Radio Free Silver Lake

News: 2013 FYF Fest Lineup Announced

By Kathryn Pinto

The FYF Fest announced their lineup yesterday. My Bloody Valentine and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs headline. The two-day festival takes place Saturday August 24 and Sunday August 25 at the L.A. State Historic Park (the Cornfield). Other notable acts include TV on the Radio, Beach House, Kurt Vile & the Violators, Charles Bradley, Baroness, Foxygen and the Orwells.

The festival began in 2004 in Echo Park as the Fuck Yeah Fest. This will be its fifth year at the Cornfield and its second as a two-day festival. Although ticket prices have increased 500 percent since FYF’s first year at the State Historic Park (in 2009 when notable talent was Avi Buffalo, Dan Deacon and Wavves, tickets were $20 for the one-day festival), in recent years since Goldenvoice has produced the event it has been better managed and more enjoyable than the early dusty days at the L.A. State Historic Park.

Tickets go on sale at noon this Thursday May 16 and are available at local record stores including Origami Vinyl and Amoeba Records, and online. Tickets start at $99 General Admission for the weekend and $199 VIP for the weekend.

News: 2012 FYF Fest Lineup Announced

By Kathryn Pinto

The FYF Fest announced its 2012 lineup Monday, with Refused, M83 and Beirut headling the two-day festival. The genre mix is a fudge ripple swirl that includes old-line punks and their spawn, buzzy indie rock and spazzy, loopy electronic acts. Highlights of the lineup include Wild Flag, Ceremony, Fucked Up, AA Bondy, Fidlar, Yeasayer, Desaparecidos, Warpaint, Purity Ring, Givers,  Cloud Nothings and Kishi Bashi. Sadly, FYF regular No Age is absent from the list and incomprehensibly OFF! is also missing. The full bill is on the poster at the right and the FYF Fest web site.

The festival formerly known as the Fuck Yeah Fest will take place Labor Day Weekend September 1 & 2 at the Los Angeles State Historic Park ("The Cornfields") in Downtown Los Angeles, its fourth year at the park. Goldenvoice (who impressed us favorably last year) presents the event again this year. For the first time, the festival will take place over two days. This year's tickets start at $77, up from $40 ($20 for music and $20 for lines that move) for last year's one-day event and even more than the $20 FYF charged per ticket in 2010, also a one-day festival.

Tickets go on sale Friday (June 22) via Ticketfly. Tickets are also available at Origami Vinyl in Echo Park, Vacation Vinyl in Silver Lake and other record stores in the area. The show is all ages and runs from noon until midnight.

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.

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.