The Monday Show Low Down (Or “Every Night You Fall Asleep With Your Headphones On”)

It’s probably unsurprising that I often gush to friends about how great the music scene is in LA right now. Or that I say all the time that it’s easy to catch a great band pretty much every night of the week here –- and that sometimes good shows even dogpile up to make it hard to decide who to see when.

That’s all pretty much a given for a major city like LA, right? But it feels like there’s something really special is happening here at this exact point in time… I mean, there are so many fantastic acts living and playing regularly here and town -- and they seem to have a near complete lack of rock star mentality to boot.

Sometimes I wonder if the rest of the country will notice what’s going on here and, y’know, I’m cautiously optimistic about it.

I’d seriously like to think that the time is right for it… that people are as tired of over-produced divas and music by and for bullies and thugs as they were with glam metal back in the 90s when anti-rock stars Nirvana arrived upon the scene.

And the recent success of acts like The Silversun Pickups is encouraging, so I guess we’ll see. The larger music industry seems like fertile ground for change -- and a groundswell of talented, unpretentious bands from LA appear well-prepared to swoop in.

And as much as I like seeing all of these bands play for $8 on a regular basis? They’re just too good not to share with everyone.

Anyway, here’s how this week is looking for music in LA -- along with what I’d go to if I went out to see a show every single night.

Monday, April 30
- The Minor Canon, Liam Finn, Bluesky Research, & The Films @ Spaceland (Free)
- The Black Pine, Eagle and Talon, The Pity Party, & Minutes til Midnight @ The Echo (Free)
- Shapes of Race Cars, Van Gunn, City Museum, & Scarlet Rose @ The Silver Lake Lounge (Free)
- Andrew Bird @ Amoeba Music (Free – 7:00)
- Cornelius @ The El Rey
- My Brightest Diamond @ The Troubadour
- Layabout @ The Brainwash Café
- The Clean Prophets, Mere Mortals, Lost and Found, & The Pacific @ Safari Sam’s
- The Distants @ The Viper Room

DECISION:
It’s the final night of the free Monday night May residencies… The line-up at The Echo is looking pretty great, with The Black Pine, Eagle & Talon, and The Pity Party playing together. I’ve seen all three recently -- and they were really great -- but I haven’t caught any of The Minor Canon sets yet, so I’m going to that.

Again, The Minor Canon’s album No Good Deed Goes Unpunished is one of my favorite albums out so far this year. The show will be recorded for a live album (and possible DVD) to be put out by Spaceland Recordings, so expect them to be working pretty damn hard.

Also, Andrew Bird for free an in-store at Amoeba at 7? I know it’s not the most comfortable spot in the world to catch a live set, but motherfucker usually plays either big festivals or $25 shows at Largo, so pick your poison.

Tuesday, May 1
- Pistolero, Gang Violets & Dead Ponies @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Sea Wolf & Sloan @ The Troubadour
- Birds of Avalon & Not in the House @ Spaceland
- The Black Heart Brigade @ The Palmer Room
- The Living Sisters, The Watson Twins, & The Chapin Sisters @ The EchoPlex
- The Black Pine, The Amateurs, & Never At Night @ The Scene (Glendale)
- Buffalo Killers & The Henry Clay People @ The Echo
- Signal Hill & Beware of Safety @ The Golden Eagle Ballroom at Cal State LA
- Mastodon @ The Wiltern

DECISION:
If you missed The Black Pine at The Echo on Monday, they’re playing The Scene out in Glendale on Tuesday. But I think I might try to make it out to The EchoPlex to hear The Living Sisters, which is an act comprised of Inara George, Becky (Lavender Diamond) Stark, and Eleni Mandell.

Wednesday, May 2
- What Made Milwaukee Famous & Manic @ Spaceland
- Club Moscow w/ Policy & War Tapes @ Boardner's
- I Make This Sound, Castledoor, Ari Eskandrarian, & Sara Lov @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Dear Nora, Lloyd & Michael, Bobby Birdman, & Devon Williams And The Allen Bleyle 3 @ The Smell
- The Youngs, Muso, & The Switch @ The Scene (Glendale- Free)
- Elvis Costello @ The House of Blues

DECISION:
I don’t know any of the acts playing on Wednesday that well except for The Switch. They’re awesome (and -- PLUG! -- are playing our next Let’s Independent! event at Boardner’s later this month).

Thursday, May 3
- Silver Lake Film Festival Presents: Circle Jerks w/ 400 Blows @ the Explx (Music Fest Pass Required)
- Autolux @ The Glass House (Pomona)
- Lion of Panjshir @ Hyperion Tavern
- The Parson Redheads, Acute, Day Of Lions, & The Lisps @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Layabout @ Hyperion Tavern
- Caspian, Beware of Safety, & North @ The Mint
- Elf Power & Wonderground @ Spaceland
- Nightfur @ The Prospector (Long Beach)
- Robbers On High Street @ The Echo
- Califone @ The Malibu Performing Arts Center

DECISION:
I’d really love to hear Autolux’s new material, but think I might be too goddamn lazy to drive all the way out to Pomona for it…

Friday, May 4
- Silver Lake Film Festival Presents: Sea Wolf, The Little Ones, The Bird and The Bee, & Dengue Fever @ The Echoplex (Music Fest Pass or Festival Badge Required)
- Silver Lake Shakedown Dance Party w/ Tandemoro & DJs @ The Echo
- First Fridays w/ Imarobot, Fussible & Hiperboreal (Nortec Collective) @ The LA Natural History Museum
- The Autumns & Sugarplastic @ Spaceland
- 8-Bit, 8-Bit Weapon, Bark Bark Bark @ The Scene (Glendale)
- Lemon Sun, Lovelikefire, & Apartment @ El Cid

DECISION:
Here’s a reprint of what we already wrote about this Friday night:

“One of the best shows in LA this year isn’t quite open to the public. It’s on the night of Friday, May 4th at The Echoplex with four bands who are used to headlining events on their own: Sea Wolf, The Little Ones, The Bird and The Bee, and Dengue Fever.

"It's The Silver Lake Music Fest, which is part of The Silver Lake Film Festival (takes place from May 3rd – 12th at theatres in the area) and sponsored by ASCAP, Filter Magazine, and Radio Free Silver Lake.

"How do you get in? There won’t be any tickets at the door, but you can buy a music fest pass or a festival badge, or you might use a movie ticket to get in. (Not sure if the latter will get you in once it starts to fill up ... and it will.) Either way, you should get there early that night.”

Got that? It's really not an event you want to miss.

Saturday, May 5
- Caspian, Signal Hill, North, & Beware of Safety @ The Cocaine at Live Jazz
- HULLABALOO 2007 : Benefit for the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eddie Vedder, Charlie Haden, Ditty Bops, & Mickey Avalon @ The Henry Fonda
- Los Abandoned, The Audio Club, & Killola @ Safari Sam’s
- Fort King, Helene Renaut, & Ruthann Friedman @ The Echo Curio
- Minus The Bear, The Honorary Title, & Chin Up Chin Up@ The EchoPlex
- Bedtime For Toys, Spider Problem, & The Lisps @ The Scene (Glendale)
- Frog Eyes & Alex Delivery @ Spaceland

DECISION:
If you like post rock, you really ought to head to The Cocaine for Signal Hill, Caspian, and Beware of Safety.

Sunday, May 6
- Ariel Pink, Skeletons And The Kings Of All Cities, & The Mae Shi @ El Cid
- The Digs @ Detroit Bar (Costa Mesa)
- Moving To France @ The Troubadour
- The Henry Clay People & Repeater @ The Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes
- Bright Eyes & Oakley Hall @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

DECISION:
I’ve been meaning to see Ariel Pink play for, like, ever.

That’s it. Did I miss anything? Please lemme know.