nico vega

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 7/5-7/11

Posted on by Kristen

Happy 4th of July everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the BBQs and fireworks. I caught a few fireworks on the drive from San Diego back to Los Angeles. I was down south (again) doing more exciting things that will appear on the website shortly.

But in the meantime, so much music to discover and shows to enjoy. Here’s what I’d love to do this week, if you’re looking for some great options:

Monday: Mississippi Man FREE at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Red Arrow Messenger and The Outline FREE at Bootleg (9, 10)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm) 

Tuesday: Steel Train at El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel and Charlie Mars at The Hotel Cafe (7,8) 

Weds: Carbon Leaf at The Troubadour (9:30) 

Thursday: Curtis Peoples and Ernie Halter at The Roxy (9pm)
ALSO: Garrison Starr, Amber Rubarth, Brian Wright, Brother Sal at The Hotel Cafe (8-12)
ALSO: Roman Holiday at The Viper Room (8pm)
ALSO: Will Hoge, Michelle Branch, and Sugarland at The Greek Theater (7:30) 

Friday: Tyrone Wells, So & So, Honeyhoney at The Hotel Cafe (9,10,11)
ALSO: The Shakers at The Kibitz Room (10pm)
ALSO: Bobby Long at The Troubadour (10pm) 

Saturday: Lilith Fair at Verizon Wireless featuring Brandi Carlile, The Weepies, Sarah McLachlan, etc. (3pm)
ALSO: Run Devil Run at The Viper Room (10pm) 

Sunday: The Mulhollands at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Ernie Halter and Tony Lucca at Saint Rocke 

To Keep in Mind:
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
August 21st and 22nd: Sunset Junction
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center

~ Kristen

SPW: You Love You

Posted on by Kristen

Out today! You Love You, the new album from Semi Precious Weapons!!!  If you don’t know anything about this band, I think this video is an excellent representation…their live shows are some of my very favorites (can you say CRAZY dance party)

And here’s a recent interview:

Go pick up your copy of the album today! And look for them out on tour with Lady Gaga…

Finally, here are some pictures from the last time I saw them, playing with Nico Vega at The Roxy…I can’t wait for their next headlining tour!

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 6/28-7/4

Posted on by Kristen

Just got back from Warped Tour in Ventura with Amanda. Will hopefully get around to writing something about it and posting some of my pictures. It was by far the most pleasant (weather-wise) Warped  I’ve ever been to…but I still managed to get a lovely burn on the shoulders. Fortunately this week’s planned activities are largely indoors.

And if you want to go out at all this week, might I suggest Thursday heading to one of the places participating in The Gulf Coast Benefit. (http://gulfcoastbenefit.com/#about) On this day, select venues around the country will be donating money from ticket sales to organizations aiding those impacted by the oil spill. Several LA establishments (including my picks at The Roxy and The Mint) are participating. If you’re not in LA, check the website to see if a venue near you is involved. Enjoy some great live music AND play a part in helping our country deal with its current economic and ecological crisis. You’ve seen the pictures…you know you want to do something…this sounds like a perfect opportunity to me!

As for everything else:

Monday: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (8,9)
ALSO: Victoria Clemmons and Abbot Kinney at Molly Malone’s (9,10) 

Tuesday: Vienne at Saint Rocke (9:30)
ALSO: The Daylights at The Roxy (8pm) 

Weds: The Smashing Pumpkins at The Viper Room (?)…no, that is not a misprint.
ALSO: The Shakers at Kibitz Room (11:30)…last night of their Kibitz residency!
ALSO: Hot Hot Heat at Bootleg (10pm)
ALSO: Joel Eckels and The Paper Sun at The Foundry on Melrose (?) 

Thursday: Danielia Cotton at Levitt Pavilion in Pasadena (7pm)…is she worth driving to Pasadena for? Why yes, yes she is!
ALSO: Saint Motel at the Hammer Museum (7pm)
ALSO: The Gulf Coast Benefit at The Mint featuring Kaki King  and Ben Lee (8pm)
ALSO: The Gulf Coast Benefit at The Viper Room featuring Wicker (9pm)
ALSO: Garrison Starr at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: Year Long Disaster at Spaceland (8:30) 

Friday: Army of Me at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)…from Washington DC!!
ALSO: The Other Side of Morning at The Park Bar in Burbank (10pm)
ALSO: CocoRosie at Orphium (9pm)
ALSO: Cinder Cone at Vacation Vinyl (7pm)…record release at a record store
ALSO: The Shakers at Gallagher’s Pub in Huntington Beach (11pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney at Molly Malone’s (8:30)
ALSO: Automatique at The Viper Room (10) 

Saturday: The Janks at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)

Sunday: Happy 4th of July! I’m sure there are some lovely parties with some great music…I just haven’t found one yet…

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

Tour Alert! Civil Twilight + Paper Tongues + Neon Trees

Posted on by Kristen

So, when one of your new favorite bands goes on tour, you take notice, find the date in your city, and buy tickets.  When TWO of your new favorite bands decide to team up and go out on the road together…well, then you start thinking about how many of the shows you will be able to find people to road trip with you to go see! Both Civil Twilight and Paper Tongues are bands I’ve discovered and fallen in love with in the last year. I would never imagine them going on tour together as they don’t strike me as very similar…other than the fact that they both had free singles on ITunes, I can’t think of anything that would tie the bands together.

Also on the bill, Neon Trees, a band that’s been on my watch list since they did a tour with Nico Vega that never quite made it to LA. Their song “Animal”…hey…come to think of it this song was also a free ITunes download…hmm…anyway, I like it and have recently purchased their album Habits.

Point Being: They’re calling it the “Bang the Gong Tour” It starts next Saturday and It is going to be amazing. If you can, you should try to check it out.

The dates are (as listed on the Neon Trees myspace):

26 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Heritage Landing – Main Stage – Muskegon Summer Celebration Muskegon, Michigan Find Tickets
27 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Summerfest – US Cellular Connection Stage Milwaukee, WI Find Tickets
29 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ NEWPORT MUSIC HALL Columbus, OH Find Tickets
30 Jun 2010 7:00 A
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH Find Tickets
1 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA Find Tickets
2 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Crocodile Rock Cafe Allentown, PA  
 
8 Jul 2010 4:00 P
KXNA PRESENTS : X FEST 10TH ANNIVERSARY – Dickson Street – Entertainment District Fayetteville, ARKANSAS  
12 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ 9:30 Club Washington, DC  
13 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Bowery Ballroom New York City, New York  
15 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Common Grounds Music Festival Lansing, MI Find Tickets
16 Jul 2010 7:00 P
89X BIRTHDAY BASH / BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI Find Tickets
19 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Triple Rock Club Minneapolis, MN Find Tickets
20 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO  
21 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Find Tickets
23 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Velour Provo, Utah Find Tickets
24 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Knitting Factory reno, nv Find Tickets
25 Jul 2010 6:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre Chula Vista/San Diego, CA  
27 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Slim’s San Francisco, CA Find Tickets
28 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Glass House Pomona, CA Find Tickets
30 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas, NV

 

For some enticement:

~ 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

New Band Love: Queen Caveat

Posted on by Kristen

Well, I’ve seen Queen Caveat several times over the last year, and every time they just get better and better. After last night’s show at The Hotel Cafe, I realized I simply must inform the masses. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to share with you as far as music or upcoming shows. With a recent name change (they used to be StolenPlayer), only 30 or so myspace friends, and their first EP still in the works, Queen Caveat is what one may term a baby band.  They are, however, poised to take over the world. There really is nothing to not like about this band. Amazing energy, fantastic vocals, mesmerizing tunes, stellar guitar riffs, bassist with a killer smile, etc. etc. etc.

If you want a sound alike, I’d probably have to go with one of my very favorite bands, Nico Vega….female singer, similar sound. The comparison is especially obvious when the drummer for Nico Vega plays with them (if you look closely at the respective line-ups, you’ll notice how they are related).

At any rate, I’m sure I’ll be talking more about them in the future. Look out for their shows on my calendar…they are not to be missed!

Beware the Queen!

~ Kristen

p.s. The other two bands I saw at The Hotel Cafe last night were also fabulous. Armada and Travis Warren (formally of Blind Melon)…two acts that are really worth checking out and are definately going on my list!