by Brad Roberts
Wow, there's a lot of shows this week! I'll call attention to some of the highlights, but this will be slightly abbreviated as my computer crapped out on me (again) and I had to reload programs and set them up and write this column all at the same time. Anyway it's back up and running and as this happens to me about once a year, I should be good for a while now.
Bloomfest 2012 takes place this Saturday downtown, and it looks like this festival is growing in popularity. I first went two years ago and it was quite small and neighborhoody, but now it looks to encompass a larger area with more bands and more activities filling the day from 2 till 10 PM. It's also free which makes it particularly appealing.
Big shows by Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band at The Greek, Ray Davies at The Wiltern and The Fixx at Pershing Square Park are contrasted with local heavy-weight talents like The Happy Hollows at Bootleg, Escalator Hill and The World Record at Casey's Bar or a little of both world at El Rey with The Far West opening for Nick 13, and this is all just on Saturday!
Monday, July 16
- Matisyahu @ Amoeba Music
- SuperSoul Monday w/ Jason Joseph & The Spectacular w/ special guests, David Ryan Harris, Keaton Simons, Jesse Dee @Hotel Cafe
- Terraplane Sun, The Mowgli's, The Janks, Ry Cuming @ The Satellite
- "School Night!" w/ Foxes, Leftover Cuties, The Royal You @ Bardot
- American Royalty, Ahh G, zAK-MATIC @ The Echo
- Animal Raps, Levels, Hott MT @ Los Globos upstairs
- JMSN, Frank + Derol, DWNTWN @ Bootleg Bar
- Pam Shaffer, Pangolin, Scott Mellis @ Lot 1
- Terraplane Sun, The Mowgli's, The Janks, Ry Cuming @ The Satellite
- The Milky Way, The Zzyzzx, Jawa @ The Central
DECISION:
The Monday residencies are always the focus of the first night of the week. Pam Shaffer, (shown at left) Terraplane Sun, JMSN and American Royalty are all worthwhile, but there seems to be a mounting buzz about Paul Prado's Animal Raps (far right), including a citing from LA Weekly this week, making Los Globos tonight's destination recommendation. It's so odd and so clever, you have to see it to believe it. Matisyahu plays a free set at Amoeba Music earlier in the evening.
Tuesday, July 17
- Johnny Madcap & the Distractions @ Redwood Bar
- The Young @ Origami Vinyl (5 PM)
- Mike Viola @ Origami Vinyl (7 PM)
- Imaginary Cities, Western Haunts @ Hotel Cafe
- Milo Greene @ Amoeba Music
- The Young, Lamps, Zig Zags @ The Echo
- Autoerotique, Paul Chambers, Precept, Bass Frehley, Bones @ Dim Mak Studios
- Blondfire, In The Valley Below, Lovers Drugs @ The Central
- Foxes, Touché, The New Limb @ Bootleg Bar
- Tribute to Black Sabbath w/ Electric Flower Group, Sabrosa Purr, Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel, Neon Knights, and more @ The Satellite
- Sean Shan, Horrorscopes @ Los Globos upstairs
DECISION:
Pretty great set of free record store shows today with Milo Green at Amoeba and The Young at 5 and Mike Viola at 7 at Origami. The Young play later at The Echo and Bootleg Bar has a wonderful show with a trio of top bands, Foxes (at right), Touché, with Alex Lilly, and The New Limb. Lilly performed some back up vocals with Becky Stark last week at Eleni Mandell's show at Hotel Cafe that I was lucky enough to attend. Sean Guerin's band SeanShan is upstairs at Los Globos as well.
Wednesday, July 18
- Cathy Heller, Sharaya Mikael w/ Dustin Ruth, Molly Cottrell, Elijah Ford @ Hotel Cafe
- "Desert Nights" w/ Keith Zariello, Billy Harvey, Jo Krasevich @ The Standard
- Demi Lovato, Owl City @ The Greek Theatre
- Johnny Craig, Kurt Travis @ The Troubadour
- The Gods of Greed, LA Death Dolls, Venison, Damaged Kids, Piracy @ The Central
- Gingger Shankar @ Largo at the Coronet
- Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra @ The Roxy
- Boy's School, Davis Fetter @ The Satellite
- Communist Daughter @ The Library at The Redbury
- Ferraby Lionheart (full band), Line and Circle record release, Détective @ Bootleg Bar
- The Dig, Busy Living, Moostache, Young Man Grand @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Indians, Royal Heist, Micajah Rah @ 3 of Clubs
DECISION:
Ferraby Lionheart appears with a full band at Bootleg Bar along with Line and Circle who are celebrating a 7" release. Amanda Palmer is breezing through town with the first of two shows set for Los Angeles this year, tonight at The Roxy, with an outfit called The Grand Theft Orchestra. Together in the right. In September they come back to The Fonda, but based on the phenomenal success of her self-released album, and the fact this show is sold out, get your tickets for The Fonda now. I did.
Thursday, July 19
- Bobby Long, Naia Kete, Jen Hirsh Record Release, Wake Owl, The Mighty Sequoyah @ Hotel Cafe
- Haim, Wildcat! Wildcat! @ Santa Monica Pier
- Silver Snakes @ Origami Vinyl
- Missy Higgins, Butterfly Boucher @ The Troubadour
- Quilt, Young Magic, Old Toy Trains @ The Echo
- DubLab and LA Record present N O W Dance Party @ The Virgil
- Hello Vegas, The Active Set, Of Verona, Tic Tic Boom! @ Bootleg Bar
- Moshe Kasher, Eli Olsberg, Geoff Brousseau, Toby Muresianu, Sammy Obeid, Austin Wolf-Sothern, Jake Weisman @ Home Room
DECISION:
Haim and Wildcat! Wildcat! are out at the ocean this evening for the free Santa Monica Pier series. Haim also has a show at California Plaza tomorrow at noon.
Friday, July 20
- Haim @ California Plaza (12 noon)
- Mike Braunger Album Release @ Origami Vinyl
- Barcelona, Sometimes We Sing Together, Robert Deeble, Danni Rosner, Brian Lopez @ Hotel Cafe
- Chatham County Line @ McCabe's
- Ice Age w/ special guests @ The Central
- Nick 13, Triple Chicken Foot @ El Rey
- The Zeros, The Muffs, The Flytraps @ The Troubadour
- Duniven (CD giveaway party), Russian Red, Patrick Joseph, King Devil @ Bootleg Bar
- La Sera, Magic Trick, Foxygen @ The Echo
- So Many Wizards, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Voice On Tape, Son Of Cecil @ The Smell
- Tes Elations, 21st Century, The Rangdangs, Spaceships @ Home Room
- Western Scene, Kenan Bell, See Green @ The Satellite
DECISION:
Duniven is having a free-for-all CD giveaway at Bootleg Bar tonight in honor of his new EP, These Dreams. Competition comes from Manhattan Murder Mystery as they spray their rock and roll at The Smell.
Saturday, July 21
- Bloomfest 2012 @ Downtown Arts District (begins at 2 PM)
- Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band @ The Greek Theatre
- Conveyer @ Origami Vinyl
- George Stanford Record Release Show, Brian Wright, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Flying Sparks, A Sack Lust Event @ Hotel Cafe
- Portugal the Man @ Annenberg Space for Photography
- Face To Face (Acoustic), Jonny Two Bags @ The Troubadour
- Fur Dixon & Steve Werner @ McCabe's
- Nick 13, The Far West @ El Rey
- Ray Davies, The 88 @ The Wiltern
- The Fixx, Modern English @ Pershing Square Park
- The Paul F. Tompkins Show @ Largo at the Coronet
- ¡Vamos al Mambo! @ California Plaza
- The Happy Hollows, Magic Wands, The Union Line @ Bootleg Bar
- Escalator Hill, The World Record @ Casey's Bar
- Astra, Joy, Psicomagia, Tar Halos @ HM 157
DECISION:
Today is a giant show day. Starting off with the Bloomfest 2012 festival that celebrates the downtown arts scene and features music by Superhumanoids, NO, Light FM, Mike Watt & the Missingmen and many, many more. Artisans, Art Exhibits, Beer Gardens and Food Trucks are among the goodies to be sampled in a people and planet friendly affair.
Personally, I can't wait for The Happy Hollows (at right) show at Bootleg Bar tonight with The Union Line where they'll play fresh music off their new album. With Sarah Negahdari exploring other territory with her new project Pisces, it frees her to really rock out with The Happy Hollows and that's just what they're doing.
There's also big shows with Ray Davies at The Wiltern and Ringo Starr at The Greek. And great local acts like Escalator Hill at Casey's with The World Record.
Sunday, July 22
- Grand Ole Echo w/ I See Hawks In L.A., Chris Laterzo and Buffalo Robe, Gwendolyn @ The Echo (5 PM)
- Jim Bianco,Luc & The Lovingtons, Joanna Chase, Phoebe Bridgers @ Hotel Cafe
- Matthew Sweet @ Amoeba Music
- Los Feliz Street Fair 2012 w/ Fort King, Kind Hearts and Coronets and more @ 4666 Hollywood Blvd.
- Solon Music Night w/ Guy Blakeslee, Matt Popieluch, Claire McKeown, Matthew Teardrop, David
Lyudmirsky; Carolyn Pennypacker-Riggs, Evan Slamba, Tobias Buch Anderson, Savannah Wheeler @ Bootleg Bar
- Trevor Hall, Anuhea, Justin Young @ The Troubadour
- The Mallard, Magic Trash, The Vivids @ Bootleg Bar
- Danielle Ate The Sandwich @ Eagle Rock Center for the Arts
DECISION:
A wonderful program of singer/songwriters is what Solon Music Night is all about. This event at the Bootleg Gallery is the brainchild of Claire McKeown of Shadow Shadow Shade and dirt bird and showcases some of the best writers in town in an intimate, unamplified environment. What a great opportunity to hear these artists as if they were sitting in your living room. Included are the likes of Matthew Teardrop of MMM, Guy Blakeslee of The Entrance Band, Savannah Wheeler of Light FM, host Claire McKeown and a bunch of others. This sounds like a most excellent way to spend a Sunday night.
During the day you can attend The Los Feliz Street Fair.
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