Radio Free Silver Lake

Radio Free Silver Lake Will Go Dark on January 18 to Oppose SOPA & PIPA

By Kathryn Pinto
Radio Free Silver Lake is going dark on January 18 to oppose SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act (House Bill 3261 or H.R. 3261) and PIPA, PROTECT IP Act of 2011 (Senate Bill 986 or S.968). We oppose these bills because they will infringe on the First Amendment right to free expression and have a chilling effect on the free exchange of information and collaboration on the internet. For these reasons we will post nothing tomorrow. We stand in solidarity with other music sites going dark including: Listen Before You Buy, Beats Per Minute, In Your Speakers, The Owl Mag, GIMME TINNITUS, Tiny Mix Tapes, .

Read more about the pending SOPA/PIPA legislation. The House of Representatives will resume work on SOPA in February.

• Technical Explanation of SOPA and PIPA
• An overview of the SOPA bill
• Full text of the bill, H.R. 3261
• Why SOPA Is Dangerous
• White House opposition to SOPA
• House to take up anti-piracy bill in February

Celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16th!

By Jackie Lam

In an age where cloud computing, in which you can listen to music or watch a movie on a shared digital space without having to own it, is on the horizon, and stealing music off your friends’ iPods is easier than baking brownies from a Betty Crocker mix, it’s a small wonder why record sales actually went up last year (by a whooping 14%). Perhaps because listening to an album still reigns supreme in a lot of ways. It’s an undisputed fact that because a record’s analog recording more closely resembles an audio wavelength, its sound quality is far superior than digital formats. Perhaps taking a record out of carefully designed cardboard sleeve, putting it on the turntable’s slender needle, and listening to an album in its entirety, is still considered a bit of a sacred act. Or perhaps it's because record collectors have the reputation of being more knowledgeable about music than the casual Pandora peruser. To own is to cherish, and to have a long-sought-after rarity or B-side is a testament to how hardcore a music fan one truly is. And we introverted audiophiles know there's nothing more enjoyable than spending a leisurely afternoon on your day off going through the aisles of your neighborhood record store. 

So what better way to support your local music retailer than dropping in this Saturday, April 16th to celebrate the 4th annual Record Store Day. Participating stores will be having

giveaways, special in-store performances, sales, and most will carry an exhaustive list of RSD
exclusives, which includes releases from our own indie darlings Manhattan Murder Mystery, and Dengue Fever, Akron Family, Blitzen Trapper, Built to Spill, Caribou, Deerhoof, Fleet Foxes, Lower Dens, Of Montreal, Pinback, The Flaming Lips, The Naked & Famous, Vivian Girls, Yeasayer, Bear in Heaven, Deerhunter, Panda Bear, and The Growlers. If you are seeking a particular exclusive, I highly recommend checking out the store's website or calling ahead of time. 

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 On the Eastside, Amoeba Records in Hollywood continues its tradition of celebrating RSD with a day chockful of festivities. They’ll be open at 10:30 am and all their exclusives will be kept behind their front counters. In addition to carrying a boatload of exclusives, from 11 am – 4 pm you can get a limited-run RSD t-shirt. Just make a sliding-scale donation of $5-$10 and receive a tee of your choosing. All donations will benefit Doctors Without Borders. There will also be special DJ sets from KCRW’s Henry Rollins and members of Fucked Up.

Origami Vinyl in Echo Park is the place to go if you want to see some fantastic bands play. This cutesy, intimate long corridor of a record store is just over two years young, and they’ll be opening shop bright and early at 10 am Saturday. The first 150 customers will receive a free Origami Vinyl/Altamont Tote Bag with purchase. Free in-stores include a surprise guest (2 pm), Nick T. from Islands (4 pm), Hanni El Khatib (6 pm), and The Growlers ( 8 pm). Plusthey'll be doing free giveways all day. 

Don’t forget to swing by Rockaway Records  in Silverlake as they will be having a massive storewide sale. RSD exclusive vinyl and CD music releases they have in stock includes special releases from The Beach Boys, Dengue Fever, The Velvet Underground, and The Beatles. In addition, they’ll be raffling off a signed Alice Cooper guitar and Rockaway gift certificates. No doubt there will be lots of free goodies from the music distributors and labels, such as buttons, stickers, records, and posters.

Vacation Vinyl on Vermont in Los Feliz will have DJ sets all day long, and a buttload of great exclusives. You can check their store blog for a more complete list.

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On the Westside, Record Surplus in Santa Monica is extending RSD to a three-day weekend blowout bonanza and extended hours from 11 am to 10 pm. Their massive sale will run from Friday to Sunday.  Select LPs, cassettes and VHS that are housed in their Attic section will be sold at three for a whooping .90 cents and all bargain bin CDs that are regularly marked at .90 cents will be reduced to .23 cents each. On top of that, your entire purchase will be discounted an additional 20% off. So for those who are anticipating an exhausting, jam-packed day of perusing sale bins, making a quick grab for the last copy of Lower Dens 7" exclusive,  I highly suggest starting your RSD celebration early and trekking over to Record Surplus on Friday. Although not an official participant of RSD, Angel City Books & Records in Santa Monica has a robust assortment of collectibles and rarities, and is worth a trip. 

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And for Valley denizens, RSD participants in my hometown of Burbank includes Backside Records. Backside will have hundreds of exclusive titles, DJ sets, and live bands performing all
day long. For a complete schedule of the lineup, please visit their website. In addition, ever item in the
store (sans items already for sale) will be 20% off.  They’ll have extended store hours and will be open from 9 am – 11 pm. If you're already in Burbank, swing by Atomic Records , which offers a bulk discount.
Pasadena peeps should check out the longstanding Penny Lane Records, where your entire purchase will be tax-free, and Canterbury Records, which is reputed to have an amazing vinyl collection, will be carrying a lot of exclusives. 

So have a field day and paint the town red by visiting your favorite mom and pop indie music shops.

On the road to SXSW with Josiah Mazzaschi of Light FM--Part 1

Reporting from the road, South By Southwest veterans and official showcase band Light FM are sending dispatches from their charming and talented frontman Josiah Mazzaschi. Here is Part One.

By Josiah Mazzaschi

OK. So this is the second time my band Light FM has played SXSW. We played the fest in 2009 after our sophomore release, Black Magic Marker for which RFSL hosted the record release at Boardners in October 2009. We had one official showcase but it was a long drive just for one show, opening for the Happy Hollows. We were met with many disappointments and empty bank accounts.

I wasn't about to let that happen again. I took plenty of time in advance to make sure this trip was going to be beneficial for our band. I was able to book three shows, two on Thursday and an official showcase on Saturday. It wasn't a lot but it was better than playing just one show! It's a 24-hour drive from LA.

On the way out to Texas we played a show at the Rogue Bar in Phoenix and then drove overnight to arrive in Austin Wednesday evening. It was a long drive and we were all super tired.

After a good night's rest we ventured into the city swamped with hipsters, industry folks, and music enthusiasts to claim our wristbands and tons of free schwag: condoms, gum, magazines, and CD's, at the Austin Convention Center.

Show Spotlight: To Haiti with Love Benefit Show at the Bootleg Saturday January 15

By Kathryn Pinto

This week is the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Let's be real, Haiti did not have the world's most functional infrastructure before the earthquake and recovery has been slow. It's hard to think of anyone more deserving of your compassion and hard-earned ten bucks than the people of Haiti and Reach out to Haiti. Here's what you can do.

Vanaprasta, along with Mariah McManus, John Isaac Watters and John Carpenter are playing To Haiti with Love, a benefit show at the Bootleg Theater this Saturday night January 15. There will be a Haiti photo gallery by Jess Koehler. Proceeds go to Reach out to Haiti. The show is also the Plays Well with Others compilation release for the To Haiti with Love record.  Tickets to the show include a download card for the complilation, or you can buy it on bandcamp and rock out before the show.

This one is pretty much a no-brainer, people. For ten bucks you can go see rising stars Vanaprasta in a small venue before they get huge, plus three other good bands, a compilation album, and all of the proceeds benefit people who need your love and attention. So go.

Just Look at What He's Doing!: Geoff Geis Art Show at the Echo Curio

By Kathryn Pinto

Mulitalented artist and occasional Radio Free Silver Lake contributor Geoff Geis will be exhibiting a solo show of his visual art Just Look at What He's Doing at the Echo Curio, opening this Thursday October 21 at 9:00pm. RFSL readers know Geis as a member of bands Big Whup and Pizza! Since 2007 Geis has been making visual art works that are a satire of the representation of Barack Obama in the press by both the right and left sides of the political spectrum. The exhibition includes the self-described juvenile collage work from the Obamaporn series as well as the over-the-top pop-up book the Audacity of Blood.

The exhibition takes place at the Echo Curio and was originally planned with live music performances by Geoff Geis and other east side bands. Live music has been suspended at the Echo Curio by the Los Angeles Police Department because the Curio lacks a Café Entertianment license. Art exhibitions and workshops continue at the Curio, but music is in limbo pending the owners’ approval for a license.

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have spaces where local and experimental art and music can be presented and seen. To show your support for the Echo Curio, show up for Mr. Geoff Geis' art show on Thursday and contact City Council Member Eric Garcetti to let him you know you support the Echo Curio.

Brad On The Radio

by Brad Roberts

I've been invited to be a guest on Simon Cardoza's radio show on Wednesday night, August 25, which runs from 10 PM to midnight at the online radio station Only For The Open-Minded.

 

Simon has a weekly show called Si'mon Quey! and I will be chatting about local music with Mr. Cardoza, and musical entertainment will be provided by Walking Sleep (at right), which is a perfect match as they are among my oldest and dearest friends in the music scene. This is my first radio venture and I'm looking forward to it. Nervous, a bit, but mostly excited.

You can listen to it on Wednesday (Aug 25) beginning at 10 PM here: http://www.onlyfortheopenminded.com/

 

Celebrate Record Store Day on Saturday, April 17th!

 
By Jackie Lam

As many of us have amassed our music collections by a simple click of a download button or stealthily ripping them off the Inter-web, the record shop has increasingly become something of a mythical creature, like a unicorn or dragon. It was a place where you could come across your next favorite band by picking up an album based purely on its name or off-beat cover art, and spend hours sampling new music at one of the listening stations. The record store, with its walls plastered with show posters and grisly guys huddled in the front, smoking and shooting the bull about the last best concert they went to, was the music lover’s haven. I can still remember heading over to D.B. Coopers, a small used music store in a strip mall near my high school in Burbank, and feeling a swell of excitement as I carefully flipped through the albums in their shiny, plastic casing.

This Saturday is the fourth annual Record Store Day, and there’s no better way to lend support and pay homage to the few music shops that still remain in town (RIP Aron’s and Rhino Records). With free in-store performances, sales, giveaways, and limited edition RSD releases  on vinyl and LPs from over 100 bands which include Everest, Beach House, Built to Spill, Of Montreal, Male Bonding and the Dum Dum Girls, Pavement, Wilco, Devo, Sea Wolf, and Deerhoof. What each store will carry may vary, so if in doubt, call ahead. Here’s what goodies the record shops in L.A. have lined up this year:

The Henry Clay People Sign to TBD Records

by Joel Robinson

News flash: Local favorites The Henry Clay People have announced that they've signed with TBD Records. The label will release their sophmore album Somewhere on the Golden Coast this  June (closer than ya' might think). In advance of this release, the band will be touring extensively, including a thorough presence at SXSW in the next couple weeks.

For more info, have a visit to the blogs linked below:

• Classical Geek Theatre

• Web In Front

• Buzzbands.LA

CONGRATS GUYS! The hard work is paying off. Keep it up! - RFSL

Photo by Jeff Koga.

FML: The Mae Shi Split Up

By Whitney Hawke

Remember The Mae Shi's "Run To Your Grave" and their dank as hell Miley Cyrus cover "See You Again"? Shit might not be happening again. Ever. The local six-piece has been popping out electro-skizz jams since 2002, but have split up, citing artistic and personal differences fueled by founding member Jeff Byron's alcohol and substance abuse, as well as personal tension over who was being marketed as the band's "front man."

Whispers of the disbandment started last Thursday when Pitchfork posted a misguided "news" piece about the band's fall out. Jeff Byron and fellow Mae Shi member Tim Byron reacted by clearly and honestly explaining the split on their Myspace page -- an endearing act for a band who has earned swarms of loyal fans. The story goes like this: in early in 2009, The Mae Shi got their "First real 'manager,' and we were being told that to be successful, we should market ourselves as a four-piece. We were told we needed to 'focus,' and the audience needed something to focus on. We needed a 'front man.' We took that advice, and took aim at the future as a quartet -- Jon, Jeff, Bill and Jacob. Jon was our front man, and he did it well. Brad was fine was this, as he wasn't interested in performing, only writing and producing, but Tim felt weird and a little hurt about it" the band explained in their open letter.

Not Indie Rock: What Can I Do About Iran?

by Joe Fielder

The Internet has given an up-close look at the current political protests in Iran and subsequent, bloody government crackdowns... Between the constant stream of underground news updates on Twitter and more well-publicized stories like the tragic death of protester Neda Agha-Soltan (recorded on cellphone camera, uploaded onto YouTube, and witnessed by hundreds of thousands), it's been hard to ignore.

As with any moment in history like this, you'd be right to ask "What can I do?" The truth is I don't know. I've been grappling with feelings of helplessness and the inanity of my comfortable everyday problems as others suffer elsewhere, myself.

But I can offer a few books if you're interested in learning more about what led Iran (and the US, for that matter) to this point today. And maybe that will help both of us figure it out from there.

All The Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer -- In 1953, the CIA orchestrated the overthrow of democratically-elected Iranian president Mohammed Mossadegh after he'd nationalized an oil industry set up to line the pockets of foreign companies while leaving little for the people of the country.

This sounds like a conspiracy theory -- almost too big to be true -- but it's well-documented history covered in this book and elsewhere. A corrupt puppet government was installed soon after... and was later torn down during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and replaced by the current theocratic regime that rules Iran today.

Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden -- In November of 1979, a group of radical Islamist students overwhelmed the US embassy in Tehran, taking sixty-six Americans hostage.

The events that followed changed the course of both Iranian and US politics, as religious hardliners there used the opportunity to purge moderates from government and the souring opinion in the US led to President Jimmy Carter's failed re-election here. Writer Marc Bowden investigates what happened then, interviewing both the hostages and their captors, to show how it shaped the world now.

Both are well-written books, full of insight and penned in the sort of compelling narrative found more often in fiction. They're worth your time, if you feel like spending a little of it to find out more about what's behind today's headlines.

We now return you to the indie rock, but feel free to continue discussing in the comments section.