Radio Free Silver Lake

Show Spotlight: Duniven Album Release at the Bootleg Theater, presented by Radio Free Silver Lake

By Kathryn Pinto

Tonight Duniven celebrates the official release of I Need To Try for Her with a show at the Bootleg Theater. Playing in support are Broadcast Station, Liquid Love Letter, Bixby Knolls, Lost And Found, the show begins at 8pm. Radio Free Silver Lake presented Duniven's June residency at the Silverlake Lounge. We caught up with Patrick Duniven via email to ask him about the new album and what the band has been up to since the residency.

Radio Free Silver Lake: Back in June you had a really great residency at the Silverlake Lounge. It started strong, and by the final week the room was at near capacity and you played a very tight set with something like eight people on stage. Have you been able to maintain that momentum? What have you been up to since then?

Patrick Duniven: The Silverlake Lounge residency was a pivotal point in my growth this year.  I went into it somewhat burnt out from making the record which takes so much out of you and I had very little rehearsal with my band.  I think we'd played more shows than rehearsals at that point, which was both good and bad.  My guys are very good and professional so there's not a ton of rehearsal necessary but at the same time I wanted us to have some momentum together which is hard to develop unless you're on tour.  The res[idency] was just what we needed in order to develop that momentum...we played every week together and became tighter and more familiar with every show.

Video Free Silver Lake: Sting, Jamie Drake, Fort Lean, Guards, Snorri Helgason

By Jed

Slow week in new videos, friends! I'm going to have to revert to my out-of-state submissions! As a heads up, I'll be posting a collection of CHRISTMAS-related videos in a few weeks, so if you have any video suggestions you'd like to see (especially 1) recently released and 2) local video suggestions?) please let me know at RFSLJed at gmail dot com.

1) The first concert I ever attended was Sting at the Greek Theatre in 1993 (I still have the t-shirt). He's playing again tonight at the Wiltern. I would have liked to go but...Although it is extremely unlikely that he'll play the Police's "Synchronicity II", I always thought it was a super cool video, and awesome song (set my expectations low for growing up!)

Ticket Giveaway: The Postelles at The Bootleg Theater one week from today!

By Joel Robinson

Well, if that Turkey hangover ain't worn off by now you only have one person to blame...find a mirror and start pointing the finger!

Enough of that, my Radio Free Silver Lake friends, time to get down to business. And that business is FREE entry for a lucky reader and friend to a great show come next Tuesday. The Postelles bring it to The Bootleg Theater on that night.

The Postelles self-titled release which dropped earlier this year is so good the celebration of same continues to this day! Fun, catchy, and clever are just a few of the words that popped into my mind whilst listening to this one. Here's what ROLLING STONE had to say, “The Postelles sound like the wound-up early hours of what will be a long Saturday night on the town. There are elements of both mod and post-punk, but The Postelles have a sneering attitude all their own.” Come on out to the show to see, and to hear, and to judge for thyself.

Joined on the night by JJAMZ and MaNiac, this one looks to be a good'un.

So take a chance on a freebie entry for you and a guest to attend. Drop an e-mail to "RFSLjoel(at)gmail(dot)com” that includes "The Postelles bring IT to The Bootleg" 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 MONDAY, December 5, to secure your spot in the mix.

And is often the case, lucky winner of free tix or not, this one is worth the trip.  -jdr

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The Postelles continue to celebrate release of their self-titled The Postelles at The Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057, on Tuesday, December 6. Doors at 7:30, $10, with advance tickets available here.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "There Is A Deeper Wave Than This That You Don't Understand, There Is A Deeper Wave Than This Tugging At Your Hand...")

by Brad Roberts

Time to get back to work after a four day weekend and December gets off to a roaring start with a pretty busy week of shows. There's a big benefit for KCRW on Saturday night to help keep them going called ARE FRIENDS ECLECTIC? at the Orpheum Theatre with the likes of the superb Iron and Wine, the iconic Jimmy Cliff, the new amazing upstarts The Belle Brigade and the delightful world music mix of Mia Doi Todd among many others. Help support the cause.

We at Radio Free Silver Lake are presenting a couple of shows this week, with the final residency at The Roxy - On The Rox on Tuesday for The Western States Motel. They go out in high style with a couple of top-notch bands, The Californian and Wires In The Walls on the bill. Then on Wednesday we proudly present a record release show for I Have To Try For Her for Duniven at Bootleg featuring a bunch of great bands.

Incan Abraham have quite a week, playing "School Night!" at Bardot on Monday and ending up at The Wiltern on Saturday, opening for Beady Eye.  Good for them! And Feed Your Head is hosting it's fourth monthly show with Seasons on Saturday at Lot 1.

Album Review – RACES – Big Broom EP

By Jackie Lam

I first heard about  RACES (formerly known as Black Jesus) this past summer, as they were already starting to generate a buzz with a residency at the Bootleg Theatre last July. The recent release of their first EP, Big Broom, is branded with the group's musical stylings and sophisticated songwriting.

Comprised of six band members who collaborate on crafting the songs, the tracks on Big Broom, with the delicate layering of the atmospheric instrumentals and expressive vocals, manage to tap into dreamlike, sublime feelings of desire and nostalgia. With their aural constuct of fuzzy guitars, the push and pull of the wistful female/male dual harmonies, and bouyant keyboard melodies, the three tracks on the EP--"Big Broom," "All for You," and "Hope & Gloom"--are a bellweather of the poignant style the band has developed. While "Big Broom" feels more rangey with the hook embedded in the dense guitars, "All for You" and "Hope & Gloom" are lighter and roomier, with playful keyboard, which shifts from lingering to cascading, and sing-songy vocals.

And as the band has a full-length album, Year of the Witch, scheduled for a release next spring on NYC-based Frenchkiss Records, it's no huge wonder why the band has managed to get noticed so quickly. The Big Broom EP is a marker for the progress the band has made since their formation in 2009, and serves as a teaser for the things to come.

RACES will be performing next Tuesday, November 29^th at the CENTRAL Social Aid and Pleasure Club with Kiev, Touche, Sea/Sick, and !!! doing a DJ set.

 

 

Video Free Silver Lake: Fleet Foxes, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Walking Sleep, Jamuel Saxon, Pizza!, and FM Belfast

By Jed

1) Fleet Foxes aren't from L.A., but I like them, and I think you like them, the new animated video for "The Shrine/An Argument" is pretty cool, both visually (there's some neat images of some animals killing and eating some other animals) and sonically (by that, I mean the song is pretty), and it picks up pretty big time half way through and goes totally Native American style dancing on us.

The Shrine / An Argument from Sean Pecknold on Vimeo.

Band Spotlight: United Ghosts

By Kathryn Pinto

United Ghosts has a brand new video that burst onto the internet just days ago. Credit the familiar psychedelic shoegaze sound to former Mere Mortals frontman Axel Steuerwald along with a new band that includes Sha Sabi, guitarist Jason O and drummer Sean Burgess. Radio Free Silver Lake caught up with Axel this week via email. He gave us his take on videos as an art form, working with a new band and the new 7" they will release this Saturday. The band plays Saturday November 26 at the Satellite along with Tennis System and LA Witch.

 

Radio Free Silver Lake: We last saw you (Axel) fronting the Mere Mortals who were together for about five years and had some modest success. How has it been to leave that behind and form a new band?

Axel Steuerwald: I think if you really love something you have to love it enough to know when it's over. I'm really proud of what Mere Mortals did, but just as we were getting somewhere and the Japan deal and tour, the Black Francis shows and LA residencies were happening, that was when it started to unravel . We had trouble getting along and being creative It was a great period in my life up to then, for which I am very grateful, but moving on felt natural.

RFSL: What is United Ghosts like? How did the new project come together and how is it different from the previous band?

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "I'm Not Gonna Watch You While You Burn Yourself Out Baby, No, I'm Not Gonna Stop You, Cause I'm Not The One That's Crazy...")

by Brad Roberts

This week is the start of the fury of year end celebrations with Thanksgiving wiping out the music slate for Thursday night. But it makes a nice four day weekend. This leaves Tuesday and Friday as the biggest music nights of the week with both nights offering very tough choices. I've been enjoying the new Just an Animal CD for a while now, but have yet to see them perform it live, so I'm looking forward to the show at The Satellite this Tuesday because The Western States Motel are taking the night off from their residency at The Roxy - On The Rox. They will return next week with The Californian.

Friday night is spectacular with Travis Wood's Web In Front solo-acoustic extravaganza at Lot 1 with performances by some of L.A. best local musicians including Harley Prechtel-Cortez, Claire Mckeown, Corrine Dinner, Joey Siara, Andy Siara, Malcolm Sosa and too many to mention. And Walking Sleep are holding a Dance Party at The Satellite for a kind of post-Thanksgiving gathering.

The big shows of the week center around multiple performances of historic sets by The Cure on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at The Pantages and Lucinda Williams does two nights at El Rey on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Rademacher on the Songs of Babyhawk (Part II of III)

by Joe Fielder

Rademacher's recently-released Babyhawk (Part II of III) is the second in a series of concept albums that tell the story of fictional indie rock band that makes its start playing in East Side LA music venues, seem poised to “make it big,” but things don’t go quite as they intend...

Since we'd already interviewed the band about the previous album, we asked lead Malcolm Sosa to put together a few words about each song on this new one (which is a favorite).

Here are Malcolm's responses and streams of the tracks:

Babyhawk (Part II of III) was recorded by Rademacher in August of 2011 at the Cave Studios with Josiah Mazzaschi. The members of the band for that session were Eli Reyes, Kim Haden, Jonathan Hadden and RC Essig. It was badass.

"ORCHESTRA" This song was written soon after Rademacher finished recording the album Stunts with Aaron Espinoza, there were a slate of song ideas that we compiled during the mixing of the of that record, a number of "what if" scenarios that we didn't have time to pursue at the moment. This song was one of them. The highlight for me is the main chord progression. I enjoy sequences that are long and chromatic.

Show Review: The Western States Motel Residency Tuesdays at The Roxy - On The Rox (11/8/11) (11/15/11)

by Brad Roberts

Let me tell you about some terrific shows that are going on over at The Roxy in West Hollywood in the upstairs room known as On The Rox every Tuesday night this month. I know that we at Radio Free Silver Lake have been featuring a lot about The Western States Motel lately and that we sound like their publicists, but, hey, we love this band. For myself, they've been a constant ever since I first got back into rock and roll six years ago.

Joe Fielder had the foresight to book them for the very first "Let's Independent!" back on September 26, 2006, to open for Great Northern and The Movies at Boardner's, where I saw them for the first time and became a fan immediately. In fact, Carl Jordan (above) told me on Tuesday that was only their fourth show, and yet I remember they sounded like a fully-formed musical unit at the time and their enthusiasm was infectious. Joe described their music as perfect for driving through the country in the sunshine with the windows down and the wind blowing, and he was completely right. 

After that night I followed them around for a while. Saw them through line up changes, attended the EP release party they held for Painted Birds Flying In The  Orange Mirror Sun at Safari Sam's that briefly  lived on Sunset back in Sept. 2008. The last time I saw The Western States Motel was at their residency that RFSL presented at LaBrie's in February which I attended each week. They seemed to be feeling their way into a cohesive musical unit. Last Tuesday, Nov. 15, they fully achieved that goal.