Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar 4/5-4/11

Posted on by Amanda

Spent my day celebrating Easter with my LA family and then out at the movies (go see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!) so once again, this week’s concert installment may be missing a few things. All these options are making my head spin anyway…all you really need is one…or maybe two.
So here’s what I hope to be doing this week:

Monday: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (8,9)

ALSO: Jakob Dylan at The Grammy Museum (8pm)

Tuesday: Paper Tongues at The Troubadour (8pm)

ALSO: Joey Ryan, Laura Jansen, and Jay Nash at Saint Rocke (8pm)

ALSO: Gin Wigmore at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)…another from my SXSW ’10 list

ALSO: Five for Fighting at The Wiltern (7pm)

Weds: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

ALSO: A Fine Frenzy at Largo at the Coronet (8:30)

ALSO: Beachwood Rockers’ Society at Crane’s

Thursday: The Janks at Molly Malone’s (11pm)

ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard, Rocco Deluca, and Honeyhoney at the Hotel Cafe (8,9,10)

Friday: Cary Brothers, Joey Ryan, and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Cafe (9-midnight)…my mind is blown at the greatness of this evening’s selection…also this is Cary Brothers CD release, so get your tickets in advance.

ALSO: Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (10pm)

ALSO: Owl City and Lights at Club Nokia (7pm)

ALSO: Nikka Costa at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: The Janks at Bootleg (11:30)

Saturday: Saint Motel and Mississippi Man at The Echoplex (8:30)

ALSO: Truth & Salvage Co. and Rocco Deluca at Saint Rocke (8pm)

ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill at The Loft (9pm)

ALSO: Olin & the Moon at Bootleg (10:30)

ALSO: Ben Gibbard at Largo at the Coronet (8:30)

Sunday: ??

To Keep in Mind:

April 12th: Butch Walker at El Rey

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

April 17th: Fair to Midland at The Troubadour

April 16th-19th: Coachella

April 21st and 22nd: The Glee Tour at Gibson

April 21st: Semi Precious Weapons at The Roxy

May 4th: Greg Laswell at The Troubadour

May 15th: Carney at The El Rey   

May 15th: 30 Seconds to Mars at The Greek Theater

May 22nd: Frightened Rabbit at The Casbah (in SD)

May 28th: The Silent Comedy and Dirty Sweet at North Park Theater (in SD)

June 6th: Mumford & Sons with The Silent Comedy at BellyUp (in SD)

June 10-13th: BONNAROO (in Tennessee)

July 10th: Lilith Fair

 

Mp3s

  • “Too Late for Lovers” – Gin Wigmore
  • “Ride”- Cary Brothers

 

~ Kristen

Can I move to Texas for a week?

Posted on by Kristen


The thing I love most in life is discovering amazing new bands. Close behind that on my list of loves would be when these amazing bands discover each other…especially when this leads to them playing together. This is why I am uber excited about an upcoming May tour which includes one of my newest discoveries, After Midnight Project, and one of my very favorite LA bands, Nico Vega. Unfortunately for me, this tour will take place in Texas. So, if you happen to be in Texas or know anyone who is, pass this info on…I will be jealous

The headliner for this tour is actually Chevelle who also puts on a fantastic live performance.

Here are the dates

May 7th: Scout Bar – San Antonio, Texas
May 8th: Lonestar Amphitheatre (also with Puddle of Mudd and Adelita’s Way)- Lubbock, Texas
May 9th: Midnight Rodeo & Piranha – Amarillo, Texas
May 11th: Toom Dos Amigos (also with Papa Roach and 12 Stones) – Odessa, Texas
May 12th: Stubb’s – Austin, Texas
May 14th: Las Palmas Race Park – Mission, Texas
May 15th: Concrete Street – Corpus Christi, Texas 

Texas will Rock!

~ Kristen

Kristen’s SXSW ’10 Mix- Part 1

Posted on by Kristen

It took a bit longer than I’d hoped…and wasn’t quite as exhaustive as last year (mostly due to the lack of free mp3s on the SXSW site), BUT here it is…some of my fave “new” acts discovered from SXSW 2010…okay some of these acts I already knew and loved, but I just don’t feel that you are quite there with me yet so I decided to include them.
Also, I’ve decided to spread the love and broke my list down into several, more digestable posts full of exciting videos and music.  Enjoy!

  1. “You’ve Been Warned” – Dirty Sweet 

 Have loved this San Diego band since I saw them (multiple times) on their tour with Nico Vega and Gringo Star. They recently released their second full length album, American Spiritual. I felt this track, from that album, was the perfect way to start off this mix

[vimeo 2662287]

             2. “Around the Bend” – The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

The obligatory “so that’s who sings that song” track. I must say Apple has good taste in music…

[youtube yq-aNkBc2_M]

                 3. “We Sing In Time“ – The Lonely Forest

This is one of those tracks I fell in love with before the chorus even hit…probably the first track I knew was going to be on this mix. The Lonely Forest is at the top of my list of bands I need to investigate further…and see perform!  The video below is an acoustic version of “We Sing In Time”…it really showcases what a gorgeous song this is.

[youtube 1kSm-rGvcls]

              4. “If You Care” – Doll & The Kicks

The slow song from their fantastic self titled CD. I had the pleasure of falling in love with this band when they went on tour with The Silent Comedy and Links. Just another band to add to my faves from across the pond list.

[youtube PkejnDpjdEs]

Part 2 of my SXSW ’10 Mix coming soon…

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 6/21-6/27

Posted on by Kristen

So, I finally get to the point when I can actually take more nights off and have my weekends back and I was so excited about the prospect of being able to catch more of the shows I long to see every week and then…I go and get myself sick. Bleck! But just because I’ll probably have to take it easy this week doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from all the great shows going on.
Here’s my dream list:

Monday: Carney at the Troubadour opening for Athlete (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (8pm) 

Tuesday: Adam Arcuragi at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)…PHILLY artist alert!!
ALSO: Automatique and The Shakers at Whiskey a Go Go (9pm)
ALSO: The Open Sea featuring Ari Hest at Room 5 (7pm) 

Weds: Abandoned Pools and Ashes Divide at The Viper Room (10,11)
ALSO: Lucy Woodward at The Hotel Cafe (10:30)…record release
ALSO: Josh Ritter at The Music Box (8pm)
ALSO: Hot Hot Heat and Links at Bootleg (8:30) 

Thursday: Kate Miller-Heidke at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)  
ALSO: Jonathan Clark at House of Blues acoustic lounge (9:30)
ALSO: Rick Cornette at Cafe Was (??)…plays keys for The Other Side of Morning…also has a solo project. Curious? So am I!
ALSO: Fitz and the Tantrums at Spaceland (10pm) 

Friday: The Rescues at The Troubadour (9pm)…Record Release show
ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Cafe (10:30) 

Saturday: The Silent Comedy and Jonathan Foreman (of Switchfoot) at the BellyUp in Solano Beach

Sunday: The Webb Sisters at The Hotel Cafe (8:30)
ALSO: The Shakers at O’Brien’s (10pm)
ALSO: Austin Hartley Leonard at The Foundry on Melrose
ALSO: Warped Tour in Ventura 

To Keep in Mind:
July 7th: Carbon Leaf at The Troubadour
July 8th: Michelle Branch at Greek Theater
July 10th: Lilith Fair
July 13th: The Silent Comedy and Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour
July 14th: Nico Vega at The Troubadour
July 18th: The Swell Season and Bird and the Bee at Hollywood Bowl
July 30-31st: Morcheeba at Hollywood Bowl
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center (with Lady GaGa)
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 7/19-7/25

Posted on by Kristen

Sometimes I feel that there is a correlation between how much I’m enjoying the music and how much money I spend on music-related items. This past week could go down as one of the best of the year music-wise. With two helpings of The Silent Comedy, a much anticipated Nico Vega experience, finally seeing Alex Band, being introduced to a fantastic new group (Imagine Dragons), and capping it all off by being serenaded with a couple of my favorite singer-songwriters (Joe Firstman and Jay Nash)…well, it will be a difficult week to top.
This week will also go down as one in which I spent a LOT of money for the music. I do go to quite a few shows in a given year, but I really don’t go to very many major ones. I see venues like The Hollywood Palladium and The Wiltern only a handful of times a year and places like the Staples Center and the Hollywood Bowl, I may not even see at all. But in the past week I purchased tickets to four major upcoming shows (The Dead Weather, The Black Crowes/Truth & Salvage Co., and Brandi Carlile/The Avett Brothers, Frightened Rabbit). I really feel that my inspiration to secure my place at these events stemmed from the state of complete musical bliss that kept me in somewhat of a drug-induced trance all week long. And let’s not even get into the merch purchases, Best Buy runs, and upcoming concert festival preparations that also contributed to my numerous trips to the ATM.

But I must admit that the thrill of seeing my inbox full of order confirmations really only adds to the general giddiness that has permeated the week and I honestly wouldn’t mind every week being so hard on my wallet as long as it is equally uplifting for my heart.

Will this next week measure up? Here’s the blueprint:

Monday: Victoria Clemmons, Abbot Kinney, Hellen Stellar at Molly Malone’s (7:30, 9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Christopher Dallman and Brooke White at The Hotel Cafe (8, 10)
ALSO: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round featuring Jay Nash and Amber Rubarth at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Mississippi Man FREE at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Train at The Grammy Museum (8pm) 

Tuesday: Charlie Mars and Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)
ALSO: Run Devil Run at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Ben Taylor and Katie Herzig at Largo at Coronet (8pm) 

Weds: Dead Weather at The Hollywood Palladium (7:30)
ALSO: Gaslight Anthem at The Wiltern (7pm)
ALSO: The Guggenheim Grotto at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Visqueen at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: Edie Carey at Genghis Cohen (8pm)
ALSO: Keane at The Greek Theater (7pm) 

Thursday: The Other Side of Morning at The Cat Club (10pm)
ALSO: Garrison Star, Jake Newton, Lelia Broussard, and Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale at The Hotel Cafe (8-midnight) 

Friday: Tyrone Wells at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Tony Lucca Album Release at The Mint (11pm)
ALSO: Vienne at Room 5 (11pm)
ALSO: Purple Melon at The Viper Room (10:30)
ALSO: Robyn FREE at Amoeba (7pm) 

Saturday: Pat McGee at The Mint (10:30)
ALSO: Pinback at El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Miniature Tigers at Spaceland (10pm) 

Sunday:  Terra Naomi and Dead Sara at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)
ALSO: Pat McGee at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: Bang the Gong Tour featuring Neon Trees, Paper Tongues, and Civil Twilight (SD) 

To Keep in Mind:
July 29th: Queen Caveat EP Release at The Viper Room
July 29th: Civil Twlight at The Hotel Cafe
July 30th: Dirty Sweet at The Viper Room  
July 30-31st: Morcheeba at Hollywood Bowl
August 6th: Endoxi CD release at Epicentre (SD)
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 4th: After Midnight Project at The Key Club
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

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 7/26-8/1

Posted on by Kristen

Still struggling with coherency issues so I’m going to keep this short. This week, like last, is jam packed with musical goodness. I’m especially excited about the return of a couple of my favorite bands to LA. Truth & Salvage Co. on Friday at The House of Blues and The Kin on Sunday at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. But really, that’s just the beginning of all the awesomeness going on next week…check it out:
Monday: Soul Puppet at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Aiden Moore and Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (10,11)…last chance to catch Aiden before he goes off to NYC
ALSO: Mississippi Man FREE at The Echoplex (10pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (8,9) 

Tuesday: National Rifle at El Cid (?)…Philly band alert!
ALSO: Moving Picture Show FREE at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Adam Lambert at Pacific Amphitheater (7:30) 

Weds: Bang the Gong Tour featuring Civil Twilight, Paper Tongues, and Neon Trees at The Glass House in Pomona (7pm)
ALSO: Adam Lambert at Pacific Amphitheater (8pm)
ALSO: Purple Melon and Meiko at Pershing Square (8pm)
ALSO: Guggenheim Grotto at The Hotel Café (8pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Rockers Society at Crane’s 

Thursday: Queen Caveat EP Release and Transfer at The Viper Room (10,11)
ALSO: Garrison Starr and Civil Twilight at The Hotel Cafe (8,9) 

Friday: Truth & Salvage Co. at The House of Blues-Sunset (9pm)
ALSO: Dirty Sweet at The Viper Room (10:40)
ALSO: Army of Me and Tyrone Wells at The Hotel Cafe (7,9)
ALSO: Morcheeba at The Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Saturday: The Nervous Wreckhords at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Viza at The Troubadour (11pm)
ALSO: Morcheeba at The Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Sunday: Amber Rubarth and The Kin at Zanzibar in Santa Monica (9pm)
ALSO: Terra Naomi at The Hotel Cafe (9pm) 

To Keep in Mind:
August 6th: Endoxi CD release at Epicentre (SD)
August 12th: Semi Precious Weapons at Staples Center
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 4th: After Midnight Project at The Key Club
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

Warped Tour Pomona

Posted on by Kristen

About a week ago, Amanda and I ventured to Pomona for Warped Tour #2. I’m so glad I went, mostly because it was another excuse to rock out with After Midnight Project, who, by the way, are coming home to LA to play the Key Club September 4th (get your tickets now!).
One of the best parts of Warped Tour Pomona, was the fact that After Midnight Project was able to do an acoustic set. The following video isn’t from Pomona, but AMP have been doing several acoustic sets, including one at the KIA tent that was captured and showcased here. I love it when rock bands break it down acoustically, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a band do it as well as After Midnight Project…

[youtube mvNglNn96VM]

Other highlights for me included actually being able to see Mayday Parade, hearing some of You Me At Six’s  new songs, and being able to sample several new bands. Amanda was a big fan of Dicso Curtis who gave me a new appreciation for Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and certainly put forth the happiest performance of the day (seriously, try to watch the band play and not smile).

[youtube XuV7KX9p8OE]

Personally, I was enraptured by the Arkansas-based Deas Vail, whose soaring vocals, subtle harmonies, and piano base drew me in like a moth to a flame. I was literally walking past their stage to go elsewhere when I heard the music and HAD to stop. I kept trying to leave, but I just couldn’t…it was too beautiful to look away.

I recognized the name of the band, not because they were openers for the Owl City/Lights tour that I really wanted to see, but because I had at one point told myself NOT to like the band as they won a competition to get their video on MTVU, beating my beloved Carney. Funny how these things work sometimes…

Here’s that video:

[youtube TvCatzMax24]

And here’s the song that hooked me: Birds

~ Kristen

p.s. pictures to come…