Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 3/26-4/1

Last week my body finally retaliated for all the stress I’ve been putting it through. I completely lost my voice and have a nasty head cold. I’m bummed because it forced me to missed some stellar shows. Tonight I’m heading out to The Avalon for Belle Brigade/The Good Old War. Hopefully I won’t regret it tomorrow. Here’s what else I hope to be well enough to do this week:

Monday: Infantree, Vanaprasta, and Voxhaul Broadcast FREE at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: NO FREE at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Patrick Park at Bootleg Theater (7:30)
ALSO: The Janks FREE at Bootleg Bar (10:30)
ALSO: Ari Shine, Adam Bones, and Jack Littman at Redwood Bar (9pm)
ALSO: Laura Stevenson & The Cans at The Troubadour (8:45)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

 

Tuesday: The Stone Foxes at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: The Used FREE at The Troubadour (8pm)…playing songs from their new album, no lineups before 4

 

Weds: Ernie Halter at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

 

Thursday: Shane Alexander, Chris Pierce, Brother Sal at WitZend (8,9,10)

 

Friday: Lady Sinatra and Indians at The Viper Room (10:30, 11:30)
ALSO: Nightmare & The Cat and Lovers Drugs FREE at Dim Mak Studios (AKA Cinespace) (11:15, 1)
ALSO: Mind the Gap at The Hotel Cafe (11:30)
ALSO: Justin Levinson at Room 5 (8pm)
ALSO: Justin Hopkins at WitZend (10pm)
ALSO: All American Rejects at The Troubadour (8pm)
ALSO: The Silent Comedy at House of Blues Anaheim

 

Saturday: Tyrone Wells at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: George Stanford at Witzend (11pm)

 

Sunday: Mariah McManus and Charlotte Martin at Bootleg Bar (9,10)
ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill FREE at The Other Door (9pm)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
April 4th/5th: Dan Layus (of Augustana) at The Hotel Cafe
April 10th: Neon Trees at The Troubadour
April 11th: Mike Doughty at Bootleg Theater
April 12th: Joseph Arthur at The Largo
April 12th: Curtis Peoples at The Hotel Café
April 13th: Kill the Alarm at Room 5
April 16th: Band of Skulls, We Are Augustines, The Sheepdogs at The El Rey
April 18th: Dar Williams at The Largo
April 19th: Foxy Shazam at The Roxy
April 13th-15th AND 20th– 22nd: Coachella
April 24th: The Milk Carton Kids at The Largo
April 25th: Ben Kweller at The El Rey
April 25th: Dead Sara at Club Nokia
April 26th: Jasmine Ash at The Roxy
April 26th: Zoe Keating at The Largo
April 27th: Ingrid Michaelson at The Troubadour
May 2nd: Cage the Elephant at The Mayan
May 3rd: James Morrison at The Avalon
May 6th: Middle Class Rut at The Troubadour
May 8th: Snow Patrol at The Hollywood Palladium
May 10th: Jay Nash at The Hotel Cafe
May 11th: Imagine Dragons at The Troubadour
May 12th: Augustana at The El Rey
May 19th: Eric Hutchinson and Graffiti6 at The Troubadour
May 30th: Eve 6 at The Troubadour
May 31st: Greg Laswell at The El Rey
June 3rd: Deas Vail at The Troubadour
June 5th and 6th: Ben Howard at The Troubadour
June 13th and 14th: Phantom Planet at The Troubadour
June 16th: Thrice at Club Nokia

 

~ Kristen

http://www.localmusicnation.net/

http://twitter.com/#%21/_localmusicnat

NEEDTOBREATHE at Club Nokia- 3/20

Last night Club Nokia was enchanted by Southern rockers, NEEDTOBREATHE. It was one of those shows that was so good you found yourself coming home and immediately looking at the band’s tour calendar and pricing flights. I promised my friends some pictures so check out LMN’s facebook page for my album. Bonus: a clip from the encore song of “Slumber” which the band did acoustic and without microphones.

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Yeah, last night was just a little amazing…

Opening for NEEDTOBREATHE was one of my favorites, Ben Rector. It was a winning combination. If you don’t know Ben, be sure to check him out. Here’s a cover he did last night:

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photos: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.294704200599150.65907.192625794140325&type=3

~ Kristen

Amanda’s SD Concert Calendar 3/20-3/25

Well, SXSW is officially over and the recovery is beginning. I myself am still fuzzy brained and misspelling things but I think I’m in far better shape than I was last year. Since SXSW is over, most bands are continuing on their touring way and going home. This means more shows to go see! Of course, this is a short week on the calendar but the point stands.

Tuesday: Ani DeFranco @ House of Blues
AND: Switchfoot @ La Jolla Playhouse

Wednesday: The Lumineers @ Casbah @9 $10
AND: Allen Stone @ Soda Bar @830
AND: Cults @ Belly Up @9 $16-$18
AND: River City @ Riviera Supper Club @9

Thursday: Cartel @ Soma @6 $13
AND: A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Family Wagon, and The Heavy Guilt @ Casbah @9 $8
AND: Thursday Night Thing w/Little Hurricane and The Howls @ Museum of Contemporary Art @7

Friday: The Ting Tings @ House of Blues @730 $23-$35
AND: Little Fowl and The Donkeys @ Whistlestop Bar @10
AND: Gregory Page @ Lestats @8

Saturday: Truth and Salvage Co. @ Griffin @9 $10/$12
AND: Robert Schwartzman, The Relationship, and Jamestown Revival @ Casbah @9 $8/$10
AND: Lady Antebellum @ Cricket @7 $30-$80
AND: Heavy Glow @ Soda Bar @9 $5

Sunday: Rest!
Keep in Mind:

March 26th- Imagine Dragons @ 710 Beach Club
March 29th- Kevin Martin @ Bar Pink @9
March 30th- Into It Over It @ Soma
March 31st- Henry Rollins @ SD Women’s Club $27.50
April 4th- Hunter Hayes @ House of Blues
April 5th- The Howls and Low Volts @ El Dorado @930
April 7th- Transfer and The Blackout Party @ Belly Up
April 7th- CityBeat Street Fest w/Nico Vega, Hyena, and Heavy Guilt
April 13th- Coachella Weekend 1
April 15th- Rise Against @ Viejas Arena
April 16th- Elvis Costello @ Humphreys
April 17th- The Hives @ Belly Up
April 20th- Coachella Weekend 2
April 28th- Little hurricane @ Casbah
May 2nd- Say Anything @ House of Blues
May 4th- Thrice @ House of Blues
May 5th- Portugal. The Man @ 4th and B
May 12th- Delta Spirit @ Belly Up
May 30th- Horse Feathers @ Casbah @9 $12/$14
June 3rd- Mogwai @ Belly Up

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 3/20-3/25

Just got back from the long drive from Austin, TX where we spent a glorious week immersed in the musical insanity that is SXSW. Check out our site for some recaps of our experience (http://www.localmusicnation.net/). Also, I did some coverage for High Voltage Magazine, so check that out as well (http://www.iamhighvoltage.com/festivals/). Due to overwhelming exhaustion, I have little sense of space and time but I made a to do list and at the top is “put out this week’s calendar” so here we go! (p.s. I am writing this wearing a bunny ears and a tiara…leftovers from some birthday shenanigans).

Some people may be all showed out after a week of non-stop concerts, but honestly, I’m already feeling some withdrawal. Fortunately this week is full of amazing musical opportunities, including some new SXSW finds like fiN, Morning Parade, and Marcus Foster. Here are my picks:

Tuesday: Ben Rector and NEEDTOBREATHE at Club Nokia (8pm)
ALSO: Harper Blynn at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Of Monsters and Men at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: The War on Drugs and Sharon Van Etten at The Avalon (8pm)
ALSO: The Driftwood Singers at The Satellite (9pm)

 

Weds: Tournament of Hearts, Satellite, Boyce Avenue at The Avalon (7pm)
ALSO: Paul McDonald at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Of Monsters and Men at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Wicker at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: The Watkins Family Hour at The Largo (8:30)
ALSO: The Naked and Famous at The Wiltern (8pm)
ALSO: The Ting Tings at The El Rey (9pm)

 

Thursday: The Lumineers at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Morning Parade, The Other Side of Morning, Zero1, Oedipus at The Roxy (7pm)
ALSO: Eddie Cohn at Genghis Cohen (9pm)
ALSO: The Ting Tings at The El Rey (9pm)

Friday: Brian Wright and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour (9, 10)…this is last Truth & Salvage show in LA before the band moves to Nashville
ALSO: Marcus Foster, The Lumineers and Whispertown Record Release Show with Buddy, Haim, Jonathan Rice, etc. (7, 9, 11)
ALSO: Juke Kartel and fIN at The Viper Room (11, 12)
ALSO: The Nervous Wreckords and Robert Schwartzman at The Satellite (9pm)

 

Saturday: Marcus Foster and Jesse Thomas at The Hotel Cafe (7, 9)
ALSO: Run Run Run at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Allen Stone at The Troubadour (10:15)

 

Sunday: Allen Stone at The Troubadour (10:15)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
March 30th: All American Rejects at The Troubadour
March 31st: Tyrone Wells at The Roxy
April 1st: Charlotte Martin at The Bootleg Bar
April 4th/5th: Dan Layus (of Augustana) at The Hotel Cafe
April 10th: Neon Trees at The Troubadour
April 11th: Mike Doughty at Bootleg Theater
April 12th: Joseph Arthur at The Largo
April 18th: Dar Williams at The Largo
April 19th: Foxy Shazam at The Roxy
April 13th-15th AND 20th– 22nd: Coachella
April 24th: The Milk Carton Kids at The Largo
April 25th: Ben Kweller at The El Rey
April 26th: Jasmine Ash at The Roxy
April 26th: Zoe Keating at The Largo
April 27th: Ingrid Michaelson at The Troubadour
May 2nd: Cage the Elephant at The Mayan
May 3rd: James Morrison at The Avalon
May 8th: Snow Patrol at The Hollywood Palladium
May 10th: Jay Nash at The Hotel Cafe
May 11th: Imagine Dragons at The Troubadour
May 19th: Eric Hutchinson and Graffiti6 at The Troubadour
May 30th: Eve 6 at The Troubadour
June 3rd: Deas Vail at The Troubadour
June 5th: Ben Howard at The Troubadour
June 13th and 14th: Phantom Planet at The Troubadour
June 16th: Thrice at Club Nokia

 

~ Kristen

http://www.localmusicnation.net/

http://twitter.com/#%21/_localmusicnat

SXSW Recap: Saturday 3/17

Honestly, I’m not sure where to start this post. It might be due to exhaustion, lack of mental focus, or the blur that has been the last 5 days Honestly, I’m not sure where to start this post. It might be due to exhaustion, lack of mental focus, or the blur that has been the last 5 days catching up to me. All I can say for certain is that I had an enjoyable time.

Since I’m a little bit groggy, an in depth chat of the day will not be had. It started with Rachel Ray’s party with Bob Schneider and Imagine Dragons. It ended with an impromptu Daniel Beddingfield show (although I think Semi Precious Weapons was the proper ending). What happened in between was a blur of dancing and laughing with friends featuring bands such as; The Silent Comedy, Gary Clark Jr., K Flay, War on Drugs, Hey Marseilles, Jukebox the Ghost, Semi Precious Weapons, Husky, Ramona Falls, Graffiti 6, Nico Vega, Viva City, Tournament of Hearts, and Semi Precious Weapons again. All aforementioned bands are worthy of your attention. Let the pictures do the talking.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some sleeping to do before driving straight back to LA in the morning.

Oh and Happy Saint Patrick’s Day.

SXSW Recap: Friday 3/16

Today. Today was a good day. Nay, today was a great day! It seems that the severe lack of sleep and the intense physical pain of being on your feet all day that almost brought me down yesterday was nearly nonexistent today. Perhaps, my body is just adjusting to the sxsw schedule. As a result, spirits were high, adventures were had, new friends were made, and, of course, amazing musical experiences were around every corner.

Perhaps the good spirits stemmed from the fact that I got to sleep in this morning. We got up around 10:30 and made our way to the Motorola Moonshine Bar and Grill for a lovely breakfast of fried asparagus, spinach and artichoke dip, and a yogurt parfait. Of course there was also coconut water involved, because there is free coconut water at just about every event here (new trend?).

My morning musical selections were largely at Frye’s Showcase at Buffalo Billiards, with a brief interlude to the Paste Party where I was reminded of how much I enjoy The Lumineers. At BB’s, I got a taste of Tribes, my first Imagine Dragons set of SXSW, a lovely show from Honeyhoney, and a killer/blow your socks off/face melting experience with Dead Sara. The Dead Sara set marked the second afternoon mosh pit I’ve been involve with in the last two days (yesterday’s was Semi Precious Weapons).  Seeing them makes me so happy, but at the same time sad in the realization that they are soon to blow up and I’ll no longer be able to see them in such intimate venues.

Unfortunately, Dead Sara’s set started late and ended up conflicting directly with The Silent Comedy’s show at The Bayou Lounge. The upside of this was that it helped establish my afternoon plan of going over to Quantum Collective’s party on the Whole Foods Rooftop where we enjoyed eating Oogies popcorn (my fave popcorn brand) and dancing to Voxhaul Broadcast, The Silent Comedy, and Imagine Dragons. It was a little windy up on the roof and hats went flying during The Silent Comedy set, but the guys put on a great performance and sang us a new song.  A dance party broke out during Imagine Dragon’s last song…apparently this was filmed as we all had to sign waivers (who knows where an image of me looking ridiculous might end up).

After stuffing my bag with the delicious free snacks lying around (granola bars, pirate’s booty, popcorn, coconut water- of course) we headed back over to the east side for our evening. I rocked out to a couple songs from Bethpage Black before venturing to Stubb’s to see Ed Sheeran. Not only did I completely fall in love with this Brit and his tunes, I somehow ended up in the photo pit and was finally able to put to use my press pass on my camera. After Ed, I raced over to Rusty’s to catch a bit of Queen Caveat rock the main stage before heading to ND to enjoy Free Energy (one of the best dance parties in town!). My final planned stop of the night was the ATN Showcase at The Bayou Lounge to do some more dancing with Queen Caveat and Wicker. While there, I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years. She is a huge fan of Wicker so seeing them and then meeting members of the band simply made her day. I don’t know what was more fun, seeing some great music or watching my friend talking to a fave band for the first time.

At this point, I thought my day was over. However, there was one more adventure to be had. I was walking back to the apartment when I heard a familiar tune hit my ears. I paused, turned direction, and headed towards the music. I ended up at Band HQ jumping up and down front row for Saint Motel. After their set was over, I chatted with a couple friends for a minute and headed home. Then I spent the next couple of hours recapping my day and catching up with my lovely roommates who had sxsw adventures of their own.  Now it’s time to get some sleep and do it all over again tomorrow. Here are some of the events I’m looking forward to for Saturday:

  • 10:30: Rachael Ray’s Party at Stubb’s featuring Imagine Dragons (11:30) and Of Monsters and Men (12:30).
  • Quantum Collective’s Whole Foods Rooftop Party featuring Allen Stone (12:30), The Lumineers (2pm), Ume (2:45), Graffiti6 (3:30), Rachel Yamagata (5:45)
  • 4pm: Semi Precious Weapons at The SoHo Lounge
  • 7pm: The Hotel Café Showcase at St. David’s featuring Rosie and Me, Erin McLaughlin, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Michal P Hinson, The Milk Carton Kids, Jesse Thomas, The Lumineers, Madi Diaz, FIrehorse, Whispertown, LP, Rachel Yamagata
  • 11pm: Maverick Sabre at The British Embassy (Latitude 30)
  • Late night at the Pure Volume House featuring Shiny Toy Guns (1:45), Electric Touch (2:30), Youngblood Hawke (3am)

 

I can’t believe it’s almost over…also, Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

Also, got some sweet swag today:

~ Kristen

SXSW Recap: Thursday 3/15

I think the mantra for SXSW this year is “I Will Survive.” At least, that was my mantra today. I am now 5 badges and 10 wristbands into SXSW and made it to 13 shows today. While I’m certain I could have accomplished more, my body was unable to handle the pressure. Well, it wasn’t my body so much as my feet. You spend the majority of your (entire) day walking or standing and that’s a lot for some feet to take if they aren’t used to it.

Thankfully the adrenaline from the music was able to abate the pain and I was able to enjoy the day (when I didn’t want to take my feet off). My day started and ended with The Silent Comedy. They proceeded to tear down (or maybe melt) the Velveeta Room and finished the set with myself, Trina, and Lauren onstage dancing and singing with tambourines in our hands and Josh on the floor in the crowd. It happens.

The day also included a full band set from Tournament of Hearts, a sampling of Morning Parade and another helping of Twin Atlantic at the swanky Hard Rock Hotel show. By this point, my feet are none too happy with me from all the walking I’d done the day before. However, the draw of Neon Trees was too much to resist. I walked to Antones and made it in just in time. At one point, I contemplated not attending but I’m very glad I made it out. New music and old music along with overall shenanigans that singer Tyler brings. Made m way to the Filter party and proceeded to win $10 from Amazon, which was not the highlight. The highlight was seeing Kaiser Chiefs from the VIP balcony rocking out to a packed house! Talk about awesome!

Despite the desire to take my feet off, I managed to make it through Penguin Prison and Semi Precious Weapons. It was time to rest for a bit before going back out for the evening to finish the night with Eve 6, Standing Shadows, Vanaprasta, and Nico Vega, and The Silent Comedy. Somehow, despite all the idle pain, there is nothing but happiness during those moments of music and i think that’s part of what makes SXSW special. But now, it’s time to stretch out, hydrate, and rest up because we are going to do it all over again tomorrow!