Kristen's LA weekly concert calendar: 3/1-3/7

Posted on by Amanda

Alright folks, it’s finally happened! Thanks to my musical partner in crime, Amanda, I have a blog! Amanda and I are working on it together (AKA she is doing most of the work…and I’m just posting my musical musings). The blog is entitled Local Music Nation. The goal of this project of ours is to eventually morph the blog into a full blown website where people can post about their favorite local bands based on region (this is how I’ve always classified bands).  And then other people can easily find good shows to go to when they travel (something I always struggle with) or just discover great new bands before they get too big. For now, we’re just covering LA and SD…and whatever other places and groups we happen to be inspired by.  

We’re still messing around with formats and such and learning the basics of how to be a blogger. We are leaning towards using Tumblr (you can post mp3s on it for free) vs. WordPress (a bit easier on the eyes and, in my opinion, more flexible), but for now have both running.

So, please check out our sites and let us know what you think. Any comments, suggestions, helpful tips would be much appreciated. From now on, this email will be posted on our blog (but don’t worry, I still plan on sending it to your inbox as well). But if you want more up to date information, concert reviews, info on bands I’m obsessing over or songs that are inspiring me…you should check out the blog on a more regular basis! Also, if you ever find yourselves journeying down to San Diego, Amanda will have all your musical needs covered.

So, check this out: http://localmusicnation.tumblr.com/

And/or this: http://thelocalmusicla.wordpress.com/

And onto the events of this week. Here’s what I’ve got planned:

Monday: Paris Carney at Room 5 (8pm)

ALSO: Aimee Miriello at Molly Malone’s  (10pm)

ALSO: Ari Hest at The Hotel Café (8pm)

Tuesday: Lucy Woodward at The Hotel Café (9pm)

ALSO: The Hounds Below and Miranda Lee Richards at Spaceland (10pm)

Weds: Vienne at Molly Malone’s (8:30)

ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard and Amber Rubarth at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Keaton Simons at Room 5 (9:30)

ALSO: Pawnshop Kings at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: Beachwood Rocker’s Society at Crane’s

Thursday: Joey Ryan, Jim Bianco, and Honeyhoney at The Hotel Café (8,9,10)

ALSO: Purple Melon at The Mint (10pm)

ALSO: Mike Doughty at The Troubadour (9pm)

Friday: Bell X1 and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Adam H. Stephens (from Two Gallants) at The Troubadour (8pm)

ALSO: The Bird & the Bee at The El Rey (8pm)

Saturday: Curtis Peoples at The Mint (9pm)

ALSO: Killswitch Engage at The Wiltern (8pm)

ALSO: Paris Carney at Molly Malone’s (9pm)

ALSO: Opus Dai and Visa at The Troubadour (10pm)

ALSO: Joe Henry at Largo at The Coronet (8pm)

ALSO: Benefit show at The Echoplex featuring The Submarines and Thao Nguyen (noon)

Sunday:  The Academy Awards!!

To Keep in Mind:

March 9th and 10th: Manchester Orchestra at The Troubadour

March 11th and 12th: The Silent Comedy and Transfer at The Casbah

March 11th: Joey Ryan and Melissa Ferrick at The Hotel Café

March 27th: San Diego Indie Fest featuring Metric

March 27th/28th: Bamboozled Left featuring Something Corporate and AFI

April 9th: Lights and Owl City at Club Nokia

April 16th: George Stanford CD release at The Hotel Café

April 16th-19th: Coachella

June 10-13th: BONNAROO

Mp3s

  • “Eve, the Apple of My Eye”- Bell X1
  • “I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing” – Mike Doughty  

 

~ Kristen

p.s. if you still haven’t checked this out, please do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkKufaZ84s  (and look for me!)

Friday Night

Posted on by Amanda

Last night was Nico Vega at the El Ray and there really aren’t enough words to some up what an amazing experience it was. It was the last show of the tour (edit: I stand corrected. They are off to SF next which is the last spot of the tour) so of course it was extra special and extra fun. The only problem I have with seeing Nico Vega is that they never seem to play long enough. It was a great show with old songs and new as well as some great intros into our favorite tunes.

I think on of the highlights of the night was a closing song done with The Soundtrack Of Our Lives. Nico Vega ended up on stage playing maracas and tambourines as rowdy and as loud as possible with Aja and Rich ending up on the floor a few times. I’d love to post some pictures but as Kristen already posted pictures from the other show and my camera battery is dead, such exploits will have to wait for Kristen to go through her photos from the night.

For all you SD folks, I wish I know of some shows going on down there. Offhand, I know that Moving Units is playing at the Casbah and I have yet to see a bad show there. If all else, check the Reader and Citybeat for some cues as to what to see. I promise next week to have something better for you.

~Amanda

“…your voice is echoing again through catacombs inside my mind…” – Breathless by Dan Wilson

Posted on by Amanda

Dan Wilson just blows my mind every time. The man is a genius.  Tonight at The Hotel Café he mostly played new songs which is great on the one hand because I was able to hear new brilliance for the first time, but on the other hand, so much goes unplayed.  He did manage to squeeze in my two faves “Breathless” and “Free Life” plus a good one from his Semisonic days (“Singing in my Sleep”) so I was left feeling completely satisfied.

The entire evening was full of amazing music. Jim Bianco is always such a treat to watch. He has this new song from his forthcoming CD that I think takes his music to a whole new level. But, of course, he sings that one right before a song that calls for strippers…

Joey Ryan is one of my new faves and deserves a blurb all to himself (forthcoming).

And my intuition about Scars on 45 was spot on! I have a very good feeling about this group that was just signed to Chop Shop Records and are working on recording their debut album…next stop for them: SXSW. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open for these guys…

Next up: Nico Vega at El Rey…NOT to be missed!

~ Kristen

I am being drawn to this band

Posted on by Amanda

  http://www.myspace.com/scarson45

They are called Scars on 45. I just heard them for the very first time a couple of hours ago. I am feeling inexplicably drawn to thier music…which is great because they are playing at The Hotel Cafe TONIGHT which was where I was planning on going anyway…now I just have to try to make it there by 6pm which is when This group goes on. Preliminary research suggests they are from The United Kingdom so come out tonight before they disappear across the pond!

Also playing tonight, a couple of my local faves Joey Ryan and Jim Bianco, as well as Dan Wilson who, in my opinion, writes some of the best lyrics ever to be put to song…NOT to be missed!

 ~ Kristen

Nico Vega at The Casbah – Kristen's Take

Posted on by Amanda

Yeah, so I drove down to San Diego with my friend Trina to see Nico Vega last night. This morning was tremendously painful, but it was definitely worth it. Nico Vega always puts on such a stellar show in San Diego. The audience was amazing, the other bands (The Loons, Soundtrack of Our Lives) were fun, and who doesn’t LOVE The Casbah?!? The set included a mix of the band’s newer songs (“Taxi Cab”, “Fe Fi Fo”) as well as some older fare (“So So Fresh”, “Blood Machine”, “Underground”), but regrettably left off a couple of my personal favorites (“Million Years”, “Protest ..?”). But of course they played “Gravity” and ended with what has to be one of the best closings songs ever, “Beast” (tied with Carney’s “Testify” of course!). The set was SO good that the audience continued singing well after the band was offstage, a plea for an encore that, unfortunately, never came.  Trina said knowing this band was kind of like being in a cult, and I tend to agree. Once you are introduced to them you can’t turn away. Your life is forever changed and your soul will forever belong to the power trio that is Nico Vega.

~ Kristen

Nico Vega

Posted on by Amanda

So tonight is a really fantastic show at The Casbah and while I can’t go, you should go and enjoy it for me! My other music half is driving down from LA just for the night for this show!! Nico Vega always puts on an impressive show (I remember Kristen telling me that after the show was done, Rich the guitarist threw an amp on his guitar!) and Aja has a beautiful voice to boot. Now, while you think I might just be saying that, let me remind you that I was an extra in the music video shoot for Gravity and we got a free show of sorts and her voice is better live than on the recording. If you have no idea what video I’m talking about go here.

When you fall in love with them like I have you can find them on their official website that has all sorts of goodies and will connect you to their Facebook and Myspace pages (or you can just click the links I gave you). Go and enjoy the show for me and I’ll pretend that I’m not stuck here at school until 10:30 tonight.

Aiden Moore Ep Release

Posted on by Amanda

 

A MUCH needed break from life lead me to Molly Malone’s tonight for my friend Aiden Moore’s EP release.  It was soul-affirming music…the kind that I grew up listening to. He even covered one of my fave Simon & Garfunkel tune’s “Kathy’s Song”. I would advise everyone to check out Mr. Moore (http://www.myspace.com/songsbyjohndavid) and the Good As New ep. I was also more than pleasantly surprised by the openers, Kris Karlsson (http://www.myspace.com/kriskarlsson ) and Abbot Kinney (http://www.myspace.com/abbotkinneymusic). I spoke to Jason Swanson, of Abbot Kinney, after the show and apparently their sound is usually quite different (more rock and less acoustic). I can’t imagine anything better than what I heard tonight, but I look forward to being able to hear their electric set as well as their forthcoming debut album which I’m told is in the works.  So many fantastic new artists to keep our eyes and ears open for…this is exciting!

~ Kristen