Radio Free Silver Lake

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Can't Shake The Weight Of Everything, Can't Shake The Weight...")

by Brad Roberts

  

Two bands, Mew and Nine Inch Nails, are using L.A. as their own personal playgrounds this week, both playing multiple gigs at a variety of theatres, sometimes together, sometimes not. Trent Reznor's  legendary industrial-rock outfit, Nine Inch Nails (above) are tearing through town, playing most of the medium/large venues here, in a series of suddenly announced, 'farewell tour' (??) shows. Beginning with the Hollywood Palladium on Wednesday (SOLD OUT) they move to The Fonda Thursday (SOLD OUT), both shows with Mew. Then, after a break on Friday, they play The Wiltern and The Echoplex on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with Health opening.

Mew (at right) are back in America from their home in Denmark supporting the Mewseum Art Project over at the Zune Gallery  It's a photo and cinematic installation including many of the extraordinary videos that have been created for this band and shots from the band's history. The exhibit opened on Saturday, August 29, and runs to September 3. In addition to the 'invite only' event Monday at the Zune on Beverly, the band has a headlining show at The Troubadour on Tuesday with Luke Top. Then the shows with Nine Inch Nails noted above.

On a somewhat smaller scale, Local Natives finish up their smashingly successful Monday residency at Spaceland and head right on over to The Troubadour to open for Heartless Bastards on Wednesday. The melodramatic theatrics of Bat For Lashes has sold out the Fonda for their second show here this year. Patti Smith is at Santa Monica Pier to reprise her successful show earlier this summer at the same location as a perfect 'end of season' send off.

Radio Free Silver Lake is offering three pairs of free tickets, here, for Division Day, who are beginning a tour in support of their beautiful new CD, Visitation for CLUB NME on Wednesday at Spaceland. I'm looking forward to this show as it's been a long time since they've played, otherwise I would be at Elaine Layabout's great night of music with Tommy Santee Klaws, Manhattan Murder Mystery and Big Whup at Silver Factory Studios. Saturday is the all day F Yeah Fest presents Save Our State Parks downtown, with a billing you gotta see to believe.

Ticket Giveaway: Division Day at Spaceland, this Wednesday, Sept. 2.

By Joel Robinson

Yet again it is not a "Ticket Tuesday" as this is being posted. But yet again, thanks to good friends, RFSL is psyched to be able to offer chances for free entry to a great show come midweek.

Thanks to the Spaceland team, we're able to offer three pairs of entry for Wednesday's Division Day performance. The locals deliver this outing in support of their newly released second album, Visitation.

Joined by Bad Veins and LoveLikeFire, this will make for yet another most excellent Spaceland evening.

Album Review: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below

by David Greening

I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that I have never seen Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros in concert. Not sure why it never happened, it was just one of those things. But hearing about the band’s festival like performances combined with listening to the debut album, Up From Below, has me deeply regretting my past choices.

While comparisons to The Arcade Fire meeting Johnny Cash and June Carter or Lee Hazlewood fronting Sunset Rubdown are apt, this is a band and an album that is so much bigger than a genre or a scene. Here is a record full of soul searching and new beginnings; songs filled with joy, whimsy and love. Up From Below is a magical experience because they believe in it. Frontman and songwriter Alex Ebert (formerly of Ima Robot) has taken a metaphorical wandering through the desert and returned with a clean heart that he and his band have poured onto two-inch tape for us to revel in and enjoy.

East of Sunset Trailer

The folks at Thrillhouse Productions have a documentary in-the-works on the burgeoning LA music scene titled East of Sunset -- due out early next year.

Check out the trailer below for an early peak of the film, which features interviews with members of The Airborne Toxic Event, The Movies, Everest, and Earlimart, as well as such folks at Classical Geek Theatre's Mouse, KROQ's Kat Corbett, Buzz Band's Kevin Bronson, and RFSL's own Marion, Kristen, and Joe.

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Ticket Giveaway(s) at The Echo: the Dirtbombs tomorrow, or Ted Leo come Friday

By Joel Robinson

No, it is not Tuesday. But yes, RFSL has tickets to share with our readers! Thanks to the team over at the Echo, we have tickets for a couple great shows coming up this week. 

The first of these would be TOMORROW'S event with The Dirtbombs (pictured at right*) headlining and joined by The Sermon and by Jail Weddings.

The second this week is Friday's event with Ted Leo & The Pharmacists joined by JEFF the Brotherhood.

Your chance to win free entry for one of these will be same as all giveaways. Click below to expand and see a few more details.

Video Free Silver Lake: Grizzly Bear, Fever Ray, Matt and Kim, Ted Leo, Princeton and R.E.M

By Jed

Between Sunset Junction this last week (observations = what up with the sets not corresponding with the schedule, where did all the hipsters go on Sunday? Local Natives are QUITE good), listening through the Pitchfork top 500 tracks of the 2000's (Wolf Parade's "Shine a Light," Gorillaz' "Feel Good, Inc.", Midlake's "Roscoe,"at 307, 308 and 309 seems way too poorly ranked, right?), and trying to eat a mango at my computer while typing (just now...big mistake), I feel like I've hardly watched any videos, but here's what I've got for you.  First, two fan made videos, both courtesy of the Andrew Sullivan blog, both of which I thought were quite cool, and good excuses to listen again to two of my favorite new songs of the year:

1) A fan made video for Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks." New and I like it:

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

R.I.P: The Lights From Here

by Joe Fielder

Hate to dwell on sad things, but we miss the hell out of now-defunct LA post rock act The Lights From Here...

Many of their tracks inhabited the pretty/crashing space defined by groups like Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky, but they often diverged quite a bit from that as well -- like in the western-themed "Truth or Consequences" or xylophone-inspired madness of "Birdmouth." Their album off local label The New Black is definitely worth tracking down (inquire here).

We checked in with member Andres Cruzalegui to find out what happened and where all the members are now -- and he sent over a few unreleased tracks for us to post along with his answers.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Everything Moves So Fast, Leaves No Time To Ask, Does Nothing Last? Do All Things Pass?)

by Brad Roberts

Among the big bands performing this week in Los Angeles, The National (above) bring their reflective, ruminative, lushly orchestrated music to a date at The Wiltern for their first show here in a while. They're on a whirlwind tour with a few dates across the U.S. and a smattering of European shows in August, which is not a bad way to spend the summer. This band is so great live that I can't wait for the show on Saturday and can't recommend it highly enough, in spite of the tough competition from great shows all over town that night.

On Thursday, The Hollywood Palladium has Franz Ferdinand, and The Mars Volta on Sunday, both hugely popular, both shows likely sellouts. Sweden's Dungen, purveyors of gorgeously dense sludge rock, are back in town for two shows, first headlining at The Troubadour on Wednesday, then opening for Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band on Thursday at Echoplex. Peter Yorn plays two nights at the Henry Fonda on Thursday and Friday, and long-time music legends, Steely Dan (pictured), continue their four day engagement at Gibson Amphitheatre, performing a different album each night. Monday they perform The Royal Scam from 1976, and Tuesday, it's Internet request night. To give this band their due, they were key in breathing fresh life and new sounds into rock in the mid '70's and I was an eager audience for their work.

Residencies continue to be strong with two bands that have lately been giving sterling shows, The Parson Red Heads and The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, who are supporting Local Natives at Spaceland on Monday, while the Wednesday installment of Dawes at The Echo offers the intriguing Michael Davis with Lions and Andrew Lynch. 

Show Review: The (First Annual?) Rock and Roll Summer Circus

by Brad Roberts

 

On Friday, August 14, 2009, the circus came to town. This was no ordinary circus, but the Rock and Roll Summer Circus presented by Aquarium Drunkard and LA Weekly, in the first of what I hope will become an annual tradition.

 

Turning the Echoplex over to the use of 10 or so bands, utilizing every available performing space, kept the evening in high gear from beginning to end.  Eli Monolator Moderator (above) kept the action moving as a 'refugee from the French Army' garbed ringmaster. The costume order of the day was moustaches for everyone and Eli cut a dashing figure with his dazzling 'stache.

 

I arrived as Marvelous Toy (at left) were tearing through their last three songs, so I walked right into a high energy display of Jordan Huddock's virtuoso piano style. The band sounded great and the already crowded room was rocking right along with them. This band is so pleasing they can open an evening, close an evening and play a headlining set and be the perfect band for each slot. I'm really looking forward to more recorded work from them.

Welcome to the circus, and, as Joan Crawford said as the ringmaster in the laff-classic Berserk, "This is a circus, not a charm school!"  (Thanks to Doug Kresse for all the great concert shots)

EP Review: Manhattan Murder Mystery

by Joe Fielder

Manhattan Murder Mystery have been recruiting to their musical cause – an underground revolution both for and by unlikely heroes – at spots like Mr T’s Bowl, Pehrspace, and Echo Curio around Los Angeles for a few years now. A secret message worth sharing…

Lead Matthew Teardrop performs with the sort of flawless punk rock charm, he could sing from the encyclopedia and you’d buy it. In the band’s five-song EP, he projects the sort of mix of poetic and absurd you see rarely pulled off so well outside of acts like LA favorite sons The Movies, backed by music as urgent as early, blue collar punks The Misfits, but with greater range (Doyle never played the banjo…).

Try to listen to the track “Jonathan” without having its minimalist chorus (“Jonathan / Where have you been? / I’ve been waiting for ever and ever.”) stuck in your head for weeks and you’ll epic fail all over yourself. And the same goes with “In The Parking Lot,” a song so good other local acts are already covering it.

Manhattan Murder Mystery’s EP release party is this Saturday night at Pehrspace. Seasons, The Health Club, and Odd Modern join the celebration, and so should you.