Mark Your Calendars: Eagle Rock Music Festival

Do people still use calendars? Guess not. Well, mark your space computer book that the The Eagle Rock Music Fesitval takes place on Saturday, October 6th. It’s the FREE alternative to Detour and spotlights numerous local acts you’ve been meaning to check out.

Last year’s event hosted great performances by The Movies, Great Northern, Monsters Are Waiting, and more, while this year’s lineup boasts such diverse acts as The Monolators, Princeton, Bodies of Water, The Pity Party, The Front, Jessica Fichot, and Dengue Fever. (Click here for a complete listing or check out the schedule and map here.)

Here are a handful of videos and MP3s from some of the bands playing the festival.











DOWNLOAD:
- The Monolators’ You Look Good On The Train MP3
- Princeton’s Indifference Curvy MP3
- Bodies of Water’s These Are The Eyes MP3

New Releases: Sea Wolf, Jose Gonzalez, Iron & Wine, & More

An enormous amount of new albums hit stores nationwide this last Tuesday and nestled among them was one of our absolute favorites so far this year: Sea Wolf's Leaves In The River.

While the LA act's earlier EP almost captured the thoughtful pop goodness we've been enjoying from them live here in town over the last few years, the full-length really does the group justice. It's fantastic stuff and gets our highest possible recommendation.





Here's a look at this week's other releases:

Athlete - Beyond The Neighbourhood
Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder
Bear Claw - Deep Owls
Bettye LeVette - Scent of the Crime
Bird and the Bee - Please Clap Your Hands
Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi
Cadance Weapon - Afterparty
Babies Capgun Coup - Brought To You By
Nebraskafish Casualties - Made In NYC
Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
Canyon Doveman - With My Left Hand I Raise the Dead
Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails, Red Wine
Farewell - Isn't This Supposed To Be Fun
Feu Therese - Ca Va Cogner
Georgie James - Places
Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters
Hrsta - Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes
Iron & Wine - Sheperd's Dog
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature
Loney, Dear - Sologne
Magik Markers - BOSS
Matt Pond PA - Last Light
Meneguar - Strangers In Our House
Joni Mitchell - Shine
múm - Go Go Smear The Poison Ivy, Let Your Crooked Hands Be Holy
Office - A Night At The Ritz
Sea Wolf - Leaves In The River
Secret Handshake - One Full Year
Sir Richard Bishop - Polytheistic Fragments
Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War
Tiny Masters of Today - Bang Bang Boom Cake Tunng - Good Arrows
Two Gallants - Two Gallants
Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
Patrick Wilson - Close To Paradise
Xasthur - Defective

Free Tickets: The Broken West, Parson Redheads, Bodies of Water, & Henry Clay People

We've got three pairs of tickets to give away for the show with The Broken West, The Parson Redheads, Bodies of Water, and The Henry Clay People at The Echoplex this Thursday night...

To be entered in the drawing for one of the pairs of tickets, write us here with the name of the show in the subject line and with your full name in the message.

Update: They're all gone! Congrats to the winners. Hope you have a great time tonight.

(Also, by the way, we'd mistakenly had the Bob Mould show at The Roxy listed as tomorrow, when it's actually Thursday, October 17th. All apologies.)

Let's Independent!: The Aftermath

Last night was our one-year anniversary party for Let's Independent! at Boardner's and damn was it a fun night. The Hectors, Tigers Can Bite You, and Radars To The Sky sounded fantastic. Definitely check out the first two acts' new recordings. (Radars have their second EP coming soon.)

Here are some pics from the proceedings, taken by Lawyer Jed.












I'd also like to thank all the bands who have played our show at Boardner's over the previous twelve months -- last night's acts, The Happy Hollows, Division Day, The Western States Motel, Thailand, The Prix, The Deadly Syndrome, Le Switch, Rademacher, The Movies, Xu Xu Fang, Frankel, Great Northern, The Spires, Mezzanine Owls, The Devils Romantics, Amateurs, Foreign Born, Eagle & Talon, Signal Hill, One Trick Pony, The Lonely Years, Bedroom Walls, Tandemoro, The Lights From Here, The Black Pine, Let's Go Sailing, and Molecules -- because they are all collectively teh ossum and one of the main reasons I fucking love living here in LA so much.

And I'd like to thank the folks KXLU 88.9 FM (especially Octavius and Daisy), Flavorpill, Kevin Bronson at The LA Times, Todd and Sylvia from Sea Level Records, Jax from Rock Insider, Duke from You Set The Scene, Scott Mac Donald from Surfing On Steam, The LA Weekly, and my friends Racheal, Flounder, Gabe, Joe, Jed, Shazi, Patti, Tricia, Stirling, Mary, and Mikel for all the help and support.

And last, but not least, many thanks to the people at Boardner's for asking us to put on the show in the first place and hosting us each month.

Let's Independent! w/ The Hectors, Tigers Can Bite You, & Radars To The Sky

Tonight’s the night of our latest Let’s Independent! show at Boardner’s, which is the one-year anniversary party and a CD release event for all three bands. (Well, two out of three, at least, because one group wasn't able to finish everything up quite in time... D'oh!)

It’s FREE, starts at nine, and should be great amounts of fun -- like usual, but, y’know, extra. The Hectors will have their long-awaited Sometimes They Collide EP on-hand, Tigers Can Bite You will have their much-anticipated eponymous debut album, and Radars To The Sky will be playing new musics of their upcoming EP.

Here are links to interviews, MP3s, and videos for the three acts.

The Hectors – “Corinne is really, really tough. We once saw her take a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle… It was totally intense. The boys in the band, well, not so much. We weep a lot, have whining contests -- Erik is the reigning champ -- and sometimes we stop playing right in the middle of a show because the guitar strings pinch our fingers.”

DOWNLOAD: I Drove All The Way From Bridgeport Just To Make It With You



Tigers Can Bite You - “The band was originally called janmichaelvincent, but Sammy hated the name. We all tried coming up with new names, but it wasn't until Dave posted a picture of a tiger biting a shark on MySpace with a caption that said ‘Tigers Can Bite You’ that we decided that would be the new name.

“Plus, we all really like yogurt.”

DOWNLOAD: - Rough Stuff demo



Radars To The Sky - “Well, probably a combination of the influences we have: a good part "throwback-indie rock" (if I can coin a genre) -- jangly, noodly, multiple-part guitar-based rock; with an emphasis on melody; plus a dash of more straight-ahead, more danceable rock; and a pinch of folk influence; with lyrics that try their best to say something interesting in a poetic way.”

DOWNLOAD:
- Wave Goodbye To The Sun MP3
- Rude Surprise MP3
- In The Basement MP3



Hope to see you all tonight! And many thanks to Xine from the band Mini Love for doing such an amazing job on the poster.

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.

Feature Interview: The Happy Hollows

One of the more endearing traits of the bands who regularly play the east side of LA is that their members often aren’t the complete egomaniacs you normally expect musicians to be. It’s not The Me Show with them all the time, they probably don’t wear eyeliner or have haircuts that are smarter than they are, and they seem more about sharing songs than propelling their personalities to superstardom.

And rarely is that more apparent than with The Happy Hollows: drummer Chris Meanie is easily one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, bass player/vocalist Charlie Mahoney reminds you of that semi-quiet, friendly guy from your advanced history class in high school, and lead singer/guitarist Sarah Negahdari is kind of magic… a grinningly happy median between spiritual and silly. Or as Vonnegut would put it, a "wampeter."

The band and I met at Dusty’s on Sunset for brunch a few Sundays back to discuss the state of the things for them right now, where they’re going next, and what it’s like making a home halfway between art and pop. (Haven't heard them? Imagine if The Pixies were more experimental or Deerhoof attempted to be listenable.)

Sarah: I think we walk a fine line between a pop band and an art band. We really do. We’re right in the middle. People on the art side say “You’re too pop” and people on the pop side say “You’re too arty.” So we’re sitting on a fence – and if you sit on a fence, your butt hurts.

I wish I could be one type or the other, but I can’t. I love those pop hooks. I love pop songs. But I also love pure creativity and things that haven’t been done before. It’s a hard place to be.

How do you define your music? What are you trying to do with it?

Charlie: Well, I think the thing about us is that we try to hit a wide range of topics and issues… Basically any topic is up for grabs. Vietnam on the last EP was about how the US government using fear in different eras to promote wars.

Then on the new album, we have A Man A Plan A Canal. I took a palindrome and tried to imagine a situation of being on a boat with no Panama Canal and having to go all the way around Tierra Del Fuego at the tip of South America. So, it’s kind of a comedic song in a way.

Sarah: I think our band is very playful... I don’t like anything too prettied up. I just like the experience of it in its raw form and just the joy of making music and the joy of being alive.

Every person has a lot of layers and music doesn’t have to just be about woes. Because there’s so much to say. Life is so joyous and sometimes people think that if you’re in a rock band you have to be filled with [sadness or] just talk about your relationships. There’s so much of the human spirit and I just want to address like the silly part and the raw part and the angry part and the complete absurd part.

Charlie: People may say that because we have a lot of different songs and different sounds, it’s not coherent, but I don’t think the human experience is necessarily one of coherence. We have a lot of different sides to us and sometimes we act differently around different people and in different situations, so it’s kind of like whatever comes to mind.

Sarah: I just think that music’s so joyous and when we get together and we play, my joy is just out of the roof. I hope that comes through and I think it’s okay for it to come through.

I think rock 'n' roll exists because every generation recreates it in its own way. You have to do something different. To repeat something that someone else has already done, that’s absolutely not rock 'n' roll. For me, it’s like, maybe you don’t get it. Not everybody has to get it. That’s okay, but for me, I’m doing rock 'n' roll because even though it’s silly, actually for me it feels fresh. And the music we do, I try to push it into something different and something that hasn’t been done.

You can take things from the past that influence you but let’s sing about something that hasn’t been sung about or let’s turn an anti-war song into a silly song. Like how can we take rock 'n' roll and keep it alive and keep it fresh by regenerating it every generation. That’s how I feel.

We’re somewhere on the bleeding edge of it where not everyone’s going to understand what we’re trying to say, not everyone’s going to like it, and that’s fine, they’re not supposed to. Every artist that tries to be on the cusp of something gets that.

Some people like it and some people think that’s stupid or I don’t understand or that wasn’t traditional verse chorus verse and we say it shouldn’t be, because rock n roll should always have a generation questioning what that was, you know?

I think even if listeners don’t pick up on the subtext or understand the unconventionality, they latch onto your enthusiasm. Because you’re a very enthusiastic band live.

Charlie: (Laughs.) Yeah, we are.

I don’t think I’ve ever come to one of your shows and not had a lot of fun.

Sarah: Thank you. I just think I got so bored of going to shows and seeing people miserable. That’s fine if that’s what you want to express.

Charlie: There’s a place for sadness…

Sarah: Yeah, it’s not that we’re trying to sing happy songs, it’s that (laughs) I have some really sad songs too, but experience is so varied. I just think that the fact that I have fingers and hands … you don’t understand … I’ll be playing and I’m just like oh my god, some people don’t have hands and they don’t have fingers and legs.

Charlie: Don’t write that… (Laughs.)

Sarah: No, write it! Write it! Because it’s a joy. It’s a gift that I can do it. It’s a joy that I can do it. I mean, I’m telling you, I’m filled with gratitude that I can do it.

You guys are very sincere on-stage. Whenever you play, you’re always thanking all the people in the other bands for having and it’s obvious you really care about every opportunity and people coming out to see you and I think sometimes people take that for granted.

Sarah: Well, they’re from DC and I’m from San Francisco and when we came here, we didn’t know anybody in LA, let alone in music. When we started, we were playing The Cocaine for a year to five people every night. We never expected that we’d be so embraced by the bands in Silver Lake. It’s a dream that we’ve been embraced by something more mainstream than anything we ever thought we’d find ourselves in.

How did you guys meet?

Charlie: Chris and I knew each other from DC. And we were playing together and kind of trying out a bunch of different guitarists and people around town. We’d been playing with these two guys for about a month or so and that didn’t work out, so we started again. We put an ad on Craig’s List and Sarah answered the ad. So, it was good ole Craig’s List.

You’d since moved out here?

Charlie: Yeah, we’d been out here for six or eight months. We moved out from DC, but not together. We knew each other in DC but we moved out here separately by chance.

So the first practice, Sarah walked in with her guitar and knee socks up and we didn’t really know what to make of her. She took forever to set up her gear.

Like most people, when you first meet them, everyone’s kind of nervous and you just plug in and start playing and see how it goes – but Sarah wanted to talk for like an hour before we even started playing. And we were in one of those hourly rehearsal places, so it was costing money. She took forever to set up her pedals… (Laughs.)

Sarah: (Laughs) I basically had auditioned so many bass players and drummers… At that point, it had been a year… I’d been playing under the name The Happy Hollows by myself and so I had a ton of questions – I wanted to make sure that no one was republican. (Laughs.)

So, I set up my guitar and we played through Tambourine, which is a song I’d had already, and I just had said play along and we played through once and I totally knew they were the right guys for me. I totally knew. So, I was like, “Alright! Wanna be in my band or what?!” After an hour of talking and one song, I knew.

Charlie: You were playing a show already that night.

Sarah: Yeah, at Zen Sushi by myself.

Charlie: So, Chris and I thought it was cool that Sarah was already playing shows. That’s why we started playing shows after about two weeks of practice. We didn’t have everything totally perfect. We just went out and started playing.

How long ago was that?

Charlie: Two years... Around two years now. But since we started playing right away, it’s been a big transition from where we are today. When we first started, we hadn’t even written our songs. Sarah had written a few songs and I’d written a few songs and we were just playing songs we’d written separately.

Then over the next six or eight months, Sarah wrote new songs, we wrote songs together, so… there’s probably just one song from our first days that we still play. One or two.

Which ones?

Charlie: Tambourine.

The first song you played together.

Charlie: That’s going to be on the new album, too.

Sarah: But, yeah. That’s my just my style… [She puts her hands out.] Here’s us in process. I don’t need everything to be perfect. I think art is about the imperfect a lot of times. [Charlie laughs.] I really mean it. I find it so charming when bands play and they make a little mistake and they all laugh.

Like at the Earlimart show in Santa Monica when the sound went out and Aaron came down into the audience and started to chat with everyone.

Sarah: Exactly! I don’t like it when everything is just perfect… I like it more organic and real and raw.

Charlie: Yeah, we’re not too… scripted. We usually play songs after we’ve practiced them like… Sarah will write it or we’ll write it together and we’ll learn it real quick and we’ll play it. Cause it’s good to get it out and see what people’s reactions are.

That sometimes results in us flubbing a note or two when we play, but I don’t think it’s because of the musicianship… It’s just because we really want to get the songs out there, you know, as fast as we can. And that makes us write more songs. In two years, we’ve written forty or fifty songs.

Sarah: We have a gazillion gazillion now.

How did your first EP come together?

Sarah: Basically, our friend Rob from Death to Anders, the lead singer, he worked at a recording studio and he was just, like, “Just come in overnight and I’ll record you.” And we’d been together two months so we quickly wrote a bunch of songs… Meteors, Trick or Treat… We wrote them all in a couple weeks.

Charlie: They were probably all written within three weeks and recorded.

Sarah: Yeah, we went in overnight one weekend. We did it just to book shows… to have something to send to promoters. So, it was crazy that people ended up liking it. (Laughs.) We got three or four videos from it. It was insane.

Charlie: It probably wasn’t ever intended to be a real EP. It was more like a demo. But Rob did a really great job in the amount of time we had to do it and it’s a credit really to him for bringing the songs together in a pretty good form… and not charging us too much. So, it ended up a lot better than we thought it would.

The songs stand out and the production was good, but it was definitely quickly put together.

I’ve done a few radio shows with Octavius from KXLU Demo Listen and I remember him playing an early recording of one of the songs of the EP.

Sarah: That was right before I met the guys. Rob recorded me one weekend and it was just me and my guitar. We just had a drum machine. That’ll be on the album, too.

Tell me about working with Dave Newton on the new album.

Charlie: We met him back in January and we really liked him, but we needed a little more time to get all our songs together. Then we went in with him in June and it was really amazing.

He’s just like the perfect producer for us. He really gets our music and gets really excited about music when he’s recording it. He played air guitar on a few songs and you know when you like do a take and it’s really good, he jumps around the room.

Sarah: He was so positive. When we were interviewing producers, we had to be able to be in a room with somebody for twelve hours a day and we had to vibe with them and if they were at all serious, it just wasn’t right for us. But Dave is silly and crazy and we knew we could be in a room with him.

Charlie: He’s really great too because he really takes every band project personally. He puts in so many hours and he’ll talk to you on the phone for a long time about the recordings and what you want to do and the edits. He’s not just in it for the business, he really loves it.

That’s why the bands he records, a lot of them go back to him. Like The Little Ones are doing their full album with him and The Henry Clay People are going back to him. A lot of new bands are hooking up with him too, like Death To Anders.

And he’s working with The Movies and he recorded The Blood Arm.

Sarah: Yep.

A lot of bands he’s recorded with have gotten signed.

Charlie: Yeah, that’s true.

So when’s the album coming out?

Charlie: We have a four-song [preview] for the residency. It’s DIY with stamps and homemade art on the cds. We’re just doing it to get some of the songs out, so we don’t have the same old songs representing us.

We’ve done thirteen songs and we’re going to do four more, so we’ll have seventeen songs. Everything will be done by the end of October then we’ll just have to see what happens then.

So you’re talking to labels?

Charlie: We’ll have to see what happens. We’re probably not going to put it out ourselves because it’s hard work. All the promotion… It can be done these days, but you have to basically make it your full time job.

Yeah... Ohmygod...

The food arrives and we stop talking to eat. It's literally the best French Toast I’ve ever had.

The Happy Hollows have one more show in their Monday night residency at The Echo. It’s free and Lo-Fi Sugar, The Movies, and The Transmissions join them.

After that, they and Midnight Movies will open for The Silversun Pickups at The Filmore on October 19th up in SF and then in LA at The Wiltern on October 20th.

Photo by Simon Cardoza.

Video Free Silver Lake: The Western States Motel, The Marvelous Toy, & Gram Rabbit

It’s Thursday and for the first time in basically a year, there’s talk of a storm heading into the greater Los Angeles area. No word yet on if we get all the amenities like thunder and lighting, but remember to be careful on the roads because folks here do not know how to drive in rain. (You know what they say, “California: Idiots. Just add water.)

It’s video day, so here’s a video feature that Filter recently did on RFSL favorites’ The Western States Motel including footage from their show at The Roxy.




If you don’t have any plans tonight, consider sneaking over to The Silver Lake Lounge to catch The Marvelous Toy. Here’s a clip of them playing at The Scene last month. They are new and nice and fun.




And finally, here’s a look at the strange costume party you’ve been missing if you haven’t attended any of Gram Rabbit’s Monday night residency nights at Spaceland.



RELATED LINKS:
- Mini-Interview: The Western States Motel
- Band of the Week: The Marvelous Toy

Band of The Week: Letting Up Despite Great Faults

One of LA’s best music blogs You Set The Scene recently wrote about Letting Up Despite Great Faults’ Movement EP: “It’s electro-pop – to put it very simply, along the lines of a more introspective Postal Service.”

And it’s true. There’s seemingly been a scorched earth area around that particular sub-genre where a lot of bands have been afraid to venture for awhile, but Letting Up Despite Great Faults have found it to be fertile ground. It’s smart, listenable stuff with lots of great bleeps and bloops.

You’ve got two more chances to see them play at The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes. This week, they’re with Ghost Lullaby and Teddy’s Cheer Club and the next one with Hearts of Palm UK, Good Luck Bear, and I Make This Sound.

DOWLOAD:
- I Hear You Drowning MP3
- If You’re Here MP3

Tuesday New Releases: Tigers Can Bite You, Rogue Wave, LCD Soundsystem, & More

Though there’s a slight lull in national releases today after the ginormous last week, the good news is the debut album of LA act Tigers Can Bite You is now available on both iTunes and emusic -- and their cd will be available at the release event we're throwing at Let’s Independent! next Tuesday night for them, The Hectors, and Radars to the Sky.

Here are some of the albums available in music stores across the country today:

The Donnas - Bitchin'
Dropkick Murphys - The Meanest Of Times
LCD Soundsystem - A Bunch of Stuff EP
Ministry - The Last Sucker
Rogue Wave - Asleep at Heaven's Gate
Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy

Next week, the new PJ Harvey, Devendra Banhart, Jose Gonzalez, Iron & Wine, Stars, Matt Pond PA, mum, and Foo Fighters come out and the new Beirut, Band of Horses, and Fiery Furnaces arrive a few weeks later.

The Monday Show Low Down (Or “Look At The Pilot Now. He's Dancing In The Aisles.”)

In as much of a shameless plug as there ever was one, I’m going to say quite clearly that you ought to come out this evening for The Happy Hollows’ Monday residency show with Le Switch, Rademacher, The May Fire, and One Trick Pony at The Echo.

It’s a fantastic line-up, it’s FREE, and The Happy Hollows will have a four-song preview of their upcoming album for sale at the show. And I’ll be djing in-between sets a mix of great local acts like Earlimart, Division Day, Irving, Signal Hill, and more.



Now let’s look at the full week of music in LA w/ a few recommendations and video clips.

Monday, September 17
- The Happy Hollows, Le Switch, Rademacher, The May Fire, & One Trick Pony @ The Echo (FREE)
- Gram Rabbit, Abby Travis, & Gwendolyn @ Spaceland (FREE)
- The Valley Arena, Repeater, Satisfaction, & Katie The Pest @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Anarchy in Hollywood w/Quaranteds, Inazuma, & The Urchins @ The Scene (FREE)
- Kelly Demartino Evan Slamka, Blonde on Blonde, & Gavin (Winter Flowers) @ Bordello
- Indie 103.1 Presents The Donnas, The Randies, & Girl in a Coma @ The Viper Room
- Acute, Miniature Tigers, & Ryen Sieger (Ozma) @ Tangier
- Matt & Kim @ The Troubadour
- The Sounds @ The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
- The Valley Arena & Repeater @ The Silver Lake Lounge

DECISION:
Someone wrote in last week to say that Gram Rabbit have really been killing it during their Monday night shows at Spaceland and I always enjoyed seeing their weird, deserty space rock live when I first moved to town a few years back.



Again, looks like I’ll be at The Echo this Monday, but I wanted to mention them.

Tuesday, September 18
- Nightfur, Tara Busch, The Mountain Party, & Todd McLaughlin @ Bordello
- Animal Collective @ The Henry Fonda
- Ride on Rides, Cute Phase, & Girl in a Coma @ The Scene
- CB Brand, Donny Hue & The Colors, & Cousellor @ Spaceland
- Dip’t In Honey - w/ DJ Paul Vee and Mocean Worker @ The Echoplex
- Nutra, Jean Paul Yamamoto, & Criminal Decathlon @ The Echo
- Pink Nasty, Bolero, Tif Sigfrids, & Happy Mayfield @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Elvis Perkins @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
I was surprised that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah weren’t as upbeat live as they were recorded last time they played The Troubadour, but maybe it’ll be different this time. (Still, I’m going to try to check out Nightfur at Bordello.)



Wednesday, September 19
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Elvis Perkins @ The Troubadour
- Uglyhead, & Der Nigunim, & Cat Hair Ensemble @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Tar Volts, The High Wires, & Model K @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Buddy, Ian Ball (Gomez), Brian Wright and The Waco Tragedies, & Waz @ Bordello
- The Vacation, Lemon Sun, & Sabado Negro @ The Viper Room
- Club Moscow w/ The Squares & Corey & Chad @ Boardner’s
- Madame Palmita’s Parlor of Wonders @ Taix
- The Outer 7th, Shiloe, Black Umbrella, & The Human Echo @ The Scene
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- Underwater City People, The Poor Excuses, & Service Group @ El Cid
- Club Moscow w/ The Squares @ Boardner’s
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ The Softlightes & West Indian Girl @ Spaceland
- KROQ presents The Dilettantes, Run Run Run, After Midnight Project @ Safari Sam's
- Filter and Stone’s Throw present Peanut Butter Wolf & James Pants @ The Roxy
- The New Pornographers @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
I don’t know anyone playing Wednesday night too well, but people really seem to like West Indian Girl.




Thursday, September 20
- The Marvelous Toy, Rotary Downs, The Panderers, & Matthew Kaner @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- O’Death, Rock Plaza Central, & I Make This Sound @ The Echo
- Filter’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip w/ Hello Stranger & Port O’Brien @ The Roxy
- The Johns, Bull Lee. & The Black Mask @ The Scene
- Ike Reilly Assassination @ Spaceland
- The Midnight Shakes, The Jinxes, Thee Spectors, & Sadist V @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Calls After Midnight, Warpaint, & Pink Enemy @ Bordello
- Film School @ Amoeba Music (FREE - 7PM)
- Colorforms @ The Derby
- All Neon Like, Her Girl Friday, Brute Force, Vodka Had Russia, & Infauxtech @ The Smell
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah & Elvis Perkins @ The Troubadour
- The New Pornographers @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
If you can get over to Amoeba to see Film School play live for free, it’d be worth your time. But if you’re late or lazy, The Marvelous Toy are both quite promising and at The Silver Lake Lounge.



Friday, September 21
- Oakley Hall, Whalebones, & Biirdie @ Spaceland
- Lucksmiths & Math & Physics Club @ El Cid
- Rentals @ The Henry Fonda
- Peg Leg Love, The Randies, Chupa Cobra, Donovan's Fairies, & The Small Steppes @ Mr T’s Bowl
- The Generators, SideKick, Broke Til Thursday, & Battleflask @ The Scene
- Veruca Salt, Light FM, & Girl In A Coma @ Safari Sam’s
- Check Yo' Ponytail, Ass & Titties & Turntable Lab Present: Diplo, Switch @ Echoplex
- Club Underground @ The Echo
- Silver Daggers, Death Sentence: PANDA!, Burmese, Fuckwolf, & The New No Age @ The Smell
- Besnard Lakes & The Minor Canon @ The Troubadour
- The Emergenza Music Festival w/ Right Hand Band @ The Joint
- Paolo Nutini @ The Wiltern
- High On Fire, Mono, & Panthers @ The El Rey
- Air @ The Greek

DECISION:
The Besnard Lakes plus The Minor Canon makes the trek out to The Troubadour pretty worthwhile.



Saturday, September 22
- Princeton, Samara Lubelski, Douglas Armour, & Suki Ewers @ Pehrspace
- Elvis Perkins @ Largo
- Peg Leg Love, The Randies, Chupa Cobra, Donovan's Fairies, & The Small Steppes @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Hurt Model, Duchess of Tek, Head of Destiny, & Tweak Bird @ The Cocaine
- Penny Ante presents: Silver Apples, The Moon Upstairs, Residual Echoes, & White Widow @ Spaceland
- IHEARTCOMIX & Echo present: Simian Mobile Disco, Boyz Noise @ Echoplex
- Toys that Kill, Sukey Tawdry, Los Pepiniyoz, & Davila 666 @ The Smell
- Louis XIV, The Softlightes, & Quazar and The Bamboozled @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
I’m kind of amazed at how small and intimate of a venue that Largo is (and it's nice how they make everyone shut the fuck up). What a perfect place to see acts like Elvis Perkins play.



And Princeton is playing over on the east side of town at my favorite BYOB art gallery/music venue, Pehrspace.

Sunday, September 23
- Right Hand Band, Ploon, The Littlest Viking, & Oh Home @ The Smell
- The Young Goodman Browns, The French Semester, Dusty Drawers, & Hello Menno @ Spaceland
- The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club w/ Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Ghost Lullaby, & Teddy’s Cheer Club @ All-Star Lanes
- Velouria, Swords Of Fatima, Third Grade Teacher, Kacey Thompson w/Jeff Leeds & Jeff Steiner, & Jim Miller & Jack Gould @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Pure Country Gold, Davila 666, & Haunted George @ The Scene
- Grand Ole Echo w/ 5 O’clock Somewhere, Welldiggers Banquet, & The Horsepainters @ The Echo
- Voxtrot & The Little Ones @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
Seeing upbeat indie pop acts Voxtrot and The Little Ones together might make you smile so wide that it stays like that.



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

KXLU Fund Razor Begins

Today's the start of KXLU 88.9 FM's Fund Razor, so click here to pledge to one of the best independent music stations in the country. For the price of a small stack of porn, you could seriously help out these guys, who are responsible for shows that spotlight numerous indie artists from here and abroad.

Por ejemplo, tune in for tonight's Demo Listen from 7 - 9 to hear Fresno's Rademacher, who are also playing with The Happy Hollows at their free residency at The Echo next Monday night.

RELATED LINKS:
- Mini-Interview: Rademacher
- Download: Playing For Fun MP3

The Transmissions, One Trick Pony, Death To Anders, & The Health Club at Spaceland

Tonight, Radio Free Silver Lake and your far-left-of-the-dial favorites KXLU 88.9 FM are helping present a special show at Spaceland.

The line-up’s comprised of The Transmissions, One Trick Pony, Death To Anders, and Health Club -- three out of five acts from LA's multi-faceted and super hard-working Central Second Collective.

It’s $5 if you print out the flier above and $8, if you forget. (I know it's punk rock to forget stuff and all, but don't forget.)

Here’s some video footage from the Central Second Collective fund-raiser for Killradio at The Echo earlier this year for a taste of loudness and niceness you can expect.

Video Free Silver Lake: Pinback, Exitmusic, Tara Busch, & The Deadly Syndrome

It's Wednesday and I'm late posting for the day, so it's time for the most wonderful filler possible: videos for acts who have just released new albums and/or live and play here in town. It's a visual feast for the eyes or something.

First up is Pinback's video for the song From Nothing to Nowhere off their yesterday-released Autumn of the Seraphs. (My favorite track on the album so far is Good To Sea. It's catchier than a rubber ball.)



Then, there's Exit Music's new video for their charmingly fuzzy song Decline of the West. They're playing Rock Insider's Indie Schmindie night in October at The Scene.



Then, there's my favorite video of a beautiful, naked woman playing the theramin while wearing big white boots in an attic. That's Tara Busch, who will performing tracks off of her new album at Bordello next Tuesday ... and will also appear on the Dean and Daisy show on KXLU 88.9 FM tomorrow at 5.



And finally, here's another one of the skits that The Deadly Syndrome made to I guess promote the release of this week's cd release, The Ortolan. (Still looking forward to their manager posting footage from last Saturday's show at The Echo. Josh? I'm calling you out here...)

Tuesday New Releases: The Deadly Syndrome, Film School, Pinback, & More

The Deadly Syndrome's debut album The Ortolan is out on Dim Mak today and damn if it's nice to see local boys make good ... cd. They've been one of the best new acts in LA over the last year, so let's hope the rest of the country comes to appreciate them as much as we do.

Film School’s Hideout and Pinback’s Autumn Of The Seraphs are a few of this week's other most promising new albums. (Little Radio gave a good review to the former and I’ve heard a few solid tracks on the latter -- though it might not quite be the gem that was Summer in Abaddon.)

Here are some of the other other highlights for this week:

Ani DiFranco Canon 2xCD greatest hits
Animal Collective Strawberry Jam
Dirty Projectors Rise Above
Figurines When the Deer Wore Blue
Black Francis Bluefinger
The Go! Team Proof Of Youth
Hot Hot Heat Happiness Ltd
Emma Pollock Watch The Fireworks
Qui Love's Miracle
Jonathan Rice Further North
Shout Out Louds Our Ill
Siouxsie Into a Swan, Pt. 1

And did you get the Ferraby Lionheart’s Catch the Brass Ring album last week? His EP was really fantastic and he’s great live, so I mean to pick it up soon.

The Monday Show Low Down (Or “And Like A Good Haircut, You Never Stick Around…”)

You ever have one of those weekends where you go to shows every night and you kind of feel bad about it a little, but at the same time, it’s pretty great? Yeah…

Remember how it was so crowded when Band of Horses played at The Echo that you thought about leaving because you were starting to feel claustrophobic but you were crammed in so fire-hazardey tightly that you knew there was no possible way you could leave?

(It was almost that packed on Saturday night for The Deadly Syndrome’s CD release event – but probably more fun.)

Sometimes it gets so that you almost don't notice that familiar tickle of beads of sweat trickling down the back of your spine. Sometimes you start to think seriously about getting ear plugs professionally made like your drummer friends have.

Sometimes you wonder if you’re going to too many shows…

But then you realize that just so they're all good, that's probably not possible.

Anyway, here’s some of this week’s highlights:

Monday, September 10
- The Happy Hollows, Western States Motel, Tigers Can Bite You, & The Transmissions @ The Echo (FREE)
- Gram Rabbit & Donita Sparks @ Spaceland (FREE)
- The Valley Arena, Younger Youth, Meho Plaza, & Casxio @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Sabrosa Purr @ Safari Sam's
- Pussy Cow, Legs on Sale, & The Dedication @ The Scene (FREE)
- The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Viper Room
- Lucinda Williams @ The El Rey
- Black Olive, Brandon Mayer, Bryony Atkinson, & Michael Miller @ Bordello
- Meho Plaza @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Spoon @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
The Airborne Toxic Event at The Viper Room is the best thing going on the west side on Monday night, while the free line-up of The Happy Hollows, The Western States Motel, Tigers Can Bite You, and The Transmissions at The Echo rules the east.

Tuesday, September 11
- Rogue Wave @ The El Rey
- Bob Log III @ Spaceland
- Qui, Sabertooth Tiger, & Lozen @ The Echo
- Art Brut @ The Key Club
- Hornz & Halos, Substance Abuse, Longevity, & Papillon @ The Knitting Factory
- Teaneck, New Maximum Donkey, & The Good Cheer @ The Scene
- Maserati, El Ten Eleven, & Good To Be @ The Silver lake Lounge
- Lamps, Strangers Smile, & Tiffany Randol @ Bordello
- Paris Loves LA & Pianorag @ The Derby
- Yo Majesty & Von Iva @ Echoplex
- Spoon @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
I’ve got nada on Tuesday. I’m going to a Dodgers game, which I hear is baseball.

Clearly, you can see why I was kicked out of Chicago...

Wednesday, September 12
- Pinback @ Amoeba Music (7PM)
- Kinski, Dead Ponies, & Unnatural Heroes @ The Echo
- Club Moscow w/ Dead Sara & Bedtime For Toys @ Boardner’s
- Dub Club @ The Echoplex
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ BM LINX @ Spaceland
- Sweet Evil, 10’Ors, Sons and Lovers, Green and Wood, & The Press Fire @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Spoon @ The Henry Fonda
- Madame Palmita’s Parlor of Wonders @ Taix
- Everest, Buddy, Sally Jaye, & The Panderers @ Bordello

DECISION:
Pinback’s playing music from their new album for free at Amoeba on Wednesday, so get off work early and get over there. Then, you probably ought to head to Bordello for Everest.

Thursday, September 13
- Rock Insider presents Indie Schmindie w/Thailand, IO Perry, & Solare @ The Scene
- Adeline @ Tangier
- Where’s Moo? @ The Gig
- Filter’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip w/ Jason Falkner, Castledoor, & Annie Stela @ The Roxy
- The Transmissions, One Trick Pony, Death To Anders, & Health Club @ Spaceland
- Height, Pillow Fight Fight, & Billfold Bill @ The Smell
- Grand Ole Echo @ The Echo
- Big Family Benefit w/ Sleven Rucci-Airo, Tree Adams, Glenn Fox, Cydney Robinson, Megan Jacobs, Buddy, Tom Freund, & Holland Greco @ Bordello
- Cavil At Rest, Austin James Band, Cosio, & Good Avery @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The City Drive, Ok Stranger, Voodoo Organist, & more @ Safari Sam’s
- The Brunettes, Ferraby Lionheart, & Mezzanine Owls @ The Troubadour
- Built To Spill @ The Henry Fonda
- Wolf Parade @ The El Rey

DECISION:
Lots of great shows on Thursday night… We’re helping present The Transmissions, One Trick Pony, Death To Anders, and Health Club at Spaceland, then there’s Rock Insider’s Indie Schmindie with Thailand, IO Perry, and Solare at The Scene, Wolf Parade at The El Rey, Ferraby Lionheart and Mezzanine Owls at The Troubadour, and Castledoor at The Roxy.

And you pretty much can't go wrong with any of those shows...

Friday, September 14
- Anders Parker @ The Hotel Cafe
- Built To Spill @ The Henry Fonda
- The Cinematic Orchestra @ The El Rey
- Bad Dudes, Experimental Dental School, Bipolar Bear, & The Primos @ Pehrspace
- Suishou No Fune, Ancestors, Pocahaunted, & Sea Of Air @ The Smell
- The Binges, Year Long Disaster, Dirty Sweet, & Sea of Air @ Spaceland
- Static Static & The Guilty Hearts @ The Scene
- Echo & Underground present Calvin Harris & BM LINX @ The Echo
- The Squares & The Small Hours @ Cantner’s Kibbitz Room
- YACHT & The Dirty Projectors @ The Echo
- The Bravery @ The Wiltern

DECISION:
I don't know any of the acts playing on Friday night overly well, but folks have written in recommending The Dirty Projectors at The Echo and Anders Parker at The Hotel Cafe.

Saturday, September 15
- Wolf Parade @ The Glasshouse (Pomona)
- KROQ LA Invasion w/ The Smashing Pumpkins, Hot Hot Heat, Foo Fighters, & more @ Home Depot Center
- Lieutenants @ The Scene
- Akimbo, Lebanon, Pony Pants, & Hundreds and Thousands @ The Smell
- Echo, IHEARTCOMIX, Hang the DJs present VHS or Beta, Institubes, Protokoll, & Walter Meego @ The Echo
- Greasy Beats w/ dj mix master wolf @ Bordello
- Indie 103.1 Lobster Festival w/ Eagle & Talon, Great Northern, Scissors For Lefty, & more @ Port of Los Angeles
- Check Yo Ponytail w/ VHS or Beta & Protocol @ The Echoplex
- Guster @ The Avalon
- Devon Paulson, Trap of the Trap, & Sublamp @ Pehrspace
- Mudhoney & The Melvins @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
The Lobster Festival at The Port of Los Angeles with Great Northern and Eagle & Talon sounds oddly compelling. I imagine it involves wearing bibs…

Sunday, September 16
- Health Record Release Show w/ Abe Vigoda & Kyle H. Mabson @ The Smell
- Handsome Furs, Johnny and The Moon, & Nico Stai @ The Echo
- Los Duggans, Mishka Shubaly, WellDiggers Banquet, & Brodie Foster Hubbard @ The Scene
- Acute, Miniature Tigers, & Ryen Siegr @ Tanger
- The French Semester @ The Que Sera
- Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club presents Letting Up Despite Great Faults, The Henry Clay People, Enid the Dowl, & Manhattan Murder Mystery @ All-Star Lanes
- Part Time Punks w/ Spektrum & Midnight Movies @ The Echoplex

DECISION:
The LA Times compels you to go see The Henry Clay People at The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes.

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

Mini-Interview: The Parson Redheads

There was a time earlier this summer when I thought that The Parson Redheads were stalking me. I mean, everywhere I went in LA – Little Radio Summer Camp, shows, parties – at least one of them would be there. It wasn’t until I realized that they were already at many of these places when I arrived that it hit me what a crap theory it was… or that the joke was getting less and less funny, at least.

The upbeat indie folk act recently released their King Giraffe album nationally, so people beyond the greater Los Angeles area’s borders should be hearing more from them soon. Earlier this week, I interviewed their lead Evan Way over instant message – during lunch break at our respective day jobs – about what they're doing in support of their full NA debut and what to expect next.

Hi, Evan. It's Joe from RFSL. How’re you doing today?

Hey! I'm doing just great. As great as one can do while at work, that is. How are you?

Pretty good. This is the first time I’ve done an interview over IM. Kind of weird, eh? I feel like I should write in l33t speak or something.

Haha, seriously.

So, how long has the band been together? How did you form?

We've been together...well, approximately 3 1/2 years. But when we started, it was a very, very different beast. We actually started in college in Eugene, OR as a band called Vulture Town. Basically ALL different members except for me and Brette (our drummer).

About a year and a half into being a band in Eugene, we decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue the music more seriously. We had already changed our name by then (for reasons I can't really recall).

A lot of members changed because they couldn't make the move, or they made the move and then couldn't take it out here in LA.

So we just drafted friends/family along the way. =)

And many of you are related through blood or marriage?

Mmm - I wouldn't say MANY, really. Brette and I are married (almost a year now), and Erin (our keyboard player) and I are brother and sister. But it FEELS like we are much more related than we actually are. Purely because we are so close as friends - so we really feel like a family.

We all lived in a 1 bedroom apartment in west la when we first moved here - 6 of us in a 1 bedroom.

That brought us close...in many various ways. =)

And because the band has always been so much about being friends (friends really comes before being a good musician, even), that it just has a very family-feel to it.

That's great. How many people are in the band? Because I think I remember counting thirteen people on-stage during your first residency show at The Echo.

Haha, yes, there were 13 to 14 people at all those Echo residency shows. That was crazy! Fun, but crazy.

Right now there are 7 core members to the band.

And we often have guests play - Raymond Richards plays pedal steel often, and our friend Jason plays tambourines almost every show.

He's, like, 97% in the band.

Heh. I'll spare asking you your influences, but how would you describe your music to someone who hadn't heard it before?

Hmmm.

Well, someone wrote that we were like The Magic Numbers having lunch with Wilco.

And I thought that was appropriate.

What was for lunch?

I believe it would have to be a good micro-wave Banquet Dinner. Have you ever had them? They're AMAZING.

I haven't. I'm currently obsessed with those Morning Star veggie burgers and nugget and other fake foods.

Yes, fake goods are good. Sometimes better than real foods.

So, King Giraffe came out in February locally but was just released nationally, correct?

Right - it was released locally (sold at Amoeba and local stores) late February.

And then we got a distro deal with BDC Distribution recently. And last month they released it nationally, with a focus on the West Coast, though.

So it’s all sorts of places now. The photo on the cover is of Brette’s mom.

So she is totally embarrassed now, because her face (from 1967, I think) is everywhere. =)

Ha. Oh, cool. It looks like you're going on a tour up north to support it.

Yah! We're doing a West Coast tour in late October. It’s going to be a real fun one - we're playing at a lot of places we used to play when we lived in Oregon, and some new places.

And we're playing with some really really great bands, too. I can tell you now that we aren't going to want to come back. No offense.

None taken. Who did you record it with? Where? What was the experience like?

We recorded it with Jason LaRocca, a good friend of ours, at a studio in Sunland called Aermotor Studios.

It’s a tiny place. Really intimate. And it’s in Sunland, so the setting is a bit more rural...which was a nice little escape.

It was a tough experience in that we all had full time jobs, and had to commute out to Sunland every night after work.

And then we'd be out there all weekends, too.

So it was long and tiring, but really, really fun. It was a little bitter-sweet when it was over, because it was a cool experience.

How long did that take?

The commute or the whole recording process?

Both.

The commute was about an hour.

The whole process was dragged out over 4 months or so.

It should have taken much faster but we were only able to devote about 4 or 5 hours a night. And then weekends. So it was like slo-mo recording.

It's a good thing your wife, sister, and friends were all in the band or you wouldn't have seen them for a long time.

(Side note: someone at my work just started eating a Banquet Dinner - its fate)

(I'm going to have to look them up now...)

It is! All my friends and people close to me are in my band, practically, or we would just have them come out tot he studio and join the fun. We had quite a few guests on the record.

Just shaking tambourines or singing some harmonies.

That sounds like a lot of fun.

It really was! A friend would be, like "you wanna hang out?" and I'd say "Well, if you want to come shake a tambourine in front of a mic.....then yes"

Hah. So, what's next for you all?

Well, we're doing this upcoming tour. And we've been working on a lot of new tunes, so there is a very good chance we'll be recording an EP come December or January. That is what I've been thinking a lot about recently

Our new tunes are all turning out to be kind of long and proggy, too...so it'll probably be an EP the length of a full length, haha =)

So, you'll probably be playing some of the new material when you play at The Echo when you return from the tour on Nov 12?

Oh, yes, most definitely.

We've been trying to throw a new song or two into some sets randomly - test them out.

Once we get back from tour, we'll be trying them out in full force

Cool. And you're playing with The Broken West and Winters Flowers at The Echoplex at the end of the month before you take off, too.

Yah - that is going to be SO fun. The Broken West are really really good guys.

There will be another great local band

but it’s a surprise right now.

So you have to keep an eye out

for when it is...REVEALED!

Heh. It's Morrissey, isn't it?

MAAAAAYBE.

(I'm going to start that rumor right now.)

Do it.

Seriously.

I would not argue.

Except I don't know if I'd want to make a large pack of Morrissey fans angry...

Ha, ha. So, let me ask you one last question: What other LA bands are you liking the most these days?

oh boy

the question...

Well, I love The Stevenson Ranch Davidians

and Castledoor

and The World Record.

(Castledoor were PHENOMENAL a few weeks back at that Earlimart show.)

The World Record is probably the best LA band that not enough people know about.

I'll have to check them out.

do it.

www.myspace.com/theworldrecord

don't be afraid.

I think you guys might like Princeton too, by the way.

Ah! I just checked them out!

They are really great.

And I love Flashing Red Lights - another band not enough people know about.

Cool. Well, that's all I've got. I'll let you get back to lunch. Thanks for your time, Evan. Good talking with you.

Talk to you later!



The Parson Redheads' next show is on Thursday, September 27th with The Broken West and Winters Flowers at The Echoplex.

DOWNLOAD:
- Punctual As Usual MP3

A Tale of Three Shows: Spaceland, Let's Independent!, & Halloween

So, there are a few shows in LA over the next month or so that we’re either helping out with or putting on -- and it'd be great if you could make them since we know how you like fun and all...

The first is one we’re presenting along with KXLU 88.9 FM next Tuesday night at Spaceland with (mostly) Central Second Collective folks One Trick Pony, The Transmissions, Death to Anders, and Health Club. Should be a fun night for kids who like their indie rock a little more avant guarde and/or experimental. That’s $5 if you print out the flier above and $8, if you're dumb and forget.

Later in September, we’ll be celebrating the one-year anniversary of our monthly Let’s Independent! nights at Boardner’s with a CD release event for all three bands playing that night: Radars to the Sky -- who have a new EP, Tigers Can Bite You -- who will have their debut album on-hand, and The Hectors -- who will have their EP available. That’s on Tuesday, the 25th and is FREE. (Go here to hear tracks from all three acts.)

And then RFSL, Rock Insider, and The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club are all putting on a Halloween bash on Wednesday, October 31st at All-Star Lanes with The Henry Clay People, Radars to the Sky, The Monolators, Service Group, Fresas, Downtown/Union, and The Natural Disasters. And that’s $15 for access to both rooms of bands and two rounds of bowling and shoes included.

So mark your calendars, save your pennies, wash your hair, and hide your daughters.

Stolen Interview: The Octopus Project

It's been a busy 2007 for the quirky Austin outfit known as The Octopus Project. After making a splash with the cool kids at New York's McCarren pool this summer, rocking the industry stiffs at SXSW this spring, and finishing up work on their 4th album this winter in Seattle, the band is now ready to take on the rest of the country this fall with an extensive North American tour schedule that has them booked all the way through the middle of November.

This Friday, they'll be making one of their earliest stops on their tour at The El Rey with Stereo Total.

Radio Free Chicago's Brad Knutson caught up with the band last week via email to find out how they're keeping up things, how they managed to also get on an underground hip-hop tour and, most importantly, whether Yvonne will be sporting any shiny new theremins on stage this time around.

And then we stole this article from them wholesale. Ha.

We last spoke to you guys (well, Josh, at least) back in November…how have things been? Since then you recorded a new album and also toured Europe for the first time, right? What can you tell us about the new record? Any interesting stories from your time in the studio? Any crazy stories from Europe?

Well, let’s see…since November we toured the west coast, made an album in Seattle, had a crazy SXSW, played in Taiwan, finished our record, brought on the fantastic Ryan Figg as a guitarist, played a crazy show at a pool in Brooklyn, and we’re currently a week and a half into a three-month stretch of touring North America. We’re very excited about the new record – we’ve decided to call it “Hello, Avalanche” – and can’t wait to share it with folks.

The proper release will be October 16, but we hope to be selling it at shows before then. We spent three weeks at Bear Creek Studio working with Ryan Hadlock as engineer and co-producer recording, eating and sleeping at the studio (it’s a converted barn with very comfy bedrooms). Our time got a little short in Seattle so we took the tracks back to Austin to add some bits and continue working on the mix, so I think we ended up with a good blend of pro-studio sounds and our own home recording aesthetic.

Europe hasn’t quite come together, but we’re getting closer to making that happen – if anyone out there happens to run a European record label, give us a call! Our new record has a happy U.S. home but is looking for a European family. We did get to play a festival in Taiwan, and that was a fantastic experience! 32 hours of travel between Texas and Kaohshiung, 12 hour time shifts, a Taiwanese “Wild West” resort, thousands of kids…it was a very weird few days in a really wonderful way. Getting to take your band to another part of the world is a pretty amazing privilege, and we hope to see as many new places as possible as soon as we’re able!

It looks like you’ll be on the road almost non-stop this fall…what can we expect from the upcoming tour? Any new gadgets or props? Perhaps a shiny new theremin or two?

Actually yes, there is a new theremin! Yvonne got it just before the tour – an Etherwave Pro – and it sounds and looks really beautiful. Which coincides nicely with getting to play the theremin parts of the new record – we’ve got a whole batch of songs from the record that we’re really excited to play out. A lot of our songs take on new lives and unexpected directions as we start to play them at shows, so we’ll see where these tunes take us.

Also, I love your touring partners this fall…Stereo Total now and then later with Aesop Rock. Stereo Total seems like a perfect match, but I probably never would have thought to have paired you guys with Aesop Rock. How did that come about? Outside of Aesop, have you been digging any good underground hip-hop lately?

We’re fortunate to share a booking agent with both Stereo Total and Aesop Rock, and he (Christian Bernhardt) has been amazingly supportive in many ways, including playing our music for lots of folks he knows…Aesop invited us to open his shows after Christian passed our tunes on to him. The shows with Stereo Total have been wonderful – they’re great people to hang out with and their crowd comes ready to party.

I’m curious to see exactly how the Aesop Rock shows go, as I imagine it’ll be a largely hip-hop crowd, but his music is so diverse that I think it’ll be a pretty open minded audience, looking to have a good time with the crazy sounds. Which is what I like to think we provide (crazy sounds, good times). So we’re really looking forward to those shows – a chance to make new friends. I heard a little of Aesop’s new album and really like it…I’ve been getting into MF Doom a lot lately, looking into his back catalog…also really excited to hear Madlb’s new instrumentals album.

Anything else inspiring you musically or artistically lately?

As a band we’ve been finding tremendous inspiration in Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job…the kind of totally fractured genius that makes more sense the longer you’re on the road.

Finally, we’ll be running this interview on both Radio Free Chicago and Radio Free Silver Lake… so, not to start any sort of rivalry or anything, but just curious, who do you think has the better music scene in your opinion, L.A. or Chicago? (Be honest!)

We know a lot of righteous folks in both cities, but I couldn’t claim to know anything about a scene…although if anybody reading this wants to influence our decision we invite you to come out to a show and get down with us – our favorite towns are the ones where the people bring the dance party! And the baked goods…we are easily influenced by cookies.

DOWNLOAD: The Octopus Project - "I Saw The Bright Shinies"

Video Free Silver Lake: Andrew Bird, The Shins, & The Helio Sequence

In order to keep people from thinking that we only cover bands from LA (though it’s basically true), here are a few videos from acts based in both Portland and Chicago.

Andrew Bird’s Imitosis video makes me want to keep jewelry bugs as pets and feed them copper and twine.



The Shins’ Turn On Me is like the Star Wars Holiday Special of videos because there’s no way you can make it all the way through in a single sitting. Try it.



And The Helio Sequence’s Don’t Look Away video makes me want to go live in The Natural History Museum. Or the forest.

The Monday Show Low Down (Or “Excess Is Very Often Its Own Reward”)

It’s so damn hot in LA right now that anyone with AC or a pool has gotten really popular this last weekend. I mean, it’s like surface of the sun outside and if you have any records, even indoors, you better tend to them.

Luckily, it’s gotten at least bearable at night time, so shows aren’t unattendable and, y’know, you can do that sleeping thing.

But you don’t need a weatherman to tell you it's a little balmy out and an amateur music writer even less... So, let’s take a look at how this week’s LA show line-up is shaking out.

Monday, September 3
- The Happy Hollows, The Soft Hands, The Henry Clay People, & The Billionaires @ The Echo (FREE)
- Gram Rabbit, Sky Parade, & Solare @ Spaceland (FREE)
- The Valley Arena, Free Moral Agents, The Most, & Regime Noir @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Dirty City Brothers, Teddy's Cheer Club, Baxter House, Seasons, & Super Fuzz @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Colorforms, Hour of the Shipwreck, Martin Klingman (from Gliss), & Black Olive @ Bordello
- The Minor Canon, The Prix, & Satisfaction @ The Viper Room
- The Uglysticks, The Booze Hounds, & The White Coffin Terror @ The Scene (FREE)

DECISION:
The Indie 103.1 night over at The Viper Room is pretty strong between The Minor Canon and The Prix, while The Happy Hollows kick off the first of their free residency nights at Spaceland. (They’ll have a few song advance of their new album on hand. Listen to the track Monster Room here.)

Tuesday, September 4
- Moving to France, The Rocking Horse People, & Dora Flood @ Safari Sam’s (FREE)
- Suki Ewers, The Sheers, & Leslie King @ Bordello
- Kennedy, Eastern Conference Champions, & Voxhaul Broadcast @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Okkervil River & Damien Jurado @ The Troubadour
- The Advantage, Them Hills, & Abe Vigoda @ The Echo
- The Youngs, Health Club, The Marvelous Toy, & Franco Near Death @ The Scene

DECISION:
I mean to catch The Marvelous Toy’s show over at The Scene. What I’ve heard from them sounds pretty promising...

Wednesday, September 5
- Pink Mochi, Buddy, Grand Hallway, & Kassia Conway @ Bordello
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME w/ Kamera (from Sweden) @ Spaceland
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- The Monolators, Kissing Cousins, Ghost Kings, & Unbusted @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Young Sixties, The Whirling Dervish, The Bush Twins, & Future America @ The Scene
- Ben Kweller @ The Echo
- B Is For Baroness, Hello Menno, The By and By, & Ice Lion @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Paul Avion @ Tangier
- Filter Magazine’s Revenge of the Sunset Strip w/ Gran Ronde, Foreign Born, & A Shoreline Dream @ The Roxy
- Club Moscow w/ Hayden’s Band & Box Violet @ Boardner’s
- The Frames @ The Henry Fonda
- Nico Stai, Hecuba, Saint Motel, & Everest @ The Troubadour
- Madame Palmita’s Parlor of Wonders @ Taix
- Lucinda Williams @ The El Rey
- The Stevenson Ranch Davidians & Dora Flood @ The Echo

INDECISION:
Foreign Born at The Roxy… Everest at The Troubadour… Either choice equals good and fun.

Thursday, September 6
- Ben Kweller @ The Echo
- Lux & Rubys Burlesque-A-Go-Go w/Inazuma, Thee Cormans, & Naughty Bird @ The Scene
- Lucinda Williams @ The El Rey
- Inaway, Dora Flood, & Stevenson Ranch Davidians @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Frames @ The Henry Fonda
- Talons of Spring, The Councilmen, The Kris Special, Walk, The Jinx @ Mr T’s Bowl
- The Dollyrots, Killola, Tuff Luvs, & more @ Safari Sam’s
- Magnolia Electric Co, Golden Boots, & Secretary Bird @ The Echo
- Dark Meat, Ribbons, & Ponette @ The Smell
- John Vanderslice & Bodies of Water @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
That John Vanderslice guy is supposed to be really something.

Friday, September 7
- The Front, The Monolators, Summer Darling, Blood Robots, & Red Giants @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Jon Brion @ Largo
- Ben Kweller @ The Echo
- Joan As Police Woman, Princeton, & Emily Wells @ Spaceland
- Incubus & The Bravery @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre
- Stereototal @ The El Rey
- The Squares @ Cantner’s Kibbitz Room
- Obsolete Heart @ Safari Sam’s
- Foot Village, Lucky Dragons, Mudboy, Fortress Of Amplitude, Oh Home, & Micose & The Didimao @ The Smell
- Club Underground @ The EchoPlex
- The Perishers @ The Knitting Factory
- Three Bad Jacks @ The Troubadour
- Minmae, Roxy Jones, & Chase Frank @ Pehrspace
- Quazar and The Bamboozled, She’s Your Sister, & Sumo @ El Cid
- GET YER ROCKS OFF! w/ The Hectors, Squab, Quest-ce Que Cest, & Repeater @ The Scene
- Kings of Leon & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Greek

DECISION:
If you haven’t seen The Hectors yet, you ought to soon. They’re starting to play more shows again now that they’ve finished recording their soon-to-be-self-released album.

Saturday, September 8
- The Deadly Syndrome CD Release Event w/ The Front & The Morning Benders @ The Echo
- The Bentleys & Loverlee @ The Knitting Factory
- Jon Brion @ Largo
- Audacity, The Widow Babies, No Paws No Lions, The Elders, & The Petersons @ The Smell
- The Locks & The French Semester @ Pehrspace
- Josh Haden, Dead Sea Scrolls, Ghost Machinists, & Unpopable @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Butch Walker & The Let's Go Out Tonites @ The Troubadour
- Fool’s Gold, Mountain Party, & Restaurant @ Bordello
- Dinosaur Jr. & Band of Horses @ The Wiltern
- Other People @ The Cocaine at Live Jazz
- Lucinda Williams @ The El Rey

DECISION:
The Deadly Syndrome are pretty well known for pulling off spirited live performances and you can bet they'll be in a good mood at Saturday's release event for their album on Dim Mak.

Sunday, September 9
- Part Time Punks w/ The Spires @ The Echo (10PM)
- Underworld @ The Hollywood Bowl
- Santanic Hispanic Nite w/ Holocaust, Decayed Forest, Manik Thorns, Vassago, & Maculxochitl @ Mr T’s Bowl
- Grand Ol Echo w/ Tony Gilkyson, The Evangenitals, Gentlemen Farmers, & Fish in a Barrel @ The Echo (5PM)
- Armchair Martian, Fluf, Jessie Deluxe, & Jr. Juggernaut @ The Scene
- Acute, Taylor Goldsmith (Simon Dawes), & Whispertown 2000 @ Tangier
- The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club w/ Aíme, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Sailboat, Kárin Tatoyan @ All-Star Lanes
- The French Semester @ Pehrspace
- Lucinda Williams @ The El Rey

DECISION:
It might be a good night to check out Letting Up Despite Great Faults’ residency at The Eagle Rock Bowling and Drinking Club at All-Star Lanes. And later that evening, Ventura County's brightest The Spires are playing Part Time Punks over at The Echo.

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