Watch This! Maverick Sabre, Harris Grade, Crash Kings

Just some videos I came across this past week that I thought deserved sharing…

 

Maverick Sabre’s “I Need” made my SXSW ’10 mix. He finally has a video and is releasing the single on November 6th. I’m keeping my eyes on this Londoner…I think you should too!

 

Local LA rockers, Harris Grade, put out a video for one of the tunes off of their new EP, Sea in You. I dig it!

 

It has been FAR too long since we’ve heard from Crash Kings. Love this band. Love this song. Always love a good acoustic version of a great rockin’ song.

 

Enjoy!

 

~ Kristen

Twin Atlantic: new single, contest, and US tour dates!

This morning I was casually listening to a live internet chat with two of the members from Scottish alt rock band, Twin Atlantic. Sam (vocals) and Ross (bass) spend some time answering random questions from fans and then played a couple of tunes from their record, Free. One of the songs played was “Make a Beast of Myself” which, incidentally, is one of my favorites from the album and their newest single.  The band just released a video for this song. What’s more is that if you watch this video and can find and click on the hidden link, you’re entered into a contest to win a guitar that was used by Sam in the “Time For You To Stand Up” music video.

I think this idea for a contest is genius! Even if you don’t win the guitar, you can still get a free song download.

Here’s the video. The hint for the contest is that Sam likes to paint…

 

Even more exciting than the potential to win a guitar, is the guarantee to see these gents live during their upcoming US tour with AWOLNATION (another band that made my SXSW ’11 mix).  They come to LA in a little over a month! November 3rd at The Music Box.

 

 

Finally, in case you were wondering, my favorite question asked during the chat session: “What is your favorite Biffy Clyro song?”

Answer: Ross: “Bubbles” (off Only Revolutions)
Sam: “Eradicate The Doubt” (off  The Vertigo of Bliss)

There is no such thing as too much Biffy in one’s life…:)

 

~ Kristen

To Do Today: Dead Sara, Ten out of Tenn, High Voltage Magazine, The Silent Comedy, etc.

I love to do lists! Here are a few items I would highly recommend adding to your list of things to do today:

 

WATCH Dead Sara’s new video for “Weatherman”: Dead Sara is my newest favorite band. Get to know them as they have the talent to take over the world.

 

DOWNLOAD Ten out of Tenn’s new CD, Volume 4, at Noisetrade.com. This is a fantastic collection of songs from an amazing collection of Nashville-based artists. You can download it for FREE or leave a tip of your choosing. I’ve had this CD for a couple weeks now and I LOVE it!

 

 

PLEDGE to High Voltage Magazine’s campaign to raise funds to release new print issues! $10 gets you an awesome music compilation full of  b-sides and rarities from the likes of Hurricane Bells (featuring Justin of Blue October), Shawn Christensen (Stellastarr) and Kevin McAdams (Elephante), Robbers On High Street and more to be announced. You can also pledge to receive a signed and framed poster from Neon Trees, tickets to a show of your choice in select cities, and more!

 

 

WATCH The Silent Comedy’s live performance at SofarSounds in Los Angeles. They play stripped down versions of “The Prince” and “Footnotes”

 

 

DOWNLOAD this week’s Daytrotter Sessions featuring the likes of Kina Grannis, William Elliot Whitmore, and The Dandy Warhols.

 

this just in! DOWNLOAD a live version of Scars on 45‘s song, “Heart on Fire” that will be featured on the next Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack.

 

~ Kristen

1 night. 4 venues. 7 bands: A Tale of a Music Enthusiast

On any given night in Los Angeles there will be a great band playing somewhere. I will go, enjoy the music, chat with friends and call it an evening. Sometimes, the gods of music seem to get angry with me and book too many amazing musical events on the same evening, thus forcing me to make somewhat agonizing decisions that, more often than I care to admit, leave me so paralyzed I don’t venture out at all. Monday night I choose to defy those gods as I successfully completed the near impossible feat: Hit up 4 venues in one evening. Here is my story.

It all started with one of my favorite hometown bands, Scarlet Grey. Even since I helped out on their music video for “The Sky & I,” seeing this band has been a bit like a family reunion. The boys of Scarlet Grey are taking off for London for a while and booked their last LA show for Monday August 22nd at The Troubadour.  In my calendar it went with indelible black ink.

Soon after, I was incredibly pleased to see that one of my favorite Nashville-based artists, Ben Rector, had booked a gig at my favorite LA venue, The Hotel Cafe. Ben doesn’t come to LA that often, so this was not something I wanted to miss. I went to ink it in the calendar and was dismayed when I saw the date already filled. Fortunately Ben played at 8pm and Scarlet Grey at 9:45 so I could catch both.. Excellent! A full and exciting evening planned with two great acts.

Things started to get a wee bit complicated when I met Bay, a musician in the band Some Hear Explosions, outside The Viper Room after The Veronicas show.  Bay handed me a CD sampler and spoke of this magical Some Hear Explosions show taking place at The Viper Room. He painted such an enticing picture, I was excited…until I asked him when said show was to occur. Monday August 22nd. Why Monday is often the most convoluted day of the week show-wise is beyond me. It’s MONDAY! Anyway, after listening to said sampler and cursing the goodness of it, I penciled in the 11:15 SHE set thinking that The Viper usually runs late anyway, so it was entirely possible to make it after The Troubadour…the venues are fairly close together.

Finally, during SSMF, a friend of mine pointed out two additional bands also playing on Monday. Chappo, a Brooklyn-based band I had heard good things about, was playing a set at The Satellite and The Constellations were going to be at The Bootleg. I really wanted to see Chappo because I juuuust missed them at SSMF, but their Satellite set fell right in the middle of my already inked in events, so I cast that thought aside. The Constellations, however, were playing at midnight. The Constellations are a band from Atlanta, Georgia. They make infrequent appearances in Los Angeles and I had been craving a live set since their CD came out last year.  I didn’t care about the excess driving, the time crunch, or the fact that I would be too tired to function the next day. I needed to be at that show! I penciled it in right after Some Hear Explosions.

Come Monday night, every little thing just seemed to be working out. Traffic was shockingly light and I arrived at The Hotel Cafe early. I immediately found street parking (something that doesn’t often happen for me) and I went into the venue to find the 7pm act, Korey Dane, still playing. I only caught 2.5 tunes, but I was impressed. Just as I was thinking, “I really need to see this guy again,” someone hands me a flier for BuskerFest, an event taking place this Saturday in Long  Beach at which Korey Dane is playing along with Everest , Jay Buchanan, and more.

Ben Rector took the stage shortly after 8pm and for the next 30min or so I was lost in his world. He played many of my favorites (“When a Heart Breaks,” “The Beat,” even “Hank”!) going back and forth from the guitar to the piano. It was only Ben’s second time playing in Los Angeles, but fans were out in full force, singing along, clapping unprovoked(!), and listening attentively to Ben’s stories.  There was Frisbee throwing, “Loving You Is Easy” got an improvised verse about grilled cheese, and throughout the whole set I could not stop smiling. My only complaint was that he didn’t play “Moving Backwards,” the song that first introduced me to Ben a couple of years ago. I still haven’t heard it performed live…and this bothers me greatly.

As soon as Ben Rector’s set was over, I left The Hotel Cafe to head to show number 2: Scarlet Grey at The Troubadour. On the way back to my car I passed by The Piano Bar. There was good tune-age coming from within, so I ducked in for a song. Turns out it was Waylon Payne, the guy who played Jerry Lee Lewis in the movie Walk the Line. It would have probably been a great night of music just hanging out at The Piano Bar (I spotted piano extraordinaire Brother Sal in the corner), but I couldn’t stay.

Heading to The Troubadour I was again amazed to find traffic to be light and free parking to be a piece of cake. I walked into the venue in time to hear my favorite Dead Country song, “Euro Thrash” and find where all my friends were hiding before the quickest set change ever occurred and suddenly Scarlet Grey were on the stage rocking out to “No Boys in the Ballroom” and “Fancy Blood.” The band played quite a few new songs that gave me the impression that they are aiming to up the rock factor, adding longer musical interludes and shifting the audience dance from jumping up and down to head banging. The set was over way too quickly but the boys came back out to do an encore which included “The Sky & I” so I was quite pleased.

I was even more pleased to realize I had some time after the set to hang out with The Grey Family for a few minutes before taking off to show number 3. The Viper was easy to get to and for the third time that evening, I made it in time to catch a few songs from the previous band (in this case, The Mulhollands).  I was excited to see the cat walk had been brought out and I spent the time in between sets saying hello to some familiar faces in the room and recollecting my last Viper/cat walk experience (Semi Precious Weapons).

Some Hear Explosions started around 11:30. Bay wasn’t kidding when he said a lot of effort was going in to that night’s performance. Lights, video, sound effects in addition to the runway upped the level of intensity for the already energetic band. Some Hear Explosions played a couple songs I knew from the sampler with such panache, it was impossible not to get into it. It was difficult to disengage 20 minutes into the set, but the call of The Constellations was strong.

I arrived at The Bootleg just as Robert Francis was ending (thankfully things were running late). I found my peeps and we recounted stories of our evening’s adventures thus far. Between the three of us, we had gone to 6 different shows before convening at The Bootleg. I was starting to fade but then the set began and before I knew it, the music had taken over and I was a dancing machine! The Constellations proved to be as good if not better than I had anticipated. I love bands that really fill the stage (there are six of them…and only 1 guitarist) and lead singer, Elijah Jones, has a unique voice that sits somewhere between groovy rock and growling spoken word and can hit the most perfect maniacal laugh with impressive ease.  New Band Love!!

The Constellations played all the songs I wanted to hear (“Felicia,” “Setback,” “Step Right Up”) and the set had put me in such a good mood, I found myself lingering at the venue for some time after the music had ended. I just wanted to retain as much of that magical energy for as long as possible. I don’t think I want to tell you want time I finally got home that evening/morning. At the end of it all, I had seen two of my favorite acts, discovered a great new artist, added a new band to my local must see list, and fallen in love.  For a music enthusiast such as myself, this was not a bad way to spend an evening. 7 Bands. 4 Venues. 1 night. Not bad…not bad at all!

 

 

~ Kristen

 

 

Musical Tastes (On a Date)

Every once in awhile, I go cruising through the interwebs all day and happen upon something rather golden. This time, I was going perusing through a particular site I like to visit on occasion called The Frisky (I have my girly moments, alright?) and came across this article about musical tastes on a date. Well, it wasn’t so much an article as a list from another site called How About We… and includes bands like Nirvana, The Ramones, The Pixies, Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes, Best Coast, Tool, Oasis, Prince, The Strokes and the like.

I’ve pulled some rather choice excerpts but you can view the full list here and part 2 here

 

David Bowie: You’re selective, but slutty.

The Arcade Fire: You spend the first third of relationship in a romantic frenzy and the last two trying to justify it.

AC/DC: If you’re a woman, you’re the kind of person who lets a guy move in with you after three dates because he’s temporarily homeless. If you’re a guy, you’re temporarily homeless.

LCD Soundsystem: You’re not the type to let your strong sense of irony ruin your good time.

Belle and Sebastian: If you hook up, it’s gonna get weird.

R.E.M.: You’ve got a big heart.

The Mountain Goats: You’re very serious about your feelings.

Van Morrison: You’re a romantic. Possibly with a slight drinking problem.

Nirvana: You’re angry and hurt.

Radiohead: You’re angry and hurt. But you’re open to getting some professional help.

Bob Dylan: You’re an asshole, but you don’t know it.

The Clash: You’re willing to work for it, but you’re kind of pissed that you have to.

The Cure: You fall in love WAY too easily.

Best Coast: You fall in love way too easily, but only for, like, a week.

Guns N Roses: You’re going to have to sex in the bathroom and regret it.

Joan Jett: You’re going to have sex in the bathroom and not regret it.

Leonard Cohen: You’re the kind of person that people get obsessed with for years. Too bad you’re too depressed to appreciate it.

Depeche Mode: You’re screwed up, but you know it, which actually does help.

Gogol Bordello: You sweat a lot and you have a nice smile.

Coldplay: Missionary position only. But lots of kissing and eye contact.

Paul Simon: You’re sincerely insightful about your relationship issues, but in the end you decide that it’s not your fault.

Green Day: You get upset over nothing all the time, but bounce back quickly.

Prince: You’re a little weird, but you make up for it by being a total sex machine.

U2: You’re very loving, but prone to fits of irritating self-righteousness.

Lady Gaga: You’re sort of obnoxious, but people can’t help but like you.

I can’t really pick just one from the lists. I have some R.E.M. with some Van Morrison and Depeche Mode thrown in. What about you?

New Music Tuesday 8.16.11: The Milk Carton Kids, Bird by Bird, The War on Drugs, Ten Out of Tenn, and more!

Another Tuesday, another barrage of new music. There are a few I’m looking forward to getting my hands on this week so I thought I’d share.

 

The Milk Carton Kids– Prolouge  

This is one of the BEST CDs currently in my player. I’ve said it before, but Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (AKA The Milk Carton Kids) are the second coming of Simon & Garfunkel…if Simon & Garfunkel could make you both laugh to the point of crying. There is no excuse for anyone not to get this CD as it is being offered for free on The Milk Carton Kids website. Pay close attention to the tour dates because this show is one you don’t want to miss.

“Michigan” is the first song off the album. It was days before I could move on to track to because I just had this one on repeat.

 

 

Bird by BirdWhile You Sleep

Bay area rockers, Bird by Bird, were in town on Saturday playing On the Rox. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this duo of Jonathan Devoto and Ross Traver, but of course Saturday was the day of a million shows and I couldn’t make it. Guess I’ll have to go the download route (http://birdbybird.bandcamp.com/) on this one as the only shows the band have scheduled are up in Nor Cal. Even though I’ll have to wait a bit longer to see them live, at least now I have something new for the ears.

You can listen to a stream of the album on AOL’s Music Page: http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/13

 

 

 

The War on DrugsSlave Ambient  

My Philadelphia brethren, The War on Drugs, have a new album. I’ve only heard bits of it, but some of my favorite musicians are associated with this band, so you’d better bet I’m going to go out and get it! Their 2008 album, Wagonwheel Blues, boasted tunes like “Taking The Farm” and “Arms Like Boulders” which still find their way onto my playlists. The War on Drugs is coming to The Satellite October 22nd.

Listen here to The War on Drugs live on NPR!

And an interview with Filter Magazine

Buy Slave Ambient here

 

 

 

Ten Out of TennVolume 4 

Ten Out of Tenn is a collective of artists based in Nashville, TN. Individually they are all amazing singer-songwriters, Butterfly Boucher, Andrew Belle, Trent Dabbs, Katie Herzig, etc. Together, the ten (or so) artists travel around the country together playing their music and combining their skills to form a sort of super group. Their albums, including today’s release, Volume 4, come across as compilation CDs, giving the listener a taste of each individual voice. I love this concept! Ten Out of Tenn is currently out on tour. I wouldn’t miss it…

Tour: http://www.10outoftenn.com/home#/tour

 

Itunes link

Because I just saw him last Friday, here is Ten Out of Tenn featuring Andrew Belle’s “The Ladder”

 

 

Other CDs coming out today:

  • Blue October has a new one out today called Any Man in America. I am a huge fan of this band’s debut album and am looking forward to see what they sound like these days. Their album today is only $3.99 on Amazon.com…this does not sound like a bad deal to me…
  • Fool’s Gold is a band based in LA I keep meaning to check out. Maybe having their new album, Leave No Trace, will encourage me to do so. They are playing at The Amoeba in Hollywood tomorrow, August 17th, at 7pm
  • The Parson Red Heads is another LA based band. I saw them open for Truth & Salvage Co. and I recall enjoying their performance. I’m hoping their CD, Yearling,  is equally enjoyable!

 

Happy New Music Day!

 

~ Kristen