The Hotel Cafe | Local Music Nation

Truth & Salvage Co.- Residency and CD release

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Amanda

Most exciting news! One of my very fave LA bands just announced the release date for their first album. May 25 Truth & Salvage Co. will release their self-titled debut. This six piece group instantly drew me in with their energetic live performances and The Band-like qualities. I discovered them a couple years ago when they were known as The Family Band. I’ve had the immense pleasure of watching them grow, get signed by Chris Robinson’s label, Silver Arrow, and go out on tour with The Black Crowes where they were even able to play a date with one of my fave Philly bands, Pawnshop Roses. I was so happy when they returned to LA and started playing local gigs again. Right now, the band is in the middle of a residency at The Hotel Café…every Friday night through to March 12^th. If you get an opportunity to see them, it will be an unforgettable evening of music and dancing…just be sure to get there early as they tend to pack the place and they will stop allowing people through the door.

For a preview of the album, the band recently recorded some songs through Daytrotter: http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/truth-and-salvage-co-concert/20030993-37382166.html

Be sure to see them now before they head out on tour again (this time with The Avett Brothers)

Or alternatively, if you’re not in the LA area, be sure to catch them with The Avett Brothers (another fantastic group). Dates posted so far:

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA weekly concert calendar: 3/1-3/7

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Amanda

Alright folks, it’s finally happened! Thanks to my musical partner in crime, Amanda, I have a blog! Amanda and I are working on it together (AKA she is doing most of the work…and I’m just posting my musical musings). The blog is entitled Local Music Nation. The goal of this project of ours is to eventually morph the blog into a full blown website where people can post about their favorite local bands based on region (this is how I’ve always classified bands). And then other people can easily find good shows to go to when they travel (something I always struggle with) or just discover great new bands before they get too big. For now, we’re just covering LA and SD…and whatever other places and groups we happen to be inspired by.
We’re still messing around with formats and such and learning the basics of how to be a blogger. We are leaning towards using Tumblr (you can post mp3s on it for free) vs. WordPress (a bit easier on the eyes and, in my opinion, more flexible), but for now have both running.

So, please check out our sites and let us know what you think. Any comments, suggestions, helpful tips would be much appreciated. From now on, this email will be posted on our blog (but don’t worry, I still plan on sending it to your inbox as well). But if you want more up to date information, concert reviews, info on bands I’m obsessing over or songs that are inspiring me…you should check out the blog on a more regular basis! Also, if you ever find yourselves journeying down to San Diego, Amanda will have all your musical needs covered.

So, check this out: http://localmusicnation.tumblr.com/

And/or this: http://thelocalmusicla.wordpress.com/

And onto the events of this week. Here’s what I’ve got planned:

Monday: Paris Carney at Room 5 (8pm)

ALSO: Aimee Miriello at Molly Malone’s (10pm)

ALSO: Ari Hest at The Hotel Café (8pm)

Tuesday: Lucy Woodward at The Hotel Café (9pm)

ALSO: The Hounds Below and Miranda Lee Richards at Spaceland (10pm)

Weds: Vienne at Molly Malone’s (8:30)

ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard and Amber Rubarth at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Keaton Simons at Room 5 (9:30)

ALSO: Pawnshop Kings at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: Beachwood Rocker’s Society at Crane’s

Thursday: Joey Ryan, Jim Bianco, and Honeyhoney at The Hotel Café (8,9,10)

ALSO: Purple Melon at The Mint (10pm)

ALSO: Mike Doughty at The Troubadour (9pm)

Friday: Bell X1 and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Adam H. Stephens (from Two Gallants) at The Troubadour (8pm)

ALSO: The Bird & the Bee at The El Rey (8pm)

Saturday: Curtis Peoples at The Mint (9pm)

ALSO: Killswitch Engage at The Wiltern (8pm)

ALSO: Paris Carney at Molly Malone’s (9pm)

ALSO: Opus Dai and Visa at The Troubadour (10pm)

ALSO: Joe Henry at Largo at The Coronet (8pm)

ALSO: Benefit show at The Echoplex featuring The Submarines and Thao Nguyen (noon)

Sunday: The Academy Awards!!

To Keep in Mind:

March 9^th and 10^th: Manchester Orchestra at The Troubadour

March 11^th and 12^th: The Silent Comedy and Transfer at The Casbah

March 11^th: Joey Ryan and Melissa Ferrick at The Hotel Café

March 27^th: San Diego Indie Fest featuring Metric

March 27^th/28^th: Bamboozled Left featuring Something Corporate and AFI

April 9^th: Lights and Owl City at Club Nokia

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

April 16^th-19^th: Coachella

June 10-13^th: BONNAROO

Mp3s

“Eve, the Apple of My Eye”- Bell X1
“I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing” – Mike Doughty

~ Kristen

p.s. if you still haven’t checked this out, please do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkKufaZ84s (and look for me!)

Kristen's LA weekly concert calendar: 3/1-3/7

Posted on March 1, 2010 by Amanda

We’re still messing around with formats and such and learning the basics of how to be a blogger. We are leaning towards using Tumblr (you can post mp3s on it for free) vs. WordPress (a bit easier on the eyes and, in my opinion, more flexible), but for now have both running.

So, check this out: http://localmusicnation.tumblr.com/

And/or this: http://thelocalmusicla.wordpress.com/

And onto the events of this week. Here’s what I’ve got planned:

Monday: Paris Carney at Room 5 (8pm)

ALSO: Aimee Miriello at Molly Malone’s (10pm)

ALSO: Ari Hest at The Hotel Café (8pm)

Tuesday: Lucy Woodward at The Hotel Café (9pm)

ALSO: The Hounds Below and Miranda Lee Richards at Spaceland (10pm)

Weds: Vienne at Molly Malone’s (8:30)

ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard and Amber Rubarth at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Keaton Simons at Room 5 (9:30)

ALSO: Pawnshop Kings at The Roxy (8pm)

ALSO: Beachwood Rocker’s Society at Crane’s

Thursday: Joey Ryan, Jim Bianco, and Honeyhoney at The Hotel Café (8,9,10)

ALSO: Purple Melon at The Mint (10pm)

ALSO: Mike Doughty at The Troubadour (9pm)

Friday: Bell X1 and Truth & Salvage Co. at The Hotel Café (9,10)

ALSO: Adam H. Stephens (from Two Gallants) at The Troubadour (8pm)

ALSO: The Bird & the Bee at The El Rey (8pm)

Saturday: Curtis Peoples at The Mint (9pm)

ALSO: Killswitch Engage at The Wiltern (8pm)

ALSO: Paris Carney at Molly Malone’s (9pm)

ALSO: Opus Dai and Visa at The Troubadour (10pm)

ALSO: Joe Henry at Largo at The Coronet (8pm)

ALSO: Benefit show at The Echoplex featuring The Submarines and Thao Nguyen (noon)

Sunday: The Academy Awards!!

To Keep in Mind:

March 9^th and 10^th: Manchester Orchestra at The Troubadour

March 11^th and 12^th: The Silent Comedy and Transfer at The Casbah

March 11^th: Joey Ryan and Melissa Ferrick at The Hotel Café

March 27^th: San Diego Indie Fest featuring Metric

March 27^th/28^th: Bamboozled Left featuring Something Corporate and AFI

April 9^th: Lights and Owl City at Club Nokia

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

April 16^th-19^th: Coachella

June 10-13^th: BONNAROO

Mp3s

“Eve, the Apple of My Eye”- Bell X1
“I Just Want The Girl In The Blue Dress to Keep on Dancing” – Mike Doughty

~ Kristen

p.s. if you still haven’t checked this out, please do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOkKufaZ84s (and look for me!)

“…your voice is echoing again through catacombs inside my mind…” – Breathless by Dan Wilson

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Amanda

Dan Wilson just blows my mind every time. The man is a genius. Tonight at The Hotel Café he mostly played new songs which is great on the one hand because I was able to hear new brilliance for the first time, but on the other hand, so much goes unplayed. He did manage to squeeze in my two faves “Breathless” and “Free Life” plus a good one from his Semisonic days (“Singing in my Sleep”) so I was left feeling completely satisfied.

The entire evening was full of amazing music. Jim Bianco is always such a treat to watch. He has this new song from his forthcoming CD that I think takes his music to a whole new level. But, of course, he sings that one right before a song that calls for strippers…

Joey Ryan is one of my new faves and deserves a blurb all to himself (forthcoming).

And my intuition about Scars on 45 was spot on! I have a very good feeling about this group that was just signed to Chop Shop Records and are working on recording their debut album…next stop for them: SXSW. Definitely keep your eyes and ears open for these guys…

Next up: Nico Vega at El Rey…NOT to be missed!

~ Kristen

I am being drawn to this band

Posted on February 26, 2010 by Amanda

http://www.myspace.com/scarson45

They are called Scars on 45. I just heard them for the very first time a couple of hours ago. I am feeling inexplicably drawn to thier music…which is great because they are playing at The Hotel Cafe TONIGHT which was where I was planning on going anyway…now I just have to try to make it there by 6pm which is when This group goes on. Preliminary research suggests they are from The United Kingdom so come out tonight before they disappear across the pond!

Also playing tonight, a couple of my local faves Joey Ryan and Jim Bianco, as well as Dan Wilson who, in my opinion, writes some of the best lyrics ever to be put to song…NOT to be missed!

~ Kristen

Show Announcements: Needtobreathe, Our Lady Peace, Milo Greene

Posted on 8 Hours Ago by Kristen

Needtobreathe just announced that they are playing an intimate gig at The Hotel Cafe THIS FRIDAY/tomorrow/8.26. I pounced on this amazing opportunity and wanted to get the word out there for all you Needtobreathe fans…you know this is going to sell out any moment now. Go here to see if there are still tickets available: https://www.hotelcafe.com/tickets/?s=events_view&id=1159
Another exciting show announcement on the other end of the spectrum (but equally exciting to me): Our Lady Peace at The Viper Room. September 11th! Support from some great local groups, The Shakers, Of Verona, Hello Vegas. This is another get your tickets now moment. Go here: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3898445

Finally, with the unfortunate cancellation of Sunset Junction this weekend, you might be at a loss for what to do. No sign (yet) of a rescheduled The Belle Brigade/Rooney/Hanson show on Sunday night, but there are some last minute shows popping up that might help fill the void.

* Milo Greene will be at The Hotel Cafe Saturday night. This is a new band love of mine so this will be an amazing show! Don’t miss it

* Helmet Saturday night at The Viper Room

* Dangerbird Records (in Silverlake) is hosting some of my favorite artists that were bound for the Sunset Junction Stage on Saturday afternoon from 12-6pm. Artists include Milo Greene, Butch Walker, Chasing Kings, and Holly Conlan. For more info go here: http://www.987fm.com/pages/closetohome.html?article=9023691

* you can venture to Long Beach for another festival. BuskerFest features some great bands like Everest, Jay Buchanan, and new LMN discovery Korey Dane. For more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=186777321372614

That’s all I got for now! Go buy your tickets and I’ll see you at the shows!!

UPDATES on more Sunset Junction artists booking new shows can be found here:

http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2011/08/sunset_junction_rescheduled_ba.php

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/15-8/21

Posted on 8 Hours Ago by Kristen

Last week I kind of took it a bit easy. Let’s call it a conservation of energy tactic. Saturday, I went from 0 to 100. I stopped at The Hudson block party where I discovered a great new band (Nightmare & The Cat), did some dancing, ate some food, and witnessed a Wu Tang performance. I left early, missing out on a couple of my favorites (Dead Sara and Andy Clockwise). I had to get to Santa Monica for the Milk Carton Kids CD release event where I spent two hours on the brink of tears, either from laughing too hard or from the sheer beauty and brilliance of the music. Then I jetted from McCabe’s down to Saint Rocke just in time to be blown away by the powerful and empowering Nico Vega. So many great friends gathered at this final performance, I ended up talking/laughing/smiling through the wee hours. A day to remember for sure!
And really, yesterday was just the beginning of a week-long celebration of music and friends surrounding The Sunset Strip Music Festival. If you want to know what I’m up to next week, just go here: http://www.sunsetstripmusicfestival.com/.

And that’s not all? In fact, there are so many shows I wish I could go to this week but can’t that I’m beginning to think that I’ve done something to upset the universe. The cruelty of having TFDI’s So-Cal dates conflict directly with SSMF. The inhumanity of me NOT getting a ticket to see Muth Math at The Troubadour. The audacity of scheduling TWO Death Cab for Cutie/Frightened Rabbit dates when I cannot attend either one.

What a week! Here goes my list:

Monday: Automatique at The Viper Room (10:15)
ALSO: Robert Francis FREE at Bootleg Bar (11pm)
ALSO: The Wilderness of Manitoba at Origami Vinyl (7pm)
ALSO: Adele at The Greek Theater (7:30)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: it’s a school night at Bardot featuring Damndogs (featuring members of Jet) and Nikki Lane (10:30)…FREE with RSVP http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/

Tuesday: Mute Math at The Troubadour (8pm)…if someone has an extra ticket to this thing, I’ll be your friend forever…
ALSO: Wilderness of Manitoba at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: SSMF Showcase at The Roxy featuring The Green Children, Kyle Nicolaides, Los Einsten, and more (7pm)

Weds: SSMF Showcase at The Roxy featuring Benvenue, Lido Beach, and more (7pm)
ALSO: Old 97’s and Josh Ritter at The Wiltern (7pm)
ALSO: Alex Lambert at Room 5 (10pm)
ALSO: Parker Ainsworth at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: The Weepies at The Troubadour (8pm)
ALSO: Adele at Hollywood Palladium (7pm)

Thursday: Nico Vega and Eastern State Champions at The Roxy (9pm)
ALSO: The Canyons (8), The Veronicas (9) and Run Run Run(10:30), The Tender Box (11:20), Nude (12:20) at The Viper Room
ALSO: TFDI at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Johnny Polonsky at Silverlake Lounge (9pm)
ALSO: Frightened Rabbit and Death Cab for Cutie at The Greek (7:30)

Friday: Dead Sara and Buckcherry at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Kevin Martin at On the Rox (8pm)
ALSO: Taylor Locke & The Roughs (8:30), Lady Sinatra (9:30), Purple Melon (10:30), Hillbilly Herald (12), and Eli James (1am) at The Viper Room
ALSO: TFDI at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: Red Light Sky at Amplyfi (9:45)
ALSO: Frightened Rabbit and Death Cab for Cutie at The Greek (7:30)

Saturday: SSMF at The Sunset Strip (between The Key Club and The Whiskey) featuring Motley Crue, Bush, Youngblood Hawke, Indians, Love and A .38, Deluka, Queen Caveat, Jordan Cook, Imagine Dragons, Sabrosa Purr, Semi Precious Weapons, and SO MANY MORE (1pm)
ALSO: Walk the Moon at Bootleg Bar (11pm)
ALSO: Taryn Manning at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: Maxim Ludwig & The Santa Fe Seven at The Troubadour (8:15)
ALSO: TFDI at Zoey’s in Ventura (5pm)

Sunday: Koffehouse presents 5^th Annual Evening of Independence at Ford Amphitheatre featuring Tyrone Wells, Satellite, Allen Stone, Jamestown Revival, Of Verona, Jes Hudak, and MORE (6pm)

Monday: Big presentation at work…I’m just pointing this out to emphasize how much the universe hates me right now.

To Keep in Mind:
August 22nd: Ben Rector at The Hotel Cafe
August 22nd: Scarlet Grey at The Troubadour
August 27-28th: Sunset Junction
September 3rd: FYF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 24^th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25^th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
March 13^th-18^th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

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