Radio Free Silver Lake

Video Free Silver Lake: Live Picks Playing Soon (Angel Olsen, No Age, Protomartyr, The Blank Tapes, Nada Surf)

By Kathryn Pinto

The other day I was reminded that I interviewed my first band (Avi Buffalo) for Radio Free Silver Lake eight years ago. When I agreed to "rock a phoner," I had absolutely no idea how long it takes to transcribe an interview, or I might not have been so eager. A lot has happened since that first call; I don't have as many free mornings to type out conversations with bands and there aren't as many people blogging about music. Still there are new bands, new venues,  and a scene that has always been vibrant is ever-changing. Already this year has seen some promising activity: a weekend of Girlschool, the women-led music and ideas festival at the Bootleg and Buzzbands stage at the Chinatown New Year Festival are kicking off festival season. This week in Video Free Silver Lake I share some bands and solo artists I'm looking forward to seeing in the coming weeks.

1. No Age
   Thursday March 8 at the Highland Park Ebell Club
   
   The metal and jazz loving Ben Ratliff, former pop critic for the New York Times turned me on to the art punk duo in a Times review before I ever lived in Los Angeles. Per Mr. Ratliff, what at first listen sounds like disorder and punk impulse reveals structure and pattern and a satisfying payoff on attentive listening, but overthinking never gets in the way of the sweaty fun.
   
   
2. Protomartyr
   Saturday March 19 at the Teragram Ballroom
   
   Guys from Detroit who seem too rough around the edges to say something this smart. Protomartyr are fronted by  Joe Casey, a guy who seems to have temporarily put his career as a what--building super? HVAC technician? (actually doorman at the Gem Theater in Detroit) on hold to come out of rock n roll retirement to play with guys ten years younger. They started as a lark, a goof, but it stuck.
   
   
3. The Blank Tapes
   Monday March Residency at the Echo
   
   A garage band trio fronted by Matt Adams, who cross pollinates his songwriting with  just about any style from folk to psych to surf. The Blank Tapes are musician's musicians  who have been generous and active in the Los Angeles music community for long enough that they  draw from a deep pool of talent and bring some excellent bands to play in support on their residency: Joel Jerome, Avid Dancer and Imaad Wasif just to start the list.
   
   
4. Nada Surf 
   Saturday May 12 at the Teragram Ballroom
   
   In the mid 2000's they were the band that had survived being a one-hit wonder of the 1990's alt rock era, and being dropped from their record label and had returned to form flying slightly under the radio as a moderately successful touring band. About this time I fell for this band hard. They were one of the first live shows I saw solo, and it sold me on the particular pleasures of going out without a plus one.
   
   
5. Angel Olsen
   Tuesday April 17 at the El Rey
   
   Angel Olsen has a way of seducing the audience with her voice and with a sidelong glance that seems to be directed at you specifically. She has managed to hold this intensity, this revelatory performance and connection to the audience as the size of the rooms she plays increase.

Show Spotlight: First Fridays with Mary and Eli Tonight at Pehrspace

By Kathryn Pinto

One of the best things about being a music fan in Los Angeles is the many opportunities to see bands working out their new material live in small venues before recording. Tonight Mary and Eli Chartkoff of Monolators fame are back at pehrspace presenting “First Fridays with Mary and Eli,” a yearlong monthly residency that is a reboot of the residency the Chartkoffs hosted at Mr. T’s Bowl from 2006-2008. Tonight’s bill is a stellar lineup of new projects from RFSL faves The Pretty Flowers (Noah Green of the Henry Clay People) and Madame Headdress (the latest invention of Mary and Eli) as well as familiar favorites Scott Schultz (The LOOOONG Ride! Blog), Le Cos, and the indomitable Manhattan Murder Mystery.

 

First Fridays with Mary and Eli (Scott Schultz, Le Cos, The Pretty Flowers, Manhattan Murder Mystery and Madame Headdress) happens Friday June 6 at pehrspace, 325 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026. Music starts at 9pm, all ages, $5.

 

Madame Headdress
Madame Headdress is the latest "Experimental ish, art, soul, protopunk cute, noiseless noise" from Eli and Mary of The Monolators.

 

Video Free Silver Lake (Nightmail, The Hectors, Kurt Vile, Brass Bed, Charles Ramsey)

By Kathryn Pinto

1. Nightmail “Pulsar”
Nightmail (fka Spero) looks over their collective shoulder at 1980’s analog synth pop just long enough to pick up on the good memories (and not long enough to be turned to salt by what they have seen). Everything in these arrangements is in remarkable balance. It’s easy to say that it sounds great because the guitar and keys are weighted, but that ignores a pretty great bass line in “Pulsar” to say nothing of the vocals (or drums). The video, like the sound has a nice big open feel. It doesn’t feel restrained, it feels expansive and big and cool.
Nightmail play Thursday May 16 at El Cid.

2. The Hectors  “Her Dark Majesty”
Back when MTV played music videos, at its best each song on the channel had its own little three minute art movie. A favorite band took on a adventure in a new setting for each new single. The Hectors’ videos embrace that spirit completely. The latest one for “Her Dark Majesty” does not disappoint. This video has everything: time travel, green screen footage of battling knights, cameos of nearly everyone who has shared a stage with the Hectors--Jake Breakup (Gideon), Andy Clay People (Siara), Hunter “FTO FTW” Curra--including a pantsless shot of Hectors guitarist Robert Bonilla and Fieron Santos as a lovelorn warrior.
The Hectors play the Silverlake Lounge Thursday May 16, as part of the United Ghosts residency.

 

Video Free Silver Lake with Simon Cardoza of Cardoza

While Video Jed is away getting some much-needed R&R, Simon Cardoza of Cardoza is this week’s guest for Video Free Silver Lake. Cardoza is known to many as a longtime photographer of the eastside music scene, but about a year ago he launched his own band Cardoza. Cardoza (the band) have played at the Central SAPC, Casey’s and Lot 1. You can check out their demo EP on Soundcloud.

By Simon Cardoza

Friend Needs Help
Part 1: Today is Your Lucky Day

Friend Needs Help is a four part web series I wrote and directed a few years back. I wanted to see if I could write comedy so I created this series. Many of the actors are friends from local Silver Lake bands and most of the music used was local bands. Manhattan Murder Mystery’s “Smoky Mountain” is the theme song for the series. This is the first episode.

Video Free Silver Lake: New & Upcoming (The Hectors, The Lonely Wild, Brass Bed, The Little Ones)

By Kathryn Pinto

While Video Jed is on an indefinite hiatus to do some lawyering, sing karaoke and finally meet a nice Jewish girl, fans of his column are taking over VFSL one week at a time as guest columnists in tribute to his tireless work for this site. This week it is my great honor to bring you four videos from bands that I love that have new and upcoming releases.

The Hectors
“Episodes” from Her Dark Majesty (Tarantism) Out now
Record Release show Friday April 5 at The Satellite

Beautiful, intensely distorted guitar rock with vocals from a front woman who can outscore you on a math test, then beat you down in the schoolyard.  The Hectors are the perennial sleeper hit of the Los Angeles independent music scene. They release excellent albums, then drop out of sight for months at a time until the next round of songs is ready to work out live. The precedents for these guys are something like ‘90’s K Records, the Olympia sound, and bands like the Spinanes, Velocity Girl and Racetrack.

 

Brass Bed
“Please Don't Go” The Secret Will Keep You (Crossbill) Out April 23

The Secret Will Keep You is an exquisite album. The latest from the Lafayette, Louisiana band who draws us in like a tractor beam with the intensity of their live show. These tracks on their latest record are equal parts atmospherics, pop hooks and distorted guitar. The band tells me that in Lafayette people go out to shows to dance, to drink, and hang with friends. Music comes in at fourth place at best. Brass Bed creates this work in a context where a band—in songwriting and performance---has to be completely compelling to command any attention from the audience.

Video Free Silver Lake: Five Songs with Son Ark

Son Ark's new single "Clementine" has been on repeat play over here at RFSL HQ  since we caught the band at the Bootleg last week sounding great live. The LA folk-rock  six piece is working on their first full-length album The Land of Smoke,  and they have an active indie go-go campaign through March 4 to raise funds to cover production costs of recording, mixing & mastering and pressing the record and CD. This week we pass the Video Free Silver Lake baton over to Son Ark, to tell us about some of their favorite and most influential music. Listen: Son Ark "Clementine"

By Son Ark

1. Bjork - Human Behaviour

This is one of the first videos I remember watching all the way through and in a way, the first video that got me into music videos in general. Also, it happens to be directed by Michel Gondry, who would go on to be one of my favorite film-makers. I love this because it's sort of a scratch each others back sort of deal; both artists have grown to become extremely successful in their own rights (possibly because of this collaboration). This is the kind of relationship that always proves to be beneficial for both parties and should continue to happen into the vast beyond. -Robin Harris (Vocals/guitar)

 

Video Free Silver Lake: Five Songs with Bikos

When we talked to Bikos about their show at the Smell to benefit Sounds for the Cause we also got a chance to ask them about the music that shaped them--music they wanted to share with our readers. As bandleader Gabe Pearlman put it,  "I decided to highlight life-changing music that each of the members of bikos first shared with me and/or otherwise call to my mind."

By Gabriel Pearlman (of Bikos)

Austin Wester, Drums.
DJ Shadow - Building Steam with a Grain of Salt
"...I'm a student of the drum, and I'm also a teacher of the drums too"

When Austin and I were 17 years old, we were participated in a statewide youth program called Youth & Government. We were in Sacramento lounging in the lobby of our group's hotel and Austin, who I at that point didn't know all that well turned to me, took his disc man headphones off and said "dude, you gotta hear this" and put the headphones on me. DJ Shadow's album Endtroducing, was just beginning. I had never heard anything like it.

 

 

Daniel Hur, Lead Guitar.
The Mountain Goats - Cubs in Five
"...and I will love you again"

Video Free Silver Lake: 1/2/13

2) Hunter Hunted - "End of the World" [Official Music Video]

Just wanted to share a little "End of the World" fun with you from the new Los Angeles band Hunter Hunted.....KCRW has just started spinning them, and they'll be headlining at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on February 12th.....this is just a precursor - hoping the Mayans were wrong.... 

3) Retro Stefson - Glow (Official Video)

Video Free Silver Lake: Christmas Spectacular 2012

By Jed

 

I'm shocked to realize that this is my FOURTH Christmas Spectacular for Video Free Silver Lake, and still hardly a repeated video! Hopefully these following videos will entertain and inform. To all a belated happy Hanukah, a Merry Christmas and a Gleðileg Jól!  

 

1) I discovered (though facebook) a contest put on by an Icelandic charity that involved inviting various Icelandic businesses to record their own Christmas song and video (typically either a cover of already existing Christmas song or a conversion of a non-Christmas song into a Christmas song). While I thought all 15 of the submissions were delightful, one of my Icelandic friends to whom I showed some of these videos found them to be "God Awful." Enjoy one of my favorite submissions by Tryggingamiðstöðin (I have no clue what they do). The song is "Höldum við jól" (I believe it translates to "We are thinking about Christmas"), and it's an Icelandic version of the Bee-Gees' "How Deep is Your Love?" It is heartwarming.  Although I may have detected a bizarre reference to Jews somewhere in the middle of the song...

2) Unrelated to the contested, the Icelandic variety show Hljóskálinn released a delightful Icelandic cover of "Little Drummer Boy" (a la David Bowie and Bing Crosby) performed by Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson from Retro Stefson and Sigtryggur Baldursson, the drummer from the Sugarcubes.   The cover is called "Klukkan tifar."

Video Free Silver Lake: Young Hunting, Ólöf Arnalds,Valdimar

By Jed

1) Melted Mixtapes presents a new video from L.A.'s Young Hunting for the sweet new song "Sweet Bird", filmed on the roof of Syrup Loft in Los Angeles's Garment District this past August. According to the band "[a] couple on a nearby rooftop was slow-dancing while we played...Sadly the cameras didn't catch it, but it happened!" I'm slow dancing with myself as I watch this video for the first time.

Melted Mixtapes: Young Hunting - Sweet Bird from MeltedMixtapes on Vimeo.