Local Music Nation

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 4/1-4/7

Posted on March 31, 2013 by Kristen

Happy Easter! After a long and tiring week, it is really nice to relax and celebrate. When I moved to Los Angeles 5 years ago, one of the things I knew I would miss would be sharing these big holidays with my family, but I’m pretty sure that first year celebrating Easter in LA was when I realized what a great new family I had made here. And in the subsequent years this gathering has become my yearly reminder of how many wonderful and inspiring people I have since met and claimed as my own. I’m pretty sure this year is our largest gathering yet. I mean, the leg of lamb my roommate brought home yesterday…well, I wasn’t even sure it would fit in the oven!

I hope to extend my celebratory mood into the week with the help of some excellent shows. I think the two I’m most looking forward to are the amazing string of acts at The Hotel Cafe Wednesday and Sunday nights. People often ask me what my favorite venue in LA is and I have to say The Hotel Cafe because there is no other venue that can so consistently put together solid lineups from front to back. As much as I venue hop, sometimes it’s nice to see a bunch of your favorites all in one place…

Monday: Western Scene FREE at Bootleg Bar (9:30)
ALSO: 8MM FREE at The Viper Room (11pm)…performance after a video screening of Tapeheads at 8pm
ALSO: Stonefeather FREE at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Monday Monday FREE at Room 5 featuring Garrison Star, AG, Broken Anchor, Whispertown, etc. (8pm)

Tuesday: Basement Sessions FREE at Hemmingway’s featuring The Gallery and Great White Buffalo (9:30)
ALSO: Matt Hires at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Low at The Troubadour (9:30)
ALSO: Beachwood Night FREE at The Piano Bar (8pm)

Weds: William Beckett w/ Jillette Johnson, Tyler Hilton, David & Devine at The Hotel Cafe (7, 9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Glen Hansard at The Grammy Museum (8pm)
ALSO: Bronze Radio Return at Bootleg Bar (10pm)
ALSO: Armada and Red Circle Underground at Silverlake Lounge (9, 10)
ALSO: Fortress Social Club at Harvard and Stone (11:30)
ALSO: Air Dubai and For The Foxes at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Goo Goo Dolls at The Troubadour (8pm)

Thursday: NO at The Troubadour (10:15)
ALSO: Justin Furstenfeld (Blue October) and Joe Firstman at The Hotel Cafe (7:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Kopecky Family Band at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Zero 1 at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Colin Hay at Largo (8:30)

Friday: The Rescues at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: George Stanfrod at Harvelle’s (8:30)
ALSO: Blackberry Smoke at House of Blues Sunset (8pm)
ALSO: Soul Asylum with The Bolts, A Mayfield Affair, Still The Sky’s Limit at The Roxy (8pm)

Saturday: The Rescues at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Keaton Simons and Lee Dewyze FREE at Universal City Walk (8pm)
ALSO: Meiko at The Hapa Festival at the Japanese American National Museum (7:30)
ALSO: Solwave FREE at TRiP (8pm)
ALSO: Taddy Porter at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Jill Sobule at McCabes (8pm)

Sunday: Scott Mellis, Zane Carney, Ernie Halter and Friends w/ Keaton Simons, Curtis Peoples, etc. at The Hotel Cafe (7, 8, 9)
ALSO: Zookeeper’s Palace at The Viper Room (9pm)

To Keep in Mind:
April 9^th: Andrew Ripp at The Hotel Cafe
April 10^th: Curtis Peoples at The Roxy
April 13^th: Langhorne Slim at The Echoplex
April 16^th: The Neighbourhood at The El Rey
April 17^th: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Cafe
April 18^th: Little Green Cars at The Troubadour
April 20^th: Tyrone Wells and Wakey!Wakey! at The Troubadour
April 23^rd: The Revival Tour at The El Rey
April 25^th: Dear Boy at Bootleg Bar
April 26^th: Chappo at The Satellite
April 27^th: The Virginmarys at The Viper Room
May 2^nd: Lights at The El Rey
May 2^nd: Crash Kings at Saint Rocke
May 2^nd: Meiko at Los Globos
May 4^th: The Brobecks at Amplyfi
May 4^th: Alice Russell at First Unitarian Church
May 7^th: Tom Odell at The Troubadour
May 7^th: Dinner and a Suit at The Roxy
May 8^th/9^th: Milk Carton Kids at Largo
May 9^th: Dead Sara at The El Rey
May 9^th: Sara Watkins, Fiction Family, Kris Orlowski at Bootleg Theater
May 12^th: Stephen Kellogg at The Hotel Café
May 14^th: Sara Bareilles at The El Rey
May 15^th: Andrew McMahon at The Troubadour
May 18-19^th: Overture Con at The Mint
May 21^st: Kate Nash at The Echo
May 22^nd: Youngblood Hawke at Avalon
May 24^th: Sir Sly at The Troubadour
May 29^th/30^th: Imagine Dragons at Hollywood Palladium
June 1^st: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at The Wiltern
June 1^st: CHVRCHES at The Troubadour
June 5^th: Jewel at Saban Theatre
June 6^th: Capital Cities at The El Rey
June 7^th: The Boxer Rebellion at Avalon
August 19^th/20^th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center

~ Kristen

Re-Inspired by Greatness- Nico Vega at Universal City Walk (3/25/13)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Kristen

Last night I was completely re-inspired by long time LMN Band Love Nico Vega. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen them and I recall my last NV experience to be somewhat underwhelming, but last night I was reminded why I fell for this band. The energy and pure love this quartet of musicians put forth is enough to get anyone to pay attention and last night was a prime example as the band dominated a large stage in the middle of Universal City Walk. I watched passersby go from double takes to that slow walk towards the stage, evidence of the gravitational pull Nico Vega and its electric frontwoman, Aja Volkman, has on its listeners.

The band just got off of a major nation-wide tour opening for Imagine Dragons and I think the experience of performing every night brought the group together to a level of cohesion that was impressive to watch. They mostly played newer songs, several of which can be found on their new Fury Oh Fury EP, but they also delved into their past for a couple of my personal favorites like “Gravity” and the powerful “Beast” which Aja joyfully (and somewhat tearfully) announced is currently charting on iTunes (a first for the band).

The event was for the release of a new video game, Bioshock Infinite, so gamers and music lovers alike were dazzled by the fierce love, fine craftsmanship, and rockin’ music on display.

Be sure to go to iTunes and buy the version of “Beast” from the new EP to help the group continue to rise on the charts. And keep track of Nico Vega as they will be coming back to your town soon I’m sure…

Link to EP: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/fury-oh-fury-ep/id596938064

Nico Vega on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicovega

Nico Vega on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nicovega

Here are a few of my pictures from the event:

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 3/25-3/31

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Kristen

I’m still riding that post-SXSW high. I’ve been stealing minutes here and there to process all the pictures and songs, bring faces back to the pile of business cards, and write and reflect on everything that happened so that I won’t soon forget. I’ve also taken some time this week to catch up with friends and share my stories. I was only gone a week, but it seems like it was much longer based on all that happened while I was gone. Hopefully (or maybe not) this week will feel a bit more routine. There certainly are a number of shows inhabiting my week’s schedule. Monday Night, Nico Vega plays a free show at Universal City Walk, Tuesday is Sad Robot’s last residency date at Hemmingway’s, Wednesday is The Milk Carton Kids at Largo, etc. etc.

Here are the rest of my selections:

Monday: Nico Vega FREE at Universal City Walk (9pm)
ALSO: Dinner and a Suit at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALOS: The Young Romans at Molly Malone’s (10pm)
ALSO: The Rebel Light and Family Wagon FREE at Harvard and Stone (8pm)
ALSO: It’s A School Night FREE at Bardot featuring Kiven (9pm)
ALSO: Monday Monday FREE at Room 5 (8pm)

Tuesday: Robert Francis and Jesse Thomas at The Hotel Cafe (9, 10)
ALSO: Sad Robot FREE at Hemmingway’s (10pm)
ALSO: The Diamond Light at Central SAPC (11pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Tuesday’s FREE at The Piano Bar (8pm)

Weds: The Milk Carton Kids at Largo (8pm)
ALSO: Joe Firstman at WitZend (8:15)
ALSO: David & Devine at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Badass Bands Blog Show at Silverlake Lounge featuring Cinderella MOTEL, Tic Tic Boom! (8pm)
ALSO: Mika at The El Rey (8pm)

Thursday: Sonia Rao and Elliot Yamin at WitZend (9, 10)
ALSO: Other Side of Morning at On the Rox (8:30)
ALSO: Morgan Karr at Room 5 (8pm)
ALSO: Rumours: The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute (10pm)
ALSO: Picture Atlantic and Franky Perez and The Truth at The Viper Room (8, 11)
ALSO: Vans Warped Tour Kick-Off Party at Club Nokia featuring Dia Frampton and Beware of Darkness (7pm)

Friday: Denny White at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)…CD Release
ALSO: Sabrosa Purr at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Fine at Molly Malone’s (9:40)
ALSO: Icarus Landing FREE at The Slidebar (8pm)

Saturday: Yellow Red Sparks, Kris Orlowski, The Last Bison at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: Inara George at McCabe’s (8pm AND 10pm)
ALSO: Trapt at The Troubadour (11pm)
ALSO: Sound City screening with performances by Josh Boyd and Raw Geromino FREE at Bootleg Gallery (8pm)

Sunday: Happy Easter!

To Keep in Mind:
April 3^rd: William Beckett at The Hotel Cafe
April 4^th: NO at The Troubadour
April 9^th: Andrew Ripp at The Hotel Cafe
April 10^th: Curtis Peoples at The Roxy
April 16^th: The Neighbourhood at The El Rey
April 17^th: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Cafe
April 18^th: Little Green Cars at The Troubadour
April 20^th: Tyrone Wells and Wakey!Wakey! at The Troubadour
April 23^rd: The Revival Tour at The El Rey
April 25^th: Dear Boy at Bootleg Bar
April 26^th: Chappo at The Satellite
May 2^nd: Lights at The El Rey
May 2^nd: Crash Kings at Saint Rocke
May 2^nd: Meiko at Los Globos
May 4^th: The Brobecks at Amplyfi
May 7^th: Tom Odell at The Troubadour
May 7^th: Dinner and a Suit at The Roxy
May 8^th/9^th: Milk Carton Kids at Largo
May 12^th: Stephen Kellogg at The Hotel Cafe
May 15^th: Andrew McMahon at The Troubadour
May 18-19^th: Overture Con at The Mint
May 22^nd: Youngblood Hawke at Avalon
May 24^th: Sir Sly at The Troubadour
May 29^th/30^th: Imagine Dragons at Hollywood Palladium
June 1^st: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at The Wiltern
June 5^th: Jewel at Saban Theatre
June 6^th: Capital Cities at The El Rey
August 19^th/20^th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center

~ Kristen

SXSW ’13 – Day 6

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Kristen

I know I tweeted this earlier, but I must reiterate that SXSW is a magical place. And not just because of the amazing assortment of musical options. Things just happen here that don’t happen anywhere else. Today was a prime example, full of surprise after joyous surprise. A day when everything I wanted just sort of came to be…
This morning after checking out some music from The Sheepdogs and Pujol at The Rachael Ray party at Stubb’s, we opted not to wait in the line for food. We caught a cab to Cedar Street where we saw a couple Norwegian bands and sipped on cranberry ginger ale mixed drinks. My first “must see” of the day was BOY at Peckerhead’s (on the other side of town) and I found myself in want of two things, a ride and some food. As soon as I put that out in the universe, the magic of SXSW responded. First, the ride. I happened across a bar on wheels. I stopped to take a picture and ended up getting a lift up the street…on a bar… Walking down sixth, I passed a sign at Maggie Mae’s that indicated a band called The Falls was about to play. I had some extra time (due to the lift) and the band was on my “to see” list, so I decided to walk in. Inside the venue, people were walking around with plates of food. Turned out, there was free BBQ upstairs! And there I had it, a ride and some food! SXSW wishes granted!

The second thing I really wanted to do today was discover some new music. I did manage to catch some of my favorites like the aforementioned BOY and The Neighbourhood as well as the always entertaining Willy Moon and an encore set by my first SXSW discovery of the year, Moon Taxi (for this, there was dancing), but it seemed like most every other act I saw for the first time was a fantastic new musical discovery. The original plan was to see Bernhoft after BOY, but I was informed he was sick so I went back to Maggie Mae’s where I saw my favorite discovery of the day, Aussie singer Jack Carty, as well as a few songs from another promising band called Georgia Fair. I only left Maggie’s to go check out a band recommendation, Super Water Sympathy who were also impressive (and had bubbles!).

For dinner, I ate the rest of my Australian pie from the BBQ (yes, I carried that one in my bag all day) and some spring rolls from the Thai place Amanda wanted to try. Post dinner sampling included Cave Paintings, Bronze Radio Return (who foresquare informed me I had seen before?) and Dessa who played a set at The Blind Pig right after the surprise guest of the Mackelmore (seriously that guy is everywhere).

The evening was centered around the third thing I really wanted to do today which was my most anticipated, can’t miss big show. While others were waiting in ginormous lines to try to see Prince, Justin Timberlake, or The Smashing Pumpkins (all playing tonight), I was all abuzz at The VEVO TV Control Room anxiously awaiting the final set of my British rockers, Leogun. And let me tell you, it was exactly what I wished for. It was the longest set I’ve seen the band do and included a couple songs I had not heard live (including the elusive “Drunk Enough”). I was able to get two of my friends to experience the band for the first time and the audience, including kilt-wearing men dressed in green for St. Patty’s day, all seemed to be having a blast. I snatched the set list, got it authenticated, and briefly chatted with the LG crew before taking off to start the long journey home.

One final stop at Cedar Street for a couple Frank Turner tunes at The Revival Tour and we walked back to the hotel contemplating the beauty that is SXSW. I am already counting down the days until next year.

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 3/18-3/24

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Kristen

SXSW is done! I am sad. I hope you were able to catch up with our recaps. You can find out what we’ve been up to at the following links:

http://www.iamhighvoltage.com/festivals/

http://www.youtube.com/user/highvoltagemag?feature=watch

Once I get back, I’m aiming to put together a list and mix of my favorite SXSW artists…plus, a giant photo album that I’ll be posting here:

we head back to CA and I’m looking forward to jumping right back into the swing of things with some shows. My pick of the week would be going to the Imagine Dragons show with Nico Vega and Atlas Genius (what a line-up!!) but I don’t have a ticket to that sold out show. Instead, I’ll direct you to Tuesday night where we have a plethora of great musical options. Since Everything Everything weren’t able to be at SXSW, I think that’s where I’ll be. I’m also looking forward to both The Rubens and Finish Ticket at The Hotel Cafe Thursday night.

Here’s what else I have on my list (note: list compiled a week ago so it might not be complete, but I’ll try to update as new things come up):

Monday: Nikki Leonti at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Monday Monday at Room 5 (8pm)

Tuesday: Everything Everything at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Jack Carty at Room 5 (8pm)
ALSO: Ivan & Alyosha with Tall Tales and Silver Lining, and Daniel Ahearn & The Jones at The Echo (8:30)
ALSO: Sad Robot at Hemmingways (9pm)
ALSO: Parade of Lights at Bootleg Bar (10pm)
ALSO: Robert Francis, Bernhoft, Cheers Elephant at The Hotel Cafe (9, 10:30, 11:30)
ALSO: Of Verona and Y Luv at Central SAPC (8,11)
ALSO: Lianna La Havas with Jamie N Commons at The El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Josh Ritter & The Royal City Band with Lake Street Drive at The Fonda Theatre (9pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Tuesdays FREE at The Piano Bar (8pm)

Weds: Icarus Landing with Capsolin and Bullet & Snowfox at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Joe Firstman at Saint Rocke (8:30)
ALSO: Bernhoft with Javier Dunn, Mind The Gap, and David & Devine at The Hotel Cafe (7, 9, 10)
ALSO: Nico Vega, Atlas Genius, Imagine Dragons at The Wiltern (6:30)
ALSO: Charlotte Church at The Troubadour (9:30)
ALSO: Madi Diaz and Faye at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: The Ten Thousand at SIlverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: Lianna La Havas with Jamie N Commons at The El Rey (8pm)

Thursday: The Rubens and Finish Ticket at The Hotel Cafe (8, 11)
ALSO: Sonia Rao and Elliot Yamin at WitZend (9,10)
ALSO: Adrianne Gonzalez and Maia Sharp at Room 5 (9, 10)
ALSO: Amie Mireillo at Molly Malone’s (8:55)

Friday: Vicci Martinez, Alexz Johnson with Charlene Kaye at The Hotel Cafe (8, 9:30)
ALSO: The Record Company at The Mint (9pm)
ALSO: Badwater at Amplyfi (9:45)
ALSO: Umphrey’s McGee at House of Blues Sunset (9pm)

Saturday: Otis Heat at Central SPAC (9pm)
ALSO: Rin Tin Tiger FREE at TRiP (8pm)
ALSO: Faye and The Rudimental at The Troubadour (8:30, 10)
ALSO: Umphrey’s McGee at House of Blues Sunset (9pm)

Sunday: Janis Ian at McCabe’s (7pm)
ALSO: Sunday Lane at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Jason Manns at The House of Blues Foundation Room (8pm)

To Keep in Mind:
March 25^th: Dinner and a Suit at The Hotel Cafe
March 27^th: Mika at The El Rey
March 27^th: Milk Carton Kids at Largo
April 3^rd: William Beckett at The Hotel Café
April 4^th: NO at The Troubadour
April 9^th: Andrew Ripp at The Hotel Café
April 16^th: The Neighbourhood at The El Rey
April 17^th: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Cafe
April 18^th: Little Green Cars at The Troubadour
April 20^th: Tyrone Wells and Wakey!Wakey! at The Troubadour
April 23^rd: The Revival Tour at The El Rey
April 26^th: Chappo at The Satellite
May 2^nd: Lights at The El Rey
May 2^nd: Crash Kings at Saint Rocke
May 4^th: The Brobecks at Amplyfi
May 7^th: Tom Odell at The Troubadour
May 8^th/9^th: Milk Carton Kids at Largo
May 18-19^th: Overture Con at The Mint
May 22^nd: Youngblood Hawke at Avalon
May 29^th/30^th: Imagine Dragons at Hollywood Palladium
June 1^st: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club at The Wiltern
June 5^th: Jewel at Saban Theatre
June 6^th: Capital Cities at The El Rey
August 19^th/20^th: Ed Sheeran at The Staples Center

~ Kristen