The Monday Show Low Down (Or “I Know Why The Insomniac Bird Sings”)

Damn. Some good music happened here last week…

Por ejemplo, pop merchants Tandemoro played an amazing set at Spaceland before the always-great Happy Hollows and Deadly Syndrome on Saturday night. And sad, spooky pop act The Black Pine last Monday at The Echo? Let’s just say you really should make sure to catch one of their remaining free residency shows this month.

This week looks quality, too. Like our Now Blog This! event at The Scene in Glendale on Thursday night. Each of four LA-based music sites picked one local artist to play the night, so we’ve got The Pity Party (Little Radio), The Valley Arena (Rock Insider), The Clean Prophets (You Set The Scene), and The Western States Motel (um, Radio Free Silver Lake). Full details here, but it’s only $5.

Here’s a look at the full week. You’ll probably want to clear your schedule.

Monday, April 16
- Shapes of Race Cars, Carina Round, & Nico Stai @ The Viper Room
- Wires On Fire, Nudity, Moonrats, & Gengis Kahn @ The Silver Lake Lounge (Free)
- The Youngs @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Divisible @ The Troubadour
- The Minor Canon, The Volts, & The Pity Party @ Spaceland (Free)
- The Black Pine, Luther Russell, I Make This Sound, & The Moon Upstairs @ The Echo (Free)

DECISION:
Again, you can’t go wrong with any of the three residency shows, but The Minor Canon and The Pity Party together? Good call.

Tuesday, April 17
- THE FOLD 10 Year Anniversary Show Special Guests + Castledoor + Pity Party @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Hearts of Palm UK, The Switch, Troika, & Coco B's @ The Scene (Glendale)
- Kinds Hearts & Coronets @ Amoeba Records
- Anders & Woods @ The Echo
- Rocky Votolato @ The Troubadour
- The Broken West, Mezzanine Owls, & Silverface Champs @ Spaceland
- Rizorkestra @ The Knitting Factory

DECISION:
Okay, so this is a big goddamn night. The mystery “special guests” at The Silver Lake Lounge are worth trying to shelling out $20 for one of the tickets at the door, if you can get one.

If you can’t, there’s The Switch at The Scene, The Broken West and Mez Owls at Spaceland, and Kind Hearts & Coronets at Amoeba for free. Either way, if you go out on Tuesday, you’re going to catch a great show.

Wednesday, April 18
- Eleni Mandell, Fishtank Ensemble, & Charlie Wadhams @ Bordello
- Casxio, Strength, & United By Sound @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Kinds Hearts & Coronets @ The Standard – Downtown
- Dub Club @ The Echo
- Sara Overall @ The Troubadour
- Lo-Fi Sugar & Black Heart Brigade @ Molly Malone’s

DECISION:
I’ve been wanting to see Lo-Fi Sugar for, like, ever now.

Thursday, April 19
- Now Blog This! w/ The Western States Motel, The Pity Party, The Clean Prophets, & The Valley Arena @ The Scene (Glendale)
- The Morning Benders & Strength @ Spaceland
- Hot Rod Circuit & Limbeck @ The Troubadour
- Syd Barrett Night w/ Bedroom Walls, Big Search, Biirdie, Eleni Mandell, Good Listeners, Gwendolyn, Irving, Nora Keyes, Marjorie Faire, Pity Party, Priscilla Ahn, Thundersnail (Amps for Christ), Mezzanine Owls, Ina James, Leviathan Brothers, Douglas Lee. Kennedy, Yes Me To Death @ Bordello
- The Soft Hands, The Henry Clay People, & The Clark 8 @ Mr T’s Bowl
- The Bird and The Bee, Pedestrian, & The Fishtank Ensemble @ The Derby
- Xu Xu Fang & Starving Daughters @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Sky Drops, Spindrift, & Stevenson Ranch Davidians @ The Echo
- Lavender Diamond & Indian Jewelry @ Redcat

DECISION:
Some good stuff this Thursday night. You know I’ll be at Now Blog This! (see above), but the Syd Barrett Night at Bordello, Xu Xu Fang at The Echo, and Lavender Diamond at Redcat are also strong contenders for your time. (But come to our show. Ha.)

Friday, April 20
- Benji Hughes @ The Getty
- The Youngs & Names in Vain @ Pehrspace
- Saint Motel @ The Echo
- Ivy Walls, The May Fire, & Skates @ El Cid
- Corb Lund @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Steel Train, Oliver Future, City Museum, & Wounded Cougar @ The Echo
- Trans Am, Zombi, & Black Taj @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
I haven’t seen (mostly) instrumental rock act Trans Am play in years, but used to heart them. Benji Hughes is one of those “musician’s musicians” or so I’ve heard him described elsewhere.

Saturday, April 21
- The Deadly Syndrome & The Klaxons @ Ex Plex
- Saint Motel @ The Smell
- The Front, Moonrats, Killsonic, and Tennis Club @ Il Corral (Killradio.org benefit)
- 5th Annual Iggy Pop B-Day Bash @ Spaceland
- Fluff & Jesus Makes A Shotgun Sound @ The Scene
- The Sky Drops, Evervess, & The High Violets @ Club Violaine
- Gravy Train & Sugar and Spice @ The Echo
- Art Brut @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
If you didn’t catch The Deadly Syndrome at Spaceland last Saturday night, here’s another chance to see them before they start only playing venues this small as unannounced mystery guests.

Sunday, April 22
- Service Group, Quazar and the Bamboozled, & The Electrolytes @ The Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes
- Benji Hughes @ Tangier
- The Karabal Nightlife, The Breakups, Ema & the Ghosts, and Yes Means Yes @ The Verity Room (SFV)
- Shiloe @ The Knitting Factory
- The Books @ The Malibu Performing Arts Center

DECISION:
Here’s another opportunity to see Benji Hughes and this time you won’t have to contend with the 405… You’ll have to listen to him play over the clang of silverware and plates while people eat their dinner in Tangier’s sulky back room.

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

RELATED LINKS:
- Rock Insider Interview w/ The Valley Arena
- Mini-Interview: Tandemoro
- Mini-Interview: The Deadly Syndrome
- Band of the Week: The Black Pine