Kristen’s Concert Calendar 9/27-10/4

Epicenter was fantastic…fantastically hot. But fun was definitely had as I got to see some of my favorite bands, meet a couple new ones, and see some big groups I never would have seen otherwise. But the lesson of the weekend is definitely one Douglas Adams would approve of: always carry a towel! More on our adventures in Fontana to come.

My fave group of the weekend, Biffy Clyro, is playing Bootleg Theater on Thursday so if you weren’t able to make it to Epicenter over the weekend be sure to venture to Booleg on Thursday. But first, tonight (Monday), Semi Precious Weapons invades the El Rey. This group buts on the most insane show I’ve ever seen and it’s not to be missed.

As for the rest (so many good shows this week, it will be very hard to choose):

Monday: Semi Precious Weapons at El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Hellen Stellar and Moving Picture Show FREE at Spaceland (9pm)
ALSO: Chasing Kings and Pacific Hurt FREE at The Echo (8:30)
ALSO: Juke Kartel Record Release at The Hotel Café (9:30)
ALSO: The Black Keys and Nicole Atkins at Hollywood Palladium (7pm)
ALSO: A Fine Frenzy FREE (with RSVP) at Bardot http://www.itsaschoolnight.com (10pm)
ALSO: Alice Wallace at The Mint (7:30)
ALSO: Pete Yorn at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (8,9)

Tuesday: Landon Pigg and Guster at The Troubadour (8:15, 9)
ALSO: Ellie Goulding at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Café (10pm)
ALSO: The Black Keys and Nicole Atkins at Hollywood Palladium (7pm)
ALSO: Sara Barellies and Greg Laswell at The Orphium (8pm)

Weds: Parade of Lights at El Cid (10:30)
ALSO: Electric Touch at Silverlake Lounge (11pm)
ALSO: Sarah Harmer at Spaceland (9pm)
ALSO: Mikel Paris (of OAR) and WPA f. Sean Watkins and Glenn Phillips (8, 9:30)
ALSO: The Felice Brothers at The Echo (8:30)
ALSO: Jimmy Eat World and We Were Promised Jetpacks at The Wiltern (7pm)

Thursday: Biffy Clyro at Bootleg (10:30)
ALSO: Queen Caveat at Silverlake Lounge (9pm)
ALSO: Jukebox the Ghost at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Volcano Dolls at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Spoon at Hollywood Palladium (7pn)
ALSO: Train and NeedtoBreathe at The Greek Theater (7:30)
ALSO: Brian Ray at The Mint (8pm)

Friday: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater (8pm)
ALSO: Fight From Above, Fat City Reprise, The Shakers at The Viper Room (10, 11:30, 12:30)
ALSO: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at The Hollywood Bowl (7:30)
ALSO: Kyle Riabko at The Hotel Café (8pm)
ALSO: Ludo at The Key Club (10pm)
ALSO: Aimee Mann at Largo (8:30)

Saturday: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour (9:15)
ALSO: Raining Jane and Keaton Simons at The Hotel Café (10,11)
ALSO: Prohibition Rose at The Cat Club

Sunday: Aimee Mann at Largo (8:30)
ALSO: Belle & Sebastian at The Hollywood Bowl (7:30)…this one is for the student in my discussion section who likes this band J

To Keep in Mind:

October 8th: Crash Kings, Civil Twilight, and Anberin at The House of Blues
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
October 17th: Joe Firstman at The Hotel Café
October 18th: Mumford & Sons at The Hollywood Palladium
October 28th: Foxy Shazam and Free Energy at The Troubadour
October 29th: Nico Vega at The Roxy
November 2nd: Ingrid Michaelson at The Troubadour
November 4th: Five for Fighting at The Brixton
November 5th: Bayside at The Toubadour
November 8th-10th: A Perfect Circle at Avalon
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
November 18th: Freelance Whales at The Troubadour
November 21st and 22nd: Dar Williams at The Hotel Café
December 4th: Joe Firstman at Saint Rocke
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/20-9/26

I’m doing my best to ignore the emails and updates about shows tonight. The fact that Jake Newton is now playing with Austin Hartley Leonard at The Foundry…I’m not listening. I need a night in! Not that I’m complaining. This past week has been fantastic. The number of new bands I was able to check out and enjoy for the first time include Everest, The Daylights, Jennifer Knapp, Assemble the Skyline, Electric Touch, Deluka, Taylor Locke and the Roughs, and Heavy Young Heathens. Plus, I saw the most bizarre combination of acts I could possible imagine in one evening: Trace Adkins and Primus. All in all, not a bad week for music.

And this next week is shaping up to be just as good! Weds night I would especially recommend coming to On The Rox to check out the fantastic night of music featuring another band I’ve been meaning to check out, Lakes.

Then the week will cap off with the Epicenter Twenty Ten festival out in Fontana, CA. I’ll be counting down to the event all week with posts about some of the artists I’m most looking forward to check out over the weekend.

I just have to get through the week first. To help me get through, I have the following events on my radar:

Monday: Dead Sara at The Viper Room (10pm)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise FREE at Spaceland (10pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: it’s a school night at Bardot featuring Curt Smith (10pm) 

Tuesday: Northstar Session and Anna Nalick at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)
ALSO: Rhett Miller at Largo at the Coronet (8:30) 

Weds: ATN Management Presents On the Rox featuring Time You Exist, Parade of Lights, The Howls, Lakes, and That Noise (7:30)
ALSO: Cloud Cult at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Stars Go Dim at Whiskey a Go Go (10pm)
ALSO: Airborne Toxic Event at Ford Amphitheater (8pm) 

Thursday: Hinder at House of Blues Anaheim (8pm) 

Friday: Ry Cuming at The Hotel Cafe (11pm) 

Saturday: Epicenter Twenty Ten featuring Crash Kings, Papa Roach, Eminem, etc. (noon)
ALSO: Darker My Love and Band of Horses at Greek Theater (7:30)
ALSO: Muse at The Staples Center (7:30)
ALSO: So & SO at The Hotel Cafe (10pm) 

Sunday: Epicenter Twenty Ten featuring Biffy Clyro, The Academy Is…, Against Me!, Thirty Seconds to Mars, etc. (noon)
ALSO: Sick of Sarah at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Muse at The Staples Center (7:30)
ALSO: Mini Mansions at The Viper Room (9:30)
ALSO: Vampire Weekend at The Hollywood Bowl (7:30) 

To Keep in Mind:  

September 27th: Semi Precious Weapons at El Rey
September 28th: Guster at The Troubadour
September 30th: Queen Caveat at Silverlake Lounge
September 30th: BIFFY CLYRO at The Bootleg Theater
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 2nd: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour
October 8th: Crash Kings, Civil Twilight, and Anberin at The House of Blues
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
October 17th: Joe Firstman at The Hotel Café
October 18th: Mumford & Sons at The Hollywood Palladium
November 4th: Five for Fighting at The Brixton
November 5th: Bayside at The Toubadour
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
December 4th: Joe Firstman at Saint Rocke
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium  

~ Kristen

https://twitter.com/_localmusicnat

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/13-9/19

About to head out to the San Diego Music Awards. It’s going to be a fantastic evening of music…

As for next week:

Monday: Paris Carney and Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (8,9)

Tuesday: Terra Naomi at The Hotel Café (8pm)

Weds: Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale at The Hotel Café (8pm)
ALSO: Chasing Kings at Bootleg (10pm)
ALSO: The Mulhollands at Boardner’s (10pm) 

Thursday: So and So at Molly Malone’s (10pm)
ALSO: Jennifer Knapp at The Mint (10pm)
ALSO: Audra Mae and Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers at The Troubadour (8:45, 9:45)
ALSO: Blue October at The House of Blues (8pm) 

Friday: Assemble the Skyline at The Roxy(9:30)                                                                                                                                                      
ALSO: 8mm and Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Café (10,11)
ALSO: Scarlet Grey at Saint Rocke (10pm)
ALSO: Jake Newton and Keaton Simons at The Mint (8:30, 9:30)
ALSO: Hanson at The House of Blues (8pm) 

Saturday: Taylor Locke & the Roughs and Heavy Young Heathens at The Mint (10,11)
ALSO: Allen Stone and Alex Rhodes at The Hotel Café (8,11)
ALSO: The Binges and Dirty Sweet at Bootleg (10:30, 11:30)
ALSO: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater (8pm) 

Sunday: Tegan and Sara and Paramore at The Honda Center in Anaheim (8pm)

To Keep in Mind:
September 22nd: ATN event at On the Rox featuring LAKES
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
September 25th and 26th: Epicenter in Fontana, CA featuring Biffy Clyro, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Academy Is…, Crash Kings, etc.
September 27th: Semi Precious Weapons at El Rey
September 28th: Guster at The Troubadour
September 30th: Queen Caveat at Silverlake Lounge
September 30th: BIFFY CLYRO at The Bootleg Theater
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 2nd: Truth & Salvage Co. at The Troubadour
October 8th: Crash Kings, Civil Twilight, and Anberin at The House of Blues
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
October 17th: Joe Firstman at The Hotel Café
October 18th: Mumford & Sons at The Hollywood Palladium
November 4th: Five for Fighting at The Brixton
November 5th: Bayside at The Toubadour
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
December 4th: Joe Firstman at Saint Rocke
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium 

~ Kristen

https://twitter.com/_localmusicnat

“Bad Romance”: Covered

I’m not a huge fan of this song, but it seems to be getting a lot of coverage lately….I’ve largely been ignoring the omnipresence of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, but when my roommate sent me a video of Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing the tune, I decided it was time to take notice. He does add an air of intelligence to the tune, pointing out the Hitchcock references and killing the lines sung in french…a part skipped over in many of the covers.

There are several admirable versons of “Bad Romance” done by artists I enjoy. Both Lissie and 30 Seconds to Mars choose to slow down the tempo and bring out the sexiness of the song.

I was most impressed by the cover done by Paramore’s Hayley Williams. I feel she really makes the song her own…and she uses it to actually show off her vocal skills (plus she keeps it nice and short)!

But my favorite rendition of the song has to be the one done by Jealousy Curve. The quality of the video is not the best, but they performanced “Bad Romance” along with their song “Black Widow” back in Feburary in Boston. Watching this video was probably the first time I actually listened to the song…

I’m sure that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as covers are concerned…I still can’t get over how popular the song is. Perhaps beaten out only by Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” as most covered song of the moment. For more on that, check out Stereogum’s recent posting. Seriously, it includes a Tyler Hilton version…

Enjoy!

~ Kristen

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 9/6-9/12

I nearly forgot I needed to write this up as it kind of feels like the weekend is not over yet…because it’s not! YAY for three days weekends. I actually had some great plans for today but proceeded to sleep through all of them. I must have had way too much fun last night at The After Midnight Project show at The Key Club. The AMP boys put on quite the to-do and I am so glad some of you were able to make it out to see my most recent band obsession. I’ve got good reviews all around so I’m incredibly pleased. For more of my musical suggestions, check out this week’s calendar…if you’re looking to try something new, might I suggest Queen Caveat at Spaceland on Saturday.

As for the rest:

Monday: Happy Labor Day!

Tuesday: Imagine Dragons, Free Energy and Links at The Viper Room (9, 10, 11:15)
ALSO: Todd Carey at The Mint (8pm)
ALSO: Interpol at Space 15 Twenty (7pm)
ALSO: David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at The Greek Theater (7pm) 

Weds: David Gray and Ray LaMontagne at The Greek Theater (7pm) 

Thursday: Curtis Peoples at The Mint (9pm)
ALSO: Scarlet Grey and Red Light Sky at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Cracker at The Echoplex (8pm)
ALSO: Ry Cuming and Justin Nozuka at El Rey (8pm) 

Friday: Hellen Stellar at The Echo (9pm)
ALSO: Andy Clockwise at The Hotel Café (11pm)
ALSO: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Saturday: Queen Caveat at Spaceland (8:30)
ALSO: Ernie Halter, So & So, Eckels Brothers (9,11,12)
ALSO: Rocco Deluca and White Apple Tree at Saint Rocke (9pm)
ALSO: Scissor Sisters at Hollywood Palladium (8pm)
ALSO: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (8:30) 

Sunday: Pink Martini at Hollywood Bowl (7:30) 

To Keep in Mind:
September 18th: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
September 30th: BIFFY CLYRO at The Bootleg Theater
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium 

~ Kristen

https://twitter.com/_localmusicnat

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/31-9/5

Well all I can say is what a weekend! Hotel Carolina really was any music fan’s dream vacation and I am so grateful I was able to go. I really hope to give the weekend a proper write-up at some point, but you will have to be patient. I’m always so impressed with those people who get their pictures up right away…when do they sleep?

Speaking of sleep, I am in desperate need. I’m looking forward to getting back to Los Angeles and hearing everyone’s stories about Sunset Junction, The Sunset Strip Music Festival, and all the other great shows I missed out on while I was away. Let’s catch up this week! Here’s my plan:

Tuesday: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Café (10pm)
ALSO: Lovers Drugs at Saint Rocke (9:30)
ALSO: Mississippi Man at The Troubadour (8:45)
ALSO: Sabrosa Purr at Silverlake Lounge (11pm) 

Weds: Helen Stellar at Bootleg Theater (10pm)
ALSO: Alex Lambert at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Amber Rubarth at The Hotel Café (9pm)
ALSO: Beachwood Rockers’ Society at Crane’s 

Thursday:  Brian Wright and Greg Laswell at Saint Rocke (9,10)
ALSO: Hear NoHo (music festival in North Hollywood) featuring Jessie Payo (8pm)… http://www.hearnoho.com/ 

Friday: Run Run Run at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Austin Hartley-Leonard and Rocco Deluca at The Hotel Cafe (7,10) 

Saturday: AFTER MIDNIGHT PROJECT at The Key Club (8pm) 

Sunday: The Elizabeth Kill at The Mint (8pm)

To Keep in Mind:
September 7th: Todd Carey at The Mint
September 9th: Curtis Peoples at The Mint
September 18th: Heart at Gibson Amphitheater
September 25th: Band of Horses at Greek Theater
September 25th: Muse at Staples Center
September 30th: BIFFY CLYRO at The Bootleg Theater
October 1st: Brandi Carlile and The Avett Brothers at Nokia Theater LA Live
October 13th: Frightened Rabbit at The Mayan Theater
November 17th: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy
December 11th: The Black Crowes and Truth & Salvage Co. at Hollywood Palladium

~ Kristen

p.s. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! https://twitter.com/_localmusicnat

Kristen’s Concert Calendar: 4/26-5/2

This week’s email is brought to you from the lovely town of  Horseheads, NY where I have been spending the weekend…well part of the weekend. I also journeyed down to the Philadelphia area to see one of my favorite bands  (Jealousy Curve) play…twice.  Despite the lack of sleep it was a fantastic weekend! The biggest problem with predominantly local bands is that when you move away, it’s quite difficult to see them. I have to fly across the country! Which I will be doing again May 22nd for Jealousy Curve’s big CD release.

Fortunately all the great shows listed below don’t require much travel outside the LA area:  

Monday: Helen Stellar FREE at Spaceland (11pm)
ALSO: Aqualung at Bootleg (10pm)
ALSO: Chris Thile at Largo at the Coronet (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

Tuesday: Dr. Dog at The Music Box (8pm)
ALSO: Lady Danville at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Whispertown 2000 at Silverlake Lounge (9pm) 

Weds: Matthew Jordan and Civil Twilight at The Hotel Cafe (8,9)
ALSO: Beachwood Rocker’s Society at Crane’s 

Thursday: Lemon Sun at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Apes of Wrath at Spaceland (8:30)
ALSO: Honeyhoney at The Hotel Cafe (10pm) 

Friday: Tyler Hilton at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Soul Puppet at Molly Malone’s (9:30)
ALSO: Ernie Halter and Chris Pierce at The Hotel Cafe (9,11) 

Saturday: The Silent Comedy at The Roxy (on the Rox) (10pm)
ALSO: Needtobreathe at El Rey (8pm)
ALSO: Holly Conlan at The Hotel Cafe (9pm) 

Sunday: White Buffalo at Saint Rocke (6pm)

To Keep in Mind:

May 3rd: The Kin at The Hotel Cafe
May 4th: Greg Laswell at The Troubadour
May 13th: Crash Kings at The Roxy
May 15th: Carney at The El Rey   
May 15th: 30 Seconds to Mars at The Greek Theater
May 19th: Queen Caveat at The Viper Room
May 28th: The Silent Comedy and Dirty Sweet at North Park Theater (in SD)
June1st: First Aid Kit at Bootleg
June 6th: Mumford & Sons with The Silent Comedy at BellyUp (in SD)
June 10-13th: BONNAROO (in Tennessee)
June 25th: Warped Tour in LA (well, Carson)
July 10th: Lilith Fair

 ~ Kristen