The Monday Show Lowdown ( Or "That One Quote From The Manchurian Candidate...")

It's the New Year, huzzah, and my resolutions are to: 1) get out to an excessively large amount of shows again, 2) run a marathon, and 3) hang out with my best friend Jason from SF a hell of a lot more.

In the meantime, I've doing my "music homework" and catching up with a lot of bands that showed up on "Best of 2008" lists by bands I like, on sites like You Set The Scene, and wise friends, because, hell, I've been absurdly out of touch with what's been coming out of towns outside of LA... Acts such as Beach House, She & Him, Bon Iver, and Spiritualized.

And I know it sounds ridiculously not punk rock, but I fucking love The Economist. They have better current world events coverage/analysis than BBC News, NPR, and even The New York Times. Before I found them, I'd have to wait for a book to come out to tell me what really happened, give context, and so on. Cui bono and all that.

Anyway, one of their editors wrote an article called Gigonomics on the business of the huge concerts and, as someone who hasn't even been to a venue as big as The El Rey for the last year (out of more laziness than being cool or something), it's kind of interesting in "that's another world and isn't that place strange?" sort of way.

Monday, January 5
- Robert Francis, Pete Yorn, & more @ The Echo (FREE)
- Magic Johnson, Syrup, Foot Village, & Bipolar Bear @ The Smell
- Sean Carnage Presents Gay Beast, Moment Trigger, Tleilaxu Music Machine, Kawaiietly Please, & French Quarter @ Pehrspace
- Rocco Deluca, Crash Kings, Jason Diaz @ Spaceland (FREE)
- Magic Johnson, Syrup, Foot Village, & Bipolar Bear @ The Smell
- Olin and the Moon, Marvelous Toy, Gypsy River Haunts, & Next of Kin @ The Silver Lake Lounge (FREE)

DECISION:
This month, the war between the Monday night free residencies seems to be between Robert Francis (who people say is a new Elliot Smith-like talent) and Olin and the Moon (who Mouse has written good things about). So, it's down to the supporting acts on who to see first, right? Well, Marvelous Toy are great live and have a lot heart, so I guess week one goes to The Silver Lake Lounge.



(Here's an MP3 for Olin and the Moon's song Call Me Up.)

But wait... It looks like Andrew Spitzer from Radars to the Sky and Seasons are opening up at Spaceland.

Damn. Tough. Call.

Tuesday, January 6
- Les Blanks, One Trick Pony, World Record, & Amateurs @ The Echo
- Check One Twosday with Pop Noir, The Pacific & More @ Echoplex
- Eleni Mandell @ The Hotel Café
- Sara Lov (of Devics) & Patrick Park @ Spaceland
- Mike Stinson & Dave Gleason @ Redwood Bar
- All Spots to Black & Alaskan Summer @ The Silver Lake Lounge

DECISION:
Aquarium Drunkard, the music site that knows more about music than, like, anyone, is putting on a show Tuesday night at The Echo with a great, smart pop line-up.

Wednesday, January 7
- Dub Club @ Echoplex
- Indie 103 presents CLUB NME w/ IKOMA @ Spaceland
- NO CULTURE with Resident DJs Guns N Bombs, Goddollars @ The Echo
- Black Apples, Ovideo, & Tasso @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- Marathon Live w/ Jonneine Zappata @ 3 Clubs

DECISION:
Jonneine Zapata is sort of a mix between a singer/songwriter and performance artist. And she kind of kicks your ass around live.

Thursday, January 8
- Amanda Jo Williams, Moonshine, Pam Shaffer, THE PREACHERS SON @ The Hyperion Tavern
- Leslie Broussard & Jesca Hoop @ The Hotel Café
- Notrect Collective: Bostich + Fussible @ Echoplex
- Respect @ The Echo
- KXLU & LA Record present Gangi & Blank Blue @ Spaceland
- Pocahaunted, Sun Araw, & Dreamcolour @ The Smell
- Sabrosa Purr, The Yelling, Heavy Young Heathens, & The Pleasant Return @ The Roxy
- So Many Wizards, Furcast, & The Fling @ The Silver Lake Lounge

DECISION:
People have been telling me I'd like local rock act So Many Wizards and, after listening to their myspace page, yeah, they were right. Could be cool to either check them out or get a beer at the fantastically small Hyperion Tavern and catch the somewhat uncanny yet surprisingly catchy country singer Amanda Jo Williams.

Or both.

Friday, January 9
- One Trick Pony, Fascinoma, Tenlons Fort, & Elroy Leroy @ Pehrspace
- Franco Near Death, The New Room, The Transmissions, & The Lost Libraries @ The Scene
- Jon Brion @ Largo
- Gram Rabbit & Pop Levi @ The Troubadour
- Afternoons & Xu Xu Fang @ Spaceland
- We Are The World, Teeth, Showgirls, Sister Mantos, Nadia Comaneci, Vim Crony, & Black Church @ The Smell
- The Little Ones & Plants and Animals @ Museum of Natural History
- Tormenta Tropical - Zomby, Los Rakas, Star Eyes, Disco Shawn, Oro11 @ Echoplex
- Club Underground @ The Echo

DECISION:
There are quite a few good shows going on Friday night... Afternoons and Xu Xu Fang are always worth seeing and even more when they're playing together. The Little Ones at The Museum of Natural History equals a weird but interesting night. And some pretty great line-ups at both Pehrspace and The Scene, as well.

Saturday, January 10
- Afternoons, The Henry Clay People, Lemon Sun, & The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra @ Spaceland
- Funky Sole @ The Echo
- CROCODILES, Blue Jungle, Nikki Obscura, De Hombres @ The Smell
- Roll The Tanks & Have Mercys @ The Silver Lake Lounge
- SHITn-A (60 Watt Kid) + KEVIN LITROW (60watt kid) + HALLOWEEN SWIM TEAM + guests @ Echo Curio
- Fight From Above @ The Troubadour
- Clevis, Batman vs Predators, Head of Destiny, & Bastidas @ The Cocaine at Live Jazz

DECISION:
I haven't seen Lemon Sun play before, but Afternoons The Henry Clay People, and The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra all deserve your money and time.

Sunday, January 11
- Automatic Drawing, The Rhone Occupation, & Go West Young Man @ The Air Conditioned Lounge (Santa Monica)
- Poleshift @ The Troubadour
- Mad Planet, Sumkid & The Milky Way, The Popular Fans @ Spaceland
- Hawnay Troof, All Leather, & David Scott Stone @ The Smell
- CORRIDOR + VOICE ON TAPE + ZOMBELLE + SPIRIT PHOTOGRAPHY @ Echo Curio
- Part Time Punks w/ Thee Mighty Angels, Golden Years, DJ Tim Burgess @ The Echo

DECISION:
Sunday night sees a reason to drive out to the west side, what with indie pop charmers Automatic Drawing and The Rhone Occupation playing together (and with Go West Young Man, who I haven't heard but Bronson and ISGOODMUSIC have covered) at The Air Conditioned Lounge. (The one in Venice, not Santa Monica.) Road trip.



Here are some MP3s:
- Automatic Drawing's The Captain and The Sea
- The Rhone Occupation's Told You So

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