Recent Concert Announcements

The Wiltern

5/11/11: Elvis Costello [set-list decided by audience members spinning “The Spectacular Spinning Songbook” and then being invited sit on stage in  a “Society Lounge”] (presale Thursday at 10 AM; Friday at 10 AM)

6/9/11: Adele (presale Thursday at 10 AM; Friday at 10 AM)

Hollywood Palladium

6/10/11: Deftones (presale now; Friday at 10 AM)

Grove of Anaheim

5/12/11: Merle Haggard (presale Thursday at 10 AM); Saturday at Noon)

Orpheum

6/18/11: Brett Dennen (presale now; Friday at 10 AM)

El Rey

3/8/11: Khaira Arby / The Sway Machinery (Saturday at 10 AM)

4/25/11: Bell’Aria (now)

5/2/11: Xavier Rudd / HoneyHoney (Friday at 10 AM)

Club Nokia

3/9/11: Stryper (Friday at 10 AM)

3/30/11: KEM (Friday at 10 AM)

Nokia Theatre LA Live

3/19/11: Espinoza Paz (Saturday at 10 AM)

The Satellite [f/k/a Spaceland]

3/22/11: Viva Voce / Damien Jurado (now at Ticketfly)

4/19/11: Those Darlings (now)

4/28/11: Dark Dark Dark / Y La Bamba (now)

5/21/11: S. Carey / Other Lives (now)

The Echo

Mondays in March: Spirit Vine

3/25/11: Say Hi / Parson Red Heads (now at TicketWeb)

3/31/11: The Baseball Project (now)

4/8/11: Hunx and His Punx / Shannon and the Clams (now)

4/12/11: Moon Duo (now)

4/20/11: Subhumans (now)

5/28/11: Allo Darlin (now)

Echoplex

3/25/11: Rainbow Arabia / Spoek Mathambo (now at TicketWeb)

3/28/11, 4/25/11, 5/9/11, 5/23/11: Chris Robinson Brotherhood (now)

4/23/11: Jamaica (now)

The Glass House

3/29/11: Sum 41 (Friday at Noon at Ticketfly)

3/31/11: She Wants Revenge (Friday at Noon at Ticketfly)

4/13/11: Sleigh Bells / The Klaxons (Friday at Noon at Ticketfly)

4/14/11: Broken Social Scene (Friday at Noon at Ticketfly)

The Smell

2/22/11: Vivian Girls (now at TicketWeb)

Silverlake Lounge

Mondays in March: Bowery Beasts

Recent Live Music Show Announcements

Wild Beasts Play at El Rey This Summer

The Wiltern
10/19/10: Broken Social Scene (Friday at 10 AM)

Gibson
7/28/10: Squeeze / English Beat (Friday at 1 PM)
7/30/10: Toby Keith / Trace Adkins (Saturday at 10 AM)
8/27/10 – 8/28/10: Joan Sebastian (Saturday at 10 AM)

Verizon Wireless
6/5/10: KROQ Weenie Roast: Sublime with Rose / Stone Temple Pilots / Deftones / Hole / Devo / Paramore / Silversun Pickups / Spoon / Cage the Elephant / The Temper Trap / The Dirty Heads / Passion Pit / Against Me! (presale now, password = KROQWEENIE; Saturday at 10 AM)

Greek Theatre
6/21/10: Keane / Ingrid Michaelson / Fran Healy (presale now, password = TRAIN; Saturday at 10 AM)
7/22/10: Barenaked Ladies / Kris Allen / Angel Taylor (presale now, password = GOODTIME; Saturday at 10 AM)
7/31/10: Pat Benatar / REO Speedwagon / Edwin McCain (presale now, password = BATTLEFIELD; Saturday at 10 AM)
8/21/10: Al Green / Stephanie Mills (presale now, password = REVEREND; Saturday at 10 AM)
8/27/10: Cyndi Lauper (presale now, password = MEMPHIS; Saturday at 10 AM)

Los Angeles State Historic Park
7/17/10: M.I.A. / N*E*R*D / Die Antwoord / Flying Lotus / Rye Rye / Switch / Joker / Sleigh Bells / Theophilus London / 12th Planet / Borgore / Jason Bentley / Destructo / Nguzunguzu / The Gaslamp Killer / Ninjasonik (now at Hardfest.com)
8/7/10: Hard Summer: Soulwax / Crystal Castles / Major Lazer / Erol Alkan / Diplo / Tiga / Digitalism (now at Hardfest.com)

Club Nokia
6/26/10: Danzig (presale now, password = MOTHER; Friday at 10 AM)

El Rey
5/30/10: Miike Snow (now)
6/15/10: Melody Gardot (Saturday at 10 AM)
7/6/10: Steel Train (Saturday at 10 AM)
8/13/10: Wild Beasts (now)

The Music Box
7/3/10: The Cat Empire (Saturday at 10 AM)

Honda Center
10/25/10: Shakira (Friday at 5 PM)
12/14/10: Roger Waters’ The Wall (presale Friday at 10 AM, password = THEWALL2010; Monday at 10 AM)

Staples Center
8/13/10: American Idol Live! (Saturday at 10 AM)

Fox Theater Pomona
7/17/10: Thrice (Monday at 10 AM)

Echo
5/25/10: The Airborne Toxic Event (now at Tickeweb)
7/9/10: Harlem (Friday at 10 AM)
7/20/10: Grand Archives (now)

Spaceland
Mondays in June: We Barbarians

Troubadour
6/24/10: Every Avenue (Friday at 1 PM)
6/29/10: The Gracious Few (Friday at 1 PM)
8/13/10: Aterciopelados (Friday at 1 PM)
9/24/10 – 9/26/10: RX Bandits (now)

Live Music Options: 5/3/10 to 5/9/10

Les Savy Fav Play the Getty on Saturday and the Echoplex on Sunday

Broken Social Scene, Will Oldham, The Hold Steady, Les Savy Fav...pretty good week for local music fans.

Monday 5/3/10
[Pick of the Night] Broken Social Scene / Julie Doiron @ The Music Box (Sold Out) – The new BSS record hasn’t blown me away, but it’s got some jams (and got Best New Music on Pitchfork today). I saw them back in the day at the Silverlake Lounge.
Lupe Fiasco / B.o.B. @ House of Blues Sunset ($43)
Phil Alvin / Frank Fairfield @ Redwood Bar – I still haven’t seen Frank Fairfield live, but want to.
The Hold Steady @ Grammy Museum ($15) – Early show at 7:30 PM; If I was a bigger fan, I’d jump at the opportunity to see this intimate showcase.
Square on Square / Cue the Moon @ The Echo (Free) – Ex-Marjorie Fair. The Like residency will start next week.
Sweethead / The Damn Sons / Slang Chickens / Hocus Pocus @ Spaceland (Free) – Sweethead features Van Leeuwen (guitar in Queens of the Stone Age), Serrina Sims, Norm Block (drums in Mark Lanegan Band, Plexi) and Eddie Nappi (bass in Mark Lanegan Band, Handsome). Hocus Pocus is Dios.
Two Door Cinema Club @ Bardot
Felt Drawings / Ezra Buchla / Halloween Swim Team / White Leopards @ Synchronicity
War Tapes / Jack Ladder / Dimmer / Future Ghost @ Silverlake Lounge (Free)
The Droogs / Jeff “Skunk” Baxter / Valora @ Troubadour ($25 - $50)
The Kin @ Hotel Café
Chris Cornell @ The Roxy (Sold Out)

Tuesday 5/4/10
[Recommended] Broken Social Scene@ Amoeba (Free) – 6:00 PM show; If you got shut out of the Music Box show.
Greg Laswell / Brian Wright @ Troubadour (Sold Out)
Oh Darling / Actress / Until June / Dirt Bird @ Spaceland ($5) – Dirt Bird is Claire and Athena from Shadow Shadow Shade.
Stephen Brower the Silent Majority (Ween Tribute Show) @ Bootleg ($8)
Aziz Ansari @ Largo Little Room (Sold Out)
Coheed and Cambria / Circa Survive / Torche @ Fox Theater Pomona (Sold Out0
Joe Sib’s California Calling @ Largo ($20)
Alex Kemp / Henry Wolfe / El May / Butterfly Child @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Kelly Dalton @ Hotel Café
Daniel Francis Doyle / I.E. / Rare Grooves / The Real Noriegas @ The Smell ($5)
Links / Useless Keys / The Moog @ Viper Room ($15)

Wednesday 5/5/10 (Cinco de Mayo)
[Pick of the Night] Eluvium / Bell Gardens / Benoit Pioulard / Whale Fall @ Bootleg ($10) – Eluvium gets compared to Eno and Fennesz.

[Recommended] Dosh / White Hinterland / The Baths @ The Echo ($10) – Anticon {Sorry I had this on Tuesday on accident}.
[Recommended] David Sedaris @ Royce Hall (Sold Out) – Funny guy.
[Recommended] Janeane Garofalo @ Largo ($20) – Funny gal.
The Hold Steady / The Donkeys / A Decent Animal @ El Rey (Sold Out) – After seeing them, I understand their appeal, but I’m still not a dedicated fan.
Low End Theory: Mochipet / Vladimir Computin / Slayers Club @ Airliner ($10)
Two Door Cinema Club / Funeral Party @ Troubadour (Sold Out) – New Irish band with some pretty good buzz surrounding them.
Pacha Massive / Wait.Think.Fast / Clorofila @ Spaceland ($10) - The most Cinco de Mayo oriented lineup.
Chlorofila @ Amoeba (Free) – 5:00 PM show
Jane's Addiction @ Bardot (Free) - Doors open at 10:00 PM
Widows Gone Wild / I Am Astronaut @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
The Daylights / Jake Newton @ Hotel Café
Fantastica Bastidas / Juan the Mannequin / TRON / Hello My Name Is Red @ The Smell ($5)
Quetzal Guerrero & the Warriors @ Redwood Bar
Nero / Dusk @ The Roxy (Free w/ RSVP to Scion)
Wiz Khalifa / Fashwan / Logic @ Glass House ($15)

Thursday 5/6/10
[Pick of the Night] Flying Lotus @ Amoeba (Free) – 7:00 PM Show
Carlos Varela @ Echoplex ($25 - $35) – The Cuban Bob Dylan?
Spirit Vine / Hocus Pocus / Pet Saddle / Roughed Up Folk @ Spaceland ($5)
Spindrift / Nurses / Magic Mirror @ The Echo ($8)
Cannibal Corpse / Skeletonwitch @ House of Blues Sunset ($21.50)
Green River Ordinance / Matt Hires / Angel Taylor @ Troubadour ($12)
Mississippi Man / The Ferocious Few / Dirt Dress @ 3 of Clubs
Wiz Khalifa / Fashwan / Jasmine Solano @ El Rey (Sold Out)
The Atlantic Line / The Hectors / The Lyon Crowns @ Silverlake Lounge ($8)
Nicole Simone / Stone Darling @ Bootleg ($8)
Ingrid Michaelson @ Hotel Café (Sold Out)
AJ McLean @ The Roxy ($20)
The Head Cat @ Key Club ($18)
White Buffalo @ Detroit Bar ($12)

Friday 5/7/10
[Pick of the Week] Mastodon / Between the Buried and Me / Baroness / Valient Thorr @ Fox Theater Pomona ($29 - $35) – I’m not the world’s biggest fan of heavy music, but Mastodon and Baroness are two bands that have caught my ear in the past few years. I saw Mastodon at the Troubadour a few years ago and it was really good.
[Recommended] Drivey-By Truckers / The Henry Clay People @ Avalon ($23.50) - Both good live bands, rememeber there's a 10:30 curfew for bands.
[Recommended] Old Californio / I See Hawks in LA @ Redwood Bar – Good country sounds.
[Recommended] Bring the Rock Benefit: Ben Stiller / Josh Homme @ Largo ($35)
[Recommended] The Tallest Man on Earth / Gamble House @ Natural History Museum ($15)
MONO / Twilight Sad @ El Rey ($20) – Japanese post rock.
Peter Gabriel @ Hollywood Bowl ($35 - $200) – With orchestra, no drums or guitars.
Hurricane Bells @ The Echo ($12)
Downtown Union / Seasons / George Glass / Radars to the Sky @ Pehrspace
Voices Voices / Acockalips / Protect Me @ The Smell ($5)
Sissy Spacek / Laco$te / Form A Log / Lazy Magnet / Pedestrian Deposit / Robedoor @ Synchronicity
The Bobs @ McCabe’s ($24.50)
Analog Rebellion / Mansions @ Bootleg ($10)
The Janks / Veil Era / Fim / Woolen @ Spaceland ($8)
Joey Ryan & Kenneth Pattengale @ Hotel Café
Pato Banton @ The Roxy ($22)
Philm / Earthless / Railroad to Alaska @ Detroit Bar (Free)

Saturday 5/8/10
[Pick of the Night] Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang @ McCabe’s (Sold Out) – Not the greatest performer, but he writes some great songs.
[Recommended] Fucked Up / The Strange Boys / Growlers / Abe Vigoda / Graf Orlock / The Like / Dangers / Audacity / Woah Hunx @ The Glass House ($8) – Fan appreciation show in the spirit of the original F Yeah Festival. Fucked Up has a reputation for putting on an intense live show.
[Recommended] Freddie Gibbs / Pollyn / Davinci / Hanni El Khatib @ Spaceland ($10) – Passion of the Weiss presents another hip hop night at Spaceland.
[Recommended] Les Savy Fav @ the Getty - Early show at 6:00 PM
[Recommended] Warpaint / Priestbird @ Bootleg ($10)
Ane Brune / Olof Arnalds @ Largo ($25)
Los Campesinos! / Signals @ El Rey ($22)
Blue Jungle @ Redwood Bar
Red Sparowes / Fang Island / Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound @ The Echoplex ($15)
Dante vs. Zombies / Western Hymn / Horse Thieves / Hepa-Titus @ The Smell ($5)
Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang @ the Echoplex ($10) – Early show at 11 AM.
Akwid / Clorofila @ The Echo (Free w/ RSVP) – Early show at 6:00 PM
Angel City Outcasts / The Royal Highness / Dirty Filthy Mugs @ Troubadour (Free)
Creepshow: Hoobastank / Elliott Yamin / Esthero @ Hotel Café
60 Watt Kid / The Fritz / Centipede East / French Ship @ Echo Curio
Warner Drive @ the Roxy ($10)
Lightning Swords of Death / Huntress / Moab @ 3 of Clubs (Free)

Sunday 5/9/10 (Mother’s Day)
[Pick of the Night] Les Savy Fav / We Barbarians / LA Ghost @ Echoplex ($18) – Les Savy Fav puts on a great live show.
[Recommended] Bonnie “Prince” Billy & The Cairo Gang @ McCabe’s (Sold Out)
[Recommended] Dave Gleason and the Golden Cadillacs / Mojo Monkeys / The Coals @ The Echo (Free) – Early show at 5:00 PM; Gleason’s a talented guy.
Reckless Kelly / Olin & the Moon / Miss Willie Brown @ the Roxy ($15)
Collisions / Verbs / Kid Infinity @ Echo Curio
Bonfire Madigan @ Bootleg ($10)
Alexisonfire / Trash Talk / La Dispute / Therefore I Am @ Troubadour ($15)
Patti LaBelle @ Gibson Amphitheatre

Recently Announced Live Shows

Broken Social Scene Are Coming to the Fonda

Hollywood Palladium
3/26/10: Metric (presale Friday at 10:00 AM, password = KROQALIVE; on sale Saturday at 10 AM)

The Fonda
5/3/10: Broken Social Scene (presale starts Friday at 10 AM, password = BROKEN; Saturday at 10 AM)

Hollywood Bowl

10/2/10: Carrie Underwood (AmEx presale on now; 2/14/10 at 10 AM)

The Glass House
6/3/10: Why? / The Donkeys (now)

Honda Center
4/25/10: Eagles (2/8/10 at 10 AM)

Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
3/27/10: Chicago / Earth, Wind & Fire, The Stylistics (now)

The Wiltern
4/23/10: HIM (Saturday at 10 AM)

Avalon
3/19/10: Fate’s Warning (Friday at 10 AM)
5/7/10: Drive By Truckers / The Henry Clay People (Friday at 10 AM)

El Rey
3/12/10: Adolescents / Youth Brigade (now)

4/20/10: The Bronx / Japanther / Mariachi El Bronx (Saturday at 10 AM)
4/22/10: Bonobo (Saturday at 10 AM)
8/28/10: The Juliana Theory (Thursday at 10 AM)

Nokia Theatre
4/17/10: Jeff Beck / Zappa Plays Zappa (Friday at 10 AM)

Club Nokia

5/15/10: a-ha (Friday at 10 AM)

Staples Center
3/30/10: Black Eyed Peas / LMFAO (Saturday at Noon)

Spaceland
2/14/10: Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub (now)
3/13/10: The Fresh & Onlys / Wounded Lion / Surf City (now)
5/1/10: Ponys / Disappears (now)

The Echo
3/26/10: Foreign Born (now)

Hotel Café
2/16/10: Lissie (now)

Bootleg
2/10/10: Pete Yorn / Tim Kasher / Craig Wedren (now at in ticketing)
2/13/10: West Indian Girl / Pollyn (now)

Best Albums of the Decade: #50 - #41

Now that you're all completely sick of these lists, here's the bottom ten in my top 50....



50) Radiohead: Kid A (2000 on Capitol) – After seeing this at the top both Pitchfork and Rolling Stone’s best of the decade I went back and re-listened to it. Being a fan of melodic guitar rock, I only enjoy listening to four of these songs. They were still a great live band around this time though.

Idioteque - Radiohead

49) Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights (2002 on Matador) – I haven’t listened to this in about six years, but it holds up a lot better than I was expecting. It’s still a little uneven, but an intense listen overall.

PDA - Interpol

48) Elliott Smith: From a Basement on the Hill (2004 on Anti) – Like all posthumous records, this one was mired in controversy after his family brought in Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme to finish it even though they weren’t involved in the recording. Smith’s most inconsistent work but plenty of gems.

Pretty (Ugly Before) - Elliott...

47) Soundtrack of Our Lives: Behind the Music (2002 on Republic) – This is timeless psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll done extremely well (and holds up better than some of the stuff on this list). After being a little too weird and proggy before, the band hit its peak on this record. They got the entire audience at the Troubadour down on the ground, which is an impressive feat in LA.

Infra Riot - The Soundtrack Of...

46) The Postal Service: Give Up (2003 on Sub Pop) – Almost seven years after its release, and you still can’t turn on your TV for five minutes without hearing one of these songs. After Ben Gibbard moved to LA (Jimmy Tamborello has always lived here), I’m sure Sub Pop’s Jonathan Poneman was hoping he’d finally get his follow-up, but the world’s still waiting (and sadly, settling for Owl City instead).

The District Sleeps Alone Toni...

45) Fugazi: The Argument (2001 on Dischord) – In all honestly, this is the least listened to of anything on this list. I still prefer their early stuff, but it’s still Fugazi. Imagine the money they could make if they went off hiatus and did the festival circuit. I mean you know, they could donate it to charity or whatever…

44) Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago (2008 on Jagjaguwar) – I’m a sucker for a really well done strummy, sensitive guy album. This might be the best one since Iron & Wine came on the scene.

The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bo...

43) Fruit Bats: Spelled in Bones (2005 on Sub Pop) – This record came around at the perfect time for me; it was the summer of 2005 and a few months into a great new relationship.

The Wind That Blew My Heart Aw...

42) Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People (2003 on Arts & Crafts) – The band that launched Feist, Metric, Jason Collett, et al. I saw one of their first US shows at the Silverlake Lounge. I remember ordering the original pressing directly from Canada before it got released here.

Cause = Time - Broken Social S...

41) The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely (2008 on WB/Third Man) – The appearance of this record on the list is a statement of just how hard (or rare?) it is for a band to make a straight ahead rock ‘n’ roll record these days. From top to bottom, this is just a fun record to listen to.

Salute Your Solution - The Rac...