Radio Free Silver Lake

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.

Bite Sized News: Starfucker, Division Day, Everest and more!

By Whitney Hawke

- Holy shit, Starfucker is coming to town. Sunday at The Smell with Halloween Swim Team, Atole and Captain Ahab. This is bigger than bite-sized news, it's a mouthful. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. If you haven't heard them yet, check out the Portland quartet (pictured right) and get ready to party. Holy shit.

- Twitterpated: Via Twitter, The Happy Hollows have announced they are hard at work mastering new material. Huzzah! The Spires and The Deadly Syndrome have also tweeted about new albums on the horizon. We'll be waiting with bated breath... or tweets. Whatever, we're stoked.

- The Los Angeles Film Festival is upon us. And It Might Get Loud -- a 97 minute conversation and jam session with Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White -- is screening! Snag some tickets here and get ready for riffage. 

Oh Shit: Pehrspace Gets Partially Shutdown

By Whitney Hawke

The shit hath hiteth the faneth. If you were planning on heading over to Pehrspace sometime this week, you'll need to re-situate your plans. Due to multiple noise complaints from neighbors, Pehrspace is being forced to quiet down on weekdays, and re-locate its shows at other venues around town (read the official statement below). The neighbors have got their panties in a twist, and got all political about it by taking their gripes to councilmember Eric Garcetti's office.

Ways to respond? Organize. Take collective action. Protect this incubator of urban culture and fosterer of creativity. All that good shit. Comb through the City of Los Angeles' Noise Ordinance. Find a loophole. Build a defense. Gladhand the neighborhood association. Turn the music down a tick. Answer every complaint with, "Yes, and..." or "I understand your position, and firmly believe we can work together to find a common solution." The possibilities are endless.

"Hi Everyone,

pehrspace has been receiving noise complaints from neighbors these past few weeks and Officer Ford (via Eric Garcetti's office) visited us last Friday to give us a very polite, but stern, warning about controlling our sound levels for our shows.  With the addition of L'Keg to the neighborhood (we welcome the company!), our neighbors are experiencing a new wave of sound intrusion into their homes and extra people in the streets so their patience is probably wearing as thin as it did when we first opened three years ago. 

Bite-Sized News: HEALTH, No Age, Napster

By Whitney Hawke

- LA psycho-punks HEALTH have announced their sophomore full-length, Get Color, will be released September 8 on Lovepump United. The album's single, Die Slow, is a dance-tastic power jam fit for any mix tape or party playlist. Get pumped.

- Remember Napster? Well, after Metallica crashed the Napster party and essentially killed the site, it was bought out by company after company until finally resting in the hands of Best Buy who purchased the company for $121 million in late-2008. And now, the former mega-site has a new pricing model that is actually pretty cool. For $5 each month you can get five downloads and unlimited streaming from Napsters extensive library. Hella hella hella hella hella tight, right? Yeah. I'm doin' it. 

Bite-Sized News: Matt & Kim, Travisaurus, The Dead Weather

By Whitney Hawke

- On Saturday May 23rd, local psych rockers 5-Track & Glass Goblins will be performing at Where in Silver Lake. The event reportedly "signifies an ongoing cooperative effort between local musicians and local businesses to help each other out by building a sense of street-level community." Where has created a comfortable space for local musicians and artists to mingle and cut a rug, and this event aims to strengthen those ties to perpetuate the badassness of our local music scene.

- This is more of a personal favorite than a legitimate piece of news, but Matt & Kim's new music video for "Lessons Learned" chronicles the duo's striptease, and subsequent streaking through New York's Time Square.

- Local band Travisaurus will now be playing under the moniker Slumber Beast. So keep a look out. 

Bite-Sized News: Everest, Great Northern, The Little Ones, and more!

By Whitney Hawke

- Aw hell yeah! RFSL-favorites Everest recorded a four-song studio sesh with the mp3 blog-god Daytrotter, which is now posted on their site. The session includes the tracks "Black Covers," "Rebels in the Roses," "I Can See it in Your Eyes," and "Standing By" -- all of which are on Everest's 2008 release, Ghost Notes.

- Local production company Bright Lights L.A. represents all things sexy: indie music and hot fashion. On April 29, Bright Lights L.A. is hosting the Hype Music and Fashion Charity Show at El Cid that will be sponsored by American Apparel and Filter Magazine, who will be dolling out swag bags to attendees. The show will feature music by local electro-glam duo Polyamorous Affair, and psych-rockers Spirit Vine. Two charities -- Falling Whistles (an organization raising humanitarian aid for Congo), and The ONE Campaign (Bono's thing about AIDS n' shit) -- will be on-site to collect donations and support for their causes.

Bite-Sized News: Sea Wolf, Castledoor, The Parson Red Heads and more

 By Whitney Hawke

- Local indie rock outfit Sea Wolf will be venturing to Omaha, Nebraska at the end of April to begin recording their next album! The group will be working with producer, and Bright Eyes member Mike Mogis on the project. Sea Wolf front-man Alex Church reports the album is slated to drop in September. Start counting down the days...

- The Parson Red Heads have posted a new song, "Raymond", on their Myspace. The sugary pop number subscribes to the gingers' repertoire of 1960s psychedelic rock, and will be released on their forthcoming 7'' Orangufang which is scheduled to be released April 28. The EP is currently available for pre-order (which is a wise idea since only 200 copies are being pressed). The adorable lil' vinyl will be officially unleashed at the Parson's EP release show -- with Castledoor and Princeton at The Echoplex April 28. The Parsons have also announced a CA-heavy list of summer tour dates with The Monolators (in May) and Cotton Jones (in June).

Bite-Sized News: Silversun Pickups, The Mae Shi, Everest & More

By Whitney Hawke

- Local indie-rockers Everest (who have been on tour opening for Neil Young) played a 20-minute live set for NPR's World Cafe, which you can listen to for free online. Everest also released the dates and locations they will opening for the third-leg of Neil Young's North American tour -- which will take the band to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and other Canadian provinces. 

- Groupee.com recently released a list of their Top 30 Emerging Artists in Southern California and, to no surprise, the list is packed with RFSL favorites (damn we have good taste). The Henry Clay People claimed the number one spot on the list, followed by Red Cortez, Avi Buffalo, The Happy Hollows, and The Parson Red Heads to fill out the top five.

- Local electro-popsters The Mae Shi were prominently featured on NPR's Morning Edition March 20. The piece, which can be found here, highlights the bands journey to Austin for SXSW, the fact that they're playing 15 shows over the course of four days, and the financial burden of the festival.

What Exactly is Papermade? A.M., Dirt Dress, The Primos, & Traps, PS

by Octavius

Originally, Papermade was just a name used to release cassettes for it's founder and a couple friends, but it's now grown into a small label, composed of some of the more experimental groups working outside of the standard Silver Lake club scene. The bands include A.M., Dirt Dress, Traps, PS, and The Primos.

You can usually find them playing at the Pehrspace, or occasionally outside on the streets performing a guerrilla show. The first one I recall, was A.M. playing outside The Echo during F*ck Ya Fest last year. Since then, they've upped the ante by inviting a few other bands and orchestrating an entire day of guerrilla shows around Los Angeles back in October, titled GuerilLA-Fest 2008.