by Brad Roberts
A holiday week gives many of us a four day work week, which means more time for fun. Monday is kind of slow, but the rest of the week picks up. I'm particularly looking forward to Hands at The Satellite on Tuesday. Alpine Decline are at 3 of Clubs on Wednesday, the same night as Gruff Rhys brings his latest collection of hyper-imaginative compositions to The Echo. Great chance to see a wonderful artist in a small venue.And now there's a show with Seasons, Modern Time Machines and The Terrapin at The Satellite. Curses!
Avi Zahner-Isenberg (pictured above) has been playing a lot of solo and semi-solo shows lately and it's been real interesting to watch him explore ambient and distant musical territory and an honor to accompany him on this journey. On Thursday he's at The Satellite, then in July he heads off to Europe for a series of dates. And influential rock legends Archers of Loaf return for a two-night stand at The Troubadour.
Sorry for the cryptic message in the headline, but I saw Terrence Mallick's The Tree Of Life this weekend and it had that effect on me, and the words from an old Chad VanGaalen song seemed appropriate. Like Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, I think it's the biggest budget experimental film I've ever seen. How he was allowed to do it amazes me.
Monday, May 30
- "School Night!" w/ Sarabeth Tucek, High Highs @ Bardot
- Vaud and The Villains, Silverlake Chorus, Paulie Pesh @ The Satellite
- The Bixby Knolls, Cannoneers, Wake Up Lucid, The Icarus Line @ The Echo
- Maniac, Y Luv, Hello Vegas @ Bootleg Bar
- Taylor Locke & The Roughs, The Remainders, Carter Hulsey @ Silver Lake Lounge
DECISION:
Being a holiday, there aren't a lot of shows tonight to start the week off, but The Bixby Knolls bravely soldier on to their concluding residency night at The Echo with a nice bill that includes The Icarus Line and Wake Up Lucid. Vaud and The Villains offer a great way to celebrate Memorial Day, come to think of it, along with the lush music of Paulie Pesh and the glorious choral group, Silver Lake Chorus at The Satellite...and both shows are free! Have a great holiday.
Tuesday, May 31
- Eternal Summers @ Origami Vinyl (5 PM)
- Maia Sharp & Moveable Feast, ZZ Ward, Amie Miriello, Caleb Hawley @ Hotel Cafe
- Bruce Cockburn, Jenny Scheinman @ El Rey
- Demetri Martin @ Largo at the Coronet
- Lykke Li, 10,000 Maniacs @ The WIltern
- Nicole Vaughn record release, Jenni Alpert, Wes Poland, Jason Soudah @ Room5
- The Parlotones, The Daylights, Transfer @ The Troubadour
- Hands, Oberhofer @ The Satellite
- Ballerina Black, Secret Empire, Hell & Lula @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Eternal Summers, The Beets, Seapony @ The Echo
- Stereo Total, Giant Drag, Batwings Catwings, Scarlett Casanova @ Echoplex
DECISION:
Don't miss Hands at The Satellite. They absolutely killed it a Bardot a couple of weeks ago, and their mix of techno with really good songwriting instincts makes for some really interesting music. (Photo at right by Paley Fairman) I'm also looking forward to Brooklyn's Oberhofer, who are also on the bill. There's a lot of good shows tonight, including swedish chanteuse, Lykke Li and 10,000 Maniacs at The Wiltern.
Wednesday, June 1
- Architecture In Helsinki, Hooray For Earth @ Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre
- Karmina record release w/ Tight The Stars, The Young Romans, Nia Andrews @ Hotel Cafe
- Earth, Wind & Fire @ Nokia Theatre
- Echo Park Juke Joint w/ Bonnie Sheppard, Pony Village @ Lot 1 Cafe
- Gun Runner, The New Division, Torches In Trees @ The Mint
- Parade of Lights, Daylight Trade @ Silver Lake Lounge
- The Wombats, Wild Party, Pop Noir @ The Troubadour
- Alpine Decline, Silver Phial, Palace Walls @ 3 of Clubs
- Gruff Rhys, Y Niml, DJ Andy Votel @ The Echo
- Seasons, Pony Village, The Terrapin, Modern Time Machines @ The Satellite
- AK and Her Kalashnikovs, The Shpil, Plotz!, Shoestring Trio @ Bootleg Bar
DECISION:
One of the first passions I developed, back in '05 when I first considered wandering back out to see live music, was for Gruff Rhys' (at right) band Super Furry Animals, and they ended up being the first concert I went to after 25 years. In a way, you can blame them for all this. If I hadn't been so completely won over by that one show (Nov. 29, 2005 - Avalon) I might not have gone back out for a second, third or five hundredth time. I even went to see Gruff Rhys when he gave a solo show at Jensen Recreation Center a few years back, and was blown away at the giant array of instruments and toys he sets up and plays. A fantastically creative artist, he plays The Echo tonight. For myself, I've been dying to catch up with Alpine Decline ever since they played our very first Free Tuesday at LaBrie's last November with The Californian. I love their little EP and have played it to death, but have somehow missed all of their subsequent shows, so I must go over to 3 of Clubs to see them tonight. Another favorite band, Torches In Trees, play at The Mint. A word has to go out to them for the wonderful CD, Torches, they gave out at my third Feed Your Head anniversary at Lot 1 Cafe, containing some new, fantastic recordings. Hey, hey, don't forget Seasons at The Satellite with Modern Time Machines. Watch out!
Thursday, June 2
- Anthony David @ Amoeba Music
- Avi Zahner-Isenberg, Farspeaker, Owens Valley Dynamite, Monte Mar @ The Satellite
- Ryan Levine, Bubble & Strife, Private Showcase @ Hotel Cafe
- Anthony David, Joi Starr, Margo Rey, Nick Davey @ Key Club
- Dennis Coffey & Friends, Breakestra, Rescheduled @ The Troubadour
- JAXART presents Professor Calculus, Twin Steps, Wild Pack of Canaries, Vacation Dad @ Lot 1 Cafe
- Manchester Orchestra, Sleeper Agent, Twilight Sleep @ Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre
- The Undertones, Sweater Girls, Exploding Flowers @ Echoplex
- Army Navy, The Wind, The Damn Sons, Dede @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Givers, Family Of The Year, Caddywhompus @ Bootleg Bar
- Woodsman, Tape Deck Mountain, Kissing Cousins, White Hinterland @ The Echo
- Professor Calculus, Mikki and the Mauses, Time You Exist, Gnarbaby, Machine Fang @ Mr. T's Bowl
DECISION:
Congratulations to Twilight Sleep for getting a gig at El Rey opening for Manchester Orchestra...now that's classy. I was real impressed with the great big celebratory, sing-along-sound of Family of the Year (at right) at Silver Lake Lounge last September, and tonight they're with Givers at Bootleg Bar. Kathryn has a spotlight about this show later in the week. Kissing Cousins are part of a potent bill at The Echo, and of course, I recommend Avi Zahner-Isenberg at The Satellite, to blow your mind into tiny particles.
Friday, June 3
- Archers of Loaf, The Globes @ The Troubadour
- Barcelona, The 88, Jenny O & Holcombe Waller @ Hotel Cafe
- Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines @ Hollywood Palladium
- Forts, Religious Girls, Tigerbitch, Combat! @ The Smell
- Gayngs, Dirty Beaches, Funky Soul DJs @ Natural History Museum
- John Grant, Heidi Spencer, Sara Lov @ Largo at the Coronet
- Rock Concert Teen Island, Socorro & The Seizure @ Lot 1 Cafe
- The Antlers, Little Scream @ El Rey
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Ema, Oregon Bike Trails @ The Echo
- Grouplove, Walk The Moon @ The Satellite
- California Guitar Trio @ McCabe's
- Future Dancing, The Lonely Wild, Handshakes, Sea of Cortez @ Bootleg Bar
DECISION:
A friend is trying to get me to go to see Archers of Loaf (above) at The Troubadour, to fill in a little more of the vacuum left when I payed no attention to rock and roll from the mid eighties through the nineties. I've managed to catch up with Pavement, Sonic Youth, Swervedriver, Slint and even lived to tell about the sonic assault by My Bloody Valentine, so I may take him up on this. I've been steered well so far. If not for that, I'd go see The Lonely Wild opening for Future Dancing at Bootleg Bar, 'cause I want to see them as many times as I can. And just to confuse the entire evening, there are individual sets all over town by many favorites, like Sara Lov at Largo at the Coronet, Jenny O at Hotel Cafe, Tigerbitch! at The Smell and Grouplove at The Satellite.
Saturday, June 4
- Buffalo Springfield, Gillian Welch @ The Wiltern
- The Bird and The Bee @ Bootleg Theatre
- Archers of Loaf, The Globes @ The Troubadour
- The World Record, Count Fleet, Miniature Houses, Sue Scrofa, Fatty Dearest @ Pehrspace
- Brother Sal, Jake Walden, George Stanford, Ragnar Rosinkeanz & Neon Hymns, Christopher Dallman @ Hotel Cafe
- Jungle Fever, The Lumps, Deadly Finns @ The Smell
- Amor de Dias, Damon and Naoli @ The Satellite
- Yadi & Elliot present Night of the Living Psychos! @ Mr. T's Bowl
- Agnes Obel, Lucy Schwartz @ McCabe's
- Alec Fin @ Bootleg Bar
- Tom Brosseau, Becky Stark, John C. Reilly @ Echo Country Outpost
- The World Record, Count Fleet, Sue Scrofa & Miniature HOuses, Elliot Glass @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
Some high profile shows tonight include the legendary (newly reconstituted) Buffalo Springfield taking the stage of The WIltern with Gillian Welch, accompanied by David Rawlings (both in photo at right) for an evening of great guitar work and strong singing. Local favorite, Inara George is back on stage at the Bootleg, with The Bird and The Bee, which marries her highly distinctive sense of melody with her samba side for a truly satisfying mixture of calypso/indie rock. Archers of Loaf complete their run at The Troubadour as well.
Sunday, June 5
- Buffalo Springfield, Gillian Welch @ The Wiltern
- Grand Ole Echo @ The Echo (5 PM)
- 14 Iced Bears, Phil Wilson, Aberdeen @ The Echo (9 PM)
- Songwriters Sunday @ Hotel Cafe
- Mike Viola, Haroula Rose, Daniel Ahearn and the Jones @ The Satellite
- Stornoway, Sea of Bees @ The Troubadour
DECISION:
Buffalo Springfield and Gillian Welch finish up their two-night stint at The Wiltern, while locally, Mike Viola and Haroula Rose visit The Satellite.
O.K. that's it. Let me know what I may have missed: RFSLshowlistings@gmail.com
Comments