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

Amanda’s SD Show Calendar 3/7-3-13

So it’s another Monda night and I’ve just realized that I’m going to SXSW with Kristen in a week. A week! This is my first time going and I feel horribly unprepared. I just feel mildly overwhelmed but I know I’m going to have a blast!!!

In the meantime, we have tons of music to look forward to this way. I like to think of it as a nice little kickoff 🙂

Monday: Tragic Tantrum Cabaret @ Casbah @9 $10
AND: Jamuel Saxon @ Tin Can Alehouse $8

Tuesday: Everest and Red Cortez @ Casbah @9 $8

Wednesday: Centerlight Pop @ Casbah @9 $6
AND: White Apple Tree @ Soda Bar @9 $8 adv/$10 day of
AND: The Midwinters @ Ruby Room @9

Thursday: Louis XIV with Lesands and Hot Moon @ Fluxx @9 $18
AND: Fever Sleeves @ Soda Bar @9 $8
AND: New Mexico @ Tin Can Alehouse $5
AND: Little White Teeth @ Casbah @9 $8 adv/$10 day of

Friday: Jay Nash and Joey Ryan @ Anthology @930 $12
AND: Tapedeck Mountain @ Casbah @9 $12
AND: Jake Newton @ Lestats @9
AND: Unwritten Law Performance and CD listening party @ House of Blues SD @730 $17.41-$27.41

Saturday: Or The Whale @ Soda Bar @ 9 $12
AND: Josh Damigo Night @ Lestats
AND: San Diego IndieFest @ Promenade Liberty Station @1130 $25

Sunday: Wendy Bailey @ Ruby Room @9
AND: San Diego IndieFest

 

Keep in Mind:

March 18th- A Scribe Amidst the Lions @ Casbah
March 20th- Devo @ Belly Up
March 24th- Kevin Martin and Fierce Creatures @ Ruby Room
March 29th- Fitz and the Tantrums @ Belly Up
April 3rd- A Rocket to the Moon, Valencia, and Anarbor @ Soma @630 $13 adv.
April 8th- Rise Against w/Bad Religion @ RIMAC Arena- UCSD
April 9th- Pete Yorn @ House of Blues
May 3rd- James Blunt @ Humphreys
May 6th- Chris Cornell @ Humphreys
May 6th- Fleet Foxes @ Spreckles Theater

New Band Altert: The Milk Carton Kids

It’s Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale! Looks like they’ve finally made it official. This makes me very happy as I LOVE this duo. The formation of The Milk Carton Kids was just announced so don’t forget to like on facebook, follow on twitter, and check out their website.

They have a couple songs up for FREE download on their site. So, what are you waiting for? Just press “download”!

They are on tour this summer, opening for Joe Purdy. That means, The Troubadour on April 30th for all my fellow Los Angelenos. For everyone else, check out their website or just look at the dates and places below:

 

4/22 Austin, TX: The Parish
4/23 Dallas, TX : The Loft
4/25 Santa Fe, NM: Corazon
4/27 Phoenix, AZ : Rhythm Room
4/28 Solano Beach, CA : Bellyup Tavern
4/30 Los Angeles, CA : Troubadour
5/3 San Francisco, CA : The Independent
5/5 Portland, OR : Doug Fir
5/7 Vancouver, BC : The Rio Theater
5/9 Boise, ID : Neurolux
5/10 Salt Lake City, UT : State Room
5/12 Denver, CO : Bluebird Theater
5/14 Lawrence, KS : Bottleneck
5/15 Des Moines, IA : Vaudeville Mews
5/16 Minneapolis, MN : Varsity Theater
5/17 Milwakee, WI : Turner Hall
5/18 Chicago, IL : Lincoln Hall
5/19 St Louis, MO : Off Broadway
6/9 Birmingham, AL : WorkPlay
6/10 Atlanta, GA : The Loft
6/11 Asheville, NC : Grey Eagle
6/12 Carborro, NC : Cat’s Cradle
6/14 Annapolis, MD : Ram’s Head
6/15 Philadelphia, PA : World Café Live
6/16 New York City, NY : Highline Ballroom
6/17 Fairfield, CT : Stage One
6/20 Northampton, MA : Iron Horse
6/21 Allston, MA : Brighton Music Hall
6/22 Fall River, MA : Narrows Center for the Arts
6/23 Burlington, VT : Higher Ground
6/25 Montreal, QC : Petit Campus
6/26 Toronto, ONT : Horseshoe Tavern
6/27 Pittsburgh, PA : Rex Theater
6/28 Cleveland, OH : Beachland Ballroom
6/30 Syracuse, NY : Westcott Theater

~ Kristen

 

p.s. Joey and Kenneth playing “Girls, Gather Round” live at the Vail Film Festival:

 

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 3/7-3/13

It has finally hit me that in one week, I’ll be heading to Texas for my very first SXSW. I’ve been listening to the artists, RSVPing to the events, attempting to put together some kind of schedule, etc. I just have the sneaking suspicion that no matter how hard I try to prepare, I’m going to be in way over my head. But that’s part of the fun, no? I’m terribly excited.

I’m also quite excited about the AMAZING shows on the list this week. I hope you can find some time to come out and enjoy the music. Here’s what I’d suggest:

 

Monday: The Silent Comedy FREE at The Echo (9pm)
ALSO: Indians FREE at Silverlake Lounge (midnight)
ALSO: Honeyhoney FREE at Bootleg Theater (10:30)
ALSO: Drive-By Truckers at The Troubadour (8pm)
ALSO: David and Devine and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Jay Nash (8,9)

 

Tuesday: High Voltage Presents at The Mint featuring Little Red Radio, Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Queen Caveat, Dead Sara, and special surprise guest (8pm)
ALSO: Caitlin Crosby and Jay Nash at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise and The Californian at The Satellite (8:30pm)
ALSO: Jonathan Clark at Molly Malone’s (8pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel and Vertical Horizon at The Roxy (8,10)

 

Weds: Jay Nash and Joey Ryan at Saint Rocke (7,9)
ALSO: Semi Precious Weapons at On The Rox (10pm)

 

Thursday: The Lonely Forest at The Echo (9pm)
ALSO: North Mississippi Allstars at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Stephen Kellogg at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: The Entrance Band at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Walt Disney Concert Hall (8pm)

 

Friday: Keaton Simons and The 88 at The Hotel Cafe (8,midnight)
ALSO: Satellite at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: Fair to Midland at Whiskey a Go Go (10pm)
ALSO: Vienna Teng and Alex Wong at Bootleg Theater (9pm)
ALSO: The Stone Foxes at The Mint (11pm)
ALSO: Mediski Martin & Wood at The El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Walt Disney Concert Hall (8pm)

 

Saturday: The Other Side of Morning at The Loft (10pm)
ALSO: Dave Green at The Mint (9pm)
ALSO: Unwritten Law at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall (8pm)

 

Sunday: Schuyler Fisk and Satellite at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)
ALSO: Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall (2pm)

 

To Keep in Mind:

March 17th: Alkaline Trio and Dead Country at The Mayan
March 22nd: War on Drugs at The Troubadour
March 26th: Lady Danville at The Troubadour
March 28th: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex
March 30th: Imagine Dragons at The Viper Room
April 11th: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex
April 16th: Matt Wertz and Ben Rector at The Troubadour
April 25th: Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
June 9-12: Bonnaroo!!!
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina

~ Kristen

 

Kristen’ LA Concert Calendar: 2/28-3/6

Just go home from an Oscar party. I won a prize for successfully predicting the most award winners. If anyone wants their toast to wish them a good morning…well, I’ve got you covered! For the most part, I enjoyed the ceremony. The only thing I’m slightly irritated about (well, more than slightly) is the absence of Dido singing the song that she co-wrote for 127 Hours. Now, I love Florence from Florence and The Machine, but Dido is one of my all-time faves and I was really looking forward to seeing her sing.

But I’ll try to focus on the positive. Which brings me to this forthcoming week. Let’s christen it “Biffy week” in honor of the fact that I will be seeing my current band obsession, Biffy Clyro, twice this week. The Scottsmen will be performing on Tuesday at The Troubadour. Then on Weds, they are sitting down at Bootleg Theater with Mark Z Danielewski, author of the book Only Revolutions, upon which Biffy Clyro’s 2009 release of the same title is based. Saying that I’m giddy about these events is an understatement.

Filling out the week, we have more highly anticipated shows by the likes of Everest, Semi Precious Weapons, Moving Picture Show, and After Midnight Project (another band obsession of mine). And if you didn’t get a ticket to the sold out Biffy Clyro show on Tuesday, I’d highly HIGHLY recommend jetting down to Hermosa Beach for some The Silent Comedy/Queen Caveat action at Saint Rocke. You will not be disappointed.

My complete list of shows I’d love to go to as follows:

 

Monday: Everest and Red Cortez FREE at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Armada at The Viper Room (9:15)
ALSO: War Tapes FREE at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: J. Tillman (of Fleet Foxes) FREE at Bootleg Theater (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

Tuesday: Biffy Clyro at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: The Silent Comedy and Queen Caveat at Saint Rocke (9,10)
ALSO: George Stanford at The Piano Bar (11pm)
ALSO: Jukebox the Ghost at The Echo (8pm)
ALSO: Jonathan Clarke and Satellite at Molly Malone’s (8,9)
ALSO: Joseph Arthur at Bootleg Theater (9:45)

 

Weds: Liner Notes with Biffy Clyro and author Mark Z Danielewski at Bootleg Theater (7pm)
ALSO: Semi Precious Weapons FREE at On The Rox (10pm)
ALSO: Lovers Drugs and Beatnik Jr. at 3 Clubs (10pm)
ALSO: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Zoe Keating at Largo at the Coronet (8pm)
ALSO: Infantree at The Satellite (8:30)

 

Thursday: Moving Picture Show, Sabrosa Purr, and Great Northern at Bootleg Theater (8:30,9:30, 10:30)
ALSO: Civil Twilight at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Stephen Kellogg and Austin Hartley Leonard at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)
ALSO: The Entrance Band at The Satellite (10pm)

 

Friday: After Midnight Project at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (9:30)
ALSO: Wild Nothing and Abe Vigoda at The Natural History Museum for First Fridays (5pm)

 

Saturday: Winchester Rebels FREE at On The Rox 11:15)
ALSO: Love and a .38 and The Binges at The Viper Room (10,11)
ALSO: Alexi Murdoch at Bootleg Theater (11pm)

 

Sunday: Morcheeba at The Music Box (8pm)
ALSO: Joseph Tobin Tribute Concert featuring Joey Ryan, Jay Nash, Chris Pierce, Austin Hartley Leonard, etc. at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Songwriters Round at Room 5 featuring Paris Carney (9pm)

 

To Keep in Mind:
March 8th: Vertical Horizon at The Roxy
March 8th: Queen Caveat, Dead Sara, Little Red Radio at The Mint
March 9th: Jay Nash at Saint Rocke
March 11th: Fair to Midland at Whiskey a Go Go
March 17th: Alkaline Trio and Dead Country at The Mayan
March 22nd: War on Drugs at The Troubadour
March 26th: Lady Danville at The Troubadour
March 28th: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex
March 30th: Imagine Dragons at The Viper Room
April 11th: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex
April 16th: Matt Wertz and Ben Rector at The Troubadour
April 25th: Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
June 9-12: Bonnaroo!!
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina
~ Kristen

 

FREE music from Joey Ryan!!

Joey Ryan’s “Broken Headlights” was track 1 on my 2010 Music Mix. Joey is one of my favorite LA-based singer-songwriters. I still contend that his most recent EP, Kenter Canyon, is the best release of 2010. And now, you can get his two most recent EP’s for FREE!! Just go to his website and hit the download button!

This is an amazing offer! While you’re on the site, check out his tour calendar to see if he’s coming to a town near you. His next LA area show seems to be March 9th at Saint Rocke.

Just let the music take you over…

http://www.joeyryanmusic.com

~ Kristen

p.s. Today is Joey’s birthday so definitely go check out his music. Happy Birthday Joey!!

Kristen’s ’10 Music Mix- Track 1- Joey Ryan

Hey all!

Here, as promised, is my year’s end music mix!

Since this is the first time I get to publish my list online, I guess I’ll explain how I put it together. Throughout the year, as I go to shows and discover new music and listen to old favorites, I put all the songs that really strike me into a list. At the end of the year, I narrow the list down to however many songs I can fit onto a CD and voila! Christmas gifts!

Each song always comes with a story about why it was chosen and what it meant to me in the year. I see it as a replacement for one of those Christmastime letters detailing all the important events that occurred to a person in the year. For me, those important events all revolve around music anyway!

So, here we go, my 2010 Music Mix:

1. “Broken Headlights” – Joey Ryan

Joey Ryan entered my life last year (opened for Carney), but it was 2010 when he released an EP entitled Kenter Canyon. I still contend this is my favorite audio release of the year. Every song is pure brilliance. Being based in Los Angeles, I’ve seen Joey quite a few times. When he started playing with Kenneth Pattengale, it was like the second coming of Simon and Garfunkel. One of the most memorable shows this year was when Joey and Kenneth played Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 along with Joel Eckles and The Kin. “Broken Headlights” was the first song off Kenter Canyon that really struck me.

http://www.joeyryanmusic.com/

Joey, Kenneth, and The Kin at Room 5:

~ Kristen

track 2: After Midnight Project