by Brad Roberts
The town comes raging to musical life this week with dozens of great shows. Look at all the shows! This has got to be one of the biggest weeks ever! There, I'm running out of superlatives. My concert menu features two of my favorite bands of all time, a bunch of local bands I have loved for years and some new acts who have recently become must-sees. And there are so many shows I have to miss that many other favorites are slipping through the cracks. That's life in the big city (and aren't we lucky). So dress warmly against this weird frigid Los Angeles weather and get out there.
Pinback and Calexico (above) are the two favorite bands that are playing at El Rey, Thursday and Wednesday, respectively. Both are ending their current tours in our fair city, promoting two of the best albums last year, with Calexico actually making up for a weather-cancelled show last October.
Andrew Bird is also in town playing three nights at Largo at the Coronet, and he also released one of last year's best albums, Break It Yourself, so I wish I was going, though I saw his remarkable show at The Greek this summer.
Yo La Tengo are releasing a new album called Fade and having a free in-store and album signing on Thursday at Amoeba. Other recommendations include Omar Velasco at Silver Lake Lounge on Monday, Daniel Ahearn and the Jones and Auditorium at Los Globos on Tuesday, and our good friends Tommy Santee Klaws join Jenny O and others for an album release show for He's My Brother She's My Sister at The Troubadour on Saturday.
Monday, January 14
- Eddie Izzard @ Largo at the Coronet
- Ryan Lerman and Omar Velasco @ Silver Lake Lounge
- SuperSoul Monday w/ Jason Joseph & The Spectacular w/ special guests, Kathryn Ostenberg, Liane Tominaga, Kerri Watt @ Hotel Cafe
- Tycho, Doombird @ The Troubadour
- Yael, Matt Jaffe @ The Central
- 5-Track's MoonChao, Matt Van Winkle @ Trip Bar
- Yellow Alex, Terraplane Sun, d'Artagnan, Espirit De Corps @ The Satellite
- PAPA, The Lovely Bad Things, James Supercave, Hit City USA DJs @ Bootleg Bar
- "School Night!" w/ Run River North, Meg Myers, The Peach Kings, In The Valley Below @ Bardot
- C.R.A.S.H., Regal Degal, Crazy Band, P R O T E C T M E @ The Smell
- Feeding People, Thee Rain Cats, Wyatt Blair, The Aqua Dolls, Colleen Green @ The Echo
- Them Howling Bones, Pool Honeys, Los Craters, Death Lens @ Los Globos
- Hemlock Ernst, Dustin & the Explosions, The Cthulhus, Washing Machines @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
A while back I saw Omar Velasco (left) perform a set out at The Central, and I had the kind of immediate reaction that makes discovering a new artist a big part of the fun of the current music scene. I purchased his EP, See Lion Run, and got him to play one of my early Lot 1 shows, so I recommend heading to Silver Lake Lounge to hear him play a show with Ryan Lerman. He's not only mastered that Ennio Morricone-prairie sound, but added reflective lyrics and attractive melodies for his adept and flexible voice. There's great variety in his sound and if you haven't heard him yet, you should. Indie/folk duo Jeffrey Jacob and Angela Gail lead In The Valley Below into dark and contemplative territory, and they are part of a bill with The Peach Kings at tonight's "School Night!" at Bardot.
Tuesday, January 15
- Eddie Izzard @ Largo at the Coronet
- Lo-Fang, Madi Diaz, Stag, Native Eloquence @ Hotel Cafe
- Wax, DJ sourMilk @ The Troubadour
- Daniel Ahearn and the Jones, Auditorium @ Los Globos
- Kill The Dance Floor, Runson Willis & friends, TV Broken 3rd Eye Open @ Hemingway's Lounge
- Parquet Courts, Wet Illustrated, Upset @ The Echo
- Professor Possessor, Brett, 100% Silk @ Bootleg Bar
- The Blank Tapes, Dirt Dress, Cotillon @ Harvard & Stone
- The Burning of Rome, Interrobang, special guests @ The Central
- Tribute to Dolly Parton w/ Brian Whelan and Mitch Marine, Pony Boy, Nicky Corbett, Baywood,
Charlie Wadhams, Broken Anchor, Nicky Corbett and Scrote, Haroula Rose and more @ The Satellite
- Ugly Ugly Words, Nico Rivers, Paul & The Kir @ Lot 1
DECISION:
Wow, powerhouse vocal bands, Daniel Ahearn and the Jones (at right) and Auditorium on the same bill at Los Globos. That's too good to pass up. But a good excuse would be The Blank Tapes and Dirt Dress at Harvard & Stone. The Blank Tapes music is so charming and unpretentious, it just seems to roll out of them completely unforced. The good-time hippie vibe is contagious. Someone should be off to the side baking bread or stringing beads.
Wednesday, January 16
- Calexico, Bahamas @ El Rey
- "Desert Nights" w/ The Walcotts, Two Bulls, Antoine Debarge @ The Standard
- Andrew Bird @ Largo at the Coronet
- Blind Date w/ Leonard Friend, Raheem Cohen, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Barnaby Bright, Lucy Rose @ Hotel Cafe
- Holly Miranda, Dave Sitek, Craig Wedren, Messes @ Los Globos
- Jake Bugg, Valerie June @ The Troubadour
- Lint Vaccine, Kill for Kicks, MTBA @ Lot 1
- Ray Argyle, Reverter, Kenseth and Brandon @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Steve Taylor, Tall Tales and the Silver Linings, Miner @ The Echo
- Criminal Hygiene record release party, Emperor X @ The Satellite
- Eekis @ Bootleg Bar
- The Magic Wands, American Tomahawk, The Tulips, Tyler Lyle @ The Central
- Groundislava, Lazy Brow @ The Airliner
DECISION:
Running up to The Fonda Theatre last October to see Calexico and noticing that it looked like the whole city block had been swallowed up into some gigantic black hole, I thought, that's an odd way to welcome an audience to a show. The wind had knocked out the power part way into the opening band's set and they weren't letting anyone in by the time I got there. Fifteen minutes later they cancelled the show, so here we are at the end of their current tour and the make-up show is at El Rey tonight. Algiers is such a strong album, I've been pining to hear it live ever since that cancellation. The silver-voiced Joey Burns is always a pleasure to hear live.
Unfortunately this is also the night Andrew Bird begins a three night run at Largo at the Coronet, which I would have tried to get a ticket for if I hadn't already had tickets for tonight and tomorrow at El Rey. The third night was announced later, and as I have never been able to secure a ticket to a show at this venue through normal methods, I missed out on this one too.
Locally, Tall Tales and the Silver Linings are at The Echo and if I were not busy, I might check out Kenseth and Brandon at Silver Lake Lounge. Kenseth Thibideau has been a touring musician with Pinback and in 2010 released his own fine album called Repetition, so this new project would be worth checking out.
Thursday, January 17
- Yo La Tengo @ Amoeba Music
- Andrew Bird @ Largo at the Coronet
- "Write the Night" w/ Tift Merritt, Damien Jurado, Lucy Rose, Joshue James, Curtis Peoples @ The Troubadour
- Kate Earl, Jake Bellows, Princess Pangolin, The Blushes, Paul Freeman @ Hotel Cafe
- Pinback, Judgement Day @ El Rey
- Boots Electric @ Los Globos
- The Famous Corey Yentz, Halimede, The Letters Home @ Lot 1
- Nacosta, Adam Oliver, Rucky Punch @ Silver Lake Lounge
- The London Souls, Hollerado, Wake Up Lucid @ The Satellite
- Tumbleweed Wanderers, Folk Family Revival, Song Preservation Society @ The Echo
- Vermouth @ Bootleg Bar
- The Do-Its, The Vim Dicta @ Harvard & Stone
DECISION:
I've been waiting anxiously to see this show by Pinback (at right) ever since their album Information Retrieved was released last October, and since they've been on tour for a while the new songs must sound pretty polished by now. Can't wait to hear this album's live version tonight at El Rey. This current tour keeps them pretty busy right through March.
Though still displaying their patented sound, this album sounds fresh in interesting ways, with all the complexity of Autumn of the Seraphs, while hearkening back to the simplicity of something like Blue Screen Life, with new and different orchestral flavorings. It sounds like Pinback perfected, with a startling new maturity.
At Amoeba Music, Yo La Tengo are celebrating the release of a new album with a free in-store today at 7.
Friday, January 18
- The Dead Ships, Superbus, Kiven, Future Ghost @ The Satellite
- So Many Wizards, Feeding People, NOW, Wild Pack of Canaries @ The Smell
- Ingenue, M. Van London, The Dollyrots, The Gay Gays @ Redwood Bar
- The New Division, Let's Drive to Alaska, DIVA, Newman Wolf, Freshair @ The Central
- Pennywise, Lagwagon @ Hollywood Palladium
- Henry Rollins @ McCabe's (8 PM & 10 PM)
- Andrew Bird @ Largo at the Coronet
- Wild Roses, Them Guns, Lisa Tucker, UBI, Red Lettered, KaRrMa @ The Troubadour
- The Van Allen Belt @ Origami Vinyl
- Pebaluna, Louise Goffin, Mieka Pauley, Tim Bader & Della Valle, Erin McLaughlin @ Hotel Cafe
- Warships, Western Lows, Gemini Club @ The Echo
- ¡Socorro!, Traps PS, Smelvetine, Palm Reader @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
More Andrew Bird (at right) as he completes his run at Largo at the Coronet. There's also So Many Wizards at The Smell and The New Division at The Central and Warships at The Echo. Good shows at The Satellite and Pehrspace too.
Saturday, January 19
- Beth Lucas, The Headless Prince of Zolpidem, The Van Allen Belt, Spencer Owen Continuum @ Silver Lake Lounge (5 PM)
- Bell Gardens @ Origami Vinyl
- Echosmith, Sadie Rose, Canor, The Wild & Innocent, What Say You @ Amplyfi
- The Good Lovelies, Naia Kete, Wildling, Rafe Pearlman @ Hotel Cafe
- "Frequency 2.0" Chiptune Festival: Day 1 w/ Elekid!, Here Between Me You, Xombie, ParallaxScroll, Dasid, 1000 Needles, Mike Bleeds @ The Smell
- Boots Electric, The Black Marquee, Drag News @ The Viper Room
- Gold and Soil Album Release Show, Anenon, Rarebit @ L.A. Fort
- He's My Brother She's My Sister Album Release Show, Jenny O, Ramshackle, Tommy Santee Klaws @ The Troubadour
- Nick Kroll @ Largo at the Coronet
- Social Distortion @ House of Blues
- St. Ranger, Shine So Hard, Nacosta, Greater Pacific @ Lot 1
- Norse Horse, Michael Vidal, Arjuna Genome, + 1 @ Pehrspace
- Sock Puppet Sitcom Theater - Three’s Company (1977) @ The Echo
- Stab City, Unstoppable Death Machines, Starving Daughters, Laughters @ Cheetahs Club Hollywood
DECISION:
I want to go over to The Troubadour to see Tommy Santee Klaws open for the He's My Brother She's My Sister (above) Album Release Show also featuring the magnetic Jenny O. This is a super line up of talent, not to be missed. Bell Gardens have a free show at Origami Vinyl if you want to begin your evening early.
Sunday, January 20
- Camera2, Kita Klane, Freedom Fry @ Hotel Cafe
- Michael Hurley @ McCabe's
- Popular Culture @ Origami Vinyl
- "Frequency 2.0" Chiptune Festival: Day 2 w/ Tina Belmont, EvilWezil, Kool Skull, Crashfaster,
Wizwars, Slime Girls, Wet Mango @ The Smell
- Jimmy Lifton Band @ The Troubadour
- Lady Gaga, Madeon, Lady Starlight @ Staples Center
- The Budos Band @ Echoplex
DECISION:
Since I'm not going to see Lady Gaga at Staples Center, I'll be staying home to watch Downton Abbey. As tortured as the plot is becomming I still can't help myself.
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