The Monday Show Down (Or “Have You Hugged Your Sea Level Records Today?”)

As reported elsewhere and in a more timely manner by local music site You Set The Scene, a drunk driver apparently drove his pick-up truck through the front of Sea Level Records in Echo Park last Wednesday.

According to sources, this is how it went down: During the middle of the day, the motorist took a left turn at Lemoyne from Sunset, somehow continued to veer around, hit a parked car, demolished a parking meter, ran into two skateboarders, and planted his pick-up truck in the front of the store. Shortly after getting out of his vehicle (laughing), the driver was arrested by LA police.

No one inside the store was hurt -- though no word on the skateboarders -- and the building’s owners are still arranging repairs.

If you’ve never been to Sea Level Records, this is a fine time to stop by and show some love. I can’t think of another music shop that’s more supportive of local artists. It’s a great place to find new music and the folks that work there are really goddamn nice. (You can send them an online "Get well soon!" message here.)

[Full NPR-style disclosure: Sea Level Records and KXLU 88.9 FM are co-sponsors (or something) for our Let’s Independent! event at Boardner’s w/ The Lights From Here, The Happy Hollows, and The Deadly Syndrome on Tuesday, the 27th -- but we’d talk them both up excessively, anyway.]

I’m heading out of town, but here’s a real quick rundown of what I’d most recommend seeing this week:

MONDAY
- Berko, Jamie T, Airborne, & Wolf and Cub @ Spaceland (Free)
- The Airborne Toxic Event & The Horrors @ The Echo
- The Western States Motel & Austin James Band @ The Viper Room
- Buffalo Roam & Castle Door @ The Silver Lake Lounge (Free)
- Bloc Party, Final Fantasy, & The Like @ The Wiltern

DECISION:
The Airborne Toxic Event are great and the line-up at The Wiltern looks pretty strong, but I haven’t seen indy pop heartbreakers The Western States Motel play for a long time, so I’m choosing them for our officially official Monday night pick.

TUESDAY
- Corazon County @ Molly Malone’s
- Fairmona, Troika, & Anni Rossi @ El Cid
- Peter Walker & La Rocca @ Canter's Kibbitz Room

DECISION:
That show at Canter's seems worth checking out.

WEDNESDAY
- The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Sincere Parody, & Wallpaper Airplanes @ The Derby
- Radars to the Sky @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Black Heart Brigade @ 14 Below (Santa Monica)
- Sondre Lerche @ The El Rey
- The Helio Sequence, Dirty On Purpose, & The Besnard Lakes @ The Echo

DECISION:
Like I’ve said before, Radars to the Sky really deliver live. Their EP is good, but they really shine on-stage.

But, Jesus, please us. Why do I have to be gone on the night when both Portland’s Helio Sequence and Brooklyn’s Dirty On Purpose are sharing the same stage? It's not a show to be missed ... if you’re in LA on Tuesday, at least.

THURSDAY
- The Apples In Stereo @ Spaceland
- Badly Drawn Boy @ The El Rey
- The Autumns @ The Scene (Glendale)
- Jackson Browne & Willie Nelson @ Gibson Ampitheatre

DECISION:
I haven’t seen the pop music stylings of The Apples in Stereo in forever and a day now, but my friend Octavius from KXLU swears by The Autumns.

FRIDAY
- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum/Secret Chiefs @ The El Rey
- Signal Hill, you.may.die.in.the.desert, Panther Attack, & Soundtrack Symphony @ The Verity Room (Canoga Park)
- Electric Soft Parade @ Spaceland
- Casxio, Von Iva, & The Trucks @ El Cid
- Que Sera & Good On Paper @ Pehrspace
- Elvis Perkins @ The Jensen Rec Center

DECISION:
I don't know many of these acts too well, except for Signal Hill. Some of my friends from SF seem to love Von Iva in a way that’s approaching an unnatural obsession.

SATURDAY
- Elvis Perkins @ Largo
- West Indian Girl @ Spaceland
- The Natural Disasters & The Primos @ Crane’s Tavern
- Red Sparrowes @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
I keep hearing good things about The Primos from guys from Division Day and have wanted to check out The Natural Disasters.

SUNDAY
- Divisadero, Lion of Panjshir, Hello Menno, & C is for Carlo @ The Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes
- The New Motherfuckers & Giant Haystacks @ The Echo
- Matt Bauer & Garrett Pierce @ Tangiers
- Signal Hill, you.may.die.in.the.desert, Panther Attack, & Beware of Safety @ The Scene (Glendale)

DECISION:
I'd like to see Lions of Panjshir play, but I was completely floored by teh post rock sounds of Signal Hill live earlier this year. Tough one...

That's it! That’s it. Did I miss anything? If so, please lemme know.

I've just added shows for the following bands to our show calender: Sea Wolf, The Hectors, Lo-Fi Sugar, Nightfur, Rocking Horse People, No Little Kindness, The Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Sincere Parody, Wallpaper Airplanes, The Youngs, Matt Bauer, Garrett Pierce, Adult, Erase Errata, Bright Eyes, Devotchka, Saul Williams, Oakley Hall, Cass McCombs, Arboretum, Say Hi To Your Mom, The Clientele, Beach House, Morrissey, Band of Horses, The Shins, Cornelius, The National, Os Mutantes, Maximo Park, The Broken West, Mastodon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, My Brightest Diamond, The Postmarks, Dinosaur Jr., The Sea and Cake, The Black Angels, Lavender Diamond, Mose Giganticus, Sky Parade, Mitch Easter, Good On Paper, Saint Motel, Wake Up Incinerate, Austin James Band, Von Iva, Casxio, The Natural Disasters, The Primos, Dean & Britta, Benji Hughes, West Indian Girl, Electric Soft Parade, Dialtone, Names in Vain, Black Heart Brigade, The Ebbs, Hearts of Palm UK, and Datarock. (See the right-hand column for dates and venues.)

(Special thanks to Duke at YSTS for both the shot above and some inadvertent help with the calendar.)