at the Echoplex on Thursday 11/8/07

Signed copy of Great Northern's CD "Trading Twilight for Daylight"

Great Northern T-Shirt

And as a special bonus:

Robbers on High Street's "Grand Animals" CD

Robbers on High Street T-shirt

To win, send me an email at [dukeufo at hotmail] and tell what musician you have a crush on (they don't have to be in Great Northern). The contest ends at 5:00 PM tonight.