by Brad Roberts
There's definitely something in the wind (Coachella's over and summer is coming) because the concert scene is ramping up each day this week, culminating in a Saturday line up that is confounding. Fleet Foxes (at right) return to town to play none other than the Hollywood Palladium that night, on the week of their highly anticipated new CD, Helplessness Blues, being released on Tuesday. A far cry from their original performances at The Echo and Spaceland. I hope I can take their success. I've seen them a number of times, and watched their progress, on a similar trajectory as Grizzly Bear, from Spaceland to the Hollywood Palladium with a mixture of pride and trepidation, as they become too big to ever play in an intimate venue again. To have to share them with the world, so to speak. Their sound is always more powerful live and I'll find out just how powerful they sound these days, and how big they've become at a packed Palladium.
Radio Free Silver Lake is taking a break from our weekly shows at LaBrie's...to catch our breath, and come back in June. Kathryn wrote an informative tribute here. Details to be announced soon for our next show. Meanwhile, there'll be a gap in the Tuesday listings but I'll try to steer you to some worthy alternatives. Monday features a batch of new residencies and some local favorites, like Seasons and The Lonely Wild and Pepper Rabbit and Family of the Year have shows sprinkled throughout the week.
I'm looking forward to spending Cinco de Mayo at the Echoplex on Thursday with Calexico in a celebratory show featuring Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkestra and Mariachi Luz de Luna. Saturday also features another show I hate to miss: at Walt Disney Concert Hall, it is "The Song of Patsy Cline" featuring The Living Sisters, Zooey Deschanel, John Doe and others. It turns out to be a week of tremendous variety for music in L.A.
Monday, May 2
- Xavier Rudd "The Tap Root Tour", HoneyHoney @ El Rey
- He's My Brother She's My Sister, Soko, Cowboy & Indian, The Rag Dolls, Ana Calderon @ The Satellite
- Dan Bern, Mike Viola, Kristeenyoung, Shannon Whitworth @ Hotel Cafe
- KCRW's School Night! w/ Ceci Bastida, Leftover Cuties @ Bardot
- White Arrows, Lesands, Vanaprasta, Chain Gang of 1974 @ Bootleg
- Battles, Holloys @ Echoplex
- Chen Santa Maria, This Invitation, I Love You, N.O.W. @ Pehrspace
- Taylor Locke & the Roughs, Keith Slettedahl, The Shrine, Joe Firstman @ Silver Lake Lounge
DECISION:
Xavier Rudd, on his "Tap Root Tour", stops by El Rey tonight with the opening slot being filled by HoneyHoney. Lesands are creating their own buzz these days, so it's only appropriate they're part of the White Arrows residency at The Bootleg, sponsored by Buzzbands and Aural Standards. He's My Brother, She's My Sister begin their own residency at The Satellite tonight with Soko is attendance. Hear great things about Battles who play Echoplex this evening with Holloys on the bill. Ceci Bastida plays at Bardotfor Chris Douridas' "School Night!" series.
Tuesday, May 3
- Drake Bell, Maia Sharp & Movable Feast, Lanie Lane, Sweet Talk Radio @ Hotel Cafe
- Crystal Antlers, Milo Greene, yOya @ The Basement Lounge at The Victorian
- Leon Russell, Booker T. Jones @ El Rey
- TV On The Radio, Glasser @ The Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre
- Alberta Cross, Blue Blood, Stone Darling, Maxim Ludwig and the Santa Fe Seven @ The Satellite
- Lovers, Matu, The Dead Ships, BRKN RBTZ @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Beach Fossils, Craft Spells, Sea Lions @ The Echo
DECISION:
Wow, is there ever a gigantic hole out there tonight! From the legendary Leon Russell at El Rey to the mega-popular TV On The Radio at The Fonda there's a lot to fill that hole. On the local stage, Beach Fossils are at The Echo and Alberta Cross (at right) begins a Tuesday residency at The Satellite.
Wednesday, May 4
- Bostich + Fussible @ Amoeba Music
- Tony Lucca, Tiny Animals, Bubba Lewis, Justin Hopkins @ Hotel Cafe
- Cass McCombs, Frank Fairfield, Residual Echoes @ The Troubadour
- Charles Bradley With the Menehan Street Band @ The Echo
- James Blunt, Christina Perri @ TheWiltern
- Rhett Miller, Robert Francis @ The Autry
- The Pipettes, Family of the Year, Hot as Sun @ The Satellite
- The Red River, Radiation City, Toy Bombs @ Silver Lake Lounge
- The Donkeys, Social Studies, The Damn Sons @ Bootleg
DECISION:
Some wonderful opening acts highlight the best of the night's shows. Frank Fairfield opens for Cass McCombs at The Troubadour and Family of the Year (at right) plays for The Pipettes at The Satellite. Robert Francis is doing a show at The Autry with Rhett Miller.
Thursday, May 5
- Ever Isles @ Origami Vinyl
- The Corin Tucker Band, Crazy Band, The Pity Party @ The Satellite
- Apex Manor, The Fling, The New Division @ The Echo
- The Raveonettes, Tamaryn @ The Troubadour
- Cinco de Mayo Celebration w/ Calexico w/ Mariachi Luz de Luna, Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkestra @ Echoplex
- Frank Turner with Dave Hause (7 & 10 PM) @ Hotel Cafe
- Cloudland Canyon, Jonas Reinhardt, War Drum @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Sun Araw, Vex Ruffin, Matthewdavid, Master Blaster @ The Smell
- Multitude of Girls, Suicide Chords, Brain Dead Burockracy, Clepto, + 1 Band @ Mr. T's Bowl
- Timur and the Dime Museum, Dorian Wood @ Bootleg
DECISION:
I got myself a ticket to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Echoplex with Calexico, appearing with some of their great support musicians, including Mariachi Luz de Luna and Sergio Mendoza. I was moved to hear that the song, Crystal Frontier, recorded by Calexico, with Mariachi Luz de Luna, is a favorite of injured Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Giffords, and that he has that as his wake up song when he is on a space mission. There are tons of other great show to choose from tonight as well, including Sun Araw at The Smell, The Raveonettes at The Troubadour and The Pity Party at The Satellite.
Friday, May 6
- Mike Stinson, Tony Gilkyson @ Bootleg
- Seasons, Count Fleet @ Casey's Bar
- NAR, Black Elephant, RAAATS! @ The Smell@ The Echo
- Insect Surfers, Ghosts of Searchlight, Thee Swank Bastards, Special Guest @ Mr. T's Bowl
- Chuck Dukowski Sextet, The Kris Special, Sanglorians, Stella Luna @ Pehrspace
- Ezra Furman & The Harpoons, Tristen, The Apache Relay @ The Satellite
- The Raveonettes, Tamaryn @ The Troubadour
- Dirty Vegas, The Hundred In The Hands, White Apple Tree, Polaris At Noon @ Echoplex
- Junip, Acrylics @ El Rey
- "First Fridays" w/ Moving Units, Crystal Stilts @ Natural History Museum
- Cave Country, Fort Wilson Riot, Crooked Paw @ Taix Lounge
- The Universal Thump, Weather, Belize, Ansel, Firehorse, Loch & Keyn @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Seasons begin their May residency at Casey's Bar with Count Fleet tonight, which kicks off a great series of shows featuring some of L.A.'s finest alternative bands. "First Fridays" is also up again tonight at the Natural History Museum where Moving Units will play for the dinosaurs.
Saturday, May 7
- The Outdoors @ Origami Vinyl
- "Saturdays Off The 409" with Avi Buffalo, DJ Kevin Bronson @ The Getty
- The 88, Taylor Locke & The Roughs @ The Echo
- William Fitzsimmons, Slow Runner, Satellite, Hello Echo, Other Mountains @ Hotel Cafe
- The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, guests @ Casey's Bar
- "The Songs of Patsy Cline" w/ The Living Sisters, and special guests: Zooey Deschanel, John Doe, Shirley Manson, John C, Reilly, Charlie Wadhams @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
- Ceu, Francisca Velenzuela @ El Rey
- Fleet Foxes, The Cave Singers @ Hollywood Palladium
- Richard Thompson, Alistair Anderson @ McCabe's
- The Submarines, Pepper Rabbit, White Sean @ The Troubadour
- Zola Jesus, Naked on the Vague, Hive Mind @ The Satellite
- Foot Village, BITCHES, The Tleilaxu Music Machine, Batwings Catwings @ The Smell
- JAXART presents Shelley Short, Darren Hanlon, Angela Correa @ Lot 1 Cafe
- King Devil @ Bootleg
- The Lonely Wild, Coyote, Broken Numbers Band, Dirty Dinosaurs, Son Ark @ Mr. T's Bowl
- Underground Railroad to Candyland, Old Lumps, Simon Lebron, Peter Pants, Colleagues @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
I've had my ticket for Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Palladium for months, before I had any idea this would turn out to be the night of so many choices. Beginning with Pepper Rabbit at The Troubadour opening for The Submarines, through Avi Buffalo, inaugurating this summer's first "Saturdays Off the 405" at The Getty, there's more great music per square mile than any city has any right to. Angela Correa performs for a JAXART show at Lot 1 Cafe, our friends, The Lonely Wild play with Coyote at Mr. T's Bowl, where I haven't seen a band in a long time, and Underground Railroad To Candyland are on a strong bill at Pehrspace. "The Songs of Patsy Cline" takes place at Walt Disney Concert Hall and featuring the likes of The Living Sisters (above) and John Doe for what will probably be an unforgettable show.
Sunday, May 8
- Ceci Bastida @ Amoeba Music
- Ghostland Observatory @ Club Nokia
- Grand Ole Echo w/ Tony Gilkyson @ The Echo
- Jesse Thomas, "Songwriters Sunday" @ Hotel Cafe
- The Meteors, Henchmen, Kat Killers, A.Y., Slash-O-Matic @ Echoplex
- Ancestors, Tweak Bird, War Widow @ Bootleg
DECISION:
Ceci Bastida plays a free show at Amoeba this afternoon at 5, and the experimental electro-punk giants, Ghostland Observatory play the Club Nokia.
Upcoming and Exciting...
The Henry Clay People (at right) have their first L.A. shows since last October on May 13 and 14 at The Satellite, on a double bill with the wonderful Shadow Shadow Shade. Get tickets now! Also on May 14th, Lord Huron continue to climb in the popular consciousness with a breakout show at The Troubadour. With their potent combination of songwriting skills and the band's personal charisma,I wouldn't be surprised to see them at Hollywood Palladium before too long. Got a ticket to see Low at El Rey in September and Hollywood Bowl tickets for The National and Neko Case, also in September, go on sale this Saturday.
Tell me what I missed here: RFSLshowlistings@gmail.com
Monday night, 10pm Origami Vinyl has a listening party for the new Fleet Foxes record at El Prado, details here: http://origamimusic.blogspot.com/2011/05/fleet-foxes-helplessness-blues-premiere.html
Wednesday night at the Echo: Charles Bradley! (nearly sold out)
Posted by: Kathryn | May 02, 2011 at 05:02 PM