Weekly Concert Announcements

Hollywood Bowl

ENTIRE SCHEDULE (presale now, password = 90years, Saturday at 10 AM) [Dolly Parton and Serge Gainsbourg tribute are my recommended shows]

Hollywood Forever Cemetery [Ticketfly]

6/14/11: The Flaming Lips perform The Soft Bulletin (Friday at 2 PM)

6/15/11: The Flaming Lips perform Dark Side of the Moon (Friday at 2 PM)

El Rey

6/15/11: The Civil Wars (now)

8/19/11: Groundation / Kevin Kinsella (Saturday at 10 AM)

Nokia Theatre

6/11/11: R. Kelly / Keyshia Cole (Friday at 10 AM)

Club Nokia

8/3/11: Matisyahu / Tea Leaf Green (Friday at 10 AM)

11/18/11: Jim Jefferies (Friday at 10 AM)

The Music Box

9/9/11: Bostich + Fussible / Ana Tijoux / Los Amigos Invisibles (Friday at 10 AM)

Fox Theater Pomona

5/15/11: TV on the Radio (Saturday at 10 AM)

Segerstrom Center For the Arts (Costa Mesa)

5/24/11: Menomena / Kiev (now)

Los Angeles Historic Park

8/6/11: Hard Summer Music Festival – Duck Sauce / Boys Noize / Chromeo / Ratatat / Skrillex / Odd Future / James Murphy and Pat Mahoney / Jack Beats / Destructo / Juan MacLean (now)

Troubadour [Ticketfly]

6/14/11: Chief (Wednesday at 1 PM)

7/30/11: Yuck (now)

The Satellite [Ticketfly]

5/11/11: Anna Waronker / Psychic Friend (now)

5/12/11: The Watson Twins / Wrong Way Driver (now)

5/18/11: The Stripminers (now)

5/28/11: Asobi Seksu (now)

5/31/11: Oberhofer / Hands (now)

6/3/11: Grouplove (now)

6/11/11: Young Widows / My Disco (now)

7/30/11: Thomas Dybdahl (now)

The Echo [Ticketfly]

Mondays in July: Crystal Antlers (Free)

7/8/11: Sonny and the Sunsets (TBD)

7/12/11: Omar Souleyman (TBD)

7/29/11: Those Darlins (now)

Echoplex [Ticketfly]

7/8/11: Washed Out (now)

7/30/11: Metronomy / Nite Jewel (now)

Largo [Laughstub]

5/15/11: The Littlest Tumor Foundation Benefit: Best Coast / Jon Brion / Paul F. Tompkins (now)

The Wiltern

8/10/11: Sia (Friday at 10 AM)

Verizon Wireless

6/4/11: KROQ Weenie Roast – Linkin Park / Rise Against / The Strokes / Bad Religion / Cage the Elephant / A Day to Remember / Face To Face / Neon Trees / The Airborne Toxic Event / Lykke Li / Foster the People / Young the Giant (presale Thursday at Noon, password = KROQWEENIE2011; Friday at Noon)

Hollywood Palladum

9/7/11: Iggy and the Stooges (Friday at 10 AM)

The Glass House [Ticketfly]

8/6/11: Rx Bandits (Saturday at Noon)

Detroit Bar [Ticketfly]

5/17/11: The Black Angels (now)

6/22/11: Thao and Mirah (now)

7/13/11: Puro Instinct / John Maus / Geneva Jacuzzi (now)

Greek Theatre

7/25/11 – 7/26/11: Sugarland / Sara Bareilles (Friday at 10 AM)

8/6/11: Hippiefest – Dave Mason, Mark Farner, Ricke Derringer (Friday at 10 AM)

8/18/11 – 8/19/11: Death Cab For Cutie / Frightened Rabbit (Friday at 10 AM)

Bardot

5/9/11: Isobel Campbell / Brian Wright / Warhorse (RSVP)

The Streets of Pasadena

6/18/11: Make Music Pasadena – Best Coast / Ra Ra Riot / Hello Seahorse! / The Morning Benders / Ben L’Oncle Soul / The B Side Players / Kisses / Rocky Dawuni / Saint Motel / Jenny O / Tijuana Panthers / Carla Morrison (Free)

Masonic Temple at Hollywood Forever [Ticketfly]

6/7/11: Winter’s Bone Score Peformed Live (now)

Center For the Arts in Eagle Rock [Ticketweb]

7/22/11: Ty Segall / Audacity / Tijuana Panthers (now)

Recent Concert Announcements

Empire Polo Field

4/23/11: The Big 4 – Metallica, Slayer, Megadeath, Anthrax (Friday at 10 AM)

Club Nokia

2/15/11: Club Nokia – Chris Young, Gretchen Wilson (Friday at 10 AM)

4/1/11: Dierks Bentley, Josh Thompson (Friday at 10 AM)

5/21/11: Echo and the Bunnymen [performing Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here], Kelley Stoltz (Friday at 10 AM)

5/27/11: The Script (Friday at 10 AM)

Troubadour

3/7/11: Drive-By Truckers (Thursday at 1:00 PM)

3/14/11: Tahiti 80 (Thursday at 1:00 PM)

4/19/11: Dengue Fever (Thursday at 1:00 PM)

The Satellite [f/k/a Spaceland]

2/9/11: Ferraby Lionhart (now at Ticketfly)

3/11/11: Castanets, Dolorean, Holy Sons (now)

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

5/7/11: Zola Jesus (now)

Alexandria Hotel at 501 S. Spring St.

2/5/11: Kid Infinity 3D Performance, 87 Stick Up Kids, Captain Ahab, Ben Oprstu (now at Groove Tickets)

Bardot

1/31/11: Peter Bjorn & John, Tristen (free w/ RSVP)

2/14/11: Lucinda Williams (free w/ RSVP)  

Greek Theatre

6/12/11: Dispatch (Friday at Noon)

Hollywood Bowl [subscriptions available now]

6/17/11: Harry Connick Jr. (TBD)

6/26/11: Yellow Magic Orchestra, Cibo Matto (TBD)

7/4/11 – 7/6/11: Hall & Oates (TBD)

7/13/11: Chris Botti, Bobby McFerrin (TBD)

7/15/11 – 7/16/11: Sarah McLachlan (TBD)

7/22/11 – 7/23/11: Dolly Parton (TBD)

7/24/11: Rickey Minor’s Global Soul Revue – Ceci Bastida, Rocky Duwani, Stevie Wonder (TBD)

7/27/11: Gladys Knight (TBD)

7/31/11: Tuff Gong World, Ziggy Marley, Toots Hibbert, Mighty Diamond (TBD)

8/10/11: Robert Cray, Keb’ Mo’, Mavis Staples (TBD)

8/14/11: Dave Koz, Spyro Gyra (TBD)

8/17/11: Joni Mitchell's Jazz - Wayne Shorter, Cassandra Wilson (TBD)

8/28/11: Serge Gainsbourg Tribute – Jean Claude Vannier, Beck, Sean Lennon [Histoire de Melody Nelson and L’enfant assassin des mouches will be performed in their entirety] (TBD)

8/30/11: Powaqqatsi with Philip Glass Ensemble (TBD)

8/31/11: George Benson, George Duke, Marcus Miller, David Sanborn (TBD)

9/7/11: Quincy Jones Band (TBD)

Largo

2/10/11: Garfunkel and Oates (now)

4/8/11: Ron Sexsmith (now)  

4/14/11: Brad Mehldau Trio (now)

Center for the Arts in Eagle Rock

2/4/11: Forgetters, Street Eaters, Dangers (now at Ticketweb)

2/20/11: Ted Leo (now)

3/24/11: Strange Boys, Natural Child, White Fence (now)

3/25/11: Thee Oh Sees (TBD)

Echoplex

2/20/11: Beth Hart (now at Ticketweb)

3/11/11: Datarock, Dirty Ghosts (now)

3/13/11: Red Fang, Weedeater, Danava (now)

3/15/11: Death Set (now)

Bootleg Theater

3/12/11: The Loneliest Monk (now at Ticketfly)

3/15/11: Family Band (now)

3/22/11: Ebsen and the Witch (now)

4/3/11: Dan Bern with Common Rotation (now)

Detroit Bar

4/30/11: Dengue Fever (now)

Nokia Theatre LA Live

6/9/11: Wisin & Yandel (Friday at 10 AM)

8/5/11 – 8/6/11: Katy Perry, Robyn (Friday at 10 AM)

The Music Box

4/30/11: The Psychedelic Furs perform “Talk Talk Talk” (Friday at 10 AM)

El Rey

3/30/11: Travie McCoy, Donnis, Black Cards, XV, Bad Rabbits (Saturday at 10 AM)

4/2/11: Uh Huh Her (Saturday at 10 AM)

John Anson Ford

5/4/11: Chris Cornell (Saturday at 10 AM)

Gibson Amphitheatre

4/16/11: Janet Jackson (Friday at 10 AM)

The Echo

3/13/11: Funeral Pyre, The Secret, Graf Orlock (now at Ticketweb)

Sinking Radio - Serge Gainsbourg's "En Melody"

 Here's a quick reminder to tune in to Sinking Radio from Noon to 2:00 PM PST this Friday on Little Radio. 

Each week the hosts of Sinking Radio play an official You Set the Scene pick. My pick for this week's show is Serge Gainsbourg's "En Melody." Who is your pick for sleaziest dude in rock 'n' roll? Roth? Ozzy? Keith Richards? Plant? Any member of the Crue? I'll take Gainsbourg over all of them. One look at this cover (or one listen to "Lemon Incest") and you know what kind of Grade A scumbag he was. I mean, maybe not on the same level as Polanski, but pretty damn bad. 

I've known Gainsbourg's music for a long time, but was first introduced to this record about seven years ago. I became an instant fan. It's been on my mind again because Light In the Attic, one of my favorite reissue labels, just gave it the remastered treatment. The record's a concept record about an old bastard falling for a very young girl. That's Jane Birkin on the cover and performing on the record. 

Like any concept record, it's tough to pick just one track to play. When most people think of this record, I'm sure (after the cover and subject matter) the strings are one of the first things that come to mind. Beck has certainly used the record as an inspiration. While "En Melody" does feature an interesting string arrangement, it's not very representative  of the rest of the record. Gainsbourg doesn't speak/sing, Birkin doesn't sing (but does moan) and it's the funkiest track on the album. 

Many people probably find the over-the-top provocative subject matter a little silly, but this is still an influential and fun listen.  Well worth picking up the reissue....