Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 12/10-12/16

It’s been an interesting week. Mostly because I haven’t been able to talk now for nearly seven solid days. It really makes you appreciate how valuable one’s voice truly is. This isn’t the first time this has happened. I lost my voice the day my best friend got married and I had to croak out a Maid of Honor speech. I lost my voice in the middle of my teaching a course. Now, I lose my voice when I’ve been given the opportunity to interview the lead singer of my favorite band. You know, I wonder if there is a pattern emerging here…

Anyway, vocal problems aside, I got to see Biffy Clyro last week so life isn’t even remotely close to being bad. I was also treated to KROQ’s Acoustic Xmas last night which meant I got to see some heavy hitters like Garbage, Bush, and Linkin Park as well as personal favorites like Youngblood Hawke, Gaslight Anthem, and The Lumineers. There was also a Gwen Stefani/Gavin Rossdale duet which felt pretty darn special.

Speaking of holiday shindigs, The High Voltage Holiday party is this Tuesday at Silverlake Lounge. We’ve got some great bands, copies of our newest issue, and everyone who comes through the door gets a gift! I’d love to see you all there J

Here are the rest of my recommended shows (and numerous holiday parties):

Monday: It’s A School Night at Bardot featuring Madi Diaz and Harper Blynn (9pm)…FREE with RSVP http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/losangeles/
ALSO: Jackie Does Joel and Monday in the Round feat. Brother Sal, Joe Purdy, and Brian Wright at Room 5 (8,9)
ALSO: Wires in the Walls FREE at Silverlake Lounge (11:15)
ALSO: The Dead Ships and Eastern Conference Champions FREE at The Echo (9pm)…RSVP for priority access http://do213.net/event/2012/12/10/monday-night-residency-with-the-dead-ships
ALSO: Mind the Gap FREE at Bootleg Bar (8:30)
ALSO: Stevie Wonder FREE at The Grove (3:30)

 

Tuesday: High Voltage Magazine Holiday Party FREE at Silverlake Lounge featuring Toy Bombs, Omniflux, Irontom, and Deluka (doors at 7:30) http://www.facebook.com/events/178665638939504/?fref=ts
ALSO: Harper Blynn and The Dunwells at The Hotel Cafe (9, 10)
ALSO: Atlas Genius at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Ryan Adams, Lindsey Buckingham, and Graham Parker at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Holiday Party FREE at The Piano Bar (9pm) http://www.facebook.com/events/305343412910443/

 

 

Weds: Ruby Friedman Orchestra at Los Globos (9pm)
ALSO: The Young Romans and Jessie Payo at The Hotel Cafe (8, 9)
ALSO: Meg Myers at The Troubadour (9:15)
ALSO: The Mountain Goats at The Masonic Lodge at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery (9pm)
ALSO: Alt J and Wildcat Wildcat at The Fonda (9pm)

 

Thursday: Meiko at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: The Mountain Goats at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Rival Tides and Hell or Highwater at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Golden State FREE at On the Rox (8:30)
ALSO: The Cab, Delta Rae, Onerepublic at Hollywood Palladium (7pm)

 

Friday: The Hotel Cafe Holiday Party Night 1featuring Brendan Hines, Meiko, Joe Purdy, The Young Romans, Brother Sal, Jesse Thomas, Brian Wright, and many more! (7pm)
ALSO: Chris Wilson at Genghis Cohen (9:30)
ALSO: Alex Band and Jared Lee at The Viper Room (8pm)
ALSO: Vanaprasta at The Satellite (11pm)
ALSO: Korey Dane at Room 5 (10pm)
ALSO: Red Circle Underground and Stonefeather at O’Brien’s (10pm)
ALSO: The Mowglis and Friends Holiday Party at Dakota Lounge (8pm)
ALSO: Kate Earl and Passenger at The Troubadour (8:40, 9:40)
ALSO: 8mm at The Roxy (10pm)

 

Saturday: The Hotel Café Holiday Party Night 2 featuring Cary Brothers, Holly Conlan, Harper Blynn, Jake Newton, Sweet Talk Radio and many more! (7pm)

 

Sunday: The Neighbourhood FREE at Bootleg Bar (9pm)
ALSO: The Gallery at The Viper Room (8:15)
ALSO: Lifehouse In-Store Performance at Fingerprints Music in Long Beach (3pm)

 

To Keep in Mind:
December 18th: Lifehouse at The Troubadour
December 19th: Watkins Family Christmas at Largo
December 20th-22nd: Camp Freddy at The Roxy
December 23rd: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
December 27th: Parade of Lights at Bootleg Bar
January 19th: Tyler Hilton and Teddy Geiger at The Roxy
January 23rd and 24th: Muse at The Staples Center
Feb. 1st: Tegan and Sara at Club Nokia
Feb. 9th: Ed Sheeran at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 12th: Ellie Goulding at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 17th: Ed Sheeran at Nokia Theatre LA Live
Feb. 28th: Matthew Perryman Jones at Bootleg Bar
Feb. 28th: Jukebox the Ghost at The Echo
April 20th: Wakey!Wakey! at The Troubadour
August 19th/20th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center

~ Kristen

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Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 12/3-12/9

It has been quite a busy week/weekend. I managed to work at least three 12 hour days last week plus catch some great shows (pictures posted soon to LMN’s facebook page). This weekend, we got the Christmas tree up and trimmed with the help of some lovely elves. Next week has the potential to be epic (you see who’s playing Thursday night at The Satellite, right?), but I worry that this cold I woke up with a couple of days ago might put a damper on things. At the moment, I can’t see past Biffy Clyro, but I’m also looking forward to Friday night at Molly Malone’s with The Honey Trees and Lakes and Nashville’s Bonnie Bishop at The Mint on Saturday.

There are actually fantastic show opportunities every night this week. I hope you can make it out!

Monday: Diamonds Under Fire and Meg Meyers at The Viper Room (9, 10)
ALSO: It’s a School Night at Bardot featuring Alexz Johnson and Oren Lyons (9pm)
ALSO: Wake Up Lucid and The Dead Ships FREE at The Echo (8pm)
ALSO: Hunnypot Radio Live FREE at The Central SAPC featuring Toy Bombs (8pm)
ALSO: Monday in the Round at Room 5 featuring Sweet Talk Radio, Chris Pierce, Shane Alexander and Joel Eckels (9pm)

 

Tuesday: Howie Day and Harper Blynn at The Hotel Cafe (7, 9)
ALSO: Dave Green and The Filthy Souls FREE at The Piano Bar (10pm)
ALSO: Monsters Calling Home at The Troubadour (9pm)

 

Weds: Zero 1 at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Jackson Rathbone and Paul McDonald and Nikki Reed at Bootleg Theater (7pm)
ALSO: Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman at The Troubadour (9pm)

 

Thursday: Biffy Clyro at The Satellite (6:30)
ALSO: Tournament of Hearts at King King (9pm)
ALSO: Brendan James at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Walking Papers at The Viper Room (10pm)

 

Friday: The Honey Trees and Lakes at Molly Malone’s (9, 10)
ALSO: Katrina Parker, Erin Willett, Justin Hopkins, and Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe (9, 10, 11, 12)
ALSO: Kopecky Family Band at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: The Shakers at Irish Times (10pm)
ALSO: The Diamond Lights, The Dustbowl Revival, Black Crystal Wolf Kids at The Central SAPC (9pm)
ALSO: The Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The El Rey (8pm)

 

Saturday: Bonnie Bishop at The Mint (11pm)
ALSO : Tyler Hilton and Boyce Avenue at Club Nokia (7:30)
ALSO: Stonefeather at The Roxy (10:30)
ALSO: KROQ Acoustic Xmas Night 1 featuring Youngblood Hawke, The Gaslight Anthem, The Lumineers, AWOLNATION, Garbage, Linkin Park, etc.

 

Sunday: The Neighbourhood FREE at Bootleg Bar (8pm)…start of a December residency
ALSO: All the Lights at The Roxy featuring The Glee Project cast members (7pm)
ALSO: KROQ Acoustic Xmas Night 2 featuring Imagine Dragons, Alex Clare, Neon Trees, fun., Jack White, The Killers, etc.

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
December 11th: Atlas Genius at The Troubadour
December 11th: High Voltage Holiday Party at Silverlake Lounge
December 12th: Alt J and Wildcat Wildcat at The Fonda
December 12th: The Mountain Goats at The Masonic Lodge at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
December 13th: The Mountain Goats at The Troubadour
December 14th: Jared Lee and Alex Band at The Viper Room
December 14th: Vanaprasta at The Satellite
December 16th: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
December 18th: Lifehouse at The Troubadour
December 20th-22nd: Camp Freddy at The Roxy
December 23rd: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
December 27th: Parade of Lights at Bootleg Bar
January 19th: Tyler Hilton and Teddy Geiger at The Roxy
January 23rd and 24th: Muse at The Staples Center
Feb. 9th: Ed Sheeran at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 12th: Ellie Goulding at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 17th: Ed Sheeran at Nokia Theatre LA Live
Feb. 28th: Matthew Perryman Jones at Bootleg Bar
Feb. 28th: Jukebox the Ghost at The Echo

~ Kristen

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Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 11/26-12/2

As the holiday party invitations start to come in, I’m reminded that it’s time to put my end of year music mix together. For those of you who don’t know, every year I make a mix of all the songs and artists that meant something to me over the year…they are usually accompanied by a story and pictures. I work on this all year round, but the hardest part is pulling it together at the end and finding the time to create and produce the final product (aka Christmas gifts!). For this year’s mix, I had the first “rough draft” done for a couple weeks ago and and I’ve since made a few tweaks, but I’m still not 100% happy with it. However, if my first party is in just a couple of weeks, I’ll need to start manufacturing soon! Or maybe I should just accept the fact that my Christmas gifts will be late…again.

And who knows, maybe there will be a show this month that will change my life and alter the mix entirely (December 6th early show at The Satellite, I’m looking at you!). There are plenty of promising options these week. Here are my picks:

 

Monday: The Neighbourhood at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Omniflux and Sabrosa Purr FREE at Bootleg Bar(9:30, 11:30)
ALSO: Drive He Said FREE at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: The Record Company FREE at The Satellite (11pm)

 

Tuesday: Erin McLaughlin, Matthew Mayfield, My Name is You, Harper Blynn at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Deluka at Hemingway’s (10pm)
ALSO: Paul and the Kir at Molly Malone’s (9pm)
ALSO: Black Belt Karate at SIlverlake Lounge (9pm)
ALSO: Gavin Turek FREE at The Central SAPC (10pm)
ALSO: Soundgarden at The Fonda Theatre (9pm)

 

Weds: Terraplane Sun and Youngblood Hawke at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Kita Klane, The Wellspring, Chris Stills, Armada at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)

 

Thursday: Joe Firstman at WitZend (8pm)
ALSO: Alex Clare at The Fonda Theatre (9pm)
ALSO: Karmin at The Troubadour (8pm)

 

Friday: Capsolin and Icarus Landing at The Viper Room (8,9)
ALSO: The Bolts and Capital Cities at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: The Mowgli’s, Selah Sue, and Walk Off The Earth at The Troubadour (8:30, 9:15, 10:10)
ALSO: Raquel Rodriguez at WitZend (10pm)

 

Saturday: The Milk Carton Kids and The Punch Brothers at Luckman Fine Arts Complex (8pm)
ALSO: David & Devine at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill at Molly Malone’s (10:30)
ALSO: Trixie Whitley at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Elizabeth and the Catapult and Gabriel Kahane at The Mint (9:30, 10:30)

 

Sunday: Andrew Belle, and Tyrone Wells at Saint Rocke (7pm)
ALSO: Kate Earl at The Federal Bar (11am)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
December 4th: Howie Day at The Hotel Cafe
December 6th: Biffy Clyro at The Satellite
December 6th: Imagine Dragons and Garbage at San Manuel Casino
December 7th: Lakes at Molly Malone’s
December 7th: Tony Lucca at The Hotel Cafe
December 8th: Boyce Avenue at Club Nokia
December 8th: KROQ Acoustic Xmas night 1
December 9th: KROQ Acoustic Xmas night 2
December 9th: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
December 11th: Atlas Genius at The Troubadour
December 11th: High Voltage Holiday Party at Silverlake Lounge
December 12th: Alt J and Wildcat Wildcat at The Fonda
December 12th: The Mountain Goats at The Masonic Lodge at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
December 13th: The Mountain Goats at The Troubadour
December 14th: Jared Lee and Alex Band at The Viper Room
December 14th: Vanaprasta at The Satellite
December 16th: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
December 18th: Lifehouse at The Troubadour
December 20th-22nd: Camp Freddy at The Roxy
December 23rd: The Neighbourhood at Bootleg Bar
January 19th: Tyler Hilton and Teddy Geiger at The Roxy
January 23rd and 24th: Muse at The Staples Center
Feb. 9th: Ed Sheeran at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 12th: Ellie Goulding at Hollywood Palladium
Feb. 17th: Ed Sheeran at Nokia Theatre LA Live
Feb. 28th: Matthew Perryman Jones at Bootleg Bar

~ Kristen

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Have you been to Saint Rocke?

It’s not in LA proper so it’s taken me awhile to get there, but Saint Rocke is now on the fast track to becoming one of my new favorite places to see live music. Located on the PCH in Hermosa Beach, it really isn’t that far away (especially when the traffic is light). It’s got all the charm of The Hotel Cafe but with more space, more seating, and free parking! Plus, if you order food during their happy hour (starts at 5pm M-F) nearly the entire menu is $5. I opted for the kobe beef sliders with sweet potato fries and they were delicious…I have it on good authority that the tacos and the pizzas are also excellent options.

I didn’t just decide to check out a new venue on a whim. I was drawn to Hermosa Beach because it was a stop on the Joe Firstman/Jay Nash tour. The line up played The Hotel Cafe last Thursday but I could not make it as I was at The Roxy enjoying Alex Band (more on that from Amanda).

For the record, this duo is NOT to be missed. I’ve been following Joe around the country for over five years now and never have I seen the same set twice…he even changes up his own songs to keep things fresh. Already, songs from his most recent release, El Porto, have gotten new versions.  I will enjoy just about anything coming from this guy but Sunday night’s set was one of the most enjoyable I’ve seen him do in years. A great mix of old (one of my all-time favorite CDs is his debut The War of Women), new, and newly revised. His next record, Joe Firstman Live at The Treehouse, comes out next month and I cannot wait to hear it all. For a taste, go to his website and download a free track!  

Jay Nash has been a more recent addition to my list of favorite singer-songwriters. His recent collaborations with some of my favorite artists like Caitlin Crosby and Matt Duke brought him to my attention. He is also the founder and frequent participant in my favorite Monday night activity, Songwriters in the Round at Room 5. Unfortunately just as I start going to more of his shows, he decided to up and move to Vermont. The fact that he has returned to LA so soon is encouraging however and I hope that more tours like this one will continue to bring him back to his former home.

Both Joe and Jay are the kind of artist that need to be seen live to truly be appreciated for the amazingly gifted musicians they are. And when they get on the stage together, the energy is kicked up an additional notch as they feed off each other to create the kind of performance that could never be captured or repeated…moments that make you realize how incredibly fortunate you are to be in that exact place at that exact time…moments that keep you going to show after show…the kind of stuff to live for and the reason I love artists like Joe Firstman and Jay Nash and venues like Saint Rocke that can bring out these kinds of magical moments.

If you want to check out a show at Saint Rocke, here’s a link to their calendar . Might I suggest Pat McGee this Sunday…or if you read this in time 100 Monkeys tonight (Tuesday July 20th).

If you want to see more of Joe Firstman and Jay Nash their tour together is almost over, but they both have dates up on their websites and they will both be at Hotel Carolina at the end of August.

~ Kristen

p.s. this is a repost, but here’s a recording a took of the song Jay wrote about leaving California…I think it may be my new favorite.

Golden State Goodnight– Jay Nash

Amanda’s Very Late Show Calendar 6/13-6/18

The title says it all. Sorry we missed Monday but from what I can tell, there wasn’t really anything that was missed. I know how you are San Diego. You don’t really like to get going until Thursday, Wednesday if we are lucky. I mean, just look at Tuesday!

Anyways, there has been a lot going on behind the scenes here at LMN. If you saw Kristen’s post you will see what I mean. I’m up in LA (again) until Thursday so be sure to enjoy the shows until I return and even after I return…

Tuesday: ???

Wednesday: Alex Band (of The Calling) @ Anthology @7:30 $16
AND: Jay Nash and Joe Firstman @ Lestats @8 $?
AND: Antibalas @ The Casbah @9 $14 adv/$16 day of
AND: Long Live Logos @ U-31

Thursday: The Guggenheim Grotto @ Lestats @8 $15
AND: 91X Loudspeaker feat. Dead Feather Moon, The Pheromones, and Italian Japanese @ The Belly Up @9 $8 ($1 goes to SD Music Foundation)

Friday: Dirty Sweet @ The Casbah
AND: Get Back Loretta @ Bar Pink @ 10 FREE
AND: Thrice @ House of Blues San Diego @7 $20 adv/$23 day of
AND: Inspired Flight @ Kava Lounge @9

Saturday: The Silent Comedy @ The Casbah
AND: Sight and Sound @ Queen Bees @7:30

Sunday: Tony Lucca @ Anthology @7:30 $10 value tix/$14 regular tix
AND: Jamie Cullum @ Humphreys by the Bay

Keep in Mind:

July 19th- The Dead Weather @ House of Blues San Diego
July 21st- Shawn Mullins @ Birch Aquarium @ Scripps
July 30th- Transfer @ The Casbah
July 31st- Wendy Bailey @ Bar Pink
August 6th- Endoxi @ Epicentre
August 7th- Silversun Pickups @ Soma
August 8th- Tokyo Police Club @ The Casbah
August 10th- Vans Warped Tour- San Diego
August 18th- Steve Poltz @ Birch Aquarium
August 21st- Wolfmother @ House of Blues San Diego
September 18th- Paramore @ Viejas Arena
September 22nd- Muse @ Viejas Arena
September 25th- The Black Keys @ Soma

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 7/12-7/18

Well, Amanda and I certainly had quite the busy weekend getting sneak previews of some very exciting projects coming out soon. Slash-approved British rockers, Gods and Men, are in the process of recording their first album for Pacific Records. Remember the name…it will come up again soon, I’m sure. Also, San Diego’s own Endoxi just finished their first full-length CD, Earthbound. The record is coming out August 3rd and the release party will be August 6th at Epicentre in SD. I’m very excited about Endoxi, and feel that they are poised to become the next big band out of San Diego.

But if you need a good show before August 6th, this week will definitely satisfy. Two of my very favorite bands are playing the Troubadour, The Silent Comedy on Tuesday (opening for Andy Clockwise) and Nico Vega on Weds (opening for Sweethead). You know you’ve been meaning to check out these bands I’m always blathering on about…well, here’s your chance so don’t miss it! 

As for everything else (it’s quite a fantastic week for music):

Monday: Matt Morris at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Mississippi Man FREE at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: The Shakers at Les Deux (10pm)
ALSO: Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (8pm)
ALSO: Kings of Leon at Hollywood Bowl (7:30)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm) 

Tuesday: The Silent Comedy and Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour (8:30)
ALSO: Imagine Dragons FREE at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Matthew Jordan at Cafe Was (7pm)
ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard at The Hotel Cafe (8pm) 

Weds: Nico Vega at The Troubadour (9:15)…what else do you need? 

Thursday: KT Tunstall, Garrison Starr, Jay Nash, Joe Firstman at The Hotel Cafe (7-11)
ALSO: Killola at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Wakey Wakey at Bootleg (10pm)
ALSO: Alex Band at The Roxy (8:30)
ALSO: Fitz & the Tantrums at the Hammer museum (7pm)
ALSO: Alternate Routes at Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena (8pm)
ALSO: Nico Vega at Velvet Jones in Santa Barbara (7pm) 

Friday: Tyrone Wells at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Victoria Clemmons, Kris Karlsson, Alex Rhodes at Genghis Cohen (8,9,10)
ALSO: Lovers Drugs at Rusty’s Surf Ranch in Santa Monica (9pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel at The Viper Room (11:15)
ALSO: MGMT at The Greek Theater (7:30) 

Saturday: Thrice at Fox Theater in Pomona (6:30)
ALSO: Leerone and Laura Jensen at The Hotel Cafe (8, 10)  
ALSO: The Silent Comedy at The Casbah (SD) 

Sunday: The Swell Season and Bird and the Bee at Hollywood Bowl (7:30)
ALSO: Joe Firstman and Jay Nash at Saint Rocke (7pm) 

To Keep in Mind:
July 21st: Gaslight Anthem at The Wiltern
July 23rd: Tony Lucca album release at The Mint
July 28th: Bang the Gong Tour featuring Civil Twilight, Paper Tongues, and Neon Trees at The Glass House
July 29th: Queen Caveat EP Release at The Viper Room
July 29th: Civil Twlight at The Hotel Cafe
July 30th: Dirty Sweet at The Viper Room  
July 30-31st: Morcheeba at Hollywood Bowl
August 6th: Endoxi CD release at Epicentre (SD)
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 4th: After Midnight Project at The Key Club
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center 

~ Kristen