Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar 2/6-2/12

Well…that was certainly an eventful weekend. Friday night I had a very ominous feeling before going to the El Rey to join a friend for Adam Gontier (of Three Days Grace) and Martin Sexton. At the end of the evening, I ended up in fascinating company at my fave late night eatery and I thought my gut must have been waaay off. Three hours later, sleepless and in the ER with a friend, my earlier instincts were justified.

Saturday, I cancelled my plans to participate in Tyrone Well’s music video shoot in Venice for sleep’s sake. Then it was an evening at The Rainbow Room and The Hotel Cafe with great food, friends, and music (the three essentials of any successful evening).

Today I had to cut myself off from the world and lock myself in lab as I had entered the weekend woefully behind on an important deadline at work and that I have two big presentation to give in the next seven days. This week is going to be rough…thankfully there are a few choice shows to pull me through. Here are my options:

Monday: Youngblood Hawke, Lady Danville, Useless Keys FREE at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Kyler England, Sweet Talk Radio, Shane Alexander, and Joel Eckels (8,9)

 

Tuesday: Queen Caveat at Hemingways (11pm)
ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill at Skinny’s Lounge in NOHO (9pm)
ALSO: Makepeace Brothers and friends Acoustic Nights at WitZend (9pm)
ALSO: Marcus Very Ordinary at The Central (8pm)

 

Weds: Millow, Marketa Irglova, Jake Newton and Garrison Starr at The Hotel Cafe (8, 9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Roman Candle Wars and Red Circle Underground at Bootleg Bar (9,10)
ALSO: Aunt Martha and Meiko at Saint Rocke (8pm)

 

Thursday: Harper Blynn at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Ben Kweller FREE at Amoeba (7pm)
ALSO: Kris Allen at The Mint (9pm)
ALSO: Oh Darling and Y Luv at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Joss Stone at The Troubadour (8pm)

 

Friday: Teitur and Aunt Martha at Largo (8pm)
ALSO: Graham Colton and Abandoned Pools at The Viper Room (9,10)
ALSO: Javier Dunn, Parker Ainsworth, Rocco Deluca, and Juke Kartel at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Dr. Dog at The Orpheum (9pm)

 

Saturday: White Denim at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: The Fray at The Troubadour (7pm)
ALSO: Ari Shine at The Mint (9:30)
ALSO: Judy Collins at Walt Disney Concert Hall (8pm)

 

Sunday: The Swell Season at McCabe’s (8pm)
ALSO: Twin Atlantic and You Me at Six at Chain Reaction in Anaheim (7pm)
ALSO: Jonah Matranga at The Hotel Cafe (8:30)

To Keep in Mind:
Feb. 14th: Twin Atlantic and You Me at Six at The Troubadour
Feb. 17th: Ryan Adams at The Hollywood Bowl
Feb. 18th: Mayday Parade at The El Rey
Feb. 19th: The Darkness at House of Blues Sunset
Feb. 20th: Milo Greene at The Satellite
Feb. 22nd: Will Dailey and Mariah McManus at The Hotel Café
Feb. 22nd: Imagine Dragons at The Viper Room
Feb. 27th: Dead Sara at The Viper Room
March 5th: Scars on 45 at The Troubadour
March 5th-6th: Dan Wilson and Rachel Yamagata at The Hotel Cafe
March 8th: Crash Kings at The Troubadour
March 9th: William Fitzsimmons at The Troubadour
March 10th: Nico Vega at The Roxy
March 13th-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)
March 14th: The Pretty Reckless at The HOB Sunset
March 18th: Dia Frampton at The Troubadour
March 20th: Needtobreathe and Ben Rector at Club Nokia
March 22nd: The Lumineers at The Hotel Cafe
March 24th: Ani DiFranco at The Orpheum Theater
March 24th and 25th: Allen Stone at The Troubadour
March 31st: Tyrone Wells at The Roxy
April 1st: Charlotte Martin at The Bootleg Bar
April 13th-15th AND 20th– 22nd: Coachella
April 25th: Ben Kweller at The El Rey
April 27th: Ingrid Michaelson at The Troubadour
May 8th: Snow Patrol at The Hollywood Palladium
June 13th and 14th: Phantom Planet at The Troubadour

 

~ Kristen

http://www.localmusicnation.net/

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

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/12-9/18

Currently sitting in the back of a conference room listening to a panel on music marketing at The San Diego Music Thing. I love this conference, both for the informative day-time panels and the nights jam packed with fantastic local bands. I just have to say that my brain is a bit mushy right now because Friday night I saw two of my very favorite bands, Nico Vega and The Silent Comedy, in the same evening and I’m pretty sure my mind was so completely blown that it is no longer fully functional. If I have time, I’ll do a more complete post about this fantastic event.

There are several shows I’m particularly looking forward to this week. Songwriter extraordinaire, Dan Wilson, is in town for it’s a school night at Bardot Monday night and mind-melters, The Silent Comedy, are doing a free show Thursday at Villian’s Tavern downtown. I also don’t want to miss SXSW find Tailor Made Fable from Montreal (Tuesday, Viper Room) and last week’s new music recommendation The Horrible Crowes (Weds, Troubadour).

But there are tons of great shows. Here’s what I’d suggest:

 

 

Monday: Big Black Delta FREE at The Satellite (11pm)
ALSO: It’s a School Night at Bardot featuring Gaby Moreno and Dan Wilson (10:30)…free with RSVP http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/
ALSO: Red Circle Underground and Fat City Reprise FREE at Silverlake Lounge (10,11)
ALSO: Kopecky Family Band and GIVERS at The Troubadour (9,10)
ALSO: New Liberty at The Viper Room (11:15)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

 

Tuesday: We Are Augustines at The Bootleg (10:30)
ALSO: Tailor Made Fable at The Viper Room (7:30)
ALSO: The Shakers at Molly Malone’s (9pm)
ALSO: Justin Hopkins at Café Boogaloo in Hermonsa Beach (6:30)
ALSO: Beachwood Rockers Night at The Piano Bar (8:30)…FREE music all night

 

Weds: The Horrible Crowes at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: The White Buffalo at The Bootleg (9:30)
ALSO: Cracker at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Some Hear Explosions and Nightmare the Cat at Club Moscow (9pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Edie Carey at Genghis Cohen (7pm)
ALSO: Fleet Foxes at The Greek Theater (7:30)

 

Thursday: The Silent Comedy FREE at Villian’s Tavern (8pm)
ALSO: Curtis Peoples and Boyce Avenue at The Music Box (7pm)
ALSO: Brian Wright at The Foundry on Melrose (9pm)
ALSO: Robbers on High Street at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Lex Land at The Echo (7pm)
ALSO: Lady Antebellum at The Troubadour (8pm)…need to win tickets through a radio station (Country 105FM), but this would be an awesome show!

 

Friday: Lobster Fest featuring Andy Clockwise (9:15)… http://lobsterfest.com/music/
ALSO: Kyle Nicolaides, Jason Diaz, and Muddy Reds and at The Bootleg (9,10,11)
ALSO: Viza at The Key Club (10pm)
ALSO: Michael Johns at The Viper Room (9pm)

 

Saturday: We Barbarians at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Lobster Fest featuring Eastern Conference Champions, Shadow Shadow Shade, He’s My Brothers, She’s My Sister, and more! (1pm)

 

Sunday: Nightmare & The Cat at Hemmingway’s Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: Of Verona and White Lights at The Viper Room (9,10)

 

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
September 20th: Howie Day at The Hotel Cafe
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Dead Sara and Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 22nd: Andy Clockwise and Queen Caveat at The Roxy
September 23rd: Inara George at Bootleg Bar
September 23rd/24th: Lee Dewyze at The Hotel Cafe
September 24th: The Script at Hollywood Palladium
September 24th and 25th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
September 28th: Puddle of Mudd at The Viper Room
October 11th: Rival Sons and Evanescence at Hollywood Palladium
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
October 17th: Youngblood Hawke and Imagine Dragons at The Satellite
October 22nd: The War on Drugs at The Satellite
November 7th: Lights at The El Rey
November 8th: First Aid Kit at The Troubadour
November 12th: Feist at The WIltern
November 17th: Marketa Irglova at The Troubadour
November 19th: Milo Greene, The Belle Brigade, and The Civil Wars at The Wiltern
November 29th: Rachel Yamagata at The Troubadour
March 13th-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

http://www.localmusicnation.net/

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/5-9/11

Looks to be another busy week ahead…and an especially good one for The Viper Room. I’m more than a little excited to finally see Our Lady Peace perform live…and on such a tiny stage (insert squeals of delight).

I’m also really looking forward to next Friday/Saturday as it is The San Diego Music Thing. It’s basically a mini SXSW in San Diego. Panels on music related topics then evenings crowded with shows, many of them at venues in walking distance from one another. Friday night we have the likes of Queen Caveat, Kevin Martin, Purple Melon, Andy Clockwise, Nico Vega, The  Silent Comedy, Endoxi, and Eli James…whew!  It’s gonna get a tad crazy…

But enough San Diego talk (that’s Amanda’s job)! Here’s what’s happening in Los Angeles next week that gets my stamp of approval:

 

Monday: Big Black Delta FREE at The Satellite (11pm)…starting their Monday night September residency
ALSO: Fat City Reprise at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: It’s a school night at Bardot featuring Nightmare the Cat and Carina Round (10:30)…FREE with RSVP

 

Tuesday: The Canyons FREE at The W Hotel in Hollywood (9pm)
ALSO: Lovers Drugs FREE at The Central (9pm)
ALSO: Eli James at Hemingways (10pm)
ALSO: Johnny Moezzi at The Foundry on Melrose (8pm)
ALSO: Ari Shrine at Saint Rocke (6pm)

 

Weds: Gabe Dixon at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: So & So at The Viper Room (9:40)
ALSO: The Muddy Reds at The Central (11pm)
ALSO: AWOLNATION on Jimmy Kimmel…if this is the only LA date they’re going to play then by golly I’m going to be there!
ALSO: Heart at Gibson Ampitheatre (7:15)

 

Thursday: Sabrosa Purr and Dead Sara at The Viper Room (10,11:15)…part of Dead Sara’s September Residency!!!
ALSO: Allen Stone at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: BethPage Black at The Mint (9:50)
ALSO: Colin Hay at Saint Rocke (10pm)
ALSO: Band of Horses at The Wiltern (8pm)

 

Friday: Taylor Locke at The Central in Santa Monica (10pm)
ALSO: Last American Buffalo and War Tapes at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: Hello Vegas at Bootleg Theater (10:05)
ALSO: Harris Grade at Amplyfi (?)
ALSO: Fitz and the Tantrums at The Greek Theater (7:30)

 

Saturday: Beatnik Jr. at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Amy LaVere at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Blue October at The House of Blues Sunset (7pm)
ALSO: The Kills at The Wiltern (8pm)
ALSO: Ray LaMontagne at The Greek Theater (6:30)

 

Sunday: Hello Vegas(8pm), Of Verona(9pm), Our Lady Peace (10pm) and The Shakers(11pm) at The Viper Room
ALSO: Lelia Broussard at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: The National at Hollywood Bowl (8pm)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
September 12th: Dan Wilson at Bardot
September 16th: Lobster Fest with Andy Clockwise and more
September 17th: We Barbarians at The Satllite
September 20th: Howie Day at The Hotel Cafe
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Dead Sara and Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 22nd: Andy Clockwise and Queen Caveat at The Roxy
September 23rd: Inara George at Bootleg Bar
September 23rd/24th: Lee Dewyze at The Hotel Cafe
September 24th: The Script at Hollywood Palladium
September 24th and 25th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
September 28th: Puddle of Mudd at The Viper Room
October 11th: Rival Sons and Evanescence at Hollywood Palladium
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
October 22nd: The War on Drugs at The Satellite
November 7th: Lights at The El Rey
November 12th: Feist at The WIltern
November 19th: Milo Greene, The Belle Brigade, and The Civil Wars at The Wiltern
March 13th-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/29-9/4

I’m still sad about the cancellation of Sunset Junction. While I enjoyed the psudeo-Sunset Junction party in the backyard of Dangerbird Records yesterday (I’m definitely getting the new Butch Walker record out this week), I was really looking forward to the Belle Brigade/Rooney/Hanson line-up today. I guess it’s all for the best. Now I have some time to catch up on work! Yay.

Other highlights from last week include my feat of epic proportions, finally seeing Brett Hite (such an amazing voice), the intimate Hotel Cafe performance from Needtobreathe (I was a puddle on the floor after that one) and seeing Michelle Branch again after six years (brought back so many happy memories).

What I’m really looking forward to this week is the recently scheduled TFDI performance at Room 5 Monday night. Here I was thinking I was going to miss all of their Southern California stops. And playing with Garrison Starr! I expect nothing short of amazing.

Here’s what else I have on the agenda:

 

Monday: Garrison Starr and TFDI at Room 5 (8,9)
ALSO: Chamberlin and Carbon Leaf at Saint Rocke (8,9)

 

Tuesday: The Howls, Pawn Shop Kings, and Fiction Family at Bootleg (8:30)
ALSO: Amber Rubarth, Allie Moss, Ian Axel, and Bess Rogers at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Moderne Man at The Roxy (7:30)
ALSO: Beachwood Rockers FREE at The Piano Bar featuring John Pringle (8pm)

 

Weds: Andrienne Pierce, George Stanford, and Johnny Moezzi at Silverlake Lounge (9,10,11)
ALSO: Queen Caveat at The Shore in Hermosa Beach (10pm)
ALSO: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Didi Benami at Room 5 (10pm)

 

Thursday: Fierce Creatures at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)

 

Friday: Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Terraplane Sun at The Echo (9pm)

 

Saturday: FYF Featuring The Head and The Heart, Avi Buffalo, Cold War Kids, The Weakerthans, Broken Social Scene, etc. (noon) http://fyffest.com/fyf-schedule/
ALSO: The Cordovas at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Sick of Sarah at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Jamestown Revival at Room 5 (10pm)
ALSO: Patrick Stump at Saint Rocke (9pm)

 

Sunday: The Cordovas at Cafe Boogaloo in Hermonsa Beach
ALSO: Dead Sara at The Slidebar in Fullerton
ALSO: Of Verona at The Viper Room (10pm)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
September 8th Dead Sara at The Viper Room
September 9-10: San Diego Music Thing
September 10th: Blue October at House of Blues Sunset Strip
September 10th: The Kills at The Wiltern
September 11th: Our Lady Peace at The Viper Room
September 12th: Dan Wilson at Bardot
September 16th: Lobster Fest with Andy Clockwise and more
September 17th: We Barbarians at The Satllite
September 20th: Howie Day at The Hotel Cafe
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 23rd: Inara George at Bootleg Bar
September 23rd/24th: Lee Dewyze at The Hotel Cafe
September 24th: The Script at Hollywood Palladium
September 24th and 25th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
September 28th: Puddle of Mudd at The Viper Room
October 11th: Rival Sons and Evanescence at Hollywood Palladium
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
October 22nd: The War on Drugs at The Satellite
November 7th: Lights at The El Rey
November 12th: Feist at The WIltern
November 19th: Milo Greene, The Belle Brigade, and The Civil Wars at The Wiltern
March 13th-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

New Music Tuesday! 8/23/11: Gabe Dixon, The Muppets, We Are Augustines

Here are the albums I’m going to check out this week.  If you’re looking for some new tunes, read onward!

 

Gabe DixonOne Spark   

Last week I downloaded Ten Out of Tenn’s Volume 4. One of my favorite tracks of the album is the contribution from Gabe Dixon. I immediately did some research into this Nashville based artist and discovered that he had his own CD, One Spark, coming out today! If the rest of the album is anything like “On a Day Just Like Today,” it will be well worth adding to your collection. You can listen to the entire album on Gabe’s website and buy the album there, on ITunes, or Amazon. Gabe has a couple Nashville dates (8/24 FREE at Grimeys, 9/4 at 3rd and Lindsley) before hitting the road with Ten Out of Tenn.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/one-spark/id455907522

http://www.amazon.com/One-Spark-Gabe-Dixon/dp/B004YAS9NW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1314125034&sr=8-2

This video makes me even more excited about this album…so many fantastic artist collaborations (James Walsh/Starsailor, Iain Archer, Alison Krauss, and my very favorite songwriter Dan Wilson)

 

 

Various Artists – Muppets: The Green Album

I love the Muppets. I also love OK Go, Weezer, The Fray, Alkaline Trio, My Morning Jacket, Amy Lee, Sondre Lerche, The Airborne Toxic Event, Brandon Saller, Andrew Bird, Matt Nathanson, and Rachel Yamagata…ALL the artists covering classic Muppet songs  like “Rainbow Connection,” “Bein’ Green,”  and “The Muppet Theme Song.” What is not to love about this whole concept?!? Also, any project that can bring about video collaborations between OK Go and The Muppets deserves recognition and flattery.

Buy it here: http://www.amazon.com/Muppets-Green-Album-Various-Artists/dp/B002YICN7O/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1314125456&sr=1-3

or here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/id452905746

stream it here: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/14/138984517/first-listen-muppets-the-green-album

And watch this…over and over again:

 

 

We Are AugustinesRise Ye Sunken Ships

I saw a poster for We Are Augustines last night promoting their upcoming performance at The Bootleg in Silverlake. Some kid was quite enthusiastic about stealing said poster. Since there were a couple bands I enjoy at Bootleg last night, I figured this kid could be on to something so I went home and googled We Are Augustines. Seems like this was perfect timing as they have a CD coming out today! I listened to the tracks they have streaming on the page and my ears were pleased. You can download one of my favorite tracks (thus far), “Book of James” for free on their website and judge for yourselves.  This Brooklyn-based band starts touring at the end of August and will be in LA at The Bootleg September 13th.

http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Sunken-Ships-Are-Augustines/dp/B005BDZL2I/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1314131150&sr=1-1

 

 

Happy New Music Day!!

~ Kristen

Gearing up for SXSW: Kristen’s 10 “Must See” Artists

TOMORROW, we leave for Austin. I’m in the midst of frenzied preparations. I haven’t been posting much these last couple of weeks, in part, due to the fact that every spare second I have managed to accumulate has gone to listening to artists I may get the chance to see at SXSW and preparing my lists and schedules.

I thought I’d share some of the artists I’m most looking forward to (a combination of old favorites and new discoveries). So, here it is. My 10 “Must See” Artists at SXSW ’11:

1. The Silent Comedy

These San Diego boys have been on my must see list for awhile now. Their growing popularity means they’ve been spending more time away from Southern California so I relish even more every chance I get to see them.

When to see them: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=208828575799105

2. Queen Caveat

I’ve gotta go support my favorite up-and-coming LA band. For those of you not in LA, don’t miss one of the first opportunities to see Queen Caveat play outside of their hometown. SO much love for this band!

When to see them: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109420832465650&ref=ts

 

3. The Kin

These Australian brothers are favorites of mine from back east. One of the exciting things about SXSW is that it brings together favorite artists from all over the country/world. Also, be sure to follow The Kin on twitter so that you’ll know where they plan to do their next musical robbery on Saturday in Austin.

where to see them: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=184993854877046

 

4. Empires

One of my favorite bands out of Chicago. I’d been itching to see them again since they opened for Biffy Clyro at Bootleg Theater.

where to see them: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150171769950225&set=a.499768780224.291271.62617580224&theater

 

5. Dash & Will

Two girls from Australia whose tunes caught my ear immediately. I’m even more excited to see them and buy their music, because finding their tunes to download in the US= nearly impossible.

where to see them: http://www.facebook.com/dashandwillofficial?sk=events

6. Dead Sara

I’ve seen them three times in LA in the last month or so and I can’t remember the last time a band has blown my mind quite this much. Any chance I’ll get to see Dead Sara, I’m taking!

where to see them: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-Sara-Official/124013447614437?sk=app_2405167945

 

7. SINAI

I’ve been wanting to see this new band out of Philly since its inception at the end of last year. I’ve been very jealous of all my Philly friends who have gone to their shows. Now it’s my turn!

where to see them: Friday 8pm: Austin Music Hall (208 Nueces) at the Monster Energy Showcase

8. The Lonely Forest

I adore this band out of Washington. They were actually on my SXSW ’10 mix. I was terribly sad to miss them play The Echo last week. I only justified my absence with the thought of seeing them play multiple times at SXSW.

where to see them: http://www.facebook.com/thelonelyforest?sk=app_178091127385

 

9. Twin Atlantic

They’re from Scotland and they’ve opened for Biffy Clyro. What more do I need? Oh, I also am loving this tune…

where to see them: http://twinatlanticonline.com/2011/02/25/twin-atlantic-to-play-sxsw-scotland-stage-in-texas/

ALSO: Weds 4pm at The PureVolume House (504 Trinity St)

 

10.Mother Mother

A band from Canada that I fell in love with a couple years ago thanks to the song “Hayloft”. I keep missing them when they come through LA, so I’m not going to miss out in Austin!

where to see them: http://mothermothersite.com/live/

 

Honestly there are SO many excellent bands I’m looking forward to seeing at SXSW…can we say “scheduling conflicts”..Here are a few more (still not even half of what’s on my list)

We Barbarians
Fitz & The Tantrums
Hoots & Hellmouth
Joey Ryan
Atomic Tom
Jamestown Revival
Andy Clockwise
Hollerado
Hugo
Chelsea Automatic
Jukebox the Ghost
AWOLNATION
The Blue Pages
The Gallery
UME
Saint Motel
Brooke Fraser
The Stone Foxes
Augustana
Allen Stone
Semi Precious Weapons
Fierce Creatures
Lelia Broussard
Halos
Nicole Atkins
Taylor Locke and The Roughs
Dan Wilson
Meriwether
Taddy Porter
Forrest Day
Scars on 45
Little Red Radio
Toy Bombs
Andrew Belle
The Deaf
Brett Dennen
American Bang
Ram’s Pocket Radio
Admiral Fallow
Makeshift Prodigy

 

We shall see how many of these bands make my final SXSW ’11 mix!

to check out last year’s mix click here

See you in Austin!

 

~ Kristen

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

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