An Emotional Evening at Room 5

I don’t know was it was, but Monday night at Room 5 I kept finding myself fighting that feeling of wanting to cry (the good kind of crying…mostly). It could have been the fact that I was so burnt out and therefore emotionally vulnerable, or maybe it was listening to LA’s beloved Jay Nash sing one last song, his dedication to California, before saying goodbye to the state as well as the institution he started (Songwriters in the Round at Room 5). It could have just been the outstanding talent of this week’s round of songwriters that bored straight into my heart and touched it so deeply.

This week’s group featured Joel Eckels, Sally Jaye, Kenneth Pattengale, and the man who very well may end up my favorite act of the year, Joey Ryan. How I go from Nico Vega one year to Joey Ryan the next is a puzzle even to myself….but I digress.

I must say that I’m finding the combination of Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan to be endlessly entertaining. Someone suggested they were like Simon and Garfunkel and Joey immediately balked at the idea, relegating Kenneth to the role of Garfunkel. To me, this would be a complement of the highest order. As much as I enjoy both Joey and Kenneth, I think I’m started to like them even better when they play together! They keep performing as a duo for “practice” for an upcoming series of shows billed as An Evening with Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (and not, sadly, Ryan Pattengale). This includes a stop at McCabe’s in Santa Monica on April 24th. Someone should really record this show and make a CD (especially since I will be out of town).

I will again say that this Songwriters in the Round event is my new favorite way to listen to some great artists. It’s like ice cream. It’s always the first few bits of ice cream that are the best…but after you’re about half way through the carton, you keep eating more out of habit…or a memory of what those first few bites tasted like. But if you combine different flavors of ice cream in the same bowl, the immense high from those first couple bites is prolonged as you go from one variety to the next, the contrasts reminding you just how amazing each individual flavor is. 

But seriously, I feel that going from artist to artist really helps to keep the emotional intensity at its peak. The only downside is that the evening is over and it really feels like it has just begun.

Until next week…

~ Kristen

p.s. the recording I took of Jay Nash’s  Golden State Goodnight

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 4/12-4/18

“Emergency “ in lab = one stressed out and mentally exhausted Kristen. But even if I don’t have much time this week for extraneous shows, doesn’t mean I can’t make the time to tell you about all the fantastic things I’d like to be doing.  By the end of the week we can all gather at Coachella and celebrate. Three days of nothing but music = one happy Kristen.

Here’s the run down:

Monday: Butch Walker and the Black Widows at The El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale (8,9)…this is Paris’ last show for awhile
ALSO: The Postelles at Spaceland (8:30)…saw this band at Bonnaroo ’08…from NYC 

Tuesday: Tony Lucca and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)…the last T&S Co. show before they depart for another tour…don’t miss out!
ALSO: Serena Ryder at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Links and Purple Melon at Saint Rocke(8pm)
ALSO: White Buffalo at The Mint (7:30) 

Weds: Them Crooked Vultures at Club Nokia (8:30)
ALSO: Matt Morris at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: Kingsize at The Troubadour (9:15) 

Thursday: Rocco Deluca, and Dirty Diamond at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)
ALSO: The Daylights and Pawnshop Kings at The Troubadour (10pm) 

Friday: George Stanford, Andy Clockwise, and Vienne at The Hotel Cafe (9)…George’s Record Release…please someone go and pick up a copy for me…SO terribly sad I’ll miss it
ALSO: Arlo Guthrie at Royce Hall (8:30)
COACHELLA featuring: Alana Grace, Iglu & Hartly, Imogen Heap, Kate Miller-Heidke, She & Him, The Avett Brothers, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend

 Saturday: Fair to Midland at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Smashing Pumpkins at Space 15 Twenty (4pm)
COACHELLA featuring: Band of Skulls, Camera Obscura, Corinne Bailey Rae, Frightened Rabbit, MGMT, Muse, Porcupine Tree, Sia, Steel Train, The Dead Weather 

Sunday: Meiko at Saint Rocke (7pm)
COACHELLA featuring: Local Natives, MUTEMATH, Phoenix, Spoon, The Big Pink, Thom Yorke 

To Keep in Mind:

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

 ~ Kristen

Cary Brothers CD Release at the Hotel Cafe

09 Something About You

I don’t have much time to share all the details of the fantastic night of music I experienced last Friday. The line-up at The Hotel Cafe included Joey Ryan (with Kenneth Pattengale, of course), Cary Brothers, and Truth & Salvage Co. (one of their last LA shows before hitting the road once again).

The whole night, however, was really about the release of Cary Brothers’ new CD, “Under Control”. I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed his set (yes he also played old standards like “Blue Eyes” and “Honestly”) or how I’m loving the new CD (current faves include “Ghost Town”, and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”), but I’ll just leave you with the track I find myself humming as I write this. “Something About You” is Cary’s take on the 80’s classic and is sung with the very talented Laura Jansen. Listen. Love. Go out and get Cary Brothers’ newest CD!

~ Kristen

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

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

Kristen's LA Concert Calendar 3/29-4/4

It’s been more years than I care to think since I last saw them, but Something Corporate is back and I still love them. I’m still not entirely back down to Earth as I write this. I also don’t know how I’m going to get any sleep tonight…I’m way too excited. Between San Diego Indie Music Fest and Bamboozled, we saw over 20 bands this weekend, most of them for the first time…I’m a bit overwhelmed with new music. Clear standouts (for me) were Far, After Midnight Project, and, of course, Something Corporate. I’m sure I’ll be detailing more of this at some point in the blog (links below), so keep checking ;).  Amanda will have her take too!

As a result of my jam-packed schedule this weekend, this week’s list might not be all inclusive. But it’s still got some amazing shows. If you can only make one this week, please please PLEASE come out to The Bootleg on Weds to check out The Silent Comedy. It will be a lovely way to break up your week!

Here’s what I’ve got going on this week:

Monday: Paris Carney at Room 5, followed by Songwriters in the Round featuring Joel Eckles, Dawn Thomas, Jay Nash, and Laura Meyer (8pm)…my new favorite way to spend Monday evenings…!!

ALSO: Warpaint at Spaceland (8:30)

Tuesday: Haiti Benefit Show featuring Jonah Matranga of Far and Gratitude (10pm)

ALSO: Northstar Session at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)…EP Release Show

Weds: The Silent Comedy at The Bootleg (9:30)

ALSO: Brooke White, Nina Storey, and Tommy King at The Hotel Cafe (8,9,10) 

ALSO: Beachwood Rockers’ Society at Crane’s

Thursday: Jonathan Taylor and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room (11pm)

ALSO: Justin Nozuka and HoneyHoney at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)

ALSO: Puddle of Mudd at Grove of Anaheim (8pm)

ALSO: Viza at The Troubadour (10:45)

Friday: Alkaline Trio and Cursive at The House of Blues (9pm)

ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Echoplex (8:30)

ALSO: Mozella at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

ALSO: The Silent Comedy at The Casbah in San Diego (copies of their new CD will be available at this show!)

Saturday: Amie Miriello and the so and sos at Molly Malone’s (10pm)

ALSO: Nonpoint and Cold at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: Bad Religion at The House of Blues (8:30)

ALSO: JR Richards at The Hotel Cafe (10:30)

Sunday: HAPPY EASTER!!

To Keep in Mind:

April 6th: Paper Tongues at The Troubadour

April 9th: Lights and Owl City at Club Nokia

April 9th: Cary Brothers CD Release with Joey Ryan AND Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Cafe

April 12th: Butch Walker at El Rey

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

April 16th-19th: Coachella

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

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)

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

June 10-13th: BONNAROO (in Tennessee)

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar 3/29-4/4

It’s been more years than I care to think since I last saw them, but Something Corporate is back and I still love them. I’m still not entirely back down to Earth as I write this. I also don’t know how I’m going to get any sleep tonight…I’m way too excited. Between San Diego Indie Music Fest and Bamboozled, we saw over 20 bands this weekend, most of them for the first time…I’m a bit overwhelmed with new music. Clear standouts (for me) were Far, After Midnight Project, and, of course, Something Corporate. I’m sure I’ll be detailing more of this at some point in the blog (links below), so keep checking ;).  Amanda will have her take too!
As a result of my jam-packed schedule this weekend, this week’s list might not be all inclusive. But it’s still got some amazing shows. If you can only make one this week, please please PLEASE come out to The Bootleg on Weds to check out The Silent Comedy. It will be a lovely way to break up your week!

Here’s what I’ve got going on this week:

Monday: Paris Carney at Room 5, followed by Songwriters in the Round featuring Joel Eckles, Dawn Thomas, Jay Nash, and Laura Meyer (8pm)…my new favorite way to spend Monday evenings…!!

ALSO: Warpaint at Spaceland (8:30)

Tuesday: Haiti Benefit Show featuring Jonah Matranga of Far and Gratitude (10pm)

ALSO: Northstar Session at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)…EP Release Show

Weds: The Silent Comedy at The Bootleg (9:30)

ALSO: Brooke White, Nina Storey, and Tommy King at The Hotel Cafe (8,9,10) 

ALSO: Beachwood Rockers’ Society at Crane’s

Thursday: Jonathan Taylor and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room (11pm)

ALSO: Justin Nozuka and HoneyHoney at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)

ALSO: Puddle of Mudd at Grove of Anaheim (8pm)

ALSO: Viza at The Troubadour (10:45)

Friday: Alkaline Trio and Cursive at The House of Blues (9pm)

ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Echoplex (8:30)

ALSO: Mozella at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)

ALSO: The Silent Comedy at The Casbah in San Diego (copies of their new CD will be available at this show!)

Saturday: Amie Miriello and the so and sos at Molly Malone’s (10pm)

ALSO: Nonpoint and Cold at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: Bad Religion at The House of Blues (8:30)

ALSO: JR Richards at The Hotel Cafe (10:30)

Sunday: HAPPY EASTER!!

To Keep in Mind:

April 6th: Paper Tongues at The Troubadour

April 9th: Lights and Owl City at Club Nokia

April 9th: Cary Brothers CD Release with Joey Ryan AND Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Cafe

April 12th: Butch Walker at El Rey

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

April 16th-19th: Coachella

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

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)

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

June 10-13th: BONNAROO (in Tennessee)

~ Kristen

Thursday at The Hotel Cafe

Thursday night I went to the Hotel Cafe to see the last night of Joey Ryan’s residency. Joey has been playing lately with Kenneth Pattengale whom I’ve seen several times now and enjoy more with each viewing. Both Kenneth’s and Joey’s sets were bolstered by the other joining in with their harmonies. They have a big upcoming two hour set at McCabe’s Guitar Shop Saturday April 24th which should definitely go on your calendar.

Joey and Kenneth were great (as anticipated), but the big surprise of the evening was The Paper Raincoat,  a band from Brooklyn featuring SXSW  ’09 fave Amber Rubarth. The Paper Raincoat is on my SXSW ’10 list and proved worthy of such a spot with their highly entertaining live set. My favorite bit being this acoustic version of “Rewind”. Watch the video…such a treat!

~ Kristen