The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: " But I Never Thought It Didn't Have To Be So Hard, To Keep It All From Falling Apart...")

by Brad Roberts

Pretty busy week ahead. The Belle Brigade are back in town and Mariachi El Bronx and Count Fleet are promoting new albums. A whole new raft of Monday residencies start up with The Ross Sea Party at Silver Lake Lounge, Active Child at The Echo, and Stone Darling at The Satellite, plus Robert Francis is doing Bootleg Bar, also for the month. 

The local show I'm most excited about this week is presented by us, and is promoted with the nifty fifties sci-fi graphic above: Radars To The Sky are headlining one of my favorite bills with The Lonely Wild and Torches In Trees and Goldenspell on Saturday night at The Satellite. A golden opportunity to catch some of L.A.'s finest on one program.

Saturday also plays host to The 2nd New L.A. Folk Festival, founded by LA Record and Trailer Fire Records, with assist from Echo Country Outpost, beginning at 2 PM at Zorthian Ranch, at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and featuring some of the best local folk artists all day long in an idylic setting. Details inside...

Monday, August 1

- The Belle Brigade @ Grammy Museum

- "School Night!" w/ Cary Brothers, Damnwells, DJ's: Metronomy, Adrian Govind @ Bardot

- The Ross Sea Party, Wires in the Walls, Facts on File @ Silver Lake Lounge

- Sam Shelton w/ Will Knox & Ari Herstand, Korby Lenker @ Hotel Cafe

- Maps & Atlases, Princeton, Soft Swells @ The Troubadour

- Mikki and the Mauses, Stab City, Nana and the Happy Cats @ Lot 1 Cafe

- Active Child, Therapies Son, Letting Up Despite Great Faults @ The Echo

- Stone Darling, SNEAKPEEK, J. Tillman, Baby's On Acid @ The Satellite

- Geoff Geis record release, Sisterfucker, The Monolators, Mind Cemetery @ Pehrspace

- Robert Francis, Boots Electric, Taylor Locke @ Bootleg Bar

DECISION:

While Fleet Foxes take a short break from this year's incessant touring, J. Tillman (at right) gets to spend some time in his new hometown and play a set for the Stone Darling residency at The Satellite tonight. If you only know him through his drumming and singing with the Foxes, then his deeply personal and honest songwriting can come as something of a revelation. Whether he's performing solo or with some bandmates, it should be a memorable show. That makes this my residency of choice this evening, but there's also Wires in the Walls playing The Ross Sea Party tenure at Silver Lake Lounge and Letting Up Despite Great Faults opening for Active Child could pull me to The Echo.

Also around town, The Belle Brigade are back from their first national tour (opening for K.D. Lang) and do The Grammy Museum this early evening, Princeton play with Maps & Atlases at The Troubadour, The Monolators are at the Geoff Geis record release at Pehrspace and Robert Francis is back for a show at Bootleg, making this a night you can just head out your door to a club and you're bound to run into something good.

Tuesday, August 2

- Mariachi El Bronx @ Amoeba Music

- John Hiatt @ Grammy Museum

- Raining Jane record release, Bushwalla, Justin Jones, Rabbit, The Tree Ring @ Hotel Cafe

- Yes, Styx @ The Greek

- Judson McKinney, Mark David Ashworth, Muralismo, Blue Green Grey, Omar Velasco @ The Central

- Tally Hall, Speak, Casey Shea @ The Troubadour

- Mariachi El Bronx album release show @ La Cita

- The Calicos, A Thousand and Fifty Lies @ Silver Lake Lounge

- The Naked and Famous, White Sea @ Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre

- The Orion Experience, Think Alike, Random Patterns @ Lot 1 Cafe

- The Allah-Las, Bleached, Neverever, Dream Homes @ The Echo

- Woods, The Fresh & Onlys, White Fence @ Echoplex

- Captain Ahab, Bubblegum Octopus, Screamin' Cyn Cyn & The Pons, Essay @ The Smell

- The New Limb, Youngblood Hawke, Deap Vally @ The Satellite

DECISION:

I became a fan of the celebratory exuberance of Mariachi El Bronx when I saw then open at the great DeVotchKa show at The Fonda last March. They're blazing through town this week announcing today's release of a new album, Mariachi El Bronx III, with a free show at Amoeba and later, two shows at La Cita tonight and tomorrow. Last Saturday they sat down to talk to Buzzbands' Kevin Bronson on his show on Moheak Radio. Over at The Central, Supergoodmusic and LA Underground are hosting a residency by Judson McKinney that begins tonight and features some pretty strong line ups every Tuesday all month. Feed Your Head is also presenting this event.

Wednesday, August 3

- Count Fleet @ Origami Vinyl

- Henry Wolfe, Ferraby Lionheart, Charlie Wadhams @ The Standard

- Anna Nalick, ZZ Ward, Beth Thornley, Charlie Faye @ Hotel Cafe

- Lykke Li, Best Coast, Fool's Gold @ The Greek

- Coldplay @ UCLA Tennis Center

- Matisyahu, Tea Leaf Green @ Club Nokia

- Sun Araw, Warm Climate @ Hard Rock Cafe, Hollywood

- Mariachi El Bronx album release show @ La Cita

- Scattered Trees, The Alternate Routes @ The Satellite

- Bunny Love with Becky Stark @ Las Perlas

- Jamie Black, Animal Games, TBA @ 3 of Clubs

- New Maximum Donkey, Light FM, Kingsley, Jon Lindsay, Garland, Backnbloom @ The Echo

- The Family Bones, Dylan Trees, Warships @ Silver Lake Lounge

- The Swamp Coolers @ Taix Lounge

DECISION:

Count Fleet are playing a couple of shows to celebrate their terrific self-titled first album, first tonight in a free show at Origami Vinyl, and tomorrow at The Satellite. Henry Wolfe and Ferraby Lionheart are part of the lure to the Sunset Strip for a show at The Standard. Mariachi El Bronx (above) play a final show at La Cita tonight after taping an appearance for The Tonight Show. Best Coast and Fool's Gold get to play The Greek, opening for Lykke Li. Sun Araw have, perhaps, the most interesting show of the night at Hollywood Boulevard's Hard Rock Cafe, where Cameron Stallone's band pairs with Warm Climate to play Teenage Fanclub's iconic album Bandwagonesque...what a concept.

Thursday, August 4

- "Spaceland Under The Stars" w/ Bixby Knolls, Marcus Very Ordinary  @ Pershing Square

- "Hippie Fest" w/ Mark Farner, Nick Derringer, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, Gary Wright @ The Greek

- John Hiatt & The Combo @ The Troubadour

- Rx Bandits, Zechs Marquise, Hot Toddies @ Mayan Theatre

- Terra Naomi, Meghan Tonjes, Jimmy Wong and special guests, Kari Kimmel record release @ Hotel Cafe

- Horde and the Harem, The Brothers King, Sister Ruby Band @ Silver Lake Lounge

- Backseat Bingo, John Carpenter, The Oddfaces, Bikos @ Five Stars Bar

- Count Fleet record release, The Hectors, Downtown/Union, The Outdoors @ The Satellite

- NASA Space Universe, Low Place, Pure Shit, Hue-Man Air/Or @ The Smell

- Salinger, Interstelar, Crazy Women Drivers, The Brownies Band, + 1 Band @ Mr. T's Bowl

- Sister Crayon, Papercranes, Blackbird Blackbird @ Exchange LA

- Crawlspace, Warm Climate, Spaceships @ Redwood Bar

- Grievous Angels, Bobkat @ Taix Lounge

- Basement Babies, Wild Ones, Pageants @ Lot 1 Cafe

DECISION:

Everyone seems pleased at the rapid rise of Count Fleet. This exciting new Randy Newman-esque band have a comfortable, ambling style and their record release show tonight at The Satellite should be great, with the sterling bill of The Hectors and solid support from Downtown/Union. "Spaceland Under The Stars" has Bixby Knolls on the downtown Pershing Square stage.

 Friday, August 5

- "Searching for Elliott Smith" screening @ Bootleg Theatre

- David Bromberg @ McCabe's

- Keaton Simmons, The Last American Buffalo, Neon Hymns, Humming House, Erin McLaughlin, One Two @ Hotel Cafe

- Magnolia Memoir, The Quiet, The Cotillionaires @ The Troubadour

- Tig Notaro & Friends @ Largo at the Coronet

- The Donkeys, Red Pony Clock @ The Echo

- Yob, Dark Castle, Anxcestors of the Horizons @ Echoplex

- Black Sequin Disaster, Bella Vega, Kettle Black, The Lyon Crowns + 1 Band @ Mr. T's Bowl

- J. Irvin Dally, Naive Thieves, The Spires @ Lot 1 Cafe

- Orca Team, Footwork, Sweater Girls, Summer Twins @ The Smell

- Summer Darling, Polls, Silian Rail, Future Ghost @ The Satellite

- Abe Lincoln Story, Kevin Killen @ Taix Lounge

DECISION:

There's a variety of entertainments available tonight from Summer Darling with Polls and Future Ghost at The Satellite, J. Irvin Dally and The Spires that RFSL is presenting at Lot 1 Cafe to a screening of the award-winning documentary, Searching for Elliott Smith over at Bootleg Theatre.

Saturday, August 6

- The 2nd New L.A. Folk Festival w/ Amanda Jo Williams, Ferraby Lionheart, Ruthann Friedman, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Tommy Santee Klaws and many more. @ Zorthian Ranch Farm, Altadena

- Radars To The Sky, The Lonely Wild, Goldenspell, Torches In Trees @ The Satellite

- The Janks, Jon Lindsay, Kamp Camille, Meekos & Me, The Drop Gun @ Hotel Cafe

- Touché @ Origami Vinyl

- "Funk Fest" w/ Morris Day & The Time, Sugarfoot's Ohio Players, One Way w/ Al Hudson, Dazz Band & Mary Jane Girls @ The Greek @ McCabe's

- Cypress Hill (20th Anniversary Show) @ The Troubadour

- David Bromberg @ McCabe's

- Vum, Thurlow, Sue Scrofa @ Lot 1 Cafe

- Disasteradio, Captain Ahab, Kevin Blechdom, I.E. @ The Smell

- High Places, Sun Araw, Matthewdavid @ Bootleg Bar

- Jezzebelle, Toni Burke and guests @ Taix Lounge

DECISION:

The 2nd New L.A. Folk Festival is the all day event taking place at Zorthian Ranch by the San Gabriel Mountains and features some of the best folk musicians L.A. has to offer, including Amanda Jo Williams, Dustbowl Revival, Ferraby Lionheart, Nostalghia, Ruthann Friedman, Stone Darling, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Tommy Santee Klaws, Very Be Careful and Yellow Red Sparks among so many others. I would happily attend except for the fact that Radio Free Silver Lake is presenting one of the best bills of the year tonight at The Satellite with Radars To The Sky (promising a big announcement), The Lonely Wild and Torches In Trees, who go on at nine, so be on time. All other shows pale by comparison.

Sunday, August 7

- Torche, Big Business, Thrones @ The Troubadour

- Nostalghia, Dylan Trees, Tes Elations @ 3 of Clubs

- The Urxed, David Scott Stone, Butchy Fuego, Personable @ Pehrspace

- Dastardly, Sue Scrofa, Youth Cattle @ The Central

- "Grand Ole Echo" w/ Drunk On Crutches, Gal Holiday, The Vaquetones @ The Echo

- Jaberi & Deutsch @ Origami Vinyl

- Ari Shine, Daniel Ahearn and the Jones, Eagle Rock Gospel Singers @ The Satellite

DECISION:

I'm not really up on most of the bands playing tonight, but Torche's sludge rock at The Troubadour and Nostalghia (at right) and Dylan Trees, sounding unusual and interesting at 3 of Clubs, appear to be good bets.

Tell me more at RFSLshowlistings@gmail.com

 

Comments

[Mark]

saturday is - "Funk Fest" not "Punk Fest"
thou seeing Morris Day front a punk band would likley get a few $ out of my pocket
as would a punked out Ohio Players

[Geoff]

Your link to Geoff Geis goes to the wrong Geoff Geis. I'd appreciate it if you fixed it... helps with search engines and all. Thanks!