nico vega

Kristen’s SXSW ’10 Mix- Part 5

Posted on by Kristen

                   18. “New Improved Formula” – Spring Tigers

You may think that this is yet another British band on the list but actually these guys are from Athens, Georgia. Doesn’t mean I still don’t love this song…

                  19. “Butch” – Saint Motel

Last year, I discovered LA bands Nico Vega and Crash Kings and they are now staples in my life and my music calendar. I wonder if this will be the year for another LA band, Saint Motel?

                 20. “Jane Doe”- Never Shout Never

I saw Christopher Drew Ingel (AKA Never Shout Never) at Bamboozled and he definitely stuck out, but I’m not sure if it was in the best way. Then I came across his CD What Is Love? on sale and decided to give it a go. For some reason, I’m now loving it!

               21. “Oh Lord” – Foxy Shazam

Oh to see this performed live…I can only imagine. The perfect way to end any mix.

the end…or is it…?

~ 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

             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…

                 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.

              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.

Part 2 of my SXSW ’10 Mix coming soon…

~ Kristen

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 4/19-4/25

Posted on by Kristen

Due to the demands of Coachella, this week’s concer calendar is a bit…underdeveloped…  I was going to try to post a more complete version, but I realized that by the time I flushed it all out, it would be the end of the week already. And that’s just not acceptable. Especially considering the Nico Vega/Semi Precious Weapons face-melting that will occur Weds night at The Roxy…highly recommend advanced tickets for this one folks!

Here’s my brief list (and certainly enough to keep anyone busy and sleep deprived).

Monday: Juke Kartel at The Hotel Cafe
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm) 

Tuesday: Taylor Locke and the Roughs at The Viper Room

Weds: Nico Vega and Semi Precious Weapons at The Roxy with after party at The Viper Room…NOT to be missed!
ALSO: Foxy Shazam at The Troubadour
ALSO: Glee Tour at the Gibson Amphitheater 

Thursday: Wartapes at Silverlake Lounge
ALSO: Shelby Lynn at The Roxy
ALSO: Glee Tour at the Gibson Amphitheater
ALSO: Honeyhoney at The Hotel Cafe 

Friday: Killola and Sick of Sarah at The Roxy

Saturday: Get Back Loretta at The Roxy (On the Rox)
ALSO: The Elizabeth Kill at Libertine
ALSO: Jennifer Knapp at The Mint 

Sunday: Jason Castro at The Troubadour

To Keep in Mind:

May 2nd: The Kin at The Hotel Cafe
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 20th: Queen Caveat at The Viper Room
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

An Emotional Evening at Room 5

Posted on by Kristen

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

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 Concert Calendar: 4/12-4/18

Posted on by Kristen

“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

New Band Love: After Midnight Project

Posted on by Amanda

So instead of writing up some grand summary of the events of last weekend (Nico Vega/Metric at The Hollywood Palladium, San Diego Indie Music Fest, Bamboozled), or trying to post some of the 300+ pictures I’ve taken (they’ll come up eventually on facebook), I just wanted to share with you the story of my newest band obsession, After Midnight Project.

These guys were the first band we saw Sunday at Bamboozled…such a great way to start the day! The crowd wasn’t very big so it was easy to get up front and take some pictures. The set was elevating…the band has a great dynamic and the energy on stage was transferrable to the audience (always a good sign). I instantly fell in love with the sound and the songs.

After the set we ventured over to the merch booth and met their lovely merch guy, a fellow Cardinals’ lover (I was sporting a hat showcasing my favorite baseball team).  We purchased the band’s CD, Let’s Build Something to Break, and chatted a bit with the band. Turns out they are from LA (YAY!) although they don’t really play local shows (not so yay). So, if you’re in LA and want to catch them, you’ll have to wait ‘til Warped Tour.

Next comes the amusing story. The band announced that they were going to do an acoustic set later in the day…and, as you may know, I’m a big fan of rock bands breaking it down acoustically. When we ventured over to the acoustic venue we weren’t exactly sure how it worked. I just walked in, but Amanda was stopped outside. Turned out, the acoustic set was a VIP only event. With one of us in and one of us out, what were we to do?!?

But, in case you didn’t know, Amanda is awesome. She told me to stay where I was and a set and a half later she appeared at my side…having gotten in with the band. Turns out, After Midnight Project is really great to their fans. When Amanda told them of our predicament, they were more than happy to help out!

And I’m so glad it all worked out because the After Midnight Project acoustic set was definitely the highlight of my day (well, right after seeing Something Corporate again after so many years). They even pulled off the song entitled “Scream For You” which involves screaming from both the band and the audience. After the set, we got to hang out a bit more and meet some of the After Midnight Project family.

Anyway, another band to add to my list! I haven’t stopped listening to their CD since I got it (I’m finally able to take that Biffy Clyro CD out of my car stereo). If you want to see After Midnight Project live (as you should), they are currently touring with Story of the Year so be sure to catch that show if it comes to your area. And if you go to Warped Tour be sure to check them out there. Personally, I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed for a local headlining show at The Roxy or something…

~ Kristen