Live Music Options: 9/20/10 - 9/26/10

I caught the Parson Red Heads and Le Switch on Friday at Spaceland and the Radar Brothers on Saturday at Origami. Great stuff. Sorry to see the Parson Red Heads move back to Oregon - feels like I've been writing about them since the beginning days of this blog five years ago....

Monday 9/20/10
[Pick of the Night] Eastern Conference Champions / Andy Clockwise / Come On Go with Us / The Pity Party @ Spaceland (Free) – ECC is doing the Monday night residency in September. Strongest of the ECC lineups.
Vanaprasta / Pacific Hurt / Cue the Moon / The Hundred Days @ The Echo (Free) – Dual residency.
Curt Smith (of Tears for Fears / Angela McCluskey @ Bardot (Free w/ RSVP)
Ranchero Brothers (Rhett & Murray from Old 97’s) @ Largo ($25)
Family of the Year / All Wrong and the Plans Change / Satellite Crush / Gratitillium @ Silverlake Lounge (Free)
Narwhalz of Sound / W.H.I.T.E. / Hosannas @ Pehrspace
Gemini Syndrome / Yeti / Otherwise / Broken Decency @ Troubadour (Free)
Captain Ahab / Narwhalz of Sound / W.H.I.T.E. / Hosannas @ Pehrspace
Young Mammals / Atomic Zeus @ Echo Curio
Phil Alvin and Friends @ Redwood

Tuesday 9/21/10
[Pick of the Night] The Parson Red Heads / Red Cortez @ The Echo ($5) – I had a lot of fun at their other farewell show at Spaceland on Friday night. They’re moving back to Oregeon, so check them out while you still have the chance. It’s the big lineup too.
Kele / Does It Offend You, Yeah? @ The Music Box ($25) – Kele was in Bloc Party (I still like their first album – but haven’t heard the solo stuff).
Ratatat / Dom / Bobby Birdman @ Club Nokia ($30) – Surprised their big enough to play Club Nokia.
Typhoon / Y La Bamba / Maxim Ludwig @ Spaceland ($8) – Popular band out of Portland.
Efterklang / Buke & Gass @ Troubadour ($12) – Denmark post-rock.
Rhett Miller @ Largo ($25) – Lead singer of the Old 97’s
Funeral Party / The Belle Brigade / Italian Japanese @ Bootleg Theatre ($10) – These local kids seem to be on their way. Recently named #47 on NME’s best new bands of 2010.
Furthur featuring Phil Lesh & Bob Weir @ Greek Theatre ($47 - $78)
Adam Heldring / Gabe Sullivan / Sergio Mendoza y La Orekstra Amparao Sanchez @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
A Pretty Mess / Jugheads Revenge / Death Hymn Number 9 @ Redwood Bar
Anna Nalick @ Hotel Café

Wednesday 9/22/10
[Pick of the Night] The xx / Warpaint / Zola Jesus @ Hollywood Palladium ($41) - The xx’s debut was in my top 10 last year.
[Recommended] Low End Theory: DNTEL / Dark Time Sunshine / Void Pedal @ Airliner ($10)
[Recommended] Tommy Keene performs “Songs From the Film” / Threes and Nines / Check Out Girls @ Spaceland ($10) – Songs From the Film was Keene’s major label debut album (produced by Geoff Emerick) from 1986. Power pop fans take note.
The Airborne Toxic Event featuring the Calder Quartet @ John Anson Ford ($30) – Great venue if you’re a fan of the band.
James McMurtry / Johnny Burke @ The Mint ($25) – Talented singer-songwriter and son of Larry.
Riverboat Gamblers @ Alex’s Bar in Long Beach ($10) – Great live band.
Future Ghost / Cinderella Motel / Facts on File / Non Ultra Joy @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Club Nokia ($35)
The Do / Mia Maestro / Paul Dempsey @ Bootleg Theater ($10)
What Laura Says / Skybox @ The Echo ($8)
Garfunkel and Oates @ Largo ($25)
Cinderella Motel / Sing Orpheus / Future Ghost @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Bleu & Mike Viola @ Hotel Café
Modern Time Machines / The Meeting Places / Hearts & Minutes @ 3 Clubs
Neo / Tribraco / Glass Goblins @ Echo Curio

Thursday 9/23/10
[Pick of the Night] All For the Hall: Taylor Swift / Emmylou Harris / Kris Kristofferson @ Club Nokia (Sold Out) - One guess: which two of these three do I really like? This is a benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville (which I recently visited).
Wet & Reckless @ Origami (Free) – 7:00 PM
Dirty Projectors / Dominique Young Unique @ The Glass House ($20) – A band that I really tried to get into.
Fool’s Gold / Wallpaper / Rainbow Arabia @ Troubadour ($14) – Luke Top and Lewis Pesacov’s popular, local worldbeat band.
EOTO / Mimosa / MartyParty @ The Music Box ($20)
Brass Bed / George Glass / Verb the Adjective Noun @ Spaceland ($8)
Jim Jones Revue / The Bellrays / Coasting @ The Echo ($14)
Chinese White Bicycles (Robyn Hitchcock and Joe Boyd) @ Largo
Honey Loving Cells / Go West Young Man / The Lonely Wild / The Ross Sea Party @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Hosannas @ The Smell ($5)
Patrolled By Radar / The Whiskey Saints @ 3 Clubs
Cassorla / Strangers Family Band / Slang Chickens @ Echo Curio

Friday 9/24/10
[Pick of the Night] Willie Nelson / Ryan Bingham @ Greek Theatre ($50 - $90) – I like both of these dudes. Willie always creates a good party atmosphere.
[Recommended] Jon Brion and Friends @ Largo ($25)
Dirty Projectors / Dominique Young Unique @ The Wiltern ($30 - $35)
Earthless / Crom / Bastard @ Spaceland ($10) – Well respected instrumental psych rock band from San Diego. Drummer Mario Rubalcaba had played in most of the memorable San Diego bands.
Rumspringa / Gamble House / Superhumanoids @ Bootleg ($8) – Local lineup with some bands generating some good buzz right now.
Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits @ The Echo ($8) – Features Jack Burnside from the Mezzanine Owls
Rancid / Adolescents / Thelonious Monster @ The Music Box (Sold Out)
Ratatat / Dom / Bobby Birdman @ Fox Theater Pomona ($28)
Gladys Knight / The O’Jay’s @ Nokia Theatre ($50 - $90)
Glasser @ Amoeba (Free) – 7:00 PM
RX Bandits perform “The Resignation” / Wild Orchid Children @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Elefante / Zur @ House of Blues Sunset
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone / Former Ghosts / Otouto / Foot Foot @ The Smell ($7)
Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet @ McCabe’s ($24.50)
Hydroplane / Khalija / KnobGoblin / Wake @ Pehrspace
Paul Collins Beat / The Chopsticks / The Neurotics / The Blvd Beat @ Redwood Bar - Fan of the Nerves?
Mack 10 @ Key Club ($27)
Spirit Vine @ 5 Star Bar
Angus Khan / Supagroup @ 3 Clubs
Helmet / Bison BC / Killing California @ Galaxy Concert Theatre
Hydroplane / Khalija / Knobgoblin @ Pehrspace
Swagger Sticks / The Shakers / Mad Planet @ Echo Curio
Dirt Nasty @ the Roxy ($15)

Saturday 9/25/10
[Pick of the Week] Waved Out II: Dungen / The Entrance Band / Sharon Van Etten / The Fresh & Onlys / Shannon and the Clams / John Carpenter / So Many Wizards / Summer Darling / Young Prisms / Lord Huron @ The Echo & Echoplex ($13) – I’m a huge fan of Dungen. Get there in time to see John Carpenter too (and I’m sure a lot of the other bands are worth checking out too).
Gestapo Khazi / Woom / Victoria Noll / The Zig Zags @ Origami (Free) – Part of the Waved Out fest.
Band of Horses / Admiral Radley / Darker My Love @ Greek Theatre ($40 - $50) – I liked Band of Horses first record and really like the Admiral Radley record.
Patton Oswalt @ Largo ($25) – One of my favorite contemporary standups.
Muse / Passion Pit @ Staples Center (Sold Out) – I still remember seeing them in small venues – never would have guessed they’d get big enough to do two nights at the Staples.
[Recommended] Jerry Lee Lewis / Reverend Horton Heat / The Head Cat @ Fox Theater in Pomona ($30 - $77) – The killer – I just toured Sun Studios in Memphis and it reminded how great he was.
Halloween Swim Team / Laco$te / 60 Watt Kid / Heather Woodbury’s As the Globe Warms @ Echo Curio
Speedbuggy @ Spaceland ($8)
Sing-A-Long Sound of Music @ Hollywood Bowl ($9 - $81)
Jon Langford @ McCabe’s ($15)
Rancid / Telacasters @ The Music Box (Sold Out)
Shin / A-Lin @ Club Nokia ($44 - $128)
X Japan @ The Wiltern ($52 - $90)
RX Bandits perform “And the Battle Began” / Magic Triangles @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Hunx and His Punx / Frankie Rose and the Outs / Blissed Out / Kit @ The Smell ($5)
OC Scholars @ The Glass House ($20)
Quiet Americans / The Record Year @ Pehrspace
Murderland / Compton SF / Bombpops @ Redwood Bar
Bonzo: The Groove Remains the Same – Tribute to John Bonham @ Key Club ($34)
Gestapo Khazi @ Origami (Free) – 7:00 PM
Kisses / Lesands / Hands @ Bootleg ($8)
Thelonious Monster / Speedbuggy / Ruby Friedman Orchestra @ Spaceland ($8)
So & So / Nina Storey @ Hotel Café
Lightning Swords of Deah / Atriarch @ 3 Clubs
Torches in Trees / The Fay Wrays / The Record Year @ Pehrspace

Sunday 9/26/10
[Pick of the Night] Vampire Weekend / Beach House / The Very Best @ Hollywood Bowl ($25 - $48) – I still like Vampire Weekend’s music. Sleepy time in the middle.
[Recommended] Off the Books: 5 O’Clock Shadowboxers / Sahy Uhns / Asura + Ana Caravelle / My Dry Wet Mess / Strangeloop / Low Limit / Shlohmo / Mount Kimbie @ Downtown Independent ($12) – Presented by Passion of the Weiss and Friends of Friends. A lot of hip-hop/electronic music I know nothing about, but if Jeff Weiss is throwing his name on it, I imagine it’s going to be pretty good.
Frankie Rose / Hunx & His Punx @ The Echo ($8) – You may remember Frankie Rose from such bands as Vivian Girls, Crystal Stilts and Dum Dum Girls.
Muse / Passion Pit @ Staples Center ($35 - $65)
Will Downing @ Club Nokia ($20 - $50)
RX Bandits perform “Mandala” / Big Sir @ Troubadour ($20)
Neil Hamburger / Steve Agee / Major Entertainer Mike H / Keith Lowell Jensen @ Spaceland ($8)
Seal and David Foster @ Grammy Museum (Sold Out)
Sonus Quartet @ Bootleg
Sleepy Sun / My Pet Saddle @ Viper Room ($10)
Grand Ole Echo @ The Echo (Free) – 5:00 PM; country/Americana themed party
Slaid Cleaves @ McCabe’s (Sold Out)
Zac Brown Band @ Verizon Wireless
Exhausted Prayer / Atriarch / Lake of Blood / Funeral Dogs @ The Smell ($5)
Jon Langford @ Amoeba (Free) – 5:00 PM
The Crystelles / Lightnin’ Woodcock / Juju Bones @ Redwood
White Hills @ Vacation (Free) – 4:00 PM

Recently Announced Live Shows

MGMT (I walked out on these guys at the Echoplex) Play the Greek & Fox in Pomona

Fox Theater Pomona
7/18/10: MGMT (Friday at 10 AM)

The Music Box
5/27/10: Booka Shade (Saturday at 10 AM)
5/31/10: Miike Snow (Friday at 10 AM)

Hollywood Bowl
9/18/10: Phoenix / Grizzly Bear / Girls (presale now, password = SENSATION; on sale Sunday at 10 AM)
9/26/10: Vampire Weekend / Beach House / The Very Best (presale now, password = SENSATION; 5/2/10 at 10 AM)
9/30/10: Pavement / Sonic Youth / No Age (presale now, password = SENSATION; 5/2/10 at 10 AM)

Greek Theatre
6/20/10: Erykah Badu / Janelle Monae (presale now, password = ANKH; Saturday at 10 AM)
7/11/10: Steve Miller Band / Los Lobos (presale now, password = JOKER; Saturday at 10 AM)
7/16/10: MGMT (presale now, password = DELERIUM; Saturday at 10 AM)
7/24/10: Go-Go’s (presale now, password = VALENTINE; Saturday at 10 AM)
8/28/10: Funkfest (presale now, password = MDAY; Saturday at 10 AM)
9/24/10: Willie Nelson (presale now, password = STRANGER, Saturday at 10 AM)
9/25/10: Band of Horses (presale now, password = LAREDO; Saturday at 10 AM)

El Rey Theatre
7/24/10: Pinback (presale Friday at 10 AM, password = AUTUMN; Saturday at 10 AM)

The Orpheum
7/31/10: Joanna Newsom (Saturday at 10 AM)
8/31/10: Melissa Etheridge (Saturday at 10 AM)

Largo
5/14/10 – 5/15/10: Andrew Bird (call club)
6/20/10: Bert Jansch / Pegi Young (call club)

Verizon Wirelss
7/24/10: 311 / The Offspring / Pepper (presale now, password = KROQTHREESOME; on sale Friday at 10 AM)

The Wiltern
7/21/10: Gaslight Anthem (Friday at 10 AM)

Echoplex
9/11/10: Clientele (now at Ticketweb)

Echo
Free Mondays in May – The Like
6/9/10: Themselves / Batths / Talkdemonic (now at Ticketweb)
6/19/10: The Blasters (now)

McCabe’s
6/4/10: Mia Doi Todd (now)

The Bootleg
Wednesdays in June: Hot Hot Heat (on sale now at in ticketing)
7/16/10: Mahjongg (now)

Benefit Announcements

Here are a few benefit shows that were announced in the last couple of days that caught my eye....

Pablove Benefit: Band of Horses / Sea Wolf / Black Rebel Motorcycle Club / Tom Morello / Shirley Manson / Butch Walker / Tom Gabel / Jarrod Gorbel / Charlotte Martin @ Avalon on 11/21/09 (buy tickets $35 for GA / $65 for VIP)

Pablove Benefit: Tenacious D @ Largo on 12/23/09 - $50 - call 310-855-0350 for tickets.

When You Awake Presents
A Tribute To Neil Young Friday, November 20, 2009 Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057 8:30 pm Doors, 9:00 pm Show
Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at door 18+
To purchase tickets, go to: http://www.inticketing.com/events/58595

The event will include:
Performances of Neil Young songs by Delta Spirit, Ferraby Lionheart, Jason Simon of Dead Meadow, The Parson Redheads, Leslie Stevens of Leslie and the Badgers, Family of the Year, Justin Gordon, Restavrant, The Chapin Sisters, Shakey Graves and the Dark Horse House Band featuring Andy Creighton of The World Record/Parson Red Heads, Brian Whelan and Dan Iead of The Broken West, Josh Charney of Le Switch, John Hoskinson and Rob Douglas
Special DJ Sets by Turquoise Wisdom, Crafts with Benny Kelly and a Neil Young- inspired photo booth hosted by Sterling Andrews of Gooseberries

About The Children’s Music Fund:
Founded by Raffi Tachdjian MD, MPH, an immunologist and pediatric pain specialist from the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, The Children’s Music Fund is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. The organization’s mission is to provide musical instruments and music therapy for chronically ill child patients. Also, they fund ongoing research in the field of music therapy in reference to medical practices.

They all fall down together

Live Review

Saturday night was the big Band of Horses / Andrew Bird / Decemberists show at the Hollywood Bowl. My friend and I got took the shuttle over from the zoo and got there at 7:30, just as Band of Horses was taking the stage, so pay attention to those start times at the Bowl. [Side note: Have a little awareness. Once people start rushing towards the entrance, if you’re standing there spread out with all your friends finishing off your wine, please step to the side. It’s really fucking annoying to have to navigate around you just to try to get inside.] I was apprehensive about the Band of Horses. While I love their album, they haven’t been able to pull it off the times I’ve seen them. Apparently they read their reviews, because this time they had three guitar players. He also had almost enough reverby echo on his vocals. Unfortunately they suffered a little from that opener at the Bowl syndrome where the sound just isn’t quite full enough. You see it pretty much every time you go there; the opener never sounds fully plugged in. They played one new song that they “think will be” on their upcoming Sub Pop album and finished with a really good cover of Jagger/Richards’ “Act Together” from Ron Wood’s solo record. Overall, it was the best performance I’ve seen from them and after writing them off as a live band, I’ll be back to see them again. Download “Funeral” and “Bass Song”

Up next was Andrew Bird, who I’ve only recently familiarized myself with. I picked up Armchair Apocrypha, and I really enjoy about half of it. He’s an ambitious and knowledgeable musician who’s capable of pulling off multiple styles of music. Amazingly, the Bowl was awash with lush sounds from the moment he came out plucking his violin. He completely filled the space, just moments after the Band of Horses (with their three guitarists and six musicians) sounded thin. Watching him build his songs was a little bit like seeing Jon Brion at Largo. He would lay down and loop a violin part, then swing his guitar around while singing and intermittently play the xylophone. Compared to the indie rockers I usually see, he’s on a whole different level. Meanwhile the drummer would lay down and loop his drum beat before switching to the keyboards. The bass player seemed to be triggering pre-recorded tracks for some of the orchestral parts of the album. I was very impressed with how much these three guys were able to do on stage. They sounded great and it was compelling to watch and unlike Peter Bjorn and John he actually seemed capable of live whistling. Some of the highlights were: “A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left,” “Fiery Crash,” “Plasticities,” “Imitosis,” and “Darkmatter” [ed. note - apparently performance of this song only happened in my mind. you can see a photo of the setlist HERE.] Download “Heretics.” I strongly encourage you to check him out next time he comes to your city.

Adding a full orchestra to a rock band is always a mixed bag. Fortunately I’m not the world’s biggest Decemberists fan, so the songs aren’t too precious to me (although they are quite precious). Tonight, with one exception, the arrangements complemented the songs quite well. The one exception was “Los Angeles, I’m Yours,” which as my friend Tony pointed out, ended up sounding like the theme song to the Oscars. Hearing somebody from Portland sing “Its hollowness will haunt you,” and “How I abhor you” about our city seems like a little bit of a fuck you. It’s especially biting when you consider that it’s one of the few songs where Meloy’s not singing from the perspective of an 18th century sea captain. At the same time, that directness makes it one of their best songs. That contradiction/dissonance pretty much sums up my feelings about the band in general. I mean, do you think that after the show, as they read Chaucer on their tour bus, they occasionally glance up from their books and share a laugh about how they got 14,000 Angelinos to sing along to those lyrics? I do. The crowd loved every moment, especially any time their organ player Jenny Conlee was the center of attention. Four years ago, when I walked out of their half full show at Spaceland, I never would have guessed that one day I’d be watching Meloy repeatedly push the glasses up on his nose in front of so many people at the Hollywood Bowl. Good for them.
The setlist was [ed. note - thanks to Steven for pointing out the previous error]:
The Crane Wife, Pts 1 & 2
The Infanta
We Both Go Down Together
The Bagman’s Gambit
Odalisque
The Perfect Crime #2 (which is a pretty weak song, and on which they didn’t use the orchestra)
Los Angeles, I’m Yours
The Tain
O Valencia! (a highlight)
I Was Meant for the Stage
The Chimbley Sweep

photo courtesy of flikr user anclroo - click on his name for pics of the other bands as well.