The Monday Show Low Down (Or "The Only Lottery I'll Ever Win Is The Shirley Jackson Kind")

Working at Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday was easily one of the more surreal events I've been to this year. I mean, don't get me wrong. The channel did a great job with the proceedings (it was all super pro and Jack Black hosted), but the live musical performances were crazy.

The whole idea of rock 'n' roll that's parent-approved is more than a little strange to me... It should always be kind of dangerous, you know? Even pop music. (Especially pop music.) And seeing acts perform with all the sturm and drang of, say, a Madonna live, but without any of the provocativeness is... Ah, I guess it's fine for pre-teens.

Anyway, here's what this week is looking like in live music in LA:

Monday, March 31
- Indie 103 Presents Check One... Nico Star @ The Viper Room
- The Chapin Sisters, Moris Tepper, I See Hawks In LA @ The Echo
- Sean Carnage Presents Whitman (Record Release), Lucky Dragons, American Gil & The Major Dudes, Pst, Clark 8, & Dirt Dress @ Pehrspace
- DJ Miss Adeventure & Nitecells @ The Derby
- Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies, Macon Greyson, & Sharon Temple @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)
- Brady Harris, Tommy Jordan, High-Diving Horses, Quincy Blaque Trio, & Juggle @ Mr T's Bowl
- Voxhaul Broadcast, Lemon Sun, Rumspringa, & The Union Line @ Spaceland (FREE)

DECISION:
I haven't seen Voxhaul Broadcast, Lemon Sun, or Rumspringa play before, but I've heard people say good things about them and, hey, they're all playing for free at Spaceland.

Tuesday, April 1
- The Black Keys @ The Wiltern
- Abbot Kinney & The Meemies @ Spaceland
- Firebug @ The Airliner
- His Orchestra @ The Troubadour
- Pompous Hyman, Little Baby Justice, The Beeters, & Super Duper Star @ Mr T's Bowl
- Astra Heights, The May Fire, & Ana Egge @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Poor Excuses & Swords of Fatima @ The Echo

DECISION:
If you haven't seen garage rock act The Black Keys live before, it's really worth catching them. I know The Wiltern can be a pain in the ass, but I saw them at the equally or more pain in the ass venue The Avalon a few years back when they were touring in support of their third album (my favorite) and they fucking nailed it over and over again.

Wednesday, April 2
- Serge Gainsbourg Tribute Night w/ Papillon, Bjorn Turoque and Eleni Mandell, Parellograms, Adele Jacques, Joel Virgil, Alex and Sam, Colorforms, & Nicole Simone @ Bordello
- KCRW Presents Sara Lov, Ana Egge, Liz Pappademas, I Make This Sound & Cinnamon Roll Gang @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Archways, Transfer, & Sea Cortez @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Outline, Robot Love, P.S. Nevermind, Dream Kids, The Franks @ The Echo
- Dub Club w/ Don Carlos @ Echoplex
- Foster Timms @ The Troubadour
- Playboy and A Prophet, No Little Kindness, & Mooey Moobau @ Mr T's Bowl
- Indie 103 presents CLUB NME w/ ? @ Spaceland
- Great Northern & The Gutter Twins @ The Avalon

DECISION:
The Serge Gainsbourg tribute night at Bordello seems like it could be pretty damn fun. French pop music in a dark, heavily tarted-up venue... What's not to like?



But don't forget The Minor Canon and Amnion at 3 Clubs for FREE.

Thursday, April 3
- The Minor Canon & Amnion @ 3 Clubs
- Taxi, Revent, & Stock Market Crash @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Big Head Todd and The Monsters & The New Amsterdams @ The Troubadour
- Squeezebox Sam and the Men With No Name, Deepakalypse, The Grizzly Owls, The Kris Special, & Lynda Kay @ Mr T's Bowl
- Isgoodmusic presents: Nightfur, Craft Club, Michael Mazochi, & Fish Circus @ Spaceland
- Sleeping Boy, Sumo, & Daniel Brummel from Ozma @ The Echo
- Death To Anders, The Monolators, & The Henry Clay People @ Charlie O's

DECISION:
It's another one of those hard-to-choose Thursday nights where you're torn between seeing multiple acts. In this case, Nightfur at Spaceland and Death To Anders, The Monolators, and The Henry Clay People @ Charlie O's downtown.

Either way, chances are you'll see some good music that night...

Friday, April 4
- Light FM, The Music Lovers, & Good On Paper @ Spaceland
- Shiloe, El Olio Wolof, Rademacher, & The Monolators @ Mr T's Bowl
- Autechre, Rob Hill, Massonix, and DJ Parsons @ Echoplex
- Languis & Greater California @ Pehrspace
- Les Claypool @ The Wiltern
- Louis XIV w/ What Made Milwaukee Famous & The Los Dos Bros @ The Avalon
- Big Head Todd and The Monsters & The New Amsterdams @ The Troubadour
- Club Underground presents Ashbury @ The Echo
- Taylor Goldsmith, Herman Dune, Lucy Bland, & My Imaginary Friends & Tangier
- Indie 103 Presents The Watson Twins & Castledoor @ The Natural History Museum

DECISION:
Another night where it's hard to decide... Castledoor dances around the stuffed buffaloes and dinosaur bones at The Natural History Museum, while the entertaining madmen of Rademacher and The Monolators stake outt Mr T's Bowl and indie pop purists Light FM and The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra break your heart at Spaceland.

Saturday, April 5
- Signal Hill, you.may.die.in.the.desert, Beware of Safety, & Springtime is Wartime @ Pehrspace
- Ojos Rojos, Dirty Eyes, & Mospeada @ The Old Towne Pub
- Benefit for Garden School Performance: Gwendolyn and the Good Time Gang @ Echoplex
- Le Loup, The Ruby Sons, & Princeton @ The Echoplex
- King Brothers, Shellshag, & Bipolar Bear @ Spaceland
- Fu Manchu, Burning Brides, & Crystal Antlers @ The Troubadour
- Virginia City Revival, Gears, Primadonna, Scrid Hunters, Mexifornians @ Mr T's Bowl
- Bootie LA w/ Guest DJs Raw-Burt & Princess Kennedy @ The Echoplex
- Pizza!, Hard Place, the Studiofix, Julia Holter, & Big Whup @ The Smell

DECISION:
If you like music, you owe it to yourself to go see Signal Hill play live as soon as humanely possible... And I believe local indie pop fave Princeton will have copies of their new cd at The Echo on Sat night.

Sunday, April 6
- Classical Geek Theater presents Rademacher, Le Switch, El Olio Wolof, & Tigers Can Bite You @ Spaceland
- Evening With Ollin & special guests @ Mr T's Bowl
- Jason Mraz @ The Troubadour
- Rebellion Cabaret w/ Chris Rael, Patria Jacobs & more @ Echo Curio
- Grand Ol' Echo @ The Echo (early)
- Part Time Punks @ The Echo (late)

DECISION:
Mouse from Classical Geek Theatre has put together one of the best local music line-ups this month, what with Le Switch, Rademacher, and Tigers Can Bite You altogether at Spaceland. (Don't know El Olio Wolof.)



That's it. Did anything slip through the cracks? Please lemme know.

Mini-Interview: Dirt Bird

You never know what you're going to get when you go out to see live music on the east side of LA. On any given night, you might end up catching western-tinged psyche rock or pleasantly melancholy indie rock or freak folk or upbeat danceable electronic pop or ... "two girls singing very tight harmonies"?

That's how co-lead/pianist Claire Mc Keown undersells Dirt Bird, the haunting yet pleasant (or pleasant yet haunting) band she shares with singer/drummer Athena LeGrand.

We checked in with Claire to hear more about the act, as well as ask a few questions about the other local band she's a part of, indie pop all-stars The Afternoons.

dirtbird (4:28:11 PM): You there, mister?
RFSL (4:30:08 PM): Hey! Really sorry to run late.
dirtbird (4:30:35 PM): Dont even worry about it.
RFSL (4:30:36 PM): I brought my dog to work today and security kicked me out when I tried bringing him back in from a pee break.
RFSL (4:30:53 PM): Cue Charlie Brown singing No Dogs Allowed...
dirtbird (4:31:04 PM): Funny. What do they have against dogs?
RFSL (4:31:28 PM): They said if he got loose and bit someone, they would be accountable.
RFSL (4:31:59 PM): So how are you doing today?
dirtbird (4:32:25 PM): I'm great. You?
RFSL (4:32:39 PM): I'm doing pretty well.
dirtbird (4:33:01 PM): Good to hear.
RFSL (4:33:16 PM): So, you're in two bands in town.
dirtbird (4:33:28 PM): Yesim.
RFSL (4:33:35 PM): And both have albums coming out soon?
dirtbird (4:33:49 PM): Well. One does.
dirtbird (4:34:04 PM): Dirt Bird is going to take a little more time than expected.
RFSL (4:35:04 PM): How did the band start up?
dirtbird (4:35:20 PM): It grew out of The Afternoons.
RFSL (4:35:20 PM): And how would you describe it to the uninitiated?
dirtbird (4:36:07 PM): Hmmm. Dirt Bird? I don't even quite understand it.
dirtbird (4:36:23 PM): Two girls singing very tight harmonies?
RFSL (4:36:53 PM): (I am terrible at describing bands.)
dirtbird (4:37:05 PM): Me, too.
RFSL (4:37:23 PM): How did it grow out of The Afternoons?
dirtbird (4:38:20 PM): Athena and I started singing together and realized we sounded nice. I had a bunch of songs I had written years before, and it just worked.
dirtbird (4:38:39 PM): That was a terrible explanation.
RFSL (4:39:05 PM): And you're a trained opera singer, correct?
dirtbird (4:39:14 PM): Yes.
dirtbird (4:39:33 PM): I have been studying for over fourteen years
RFSL (4:40:57 PM): Wow. And you'd written these songs before but not recorded them or anything?
dirtbird (4:42:17 PM): I just started writing songs about three years ago and really had no plans for them until I met Athena.
RFSL (4:43:05 PM): And what's Athena's background?
dirtbird (4:45:17 PM): She was in Lily and the Ladies, December Stars. But where we connect the most is we both were in choirs as kids.
RFSL (4:45:35 PM): Ahh.
RFSL (4:46:47 PM): Is the song Buckminster Fuller an ode to Buckminster Fuller?
dirtbird (4:47:03 PM): Yes. He is a hero of mine!
dirtbird (4:47:58 PM): The lyrics are based on things he said.
dirtbird (4:48:04 PM): RFSL (4:48:15 PM): Really? What's a line?
dirtbird (4:48:49 PM): “How will we survive on spaceship earth.”
dirtbird (4:50:18 PM): He coined the term spaceship earth. And lived his life by the notion of, what can one man do to improve the earth?
RFSL (4:50:58 PM): And Alice and Jabberwocky come from the poems? What about Cliftons?
dirtbird (4:53:17 PM): Alice and Jabberwocky poems are written by Lewis Carrol, which I have loved since I was a child. And I found the lyrics to Cliftons on the wall at the cafeteria in downtown with the same name. Can you tell I don't like writing my own lyrics?
RFSL (4:55:46 PM): So found art and poetry... Where does the name Dirt Bird come from?
dirtbird (4:56:01 PM): Funny.
dirtbird (4:56:13 PM): My mom calls me her little dirt bird.
dirtbird (4:56:47 PM): It’s from when I was 16 and a little smelly punk rocker
RFSL (4:57:07 PM): Ha, ha.
RFSL (4:57:09 PM): That's great.
RFSL (5:00:08 PM): So, what's next for the band?
dirtbird (5:01:45 PM): I want to get the album finished. We are about half way through but... Okay, maybe Athena got knocked up and is busy getting life-situated.
dirtbird (5:02:11 PM): I won’t hold it against her. At least I have the other band to keep me busy.
RFSL (5:02:47 PM): Are you two performing any time soon or not until after the baby?
dirtbird (5:03:25 PM): We don't want to do anything until the album is done.
dirtbird (5:04:04 PM): Hopefully that will be before the baby is here.
RFSL (5:04:37 PM): Right on.
dirtbird (5:05:39 PM): She is due in July. I'm so happy for her and Tom. She is going to be the best mom ever.
RFSL (5:07:41 PM): Excellent. I'm trying not to find a silly way of writing this, but it's great when good people have kids. The folks in The Monolators are enormously cool parents.
dirtbird (5:08:12 PM): So true
RFSL (5:08:54 PM): People were just picking up instruments and playing at their BBQ on Sunday and he asked me, "Why are they playing that song again?" I said, "Maybe they really like it. Or maybe they're practicing."
RFSL (5:09:01 PM): He said, "I think they're practicing..."
RFSL (5:09:07 PM): He's five?
dirtbird (5:09:36 PM): Some kids are the best.
RFSL (5:09:49 PM): Yeah, it's like you hang on their words.
RFSL (5:09:55 PM): So, how did you start playing with The Afternoons?
dirtbird (5:14:10 PM): I had started a choir about two years ago called Le Choir. Brian Canning heard about it and asked me if I could write some arrangements for the choir to singing on some of his songs. I did, and over the last year the choir turned into just me. There used to be six of us!
dirtbird (5:14:28 PM): It just mutated that way naturally.
RFSL (5:15:09 PM): I heard you guys on the radio the other day.
dirtbird (5:15:22 PM): Cool
dirtbird (5:16:13 PM): Indie 103?
RFSL (5:16:55 PM): Yep. It was funny because I'm not used to hearing music I like on the radio and when I started up my car I had a moment of, "Hey, I thought I left this cd at home..."
RFSL (5:17:03 PM): Any word on when that album is coming out?
dirtbird (5:18:06 PM): I have no clue! Hopefully soon.
dirtbird (5:18:18 PM): We still have some work to do.
RFSL (5:18:41 PM): I'm looking forward to the residency at Spaceland in June.
dirtbird (5:19:00 PM): Me, too!
dirtbird (5:19:50 PM): Good times!
RFSL (5:20:13 PM): Cool. One last question for you... You hear a lot of live music. Who are you liking the most these days?
dirtbird (5:25:08 PM): The Movies.
RFSL (5:25:47 PM): Yeah, they're kind of amazing. Can't wait for that new cd.
dirtbird (5:26:07 PM): I hear yah. best band in town.
RFSL (5:26:20 PM): Well, that's all I've got for you. Thanks so much for your time!
dirtbird (5:27:17 PM): Thank you!

DOWNLOAD:
- Dirt Bird’s Buckminster Fuller MP3

Reminder: FREE Show Tonight w/ The Poor Excuses, Colorforms, & The Bentleys

Don't forget about the FREE show this evening with loud and proud group The Poor Excuses, the pretty and poppy Colorforms, and upbeat San Fernando pop act The Bentleys at Three of Clubs, which has been booking some good shows lately.

The Poor Excuses is headed by Andrew Lynch, who tours with Earlimart and formerly played in The Black Pine, while Colorforms' singer Alex Lily also backs up The Bird & The Bee. Below is an MP3 off of The Poor Excuses' new album, which just came out last week.



DOWNLOAD:
- The Poor Excuses' Mexican Flowers MP3

Reminder: Square Girls Show Tonight!

Video Free Silver Lake: The Movies, The Happy Hollows, Sand, & More

Today is Anything Can Happen Day. In this case, that means some videos. OMG?!

First up is some live footage of local legends The Movies playing When I Was in Nam at The Echo a few months back. Be sure to go to their "Bootleg Record Release Party" w/ The Happy Hollows at Bordello on April 11th.



Did you see this short on The Happy Hollows at The LA Zoo from back when they did their residency at The Echo? I missed it then but it still contains funny.



Here's a video of the song Things by Sand. Local director coL sent it over and I kind of love it.



And here's an unrelated clip of what I think is the funniest TV show in teh world...



Pic of The Movies by George Tapia.

What's Next In LA Music?

With few exceptions, I've been really bad about hunting down new local music lately. I mean, there are a few dozen LA bands that I love and have seen play six or eight times now -- and could easily catch another six or eight times and still not get sick of them -- but I've got more time free now that work has chilled out and feel compelled to check out some groups I've never heard before.

That in mind, I'm really sorry that I missed LA Underground's event at Mr T's Bowl last Saturday night because there were six acts I've meant to see: Cobra Lilies, No Little Kindness, Avi Buffalo, Ema and The Ghosts, The Sweet Hurt, and Tenlons Fort. (Mouse did a review here.) As The Movies say, missed opportunities are here again...

Beyond those guys, I'd like to see shoegaze act Lower Heaven, acoustic pop group Alex & Sam, the hard-to-describe Carré is Queen Kwong, the Square Girls' recommended act The Tartans, the loudies known as The Poor Excuses, and more.

Please post a comment below if you have any recommendations.

The Monday Show Low Down (Or "Throwing Shapes Like A Mother Bitch. Never See A Sequel.")

Last weekend marked the return of the sort of weather that reminds us why we live in Southern California -- and folks in the local music scene took advantage of it with a few BBQ and kickball get-togethers yesterday. I caught one of them and have to say that I don't know if bands in other cities all get along as well as they do here in LA, but I sincerely hope so...

I ran into a few people who commented on the recent marked improvement in the frequency of posts on the site and all I can say is, it's been nice catching back up. All apologies for the cds I've been behind in listening to (the pile is this high [gestures]) and emails I've neglected to respond to (the count is currently 2113)... I swear it's not b/c I think you suck.

As Frank Miller once said, "Please don't mistake incompetence for maliciousness."

Anyway, here's how the week looks like in live music in LA:

Monday, March 24
- The Vox Jaguars, Dangerbees, Charts and Maps, The Coast, & The Sea @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Sally Jaye & Allison Moorer @ Hotel Cafe
- Warpaint, Hecuba, & Lucky Dragons @ Bordello
- Indie 103 Presents... Check One, Two w/ The Voom Blooms, Army Navy, Miniature Tigers, & The Weather Underground @ The Viper Room
- The Chapin Sisters, Glasser, Early Dolphins, & Clue To Kahlo @ The Echo
- Voxhaul Broadcast, Eastern Conference Champions, & Last American Buffalo @ Spaceland (FREE)
- The Submarines & Bell X1 @ The Troubadour
- Health, All Wrong and The Plans Change, Broken Remotes, Jim Sallinger, & Juggle @ Mr T's Bowl
- Sean Carnage Presents The Amazements, Late Severa Wires, Moment Trigger, Suzanne Silver, & Wisdom Teeth @ Pehrspace
- Indie 103 Presents Check One... Two 2/ Army Navy, The Weather Undergrounds, The Voom Booms & Miniature Tigers @ The Viper Room

DECISION:
I'd like to check out Voxhaul Broadcast's free residency at Spaceland after reading good things about them on Classical Geek Theatre next week, but I'm a little more curious about the line-up next Monday night. I don't know anything about the bands playing the residencies at The Echo or The Silver Lake Lounge, but like Army Navy and The Weather Underground, who are playing Indie 103's Check One... Two way out at The Viper Room.

Tuesday, March 25
- Saul Williams & Dragons of Zynth @ The Troubadour
- Kamran V’s Birthday Party = Prince Tribute w/ Har Mar & Lemon Sun @ The Echo
- Van Stone, The Ringers, & Vaggie Skabs @ Spaceland
- Abe Vigoda, Talbot Tagora, Teenage Moms, Hey Buddy And The Pals, & Small Breed @ The Smell
- Where's Moo, Craft Club, & The Great Gleaming Sea @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Bob Mould Band & Saturna @ The El Rey

DECISION:
I caught Bob Mould's live acoustic show at The Roxy last fall and swear he was like a goddamn one-man army on-stage. (I literally still have the song I See A Little Light stuck in my head.)



This tour is to support his new album, which I haven't heard but for one song what I liked, and he has a full band with him this time.

Wednesday, March 26
- Squaregirls Present The Natural Disasters, Downtown/Union, Aushua, & The Henry Clay People @ The Scene
- Hell Ya & Passion of the Weiss Present The Knux & Clean Guns @ The Echo
- Lower Heaven & Cold War Direction @ 3 of Clubs
- Security Productions, Follow The Flood, Sleeping Boy, Slo Mo Erotic, Master Cylinder, & At The Rate Of Fast @ Mr T's Bowl
- Married In Berdichev, BDRMPPL, Suzanne Killer, Wisdom Teeth, & Winners @ The Smell
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- The By And By & Katy Rose @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Fever Fever, Milo, & Blue Sky Divide @ Bordello
- Metal Night w/ Facepilot, National Sunday Law, Teraton, & Get Your Death On @ Echo Curio
- Club NME w/ Alberta Cross & Asher @ Spaceland
- Tokyo Police Club @ The Troubadour (SOLD-OUT)
- Jessica Fichot, Ben Pringle, & Brandon Meyer and The Hidden Powers @ Tangier

DECISION:
Wednesday is anything can happen to you day... There's the latest Square Girls' show out at The Scene in Glendale with The Henry Clay People, Aushua, The Natural Disasters, and Downtown/Union. It's co-presented by JAXART Records; is a 7", CD, and EP release party all packed into one; and should contain ample amounts of entertainment.



Meanwhile, if you like quieter sing-songy stuff, there's Jessica Fichot out at Tangier and if you like shoe-gaze, Lower Heaven (at Three of Clubs) are kind of hot.

Thursday, March 27
- The Datsuns, The Binges, & Angus Khan @ Spaceland
- Daniel Lanois @ The Vista Theatre
- Out Of Town, Brian Kenny Fresno, Inglewood, & Abe Quigley @ Mr T's Bowl
- Deep Jew, God Willing, Foul Tip, Robedoor, Infinite Body, & Pukers @ The Smell
- Free Moral Agents, French Miami, Andy Friedman & The Other Failures, & Sweet Crude Bill and The Nautical Lighthouse Society @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Minor Canon, Shiloe, & Repeater @ The Echo
- Tokyo Police Club @ The Troubadour (SOLD-OUT)
- The Mama Suki, The Magazines, Avalon Omega, Electric Russia @ The Scene
- Dizzy’s, California Stalker, Los Angeles, Anna Oxygen, ESPS @ Charlie Os
- Red Sparowes, Russian Circles, & The Holloys @ Echoplex
- The Poor Excuses, Colorforms, & The Bentleys @ The Three Of Clubs
- Tenlons Fort & Alex and Sam @ Hotel Cafe

DECISION:
Lots of good shows going on Thursday night... In fact, you have a painful number of options between The Datsuns at Spaceland; The Minor Canon, Shiloe, and Repeater, at The Echo; The Poor Excuses, Colorforms, and The Bentleys at Three of Clubs; and Tenlons Fort and Alex and Sam at The Hotel Cafe.

While all of these shows are well worth catching, we have a few pairs of tickets to give away for The Datsuns show... Write us here with "The Datsuns" in the header and your full name in the message to be entered in the drawing. (Must be 21+ and not have won anything in the last sixty days from us.)

Friday, March 28
- Gray Kid, Casxio, & Nutra @ Echoplex
- Beth Orton @ The El Rey
- Discount Cruise to HELL!Nite, Chores, Veronique Chevalier, & MACKA @ Mr T's Bowl
- 0 Mother Echo, Cinder Cone, Movement of the Sun @ Charlie O's
- Imaad Wasif And The Two Part Beast, Bezoar, & Voice On Tape @ The Smell
- Echo & Club Underground present The Snow @ The Echo
- United By SOund & Spider Problem @ Bordello
- Bazerk, Joe Ward and Mario D, & Sarge @ The Scene
- Alex Nackman, Justin King, Elizabeth Wills, Green River Ordinance, & The Daylights @ The Troubadour
- The Sixth Chamber, Circus Minor, Stevie Starlight, & Spider Problem @ Spaceland
- Red Maids, Wendy Wang, Liz Pappademas, & Dustin Fire @ Pehrspace

DECISION:
Pretty interested in checking out Mike (The Devils Romantics) Corwin's new group Red Maids with singer/songwriter Wendy Wang at my favorite hole-in-the-wall Pehrspace on Friday night...

Saturday, March 29
- Good Luck Bear, Douglas Ferguson, & Sublamp @ Pehrspace
- Teddy Thompson & Rosie Thomas @ The Troubadour
- Blue Mask, Motorcycle Black Madonnas, Backbiter, The Probe, & Guam @ Mr T's Bowl
- Sasquatch, Albatross, Anglo Jackson, Skywreck @ The Scene
- GZA (performing Wu-Tang's Liquid Swords in its entirety) @ The El Rey
- Panic Movement, The Animalystics, The Urban Fable, Able and Baker, The Holograms, The Press Fire, Thee Out Modes, & Lola Red @ The Airliner
- Brother Reade, The Glitch Mob, Nosaj Thing @ The Echo
- Good Listeners, Vermouth, & The Library @ Bordello
- Rio En Medio, Hecuba, Quinn Walker, & Avocet @ Spaceland
- The Transmissions, The Karabal Nightlife, The Seasons, & more @ Crane's Tavern

DECISION:
The Transmissions and The Karabal Nightlife make me want to finally figure out where the hell Crane's Tavern is on Saturday night.

Sunday, March 30
- Par Avion Band, The Bentleys, King Cheetah, Snow, Johnn Hughes, & Automatique @ The Viper Room
- The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club w/ Divisadero, Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Amnion, & Dirt Dress @ All-Star Lanes (FREE)
- Eleni Mandell, Musee Mecanique, Alex and Sam, & Correatown @ Tangier
- Wummin, The Swords Of Fatima, & Vanishing Kid @ Echo Curio
- Grand Ol' Echo @ The Echo (early)
- Part Time Punks @ The Echo (late)
- Point Break Live @ Charlie O's
- Donny, The Vinyls, Band of Outsiders, & Science Fiction Theater @ The Scene (FREE)
- Amoeba Music's UndergounDNUS @ Charlie O's
- Debaser, Orca Season, & more @ The Smell
- Neil Hamburger, Andy Daly, The Juggalos, & Dead Sea Scrolls @ Spaceland
- Loverlee, The Tartans, & Lovelybones @ Mr T's Bowl (FREE)

DECISION:
There are some good line-ups on Sunday night between The Eagle Rock Bowling & Drinking Club with the hard-to-categorize pop stylings of Amnion and The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and Tangier; singer/songwriters Eleni Mandell, Alex and Sam, and Correatown; and indie pop act The Tartans at Mr T's Bowl.

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

RFSL Mix: Sixteen Great Songs To Hear Played Live In LA

Mouse from Classical Geek Theatre wrote the other day about how Amnion's ATonn is one of his favorite songs to hear live in LA right now and it got me thinking about what my own favorites are... And so I put together a collection of tracks from local artists -- some new, some older -- that just fucking kill me when I see them performed here in town.

DL and assemble them in the following order for maximum enjoyment, but, most importantly, try to hunt down the bands' next shows and go see them live so you can get the full mind-blowing experience.

1) Xu Xu Fang - Good Times MP3
2) The Movies – Rock In The Slingshot MP3
3) Division Day - Tap Tap Click Click MP3
4) Thailand – This Officer’s Life MP3
5) The Happy Hollows - Meteors MP3
6) Radars To The Sky – Long Walk Home MP3
7) Rademacher – They Are Always Into That MP3
8) Death To Anders - Doll MP3
9) Everest – Rebels & Roses MP3
10) Tandemoro – Lock Your Doors MP3
11) The Spires – In The Fine Autumn Time MP3
12) Le Switch – Tongue Tied MP3
13) Amnion - ATonn MP3
14) The Western States Motel – Southwest Planez MP3
15) The Deadly Syndrome – Eucalyptus MP3
16) Signal Hill – California Is Too Long MP3

Happy motherfucking Easter, everyone.

Photo by Braedon Photography.

Reminder: Shutterface Photo Show Tonight

Don't miss Sterling "Shutterface" Andrews' photography opening (w/ acoustic set by Hello Vegas) tonight at Rodan Vs. Griffith from 7 - 11 PM.

RELATED LINKS:
- Photographer Profile: Sterling Andrews

FREE TICKETS: Say Hi To Your Mom, The Parson Redheads, & Amateurs

We're giving away multiple pairs of tickets to the following shows this weekend. Just send us a message here with "[insert name of band] Tickets" in the subject to be entered in the drawing to win. All three are worth going to and maybe one you can see for FREE.

FRIDAY
- Say Hi, Travis Morrison Hellfighters, & Kevin Devine @ Spaceland
- The Parson Red Heads, Devil Makes Three, Or The Whale, & The Botticellis @ Echoplex

SATURDAY
- School of Language (members of Field Music), Amateurs, & Wonderground @ Spaceland

Winners must be 21+, have not won tickets from us in the last sixty days, and be willing to at least bob their heads in quiet appreciation of the performance of live music.

RELATED LINKS:
- Mini-Interview: Say Hi To Your Mom
- Mini-Interview: The Parson Redheads
- Mini-Interview: Amateurs

Let's Independent: The Aftermath

It's probably impossible for me to objectively review of a show we put on -- as they say in video game message boards, I'm "teh bias" -- but I'm still kind of basking in the afterglow of seeing Amnion, Fol Chen, and Princeton all play together last night. Classical Geek Theatre just posted a full report with shots and video right here.

Can't remember the last time I had so much fun... Princeton were all heart, Fol Chen turned a lot of heads, and Amnion were just magic. Huge thanks to everyone who played, attended, and help promote the event, and to our class act sound guy Lenny.

If you missed the event, do yourself a favor and go see the bands' upcoming shows... Amnion are playing next at the LA Underground's show othis Saturday night at Mr T's Bowl with The Cobra Lillies, Tenlons Fort, The Sweet Hurt, and more; Princeton will be at The Echo on April 5th; and Fol Chen have a date planned with Seasons and Correatown at The Scene on April 28th (but will hopefully play again before then).

By the way, just learned that Film School will be playing Club Moscow at Boardner's tonight -- Oops! They canceled, but will be at Spaceland tomorrow -- and Light FM are at Bordello (you can email them to get on their free guest list).

And did you see the line-up for Le Switch's residency at The Echo in May? It's nothing less than fucking incredible...

Let's Independent! w/ Amnion, Fol Chen, & Princeton

Tonight's the night of our latest FREE Let's Independent! event at Boardner's of Hollywood with Princeton, Fol Chen, and Amnion, so this is the last chance for me to plug the show, which promises to be more fun than your fragile human body can contain. (And again, it's $3 Dewar's all night, if, y'know, you like alcohol.)

Here are links to previous interviews with the bands, plus some videos and MP3s.

PRINCETON - "The second we bought guitars we wanted to start a band. The problem was, we sucked... I remember, I could barely play a d chord and Ben would write all the songs on keyboards and I couldn't sing in tune. It was just horrendous. And we would be so excited when we finished a song and would run to our parents to play it. They would always be very encouraging, but it must have been just awful..."

DOWNLOAD: The Indifference Curve MP3



FOL CHEN - "But before we overplay the 'mystery' stuff too much, and people start thinking that we're actually moonlighting from Foghat or that we have a completely delusional sense of our own importance, I gotta say that the idea of changing our name and trying to be hush-hush about what band we used to be in clearly isn't a case of 'We got so damn famous that we couldn't enjoy our foie gras-powered yachts and indoor hot-air balloon races because of all the limelight.'"

DOWNLOAD: Th Blvrs MP3

AMNION - "Life is Magic and Art is LIfe, so LIVing would inadvertently tap into something! ... Ultimately, music isn't the point. Love is what we're aiming for."

DOWNLOAD: prAisegOd4theLIGHTwWwthNMe MP3



And, yes, it's another rad flier by Christine Hale.

The Monday Show Low Down (Or "If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home By Now...")

Between St. Patrick's Day today and that little indie rock summer camp event you went to last week, your liver is probably going to start fucking hurting like all sorts of beejeezus tomorrow morning, if it doesn't already. But there are still a lot of good shows going on this week...

No rest for the wicked or weary, I guess.

[UPDATED AT 6:36 PM w/ MORE STUFF I MISSED BEFORE.]

Monday, March 17
- Voxhaul Broadcast, My Pet Saddle, The Pigeon Detectives, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong @ Spaceland (FREE)
- Downtown/Union, Shammer’d, Codpiece, & Tommy Peacock and the Gas @ The Scene (FREE)
- The Chapin Sisters' Album Release Party w Summer Darling, Billinairs, & Love Grenades @ The Echo (FREE)
- Beatnik Jr @ Crash Mansion
- Sean Carnage Presents The Amazements, Caruso Caruso, Walk, Widow Babies, & Skyline Electric @ Pehrspace
- Leslie and The Badgers @ The Hotel Cafe
- Jason Collett & Luke Top @ The Troubadour
- Herman Dune, Jogger, & Charlie Wadhams @ The Echo Curio
- Indie 103 Presents... Check One, Two w/ The Voom Blooms, Neon Neon, Jim Noir, Oppenheimer, & Last Days of April @ The Viper Room
- Banna Beag Mail, The Homebillies, & more @ Mr T's Bowl
- Warpaint, Mickey Adams, & All Neon Like @ Bordello
- The Velvet Teen & Aloha @ The Knitting Factory
- Las Krudas, Jroz One, & Rebels To The Grain @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Explosions in The Sky @ The Wiltern

DECISION:
Going to see Explosions in the Sky live is a great way to get your face rocked off in an oddly pleasant, semi-orchestral way.

Tuesday, March 18
- Let's Independent! w/ Amnion, Fol Chen, & Princeton @ Boardner's of Hollywood (FREE)
- Les Blanks (formerly Muso), Service Group, & Masterslave @ The Scene (FREE)
- KROQ presents: Wyld Stallyons, Wild Sweet Orange, & The Dead Trees @ Spaceland
- The New Bloods, Magic Johnson, Ima Gymnist, & Vim Crony @ The Smell
- The Bravery (in-store) @ Virgin Megastore
- Black Moth Super Rainbow @ The Knitting Factory
- Castledoor & Switches @ The Roxy
- Waking Hours, Kingsize, & Man And The Motorcar @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- The Karabal Nightlife, Trainwreck Riders (SF), The Beeters, & Songs for Moms @ Mr. T's Bowl
- Grand Old Echo: Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle, & McCarthy Trenching @ The Echo
- Shawn Mullins & Pieta Brown @ The Troubadour
- Ari Hest, Angie Mattson, Peculiar Pretzelmen, & The Lisps @ Bordello
- Kinky & Money Mark @ The Mayan

DECISION:
I feel funny giving this show any sort of hard sell, but our Let's Independent! event on Tuesday night should be really damn fun, plus it's FREE. Go right here for all the details and to hear/dl MP3s from Amnion, Fol Chen, and Princeton. (And the bar would like us to mention the $3 Dewar's drink specials.)



Wednesday, March 19
- Born Ruffians, Cadence Weapons, & Rumspringa @ The Echo
- Ovrcast presents: Yakuza, National Sunday Law, Geronimo, Nadja, Fight Amp @ The Scene
- Famous Amo, Freanch Miami, & Pet Eggs @ The Smell
- Indie 103 presents CLUB NME with The Answer & Wolfkin @ Spaceland
- Carbon/Silicon & Matt Pond PA @ The El Rey
- The Vines @ The Troubadour
- Capital K & Team Scrub @ Bordello
- Sara Melson @ Tangier
- Lateral Hyethography, & Naomi Elizabeth @ The Echo Curio
- Headlights, Evangelicals, & Actress @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Antigone, The Dumps, Monolidic, & millionkids @ Mr T's Bowl
- Nada Surf & Sea Wolf @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
Sea Wolf at The Henry Fonda sounds great, even as just an opener...

Thursday, March 20
- Film School, Airiel, & Famous Amos @ Spaceland
- Sterling Andrews' Photo Show w/ Hello Vegas acoustic set @ Rodan vs. Griffith
- MOOSKNUCKLE, The Adapted, Ravens Moreland, Sleepingboy, & Chopsuzy @ Mr T's Bowl
- Bon Iver, Phosphorescent, & White Hinterland @ The Echo
- The English Beat & The RX Bandits @ The Henry Fonda
- Willoughby @ Bordello
- lovelybones, blue jungle, & laco$te @ Charlie O's
- The Health Club & The Voyeur's @ Crane's Tavern
- Solare & theStart @ Crash Mansion
- Adele @ The Hotel Cafe
- Mike Watt, Silver Daggers, John Wiese, & Missingcinatti @ Safari Sam's
- Tera Melos, Ninja Academy, Big Moves, & El Ten Eleven @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Low vs. Diamond, eskimohunter, & Annie Stela @ The Troubadour
- Vampire Weekend @ The El Rey (Sold-out)

DECISION:
So, yeah. I remember skipping seeing Vampire Weekend at The Silver Lake Lounge about a year ago because I was feeling moody or something. Then their show at The Echo last time they were in town sold out... And now they sold out The El Rey? I feel pretty stupid for being moody that evening way back when.

Luckily, Film School and eskimohunter also have shows that night and are both great live. (And local music photographer Sterling Andrews also has a photo show w/ an acoustic set by Hello Vegas at Rodan vs. Griffith.)

Friday, March 21
- Say Hi, Travis Morrison Hellfighters, & Kevin Devine @ Spaceland
- The Parson Red Heads, Devil Makes Three, Or The Whale, & The Botticellis @ Echoplex
- Club Underground @ The Echo
- These United States, Clevis, The Lisps, & Cat Hair Ensemble @ The Echo Curio
- Marvelous Toy, Death To Anders, French Semester, & Divisadero @ Relax Bar
- Birdmonster, Little Teeth, & The Afternoons @ Bordello
- Religious Knives, Little Claw, BARR, Rarla Fozulich's Atsilengnave, & Automatic @ The Smell
- Portugal The man, Foxy Shazam, Wild Orchid Children, & Flobots @ The Troubadour
- Dahlia and An Immaculate Reflection, Romak and The Space Pirates, Mad Happy, Baseck, & Hobo Gobbelins @ Mr T's Bowl
- Gary Louris & Vetiver @ The El Rey (Cancelled)
- The 400 Blows @ Charlie O's
- Jon Brion @ Largo
- Bullet for Dali, Qu est-ce Que Cest, Brutus Gets the Girl, & Virgo Serena @ The Scene
- stepsonday, Queit Life, & pigeons or panthers @ Pehrspace
- Jens Lehkman & The Honeydrips @ The Henry Fonda

DECISION:
Tough call on Friday night between Say Hi (formerly Say Hi To Your Mom), The Parson Redheads, The Afternoons, Jens Lekman, or the nice line-up of Marvelous Toy, Death To Anders, French Semester, and Divisadero all together at Relax Bar... Can't lose with any of them, though.

Saturday, March 22
- Jimmy James Going Away Party @ The Echo
- Gravy Train!!!!, Peryton, & richie white orchestra @ The Troubadour
- LA Underground Presents Cobra Lilies, No Little Kindness, Avi Buffalo, Ema and The Ghosts, & Tenlons Fort
- Holy Kiss, Guilty Hearts, Last Kind Words, The Rippers, Lily Marlene @ The Scene
- flowers & bulls, kissing cousins, & travisaurus @ Pehrspace
- An Evening with Mr. Scruff @ The El Rey
- The Dollyrots @ Safari Sam's
- The Mooney Suzuki & The Vacation @ The Roxy
- Religious Knives (day show) & Gift Machine, Fascinoma, & Whisper Kid (night show) @ The Echo Curio
- The Late Severa Wires, Justice Yeldham, Jason Forest aka DJ Donna Dummer, & Bizzart @ The Smell
- Check Yo Pony Tail vs Hesit featuring Black Ghosts, Riot In Belgium, & Future Cop @ Echoplex
- School of Language (members of Field Music), Amateurs, & Wonderground @ Spaceland

DECISION:
That show at Mr T's Bowl on Saturday night sounds pretty fun, though the line-up at Spaceland bears note as well.

Sunday, March 23
- Grand Ol' Echo @ The Echo (early)
- The Deadly Syndrome & Dusty Rhodes @ The Roxy
- Maria Taylor, Waxflight, Michael Runion, & Alex And Sam @ Tangier
- Part Time Punks Presents The Prids @ The Echo (late)
- "Rock n’ Roll Prom" w/ The Electric Shadows, The Apache, & The Weight @ Spaceland

DECISION:
OH MY GOD! THIS EASTER IS GOING TO FUCKING ROCK THIS YEAR! Oh, um... crap. I got nothing on Sunday night... Any suggestions? Wait. Looks like Alex and Sam are continuing their residency at Tangier. I hear they're worth checking out. Oh, and hell, The Deadly Syndrome are at The Roxy. I guess this Easter will rock after all.

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

Mini-Interview: Amnion

It’s easy to drag your heels about positivity, to fold your arms, you know, say something sarcastic... It's the indie music way, right? But local psyche pop act Amnion don’t want to let you get away with it. Not at all.

Make no mistake, they’re fairly far out there, but try to be gracious because, hey, they’ve brought something back.

We talked to lead Aaron Embry earlier this week over AIM to learn more about the group and the magic they make -- right before they headline our latest (FREE) Let's Independent! event on Tuesday night.

RFSL (5:50:30 PM): OMG. How the hell are you, sir?
amnion (5:56:59 PM): Hey, fancy... Nice "meeting" you. I have Nikki here with me. She'll be prompting me to make sure I don't talk too far out of my ass.
RFSL (5:58:36 PM): Excellent.
amnion (5:58:44 PM): Steven’s in Detroit and he might drop in sometime too. Dunno what his AIM name is, but he'll be hard to miss... Brett is teaching a class and might take a peek too...
RFSL (5:59:02 PM): Cool. When he gets on, let me know and I'll pull us all into a chat room.
RFSL (5:59:36 PM): That makes it sound like we're talking about going to the mall, I know, but it makes for a good interview most times.
amnion (6:00:54 PM): I go to the mall sometimes. Never been interviewed before, so the analogy is comforting
RFSL (6:00:57 PM): I just watched a great old interview with Tom Waits on Letterman on YouTube. That guy is hilarious, I swear. He should go on the road.
RFSL (6:01:04 PM): Really? Never been interviewed?
amnion (6:01:45 PM): Nope. 'cept by my mother.
RFSL (6:02:16 PM): Ha. I was interviewed on camera last Friday night while drunk outside Pehrspace and ... that didn't go too well.
RFSL (6:02:42 PM): So, pardon me for starting wayyy back, but when did you start making music?
amnion (6:03:12 PM): I saw that [on YouTube]. Haha!
RFSL (6:03:24 PM): (Face red.)
RFSL (6:03:46 PM): I came off like a drunken robot.
amnion (6:04:47 PM): Um, a drunken burrito connoisseur.
RFSL (6:05:33 PM): They told me they were recording a thing on the best burritos for FILTER. I was misled… Never signed a release.
RFSL (6:05:48 PM): So, you've been making music for a long time.
amnion (6:07:50 PM): So, the BIG question! Not that long, really. It's a life, but it goes in seasons.
RFSL (6:07:58 PM): (I know Octavius and Fred from KXLU Demo Listen have been talking about your demos for some years.)
RFSL (6:08:15 PM): Sure. I hate the throw you the most general question in the world.
RFSL (6:08:21 PM): When did you start making music?
RFSL (6:10:33 PM): (That's only slightly less big.)
amnion (6:12:30 PM): I always had a grasp of the theoretical side of how music fits together, but I only recently feel like I can convey how it fits together with me. So, yeah, theoretically I’ve been playing music for a long time, but this new thing is, well,...weird and unfamiliar.
amnion (6:15:03 PM): There's less of me in this new music amnion is making and it seems to invite a group participation. It's not that precious so that MY ideas need to be realized. We really enjoy a group-minded flexibility, and we're evolving toward a deeper understanding of one-another musically.
RFSL (6:16:02 PM): So, the songs are more the product of the creative union of all of you?
amnion (6:21:35 PM): Well, yes. Sorry, I was typing some long-winded explanation to this question, but YEs, they are the product of the CREATIVE UNION of AllLOVE US! the lyrics, chords, and melodies are of little consequence if there is an absence of MAGIC to support them…
RFSL (6:22:22 PM): I just described the band today as being "half art and half magic."
RFSL (6:22:36 PM): You seem to tap into that space.
amnion (6:24:13 PM): Life is Magic and Art is LIfe, so LIVing would inadvertently tap into something! thanks for the misty props!
RFSL (6:25:17 PM): The writer Alan Moore has a theory about how creativity and magic come from the same place. That artists and writers and musicians and magicians either tap into it more easily or just through practice.
RFSL (6:25:29 PM): That's not really a question!
RFSL (6:25:38 PM): I just like that thought.
amnion (6:28:09 PM): I like thinking that it's so accessible, and you don't have to be a member of the Cloister to be privy to it. You don't even need to be in the cloister of artist, musician, writer, etc...you just need to be Thankful!
RFSL (6:29:11 PM): Yeah, I think some people do it more naturally, but anyone can do it with practice. Anyone can learn to sing and dance and write and make art.
RFSL (6:29:20 PM): So, how did you all meet and start playing music together?
amnion (6:31:52 PM): Okay, I can't really type fast enough for an in-depth answer to that one, but let's just say it had something to do with MAGIC! (along with a little help from my trusty CRYSTAL BALL!)
RFSL (6:32:40 PM): Heh. What are your bandmates' backgrounds?
amnion (6:41:41 PM): Steven and Brett are from Detroit. They both have degrees in Music, and have been doing it professionally. Brett frets, Steven hits. This is Nikki's first Band. She's really doing everything for the first time. I've never been on AIM before and my computer is making frightening noises… Wassup?
amnion (6:42:11 PM): My mom wants to jump in on the chat!
RFSL (6:42:28 PM): You want to bring her in?
amnion (6:43:01 PM): yeah! howdueyedoitt?
RFSL (6:43:07 PM): What's her IM?
RFSL (6:43:15 PM): I'll open a chat room and invite both of you in.
RFSL (6:43:31 PM): (You just have to click on yes when the message pops up.)
[He gives me his mom’s IM address.]
RFSL (6:43:39 PM): K. 1 sec...
RFSL (6:45:51 PM): D'oh! That didn't work. Sorry!
RFSL (6:45:58 PM): Tell mom I said sorry, too!
[His mom starts IMing over pictures she’s taken at their shows. It’s clear she’s really proud of them and it’s sweet.]
RFSL (6:49:44 PM): So when did you start recording your album? What was the process like?
RFSL (6:57:18 PM): (Sorry, I keep asking these big questions.)
amnion (6:58:26 PM): We started it with our friends Adam Samuels and Kenny Woods in our basement in Glassell Park. Steven and I knocked out the basic tracks live. We were in the same room together without headphones. It started with Drums, Piano, and my Vocal, and we did Overdubs on those three tracks. Ian Walker came and helped out with the Bass, and when he left to go on tour with KD Lang, Brett came in to play Bass for the live Shows and put Guitars on the record.
amnion (6:59:46 PM): We really had no idea what would happen in the recording, but the process became a good way of navigating towards getting to know one-another better. PraisegOd4THELIGHTw/nMe was a real blessing to have on hand as an ice-breaker. It has nothing in it, so no expectations arise from it!
RFSL (7:00:44 PM): Excellent. I'm sorry I missed the cd release event at Pehrspace and your headlining show at Spaceland. I heard they went very well.
amnion (7:02:21 PM): You'll have to catch up with Avi Buffalo at Mr. T's on March 22. They played that night at pehrspace and we've been fanatics ever since!
RFSL (7:03:45 PM): I'm embarrassed to admit that I have never been to Mr. T's.
RFSL (7:03:55 PM): Will have to change that!
amnion (7:05:18 PM): If you've never been there before, don't count on finding it. Go with someone who's been there. I've been there a number of times and I still get hopelessly confused finding it
RFSL (7:04:07 PM): Cool. I know my girlfriend has been there. I'll follow her.
RFSL (7:04:17 PM): What’s it like making music with your wife?
amnion (7:05:30 PM): It's like something you listen to with less of your ears, and more of your soul! She brings freedom to this music! Ultimately, music isn't the point. Love is what we're aiming for.
RFSL (7:06:05 PM): Go love!
RFSL (7:06:15 PM): So, what's next for you? More recordings, a residency, a tour?
amnion (7:11:30 PM): We have a lot of new songs in the works and we'd like to let them breathe easy. Recording is cool. We just wanna play. Bang onna drumm all day. More and more and more. Must feed this eating. teach me the ways of the MAN FIRE!! water TOURture!
amnion (7:12:49 PM): So, what have you been listening to of late?
RFSL (7:14:52 PM): Me? I've been listening to the live Rademacher album that just came out... And a Cormac MacCarthy book-on-cd recording. And some Everest. And some solo Sarah (Happy Hollows) Negahdari. And some Buddy.
amnion (7:16:48 PM): Nikki and I just saw Old Time Relijun and The Mae Shi the other night. Wowzer! Catharsis in Crisis is Ossumm!
RFSL (7:17:08 PM): I heard that was great.
amnion (7:17:44 PM): Yeah. Rapturous!
RFSL (7:19:46 PM): Well, I don't mean to take too much of your time. (I think I've had you on here for over an hour now...) To wrap it up, do you have any special message to the people out in the Internet Land?
amnion (7:21:47 PM): WE ARE EACH OTHER! COLLECTIVELY PROMOTE LIGHT! THANKS MOM!
amnion (7:23:32 PM): Thanks for having us, Joe!!
RFSL (7:23:36 PM): Excellent. Thanks so much for your time.
RFSL (7:23:59 PM): Looking forward to the show next week!

Amnion will appear at Let's Independent! at Boardner's of Hollywood with Fol Chen and Princeton on Tuesday, March 18th. For more details (and MP3s), go right here.

DOWNLOAD: A Ton MP3

Happy Birthday To RFSL

Not sure if you noticed or not, but last Saturday the forwarding url from "radiofreesilverlake.com" went down for several hours -- an incident which marked both the site's second birthday and my apparent inability to pay GoDaddy's renewal bill in a timely and responsible manner.

So, phwooot! [Noisemaker sound.] It's been two years now since the site began... The first few articles were a post about how damn good Foreign Born is and an interview with Sea Wolf's Alex Church. Last year, we held a b-day party for the site at Let's Independent! with The Deadly Syndrome, The Happy Hollows, and The Lights From Here, which was pretty much one of my favorite shows ever, but we skipped having one this year due to lack of planning and, well, lack of planning again.

If you come out to the sure-to-be-fantastic (and free for 21+) show tonight at The Echo with Death To Anders, Thailand, and The Karabal Nightlife, be sure to clink glasses with us about it. Pardon my brief nostalgic indulgence, but it's been a really fun time writing about all the great music in this neighborhood these last few years...

And by the way, I'd meant to write a LA Bands Worth Seeing At SXSW post, but You Set The Scene and Passion Of The Weiss went ahead and wrote two that are likely much better than what I would've come up with. (Click on their names for links to their respective articles.)

Update: Let's Independent! on Tuesday, March 18th w/ Amnion, Fol Chen, & Princeton

We've had a slight change of plans and indie pop fantasticos The Minor Canon will now be headlining next month's event... Next week's Let's Independent! takes place on Tuesday, March 18th, will be absolutely FREE, promises to be great fun, and will unsurprisingly take place once again at Boardner's Of Hollywood. Yes, the show that walks like a party returns.

The line-up will now be as follows:

AMNION -- We've frequently written about the brainchild of Aaron Embry, former studio musician for Elliot Smith and Jane's Addiction and psyche pop shaman. They're equal parts art and magic, are headlining the night, and KXLU Demo Listen hearts all over them. Listen to A Ton and hear for yourself.

DOWNLOAD: A Ton MP3

FOL CHEN -- Forged from the remnants of another local group, Fol Chen describe themselves as "You know that mysterious black object that the creepy family is staring at on the cover of Led Zeppelin's Presence album? Fol Chen sound like that. But they don't sound like Led Zeppelin. (They do a little.)

"Instead, they sound like Prince with Amon Duul II and a children's religious revival. Most of the time.

"They are cryptic and joyful and they would like you to dance."

DOWNLOAD: Cable TV MP3

PRINCETON -- It's starting to get hard to find new and inventive ways to gush about indie pop act Princeton... The Square Girls consider them a "super crush" and I can tell you that they appeal straight to the heart of me that considers The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds the best album ever made.

DOWNLOAD: Blackbeard MP3

It's next Tuesday night at 9:00 PM, is 21+, there are $3 Dewars drinks, and, again, it's FREE. For more details and to hear more from the bands, go right here. Hope you can make it.

Toaster poster by Christine Hale.