Author: Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/9-8/15

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I must say, there are a LOT of festivals going on this week. Thursday is the Sunset Strip Block Party celebrating the fact that there will no longer be construction holding up traffic along the strip (YAY!). Saturday is the Venice Beach music festival featuring Keaton Simons . Then both Saturday and Sunday at the Echoplex is the Free for All music festival sponsored by When You Awake and featuring Langhorne Silm on Sunday.  And let’s not forget about Warped Tour  on Weds in Pomona featuring many fantastic bands including my new favorite, After Midnight Project. We could also throw in the North Park Music Thing down in San Diego which I’ll be attending over the weekend.

But really these festivals are just prepping everyone for next week’s Sunset Junction  and the, of course, Sunset Strip Music Festival at the end of the month.

As for what else is going on:

Monday: Of Verona and Soul Puppet FREE at The Troubadour (9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Matthew Jordan at Saint Rocke (8:30)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm) 

Tuesday: Jake Newton at Molly Malone’s (9pm)
ALSO: Holly Conlan at The Hotel Cafe (9pm) 

Weds: Keaton Simons at Cinespace (8pm)
ALSO: Warped Tour in Pomona
ALSO: Semi Precious Weapons at The Staples Center (8pm) 

Thursday: Soraia at Good Hurt (11:30)…Philly band alert!
ALSO: The Shakers at The Cat Club (10pm)…part of Sunset Strip Block Party (http://thesunsetstrip.com/blockparty)
ALSO: Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal at Club Nokia (9pm)
ALSO: My Morning Jacket and Avi Buffalo at The Greek Theater (8pm)
ALSO: Semi Precious Weapons at The Staples Center (8pm)
ALSO: Wartapes at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: The Northstar Session at Molly Malone’s (9:30)
ALSO: Freelance Whales at El Rey opening for Tokyo Police Club (8:30) 

Friday: Natalie Merchant at Orpheum (8pm)
ALSO: Soraia at Canter’s Kibitz Room (10pm)
ALSO: American Idols 2010 Live at The Staples Center (7:30) 

Saturday: Venice Beach Music Fest f. Keaton Simons (1:30pm)
ALSO: Rasputina at The Troubadour (10:15) 

Sunday: Langhorne Slim at The Echoplex (4pm)
ALSO: Mississippi Man at The Troubadour (8:30)
ALSO: Levon Helm and Jenny Lewis at The Greek Theater (8pm) 

 

To Keep in Mind:
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
August 27-28th: Sunset Strip Music Festival
August 28th: Something Corporate at Club Nokia
September 4th: After Midnight Project at The Key Club
September 18th: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium

~ Kristen

Songwriters in the Round Scores Again!

Posted on by Kristen

Last Monday night’s Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 was a bit of a fantasy event featuring my very favorite west coast duo of Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan and my very fave east coast duo, Isaac and Thorry Koren (AKA The Kin-currently based in NYC although originally from Australia). Although I have known both sets of artists (with The Kin, it’s been years), they had not known each other. It was fun watching them all fall in love with one another, as everyone had genuine appreciation for the art and the artist on the stage. After Joey and Kenneth did a couple of tunes, Isaac made a comment about how great they were. Then, after The Kin’s first song, Joey, with his typical deadpan humor, informed the audience that he knew after Isaac’s complement, they were just setting them up to blow them away.  And it just continued from there…

The two pairs, along with the always fabulous Joel Eckels, put on one of the best shows I have seen at that venue. Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 always seems to bring out the best in the artists and the spontaneous collaborations born from that kind of set-up are unique opportunities to see these musicians at their finest, pushing everyone on stage to become even better and giving Kenneth Pattengale multiple reasons to prove that he is one of the most talented musicians you will ever meet (he plays on neary every song…even if he’s never heard it before). This Monday night in particular, was truely something special to behold. The emotional intensity bursting forth from the stage Monday night quite simply left me melted in a puddle on the floor.

Fortunately, I was able to hold it together long enough to take a couple pictures, and more importantly, capture a song by The Kin called “The Boy Who Turned to Stone.” This song was one of the most memorable from the very first time I saw The Kin play. I haven’t heard it for years now and that they choose to bring it back out at this moment just adds to the memorable nature of the evening.

Enjoy a taste from that most amazing set and please please please do yourself a favor and go to Room 5 some Monday night (any Monday night really) and catch the Songwriters in the Round. It’s the best place to be on a Monday night in Los Angeles!

The Kin- The Boy Who Turned To Stone

~ Kristen

Biffy Clyro US mini tour

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Very jealous of certain cities on the east coast (and Chicago) right now! For a week in September my newest band obsession, Biffy Clyro, will be in the US for a brief tour. Dates as follows:

September 13th: Allston, MA at Great Scott
September 15th: Washington, DC at DC9  
September 16th: New York, NY at Brooklyn Bowl 
September 17th: Philadelphia, PA at North Star Bar 
September 18th: New York City, NY at Studio at The Webster
September 20th: Chicago, IL at Lincoln Hall  

 

 If you live in or near one of these cities, I’d highly recommend you go check them out! You can go here to watch all the band’s amazing videos including the newest for their single, “God & Satan”

Here’s an acoustic take on that song:

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And here is my fave Biffy Clyro song:

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And…I’ve just looked into plane tickets…I think I need help…

~ Kristen

Discovering New Artists: Ben Rector

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Ben Rector was one of the artists featured on my SXSW ’10 mix. I fell in love with his song, “World Moving Backwards”. The other day I stumbled across this website called noisetrade.com. It allows you to sample and download tunes from up and coming artists in exchange for promoting them to your friends on facebook or twitter…or even just sending out some emails. You can leave a monetary “tip” as well if you’re so inclined (you know you want to!).

I downloaded a few additional tunes from Ben Rector’s summer sampler and am very pleased to say that “World Moving Backwards” is not the only song of his I enjoy. I really wish this singer-songwriter from Tennessee would venture out to LA and play for us… As of now, no tour dates have been posted, but I will definitely be on the look-out.

In the meantime, if you want to investigate this artist further, check out his website, buy his newest CD, Summer Candy, download his free summer sampler, and watch some videos (he has some really cool ones, including the one below for his cover of one of my favorite songs “Free Fallin’”)  

[youtube MNCJTFhbzZY]

~ Kristen

Queen Caveat EP released!!

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Last Thursday night, The Viper Room played host to Queen Caveat’s EP release party.  Finally, we have some music to listen to from one of my new favorite bands! I have been overindulging all weekend. The EP, entitled Emptor, is available on ITunes…I would highly recommend one checking it out… 

To preview, go to the Queen Caveat Myspace page and listen! And while you’re there, download one of the tracks for FREE!

Also note their upcoming LA shows:

August 25th at King Kong
September 11th at Spaceland

my current fave track: In My Bed – Queen Caveat

Listen! Learn! LOVE!

~ Kristen

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

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I’m about to head off to the first of three evenings this week featuring The Kin, so this will be short.  I’m especially excited about Monday night’s Songwriters in the Round. But that’s just the start of a great week of music as detailed below:

Monday: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Isaac and Thorry Koren (The Kin), Joey Ryan, Kenneth Pattengale, and Joel Eckels (9pm)
ALSO: John Elliot at Genghis Cohen (7pm) 

Tuesday: FREE Lovers Drugs at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Matthew Jordan at Café Was (two sets, 7 and 8:30)
ALSO: William Fitzsimmons at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Circa Survive at Bootleg (9:50) 

Weds: The Kin at The Cactus Room at The Standard (7pm)
ALSO: The Hereafter at West LA Concert Series at West LA Civic Center (9pm)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise at Spaceland (10pm)
ALSO: Meiko at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: So & So at Molly Malone’s (11pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel at The Viper Room (8pm) 

Thursday: The Janks at The Echoplex (10:30)
ALSO: Everest at Bootleg (11:30)
ALSO: The Binges at The Viper Room (11pm) 

Friday: Lights at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: 100 Monkeys at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: We Are Scientists at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Silversun Pickups and Against Me at The Greek Theater (7:30) 

Saturday: The Janks FREE at Pershing Square (7:30)
ALSO: 100 Monkeys at The Viper Room (midnight) 

Sunday: I’m sure something will come up 

 

To Keep in Mind:
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
August 27-28th: Sunset Strip Music Festival
August 28th: Something Corporate at Club Nokia
September 4th: After Midnight Project at The Key Club
September 18th: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium

~ Kristen

FREE Music Downtown LA

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Weds night I found myself downtown at Pershing Square for a free outdoor concert featuring the unlikely combination of Meiko and Purple Melon. I enjoy both the LA-based songstress and the British rockers and the show was very Hotel Cafe meets The Viper Room in a park with food trucks and free lattes (AKA awesome!). 

What is also awesome is that Pershing Square offers these free shows several times a week ALL SUMMER long! Weds nights are sponsered by Beta Records and  Thursday nights go by Spaceland under the stars. Then the week culminates in another show Saturday night.  

To check out the schedule go here

So many great artists to look forward to…I’m especially excited about The Janks on August 7th.

Seriously, how can you pass up free music in a park?

~ Kristen