Photographer Profile: Laura Jennings

Probably the best thing about live music is how it combines our love of both music and looking at stuff. But what do you do when you missed the performance or have impaired long term memory functions?! Listen to cds and, yes, check out music photography...

We continue our series on local indie music photographers with Laura Jennings, who answered a few of our questions about all the stuff mentioned above and more and yet more still again.



How did you start taking photos? And doing music photography?

I started studying photography in high school and got into this competitive program at CalArts where we did traditional black & white and color shoot processing, etc.. Then in college I took this class where you create a slide show... We were sort of lacking in modern technology ... and so I put my slide show to music and that got me into the film program, which was actually my major.

However, I think I've always been into more of the type of filmmaking that is similar to photography -- like Orson Wells or Hitchcok or Fellini where there are really long shots, very stylized & iconic. One of my favorite films is essentially a slide show called La Jete (which is actually what 12 Monkeys is based on).

I fucking heart that film.

The focus on music began because I used to go & see a lot of my friends' bands and bought this little point & shoot camera and just being my personality, I began shooting constantly, almost obsessively. Because I was shooting so much, that lead to me buying a bigger and better camera, which allowed me to have more control and creative freedom.



What do you like about it most?

I'm actually less interested in purely documenting an event and more into creating something new out of it ... which leads to a lot of weird, unusual shots but I'm still learning and don't really care about making mistakes. I'm always interested in creating something memorable -- capturing a moment which can bring to life the whole evening or what a band means to me. I think that's really important because it's one of the ways that people remember an experience.

I also like to help out other creative people. I have a lot of friends who are all struggling to make something unique as opposed to working at some mundane job... and the more I can do to help it a long, the better.

What was the best time you ever had shooting a band or show?

One of the best times recently was probably shooting Spindrift, one of my favorite local bands. At this particular space, the bands play on a skateboading half-pipe. Somehow someone helped me up to one side of the half-pipe so I was above the band and there was a raucous crowd that was pretty out of control almost taking over the band.



It was a perfect place to be because I had a great vantage point but it was a little stupid too because I had too much to drink and was leaning out a too far for any sane person... Looking back on it, it probably wasn't a good idea. But I survived and have the shots to prove it.

So, where can people find your work?

They can go right here.



Send us a message here with the name of three of the five bands shown in these shots, if you're over 21, and enter a drawing to win two tickets for the sure-to-sell-out show w/ The Airborne Toxic Event, The Deadly Syndrome, and Castledoor at Spaceland tomorrow night.

The Silversun Pickups Surprise At The Echo

Last night at The Echo was a rare treat... I'd known that The Silversun Pickups' lead Brian Aubert was going to perform at the last night of The Radar Bros' free residency there, but I guess I assumed he was going to play some sort of solo material that I hadn't heard before and didn't know what to expect.

What we got instead was stripped down versions of some of The Silversun Pickups' best tracks from their Pikul EP and Carnavas album. Aubert played them all solo, except for vocals by bassist Nikki Monninger (backup on one song, with lead on their cover of The Movies' Creation Lake) and some help by Radar Bros' Jim Putnam. It was one of the loudest, most spirited acoustic performances I've seen since Bob Mould played solo at The Roxy last fall -- when he, incidentally, commented about how much he liked SSPU.

The show took me back a few years to when The Silversun Pickups were, like The Airborne Toxic Event are doing right now, playing a month of Thursdays at Spaceland. I went to all five nights and hopped around like an idiot madman at every one ... and had some of the best times I've ever had seeing live music.

They were so much fun that you got the sense that being able to catch them in a small venue was a limited time proposition and that you'd need to make your piece with the fact that seeing them there may be the last time before they were playing big, impersonal spots like The Wiltern or beyond.

And I did, and that was true, but somehow we got this nice little welcome surprise last night. Couldn't help grinning from ear to ear through the lion's share of the set.

The Monday Show Lowdown (Or “Fuck Gravity. I Want To Play Pinball On The Moon...”)

Kind of an interesting weekend between the packed Pehrspace event on Saturday for Correatown and friends and the surprisingly intimate show at All-Star Lanes last night with The Spires, Frankel, and more. (It took place in the newly remodeled restaurant this time and nearly everyone splayed themselves out on the carpeted floor.)

Calendar updates took hours this morning, so no time to chat more… Here’s what this week is looking like for people who like live music and aren’t afraid to, y'know, show it.

Monday, January 28
- Radar Bros Album Release Party w/ Brian Auber, Adeline & The Philistines, Everest @ Echoplex (FREE)
- We Barbarians, Canon Blue, Dietra Kruschev, & In Waves @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Fred Armisen & Petra Haden @ The Troubadour
- Traildriver @ Bordello
- Iron Mtn, Eat the Living, Intestinal Strangulation, Progeria, & It’s Casual @ The Scene
- The Hectors & The Transmissions @ La Cita (FREE)
- Guns Shoot Butterflies @ Mr T's Bowl
- Indie 103.1 Presents Check One.. Two w/ Idyllist, Bloodcat Love, Sons And Lovers, & The Growlers @ The Viper Room
- Sean Carnage Presents NASA Space Universe, Battlehooch, Heavyface, & Kuato @ Pehrspace
- The Parson Red Heads, Idaho Falls, The Monolators, & Papercranes @ Spaceland (FREE)

DECISION:
The shows at The Silver Lake Lounge, La Cita, and Spaceland are tempting, but geesh, did you see the line-up for Echoplex? Besides being your last chance to see Radar Bros’ for free there, it’s their release party and the local supergroup (hey, it fits) Everest, Adeline w/ a back band comprised of members of The Movies, Le Switch, and Radar Bros, and Brian Auber from The Silversun Pickups are playing, too.

Tuesday, January 29
- Drug Rug & Amnion @ Spaceland
- Upsilon Acrux, Little Women, Polar Goldie Cats, & Duhkha @ The Smell
- Geoffro & Guy Bryany @ The Echo Curio
- The Janitor @ Mr T's Bowl
- Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ The Troubadour
- Kill Sonic, Flowers & Bulls, Monster, & Dalmacio Von Diamond @ The Scene
- Charlie Paxson, The Procession, & Wadsworth @ The Silver Lake Lounge

DECISION:
I don’t know much about the bands playing on Tuesday night, but am constantly charmed by psychey pretties Amnion…

Wednesday, January 30
- KCRW Presents The Chapin Sisters, Kind Heats & Coronets, Old Toy Trains, & AJ Roach @ Bordello
- Jessie Evans, Von Iva, & Deadbeats @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with Castaneda, Roman Numerals, & Asher @ Spaceland
- Section Quartet & Leviathan Bros @ The Echo
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- El Ten Eleven, People Noise, & Mospeada @ The Scene
- Saint Motel, Nico Vega, Warpaint, & The Cheat @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
Anyone have any recommendations for Wednesday night? Please add them to the comments below.

Thursday, January 31
- Jesse Evans, Dame Darcy, Lily Marlene, & Milo @ Bordello
- Mary Gauthier & Mark Olson @ The Troubadour
- Don't Stop A.I. @ The El Rey
- Amnion, Layer, & Young Hunting @ Echo Curio
- Dengue Fever @ Echoplex
- Club Flotsam @ Mr T's Bowl
- Summer Darling, Chris Robley & The Fear Of Heights, The Sly Digs, & The Was Rules @ Mr T's Bowl
- Hell Yeah! pres: Pittsburgh Slim, Shwayze, Hazeldon, Lisa D’Amato @ The Echo
- 5 O’Clock Somewhere , Kasey Anderson, The Lincoln Bedroom, Bollweevil @ @ The Scene
- Love Lies Sleeping Video Release Party w/ Crash Kings @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Airborne Toxic Event, The Deadly Syndrome, Castledoor, & The Morning Benders @ Spaceland

DECISION:
Each of the bands playing Spaceland on Thursday night is worth going to see separately, but together? Let’s just say you should get there early and you better not be too goddamn claustrophobic.

Friday, February 1
- Mini Love @ Prince O' Whales
- The Letter Openers, Paul Avion & Par Avion Band, King Cheetah, Automatique, & The Waking Hours @ The Derby
- Brother, Brother & Manhattan Murder Mystery @ Pehrspace
- The Greasey Beats @ Bordello
- Matt Costa @ The Troubadour
- Dirty City Brothers, The Health Club, The Front, & The Monolators @ Mr T's Bowl
- Echo & Club Underground pres: Bodies of Water & Castanets @ The Echo
- Black Sugar, Shiloe, Repeater, & Bollweevil @ The Scene
- Princeton, El Haru-Kuroi, & The Antiques @ El Cid
- Autolux @ The El Rey

DECISION:
If you’re on the West side on Friday night, you might want to check out Mini Love at Prince Of Whales. If you’re in the middle of town, Autolux are pretty great live. And if you’re farther east, Princeton and The Monolators are decidedly rad.

Saturday, February 2
- Foster Timms @ The Hotel Cafe
- Ashtray Babies & NASA Space Universe @ The Smell
- Mere Mortals, Xu Xu Fang, & The Black Kites @ Spaceland
- Kind Hearts & Coronets, Mystery Hangup, & Panic Movement @ The Relax Bar
- The Bowmans @ Amoeba Music (FREE - 2PM)
- Bootie LA w/ The Illuminoids, Adrian & The Mysterious D, & Dj Paul V. @ The Echo
- Matt Costa @ The Troubadour
- Unarmed, Get Up Get Down, Springtime Is Wartime, & The Transmissions @ Mr T's Bowl
- Thomas Whaling, Moses Roses, & The Was @ Pehrspace
- The Deadly Syndrome, Rumspringa, DJ Heather Thomson, & DJ Frogg @ The Scene
- Panic Movement, Aztlan Underground, Kind Hearts & Coronets, and Mystery Hangup @ Relax Bar

DECISION:
Everest’s Joel Graves says good things about Foster Timms, who unfortunately lacks any sort of website where you could hear his music online. For those who need a sure bet, there’s the wonder that is Xu Xu Fang at Spaceland, supported by The Black Kits and Mere Mortals, as well as The Deadly Syndrome out at The Scene.

Sunday, February 3
- The Squaregirls & Radio Free Silver Lake Present The Tartans, Maria, Murder Mystery @ The Scene
- Veronique Chevalier, The Pocket Rockets, Squeezebox Sam, The Men With No Name, & Brooke Trout @ Mr T's Bowl
- Part Time Punks @ The Echo
- Alex And Sam, Ari & Tiff, & Dustin Boyer @ Tangier

DECISION:
The Squaregirls have put together a line-up at The Scene that’s all pop, all the time, and you know you love pop music more than you like football and stuff, right?

That’s it. Please let me know if I missed anything.

Mini-Interview: Correatown

LA singer/songwriter Angela Correa is, duh, both namesake and main creative force behind the band Correatown. She's been on the road for awhile now, but is coming back to town this Saturday night to celebrate the release of her latest cd. We caught up with her on the wrong side of SLC to find out more about it all.

Hi, Angela. So, what's the story with the show? How did it come together? Who all is playing? It's also a benefit, right?

Yes, and I've been waiting for this for a while! I am so ready for our EP to be released! We have an entire album totally done and mixed -- but we wanted to put out an EP first to figure out what to do with the album itself. I really wanted to have a big party Saturday and so many great people are playing short and sweet sets… The Sweet Hurt (Wendy Wang plays bass in Correatown), Jack Wilson, Jr. (a new amalgam of The Natural Disasters and The Devils Romantics), Cobra Lilies (a folked-out side project of The Monolators and friends), and Daniel Ahearn (formerly of Ill Lit).

Pehrspace is really a great space for intimate and unusual shows and Pauline, one of the bookers, had suggested the space for the Echoes EP release party. I was immediately into the idea because I knew we could do something really special there. I'd been inspired by a charity project I was involved with recently called "I Heart - Bombshell Alliance" so the first question I asked bands that I invited to play was "Are you cool with us donating our share of the door to a community organization?" and overwhelmingly everyone said "Hells yeah!"

So all the proceeds from the door and all of my Echoes EP sales Saturday night will be donated to the Bicycle Kitchen. A bunch of my friends are also contributing an assortment of killer baked goods- so we're also having a little "bake sale" to try and raise more money!

As musicians and artists, we're constantly asking people to come out to shows and events and to give us their time, to share their night with us. I think part of what makes our music community so wonderful here is that we do all show up and support each other in so many ways… so it seems right to try and give a little something back, you know, and it feels really good to be able to donate to another part of our east side community -- especially one like Bicycle Kitchen. Everyone there is ALREADY a volunteer, and they inspire people to be thoughtful, think outside the box, and come together. That's what it is really all about, you know!

I hear you and I both understand and agree. What was the process for recording the cd like?

It was such a long endeavor! I initially just thought to record a couple songs with Raymond Richards at his studio in Rancho Park, Red Rockets Glare, in the summer of 2006, but I enjoyed being in the studio again and Raymond was so encouraging that I figured out a way to make an entire album with him. We recorded the whole album over the course of a year, working on it a couple evenings each week with occasional weeks/months off when I needed a break or had no money.

I was really lucky because so many friends contributed their time on the songs because at that point it was just me and I wasn't playing with the band yet. Raymond had asked Brian Whelan and Rob McCorkindale (from The Broken West) to come in and play bass and drums on some tracks for me and we really hit it off, and eventually Ross came and played some sick guitar on a couple tracks and the whole band played on the song Nightlight. I also had Joanie Mendenhall and Ray Suen from The Exfriends (my FAVORITE San Diego band) play on some songs. Mike Green played drums on a few tracks, and so many more talented musicians came in.

Recording was really an exploration, and such a rush. With previous recordings I really only had access to my acoustic guitar and my voice but I always had complete song arrangements in my head that I never was able to capture. For this album, there was a really cozy studio with lots of rad gear to toy around with and I had as much time as I chose to take.

For most of the songs, I had a really clear idea of how each song would sound already floating around in my head long before we started, so figuring out how to play/use different instruments to create those sounds was key. More importantly, it was figuring out how to convey and express my ideas to Raymond because I have a really abstracted way of describing my music, rather than a theoretical vocabulary. Poor Raymond, right?

Once we started working on a song I would listen to rough mixes obsessively on the hour-long drive through traffic after work… and more ideas would take shape. I totally blew out my car speakers! And of course the mixing process was more like pruning and weeding because I had layered so many parts on by the time I got together with Dan Long. He was amazingly patient and fantastic to work with.

Speaking of being in the car, you've been on tour for awhile... Where have you been? How's it been going?

Holy smokes, it's been fun! I went out to New York first and then came back to tour up the West Coast (San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Sacramento) and through Reno, Nevada to Salt Lake City, Utah and some dates in Arizona. Then back to LA for the EP release Saturday -- and then I have more dates on the West Coast and East Coast through mid-February.

It has been such a great experience for me to get out and play a bunch of shows to faces I've never seen before. I'm playing solo on all these dates (except Saturday, of course), so it's also a real change from what I've been doing with the band in Los Angeles and a great chance to stretch and try out brand new songs. Every night I've been able to really change up a song's structure or melody or play really old shit that I forgot about.

I've been sharing a co-bill with Daniel Ahearn on this tour. His songs are heart-breaking and poignant, so it's been inspiring to play a show with him each night. David J from Novi Split was playing with us on the first few dates and we've had some adventures outside of shows because he's such a fun guy. We got into some trouble heckling bawdy elephant seals and running around on the Santa Cruz pier thinking about vampires and The Lost Boys. We actually played a house concert in Santa Cruz at this big co-op style "Love House" and that was probably my favorite show of the trip because of how warm and friendly everyone was.

It's definitely been an "alternative tour" of sorts. We played this German place in Alameda and I had to contend with huge plates of sausage and brew, you know – but it's good… it makes you play better and play harder. It makes you realize that playing a show just down the street from your apartment in your favorite part of town with all your friends gathered around, like at The Echo or Bordello is a dreamy scenario.

It's the best scenario and that you really have to hit it hard and really "show up" when you play. Yeah, especially when you are in a random town trying to win over old dudes chowing down on sauerkraut.

Finally: Pehrspace is BYOB. What kind of beer are you bringing?

Ah… good question. You know, I'll probably just have a small flask of Maker's Mark in my pocket, but maybe I'll bring some Red Hook. I'm also bringing CUPCAKES for the bake sale!

Thanks for your time, Angela. See you Saturday.

Video Free Silver Lake: Earlimart, Sea Wolf, & The Airborne Toxic Event

Sure, Wednesday is Anything Can Happen Day (did anything really happen?), but Thursday is The Day We Snag Videos Off YouTube. So here's some recent footage of Earlimart playing Answers & Questions at The Troubadour, Sea Wolf performing You're A Wolf at LA's Natural History Museum, and The Airborne Toxic Event's crowd-pleaser Papillion at Spaceland.

Photographer Profile: Sterling Andrews

We continue our series on local indie music photographers with the charming and stylish Sterling Andrews, who answered a few of our questions about how she got started and why she does it. And we've included some of her (and our) favorite photos, as well.



How did you start taking photos? And doing music photography?

I started shooting when I was really young - nine or ten -- but I didn't imagine I'd ever take it seriously. When I was nineteen, I dated a musician who frequented local venues. I wasn't really into music, but I wanted to seem interested in the things he liked, so I took my camera to the shows we'd attend together.

Eventually, two things happened: bands started offering me money to shoot them, and I realized that much of the music I was around was truly wonderful.



What do you like about it most?

I've been interested in the dynamics of nostalgia since I was little. I remember looking at a photograph of my dad as a small boy, thinking "I'm holding this now, but it was taken before I was born." I know that sounds silly, but it was really profound to me as a five-year-old.

Often, when I'm framing a shot, I think about that photo of my dad, and wonder what it will feel like to look at the image I'm about to take -- years from now. Even if it's just me or some guy at a flea market looking at it.



What was the best time you ever had shooting a band or show?

That's difficult to answer; sometimes I'll have a terrible experience -- security hassling me when I've already gotten all the necessary passes, little opportunity to take candid before or after-show shots, scant, monochromatic lighting -- but if I get ten or twenty really good shots, I'm happy, and I feel like the evening was a success.

I did have a wonderful time shooting Rogue Wave and The Shins at SOMA in San Diego a few years back. It was the first time that everything fit together well -- the venue didn't have any harsh shooting restrictions, the lighting was great, everyone in both groups seemed happy that I was there and they showed off for the camera a lot, especially backstage -- and I remember thinking "Please, please let it always be like this!"

As for promo sessions, I just had The Happy Hollows in my studio recently -- and I've never had a more creative, less inhibited shooting experience. All of us really trusted one another; we weren't afraid to suggest something that might not work. After a few hours, we had some frames that were nothing less than magical. But what else could one expect from The Happy Hollows?



Where can people find your work?

At either here or here.



(First person to send us a list of three of the five acts pictured in the article wins two tickets to The Airborne Toxic Event at The Echo this Thursday night.)

The Tuesday Show Low Down (Or “On Account Of Being Left Too Long Out In The Rain” )

Spent the morning drive catching up on albums and EPs that people have sent over recently. They’d started to pile up, so got to playing the new Henry Clay People, The Breakups, The Lost Libraries, Ladies & Gents, and more, before coming back to the recently-released Death To Anders again. (Yep, traffic was pretty piled up there.)

Feels good to be catching back up. Can’t wait to see some of these shows this week.

Tuesday, January 22
- Signal Hill, Beware Of Safety, Littlest Viking, & Keith Waggoner (from Amateurs) @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Ranch Party: Sarah Stanley and They Look Like Cousions, Merle Jagger, Psychedelic Cowboys @ Spaceland
- Birdie w/ Eagle & Talon @ The Troubadour
- Aanchors Aaweigh @ Bordello
- The Teenagers, Funeral Party, & Mezzanine Owls @ The Echo
- Poison the Well, The Locust, Dance Gavin Dance, & A Girl, A Gun, A Ghost @ The Troubadour
- Panic Movement, The French Semester, Manhattan Murder Mystery, and Walk In Medical @ The Scene

DECISION:
I can’t say enough good things about going to see Signal Hill live. They make even the most devoted indie pop followers fall in love all over again with dreamy, explosive post rock.

Also heart Mezzanine Owls.

Wednesday, January 23
- MarathonLive w/ Amnion @ The 3 Of Clubs
- Moon Upstairs, Suki, & Greater California @ The Echo
- Dubclub @ The Echoplex
- KXLU & "Is Good" on Killradio Present Hour Of The Shipwreck, Two Ton Boa, & The Youngs @ Bordello
- Telematique @ Tangier
- Suns Beneath & Whiskey and Knives @ The Scene (FREE)
- Gallows @ The Troubadour
- Master Cylindar, Kamikaze, Bloodcum, The Mysterians, & The Glutes @ Mr T's Bowl
- Sofia, JT and The Clouds, & Traildriver @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with The Teenagers (from the UK), Run Run Run, Mostly Bears @ Spaceland
- The Youngs, Two Ton Boa, & Hour of the Shipwreck @ Bordello

DECISION:
You should have already been planning to go see Amnion over at The 3 Of Clubs even before you heard that it was FREE.

Thursday, January 24
- KEXP presents Feral Children, The Transmissions, Black Kites, & Kettle @ The Scene
- Moving Picture Show & A.I. @ The Roxy
- Priscilla Ahn @ The Hotel Cafe
- Ingrid Michaelson @ The Troubadour
- Ernest Lisa, Pertinence Pigeons, Mospeada, The Eternal Triangle, & Green Gargantua @ Mr T's Bowl
- Hey Willpower & Money Mark @ The Echo
- Dead Ponies, Stab City, Victom Vision, & The Savages @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Jessie Evans @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Airborne Toxic Event, Radars To The Sky, Aushua, & Venus Infers @ Spaceland

DECISION:
The Airborne Toxic Event and Radars To The Sky are two of my favorite live acts in LA right now. And as Corinne from The Hectors puts it, “Seamus [from Radars] plays guitar like he's got one more day to live and he's not going to waste it.”

Oh, yeah. And we've got some tickets for it, too. Write us here w/ "AIRBORNE RADARS" in the title and your full name to be entered in the drawing.

Friday, January 25
- Au Revoir Simone, Karin Tatoyan, & Princeton @ The Troubadour
- Jessie Evans & Lola Gayle-Sandgren @ El Cid
- Outre @ Pehspace
- Jim Ward w/ Nico Stai @ Paul G Gleason Theater
- Les Blanks, Ex Detectives, Restaurant, Codpiece, & Dirt Dress @ Mr T's Bowl
- The Slow Poisoner, Haunted George, The Dagons, & DJ Mike Decay @ The Scene
- Hello Astronaut, Goodbye Television w/ Yellow Fever & Her Girl Friday @ The Smell
- Pigeon John & Tick Tick Boom @ El Cid
- Club Underground w/ Lemon Sun & Astra Heights @ The Echo
- The Fader Presents: Jason Isbell (ex-Drive-By Truckers) and the 400 Unit, Will Hoge, & Jeremy Fisher @ Spaceland
- Mirah & The Blow @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
Much as I heart The Blow, the line-up of Brooklyn’s Au Revoir Simone and here’s Princeton and Karin Tatoyan makes me want to drive all the way over to The Troubadour.

Saturday, January 26
- L.A. Underground Presents: Correatown (record release), The Sweet Hurt, Jack Wilson, Jr., Cobra Lilies, & Daniel Ahearn @ Pehrspace
- Offsprung & Echo present: A Saturday Morning Kid Show w/ The Hollow Trees, & Triple Chicken @ The Echoplex
- MGMT & Yeasayer @ The Echo
- Tim Finn @ The Troubadour
- Blue Mask @ Mr T's Bowl
- Lady Sinatra, Oaks, Who Rides the Tiger, & Dali’s Llama @ The Scene
- High Places, Abe Vigoda, Disaster, Lucky Dragons, & Katy Davidson @ The Smell
- Panic Movement, Ragsy, & The Monthlies @ The Cat Club

DECISION:
Oops! I said before that I didn't know about anything for Saturday night, but the Correatown CD release party sounds pretty promising. (Besides the headliner, I've meant to see The Cobra Lilies -- the other band w/ the folks from The Monolators -- for awhile now and Bronson says good things about Dan Ahern.)

Sunday, January 27
- Part Time Punks & Echo Present White Williams, Magic Bullets, & The Blakes @ The Echo
- Upsilon Acrux @ Spaceland
- Dustin Boyer @ Tangier
- Liz Pappademas, The Sweet Hurt, The Breakups, & Goodbye Kumiko @ Mr T's Bowl
- Swords of Fatima, Lo-Fi Man, Chump Change Gang, & Sturgeon @ The Scene
- John Sakkis, Mady Schutzman, & Logan Ryan Smith @ The Smell
- The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club w/ The Spires, Frankel, Franklin For Short, & Jake Mann

DECISION:
One of the best moments I had over the holiday break was hanging out at home and listening to The Spires. I never get tired of hearing their happily melancholy pop songs and find I like their smart, smart lyrics more and more over time.

They’re playing on Sunday at All-Star Lanes with Frankel, who are also rad, so add bowling and there’s Sunday night.

That’s it. Please let me know if I missed anything.

Some Of The Great Shows Tonight!

All apologies for the disappearing act... Had a huge deadline for work, then had to head out of town for my dad's b-day, and then had technical problems like you wouldn't believe...





I know, I know: excuses, excuses... Will get back on schedule tomorrow. Above are some of the great shows tonight. Promise never to leave you again.

Let's Independent: The Aftermath

Many thanks to the many folks who made it out to last night's Let's Independent!... You know, I usually write these aftermath posts about how all three bands who played the event were really fantastic -- and that's because it's (luckily) regularly the best performance I've seen from them yet.

That might be because of a mixture of Boardner's excellent sound guy Lenny, who really knows how to get the best sound out of the room; the great crowds we somehow get; and acts who often just play their fucking hearts out. I swear, it makes it so I'm just happy to be there.

And such was the case last night: Haunty pop openers Wait Think Fast kicked off the event con fuerte and, as Mikel from The Airborne Toxic Event put it, "The Monolators just killed it." And headliners Death To Anders? They played an amazing, super high energy set comprised of material from the new Dave Newton-produced album -- which I think I can safely regard as "teh ossum." Wow.

Without sounding too much like an indie rock society column, there were a ridiculous amount of local bands there showing their support for DTA and friends... Folks from The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Radars To The Sky, The Happy Hollows, One Trick Pony, The Transmissions, The Eternal Triangle, The Rhone Occupation, Summer Darling, Mini Love, Mezzanine Owls, Marvelous Toy, and The Henry Clay People (who just announced their residency at The Echo in February where they'll debut their new Dave Newton-produced EP) were in attendance, as well as Octavius from KXLU Demo Listen; Jax from Rock Insider; Marion from Square Girls; Lisa from LA.com, Mouse from Classical Geek Theatre, Bronson from The LA Times; the afore-mentioned Dave Newton; the man, the myth, the legend that is Lawyer Jed; and more.

So, fun bands and an excellent crowd... Again, muchas gracias to everyone. We'll have word on next month's event very soon.

(Pics by Mouse.)

Video Free Silver Lake: Wait Think Fast, The Monolators, & Death To Anders

Tonight’s the night of our latest FREE Let’s Independent! event at Boardner’s, which will be the CD release party for Death To Anders with The Monolators and Wait Think Fast, so it seems the timing is fairly right to put up some videos and/or MP3s for all three acts...

I’ve posted this video of The Monolators’ Strawberry Roan nearly a hundred thousand times before, but I never get tired of watching it or hearing the song. And same goes for the live footage of their three bass version of We Fell Dead, too.





There there’s this relatively old clip of Death To Anders playing one of the songs off of their new album at the dark and tiny Zen Sushi…



And Wait Think Fast don’t have any videos or live footage online yet, so make sure to come early tonight at nine to see them play. (Or you might not even like yourself.)

For details and to hear more songs, go right here.

RELATED LINKS:
- Wait Think Fast’s Bad Men MP3
- The Monolators’ You Look Good On The Train MP3
- Death To Anders Camera Lens MP3

(Rad, dreamlike poster by Christine Hale, who, yet again, we can't thank enough.)

The Monday Show Low Down (Or “''Coleco' Is Short For 'Colorado Leather Company'")

There are times when instead of writing an intro to a weekly show overview, I just want to do something random like quote Leonard Cohen lyrics as best I can without looking them up to get them down perfectly. So...

"It's four in the morning, the end of December, I'm writing you now just to see if you're better. New York is cold but I like where I'm living. There's music from Clinton Street all through the evening. And I hear you're building your little house deep in the desert. You're living for nothing. I hope you're keeping some kind of record."

And: "Field Commander Cohen, he was our most important spy: wounded in the line of duty; parachuting acid into diplomatic cocktail parties; urging Fidel Castro to abandon fields and castles; leave it all, and like a man, come back to nothing special such as waiting rooms and ticket lines, and silver bullet suicides, and messianic ocean tides, and racial roller-coaster rides, and other forms of boredom advertised as poetry. I know you need your sleep now. I know your life's been hard, but many men have fallen where you promised to stand guard."

Okay, I looked that second part up... (Go get LC's New Skin For Old Ceremony. It's fucking amazing, his best, and comes off ahead of its time even today.)

Let's look at this week's shows.

Monday, January 14
- Radar Bros, Tables & Chairs, & Correatown @ The Echo (FREE)
- We Barbarians, The Henry Clay People, & Matt Death and The New Intellectuals @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Downtown/Union, Joshua Lanes, Igor Spectre, & The Loving @ The Scene (FREE)
- Kate Nash @ The Troubadour (SOLD OUT)
- Guns Shoot Butterflies @ Mr T's Bowl
- Sean Carnage Presents Captain Ahab, Red Hot Silly Peppers, Narwhalz, Monstruro, Infinite Body, & Miss Melvis @ Pehrspace
- The Parson Redheads, Mezzanine Owls, Light FM, & Everest @ Spaceland (FREE)

DECISION:
Some nice free shows tonight… I’ve been meaning to check out Radar Bros. and Tables & Chairs (an instrumental act comprised of two of the guys from The Movies), and I’ve never seen Correatown w/ a full band backing, so might head over at The Echo for that.

But there’s also the staggeringly strong line-up of The Parson Redheads, Mezzanine Owls, Light FM, and Everest over at Spaceland, which looks like one of the best local shows this month...

You can’t go wrong, either way.

Tuesday, January 15
- Let's Independent! w/ Death To Anders!, The Monolators, & Wait Think Fast @ Boardner's Of Hollywood (FREE)
- Harry Nilssen Tribute Show w/ Frankel, Le Switch, Ferraby Lionheart, Amnion, Dirt Bird, Willoughby, Quazar and The Bamboozled, Tara Busch, & More @ Bordello
- Jesca Hoop @ The Hotel Cafe
- Coco B's & The Hectors @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Ranch Party @ Spaceland
- The Real China Loca @ Mr T's Bowl
- Why? & Cryptasize @ Tangier
- Electric Children, Peg Leg Love, & The Preacher’s Son @ The Scene
- Shiloe, Repeater, Divisible, & Nightfur @ The Echo (FREE)
- Dan Deacon & Ultimate Reality @ The El Rey

DECISION:
I’m ridiculously excited about our Let’s Independent! show this Tuesday night… It’s a CD release event for Death To Anders’ new album – which Rock Insider's Jax and I have both heard and really love. And they’re joined by local favorites The Monolators and Wait Think Fast (who are replacing the previously-announced Princeton).

The door price puts the FREE in FREEDOM, so, like, let freedom reign or something. And come out.

For more details (and to hear/download tracks from all three acts), go right here.

Wednesday, January 16
- Simple Plan @ The Troubadour
- Matthew Santos & Vince Grant @ Bordello
- Big Search & John Webster Johns @ 3 Of Clubs (FREE)
- Bad Vic & the Good Intentions, Henry Bermudez Trio, & Cactys Fire @ Mr T's Bowl
- Dusty Rhodes & The Big River Band @ The Echo
- Hawks & Hounds, Pink Snowflakes, & Balloon @ The Scene
- Indie 103.1 presents CLUB NME with Army Navy, The Pocession, The Envy Corps @ Spaceland
- The High Wires, Richard Parsons, Hello Dragon, & The Breakups @ The Silver Lake Lounge

DECISION:
I like Army Navy, but don’t know any of the other acts playing with them. Anyone heard them? There's also the free show for Big Search (the other band from Matt from Foreign Born) over at 3 Of Clubs.

Thursday, January 17
- Warfield @ King King
- Priscilla Ahn @ The Hotel Cafe
- the most powerful hand, Burlesque from the glitter kittens, Stab City, Whiskey and Knives, & bebop n rock steadie @ Mr T's Bowl
- It’s Casual, The Gibbs, Chingalera, & AD @ The Scene
- Monster @ Bordello
- Gang Wizard, The Organ Donors, Meho Plaza, NASA Space Universe, & Soup Sproket @ The Smell
- Young Heart Attack & War Tapes @ The Echo
- Jay Brannan @ The Troubadour
- The Sea Of Cortez, Archways, & Transfer @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Airborne Toxic Event, Radars To The Sky, & The Adored @ Spaceland

DECISION:
The Airborne Toxic Event are one of the best live acts in town… Only three more chances to see them play this month.

Friday, January 18
- Club Underground w/ Eskimohunter @ The Echo
- Ladies and Gents, The Bentleys, The Hot Toddies, & Seismic Waves @ The Scene
- Xu Xu Fang, Winter Flowers, & Exitmusic @ Bordello
- hookah, Chuck dacowski, Sextet, amadans, Sacren trust, & Swords of Fantama @ Mr T's Bowl
- High Castle, Weekend Warrior, I.E., & Dick Hard @ The Smell
- Sean Carnage Presents Whitman, Splinter Cake, Foot Ox, French Quarter, & John Thill @ Pehrspace
- The Quarter After, The Pink Snowflakes, Rocking Horse People, & The Stevenson Ranch Davidians @ Spaceland
- Gongzilla Namm Jamm @ The Troubadour

DECISION:
I like Eskimohunter and The Bentleys, but the line-up of Xu Xu Fang, Exitmusic, and Winter Flowers sounds well worth braving the construction-laden maze-like path over to Bordello on Friday night.

Saturday, January 19
- Alesana @ The Troubadour
- Blowupnihilist, Babies, & Vim Crony @ The Smell
- Languis & Meanest Man Contest @ Pehrspace
- Nightshift w/ Igor Spectre, & Blood Penny @ Mr T's Bowl
- The New Check Yo Ponytail w/ The Cool Kids, 87 Stick Up Kids @ The Echoplex
- Metromix presents: Oliver Future, Casxio, & The Forward @ Spaceland
- Rolling Blackouts, Altamont, Nancy Fullforce, The Blessings @ The Scene

Sunday, January 20
- Hang The DJs @ The Echo
- Arlo's B-Day @ Mr T's Bowl
- All Neon Like, Teenage Moms, Heartsrevolution, Sexnotechno, & Dylan Doren @ The Smell
- The Radishes, Kehoe Nation, Telephone & Telegraph, Knuckle Samich & Blackeyes

DECISION:
Anyone have any recommendations for this weekend? I miss The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club…

That’s all I’ve got. Please let me know if I forgot anything.

Mini-Interview: Death To Anders

Last Saturday morning, we spoke with Death To Anders' Rob Danson and Nick Ceglio over AIM about the band’s past, present, and future -- right on the eve of their FREE CD Release Event at Boardner’s on Tuesday night with Wait Think Fast and The Monolators.

And we talked for a long, long time... Here's the conversation in its near entirety (and almost completely unedited glory).

You have just entered room "chatno13949423463792352920."
NICK has entered the room.
ROB has entered the room.
ROB: hello everyone
NICK: wordup, children!!
RFSL: Good morning!
RFSL: How are you guys doing this morning?
ROB: I'm still hopped up on coffee
ROB: nick....you there?
NICK: im a bit sleep deprived but im ready to rock
NICK: and a bit slow also
RFSL: Thanks for meeting so early. I've got a refrigerator repairman coming in a bit and then I'm spending the rest of the weekend moving (between raindrops).
RFSL: So this is the only time I knew I'd be around.
ROB: Where ya moving to?
NICK: sweet! where to??
RFSL: I'm moving from one side of Spaceland to the other.
RFSL: Over near The Red Lion?
RFSL: My girlfriend's place.
NICK: im jealous.
ROB: At least you're still close to all the action
NICK: wait....not cuz i wanna live with your girlfriend.....
RFSL: Where are you at?
RFSL: Ha ha.
ROB: nick is homeless
NICK: the valley
NICK: behind VONS
ROB: in a cardboard box
NICK: no dude.....thats so cliche
ROB: under a manhole
NICK: i built a little shanty town
ROB: shall we do this thing?
RFSL: You should move in with Rob! He's right near The Echo.
ROB: I'd kill him if he lived with me
NICK: hey joe...i was telling rob that i just downloaded your local mix for 08
RFSL: Oh, cool. How do you like it?
NICK: so cool man! there were at least 10 bands i'd been meaning to listen to but never have
RFSL: I'm getting some weird lag with this...
NICK: The Spires.....Tandemoro.......really cool!!
RFSL: I'm amazed by how good it came together. It's all I've been listening to.
NICK: Castledoor too....they're fun.
RFSL: Yeah, I love it.
NICK: my girlfriend and i were eating at the Bright Spot the other day and we thought we saw the lead singer of castledoor....
NICK: but we were too scared to talk to him so we just stared at him. and i'll shut up
RFSL: Ha ha.
RFSL: Cool. So, tell me about how you guys started the band.
NICK: I found Rob at the Musician’s Institute back in 2004
ROB: Nick and I met in the Recording Artist Program at the Musician’s Institute. One of the main reasons we got together was because we were totally different from the hair metal rockers that saturated the school.
ROB: we mutually loved old modest mouse, elliot smith, etc...
NICK: yeah.....everyone was into either hair metal or Motorhead
ROB: We played an open mic and we got no response
NICK: no disrespect to the Ace of Spades...but we weren’t feelin it
NICK: yeah it was pretty pathetic
ROB: right when we finished, a metal band came up and everyone rushed the stage
NICK: it was perfect
NICK: so i guess we've been playing for what......almost 4 years together?
ROB: yeah...Nick and I have been
ROB: We've had 3 drummers and two bassists along the way
RFSL: That's kind of Spinal Tap-like.
NICK: and about 7,000 groupies
ROB: but we're totally set on our final lineup (which has been around for over a year)
NICK: rob is a madman
NICK: yep....Peter and John are here to stay.
NICK: until they stop buying us beer
RFSL: How did you get Peter and John?
NICK: We found pete on Craigslist.....
ROB: We found Pete on Craigslist. He was with us for a year before we found John
ROB: Pete and John had known each other for years
NICK: actually pete played with john in the band CROONER
ROB: they were in a band called Crooner, along with Nikkie Monager and Chris from the Silversun Pickups
ROB: Nikki played keyboards, and chris was the frontman
NICK: we were super lucky to net those dudes
ROB: they have an amazing chemistry between them
ROB: I spelled Nikki wrong
NICK: no i think that’s right
RFSL: How do you feel like the band has changed from when you first played that open mic?
ROB: Everything has changed. First off, Nick and I know each other much better musically
NICK: hah......when we played at first we had no idea what our sound was
RFSL: What had you discussed doing when you started?
ROB: At first, we liked the same music, but there were a lot of differences in our writing styles
NICK: ....i was writing a bunch of sad sappy singer-songwriter stuff...and rob was doing the Pavement thing which i was totally clueless about
ROB: I was way too abrasive, and he was way too clean and pretty. We've now met in the middle
NICK: i'm still really pretty. facially and emotionally
NICK: but i punch rob in the face every now and then and it makes me feel very punk rock
RFSL: But not clean?
NICK: not clean. thank you for pointing that out, joe. i feel very secure about myself now
ROB: He's homeless. How clean can you get when you bathe in the LA river
NICK: i hate you both
RFSL: My girlfriend just brought me glorious coffee.
ROB: My girlfriend just yelled at me because I didn't clean out the dishwasher this morning.
RFSL: Or I should say my glorious girlfriend just brought me coffee.
RFSL: You have a dishwasher!
ROB: I'm a pimp like that
NICK: i have a sink
RFSL: Sorry, I'm becoming fascinated by domestic shit right now.
NICK: i swear
RFSL: So how has the band changed since you nailed the line-up?
ROB: I think the songs have become more emotional. Both lyrically and musically.
NICK: and more fucked up.........and having a rhythm section that’s played together since '99 helps our songwriting in ways i never thought possible
ROB: Our new rhythm section really helps compliments our style. They can bring the excitement to a new level
NICK: that was the missing piece all along really.....
ROB: Pete is one of the only bass players that I know that can play really busy-like without stepping on any of our toes
NICK: and John is bald and sexy
NICK: and he hits the shit out of the skins
ROB: He's also an amazing drummer.
RFSL: That's great. I've always really liked you guys, but I feel like every time I've heard you in the last year, it's been better and better and better.
ROB: Thanks!
RFSL: (And we'll save the album for a bit later...)
ROB: It always helps when you're playing with people that you look up to musically.
NICK: i must also say too....roberto......you are one of my favorite songwriters......its reassuring to me as a songwriter to be surrounded by people that are better than myself
ROB: lets fuck
NICK: you ruined the mood. i lit the candles and you pissed on em
ROB: (don't put that in the interview)
RFSL: I'm really bad about describing what bands sound like, but I'm really bad at describing you guys for some reason.
RFSL: (I'm totally putting that in the interview.)
RFSL: I start to write something about folk meets punk rock...
ROB: We're kind of all over the place. We bring so many different things to the table
RFSL: And that doesn't nail it any way shape or form.
NICK: ...meets two stray rabbits dueling
RFSL: But you've been doing this for four years, so what do you tell people when they ask what your band sounds like?
ROB: yeah.....something like that. Noise, folk, abrasive, melodic....."Cluster Fuck Rock"
NICK: yeah i have no idea what to say when people ask me
ROB: Charlene from One Trick Pony called us "Gregorian Punk" because we harmonize with a lot of 5ths.
NICK: now i say The Beatles just to give them nothing
NICK: 4th
NICK: s
ROB: oh
RFSL: And they're all like, "I like The Beatles!"
NICK: exactly
ROB: If you want to compare us to bands, Id say a mix between Pixies Sonic Youth, Pavement, and then Elliot Smith, Decemberists, and Radiohead.
RFSL: You could say that you sound like Star Wars. Because everyone likes Star Wars, too.
ROB: and OLD modest mouse
NICK: you just named every band signed to a major label
NICK: we sound like aural vomit
ROB: no...Im sorry. Pavement is signed to Matador....an indie label....douche bag
RFSL: Ha, ha.
NICK: joe...what do you sound like?
RFSL: I sound just like Star Wars.
NICK: pavement broke up dude. get over it and move on
NICK: sweet. i like Empire the best
RFSL: So, this new album...
ROB: I hear they're getting back together
NICK: ok new album....go!
RFSL: ... is pretty fucking fantastic.
ROB: thanks man!
NICK: seriously....thanks for listening.
ROB: We had so much fun creating it. Dave Newton, our producer, really nailed our sound
NICK: that’s the hardest thing to get people to do.....is really listen to shit
RFSL: How did it come together? Did you start working on it before you met up with Dave Newton or how did it work out?
NICK: some of the songs were a couple years old....some were a month or two old....
ROB: We wrote a lot of those songs over a year ago. Once we met up with Dave all the songs were completely finished
NICK: we recorded 15
ROB: We recorded with him in 8 days
NICK: put 10 on the album
ROB: It was really intense, but very inspirational
RFSL: Were they songs you'd been playing out? Or were still figuring out?
NICK: we've been playing the album for at least 6 months
NICK: right, robaire?
ROB: yup
ROB: We had played songs like Fictitious Business and Ghost Rock the most
RFSL: Cool. I thought a lot of the songs sounded familiar.
NICK: that made it much easier to record em in such a small time window
ROB: They all started coming together with the new lineup
RFSL: I'm really addicted to Camera Lens.
RFSL: That and the Everest song are my favorites on that 2008 mix, I think.
ROB: Thanks! Tons of people were telling me that they downloaded it off your site
NICK: yeah....we got some flak for putting it at the end of the album...but its a perfect ender
RFSL: Definitely.
RFSL: So what were those eight days in the studio like?
ROB: Yeah...Dave Newton was pissed we put that at the end, but we thought that ended the album (which can be dark at times)
RFSL: Sarah and Charlie say that Dave is really animated.
ROB: on a positive note
ROB: He is!!
RFSL: Where did he want to put it?
ROB: He's always joking around and laughing
RFSL: What did he want to put last?
NICK: really positive. just an overall good dude. he loves what he does......or he fakes it well
ROB: I donno....but he thinks that the single (which it is) should be up front
RFSL: He's worked with a lot of great bands here in the last few years.
NICK: some of our favorites. the henry clays....the Hollows
ROB: For us, Dave was on his hands and knees, fiddling with our effects peddles. He got the great tones that way
RFSL: And I know we have a lot of great bands here, but there are a lot of not great ones too and he seems to be ace at working with all the great ones.
ROB: Better than what I would have done on my own
NICK: work begets work.....and he does a great job....so i think he just lives off of band referrals
RFSL: So sorry, you were talking about the process and I steered you away.
ROB: That's how we found him...from the Henry Clay People
[Some time passes.]
ROB: what was the question again?
NICK: i quit
ROB: are we still doing this
NICK: heh....yeah....i think so
NICK: its ok rob....calm down
ROB: Nick, did you by any chance put our remote controls for my tv in your backpack last night? we can't find them
RFSL: Sorry!
RFSL: I got pulled away by the refrigerator repairman for a sec.
RFSL: All apologies.
NICK: oh....do you have to go?
RFSL: No I'm good.
RFSL: It just came down to money stuff.
NICK: right on......rob got scared
ROB: greedy bastard
NICK: he was freaking out when you stopped responding
RFSL: It's funny how people always go to the guy in the house.
RFSL: When my girlfriend owns the place and I'm just some dude.
NICK: they might've swiped some stuff
RFSL: So, you were talking about what the eight days were like.
ROB: ahh
ROB: We pre-recorded scratch tracks of all the songs to a click
ROB: We then had John and Pete record over those scratch tracks.
RFSL: And I wanted to hear more from you about the process, but I'd started talking about other stuff.
NICK: really intense.....no time to spend too much time on one song
NICK: naw its cool.....lets keep the ball rolling
ROB: We then deleted the scratch tracks and began on guitars...then vocals
NICK: then keys, percussion and other odds & ends
ROB: Dave was really fast and we were able to accomplish so much in those 8 days
NICK: we got to bring in some of our friends to play on tracks too
NICK: Sarah from The Happy Hollows did some backing vocals on Camera Lens
RFSL: So you guys pretty much knew everything you were going to do and had it all planned out from the start?
ROB: After that, we recorded some stuff in my apartment such as Charlene's violin and Sarah Negahdari's vocals
NICK: Todd McLaughlin's Banjo on Great Plains States
ROB: Most of it, except for Sarah's vocals on Camera Lens
ROB: She came to us with the idea after hearing the rough mixes
ROB: I picked her up and recorded her in my apartment. I had no clue what she was going to sing.
NICK: that’s what was different about this album from the first....the first album we did it ourselves
ROB: She impressed the fuck out of me and nick
NICK: .....you have all the time in the world when you're recording it at your house.....or in this case, at the Musicians Institute
ROB: (the Musician’s Institute was for our first album)
NICK: but this time we had to know exactly what we wanted so we could just go in and bang it out.......economically sound, ya know?
NICK: everything’s different when you're on the clock
NICK: wait...that makes it sound like we were getting paid.
NICK: u know what i mean
RFSL: So, what's next for you guys?
NICK: LET'S INDEPENDENT!!
ROB: Lets Independent on the 15th, and then a mini tour with Rademacher...up and down Cali
NICK: wait....actually, we're playing KXLU
NICK: and KillRadio.....
ROB: oh yeah.. Kill Radio on the 10th, KXLU on the 11th
RFSL: Demo Listen?
ROB: yup
ROB: live set
NICK: Then L. I.
NICK: and then the tour with rademacher
ROB: then off with Rademacher....we have a very busy month
RFSL: That's great. Octavius and Fred are some of my favorite music curmudgeons.
RFSL: Where are you guys headed with Rademacher?
ROB: Fresno, San Fran (the makeout room) Sacramento, Modesto
NICK: thats it i think
NICK: those guys really have their shit together
RFSL: (Remind me to tell you the story of how The Makeout Room got its name some time.)
ROB: We rented a 13 passenger van, so we can all ride together
RFSL: Yeah, they keep their game in order like the alphabet.
NICK: the makeout room has a shady past?
RFSL: You guys can sing Tiny Dancer on the van.
ROB: Their residency tour was very inspiring to see. That is the smartest thing a band can do
NICK: Seriously......or an obscure Zeppelin tune
RFSL: That was crazy! They must have spent so much time on the road. But it was really great.
NICK: we saw em at the end of the tour and they seemed quite put together, considering
ROB: yeah...and that's a really boring drive....the grapevine
ROB: Their last Spaceland show was amazing
RFSL: (Yeah, but if you stop at the rest stops, they have pork rinds in the vending machines.)
RFSL: They've gotten so tight live.
NICK: ...yeah...and when you have musical magic on your side, nothing is boring
RFSL: Glad to hear they're doing a live album with Spaceland.
NICK: we have a band crush on them
NICK: wait, they are?
RFSL: My girlfriend calls it "bromance."
ROB: I like brad's mustache
NICK: hah!!
ROB: it gets stuck in my beard sometimes
ROB: like velcro
NICK: stop
RFSL: So, last question for you ...
RFSL: Who are you listening to these days?
ROB: Blitzen Trapper is fucking amazing!
NICK: a lot of Animal Collective, for me. Locally though, lets see...
ROB: In terms of locals... I cannot stop listening to Stunts (Rademacher)
NICK: Rademacher's STUNTS is fantastic
NICK: We're big fans of Radars to the Sky
ROB: I'm going to buy the new Radars to the Sky album. I love what I've heard on the myspace
ROB: I got a sneak peak at a new Hollows song when I was with Dave Newton. It sounds fantastic
NICK: i'm gonna start helping One Trick Pony with their new album....their new songs are great. and of course, we're always down with our fellow collective bands!
NICK: Die Rockers Die started playing again.
ROB: can't wait to see that
NICK: that’s always exciting
NICK: what about you, joe?
NICK: who are you spinning right now?
RFSL: I'd ask you more about the collective, but we've already talked for an hour and don't want to keep you, so I'll just link to the Central Second Collective interview we did with you way back when.
NICK: sweet!
RFSL: I'm still listening to everything on that RFSL 2008 Mix. I'm really amazed by how many great bands there are out here right now, how different they all sound from each other, and how great they all sound together.
ROB: I feel so lucky to be a part of this whole community here!!!
NICK: we're all thankful for ya, mr. Fielder! thanks for doing this. i had a blast!!!
ROB: yeah man....and you've really helped us all out
RFSL: I mean, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Dirt Bird, and Molecules couldn't be more dissimilar but they somehow all sound great on the same mix.
NICK: you're like the Oprah of Silver Lake
RFSL: I'm so glad to be here right now. Can't imagine moving.
ROB: and you thought you were going to.
NICK: but without the iron fist
NICK: you were gonna move?
RFSL: (Iron Fist is actually one of my favorite comics right now. Karate!)
ROB: Have you played guitar hero? I love it
NICK: well then, you're totally iron fisting it! er....yeah.
RFSL: I was talking to some game companies in Canada. I love our polite and more arts supporting neighbor up north.
RFSL: I got Rock Band for xmas and am boning up on my fledgling drumming skills.
ROB: is that a cool game?
NICK: is that game better than the Hero?
RFSL: (And my girlfriend got me a 79 Guild guitar.)
ROB: lucky bitch
RFSL: Yeah, it's from the same people who made Guitar Hero and it's got singing, guitar, and drums. (My company published it.)
ROB: I've never heard you play guitar. you should be in a real band
NICK: video games scare me now.
RFSL: You should play the Wii if games scare you. It's people friendly.
RFSL: That's what I'm working on now.
NICK: i think you’re the only person in LA who ISNT in a band
NICK: oh yeah....i forgot, you program games, yes?
RFSL: Ah, I was in a band in SF and know that I should not ever sing for a band ever again. :-)
RFSL: Yeah, I do game design during the day-time.
[The discussion turns to getting songs on video game soundtracks and it comes up that Great Northern have a song in an upcoming Sims game.]
RFSL: Glad to see them doing so well. They deserve it.
RFSL: I remember seeing them at The Silver Lake Lounge about a year and a half back when it was only about a dozen or so folks there and a drunk old man was dancing up in front and kept smacking Rachel's keyboard to the beat.
RFSL: And I was like, why aren't there more people here? They're really good!
ROB: Its crazy to see bands grow like that
RFSL: The bartender kept taking the guy away and he'd keep coming back up and dancing right in front of them.
ROB: We were playing with the hollows when both of us only brought like 5 people to the venue
NICK: now i hear them on LIVE 105 (bay area's KROQ equivalent) when i go up north
ROB: The Hollows?
ROB: or Great Northern?
NICK: no...great northern
ROB: I heard your mom on the radio
ROB: she' nasty
NICK: i am through with you robert
NICK: im gonna go shower fellas
ROB: stinker
RFSL: It's great to see the rest of the country paying attention to all the great bands here right now.
RFSL: Cool. I was going to ask.
ROB: yeah man! Spin said this was going to be the next Seattle
NICK: is it?? well then we're in the right place
ROB: you showed me the article. Like over a year ago
NICK: oh yeah...that old one.
ROB: they interviewed Todd Clifford, Scott Sterling, etc..
RFSL: It's hard to realize when something special is going on right around you sometimes, but I think it is.
ROB: Oh yeah.....just look at your mix tape of 08
NICK: i dont even think its peaking yet either....
RFSL: I worry sometimes that it's going to fade because some of the bands are getting bigger and not playing here anymore, but great new bands keep showing up.
NICK: i think this year and next year are going to be huge for a lot of bands around here
ROB: yeah...but The Silversun Pickups have put Silver Lake back on the map.
ROB: even though they don't play at Spaceland, they've given this place a name again
ROB: just like Beck...back in the day
ROB: Kind of like Omaha Nebraska and Saddle Creek 5 years ago
RFSL: Yeah. It's like the whole town drove past the Foot Clinic sign when it was on its happy foot side.
NICK: ok guys. i'm out. Joe...thanks again for taking time out to do this during your moving day. and rob i'll talk to you later!!!
NICK: HAHA!
ROB: Whenever I have guests in from out of town, I show them the foot sign. I fucking love it
RFSL: Thanks!
NICK: happy foot sign....that thing creeps me out
NICK: in a good way
NICK: later!
NICK has left the room.
ROB: cool man! I should shower too. Thank you, Joe!
RFSL: Thank you. Talk to you guys soon.

Make sure to come out to Tuesday's Let's Independent! (again = FREE) with Death To Anders, The Monolators, and Wait Think Fast. (And big thanks to Christine for the great poster.)