Saint Motel | Local Music Nation

SXSW Recap: Friday 3/16

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Kristen

Today. Today was a good day. Nay, today was a great day! It seems that the severe lack of sleep and the intense physical pain of being on your feet all day that almost brought me down yesterday was nearly nonexistent today. Perhaps, my body is just adjusting to the sxsw schedule. As a result, spirits were high, adventures were had, new friends were made, and, of course, amazing musical experiences were around every corner.

Perhaps the good spirits stemmed from the fact that I got to sleep in this morning. We got up around 10:30 and made our way to the Motorola Moonshine Bar and Grill for a lovely breakfast of fried asparagus, spinach and artichoke dip, and a yogurt parfait. Of course there was also coconut water involved, because there is free coconut water at just about every event here (new trend?).

My morning musical selections were largely at Frye’s Showcase at Buffalo Billiards, with a brief interlude to the Paste Party where I was reminded of how much I enjoy The Lumineers. At BB’s, I got a taste of Tribes, my first Imagine Dragons set of SXSW, a lovely show from Honeyhoney, and a killer/blow your socks off/face melting experience with Dead Sara. The Dead Sara set marked the second afternoon mosh pit I’ve been involve with in the last two days (yesterday’s was Semi Precious Weapons). Seeing them makes me so happy, but at the same time sad in the realization that they are soon to blow up and I’ll no longer be able to see them in such intimate venues.

Unfortunately, Dead Sara’s set started late and ended up conflicting directly with The Silent Comedy’s show at The Bayou Lounge. The upside of this was that it helped establish my afternoon plan of going over to Quantum Collective’s party on the Whole Foods Rooftop where we enjoyed eating Oogies popcorn (my fave popcorn brand) and dancing to Voxhaul Broadcast, The Silent Comedy, and Imagine Dragons. It was a little windy up on the roof and hats went flying during The Silent Comedy set, but the guys put on a great performance and sang us a new song. A dance party broke out during Imagine Dragon’s last song…apparently this was filmed as we all had to sign waivers (who knows where an image of me looking ridiculous might end up).

After stuffing my bag with the delicious free snacks lying around (granola bars, pirate’s booty, popcorn, coconut water- of course) we headed back over to the east side for our evening. I rocked out to a couple songs from Bethpage Black before venturing to Stubb’s to see Ed Sheeran. Not only did I completely fall in love with this Brit and his tunes, I somehow ended up in the photo pit and was finally able to put to use my press pass on my camera. After Ed, I raced over to Rusty’s to catch a bit of Queen Caveat rock the main stage before heading to ND to enjoy Free Energy (one of the best dance parties in town!). My final planned stop of the night was the ATN Showcase at The Bayou Lounge to do some more dancing with Queen Caveat and Wicker. While there, I met up with a friend I hadn’t seen in nearly 15 years. She is a huge fan of Wicker so seeing them and then meeting members of the band simply made her day. I don’t know what was more fun, seeing some great music or watching my friend talking to a fave band for the first time.

At this point, I thought my day was over. However, there was one more adventure to be had. I was walking back to the apartment when I heard a familiar tune hit my ears. I paused, turned direction, and headed towards the music. I ended up at Band HQ jumping up and down front row for Saint Motel. After their set was over, I chatted with a couple friends for a minute and headed home. Then I spent the next couple of hours recapping my day and catching up with my lovely roommates who had sxsw adventures of their own. Now it’s time to get some sleep and do it all over again tomorrow. Here are some of the events I’m looking forward to for Saturday:

10:30: Rachael Ray’s Party at Stubb’s featuring Imagine Dragons (11:30) and Of Monsters and Men (12:30).
Quantum Collective’s Whole Foods Rooftop Party featuring Allen Stone (12:30), The Lumineers (2pm), Ume (2:45), Graffiti6 (3:30), Rachel Yamagata (5:45)
4pm: Semi Precious Weapons at The SoHo Lounge
7pm: The Hotel Café Showcase at St. David’s featuring Rosie and Me, Erin McLaughlin, Elizabeth and the Catapult, Michal P Hinson, The Milk Carton Kids, Jesse Thomas, The Lumineers, Madi Diaz, FIrehorse, Whispertown, LP, Rachel Yamagata
11pm: Maverick Sabre at The British Embassy (Latitude 30)
Late night at the Pure Volume House featuring Shiny Toy Guns (1:45), Electric Touch (2:30), Youngblood Hawke (3am)

I can’t believe it’s almost over…also, Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

Also, got some sweet swag today:

~ Kristen

SXSW Recap: 3/13

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Amanda

It’s 3:30 am (again) and despite having droopy eyes, I’m somehow awake (again). I’m not complaining mind you. I’m just making a statement about life during SXSW. Today was the unofficial start of the festival if you will. This is a day filled with long lines, wristband and badge pick up, hustling, waiting, and all kinds of running around. It isn’t till the evening time that the music really starts. And that, is magic.

Somehow I’ve already amassed 4 wristbands, 3 badges, and a bag of swag. Also managed to score a wonderful free veggie dog from the Hot Dog King cart courtesy of @girlshbo. And this is only day 1. Tomorrow promises to be even crazier but tonight was an excellent start.

Our musical night started with He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister playing as Rain Bro at Bayou Lounge as part of the ATN showcase. Following that was Viva City at Chuggin Monkey (dance party!), and was topped off with a healthy dose of Saint Motel at Treasure Island. It was great to finally see He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister and what better time than at SXSW?! And I must say, it was lovely to have that dance party with Viva City. A year is far too long to wait. And what can I say about Saint Motel other than what a great way to finish off the night. It made my night complete. Also, they have a free download if you head to their site!

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 2/13-2/19

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Kristen

If you haven’t noticed, Amanda’s been a busy bee making some changes to the look and function of our site. I hope you like it. I think there might be more to come. I hope you’ve also noticed the Valentine’s Cycle of Love posts put together for Local Music Nation by Amanda and Marissa. I must say, great song choices ladies!

Speaking of choices, there are way too many difficult ones to be made in LA this week. I might need some help, especially for Monday night so please let me know if you’re planning on any of these shows. Here are my options:

Monday: Milo Greene and Maniac FREE at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: It’s a School Night at Bardot featuring Walk the Moon, Lady Danville, Liam Bailey, and Butterfly Boucher…FREE with RSVP http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/
ALSO: Nightmare and the Cat and Incan Abraham FREE at Bootleg (10:30, 11:30)
ALSO: Butterfly Boucher, Paris Carney, and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (7pm)
ALSO: Haim FREE at The Echo (8:30)
ALSO: Some Hear Explosions at The Viper Room (11:15)
ALSO: NO at Origami Vinyl (7pm)…Vinyl release party

Tuesday: We are The Ocean, Twin Atlantic, The Swellers, and You Me at Six at The Troubadour (7pm)
ALSO: Saint Motel at The Belasco Theater (9pm)
ALSO: Red Circle Underground and Audra Mae FREE at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Valentine Party featuring George Stanford, Truth & Salvage Co., and so many more at The Piano Bar (8pm)
ALSO: Makepeace Brothers at WitZend (9pm)
ALSO: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour at The Echoplex (10pm)

Weds: The Other Side of Morning Record Release with Shawn Hook and Toy at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Tyler Hilton at the Troubadour (9pm)
ALSO: Millow and Meiko at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)

Thursday: Erin McLaughlin, Harper Blynn, Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (7,9,10)
ALSO: Queen Caveat at Andaz (8pm)
ALSO: Howlin’ Rain at The Echo (10pm)

Friday: Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes and Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Cafe (10,11)
ALSO: Abbot Kinney at On the Rox (10pm)
ALSO: Viza at The Troubadour (11:30)
ALSO: Ryan Adams at The Hollywood Bowl

Saturday: Youngblood Hawke, Eastern Conference Champions, Finish Ticket, and Jesse Kivel at The Central (9pm)
ALSO: The Fling at Bootleg Bar (11pm)
ALSO: Mayday Parade at The El Rey (7pm)

Sunday: Foxy Shazam and The Darkness at The House of Blues Sunset (7:30)

To Keep in Mind:
Feb. 20^th: Milo Greene at The Satellite
Feb. 22^nd: Will Dailey and Mariah McManus at The Hotel Café
Feb. 22^nd: Imagine Dragons at The Viper Room
Feb. 27^th: Dead Sara at The Viper Room
March 5^th: Scars on 45 at The Troubadour
March 5^th-6^th: Dan Wilson and Rachel Yamagata at The Hotel Cafe
March 8^th: Crash Kings at The Troubadour
March 9^th: Vanaprasta at The Bootleg Bar
March 9^th: William Fitzsimmons at The Troubadour
March 10^th: Nico Vega at The Roxy
March 13^th-18^th: SXSW (Austin, TX)
March 14^th: The Pretty Reckless at The HOB Sunset
March 18^th: Dia Frampton at The Troubadour
March 20^th: Needtobreathe and Ben Rector at Club Nokia
March 20^th: War on Drugs at Avalon
March 22^nd: The Lumineers at The Hotel Café
March 23^rd: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour
March 24^th: Ani DiFranco at The Orpheum Theater
March 24^th and 25^th: Allen Stone at The Troubadour
March 31^st: Tyrone Wells at The Roxy
April 1^st: Charlotte Martin at The Bootleg Bar
April 11^th: Mike Doughty at Bootleg Theater
April 12^th: Joseph Arthur at The Largo
April 13^th-15^th AND 20^th– 22^nd: Coachella
April 25^th: Ben Kweller at The El Rey
April 27^th: Ingrid Michaelson at The Troubadour
May 8^th: Snow Patrol at The Hollywood Palladium
June 13^thand 14^th: Phantom Planet at The Troubadour

~ Kristen

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Amanda’s SD Concert Calendar 2/6-2/12

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Amanda

Hey Folks! Sorry for the delay in getting this post up. I have a good reason I swear! I was lucky enough to be working with Rebecca Joelson tonight at 91X shooting an X-Session with the singer for The Shins. A late lunch followed after and one thing led to another and sooooooo… that’s why I’m late. But, San Diego has some awesome shows for the week including Dr. Dog and Saint Motel. Woo!

Monday: Cory Chisel @ Casbah @9 $15
AND: April Ventura and The Magnolias @ Soda Bar @830 $5

Tuesday: Dr. Dog w/Purling Hiss @Belly Up @9 $18/$20
AND: Mattson 2 @ El Dorado @9
AND: The Henry Clay People @ Casbah @9 $8

Wednesday: Saint Motel and The Heavy Guilt @ Casbah @9 $8/$10
AND: Estelle @ Anthology
AND: Dave Booda @ Belly Up @730 $11

Thursday: Sundrop Electric @ Bar Pink @9

Friday: Young the Giant @ Soma
AND: The Bloody Hollies and Heavy Glow @ Eleven @9 $6
AND: Gregory Page @ Lestats @8

Saturday: You Me At Six @ Soma @6 $12
AND: The Features and The Beautiful View @ Soda Bar @9 $10

Sunday: Relax

Keep in Mind:

February 16th- The Fray @ House of Blues
February 17th- The Howls, The Heavy Guilt and Low Volts @ The Loft @ UCSD @7
February 17th- CAKE @ Belly Up
February 18th- Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels with Blackout Party @ Casbah
February 18th- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ Anthology
February 19th- Craig Finn @ Casbah @9 $12
February 20th- Get Back Loretta and Wendy Bailey and True Stories @ Casbah
February 22nd- Anya Marina @ Casbah
February 23rd- Ra Ra Riot @ Belly Up @8 $18
February 23rd- Hot Chelle Rae w/Electric Touch @ House of Blues
February 23rd- Scars on 45 @ Anthology @730
February 24th- The Soft Pack @ Casbah @9
February 25th- The Nervous Wreckords, Midnight Rivals, and Grand Tarantula @ Anthology @9 $12
February 25h- Mat Kearney @ House of Blues
February 26th- Cursive @ Casbah @9
February 27th- Foxy Shazaam @ 710 Beach Club
February 28th- He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister @ Casbah @9 $8/$10
February 29th- Red Hot Chili Peppers @ Valley View Casino Center
March 3rd- Jackie Greene @ Belly Up @9
March 3rd- Alkaline Trio @ House of Blues
March 6th- Flogging Molly @ House of Blues
March 8th- William Fitzsimmons @ Anthology @7
March 8th- The Silent Comedy and Dead Feather Moon @ Belly Up
March 9th- The Stone Foxes @ Casbah @9
March 11th- Crocodiles @ Casbah @9 $12
March 11th- Fierce Creatures @ Tin Can Alehouse
March 18th- Puscifer @ California Center for the Arts Escondido
March 20th- Ani DeFranco @ House of Blues
March 21st- Cults @ Belly Up @9
March 23rd- The Ting Tings @ House of Blues
April 7th- Transfer and The Blackout Party @ Belly Up
April 13th- Coachella Weekend 1
April 15th- Rise Against @ Viejas Arena
April 20th- Coachella Weekend 2
June 3rd- Mogwai @ Belly Up

Amanda’s Top Ten Musical Experiences (The Finale!)

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Amanda

It’s long overdue but at last I’m bringing this thing to a close. Without further ado, my top 2.

2. The Silent Comedy/Saint Motel/Tranfer

I realize this is like cheating by having 3 bands listed without a discernable event that brings the three together. Well, the fact of the matter is, The Silent Comedy is at the center of this love triangle and if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t include the others. This past summer The Silent Comedy embarked on their Summer Sweat Tour with Saint Motel which had numerous highlights from a show at the Casbah to playing LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) which culminated in a residency at The Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas. Vegas with the boys was a highlight for me because it was like a mini sin filled vacation surrounded by (almost) everyone you know and love. It was lovely. On the flip side, Transfer and The Silent Comedy are like two peas who have outgrown their pod. I first knew of Transfer because of The Silent Comedy and I know people who are vice versa. Transfer and The Silent Comedy have put on some epic shows this year but perhaps the mist epic of all was New Years Eve at the Lafayette Hotel here in San Diego. It was almost like Vegas but had way more bands and more friendly faces. It was definitely the best New Years Eve experience I’ve ever had! As a side note, I’ve had some wonderful video experiences with The Silent Comedy this year from shooting video of them to being in a video with them. Many cherished memories.

1. William Beckett

I’m not really sure to begin my story of my love for William Beckett. It’s a love I’m not entirely proud of, mostly because his fans are either teenagers/early twenty somethings or those crazy moms that like bands who go to rock shows and embarrass their kids. Nevertheless, my love for this particular artist came from a random chance discovery of his (now broken up) band The Academy Is… I’m not sure if it was a music or the lyrics that caught me first but the thing I have loved and always admired about William was his writing. I was hoping to go see The Academy Is… a few times on their tour this year when news broke that they had parted ways. I was devastated. My first band love had broken up and though I had been to many of their shows, I felt I could have done more. After all, Kristen and I galavanted around the east coast last year to see them, surely there was more I could have done. But then, magic happened. William announced he was coming to LA to open for the sold out Dear Jack benefit on 11/11/11. I immediately got on Craigslist and found a ticket. What a magical show it was! Between Mr. Beckett playing acoustic (which I had never seen) he played rare TAI songs, covers, and even a few of his new solo tunes. I was in heaven! What made the night even better was getting my favorite lyrics from The Phrase that Pays written down by his hand on a piece of paper. My life was complete!! Only, not quite. William announced he was playing a holiday show in Chicago and I knew I couldn’t miss it. I flew out to Chicago and was there for 3 days and 2 nights to catch this acoustic holiday show which featured, Jennifer Hall, Bonaventure, Into It. Over It., and William Beckett. It was a wonderful adventure where I got to meet other fans, chat with William about a mutual love for Nashville, and just enjoy life. It was whimsical and it’s why he is my number 1 for 2011.

Amanda’s Top 10 Musical Experiences (continued)

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Amanda

The musical journey continues as I continue to reminisce about endeavors of good old 2011. There was so much good music packed into one year but choices must be made (or so I’ve been informed).

8. Cage the Elephant– I remember when this band caught some buzz in 2010 and for one reason or another, I was never able to attend a show to see if they lived up to the hype. Thankfully for me, Cage the Elephant played Wrex the Halls this year in San Diego and I happened to be lucky enough to work the show. I was shooting video from the mixer in the middle of the floor and despite my distance, I could feel their energy. The highlight of their set was singer Matthew Shultz’s crowd surfing. He came off the stage into the crowd not once, not twice, but three times! The last time was after the band finished playing and had walked off stage. He looked out into the crowed, shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘why not?’ and crowd surfed his way off stage.

7. Milk Carton Kids and Joe Purdy– At barely a year old, The Milk Carton kids have really started to make a name for themselves. I first saw one half of The Milk Carton Kids when Joey Ryan opened for Carney a few years ago. I was enchanted with him then and soon he was making music with his musical soul mate (or so it seems), Kenneth Pattengale. In 2011, they came through San Diego a few times, one of which was supporting Joe Purdy at The Belly Up. I remember this show specifically because a few friends joined me for the show and one of them was so taken with The Milk Carton Kids and the childhood memories they brought back to her, she started to cry. Joe Purdy was new to me and he did not disappoint! It was a lovely night all around and I’ll hold it fondly in my mind for quite some time.

6. North Park Music Thing– Now known as the San Diego Music Thing. I think. It might change it’s name again. All you really need to know is that it is 2 days full of speakers and music. In the morning/afternoon you can find workshops with top dog speakers about anything from touring to selling your music for tv. There is a whole other slew of workshops from basic music industry 101 to the state of radio. The evening is chock full of local acts at local venues. To give you an idea, this year included music from; Nico Vega, Kevin Martin, The Silent Comedy, Andy Clockwise, Endoxi, Youngblood Hawke, White Apple Tree, Grand Tarantula, The New Kinetics, Queen Caveat, Republic of Letters, Saint Motel, Purple Melon, Little Hurricane, Mattson 2, Miss Erika Davies, Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels, The Heavy Guilt, Cuckoo Chaos, The Nervous Wreckords, Writer, Gregory Page, Steve Poltz, Maren Parusel, and Dynamite Walls. And that was in two days!

While Nico Vega isn’t a San Diego band, they were just a few of the guests we had in from LA!

Local Musicians Giving Back to the Community

Posted on January 13, 2012 by Kristen

Holidays are a time of year where there is a huge emphasis on giving to the less fortunate. You don’t always put together local music and giving to the local community. At least I didn’t. Well, about a dozen local SoCal bands did just that. Hi. My name is Ashley and Kristen and Amanda are letting me hijack their blog for this one post. I work for a nonprofit agency called Child and Family Guidance Center in Palmdale. We give all of our clients and their siblings (low income at risk youth) gifts for the holidays. I got the bright idea to ask local bands to donate their merchandise and music to the teens as a unique and totally awesome gift. I got so many more positive responses than I was expecting. I was able to collect enough items to give 60 totally awesome gifts to the clients. I was so moved that I asked Kristen if I could post a big THANK YOU (!) to all the bands. It made my heart swell with happiness and warmth to know that they cared enough to donate their hard work. Plus the clients really enjoyed getting the special gifts.

As an added bonus-Oh No Not Stereo gave me money to be able to run a music group for the teens. Talk about my heart filling with even more gushy happiness.

Here is a list of the bands and their websites. Check them out cause they rock.

Oh No Not Stereo: http://ohnonotstereo.com/blog/