Radio Free Silver Lake

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Blurry eyed and double vision, laughing in the dead heat...")

by Brad Roberts

The week begins with Memorial Day, not only to commemorate the sacrifice of our soldiers and veterans, but to remind ourselves that, as a nation, we are still a work in progress. Hopefully, more evolution is in our future. Also, those of us who covered or worked (or simply attended) the Silver Lake Jubilee have a full day to recover  It was....quite a party!  Thank you Rob Danson for the photo. We'll have writeups and photos later this week from our own writers and photographers.

On Saturday The Beach Boys reunite, again, for a 50th anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl, to which everyone seems to be going. Local bands dominate the week with shows from Marvelous Toy, Naive Thieves, Fort King (with a fresh line up), Vanish Valley and Lord Huron shows up at The Troubadour.

Sorry to be late with this post, but it was a very busy weekend!!!

Giveaway & Show Spotlight: Lonesome Heroes, Western States Motel, Olentangy John at the Outpost

By Kathryn Pinto

Indie and western duo the Lonesome Heroes came to our attention when their guitarist and singer Rich Russell shared some of his teriffic photos of the Lonely Wild's show at South By Southwest in Austin this spring. One of the best things about being part of the music community is that you can reach out to someone as a photographer and  it turns out that he his own excellent band and--extra bonus--the other half of the duo is a talented and inventive visual artist, too. This Saturday May 26 the Lonesome Heroes play the Echo Country Outpost along with perennial RFSL favorites The Western States Motel and Olentangy John. Lonesome Heroes' singer/dobro player Landry McMeans has a weeklong exhibiton of cardboard relief art works at the Outpost from May 21-27. Set times are:  6pm-Art reception/ BBQ, 8pm- Olentangy John, 9pm-Lonesome Heroes 10pm- Western States Motel

The Lonesome Heroes come to Los Angeles as part of a three week tour in support of their debut full-length Daydream Western, a deserted highway stretch of country-tinged indie rock winding through the places in between Brooklyn and Texas.

In celebration of this show the Lonesome Heroes are giving away two Lonesome Heroes gift packs that include a CD, Landry McMeans art print and a big Texas welcome to the show (the Echo Country Outpost is a non-profit, donation-only space). To enter, send an email with your full name and any comments to RFSLpinto@gmail.com, include "Lonesome Heroes Saturday at the Outpost" in the subject header. We need to receive your email by NOON Friday. Winners can pick up their gift packs at the Outpost the night of the show. Good luck to all and hope to see you there.

 

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The Lonesome Heroes play the Echo Country Outpost Saturday, May 26 with the Western States Motel and Olentangy John. The show starts at 6pm on the patio with BBQ, refreshments and bands. Entry is by donation only, but $10 donations are warmly appreciated. 

 

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Where Have You Been? What Have You Seen? All The Peace When You Come Following, I'll Tell You It's Worth It All...")

 by Brad Roberts

Get ready for the beginning of summer. This coming weekend combines Silver Lake Jubilee 2012 with Memorial Day, which is perfect in that we get a full day to recover before the work week begins. Kathryn Pinto and I will be your on-the-ground correspondents, while photographers Miriam Brummel and Zoe-Ruth Erwin will be documenting  the event. There's so much to recommend here that I'll just say what I will try to see each day under the daily listings. Overall, Kinky and Autolux are the hot bands headlining on Saturday, while Aloe Blacc and The Soft Pack bring high-profile name support to the Sunday line up. With so many great bands playing on six stages all the time, the best plan is probably to go with no plan, and just end up seeing whoever you run into as you wander the circuit. That's my advice. At this point it looks like the weather will cooperate with temperatures around 70 degrees and partly cloudy skies clearing as the days go on. It would be great not to fry on the pavement.  

Beck is playing a sold out show at El Rey Tuesday night, while shows I'm looking forward to include another band with Harley Prechtel-Cortez called Half/Blood who have a show with  Johnzo West at Harvard & Stone on Wednesday night and Auditorium at Bootleg Bar on Thursday.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Love Will See Us Through Till Something Better Comes Along...")

by Brad Roberts

We're swinging into the summer festival season with a couple of events this coming weekend, starting with the Santa Monica Festival 2012 on Saturday which is a celebration of Santa Monica with seminars, games, workshops and music by the likes of La Santa Cecilia and Vaud & the Villains. It begins at 11 AM at Clover Park. On Sunday, the city of West Hollywood sponsors a street festival called  The Hudson Block Party which sounds like a real blowout with lots of great music by White Rabbits, Saint Motel, Little Hurricane among many others, and vendors, street artists and food. (Now that I've listed the correct festival, I urge you to go)

Some nice shows out there this week starting with The Henry Clay People headlining Chris Douridas and MFG's  "School Night!" at Bardot on Monday. One of my favorite bands, Great Lake Swimmers are back in town for a Friday show at The Troubadour and a big Broadway show on Wednesday are on my agenda for the week which finishes up with the Torches Record Release Show at The Satellite on Sunday night.

Last week was highlighted by a terrific show at The Satellite on Thursday night for Little Red Lung's EP Release Show. Seasons delivered a nice set which included two new tunes, Little Red Lung weaved a powerful magical spell with a sweeping orchestral flourish, and the evening was capped by an extraordinary performance by a one man typhoon called Dorian Wood and his dynamic band. Saturday Radio Free Silver Lake hosted a well-attended opening of a fantastic photo exhibit at the 1650 Gallery in Echo Park. Highlighting the work of about 16 photographic artists who record the local music scene in such a huge and varied range of styles, the exhibit preserves this moment in time for the ages. Thanks to everyone who came out and especially to the musicians, Ryan Fuller, Rob Danson, Kelli Noftle, Andrew Spitzer, and a special nod to The Smugg Brothers, who dragged religious revivalism, kicking and screaming, into the mix.

Music We Like: Little Red Lung (EP)

By Kathryn Pinto

Genre-defying Little Red Lung came to us not through Zoë-Ruth Erwin, front and center of the project, but because of drummer Nathan Kondor who also plays with RFSL faves George Glass. George Glass is dyed-in-the-wool boy rock—the pleasure in the music is in seeing how far down and around the block a guy can take a guitar line. It’s like trading baseball cards, beauty in the detail and knowledge of minutiae, which on its own terms is an excellent, but quite distinct flavor.

Little Red Lung, who release their self-titled EP at The Satellite tonight, is something else entirely. It’s about the broad epic sweep of sound, aural space not as a small soundproofed practice space, but a sweeping cloud-churned landscape that requires a wide horizontal expanse. The self-titled EP is dramatic and orchestral in its breadth and ambitious in its construction. Credits include strings, brass and a percussion section of marimba, glockenspiel, vibraphone and woodblocks in addition to drums. These arrangements evoke a deep dark velvety chocolate night, a gypsy feel with a nod to Devotchka, the 7”, 45 rpm operas of Roy Orbison, and the windblown moors of Kate Bush.

You’d swear that Erwin has the kind of voice you’d have if yours would only cooperate. Her vocals play as an instrument, their power to convey emotion in restraint--to connect with the listener by holding back, rather than through a struggle against the body to get a sound and a feeling out. On songs like “Ink Blot” and “Into a Landfill” lyrics are ambiguous, yet rich with imagery that suggests misinterpretations, miscommunication and love gone wrong, and in “Into a Landfill” a wish that the narrator could have identified deal breaking flaws a bit earlier in the story. This is an outstanding record from a band that is not afraid to be itself, ambitious and unreserved.

 

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Little Red Lung plays a record release show tonight, Thursday May 10 at The Satellite, 1717 Silverlake Blvd, LA, 90026, presented by LA Underground. New self-titled EP available at: iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, and littleredlung.com. Seasons, Dorian Wood, and San Francesca open. Doors at 8:30 pm, show: 9:00 pm $8.00, 21+.

This Ain't a Scene Show: Meet the Photographers

Compiled by Jackie Lam

 

Hey kids! So as you've been hearing from us all week, this Saturday, May 12th is This Ain't a Scene, a special photo exhibit and show at 1650 Gallery in Echo Park on the music community of East L.A. It features a curated, inspiring collection of images from both veteran and new music photographers, short live acoustic sets by  Rob Danson from Death to Anders, Kelli Noftle from Miniature Soap (and formerly Walking Sleep), Andrew Spitser from Radars to the Sky, Ryan Fuller of Fort King, and The Smugg Brothers.

The show goes from 8 pm - midnight, with music beginning at 9 pm.

To get to know the artists whose work will be included in the show a little better, we present to you mini photographer profiles. Hope you to see you Saturday!

 

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 Miriam Brummel

website: Even Keel Imagery
 

How did you get started doing music photography?
I love seeing live music and I love taking photographs. Doing music photography was the natural course of action. I started taking photos of my friends and family who make music, and now I'm out several times a week shooting shows. It's exactly how I want to contribute to and be involved with the East LA music community.

What do you think makes East LA a special place for music?
Everyone gets so excited for festivals like SXSW to come around, but the Los Angeles music scene is essentially one non-stop music festival. We have such a mass and variety of musicians and venues in LA, consequently there is always something of interest and fun happening. East LA is particularly special because of the strong DIY presence.

Show Spotlight: 'This Ain't a Scene': Photography Exhibition and Live Sets from Rob Danson, Kelly Noftle, Andrew Spitser, Ryan Fuller of Fort King and The Smugg Brothers

By Kathryn Pinto

Radio Free Silver Lake is proud to present "This Ain't a Scene," a photography exhibition that opens with live music from some of RFSL's favorite musical acts  Saturday May 12 at 1650 Gallery in Echo Park. The exhibition is a tribute to the vibrant music scene on the east side of Los Angeles, and to the photographers who capture and document these gigs, many these artist have contributed to Radio Free Silver Lake. Preview the exhibition at the 1650 Gallery site. Participating photographers include:
Sterling Andrews, Miriam Brummel, Levent  Buyukgural, Zoe-Ruth Erwin, Michele Evans, Gabriela Gonzalez, Michael  Gomez Burton, Olivia Hemaratanatorn, Ben Hoste, Angela Holtzen, Jeff  Koga, Rollence Patugan, Carl Pocket, Timothy Norris, Laurie Scavo, & George Tapia

LIVE ACOUSTIC SETS BY:
Rob Danson from Death to Anders
Kelli Noftle from Miniature Soap (and formerly Walking Sleep)
Andrew Spitser from Radars to the Sky
Ryan Fuller of Fort King
and The Smugg Brothers

Join us for the opening night reception SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2012 from 8:00pm - 12:00am at 1650 Gallery, Echo Park, 1650 Echo Park Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90026.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "You Will Break My Heart, And I Will Break Your Heart, And We'll All Be Broken Hearts...Nooooooooo!")

by Brad Roberts

We here at Radio Free Silver Lake are particularly happy to be hosting the "This Ain't A Scene" Photo Exhibition Opening Party at the 1650 Gallery in Echo Park. Featuring about 16 of our favorite local (some of whom are, quite frankly, national) photographers, including many whose work has graced this column for the past three years. I rely on you and owe you a debt of gratitude. They include Laurie Scavo, Jeff Koga, Ben Hoste, Sterling Andrews, Zoe-Ruth Erwin and so many others. Music will be provided with short solo sets by Andrew Spitzer, Kelli Noftle, Rob Danson, Ryan Fuller and the band, The Smugg Brothers. The Gallery itself is a beautiful space, warm and inviting so do come out on Saturday night and help us celebrate these wonderful artists.

The above refrain (the headline quote) rang out over the hills near the Greek Theatre last Friday night as Aaron Embry and his daughter Mayla shared a moment of genuine love and connection with the huge audience filing in for the Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at dusk on a magnificent evening. The nearly magic moon rose overhead as Aaron played his guitar and told us how Mayla would shout out "Nooooo!" every time he sang that song at home, which caused the whole audience to bellow out "Nooooooooooo!" each time he reached that point in the lyric. Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros wowed the audience with a show stacked with many wonderful new songs that all sound the equal or better than their previous material. This show left me reeling and there were no broken hearts in evidence.

This week includes the EP release party for Zoe-Ruth Erwin's band Little Red Lung, which was the subject of my own laudatory review over at Feed Your Head a few weeks ago. Seasons are also on the bill for this super show at The Satellite on Thursday night. Prepare for mind-expansion.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Just A Passerby, I Watch Their Shameless Games, I Used To Understand Them, Until The Rules Were Changed...")

by Brad Roberts

Next Saturday is Cinco de Mayo and it seems to be a big deal this year with loads of shows celebrating the event. The biggest of which is this extravaganza over at Los Globos (see flyer at right) which goes all day. Find out about the rest under the Saturday listings.

Are you used to our new look yet? I think it's quite clear and legible. I guess we had the last look for three years, so change is good. It's hard to believe that I've also been doing this column for over three years now. I've seen so many changes in those years as the scene has expanded and contracted, shifted and reinvigorated itself countless times. Bands grow and evolve, sometimes right out of existence, only to have the musicians reappear in new and exciting projects. It seems experimentation is a powerful force and it's stimulating to me as a listener and writer, to see so much pure creativity pouring out of so many. I feel privileged to have witnessed at least two musical revolutions in my lifetime.

I think I'm just riffing on my concert experiences last week when I saw The Strawberry Alarm Clock come out of the dust of the '60's to present an awesome set at The Satellite last Wednesday night, which was as fresh and musically engaging as any set by my favorite new bands. I never saw them originally so I can't really compare, but they can hardly have been any better than they are now. They even played new material, as well as the inevitable "Incense and Peppermints". This was immediately followed by an amazing double header at The Echo with Vetiver on Thursday and Fruit Bats on Friday, where both bands were flush with all band members and full sets of past and present hits. Both sounded as good as I've ever heard them and it was a three night high.

This week is pregnant with possibilities. Lots of big shows from major stars like Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros at The Greek bringing along Aaron Embry to open for them and Lindsay Buckingham is back at The Wiltern, both on Friday. Jack White shows off a new solo project on Monday at The Mayan. Commercial superstars, Coldplay are in for a three night stint at Hollywood Bowl. There's a bit of a lull mid-week, but things really pick up by the weekend.

Show Spotlight: Yukon Blonde, Ben Browning, Harlan at Bardot

By Kathryn Pinto

If you're a fan of starting the week  with toe-tapping bouncy dancey indie pop, throw this into your Monday show mix. Yukon Blonde  a  four-piece from Vancouver are headlining It's a School Night at Bardot Hollywood Monday night. We'd love to give away tickets, but it's a free show so all you need to do is RSVP here. This touring machine of a band plays Los Angeles in support of their new LP Tiger Talk  between dates in their hometown of Vancouver and a European summer tour.

As guitarist/vocalist Brandon Scott told RFSL back in December, "I love touring, playing live is where I feel most comfortable... I have to admit that I’m a major tourist nerd. I’m obsessed with novelty shops and sending post cards. I actually made everyone drive a half hour outta the way to Seattle to see the Twin Peaks diner... I think that’s what makes touring enjoyable for me, I love history, and getting a chance to see historical landmarks across the country is great perk along with playing amazing shows."

Look no further than the video for "Stairway" if you need any more evidence of how fun this band is. They tour so much that they miss washing dishes and using the dustbuster. Or is it that when you live out of a van with three other guys a freshly vacuumed sofa and feather dusted walls are things a guy starts to dream of?

 

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Yukon Blonde plays Monday April 30 at Bardot, 1737 Vine St. Hollywood 90028, part of the It's a School Night series. Ben Browning and Harlan open. Show is FREE with RSVP for those 21& older, 18+ $10 with RSVP. Doors open at 8pm, bands at 9pm.