Radio Free Silver Lake

Film Doc Spotlight: Pass The Music

by Joe Fielder

It's safe to say that there are a fair amount of folks in the LA music scene who've been waiting for someone to sum it all up in a way that really does it justice.

The upcoming Pass The Music documentary -- which features interviews with stellar LA acts like The Movies, Manhattan Murder Mystery, The Happy Hollows, Earlimart, The Henry Clay People, and more -- looks it just might pull that off.

The filmmakers seem to really get the incredible amount of talent and creativity that exists here, as well as how fragile it all is (example: R.I.P. The Movies) and how much the groups need and deserve the support.

Check out the trailer below, then head over to Kickstarter page that the makers have launched to raise funds necessary to complete the film.

MUSIC WE LIKE: Dirt Bird - "Summer Night Hours" EP

by Brad Roberts

The sound of the harmonium cuts the silence as "Lil Bo Blue" begins Dirt Bird's debut EP, Summer Night Hours. (The plain brown wrapper at right represents the ReSleeve package it comes in)Next comes the oddly distant vocals of Claire Mckeown and Athena LeGrand as they sing in harmonies that are somewhat extra-terrestrial, like music beamed in from Venus, occasionally punctuating the droning with what sounds like a crowd applauding or hail on a car roof. That sets the mood for the whole album. Semi-operatic mood lullabies that lull the listener into a state of suspended animation. Like floating above the earth, looking down.

The simplicity and the solid vision coupled with the classically trained voices results in one of the most unusual and unique records I've heard out of this whole rock movement. The lyrics are obtuse enough to be open to many interpretations making the compositions sound deep and mysterious, like on "Spirit and Opportunity".

Video Free Silver Lake: They Might Be Giants, Poly Styrene, Björk, Bon Iver

By Jed

1) They Might Be Giants have just announced the winner of their contest to create a video for the song "Can't Keep Johnny Down" of their new album Join Us. Per Judge John Hodgeman: "I KNOW there have been backwards videos before, but every time I watch this video, I see new beautiful things in it. The reverse spit take, the firecrackers arcing through the air, the weirdly poetic, jiggling man-flesh, and the fact that they actually startled a deer make this a wonder, complete and impeccable.
WHAT’S MORE, they perfectly capture both the assholic and exultant nature of Johnny, and this man’s face and body are something I can look at all day long. He deserves an INTERNET VIDEO OSCAR just for his last look on his face.
IT WAS A TOUGH CALL, but I present to you, delightedly, your CONTEST WINNER:"

Ticket Giveaway: The Features to visit the Satellite this Friday!

By Joel Robinson

Hey there, Radio Free Silver Lake friends. We are back with notice of what will be a great show and a chance for freebie entry to same!

This one brings Tennessee's The Features right here to our own neighborhood haunt of the Satellite come this Friday. And thanks to them, we are able to offer free entry to a lucky reader and guest to attend this one!

So who are The Features? Well, that's them pictured here. And if you have a television and a bit o' late night stamina, you can catch them on Jimmy Kimmel TONIGHT as they perform a NEW song off their most recent album, Wilderness, which just so happens to be releasing TODAY. If you're curious what others may have had to say about them, read this:

“Though these small-town Tennessee boys have been active since the late '90s, they've never been so commanding, spewing volcanic rock with a dramatic flourish, then holding your attention by revealing a deceptively sophisticated wit.” -SPIN Magazine

“The ‘60s keyboards give it a Deep Purple stomp that kicks down the walls of the log cabin.” -BUST Magazine

And now to the point of this post; a great show is a' comin' and a chance for freebie entry is a' here! So get in on the mix. If you are 21 or older, drop an e-mail to "RFSLjoel(at)gmail(dot)com” that includes "The Features at the Satellite" in the subject line and your full name (and any other comments you may have) in the e-mail text. Please be certain we have that e-mail by NOON FRIDAY to secure your spot in the mix.

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The Features, joined by Oh Darling, play Friday, July 29, at the the Satellite at 1717 Silverlake Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA. $10 (tickets available for purchase here), 21+ entry, doors at 8:00pm

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Everything Someday Will Be Gone Except Silence, Earth Will Be Quiet Again, Seas From Clouds Will Wash Off The Ashes Of Violence...")

by Brad Roberts

With a head that's already exploding with information overload in this constant 24/7 news-cycle world we live in, just focusing oneself on what's going on in the world of music, seems a trifle irrelevant this week. With the nation's (and the world's) economy teetering on the brink, while politicians are dragged around by loud extremists, and all are shocked and horrified at the bombings and shootings that shattered Norway's peace, please give a thought for the poor, grieving families of the victims. And then on Saturday, Amy Winehouse joined the list of other rock casualties who died at the age of 27. I didn't really pay much attention to her tabloid life and Grammy-winning music, not because her voice wasn't good, it was, but it seemed obvious she would not have a long career. Her run into oblivion made Sid and Nancy seem like the parents in Leave It To Beaver. With all this, I just have to tune out the news and put on my tunnel-vision hat.

This list just seems to keep getting bigger each week. The sheer volume of shows is pretty overwhelming as the number of establishments giving themselves over to music just keeps morphing and expanding. Even Sunday is packed with good shows. Somehow, last week, I overlooked Bloomfest that took place downtown last Saturday. Sorry I missed that. But let's look forward. I think I'm most excited about Thursday night, which offers The Henry Clay People at The Hammer Museum or Geronimo Getty and Judson at Pershing Square, and Saturday where I have to choose between Lord Huron at The Getty or Alpine Decline in what may be their final show before moving to China, at LA Eco Village, and Seasons video release show at Pehrspace, which is probably where I'll end up. It's a jungle out there. Good luck.

One of the most gratifying aspects of putting together this list each week is that it forces me to listen to bands that are appearing in L.A. who I may know nothing about, but who either fit comfortably into my musical taste range or force me to explore previously uncharted territory. Such is the case with Rupa & the April Fishes. This band, headquartered in San Francisco, are playing two consecutive nights at the Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena on Thursday and Friday. If you're a fan of DeVotchKa or Beirut or Gogol Bordello, this band is another for you. Internationally flavored and as evocative of another time and place as those others bands, the musicianship on display is highly impressive, supporting Rupa Marya, whose lead vocals are sultry and hypnotic and irresistible showcasing her skillful use of her Indian/European/American musical heritage.

Interview: Death to Anders

by Joe Fielder

Rob Danson is more than just the driving force behind indie rock act  Death To Anders. As one of the organizers of the Central Second Collective (a group of local bands who worked to promote each other's music), he's one of the folks who have helped make LA's "east side" music scene as varied as fun as it is today.  

We recently spoke with Rob about recording Death To Anders' upcoming album, his thoughts on the current LA music scene, his film score work, and oh so much more. You can read the barely-edited hour-long conversation right after this exclusive stream from the new album.

RFSL (1:33:59 PM): You've been recording new material for Death to Anders recently?
RobDanson (1:36:56 PM): Yeah! Before going into the studio, I did a ton of research on different recording studios, producers and engineers. The biggest difference we wanted to accomplish from recording "Fictitious Business" was that we wanted to record everything in a live situation. After talking with multiple bands and Neal from Origami Vinyl, we decided that INFRASONIC SOUND (No Age, The Henry Clay People, Fools Gold) would be the best choice. We went in there last month with producer Eric Palmquist (who we adore) and busted out twelve full band songs. In addition to those, I recorded five acoustic songs with producer David Newton.
RFSL (1:38:17 PM): Are these all new songs? Or songs you've had on previous releases? Or songs you've been playing out recently?
RobDanson (1:40:52 PM): This recording session is really interesting. The songs expand throughout the past eight years that I've lived in LA. Thus, we recorded some songs that I wrote eight years ago and some songs I wrote in 2011, as well as some in between.
RFSL (1:41:55 PM): You've had a few demos out the last few years that I've really liked... “Anne Marie,” “Handshakes & Earthquakes,” “Please Be Honest,” and “Detective Surgery.”
RFSL (1:42:00 PM): Were those among them?
RobDanson (1:42:50 PM): Absolutely! We re-did all three of those songs. We made sure that the performance and the recording quality was as good as it can be. As of now, I couldn't be happier.

MUSIC WE LIKE: The Henry Clay People

Album recommendations by Kathryn Pinto

The Henry Clay People-This is a Desert EP (TBD)

The known world is divided into flyers and gigs if you believe Mike Watt of the Minutemen. The gig is the thing, where a band has the most creative control over their music. Everything else (videos, interviews, facebook pages) is a flyer to get people to the gig. A record is a flyer and the Henry Clay People are a live band. Sure, front man Joey Siara is a pretty good, if underrated, songwriter given to cleverly poetic turns of phrase, but the reason to care about this band is that on stage the Henry Clays connect with their audience from the first moment the guitar pick strikes a string.

This is a Desert was released this spring just as a wave of malaise settled in dark over the East Side, musicians and writers asking, “Does any of this matter? Is anyone listening?” The Henry Clays fire back with five songs burning against the claustrophobia of a conventional life. “…they’re telling us to stay inside/but we’ve been stuck inside for the better part of our lives/and we just want to watch something burn,” sings Siara on “California Wildfire.” Sometimes the lyrics have a meandering perfection and sometimes they’re a bit obtuse. Sometimes the band plays like a band and sometimes they stumble all over each other in barely controlled chaos, but whole is always greater--and more magical --than the sum of the parts. The floppy-haired laid-back delivery is a screen for a profound connection to their audience, who are also held back, constrained and can’t quite get ahead. Does any of this matter? Yes, it absoultely matters. This is music that saves your life three minutes at a time.

The Henry Clay People "California Wildfire"

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The Henry Clay People play with Lady Danville at the UCLA Hammer Museum Thursday July 28 at 8pm, FREE, part of the Also I Like to Rock summer concert series.

Album Review: Rademacher - "Baby Hawk Part I of III"

by Brad Roberts

Let me say outright that I love the new album by Rademacher. That's just what my initial impression was immediately after seeing it performed live at Bootleg Bar on Thursday, July 14. I listened to Baby Hawk Part I of II for the first time that night at 1 AM, sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the # 2 at Sunset And Alvarado, by the Burrito King, appropriately enough. It is an impressive achievement and is an amazing piece of recorded history that documents a specific time and place in the story of the explosion of creativity taking place on the east side. I'm grateful that they tell the story so genuinely and with enough unflinching honesty that it never gets sentimental.

Mike's plain-spoken vocals are a perfect fit with the simple yet revealing lyrics he pens. He sings of the triumphs, but also of the disappointments and sorrows that can accompany the pursuit of a creative career. With natural ease he peels back the layers and reveals the vulnerable artist inside. There's an immediacy to the writing that makes it all sound up-to-the-minute and current. Lest I give the impression this is a dry history lesson, let me emphasize how much fun the album is as well. Filled with variety and impressive production values, someday it will be hard to listen to these songs without getting misty-eyed with nostalgia.

Starting with "Exes for Eyes", a straightforward take on the currents of urban life in the 21st century, Rademacher's propulsive rock beat is an enticing lure. The deceptively simple storytelling in "Baby Hawk" ends up revealing the history of a band (perhaps fictitious) who burned brightly for a moment only to have it all fall apart. A not unfamiliar scenario and the particulars in the lyrics all ring true. "They Are Always Into That" is one of those car songs, made for driving through the desert, or on a freeway. "Pessimist" is another upbeat song, about a morose partner, and "Silverlake", with it's sauntering beat, charts the refreshingly un-urban pace of life in this L.A community, as the album ends with the the kind of glammy/techno "Phantom Power" showing what range they have. If there was one common refrain I heard from more than one person that night at Bootleg, it was: "Why is this band not bigger?" My thoughts exactly.

As you can see I have quickly become a rabid fan of this band, and I'm sorry I didn't pay enough attention sooner. Rademacher have totally won me over with this album and this is one of the most exciting discoveries of the year.

Video Free Silver Lake: Cody the Band, Judson, Memory Tapes, moonbell, Hands, Emmsjé Gauti

By Jed

1) Cody the Band literally dances with death (as personified by an unusually playful Grim Reaper) in "We've Just Cheated Death". When not gardening, farmer Cody appeared dressed very hansomely for his own funeral.

Show Spotlight: Eleanor Friedberger at the Satellite 7/27/11

By Kathryn Pinto

Packed with songs so upbeat, offbeat and catchy as to melt the most grizzled cynic like popsicle drips on the pavement, Eleanor Friedberger’s new solo album Last Summer is hard not to love, whether or not you are a fan of her band the Fiery Furnaces. These simple, poppy, direct tunes have a fresh, unencumbered sound, as if the theatrical digressions and complex footnoting that marks her primary band has been set aside on a high shelf with the out-of-season clothes. Friedberger brings her solo project to the Satellite next Wednesday July 27. Cloud Control opens.

“The album really is about reminiscing and memories … I put myself it the mindset of how I was when I first moved to New York eleven years ago and I wanted it to sound very naïve.” Friedberger explained to Jeremy Egner of the New York Times’ Popcast. On this album she wanted to try to recapture the feeling of being new to the city, working temp jobs and writing music after eight hours of organizing the Penske file, or some such thing.

There is a freedom, a cut-looseness to tracks like the unabashedly poppy “My Mistakes” and bass funky “Roosevelt Island” that makes you uncross your arms, let loose the head bob and jump around in your apartment singing into a hairbrush. A recent review of Friedberger’s show at the Black Cat said, “the band took the material that already works so well on record, and turned it into a muscular, almost punk take on the modern female singer/songwriter.” She’s like your boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend you desperately want to hate, except that she’s irresistibly cool. You just have to let go and admit it.

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Last Summer is out now on Merge Records. Eleanor Friedberger plays Wednesday July 27 at the Satellite with Cloud Control, 21+ Doors 8:30, $10.