The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "We Stood Up On A Rooftop On A Night So Clear, That The Lights From The City Just Disappeared...")

by Brad Roberts

This may be a light Low Down as I've got to run out to North Hollywood to The Federal Bar to see Sea Wolf and Torches at a brunch show this Sunday morning. We'll see how this column comes out after a couple of mimosas. By the way, Torches played a perfect set and Sea Wolf impressed as a three-piece acoustic band playing a few new songs interspersed with more familiar hits, all with beautifully concise stripped-down arrangements. The mimosas didn't hurt, either.

Wonderful array of shows this week with the 10th anniversary of The Monolators being one of the highlights, taking place at Pehrspace on Saturday night. Dirt Bird get a nice write up in LA Weekly this week, go see why at Bootleg Bar on Tuesday. Lavender Diamond makes heavenly music that soars at The Echo during their three-week Monday residency. The Airborne Toxic Event are playing a small show at The Troubadour on Monday. Eastern Conference Champions play a nice free show downtown at Pershing Square on Saturday evening. Autolux has a semi-intimate date at Bootleg Theatre on Wednesday, while major players like Maximo Park play El Rey on Friday, Bonnie Raitt is at The Greek on Saturday and Animal Collective fill the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday.   

And don't look now, but there's another festival upon us this week with the Tarfest 2012 10th Anniversary Art Exhibition, which runs from September 20th through October 6 at the L.A, County Museum of Art. On Saturday, September 22, they offer a free daytime Music and Arts Festival from 2 PM to 9 PM in the Tar Pits (bring a change of clothes?). Headliners Blondfire appear with So Many Wizards, The Makepeace Brothers, Soft Swells and others.

Monday, September 17

- "School Night!" w/ Sean Hayes, Youngblood Hawke, Nancy & Beth, DL set by Hot Chip @ Bardot

- Lavender Diamond, Tom Brosseau, Power Mallets. ThirdEye, Memories @ The Echo

- The Lonely Wild, Chicano Batman, College Kids, Battleme @ The Satellite

- Kitten, Body Parts, Incan Abraham, LA Font @ Bootleg Bar

- An intimate evening with The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Troubadour

- Craig Elkins, Ray Argyle @ Los Globos upstairs (7 PM)

- Four Rounds & The Sound, Dennis Robicheau and The Sophisticates @ Los Globos upstairs (9 PM)

- The Vivids, The Abigails, SISU, Drinking Flowers Los Globos downstairs

- XBXRX, Ratchet Set,  Whqles, Batwings @ Pehrspace

- SuperSoul Monday w/ Jason Joseph & The Spectacular w/ special guests, Magnolia Memoir, Kenton Chen @ Hotel Cafe

- Gabriel Hart and the Fourth Wall, Brass Tax, Assembly of Mazes @ Echoplex

- Octopus Nebula, Continuum, Boostive @ The Central

DECISION:

This is a crowded Monday night with a lot of interesting choices. Lavender Diamond continue their residency at The Echo with Tom Brosseau, while The Lonely Wild residency turns into a dual-purpose event celebrating Malcolm Sosa's birthday, with College Kids (at right) on the bill. Incan Abraham blew me away with their set at The Satellite last month, and tonight they're opening for the Kitten run at Bootleg Bar. Across town, at The Troubadour, there's something billed as An Intimate Evening with The Airborne Toxic Event which is sold out, of course. Los Globos is hopping tonight with 3 shows upstairs and downstairs. "School Night!" has Sean Hayes, Youngblood Hawke and a DJ set by Hot Chip, still in town after their Hollywood Bowl show a week ago. 

Tuesday, September 18

- Bravesoul, Rebecca Loebe Record Release Show, The Strange Familiar @ Hotel Cafe

- The Burning of Rome @ Origami Vinyl

- KCSN and Buzzbands LA presents Blondfire, Western Scene, Go West Young Man @ The Federal Bar

- Matisyahu, Pacific Dub @ Hollywood Palladium

- Nancy & Beth @ Largo at the Coronet

- The Muddy Reds, The Dead Ships, Robinson, Great White Buffalo, Audiobytes for Autobots @ The Central

- A Tribute to Talking Heads w/ Body Parts, Strange Parade, Brian Whelan, Scrote, Mitch Marine + more @ The Satellite

- Breton, Michna, Matthewdavid, Mwahaha @ The Echo

- Nude Beach, Infinite Body, Keychain @ The Smell

- Japanther, Dirt Bird, Spirit Vine, Dignitary Loss @ Bootleg Bar

DECISION:

Blondfire star on a bill featuring Go West Young Man for the KCSN/Buzzbands LA night at Lot 1. Meanwhile, the magnificent, classical, yet extra-terrestrial, enigma that is Dirt Bird (who look about as blond as you can get at right) are on stage with Japanther at Bootleg Bar.

Wednesday, September 19

- Paloma Faith, Sam Shelton, Mieka Pauley, The Mighty Forces, Jamie Kent @ Hotel Cafe

- "Desert Nights" w/ The Wellsprings, King Washington, The Walcotts @ The Standard

- Band of Skulls @ Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre

- Honor Society, Katelyn Tarver @ The Troubadour

- Marcella Detroit @ Largo at the Coronet

- Autolux, Teebs @ Bootleg Theatre

- Cab 20, Plant Tribe, American Sharks @ Lot 1

- Moonface, Foxyen + more @ The Echo

- Chief & Halfblood @ Harvard & Stone

DECISION:

Autolux are always an enjoyable live band, and one has to admire their commitment to keep on playing medium sized hometown clubs like Bootleg Theatre tonight, when they could just as easily fill The Fonda or El Rey.

Thursday, September 20

- Howie Day w/ special guests, The Dahls, London Cries w/ Irwin Thomas @ Hotel Cafe

- Nosaj Thing, The Gaslamp Killer, Nocando, Free the Robots @ Los Angeles County Museum of Art

- Cubits, Super River,Time & Temperature, The Pristines @ Lot 1

- Easy Star All-Stars, Passafire @ El Rey

- The Randy Rogers Band, Jonny Burke @ The Troubadour

- The Soft Pack @ The Del Monte Speakeasy

- Ingenue, Big Mess, On The Rocks, PTSD & The Flashbacks @ The Roxy - On The Rox

- Lilys, Stevie Jackson, The Legendary Jim Ruiz Band, Kim Baxter @ Bootleg Theatre

- Part Time, Sam Flax @ The Echo

- The Bixby Knolls, Future Ghost, In The Valley Below, Babies on Acid @ The Satellite

- Yob, Norska, Cormorant @ The Down & Out

DECISION:

 The Satellite may have the best show tonight with The Bixby Knolls' single release party, which also has Future Ghost and In The Valley Below all on one bill. The Soft Pack go west to play the Del Monte Speakeasy in Venice, and

Friday, September 21

- "Church Sessions" w/ Zee Avi, Henry Wolfe, Joey Dosik @ The First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles

- Teammate, Mind the Gap, Skyler Stonestreet, Yelowbirddd , Denny White @ Hotel Cafe

- Azure Ray record release, SoKo @ Largo at the Coronet

- B. Slade, King Washington, Julia Othmer, Young Beautiful In a Hurry @ Witzend

- Hunter and the Wolf, Jake Johnston Group, Coastline Apparition, Ancient Animals, Andrew Reed @ Lot 1

- Maximo Park, The Neighbourhood, Zambri @ El Rey

- Mindy Smith, Jay Nash @ McCabe's

- The Randy Rogers Band, Jonny Burke @ The Troubadour

- Broncho, Lovely Bad Things, Bad Weather California @ The Satellite

- Orange Tulip Conspiracy, The Youngs, Anthropic Ensemble, DJ Arkmay @ Mr. T's Bowl

- Six Organs of Admittance, Matt Kivel, Colossal Yes @ The Echo

- Tommy Peacock, Long Neck Goose  @ The Down & Our

- The Bright Light Social Hour, Wake Up Lucid, Infantree @ Bootleg Theatre

- Bristol and the Palins, Jack Salley and the Prospectors, Matthew Lee @ Pehrspace

- Magic Mirror, Cuchillo @ Harvard & Stone

DECISION:

No shortage of music tonight from the "Church Sessions" series featuring Zee Avi at The First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles in Echo Park to Maximo Park (at right), spectacularly good live, having a big show at El Rey, Mind The Gap at Hotel Cafe and Six Organs of Admittance at The Echo.

Saturday, September 22

- Tarfest 2012 @ La Brea Tar Pits (2 PM)

- Eastern Conference Champions, Rudy Friedman Orchestra, Killsonic @ Pershing Square

- Saul Williams, The Soul of John Black @ Hotel Cafe

- Ben Gibbard @ Largo at the Coronet

- Blame Sally @ McCabe

- Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples @ The Greek

- Delta Rae, White Buffalo, Milow @ El Rey

- Lila Downs @ Luckman Fine Arts Complex

- Sondre Lerche, Fancy Colors @ The Troubadour

- The Pocket Rockets, Love Hate Relationship, The Vespertines, Night Fruit @ Lot 1

- Condors, Tramp for the Lord, Two Versus One, Feminine Graces @ Mr. T's Bowl

- Mike Watt + the Missingmen, Chotto Ghetto, Stab City, Opus Dai @ Bootleg Bar

- Monolators 10th Anniversary Show & Cassette Release w/ Geoff Geis, Kissing Cousins @ Pehrspace

- The Californian, Royal Canoe, Boys School @ The Satellite

- Whispering Pines Record Release Show, Amy Blaschke, Brian Wheelan @ HM 157

DECISION:

 The Monolators celebrate their 10th anniversary with a show and a cassette release (cassette?...really?) at Pehrspace. This indie/garage/punk outfit has been charming Los Angeles audiences for a decade now so come on out and show some love for the people who are not only friends of nearly every musician in the local scene, but a band that has traveled a long and winding road throughout their storied history. They must have launched at least a dozen off-shoot bands as well in that time. I just had to include this photo of Eli Chartkoff and son at left at the Tommy Santee Klaws record release show two weekends ago.

Just to make the night as difficult as possible, we also have shows by The Californian with their shimmering surfy/creepy rock at The Satellite, and the alt/country experts, Whispering Pines have a Record Release Party for their solid new album. You could make it a total music day by attending the Tarfest Music and Arts Festival by The Museum this afternoon which features Blondfire and The Makepeace Brothers among the heavy hitting line up, or take in Eastern Conference Champions in an early evening show at Pershing Square (before heading to Pehrspace).

In my youth, Bonnie Raitt was clearly one of my favorite singers, from her first self-titled album in 1971 and "Taking My Time" in 1973, when she firmly established herself as one of the best female singers in an era of astonishing women artists who flooded the music world at that time. She still has it, and presents it at The Greek tonight. And Ben Gibbard steps out from behind Death Cab For Cutie for a solo show at Largo at the Coronet. 

Sunday, September 23

- Holograms, Lyonnais, Deathday @ The Echo (10 PM)

- Grand Ole Echo w/ Dave Serby, Noconas, BRETT DETAR @ The Echo (5 PM)

- Roy Zimmermanm@ McCabe's

- Animal Collective, Flying Lotus, Huun Huur Tu @ Hollywood Bowl

- Micachu and the Shapes, Moon Pearl, Sara Lov @ Bootleg Bar

- Reptar, Rubblebucket @ Echoplex 

DECISION:

The enormously influential Animal Collective are monopolizing the night at the Hollywood Bowl, while those of us after something more intimate may take in Sara Lov over at Bootleg Bar. 

Comments

[edgar]

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[RFSL Pinto]

Send show listings to RFSLbrad [at] gmail.com