The Monday Show Low Down (Or “Don’t You Think That We Should Kiss While The Husker Du Is Playing?”)

The birds around Silver Lake sing in distinct shifts every morning, like some sort of avian factory workers straight out of a Pixar movie.

At dawn’s first light, you can hear the sparrows (or at least, some kind of bird that sounds distinctly small and sparrow-like) start twittering lightly. By seven, the morning doves begin cooing. And around eight, the crows commence cawing jocularly to themselves.

But there’s always one mystery bird that doesn’t get with the program. He’s an insomniac and is usually up, as Lionel Ritchie says, all night long.

At first, it’s kind of charming to hear him singing in the dark at two or three as you come home from some late show, party, or date. A few drinks in you, it’s nice to know that the rest of the world isn’t completely put to sleep.

But later on right outside your window when you’re in bed with a pillow over your head? Not so much...

Anyway, let’s take a look at the shows going on in town this week.

Monday, July 16
- Eskimo Hunter, Minutes Til Midnight, & Christopher Blue @ Spaceland (FREE)
- Spoon & John Vanderslice @ Little Radio Downtown Warehouse
- Vampire Weekend, Delta Spirit, & Grand Ole Party @ The Troubadour
- Hearts of Palm UK, The Happy Hollows, Good On Paper, & Thailand @ The Viper Room
- Black Lips @ Amoeba Music (6PM)
- Anavan, Attractive And Popular, Lipstick Terror, & Coaxial @ The Smell
- 5 O'Clock Somewhere, Thee Gentlemen Callers, Morris Tepper, & The Scrips @ The Echo (FREE)
- Walking Bicycles, Death To Anders, Palms To Pines, & 12 Dirty Lovers @ The Troubadour
- Suki Ewers @ Bordello
- High Society, Honeypot, & The Futhamuckas @ The Scene
- Death To Anders @ The Knitting Factory
- Ferraby Lionheart, The Spires, The Karabal Nightlife, & Franklin For Short @ Tangier
- I See Hawks In LA, Pistolera, Fosforo, Wait Think Fast, & Everybody @ Bordello
- Light FM, Tigers Can Bite You, Yes Me To Death, & Vice Versa @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)

DECISION:
I couldn’t possibly be more torn up about what show to go to on Monday. There’s the Spoon and John Vanderslice show at the Little Radio Downtown Warehouse, which is a great opportunity to see either band in a small venue. There’s The Happy Hollows, Thailand, and Hearts of Palm UK over at The Viper Room. Then Light FM and Tigers Can Bite You are for frees at The Silver Lake Lounge. Notable out-of-towners Vampire Weekend and The Grand Ole Party are at The Troubadour. And last, but not least, are Ferraby Lionheart, The Spires, The Karabal Nightlife, and Franklin For Short at Tangiers.

Suffice to say, you need to go out somewhere on Monday night. Because staying home when there’s this much great live music going on isn’t an option.

Tuesday, July 17
- Vampire Weekend, Faker, & The French Semester @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Crowded House @ The Troubadour
- The Black Watch, Adam Franklin (from Swervedriver), & Benni Hemm Hemm @ The Echo
- Lady Party @ the Echoplex
- Adam Franklin (Swervedriver). The Black Watch, Benni Hemm Hemm @ The Echo
- Horses, Who Rides the Tiger, Gort, & Lady Sinatra @ The Scene
- Raul Malo @ The El Rey
- She’s Your Sister, Shiloe, The Scene, & OK Stranger @ Spaceland
- The Lonely Years, Robert Francis, Heartstring Symphony, & Angela Correa is Correatown @ Bordello

DECISION:
This night is down to notable out-of-towners Vampire Weekend at The Silver Lake Lounge and notable LA indie country act The Lonely Years at The Bordello.

Wednesday, July 18
- The Prix @ El Cid
- Club NME w/ Suicide Club, Pink Enemy, & Blackmarket
- Die! Die! Die!, The Youngs, Ghost of the Russian Empire, Sabertooth Tiger, & Meho Plaza @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Lavender Diamond, Redcar, & Emily Wells @ The Echo
- The Polyphonic Spree & Jessica Hoop @ The El Rey
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- Knight Rider @ Pehrspace
- Flexx Bronco, The UVs, Naughty Bird, & Tatonka @ The Scene
- Flight of the Concords @ The El Rey
- The Young Goodman Browns & Hello Menno @ Molly Malones

DECISION:
We’ve got a few pairs of tickets for Lavendar Diamond, Redcar, and Emily Wells at The Echo for Thursday night... Oop. They're all gone. Sorry!

Thursday, July 19
- The Shout Out Louds & The Grand Ole Party @ The El Rey
- Patrick Park, Whispertown 2000, War Paint, & Michael Runion @ Spaceland
- Filter Magazine’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip w/ Carina Round & Kenna @ The Roxy
- Ryan Adams @ Wilshire Theater
- Broke Til Thursday, The Breakdowns, Junkload, & Adam West the Bat @ The Scene
- Castledoor & Low vs. Diamond @ UCLA Hammer Museum
- Hecuba, Lion of Panjshir, Carrie Bell, & Hysteria Dancers @ Bordello
- Jesse Deluxe, The Dirty Hearts, & Geisha Girls @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Dos & Team Dresch @ The Echo
- Aa, Health, Foot Village, Cougar Den, & Crime Novels @ The Smell
- Oh No! Oh My! @ The Troubadour
- Outfest & Echo Present: Team Dresch , We Float, & Vivek Shraya @ The Echo
- The Western States Motel, Wrongway Driver, & Frankel @ Tangier

DECISION:
Suffice to say, The Western States Motel and Frankel are two of my favorite indie pop acts in town...

Friday, July 20
- The Devil-Ettes, The Fuxedos, E>K>U>K>, Le Oui Underground, & Mini-Skirt Mob @ Spaceland
- Pigeon John @ The Troubadour
- Jonathan Rice, Whispertown 2000, & Everest @ The Echo
- The Cribs @ Amoeba Music (6PM)
- The High Society, Dirty Kings, & Sun’s Lungs @ El Cid
- The Dwarves, Time Again, The Uprising, & More @ Safari Sam’s
- Dirt Dress, A Viewing, & Stab City @ Pehrspace
- Child Pornography, Yvonne, & Laco$te @ The Smell
- Check Yo Pony Tail w/ Plastic Little & Thunderheist @ The Echoplex
- The Bird and The Bee & Mike Andrews @ The El Rey
- Sonic Youth @ Greek Theatre

DECISION:
I can’t tell you how much Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation changed everything for me musically when I first heard it in -- no joke -- Helsinki, Finland nearly twenty years ago… but I can say that sometimes I really regret how bad I am at remembering to buy tickets before key shows sell out.

But we’ve got a few pairs of tickets for Jonathan Rice, Whispertown 2000, and Everest at Spaceland for Friday night. Message me here with your full name to be entered in the drawing.

Saturday, July 21
- Emma Burgess @ The Echo
- One Trick Pony @ The Airconditioner
- My Brightest Diamond & Rasputina @ The El Rey
- The Switch, The Transmissions, & The Black Kites @ Pehrspace
- Daft Punk, Sebastian, & Kavinsky @ The LA Sports Arena
- Theo & The Skyscrapers, The Start, & Static Age @ The Echo
- Hang The DJs @ The Echo
- The Night Watchman @ The Troubadour
- Press Fire & Masterslave @ The Scene
- Magic Bullets, Softboiled Eggies, The Prayers, & The Muslims @ The Smell
- The Rentals, Goldenboy, & Dead Sea Scrolls (Josh Haden) @ Spaceland

DECISION:
It’s all about The Switch, folks. I can’t say enough good things about their live set.

Sunday, July 22
- Little Radio Summer Camp w/ The Black Pine, Dead Meadow, & Spindrift @ The Little Radio (3pm)
- The Northern Two & The French Semester @ The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes
- Totally Radd!!, Qui, & more @ Safari Sam’s
- Hank III & Assjack @ The Roxy
- Grand Ol Echo w/ Cousin Lovers, Grant Langston @ The Echo
- Part Time Punks w/ Magic Bullets & The Tartans @ The Echo
- Bad Acid Trip, Anger As Art, Hell Hath No Fury, & Eve's Downfall @ The Scene
- Amnion, Karpov, Monster of Sunshine Park, & Helen Money @ Tangier
- ATP, Don’t Look Back, & Girls Against Boys @ The El Rey
- Snow Patrol @ The Greek

DECISION:
You can possibly resist the line-up at Little Radio Summer Camp? It’s been one of the most consistently fun events of the year. Better get over there before the last one in mid-August or you’ll be kicking yourself in the face…

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