by Brad Roberts
Holiday time with Martin Luther King Day and the Presidential Inauguration Day both falling on Monday making a three-day weekend for many of us. And sunshine and warm Los Angeles winter weather returned to tell us why we moved here in the first place. If you want 35 degree weather, move back to New York! Last week was particularly hectic for me with four shows in four days. But they were all great shows, so each one kept ratcheting up my enthusiasm more and more, ending up with Pinback blowing my mind at El Rey last Thursday with the best concert I've ever seen them give.
This week is calmer with some fine local music to keep you out every night this week, but few gigantic shows (unless you count Muse at Staples). Look out for shows with Daniel Ahearn and the Jones, Jenny O, The Blank Tapes, Xu Xu Fang, RT 'N the 44s, Eastern Conference Champions, Fort King and Tommy Santee Klaws. If that's not enough variety for you, get out of town! Are we the luckiest music fans on the planet or what?! By the way, this is my 201st L.A. Show Low Down, and I only missed one week in all that time. Whew!
Monday, January 21
- SuperSoul Monday w/ Jason Joseph & The Spectacular w/ special guests, The Lone Bellow, The Borrower's Debt @ Hotel Cafe
- Lady Gaga, Madeon, Lady Starlight @ Staples Center
- Lucky Dragons, Victoire, Wild Up @ Echoplex
- Taylor Dexter, Blake Straus, Alina Cutrono @ Lot 1
- Wires, Grit, The Fine Lines @ The Central
- PAPA, J Thoven, Jenny O, Psychedelic Judaism @ Bootleg Bar
- "School Nights!" w/ Robert DeLong, Gemini Club, Sean Bones, Best Friends @ Bardot
- Feeding People, Wild Pack of Canaries, Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel, The Blank Tapes, Bodegas @ The Echo
- The Internet, Mouth of the Serpent, Caleb Stone, Tremellow @ Pehrspace
- Yellow Alex, Baron von Luxxury, Yung Skeeter, Chilly @ The Satellite
- Them Howling Bones, Persona, Downtown Train, Moondog Orchestra @ The Grand Star Jazz Ballroom
DECISION:
More good residency shows with Baron von Luxxury opening at The Satellite for Yellow Alex, Wild Pack of Canaries and The Blank Tapes at the Feeding People evening at The Echo or Jenny O (at right) on the Bootleg PAPA bill.
Tuesday, January 22
- Big Harp @ Origami Vinyl
- Jessie Ware @ Amoeba Music
- Drew & Ellie Holcomb w/ The Yoiung Romans, Lo-Fang, Scott Bartenhagen @ Hotel Cafe
- Eddie Izzard @ Largo at the Coronet
- As If and the Whatevers, Snacktime, Jessica Verdi, Caution Caballeros De Mexico @ Lot 1
- Ferraby Lionheart, Eastern Conference Champions, Coyol @ Los Globos
- FIDLAR record release, Pangea, Meat Market, Spaceships @ L.A. Fort
- Quicksand, Title Fight @ The Fonda Theatre
- Smooth Hound Smith, The Burlington Family, The Borrower's Debt, byzantium @ Silver Lake Lounge
- The Randy Rogers Band, Wade Bowen @ The Troubadour
- Caro Emerald @ El Rey
- Glossary, The Brixtones, Christian Lee Hutson, Tall Tales & the Silver Linings @ The Satellite
- MS MR, Night Terrors of 1927, Camera2@ The Echo
- The Burning of Rome, Dirt Dress, Black Boots @ The Central
- The Picture and The Frame, Ballerina Black, The Mason Affair @ Hemingway's Lounge
- Cotillon, Cosmonauts, Colleen Green @ Harvard & Stone
- BenZel w/ Special Guests, Cashmere Cat @ Bootleg Bar
DECISION:
So many good shows all over town tonight I hardly know where to begin. Modern punksters Fidlar have a record release event over at L.A. Fort with Pangea, while Eastern Conference Champions (at right) play the Ferraby Lionheart show with Coyol at Los Globos. Another full line up at The Satellite offers headliners Glossary with Tall Tales & the Silver Linings, Christian Lee Hutson and The Brixtones for one of the week's strongest shows. Along with these there is The Burning of Rome and Dirt Dress at The Central, Ballerina Black with The Picture and the Frame at Hemingway's Lounge and Cotillon and Cosmonauts at Harvard & Stone. See what I mean?
Wednesday, January 23
- "Desert Nights" w/ Christian Lee Hutson, Nathan Xander, Jenny Luna @ The Standard
- Rumer & Terry Reid, Lucy Michelle, Janet Labelle @ Hotel Cafe
- Eddie Izzard @ Largo at the Coronet
- The Airborne Toxic Event, White Arrows @ The Mayan Theatre
- Muse, Band Of Skulls @ Staples Center
- They Live, The Antiques, Jeff Crosby, Bones Muhroni @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Bad Religion @ The Echo
- Jessie Ware, Rochelle Jordan @ El Rey
- The Hectors, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Nightmail @ The Satellite
- The Aaron White Band, Adamssound, special guests @ The Central
DECISION:
Bad Religion (at right) slips in a secret show at The Echo, which was sold out as soon as it was announced, naturally. They're about to embark on a huge tour and this must be a warm up. As they sound really great live and their embrace of the subversive make them a band I would enjoy seeing again, but they are just too big and surrounded by rabid rambunctious fans. I found that out when I saw them at the House of Blues a few years ago.
Another big ticket item is local giants The Airborne Toxic Event at The Mayan, appearing with White Arrows opening. But I would opt to go see Nightmail and The Hectors at The Satellite.
Thursday, January 24
- Ghostlight Orchestra, Anna Su, Trails @ Hotel Cafe
- Fidlar @ Amoeba Music
- Lawson, Taylor Mathews @ The Troubadour
- Muse, Band Of Skulls @ Staples Center
- Sunken Ships, The VAPES, Winchester Rebels, princessFrank @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Xu Xu Fang, The Trial @ The Central (8 PM)
- Break Science, Continuum @ The Central (10 PM)
- James Levy and the Blood Red Rose, Daniel Ahearn & the Jones, Paulene @ The Echo
- Pentatonix @ The Fonda Theatre
- Strategy, Pharaohs, Leech, DJ sets by LA Vampires, David Scott Stone, Dane Chadwick @ The Smell
- The Bergamot @ Bootleg Bar
- The Cold and Lovely, Modern Time Machines, Owls @ The Satellite
DECISION:
Oh boy, that psychedelic chugging sound you hear is Xu Xu Fang back again, and showing up at The Central tonight for an early show at 8. It's been a while since I've caught up with Bobby Tamkin's group and this may be the night. Fidlar are at Amoeba for their second show this week. But last week, Daniel Ahearn and the Jones (at right) dropped into my priorities of bands I have to go see over and over because they just floored me at Los Globos last Tuesday night. Tonight they're on the bill at The Echo so if I can be in Santa Monica and Echo Park in one night I will do it.
Friday, January 25
- Pebaluna, Joe McKee, Big Harp, Bell Gardens, Kita Klane @ Hotel Cafe
- Al Stewart @ McCabe's
- Cody ChesnuTT @ The Troubadour
- Gojira, Devin Townsend Project, The Atlas Moth @ The Fonda Theatre
- Wovenhand, VUM, Little Red Lung @ The Satellite
- Jon Brion @ Largo at the Coronet
- The Reflections, Pageants, SISU @ Bootleg Bar
- A Benefit for Mike Atta w/ Mike Watt & The Missingmen, 45 Grave, AUDACITY, White Flag, The
Abigails, Channel 3, The Garden, Agent Orange, White Night, The Urinals, Shattered Faith @ Echoplex
- El Ten Eleven, We Were Indians, RACES @ The Central
- The Donkeys, Social Studies, Jung Bouquet @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
El Ten Eleven and Races (at right) pull me toward Santa Monica's The Central, while Pageants and The Reflections yank me in the direction of the Bootleg. And what about Bell Gardens in my neighborhood at Hotel Cafe. Not sure what I'll do. All good shows.
Saturday, January 26
- Echosmith, Traction, Bad Wolf, Jillian Yvette @ Amplyfi
- Liz Wood, Totsy, Alto, The Ascetic Junkies, Ghost Town Jenny @ Hotel Cafe
- Susan James record release, Rick Overton @ The Besant Lodge
- Al Stewart @ McCabe's
- Dream Panther, Sloppy Jane, Jack Littman @ L.A. Fort
- Midge Ure & Annabella Lwin, Right The Stars, Gene Loves Jezebel @ El Rey
- Muse, Band Of Skulls @ Staples Center
- The Teddy Campbell Band, Ethan Farmer, Allison Iraheta & Halo Circus, Jubu And Legally Blynd,
Shoshana Bean, J.P. Delaire - D'I'oHm Project @ The Troubadour
- Yann Tiersen @ Luckman Fine Arts Complex
- Thirsty Heroes, Roulette Dares, I Like Turtles @ The Central
- Ken Stringfellow, The Maldives, The Nervous Wreckords @ The Satellite
- Kyle Gass Band, Casey Adams @ Bootleg Bar
- Meow Twins, Heller Keller, Business Cats, The Aquadolls @ Pehrspace
- Wet & Reckless, Sad Robot, The Vitals @ El Cid
DECISION:
Wet & Reckless (at right) have a show at El Cid and as they haven't played a show in a while, so this should be on your dance card.
Sunday, January 27
- Little Kids Rock Benefit Show w/ Joshua Radin, Juliet Piper @ Hotel Cafe
- Peppino D'Agostino @ McCabe's
- Fort King, Tommy Santee Klaws, Jim Reynolds, RT 'N the 44s @ Echo Country Outpost
- Garland @ Bootleg Bar
- Emperor X, Ever Ending Kicks, Nowcloud, Emily Lacy @ Pehrspace
- Tearist, Savage Republic, Troller, Thousand Foot Whale Claw @ The Echo
DECISION:
The weekend ends with a bang with the best show of the week at Echo Country Outpost. You will hear no finer music anywhere else this week than to feast on the recently revitalized Fort King (at right) which has suddenly become one of the hottest acts in town. Along with another of the most artistically inspired bands I've ever known, Tommy Santee Klaws, the one-two punch produced by these two acts side by side will be awe inspiring. Also on the bill is Jim Reynolds who's contributions to both Tommy Santee Klaws and Cave Country have always impressed me so I want to hear what he's up to. Top it off with the incomparable RT 'N the 44s and you have a show to top all shows. I may have to take Monday off.
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