Author: Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 5/9-5/15

Posted on by Kristen

This week, electro dance pop group, Viva City, are in town all the way from the UK. These boys played an important role in my SXSW experience in Austin this year and even made my list of top sets. I’m quite excited to have them back in my life for a week. If you’re in the mood for some dancing, come to The Viper Room on Monday, Saint Rocke on Tuesday, and The Silverlake Lounge on Thursday. Added bonus, Monday and Tuesday my friend Eli James will be joining Viva City performing his unique set behind his one-of-a-kind light-up drum kit. The makings for a great dance party indeed!

 

Lots of good shows this week. Here’s my list:

 

Monday: Eli James, Viva City, That Noise at The Viper Room (8pm)
ALSO: Taylor Locke and The Roughs FREE at Silverlake Lounge (11pm)
ALSO: KT Tunstall with Charlie Mars and Meiko at The El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Dom Liberati at Bar Lubitsch (8pm)
ALSO: Ivan & Alyosha at The Autry (7pm)
ALSO: Cage 9 FREE at The Troubadour (10:45)
ALSO: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex (8:30)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

 

Tuesday: Viva City and Eli James at Saint Rocke (8:30, 9:30)
ALSO: Alberta Cross at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Pinback at The El Rey (9pm)
ALSO: Red Circle Underground at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)

 

Weds: Semi Precious Weapons at On the Rox (10pm)…FREE with RSVP (rsvp@semipreciousweapons.com)
ALSO: Beatnik Jr. FREE at 3 Clubs (10pm)
ALSO: Leighton Meester and Kevin Devine at The Hotel Cafe (7,9:30)
ALSO: Agent Ribbons and Le Butcherettes at Bootleg Theater (9,11)
ALSO: The Greenhornes at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Colin Hay at Largo at The Coronet (8pm)

 

Thursday: Viva City at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: Brian Wright at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Hayes Carll at The Troubadour (10pm)

 

Friday: The Creepshow at The Hotel Cafe featuring Ferras, Daniel Bedingfield, Shawn Hlookoff, etc. (10pm)
ALSO: Love and a .38 at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: The Kills at The Music Box (8pm)

 

Saturday: The Other Side of Morning CD release at The Loft (9pm)
ALSO: Andrew Ripp and The Daylights at The Hotel Cafe (11:30)
ALSO: Peter Bjorn and John TWO sets at The El Rey (8,11)

 

Sunday: Jake Newton and Schuyler Fisk at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: The Black Angels at The El Rey (9pm)
ALSO: Eisley at The Troubadour (10:15)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:

May 20th: Curtis Peoples at The Hotel Cafe
May 21st: Saint Motel at The Roxy
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
May 27th-29th: Sasquatch Music Festival (Washington)
June 2nd: Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box
June 6th and 7th: Band of Skulls at Bootleg Theater
June 7th: Death Cab for Cutie and The Lonely Forest at The El Rey
June 9th: Adele at Hollywood Palladium
June 9-12: Bonnaroo (TN)
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
June 15th: Augustana at The House of Blues Sunset
June 17th: Nico Vega at The House of Blues Anaheim
June 29th: Brooke Fraser at The Music Box
July 11th: The Head and The Heart at The Hotel Cafe
July 26th: The Indigo Girls at The Troubadour
July 28th: A Perfect Circle at Gibson Auditorium
August 12-14th: Outside Lands in San Francisco
August 18-20th: SSMF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)

 

~ Kristen

 

Watch This: Lovers Drugs “1925”

Posted on by Kristen

The third video from Lovers Drugs self-titled EP was released this week. It’s for their song “1925” and appears to be about a young woman watching a dance performance that goes terribly wrong. The band portrays both stage musicians and the woman’s saviors. Set in sepia tones, the beauty of the ballad and the dancers is in contrast to the more disturbing title cards announcing acts entitled “a tragic love is born” or “doubt triumphs over instinct.”  I enjoy the song, but I’m even more intrigued by the story in the video.

This video is just one in a series made for songs off Lovers Drugs’ EP. There will be a video for each of the six songs and together they will tell the story of this disturbed young woman, named Jackie. What we know so far of Jackie and her tale is what we can see by watching previously released videos for “Into the Light” and “Jackie Says”.  Jackie seems confined in this blue-tinted world; locked in a barren room, being forced to take medication… Her form of escape is provided by Lovers Drugs who sing to her, bringing color and light to her world.

I asked Dean, bassist for Lovers Drugs, how this new “1925” video fits into Jackie’s story. Here is his response:

“As you’ve already assessed, Jackie is a troubled young lady fighting her demons both real and imagined. You can see in the “Jackie Says” video that she is living in a mental half-way house. She often dreams of the outside world and flirts with methods of evading her surroundings whether that be a physical escape or a mental escapade, hence the 1925 theme.”

The full story of Jackie won’t be apparent until the complete 20 min. short combining all of the songs is released sometime in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime we can only speculate. How did Jackie end up where she is? Will she ever really escape or will she be confined to the world of blue forever? Will Lovers Drugs help set her free? What is the importance of all of those keys?

Okay, I’m really looking forward to the full video!

~ Kristen

For you to catch up:

 

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 5/2-5/8

Posted on by Kristen

Yes, there is a lot I could be saying right now, but my brain is fried from working all weekend, so I’m just going to jump to the point of this email. Lots of great shows this week. I hope to see everyone at The Roxy on Saturday for The Silent Comedy. This is a huge show for one of my favorite bands. Come support!

Monday: Xavier Rudd and Honeyhoney at The El Rey (7pm)
ALSO: Joe Firstman and Taylor Locke and The Roughs FREE at Silverlake Lounge (10,11)
ALSO: Battles at The Echoplex (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Lady Danville FREE at The Getty (6pm)…part of College Night at The Getty Center  http://www.getty.edu/education/college/center_collegenight_2011.html

 

Tuesday: Alberta Cross and Maxim Ludwig and the Santa Fe Seven at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney at Room 5 (10pm)
ALSO: Red Circle Underground and The Mulhollands at Saint Rocke (8:30)

 

Weds: Tony Lucca and Justin Hopkins at The Hotel Cafe (9, 10)
ALSO: The Pipettes at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Rhett Miller at Heritage Court at the Autry (8pm)
ALSO: Pint Shot Riot at The Mint (midnight)
ALSO: Chris Cornell at Ford Amphitheatre (7pm)
ALSO: James Blunt at The Wiltern (7pm)

 

Thursday: Amie Miriello at Molly Malone’s (9pm)
ALSO: Apex Manor and The New Division at The Echo (9pm)
ALSO: Chris Cornell at Ford Amphitheatre (7pm)

 

Friday: Fat City Reprise FREE at O’Brien’s (10pm)
ALSO: Tristen and Ezra Furman & The Harpoons at The Satellite (9pm)

 

Saturday: The Silent Comedy at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Fleet Foxes at The Hollywood Palladium (8pm)
ALSO: William Fitzsimmons and Satellite at The Hotel Cafe (8,10)
ALSO: Taylor Locke & The Roughs and The 88 at The Echo (6pm)
ALSO: Avi Buffalo FREE at The Getty (6pm)…part of Saturday’s Off the 405http://www.getty.edu/museum/programs/performances/saturdays_405.html

 

Sunday: I’m sure something will present itself

 


To Keep in Mind:
May 9th: KT Tunstall at The El Rey
May 14th: The Other Side of Morning CD Release
May 15th: Eisley at The Troubadour
May 20th: Curtis Peoples at The Hotel Cafe
May 21st: Saint Motel at The Roxy
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
May 27th-29th: Sasquatch Music Festival (Washington)
June 2nd: Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box
June 7th: Death Cab for Cutie and The Lonely Forest at The El Rey
June 9-12: Bonnaroo (TN)
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
June 15th: Augustana at The House of Blues Sunset
June 29th: Brooke Fraser at The Music Box
July 26th: The Indigo Girls at The Troubadour
July 28th: A Perfect Circle at Gibson Auditorium
August 12-14th: Outside Lands in San Francisco
August 18-20th: SSMF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

Vote Empires!

Posted on by Kristen

I am pleased to see that my favorite Chicago band, Empires, has made it to Round 3 (of 4) of the Rolling Stone cover competition for unsigned bands. This is most exciting to me because it means they are one step closer to being at Bonnaroo (AKA when I could see them play again). I’m actually really happy with all of the bands that made it to round 3. You can download new songs from all four groups here.

Below are a couple Empires tunes. If you have a few seconds, please go to their page and rank them five stars!

 

~ Kristen

Song of the Day: “Mother Mother” by Tracy Bonham

Posted on by Kristen

Since its release, I’ve been listening to a lot of Hugo’s Old Tyme Religion. It’s a great CD and I’ve been enjoying it…but driving into work the other day, my roommate and I made the decision that the general tone of the album was just too positive for our current state. Posing questions like “what in the world were you born to do” was just too much…

I needed to find a song that more accurately reflected my current outlook on life. I flipped through my Ipod until I landed on this song. Tracy Bonham’s “Mother Mother” fit so perfectly I put it on repeat.  Tracy may scream “everything’s fine” but we all know what she really means. Plus, it’s highly cathartic to join in.

I’ve seen The Veronicas do a version of this song live. Jess does a fine job with the screaming…

 

 

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 4/25-5/1

Posted on by Kristen

SO full right now. So so very full. The annual Easter party was full of friends and food and eggs that now look like angry birds…what more could you want!?! Why music of course! I’m trying to clear some room in my stomach for the french fries that will hopefully accompany more friends and some awesome tunes at Saint Rocke tonight…assuming I will be able to move by then…

I will definitely be able to move by Monday night because I got my ticket for The Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite the instant they went on sale (AKA wouldn’t miss it for the world). There are tons of great shows this week. I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully my work schedule will permit me to partake!

Here’s my dream list:

Monday: Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite (8:30)
ALSO: The Head & The Heart at The Troubadour (10:15)…unfortunately sold out…but if you don’t know this band from Seattle, you should
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: The Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex (8:30)

 

Tuesday: Madi Diaz and Joe Firstman at The Hotel Cafe (8,10)
ALSO: The Filthy Souls at The Piano Bar (midnight)
ALSO: Airborne Toxic Event at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Jonathan Clark and Satellite at Molly Malone’s (8,9)…last night of the residency!
ALSO: Alien Ant Farm, Finger Eleven, and Papa Roach at The House of Blues Sunset (8:30)

 

Weds: Joe Firstman at Saint Rocke (9:45)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise CD Release with George Stanford at The Troubadour (8:30)
ALSO: High Voltage Night at The Mint featuring Maren Parusel (8pm)
ALSO: The Ditty Bops at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: The Airborne Toxic Event at The El Rey (8pm)

Thursday: Purple Melon and Rival Sons FREE at Hard Rock Cafe (10,10:50)
ALSO: Little Hurricane at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: of Verona and The Canyons at Molly Malone’s (8,9)
ALSO: The White Buffalo at The Mint (10pm)
ALSO: The Airborne Toxic Event at The Music Box (9pm)

 

Friday: Queen Caveat at Bardot (11:30)
ALSO: Milk Carton Kids at Saint Rocke (10pm)
ALSO: Jenni Alpert and Rob Giles at The Hotel Cafe (7,9)

 

Saturday: Joe Purdy and The Milk Carton Kids at The Troubadour (9pm)
ALSO: Prohibition Rose and Inverse at The Viper Room (9, 9:50)
ALSO: The Boxer Rebellion at The Roxy (10pm)

 

Sunday: Thao & Mirah at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: The White Buffalo at Saint Rocke (9pm)

 

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
May 2nd: Xavier Rudd at The El Rey
May 4th: The Pipettes at The Satellite
May 7th: The Silent Comedy at The Roxy
May 9th: KT Tunstall at The El Rey
May 14th: The Other Side of Morning CD Release
May 15th: Eisley at The Troubadour
May 20th: Curtis Peoples at The Hotel Cafe
May 21st: Saint Motel at The Roxy
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
May 27th-29th: Sasquatch Music Festival (Washington)
June 2nd: Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box
June 7th: Death Cab for Cutie and The Lonely Forest at The El Rey
June 9-12: Bonnaroo (TN)
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
June 15th: Augustana at The House of Blues Sunset
June 29th: Brooke Fraser at The Music Box
July 26th: The Indigo Girls at The Troubadour
July 28th: A Perfect Circle at Gibson Auditorium
August 12-14th: Outside Lands in San Francisco
August 18-20th: SSMF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat