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.