by Brad Roberts
There's a couple of worthwhile benefits to recommend this week. Lyme Light is a charity event on Thursday at El Rey, for the Tick-Borne Disease Alliance to help fight Lyme Disease and featuring some dedicated and benevolent local musicians including Youngblood Hawke, The Lonely Wild, In The Valley Below and Aaron Embry, to name a few of the participants. Oklahoma's All American Rejects are the headliners.
This week's First Fridays w/ Mary & Eli presents a Franklin Elementary Fundraiser (above) at Pehrspace with Alright Alright, Dawn of Sequins, and three other acts. Proceeds go for school supplies (which are desperately needed in the current climate of right-wing demonizing of public schools with the ultimate aim of privatizing all education) and with a line up made up of parents of current students. They are to be applauded.
Also on Friday night Ruthann Friedman w/ The Now People is bringing her stunning show back to Taix Lounge where she celebrated the long-awaited release of her album, Windy: A Ruthann Friedman Songbook, last September with a most memorable performance. Let's welcome Melpo Mene, who have recently moved to Los Angeles from their native Sweden, as they play for the final Moscow Rosco Monday residency at The Satellite. There's loads of other shows every night.
I lapped up concert ticket like a thirsty dog last week; The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Mimicking Birds, Maximo Park, because some of them I haven't seen for a very long time. Looking forward to a very busy April and May.
Monday, April 28
- Moscow Rosco, Magic Giant, badbad, Melpo Mene @ The Satellite
- Mystic Braves, Jeffertitti's Nile, Levitation Room, L'Aura Moiré @ The Echo
- SIGNALS, Brassteeth, œstrogènes @ Lot 1
- "School Night!" w/ DWNTWN EP Release, Elliphant, Elizabeth Rose, Alyeska @ Bardot
- Lawrence Rothman, Misun, Teen @ Bootleg Bar
- Jason Isbell, Holly Williams @ The Roxy
- Miles Mosley featuring The West Coast Get Down @ The Viper Room
- Hymn de Lune, Buildings Breeding @ Harvard & Stone
- Augustana, Twin Forks @ The Troubadour
- Justin Nozuka w: Sanders Bohlke & Megan Bonnell, NEL, Tam Tam @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Melpo Mene, from Sweden, was one of the bands I enjoyed meeting (Erik Mattiasson in photo at right), and actually seeing twice, at last year's Culture Collide Festival, so it would be nice to catch up with them at The Satellite, now that they have relocated to Los Angeles, when they play for the final Moscow Rosco residency. Magic Giant and badbad are also on the bill. Mystic Braves residency concludes with a showing of good bands like Jeffertitti's Nile, Levitation Room and L'Aura Moiré at The Echo.
I saw Jason Isbell on Austin City Limits on PBS recently and was very impressed with the quality of his music and his band, so when I saw he is playing The Roxy tonight and that it has been sold out for a while, I was sorry I was late to the game. He has a story-teller's instincts and the musical ability to turn them into tuneful and inviting songs.
Tuesday, April 29
- Breton, Kid Karate, Evan Mellows @ The Echo
- Howler, Vision @ Bootleg HiFi
- Augustana, Twin Forks @ The Troubadour
- Franz Ferdinand, Cate Le Bon @ The Wiltern
- Michael Nesmith @ The Roxy
- Justin Nozuka w: Sanders Bohlke & Megan Bonnell, Aaron Embry, Cory Becker, Nedelle Torrisi @ Hotel Cafe
- Boy George @ The Belasco Theatre
- DIIV, Chris Cohen, Kiki Pau @ Eagle Rock Center for the Arts
- Badass Bands Blog presents Thatwasthen, Percy & The Gunslingers, Bones Muhrony @ Silver Lake Lounge
DECISION:
Aaron Embry concludes his Hotel Cafe residency, and following his set are Cory Becker and then Nedelle Torrisi. Embry will be joining other local acts on stage at El Rey for the Lyme Light benefit on May 1st, Thursday.
Franz Ferdinand, are back out on tour and sweep through The Wiltern tonight with Cate Le Bon opening. And Monkees' legend who was considered the most musically valid, Michael Nesmith is still at it an playing The Roxy tonight.
Wednesday, April 30
- Chris Murray, The Delirians, The Steady 45's, Pachemama Estela, JQ & The Review, Scarlett and The Fever @ The Echo
- Skating Polly, Peg, Sweet Bump It, L.A. Drugz @ Bootleg Bar
- "Desert Nights" w/ Lauren Barth, Honeycrisp, Brent Rademaker, Rachel Dean @ The Standard
- Rusian Siroya Trio @ Blue Whale
- MONO, Helen Money @ The Troubadour
- Sassafras w/ L.A. River Bend @ Sassafras Saloon
- Tommy & the High Pilots, Scarlett Rabe, Stamps, Paper Trails, Melody Riffs @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
There's a certain similarity that Nate Weiner shares with Andrew Bird in his talky lyrics and vocal fluidity, sans the violin and whistling, but with an originality that sets his band, L.A. River Bend (at right) apart from mere imitation. His songs cover lots of ground and incorporates numerous styles ranging from country bluegrass to blues and pop. Tonight at the Sassafras Saloon.
Thursday. May 1
- Nails, Iron Lung, Nausea, Bone Sickness, Skinfather @ The Echo
- Tokyo Police Club, Geographer, Said The Whale @ Echoplex
- Honky Tonk Hacienda w/ Little Faith, The Black Tongued Bells @ El Cid
- Adam Arcuragi, Dana Falconberry @ Bootleg HiFi
- Charlie Megira, Kim & The Created, Gabriel Hart, Trabant @ Lot 1
- All American Rejects, Youngblood Hawke, In The Valley Below, The Lonely Wild, Hey King!, Henry Fleishman, Aaron Embry @ El Rey
- The Young Turks Tour w/ Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Ben Mankiewicz, Jimmy Dore @ The Troubadour
- Tyler Lyle, Sam Morrow Record Release Show, The Doyle Brothers, Dark Rooms, Megan Burtt @ Hotel Cafe
- Cruz, The Vitals, Orange Blossom Special, The Fantastic Toes @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Britweek Music Sessions w/ The Horrors, Toy @ The First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles
DECISION:
All American Rejects are top-billed at a most worthy benefit tonight called Lyme Light, also featuring a local all-star line up with Youngblood Hawke, In The Valley Below, The Lonely Wild (at right) and Aaron Embry. All this music to benefit Tick-Borne Disease Alliance is taking place at El Rey starting at 8 PM.
Good chance to catch Tokyo Police Club in a modest sized club like Echoplex, as they hit the Echo Park venue with Geographer and Said The Whale.
On a different note, and a political one, I recommend a healthy dose of unexpurgated truth from the following speakers at The Young Turks Tour with Cenk Uygur, Ana Kasparian, Ben Mankiewicz, Jimmy Dore at The Troubadour. Can you take it?
Friday, May 2
- QunQ record release show @ The Satellite
- "First Fridays" w/ Holychild, Groundislava @ The Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County
- Darkstar, Patten @ The Echo
- Galantis, The Bystanders @ El Rey
- Tritonal @ The Wiltern
- Some Go Haunting, Vinyl Pinups, Forget Your Friends, Carmella, Sleep State @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Ruthann Friedman w/ The Now People, Rachel Goodrich & The GRRRLS @ Taix Lounge
- Green Jelly, The Mormons, Crime Rock, Pizza Wolf @ Redwood Bar
- Higgins Waterproof Black Magic Band, Tara Jane O'Neil @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
- Crash Record Release, Cory Becker, Henry Wolfe @ Bootleg Bar
- Authentic Sounds of Silverlake, Bubbeleh, Duk @ El Cid
- Jain Matthews @ McCabe's
- First Fridays w/ Mary & Eli present a Franklin Elementary Fundraiser w/ Alright Alright, Dawn of Sequins, Marty Barrett & the Tall Whites, Josh Lewis, Franklin Parent Band @ Pehrspace
- O.A.R., ScreamCreature @ The Troubadour
- The Record Company, The Young Romans, The Peach Kings, Clair Riley-Roe @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Tonight is the night of the Franklin Elementary Fundraiser at First Fridays w/ Mary & Eli at Pehrspace with talent provided by Franklin Elementary parents. The infectious and dynamic indie power pop of Alright Alright (at right), the positive image of weirdness, Dawn of Sequins, Marty Barrett & the Tall Whites, and others play for this worthy cause. At Taix Lounge Ruthann Friedman w/ The Now People play a repeat performance of the wonderful record release show held last September. If you missed that, you should take advantage of this opportunity to see a national treasure. As if that wasn't enough Rachel Goodrich & The GRRRLS also play.
Among the many other noteworthy shows I include Authentic Sounds of Silverlake, Bubbeleh and Duk bringing Balkan gypsy rock to El Cid and The Record Company, The Young Romans and The Peach Kings at Hotel Cafe and Crash has a Record Release Show with Cory Becker and Henry Wolfe at Bootleg Bar.
"First Fridays" resumes at The Natural History Museum with Holychild and the aptly named Groundislava.
Saturday, May 3
- Papafish, Krooked Treez, Roots of Mine, Reeform @ The Satellite
- White Fang, Criminal Hygiene @ The Echo
- I Break Horses, Dawn Golden @ Bootleg Theatre
- Feed Your Head presents Winter, Oyster Club, Mizz Absurd, TBA @ Lot 1
- O.A.R., ScreamCreature @ The Troubadour
- Los Lobos, Ozomatli, Mariachi El Bronx @ The Greek
- Sapphic Musk, Clutch the Pearls, HAPPYFORYOU @ El Cid
- Goblin, Pinkish Black @ The Fonda Theatre
- Break Of Reality, Shoshana Bean, Aubrey Logan, Cynthia Catania @ Hotel Cafe
- Tummy, Creeps, more TBA @ Pehrspace
DECISION:
Feed Your Head is back for another First Saturday show at Lot 1 tonight and I've excited to presents recent Boston post-punk transplants Winter, and a band I only just heard of, Oyster Club, one of my favorite new local sensations, Mizz Absurd. Rounding out the bill will be another returning artist, Old Man, who impressed me so much when he played my February show.
Big stars, Los Lobos, have a date at The Greek, with two more very great bands: Ozomatli and Mariachi El Bronx. This should be a stunning show.
Sunday, May 4
- Grand Ole Echo w/ The Far West, Jackson Tanner, Leggy Peggy, The Band of Strangers @ The Echo (5 PM)
- Jackshit, Rick Holstrom, Earthworm Ensemble @ Bootleg HiFi
- Monogem @ Bootleg Bar
- O.A.R., ScreamCreature @ The Troubadour
- Ryan White, Matt Aaron, Sameer Bhattacharya of Flyleaf @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Grand Ole Echo with The Far West (below), Jackson Tanner, The Band of Strangers and Leggy Peggy at The Echo at 5.
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