Show Announcement-LA

Have you been to Saint Rocke?

Posted on by Kristen

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

Have you seen Steel Train?

Posted on by Kristen

I really believe that Steel Train is one of those bands that cannot truly be appreciated until seen live. I first happened upon this band at Bonnaroo in ’08. I was blown away by their live performance and feel completely in love with the song “Kill Monsters in the Rain”.

 I had the pleasure of seeing these New Jersey rockers again this year at Coachella where they again reminded me of why they are one of my favorite festival bands. At Coachella they played a couple new tunes which finally came out last week on their newest self-titled CD. The CD, if ordered via the Steel Train website, comes with a companion album, Terrible Thrills Vol.I, which features all of the songs on their new album covered by various female artists including Tegan & Sara, Nellie McKay, and Rachael Cantu among others.

To get a taste of the Steel Train magic, check out these videos. Then come to the El Rey Tuesday night (7/6) to really see what it’s all about and fall in love with Steel Train.

An acoustic version of “Turnpike Ghost” from their new CD:

Tegan and Sara cover from Terrible Thrills Vol. I

~ Kristen

The Rescues: Let Loose the Horses

Posted on by Kristen

New Music from The Rescues out today! Their new CD Let Loose the Horses was just released. In celebration ITunes is giving away their first single “Break Me Out”. This is not the first version I’ve heard of this song. I’ve actually been following The Rescues for about as long as I’ve been living in Los Angeles. This song is included in two different forms on their first CD, Crazy Ever After, but that was before the trio of Gabriel Mann, Kyler England, and Adrianne Gonzalez added Rob Giles and became a quartet.

I first saw the original trio play at The Hotel Cafe…the same night as Meiko and The Kin (it was a great evening of music). I was instantly attracted to their amazing harmonies. The more I saw the band play, the more I enjoyed them. I had also seen Rob Giles open for Carney a couple of times at Molly Malone’s and when I heard he was joining the band, I couldn’t have been more excited. What I love most about this quartet is not just their harmonies, but how they can meld four very different styles of music into a singular group. Going to see The Rescues live, there is definitely something in it for everyone.

I was disappointed for awhile when going to see them as they stopped playing many of my old favorite tunes (especially “Matter of Time” and “California Rain”). However, I eventually became equally addicted to their newer material with songs like “Can’t Stand the Rain” and “Let Loose the Horses” as particular stand outs in the live performance.  I am very excited to finally have these and their other new tunes to listen to.

If you want to give The Rescues a test spin before going out to buy the album, their CD Release party is this Friday at The Troubadour. If you live too far away, check out their free single “Break Me Out” on Itunes and watch the video below of The Rescues singing “Let Loose the Horses” at the Kelly Buchanan Benefit (you can even see me in a few shots..ha!).

Also, go check out their first CD, Crazy Ever After…it’s one of my faves…

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 5/24-5/30

Posted on by Amanda

Hey All!

This is Amanda posting for Kristen. She has had a super busy and awesome weekend on the east coast and just flew back in (she left at 5:30 am east coast time!) to LA this morning. Needless to say, she is pretty tired and still running around going to lab and class. I don’t know how she does it. Anyways, below you will find her concert calendar. I’ll be sure to put mine up when I can…
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So…I’m still reeling from Saturday night. I have no words…actually I have five pages of words, but have decided not to post them here. Maybe someday I’ll do a proper write up of what was one of my favorite band’s last show ever. The end of the Jealousy Curve era is officially upon us. Saturday night was an intense mixture of tears, hugs, stories, and most importantly face-melting rock music.  This band has had such a major impact on my life over the past five years. I can’t really fathom my life without them, so I’m feeling a bit lost at the moment.  I’m SO incredibly grateful for Pawnshop Roses and the show that they played tonight (Sunday)…even if I did have to drive across the state line into New Jersey to see it. They reminded me that I still do have a reason to come back and visit my former and beloved home of Philadelphia.

Flying back to LA tomorrow in time for a full week of concerting. Might be a tad on the depressed side this week, so come out and enjoy some music with me! Here are the options:

Monday: Carney at Bardot Hollywood (8pm)…it’s guest list only, but they might still be taking RSVPs (http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/index.html)
ALSO: The Like at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Wartapes at The Silverlake Lounge (11pm)
ALSO: Filthy Souls at 19 Below in Santa Monica (8pm)
ALSO: Sweethead at Spaceland (10pm)ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

Tuesday: The Elizabeth Kill and The Other Side of Morning at The House of Blues
ALSO: The Airborne Toxic Event at The Echo (8:30)
ALSO: Kina Grannis at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

Weds: The Shakers at Canter’s Kibitz room (11pm)

Thursday: rest up for Friday?

Friday: Landon Pigg and Mandi Diaz at The Troubadour (9pm)
ALSO: Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (10pm)
ALSO: 100 Monkeys at The Roxy (7:30)
ALSO: The Parson Read Heads, Or The Whale, Olin and The Moon and Whispering Pines at Spaceland (8:30)
ALSO: big show in San Diego featuring The Silent Comedy, Dirty Sweet, etc. at North Park Theater (7pm)
Saturday: The Real Sunset Strip On The Rox (above The Roxy) featuring Links (10pm)
Sunday: Queen Caveat at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

To Keep in Mind:

June 1st: First Aid Kit at Bootleg
June 3rd: Mumford & Sons at The Music Box
June 6th: Mumford & Sons with The Silent Comedy at BellyUp (in SD)
June 10-13th: BONNAROO (in Tennessee)
June 25th: Warped Tour in LA
June 25th: The Rescues CD Release at The Troubadour
June 21st: Carney at The Troubadour
July 10th: Lilith Fair

~ Kristen

Footnotes and Mustaches

Posted on by Amanda

There are few things in life that are better than going to a show after “one-of-those-days” and feeling like the world has righted itself once more, even if it’s only for a few hours. There are plenty of bands that can provide a distraction for me but there is only a handful that can truly help me forget my troubles.

If you know me at all (or even if you don’t) you know I’m reaching the end of my college career (yay!) and there is nothing worse than the stress that tends to be exponential when the semester is nearly over (not so yay). I haven’t been around much (or really coherent) at all and wasn’t able to really get out and go to anything, until Thursday night. After a long time without any sort of fun or distraction, I got my butt down to Mustache Mayhem Part Deux to hang with my friends, The Silent Comedy. It was a fabulous event to celebrate the release of Common Faults which is their latest musical offering.

The birth of the record was at a party very similar to the one from Thursday and was in fact, the original Mustache Mayhem. It was a party to raise money for the boys to begin production on this record and it seems fitting at that the (official) release, everything close with a second Mustache Mayhem party. It was a nice bookend. I love bookends. Now, this wasn’t a show. This was a record release which also happened to be the debut of their new music video “Footnotes” which was shot and edited by Kevin and Rebecca Joelson.

Now, if you recall, I said this wasn’t a show but… I lied.

In true Silent Comedy fashion they played a few songs for the crowd in a not quite acoustic but not full band way and it was just what I needed. It was a different, unexpected surprise sound wise. Now, I’ve seen The Silent Comedy plenty of times in every fashion from acoustic to rowdy full band and this and this was a nice hybrid of the two. It was like if your two favorite foods (or desserts) got together and made babies (kind of like broccoflower but waaaaaaaaaay better). I digress.

Anyways, it was a night like that which helped me completely forget all my troubles until I realized I had to get home and get to bed. But for the time I was there, I was transported into another realm without deadlines and pressures and it was amazing.

I realize this post has been part “show” recap, part rant, part ramblings, part video post, and part mushy promotion (oh it seems like I’ve hit another ramble) but I also wanted to tell you all that these fabulous guys are playing a free show tonight at On the Rox in lovely Los Angeles. You should come out and see a proper show from these gents if you haven’t already. I also have it on good authority they will be premiering another music video, “’49” so come out. You have to RSVP to get in and can do so here. I hope to see you there! Oh, and I promise to keep my rambling to a minimum next time. Once I’m done with school (yay!) I will have my brain back in working order. Until then, it’s going to be a lot like this…

<3

~Amanda