The Monday Show Low Down (Or “Let Loose The Kraken!!")

It was around one-thirty AM on Saturday morning in San Francisco when I decided to talk in the low, semi-plaintive Snake Plisken growl of the lead character of the Metal Gear video game series for the rest of the night, but only say the most banal things possible.

We were devouring pupusas and Tecates in The Mission and it seemed like a good idea at the time. I pulled it off, but it tore up my voice so much that I sounded like that without trying the next morning when my friends and I woke up, poured raw eggs into our beers (I saw it on The Wire), drank them all down, and went running.

That’s how the weekend started… Later, there was more ridiculous fun catching up with old friends, The Section Quartet at Cafe Du Nord (where a drunk was screaming out front, "My cool band has played here tons of times!"), eating sushi and dim sum, and more.

SF’s like an ex who I just had a memorable tryst with...

Anyway, let’s take a look at this week’s shows here in LA.

Monday, September 24
- The Happy Hollows, The Movies, Death to Anders, & Lo-Fi Sugar @ The Echo (FREE)
- Gram Rabbit, The Spores, & The Forward @ Spaceland (FREE)
- The Valley Arena, The Kite-Eating Tree, Spleen United, & Matt and Isom @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Ambrose, Battle Alaska, Aura, Un:armed, & The Naked @ The Troubadour (FREE)
- Anarchy in Hollywood, A Pretty Mess, Kriminal Pogo, & The Rarities @ The Scene (FREE)
- Indie 103.1 Presents The Western States Motel, Emma Burgess, & The Submarines @ The Viper Room
- The Foo Fighters @ The Henry Fonda
- Clevis, Sleepingboy, Lifeguardnights, & waterlaso 11:45pm @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Secretary Bird, Kelly Demartino, Evan Slamka, & Aeonspoke @ Bordello
- Layabout @ O'Brien's Pub (Santa Monica)
- The Editors, Biffy Clyro, & RaRaRiot @ The Wiltern

DECISION:
On the West Side, indie pop merchants The Western States Motel play at The Viper Room, while on the East Side, The Happy Hollows play the final night of their free residency at The Echo with the killer supporting line-up of The Movies, Lo-Fi Sugar, and Death To Anders.

Tuesday, September 25
- Let's Independent! One-Year Anniversary/CD Release Event for Radars to the Sky, Tigers Can Bite You, & The Hectors (FREE)
- Rock Insider & KXLU Present The Monolators EP Release Party w/ Mezzanine Owls & The Amateurs @ The Echo
- Be A Lover & A Fighter: AIDS Benefit featuring the Moving Picture Show, The Distants, & more @ Safari Sam’s
- Eastern Conference Champions @ The Viper Room
- Junius & Le Meu Le Purr @ Spaceland
- Traildriver @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Grant Lee Philips @ Largo
- Family Tree Analog, The Health Club, mathrock, & Clark 8 @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Dragging An Ox Through Water, Ghost To Falco, & Pegasissy @ The Smell
- Mark Olson, Dead Rock West, & Mike Stinson @ Bordello
- The Barbarellatones, The Black Fuzz , The Scrid Hunters, & Zerox @ The Scene
- The Arctic Monkeys, The Voxtrot, & The Coral @ The Palladium
- Midlake @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
On Tuesday night, our Let's Independent! event at Boardner's will be both a CD release event for Tigers Can Bite You, The Hectors, and Radars to the Sky and our one-year anniversary party all-in-one. It's FREE and promises to be more fun than lesser men can handle. More details and tracks here.

Wednesday, September 26
- !!! & The Field @ The Avalon
- Butchin’ & Silver and Gold @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Kiss Or Kill w/ The Fuxedos, Igor Spectre, & Paper Thin Walls @ El Cid
- KCRW Presents Buddy, Sara Lov, John Gold, & Chris Black @ Bordello
- Filter's Revenge of Sunset Strip Feat. Hello Stranger & Port O'Brien @ The Roxy
- Madame Palmita’s Parlor of Wonders @ Taix
- Kites, Pocahaunted, Robedoor, Russian Tsarlag, Earn, & Infinite Body @ The Smell
- Jamie T @ The Troubadour
- Meho Plaza @ Crash Mansion
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ MAPS, CoCo B’s & Army Navy @ Spaceland
- Magic Mirror, Cuchillo, Lion of Panjshir, & Eclectromagnetic @ The Echo
- Upsilon Acrux, Time of Orchids, National Sunday Law, & Mongoloid @ The Scene
- Man Band & Fangs on Fur @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Club Moscow w/ Gliss @ Boardner’s
- Klaxons @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
Local indie pop act Army Navy have come out of hiding after recording a new album and will play for the first time in forever at CLUB NME at Spaceland.

Here's one of their new tracks as a taste: Saints MP3.

Thursday, September 27
- Great Northern & Ladytron @ Hollywood & Highland (FREE)
- Filter’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip w/ Hello Stranger, Port O'Brien, & Sierra Swan @ The Roxy
- Helly Ya! Night w/ Sam Sparro, Delta Spirit, Voxhaul Broadcast, & Chain Gang of 1974 @ The Echo
- Unbusted, Light FM, Mark MacMinn, & Movie Star Kiss @ The Scene
- The Broken West, The Parson Redheads, Bodies of Water, & Winter Flowers @ The Echoplex
- Sweet Evil, Alarma, & LA Gentlemen Callers @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Ivy Walls, Glass Covered Cities, Arthur Yoria, Sleeping States, & Twilight Sleep @ Bordello
- Gus' Western Night Nite w/ The CurbHounds, The Knife Chase, Cooked Cowboy, & Willee P @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Special Guests @ Spaceland
- Scarlet Grey @ The Troubadour
- Princeton & Kate Earl @ Hotel Cafe
- The Hour of the Shipwreck, Upsilon Acrux, & Time of Orchids @ The Smell
- Repeater, Miniature Tigers, Black Black, & Sleeping in the Aviary @ The Knitting Factory

DECISION:
The Parson Red Heads and The Broken West at The Echoplex? Great Northern at Hollywood & Highland? Princeton at The Hotel Cafe? Thursday night's like a Choose Your Own Adventure where you can't read ahead.

Friday, September 28
- Imperial Teen, The Finches, & Sounds of Asteroth @ Spaceland
- The Section Quartet @ Largo
- Mike Watt + The Missing Men, Shiloe, & Codpiece @ Ye Old Towne Pub (Pasadena)
- Persimmons Pomegranate, Lucky Dragons, Terrors, Mudboy, & Infinite Body @ The Smell
- Josh Rouse @ The El Rey
- The 10’ors, Roses On Her Grave, & Jail Weddings @ The Scene
- El Ten Eleven, Ninja Academy, & Parsley Flakes @ El Cid
- The National & St Vincent @ The Wiltern
- Club Underground @ The Echo
- Dan Deacon & Girl Talk @ The Echoplex (early all ages and late 21+ show)
- Low @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
The National at The Wiltern is probably the critic's choice for Friday night, but you'd probably have much more fun going to see Imperial Teen at Spaceland and hopping around.

Saturday, September 29
- Swerve Festival, Echo & IHEARTCOMIX present Check Yo’ Ponytail w/ Bonde De Role @ The Echo
- Swerve Festival w/ Foreign Born, The Black Angels, Illinois, & Snowden @ Barnsdale Art Park
- Blue Mask w/ Zigzag Wanderers, Smash Fashion, Backbiter, Motorcycle Black Madonnas, Euge, & Chris Young @ Mr. T’s Bowl
- Bright Eyes, Yo La Tengo, & M Ward @ The Hollywood Bowl
- Family Tree Analog, Panic Movement, Easy Image, & Art Damaged @ La Casa Blue (Highland Park - FREE)
- A.M., Dirt Dress, Maria, & The Sundelles @ The Smell
- Brimstone Howl & Beat The devil @ Spaceland
- The High Society The Good Listeners, Quincy Coleman, & Miranda Lee Richards @ Bordello
- Service Group Record Release w/ The New Fidelity, The Karabal Nightlife, & New Maximum Donkey @ The Scene
- The Section Quartet @ Largo
- Nudist Priest, Sasquatch, Jesse Deluxe, & DJ Cave In @ The Echo
- Low @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
The Swerve Festival at Barnsdale Park has a pretty solid line-up, what with Foreign Born and The Black Angels and all.

Sunday, September 30
- Swerve Festival w/ We Are Scientists @ The Echoplex
- Swerve Festival w/ Devotchka, Oh No! Oh My!, & Thee More Shallows @ Barnsdall Art Park
- Hello Menno, Goldenboy, Henry Clay People, & Cod Piece @ Spaceland
- Obsolete Heart @ Kantner’s Kibitz Room
- The Motion, Semiconscious Gloria, Dangerbees, & Charts and Maps @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Grand Ole Echo w/ Mike Stinson & Dave Gleason, Old California, & Grampa Drew @ The Echo (5 PM)
- Part Time Punks @ The Echo (10 PM)
- Jonah Matranga @ The Troubadour
- Juiceboxxx, Robin Williams On Fire, Anavan, & Kyle H. Mabson @ The Smell
- Oaks, Bacchus,The Front, & Hundreds and Thousands @ The Scene
- Acute (w/ strings), Ghost Kings, Campo Bravo, & Nik Freitas @ Tangier
- The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club w/ Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Hearts of Palm UK, Good Luck Bear, & I Make This Sound @ All-Star Lanes
- Casxio @ The Knitting Factory

DECISION:
It's your last chance to see Letting Up Despite Great Faults play at The Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club. Plus the supporting acts are really solid. Plus you can go bowling.

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