Saturday 05.24.08: Club LA Underground Presents URGE with POSERS @ echoplex

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Club LA Underground Presents URGE with POSERS

Featuring:
A performance by POSERS
“Crew vs. Crew” Dance Battle

Members Only

For VIP Membership and Bottle service packages, please contact Nick at Clubunderground at gmail.com

9pm / $10adv / 18+

Tuesday 05.27.08: JAGUAR LOVE / XBXRX @ echo

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Jaguar Love

Jaguar Love rose from the co-mingled ashes of respected Seattle bands the Blood Brothers and Pretty Girls Make Graves, with a ratio of two Brothers (non-related Johnny Whitney and Cody Votolato) to one Girl (non-female Jay Clark). While that pedigree alone was probably enough to facilitate a Matador Records’ signing earlier this week, you have to assume that their opening spot on a Queens of the Stone Age tour last year was at least partly granted for heavy shred appeal. Though it’ll likely be the summer before we see a Jaguar Love record with an OLE number on its spine, there a few circulating songs to discuss. “Welcome to the Birdskull Palace” takes a while to develop into a satisfyingly menacing rocker, but Whitney wastes no time in unleashing his familiar shriek. Despite common elements with the previous entities of their component parts, Jaguar Love is a little less abrasive than the Blood Brothers, and a little more distinctive than PGMG. As the song gathers steam, ghostly backing vocals and moody late-developing synths add some particularly welcome texture. – Prefix Mag

with:
xBxRx || Listen


Ticketweb

8:30pm / $12adv; $14dos / 18+

Wednesday 05.21.08: THE CAVE SINGERS / MOONRATS / TRIUMPH OF LETHARGY @ echo

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The Cave Singers

The Cave Singers || Listen

The Cave Singers’ music is largely acoustic and clearly inspired by the timeless sounds of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly (the baleful “New Monuments” is set “in the pines”), but — possibly because the band is so steeped in indie rock — it never feels hidebound to re-creating traditional sounds. Quirk’s reedy, nasally voice sounds far more comfortable in the Cave Singers’ rustic settings than it did in Hint Hint, and his worn-in vocals are a big part of what makes Invitation Songs’ straddling of indie and classic American music so effortless. He and the rest of the band sound just as comfortable on the sweetly rousing acoustic rock of “Elephant Clouds” as they do on “Called,” which, with its whip-cracking percussion, slow, insistent tempo, and aching melody, sounds directly descended from a decades, if not centuries, old work song. The Cave Singers are equally comfortable with washboards — which turn “Dancing on Our Graves” into a darkly joyful jamboree — and keyboards, which are paired with gentle but driven acoustic picking on “Helen.” However, the band’s most affecting moments are the simplest and subtlest: “Royal Lawns” and “Seeds of Night” use vivid imagery (“bright flowers behind your billboards”) and pastoral melodies to create quiet, unassuming yet undeniable moments of life-affirming beauty. Invitation Songs is a welcome, and welcoming, debut. – Allmusic

with:
Moonrats
Triumph of Lethargy

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Thursday 05.01.08: RUSE Performance Lounge presents CINCO DE MAYPOLE @ Echo

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Cinco De Maypole : A Celebration of all things May and Pole

featuring performances by

The Poor Dog Group
Ayanna Hampton
Kristina Wong
Gregory Barnett
Meg Wolfe
Anna Scott
Nao Bustamante

arts and crafts on the patio
special surprise guests

your hosts:
The Poor Dog Group and
Marcus Kuiland-Nazario

For more info:
participant_observer@yahoo.com

8pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 05.19.08: CUT COPY / CLASSIXX / DJ PAUL V. @ Echoplex

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Cut Copy

Cut Copy || Listen || Watch

In Ghost Colours was co-produced by DFA’s Tim Goldsworthy, who deserves credit for simultaneously opening up the band’s palette while relaxing their delivery. Sure, as you might expect, there are still blushes of French house and electro scattered liberally all over the show, but they’re always deployed in ways that serve– rather than overshadow– the song. And while Cut Copy’s principle and founding member Dan Whitford may come from a DJ background, the band-led songs come across every bit as muscular and as noteworthy as the dancefloor crossovers. To that end, this is one of the best bridges between electro and rock in a long time; the joins are so seamless that you don’t even think of the songs on those terms. – Pitchfork

with:
Classixx
DJ Paul V. (Bootie, Neon Noise/Indie 103.1)

@ Echoplex
Enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

9pm / $15 adv, $18 dos / 18+

Friday 05.02.08: First Fridays with AKRON/FAMILY / THE DODOS @ Natural History Museum

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First Fridays – Dinner, Discussion, Music & More

with:
Akron/Family || Listen
The Dodos || Listen

@ Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007

FMI: http://www.nhm.org/firstfridays/

5:30pm – Tour
6:30pm – Discussion
8:00pm – Music

Ticketweb

5pm / Adult $9, students (w. ID) $6.50, Members FREE / All Ages

Thursday 04.24.08: RESPECT DRUM & BASS presents – BARON / R.A.W. / BREAKAGE / CLUTCH DRONE @ Echoplex

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with:
Baron [Contagious, Breakbeat Kaos, UK]
R.A.W. [Tribe Records, N20]
Breakage [The Professionals, Pure Filth!]
Clutch [Rid'em Records, Respect]
Drone [Junglist Platoon, Respect]

Hosted By- MC XYZ [Respect]

@ Echoplex
Enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

10pm / $15 for 18+, $10 for 21+ / 18+

Tuesday 04.29.08: iheartcomix, the echo, viva la rock, scion, monster & metromix present THE LAST CHECK YO’ PONYTAIL EVER @ Echoplex

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iheartcomix, the echo, viva la rock, scion, monster & metromix present:
THE LAST CHECK YO’ PONYTAIL EVER!

with:
EROL ALKAN
DAN DEACON
LE CASTLE VANIA
HOLLYWOOD HOLT
TOTALLY MICHAEL
ACID GIRLS
WALLPAPER
FRANKI CHAN
PAPARAZZI

plus:
PHOTOS by REDSLURPEEE
VIDEO by DEMONBABIES
HEARTSCHALLENGER ICE CREAM TRUCK

@ THE ECHOPLEX
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

RSVP at rsvp@iheartcomix.com

8pm / FREE with RSVP / 18+

Wednesday 06.04.08: Aquarium Drunkard Presents THE WHIGS / THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE @ echo

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The Whigs

The Whigs || Listen

You have to hand it to an Americana/garage-rock band that can condense its sophomore effort into 11 tracks, totaling just 37 minutes. Why? Well, for one, because there are just too many ego-driven double albums out lately, and two, because it’s refreshing to hear a group that realizes less can be more. With “Mission Control,” that’s just what Athens, GA, trio The Whigs [ tickets ] have proven.

The album kick-starts with hard-punk force, then drifts through some freewheeling neo-psychedelica and finally exits with an organic, stimulating anthem of horns and heavy riffs, all without getting stale. Swanky southern moodiness, steady driving raw guitars and inspiring choruses saunter and shuffle throughout the album. It’s a hodgepodge of ’90s grunge-pop vibrancy and classic rock, which amounts to lots of identifiable points of reference. – LiveDaily

with:
The Henry Clay People || Listen

Ticketweb

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Whig to 467467

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8pm / $13 / all ages

Sunday 04.27.08: BENEFIT CONCERT FOR RICHIE HASS @ Echoplex

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Proceeds will be contributed to the International Myeloma Foundation

with, in order of appearance:
The Probe
ChromoSphere with Marc Mylar
Bag: Theory
With fellow improviser Tony Fate
The Amadans
Nels Cline
Poets Jack Brewer, S.A. Griffin and
The Lofty Canaanites
Freehead
Jim Smith, M. Segal, George Radai
Dos with Mike Watt and Kira Roessler
Sacchrine Trust
Fatso Jetson

The evening will end with a stage-filled improv session in celebration of our talented & unforgettable friend.

@Echoplex
Enter at 1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

INFO: (213) 413-8200

4pm / $7 / all ages

Saturday 04.26.08: EXCEPTER @ echo

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Excepter

Excepter || Listen

The fourth record (and Paw Tracks debut) from Brooklyn’s Excepter is by far the creepiest offering from the experimental performance troupe, and finds the six-piece conditioning its decayed jams of electronic scree and industrial hiss into a scary, yet sexy-sounding beast. Abundant in nihilistic/surrealistic overtones all at once, tracks like “Burgers” and “Any and Every” insert dub and pop sensibilities into the mix, usually centered on a programmed, Whitehouse-style groove mashed with dilating synth bass and choppy beats. Ditto for “Kill People,” a bone-chilling romp of shouting, echoing vocals and pulsating clatter that sounds like an out-pop dance hit from the darkest corner of the universe. – XLR8R

RSVP TO CONTEST@ATTHEEECHO.COM TO GET IN FOR $5

9pm / $8 / 18+

Saturday 05.10.08: DARK MEAT / RESTAURANT / CRYSTAL ANTLERS @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

Dark Meat

Dark Meat

Dark Meat’s debut album, Universal Indians, begins quietly, with the lone voice of Page Campbell singing an a capella intro with a distinctly pastoral lilt. Just when your ears have become accustomed to her folksy mellifluousness, “Freedom Ritual” explodes in a rapture of sound, as approximately two-thirds of the population of Athens, Georgia, come in all at once. Or at least that’s how it sounds. Dark Meat is a Southern rock (or Southern-rock) collective headed by Jim McHugh and spiritually guided by free-jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler, and Universal Indians features nearly 30 musicians seemingly playing at the same time.

These sprawling songs hang together loosely, dense and busy with different textures, which are caked on in thick brushstrokes to sound large and layered: Jeff Tobias and Alexis Daglis’ saxophones squall through “Assholes for Eyeballs”, adding a grainy dissonance, while the marching-band brass make “One More Trip” sound like the coolest field show ever. “Angel of Meth” features girl-group harmonies and “Be My Baby” drums. Descending guitar riffs fall through “Dead Man” and “In the Woods”; choirs of backing vocals echo the choruses, punctuating McHugh’s drunken vocals with Stonesy staccato ooh-oohs; gospel cries occasionally pierce the din. – Pitchfork

with:
Restaurant
Crystal Antlers

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Thursday 05.29.08: ARIEL PINK @ Echo

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Ariel Pink

Ariel Pink

Ariel Marcus Rosenberg aka Ariel Pink is one of the most baffling figures in music. Just large enough for freak-folks the world over to know him, but just small enough to still be something of a secret, Rosenberg has built a weird aura of strange 70s soundtracks and lo-fi, vinyl-ripped 80s TV jingles. He’s a master of melody and a bard of bubbly psych-pop, but still he lingers on the fringes even of the more aware. Maybe a new album in 2008 will change that. For now, we’ll have to be content with 17 songs culled from the beautifully mysterious period that surrounds his first full-length release, 2002’s House Arrest. Scared Famous is a nice refresher as to why people love this guy in the first place, but I’ll be more interested to see what’s in store for 2008. Odds are that it will be more of the gloriously gritty avant-pop that Rosenberg has made his name on. – Audiveristy

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 05.28.08: WHITE RABBITS / THE HAPPY HOLLOWS / MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON @ Echo

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White Rabbits

White Rabbits || Listen

Fort Nightly is that rare debut where potential isn’t the operative word– White Rabbits deliver the whole package straight away. The NYC six-piece writes great songs that merge rhythmic intensity with grandiose melodrama in a seamless and inventive package. Opening the album with a sinister left-handed piano riff, “Kid on My Shoulders” features steam engine drums that give the song’s many hooks ample chance to sink in. It’s a track that keeps getting catchier as it goes, ending with a choral coda that has a monumental sweep. Opening an album with a headrush like that will be a good strategy from now until humans finally wipe themselves out, but plenty of albums peter out after this kind of track. Fort Nightly doesn’t– thanks to the band’s enormous bag of musical tricks. – Pitchfork

with:
The Happy Hollows || Listen
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 18+

Saturday 05.10.08: DESCARGA! with BOOGALOO ASSASSINS @ Echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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With:
Boogaloo Assassins

We feel the vibration of world beat and Latin sounds permeate in the Echo Park venue by skilled Resident DJ’s every month and live acts at midnight. When the alternative salsa night began five years ago with DJ’s Dusk, Sloe Poke and Loslito, ¡Descarga! was about digging in the crates for the rarest salsa cuts and the funkiest Latin 60’s and 70’s sounds, and spinning the records (yes, good ‘ol vinyl baby!), in a club that would cater to L.A.‘s indie underground music scene. Today, the venue‘s changed and DJ’s have rotated a bit, but the spirit of the night is still beating strong.

True to its roots, ¡Descarga! will present L.A./O.C. natives, Boogaloo Assassins (Los Asesinos de Boogaloo) and NYC’s Chico Mann (NYC), on 2nd Saturday, May 10th at Echoplex. The first 50 people who R.S.V.P. to info@descargaclub.com before Friday, May 9th, get in for $5 all night!

Boogaloo Assassins (Los Asesinos de Boogaloo) pay homage to the classic sounds of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spanish Harlem and beyond; with a special jones for New York City’s Latin boogaloo, soul and funk of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

This May, Descarga guests will also get to experience a special treat with an opening set by NYC-based group, Chico Mann featuring members of Antibalas, Amy Winehouse, Dap Kings and acclaimed hip hop Vocalist, Vinia Mojica. Don’t miss it! It’s going to be funky ya’ll!

Resident DJs Sloe Poke, Mando Fever, Bobby Soul, Loslito, Azul & Mexican Dubwiser spin classic salsa, cumbia, merengue, Latin hip hop, reggaeton, mashups, Brazilian and deep house grooves all night

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027

¡Descarga! is a monthly Afro-Latin music gathering for the people. This event is an alternative to the commercial salsa nights that have dominated the LA scene for years. Resident DJs Sloe Poke, Mando, Bobby Soul, Loslito, Azul and Mexican Dubwiser spin classic salsa and cumbia; plus merengue, punta and reggaeton. With live bands gracing the stage at midnight at nearly every show, it has become the taste-making New York to L.A. soiree, running over 5 years strong.

FMI:
www.descargaclub.com
Descarga on Myspace

9pm / $7 before 11pm, $10 after / 21+

Saturday 05.24.08: MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SOS / MIKE BLOOM @ ECHO

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Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s || Listen

Having the advantage of previously seeing this group perform in more intimate settings, I drafted Jennifer to their set and waited to see what her reaction would be. I’ve found that music fans who’ve yet to see Margot have a somewhat revelatory experience upon their first encounter with this ingeniously nifty little band. Just about every melody and chord is uniquely their own, producing a sort of progressive urban rock that’s rooted in soul, alt-country, and pop. Many bands are defined by their ability to blend in or stand out with mainstream material, but the members of Margot have taken an understated, yet extremely sophisticated style of songwriting and turned out one of the year’s best studio releases, The Dust of Retreat.

What works so well on their creative, emotional album is transformed into an intimate live performance that ebbs and flows from whisper to scream, due mainly to frontman Richard Edwards’ fragile, focused vocals. Edwards’ emotional vulnerability shines from center stage, and is enhanced by a talented rhythm section, keyboards, layered guitar lines, and a trumpet (during live shows) for good measure. When the song “Barfight Revolution” comes into play, the crowd gets hooked and new fans are surely created. It’s a fun set.
- Indie-Music.com

with:
Mike Bloom

Ticketweb

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text NUCLEAR to 467467

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8:30pm / $10 adv, $12 dos / 18+

Friday 05.23.08: CASIOTONE FOR THE PAINFULLY ALONE / FOOT FOOT / KATY DAVIDSON @ ECHO

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Casiotone for the Painfully Alone

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone || Listen

Like each of Owen Ashworth’s wondrous works before it, Etiquette is intimate, often sorrowful, bedroom glitch-pop, but here it is more substantial. The unified sound varies in style, showing a breadth of expression and a growing array of whiz-bang instrumentation.

Dialing the party line of Bowie and Gainsbourg on “New Year’s Kiss” will surely make the track a favorite for most, but some of the more impressive tracks sleep innocently until a narrative pang brings them to life. “I Love Creedence” is an unassuming favorite, whereas a brisk pace would normally contradict a track so heartbroken, it viscerally captures the speed of a stirred heart when seeing a past love on the street.

Ending on what might seem the album’s highest thematic note, “Love Connection”, we hear the loveliest song ever to have the word “menstrual” in it, but such candor serves a purpose. Even when achieving what the Painfully Alone have perpetually ached for, love comes with harsh, sensual reality and cynicism. Etiquette ends with a line repeated over and over: “Some things are best left unsaid.” As the phrase resonates in consciousness and spirit, we must realize Owen Ashcroft has already said it all and would do it all again. – Lost At Sea

with:
Foot Foot || Listen
Katy Davidson

Ticketweb

8pm / $8 / All Ages

Saturday 04.26.08: Echo, J.ROCC & ArtDontSleep present SAY IT LOUD – A Special Celebration for The Godfather of Soul JAMES BROWN @ Echoplex

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Special Tribute DJ Sets by:
J.ROCC & Friends
James Gadson featuring The Breakestra

Plus:
Official Release for J.ROCC’s “James Brown Tribute P.2″ mix CD and Nelson George and Alan Leeds’ “James Brown The Reader: 50 Years of Writing About the God Father of Soul.”

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

9pm / $15 limited presale, $18 adv, $20 dos / 21+

Sunday 05.25.08: Arthur magazine, Echo, Alan Bishop and Richard Bishop Present – THE BROTHERS UNCONNECTED: A Tribute to Charles Gocher & Sun City Girls @ echoplex

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When Sun City Girls member Charles Gocher Jr. died in February 2007 at age 54 after a three-year battle with a rare form of cancer, the planet didn’t just lose one of its most enigmatically talented drummers. It was also minus one wildly creative character: a multi-instrumentalist and gifted songwriter, a twisted video auteur, a prolific writer and beat poet who was a never-ending font of insight and absurdities. His fellow Sun City Girls, Alan and Rick Bishop, lost a madcap muse they considered their “other brother.” Gocher was an integral component of the Sun City Girls for more than 25 years, from the time he showed up at a pizza-joint open-mike night Alan was hosting in 1981 until his death on February 19, 2007. During that time, the prolific trio released an insane number of albums, cassettes, 7-inches, videos, side projects, and the like, all of which are equally amazing in their own right. Some of it could be considered “difficult” listening, but SCG were always more interested in challenging people than pleasing them (though they did write a goodly number of amazingly beautiful songs). – Seattle Weekly

Most dates will feature an opening 40 minute film of Charles Gocher’s video experiments followed by two sets of music. Alan Bishop and Richard Bishop will be performing Sun City Girls songs as an acoustic guitar duet. This tour will most likely be the only time this show will be presented as such and is a tribute both to Charles Gocher and selected music from the 27 year legacy of Sun City Girls.

with:
Alan Bishop
Richard Bishop

Ticketweb

8pm / $12 adv, $14 dos / All Ages

Thursday 05.22.08: STAND UPPITY with EUGENE MIRMAN / ANDY KINDLER / MARC MARON @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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Stand Uppity : Comedy That Makes You Feel Better About Yourself, and Superior To Others

What is Stand Uppity, you don’t ask? A comedy tour featuring Eugene Mirman,
Marc Maron, and Andy Kindler, three irreverent, smart-alecky, comedians, known for having points of view. Do you know who else has a point of view? Everyone. But their point of view is very funny. That’s why you should pay to listen to it.

When history looks back at itself and wonders what comedy tour helped America move on from it’s partisan bickering, botched war, and economic downturn, it will be easy: Stand Uppity!

with:
Eugene Mirman || Watch
Marc Maron || Watch
Andy Kindler

Ticketweb

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text COMEDY to 467467

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8pm / $18 / 18+

Friday 05.16.08: Dim Mak & Echo present TURBO RECORDINGS NIGHT / OMNIDANCE TOUR with D.I.M / THOMAS VON PARTY @ Echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

with:
D.I.M.
Thomas Von Party
Them Jeans

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

9pm / $15adv, $17dos / 18+

Thursday 05.22.08: Filter presents FRENCH KICKS / THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND / ROLL THE TANKS @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

French Kicks

French Kicks || Listen

Like the rest of the French Kicks, lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Nick Stumpf is a talented musician and craftsmen. But its in his role as a drummer that Stumpf keeps the group’s new album, Swimming, on the right side of the atmospheric-pop/way-too-mellow divide. On the New York group’s fourth record, they’ve developing an appealing platter of harmony-heavy Sunday-morning-brunch pop, but its Stumpf’s booming beats that gives the set the energetic dose of Saturday-night mischief necessary to keep things moving.

On the song “Carried Away” guitarist Josh Wise sings, “I was carried away/ but I can’t really say what for,” over a gently plucked guitar arpeggio and stomping bass drum. And it’s hard to believe him. Nearly every moment on the self-produced and -mixed Swimming is so precisely arranged, from the overwhelming lush sheets of harmonies to the ghostly piano riffs to the expertly deployed guitar riffs, that it’s difficult to believe the group leaves much to chance.

Overall, that isn’t a bad thing. Ringing guitar, hand-claps and polite-but-resolute drumming are mixed in perfect proportion on “Abandon,” and “This Could Go Wrong” belies its title with layered, wavy guitar lines expertly bouncing off a rumbling, invigorating beat. – CMJ

with:
The Weather Underground || Listen
Roll The Tanks

Ticketweb

8:3opm / $13adv, $15dos / 18+

Wednesday 04.16.08: THE PITY PARTY / AFTERNOONS / THE FRANKS / KARIN TATOYAN @ echo

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With:
The Pity Party
Afternoons
Karin Tatoyan || Listen
The Franks

Want to go to a concert and meet your monthly quota of good deeds?
FILTER’s got you covered with a benefit event featuring The Pity Party, Afternoons, The Franks and Karin Tatoyan at the Echo Wednesday, April 16 in Los Angeles.

The benefit show will also feature art gang collective Bagavagabonds silkscreening tees, The Good Neighbor Comedy Troop Mc-ing, and DJ Hatbox spinning all through the night. Tickets are $7 and all proceeds will be donated to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund which aims to financially assist career musicians who are facing illness or disability.

8pm / $7 / 18+

Wednesday 04.23.08: THE RUBY SUNS / THE HAPPY HOLLOWS plus Special Guests @ Echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

The Ruby Suns

The Ruby Suns

The cover art for the Ruby Suns’ sophomore disc, Sea Lion, is a fitting allegory for head Sun Ryan McPhun: A boy on an island takes pains to try to costume himself, tangling himself in lights and string, and wearing a feather in his hair and a crown on his head. McPhun’s work as the Ruby Suns functions in much the same way: Stationed on New Zealand’s North Island, the California native dresses his work in global music, nibbling at the edges of unfamiliar sounds but, ultimately, skillfully creating sunny psych-pop.

The result is an album of environments, both natural and imagined, hinted at by the cover art’s pastel Candyland, the collage of African wildlife on the CD insert, and McPhun’s tributes to his home state’s Mojave desert and Joshua Trees (“Oh, Mojave”). The album’s title refers to the colony of animals that sun in the ocean off of California’s Highway 1, and on “There Are Birds”, co-vocalist Amee Robinson pines for a world where “there are birds and it is calm.” A host of animal references doesn’t equate to an environmentally conscious album, but Sea Lion takes to heart quaint state park signage: take only pictures, leave only footprints. The Ruby Suns visit the world via an array of global signifiers– pinging conga drums, field recordings of animals, slight, sunny harmonies– but as they do, the band sounds genuinely curious and respectfully adoptive rather than calculating or opportunistic. – Pitchfork

with:
The Happy Hollows || Listen

Plus Special Guests

Ticketweb

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text HAPPY to 467467

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8pm / $15 / all ages

Monday 05.26.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents LE SWITCH / VANESSA MICALE / THE MINOR CANON / THE WORLD RECORD @ echo

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Le Switch || Listen

Employing a timeless mix of guitar, bass, keys and drums, Le Switch deftly augment their boozy, barroom pop sound with multi-instrumentalist Maria DeLuca’s viola and trumpet interspersed throughout their set. Deluca’s subtle textures, combined with Kyle’s trademark lyrical howl, make up Le Switch’s secret weapon. When the two come together, expertly backed on drums/percussion by Joe Napolitano, Josh Charney on keys, and Christopher Harrison on bass, even the most jaded hipster in the bar can’t help but take notice. – Aquarium Drunkard

with:
Vanessa Micale
The Minor Canon
The World Record || Listen

Presented by: Aquarium Drunkard

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.19.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents LE SWITCH / ADELINE & THE PHILISTINES / I MAKE THIS SOUND / NAPTUNES @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

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Le Switch || Listen

Employing a timeless mix of guitar, bass, keys and drums, Le Switch deftly augment their boozy, barroom pop sound with multi-instrumentalist Maria DeLuca’s viola and trumpet interspersed throughout their set. Deluca’s subtle textures, combined with Kyle’s trademark lyrical howl, make up Le Switch’s secret weapon. When the two come together, expertly backed on drums/percussion by Joe Napolitano, Josh Charney on keys, and Christopher Harrison on bass, even the most jaded hipster in the bar can’t help but take notice. – Aquarium Drunkard

with:
Adeline & The Philistines
I Make This Sound || Listen
Naptunes

Presented by: Aquarium Drunkard

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.12.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents LE SWITCH / DIVISION DAY / THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE / PRINCETON @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

leswitchposterresidency.jpg

Le Switch || Listen

Employing a timeless mix of guitar, bass, keys and drums, Le Switch deftly augment their boozy, barroom pop sound with multi-instrumentalist Maria DeLuca’s viola and trumpet interspersed throughout their set. Deluca’s subtle textures, combined with Kyle’s trademark lyrical howl, make up Le Switch’s secret weapon. When the two come together, expertly backed on drums/percussion by Joe Napolitano, Josh Charney on keys, and Christopher Harrison on bass, even the most jaded hipster in the bar can’t help but take notice. – Aquarium Drunkard

with:
Division Day || Listen
The Henry Clay People || Listen
Princeton || Listen

Presented by: Aquarium Drunkard

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.05.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents LE SWITCH / FRANKEL / AMNION / SEASONS @ echo

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Le Switch || Listen

Employing a timeless mix of guitar, bass, keys and drums, Le Switch deftly augment their boozy, barroom pop sound with multi-instrumentalist Maria DeLuca’s viola and trumpet interspersed throughout their set. Deluca’s subtle textures, combined with Kyle’s trademark lyrical howl, make up Le Switch’s secret weapon. When the two come together, expertly backed on drums/percussion by Joe Napolitano, Josh Charney on keys, and Christopher Harrison on bass, even the most jaded hipster in the bar can’t help but take notice. – Aquarium Drunkard

with:
Frankel || Listen
Amnion || Listen
Seasons

Presented by: Aquarium Drunkard

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 05.20.08: M83 / BERG SANS NIPPLE @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

m83

M83 || Listen

Despite a pretty sturdy background in electronic music, the buzz surrounding Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez’s M83 has been centered on his affinity for the texture of hazy shoegaze guitars. As last heard on 2005’s Before the Dawn Heals Us… the one man band continued veering towards pyrotechnic riffs and bleeding heart vocal melodrama while inching slightly away from compositions driven by beats or centered on ambient waves of keyboard foam. But based on the scant evidence provided by the first track from of Spring 2008’s Saturday = Youth record, perhaps the rock stops here.

The amorphous fog hanging over this eight and a half minute slow burn is primarily synthetic and its dominant thump surprisingly club ready. You can almost make out some lonely amp feedback in there somewhere, but as the rhythm continues to assert itself in the track’s fourth and fifth minutes it’s swallowed completely. While I hesitate to say that the track is an improvement over the previous model, I’m digging the forward momentum achieved when Gonzalez’s blurred sonics snap into sharper focus. – Prefix Mag

with:
Berg Sans Nipple

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

8pm / $17 adv, $19 dos / 18+

Sunday 05.18.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with STONEHONEY / LESLIE & THE BADGERS / BAND OF ANNUALS / RESTAURANT / AMERICAN BABIES @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Stonehoney
Leslie and the Badgers
Band of Annuals (featuring members of Cub County)
Restaurant
American Babies

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

3pm / FREE / all ages

Sunday 05.11.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with DAVE GLEASON / TORNADO MAGNET / THE FALLEN STARS /THE HOLLER DOPERS @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Dave Gleason || Listen
Tornado Magnet (featuring members of Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Whiskey Tango, The Hideaways)
The Fallen Stars || Listen
The Holler Dopers

Plus Squaredancing from 3pm-5pm
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hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

3pm / FREE / all ages

Sunday 05.25.08: PART TIME PUNKS SMITHS NITE @ echo

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resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 05.18.08: PART TIME PUNKS @ echo

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Part Time Punks

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resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 05.11.08: PART TIME PUNKS 3 YEAR ANNIVERSARY with SILVER DAGGERS / ABE VIGODA @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

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with:
Silver Daggers
Abe Vigoda

resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 05.04.08: Part Time Punks & Echo present BLOOD ON THE WALL @ echo

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Blood on The Wall || Listen

Unless you never heard the reedy sneer of the Violent Femmes’ Gordan Gano and The Pixies’ Black Francis, or you completely missed the affected phrasing of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, there’s no denying Brooklyn’s Blood on the Wall’s awkward caterwauls come with ingrained precedents. But with this rumpled revivalist trio the foundation is so strong there’s always a way to craft an accommodating floor plan and accessorize it with soused jangle and splayed arrangements. All the late ’80s college-rawk cast-offs coagulate into an atonal, unhinged, and altogether pleasing condensation of agitated splatter. A somewhat heavier third full-length, Blood on the Wall’s latest still manages to avoid being heavy-handed with its heritage. – XLR8R

with:
Nite Jewel

with resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

Ticketweb

10pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 05.28.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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Dub Club

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 05.21.08: DUB CLUB presents Orthodox Music Showcase with BONGO HERMAN / JUDAH ESKENDER TAFARI / SANGIE DAVIS @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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with:
Bongo Herman
Judah Eskender Tafari || Listen
Sangie Davis || Listen

Plus Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 05.14.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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Dub Club

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 04.30.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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Dub Club

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Saturday 05.17.08: HANG THE DJS – Totally ’90s Dance Party w/ POP NOIR / ZAPTRA @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

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with:
Pop Noir || Listen
Zaptra || Listen

plus:
Aaron Castles + Maxwell Smart (Tik Tok, A Club Called Rhonda)
Classixx
Maurice De La Falaise (Par Avion, Transistor)
Bianca Grimshaw (Party Machine, Metropolitan Bar, NYC)

and on the patio:
Ane, Despe Pop!, Frank Leopold (Automatico)

spinning the best in: indie, international pop, britpop, electro, disco, post-punk, new wave, no wave, hiphop and more..

FMI:
Hang The DJs on Myspace

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $8 all night / 18+

Saturday 05.17.08: Aquarium Drunkard Presents EARLIMART / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / SIGGY / LIGHT FM @ echo

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Earlimart || Listen

In the mesmerizing, disturbing dream that is Mentor Tormentor, Espinoza and Murray wrap their sweetly uneasy voices around misty melodies, while the deceptively sophisticated production reinforces the sense of uncertainty. Pretty guitars, pianos and strings come and go, creating a layered wall of sound effects, but it’s hardly a seamless construction. Oddly compelling electronic squiggles and blips are embedded in virtually every track, implying that whatever takes place in the foreground, there’s a contrary undercurrent bubbling underneath. – Paste Magazine

with:
Voxhaul Broadcast
Siggy
Light FM

@ Echoplex
Enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Presented by Aquarium Drunkard

Ticketweb

8pm / $12 adv, $14 dos / 18+

Friday 05.16.08: AMERICAN MUSIC CLUB / GORDON GANO & THE RYAN BROTHERS @ echo

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American Music Club

American Music Club || Listen

Since 2004’s comeback album, Love Songs For Patriots, AMC leader Eitzel has had to rely on his songs and persona alone—which makes The Golden Age even more stunning. His trademark gloom still dominates, but his ability to bend glacial chords around pure poetry remains vital. In fact, it’s stronger than ever: For every thunderstorm like “The Decibels And The Little Pills,” The Golden Age sports a wry, soulful, immaculately cut pop gem such as “All The Lost Souls Welcome You To San Francisco.” “A city built by fire trucks / and skeletons who grin and grin,” Eitzel croons with delicious malice on the latter—and it’s hard not to picture him as one of those grinning skeletons himself. – The Onion AV Club

with:
Gordon Gano & The Ryan Brothers

Ticketweb

8pm / $12 / all ages

Thursday 05.15.08: SOUTH / SILVER STATE / KI:THEORY / JOHNNY LLOYD ROLLINS @ echo

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South

South || Listen

Rock, dance, electronica, folksy acoustics, orchestral soundscapes, South have always been impossible to pin down. Now the chameleons of pop are back. After a year mastering the art of production in their own studio, the first single from the new album conjures up vintage New Order. “A Place in Displacement,” is a dance anthem for the heart, mellow with regret, anticipating a love that is not yet quite lost. “The track is loosely about trying to find a place in life and the fact that we don’t always know where to find love and happiness or how to deal with them if we do, you don’t want to wear your heart on your sleeve, in case that love isn’t returned,” says Joel Cadbury who penned “A Place in Displacement.” Meanwhile, the tingly “Fight Your Cause,” evokes a George-Harrison inspired Beatles, and the third song Addiction to Fiction has the souffled- ightness of a Jeff Buckley or Nick Drake. – Young American

with:
Silver State || Listen
Ki: Theory || Listen
Johnny Lloyd Rollins || Listen

Ticketweb

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text SOUTH to 467467

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8pm / $15 / 18+

Tuesday 05.13.08: SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN / PORT O’BRIEN / THE BLACK WATCH @ echo

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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin || Listen

This Missouri band’s music is so plainly likable that they should consider running for public office — even the off-putting name wouldn’t deter any voters who appreciate the shy prettiness of the Shins and the sweeter, least brash moments of the New Pornographers. In fact, you might easily mistake the tuneful melancholy of “Think I Wanna Die” (MP3, video below) for the latter and the foggy, low-key “Glue Girls” for the former, and that’s fine. SSLYBY don’t want to cause a ruckus; they’ll sway you by thawing hearts and inspiring satisfied nods. – Spin

with:
Port O’Brien || Listen
The Black Watch || Listen

Ticketweb

8pm / $8adv, $10dos / all ages

Friday 05.09.08 CLUB UNDERGROUND with LEMON SUN / THE ROSEWOOD THIEVES @ echo

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with:
Lemon Sun || Listen
The Rosewood Thieves

plus resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Thursday 05.08.08: THE MORNING BENDERS – CD Release Show w/ RUMSPRINGA / DAWES @ echo

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The Morning Benders || Listen

Berkeley’s Morning Benders helped get things started at the Independent on Noise Pop’s second night, offering some reassuring audience endorsement courtesy of frontman (and male version of Winnie Cooper) Chris Chu, who introduced set standout “A Song” thusly: “We think you’ll like it; you’re not assholes.” The youthful quartet, who’ve been successfully campaigning for the title of SF’s new indie rock darlings, charmed their way through their early Beatles-y repertoire for their first big Noise Pop show so winningly we could almost hear the Wonder Years voiceover as they left the stage. – Spin Magazine

with:
Rumspringa
Dawes

8:30pm / Free with album purchase, $15 at the door for CD + ticket, $10 for ticket / 18+

Wednesday 05.07.08: DUB CLUB presents THE LIONS @ echoplex

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The Lions

The Lions include seven LA musicians who have seemingly immersed themselves in the ganja-smoke-saturated aura of Jamaica’s finest sonic export and devised a sound based on it. Which is to say, undivided attention must be paid to their just-released album, Jungle Struttin’.

Composed of members from such crucial units as Breakestra, Orgone, Madlib’s Sound Directions, Connie Price & the Keystones and Rhythm Roots All-Stars, the Lions use reggae and dub as their default mode, evoking resinated, mid-’70s Kingston more than late-’00s Los Angeles, a very neat trick. From that base/bass, the Lions roam into subtle extrapolations of Afrobeat, funk and the wonderful aural intoxicant you hear on those Ethiopiques compilations. – OC Weekly

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $10 / 21+

Wednesday 05.07.08: CEX / BARR / ECSTATIC SUNSHINE / ABE VIGODA @ echo

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Cex

Cex || Listen

Having no qualms about vocalizing his desire to be a Rolex-wearing pop and rap star, Cex‘s music actually lies in the lines of electronic, intelligent dance music. At the age of 19, Rjyan Kidwell already had a catalog of releases and a record label behind him. His upbeat, and over the top personality splattered a large dash of color across a sub-genre of techno that is often bland and too mechanical.

with:
Barr
Ecstatic Sunshine || Listen
Abe Vigoda

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Sunday 05.04.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with MIKE STINSON / HELLBOUND GLORY / THE MIDNIGHT BOYS / 50 CENT HAIRCUT

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Mike Stinson || Listen
Hellbound Glory
The Midnight Boys || Listen
50 Cent Haircut || Listen

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 05.03.08: BOOTIE LA @ echopex

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BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party is now at the Echoplex!

Mashup DJs:
PARTY BEN
DJ PAUL V.
DJ AXEL

Midnight mashup show:
KAY SEDIA

BOOTIE LA is now at the Echoplex, with more room to dance, two bars, great sound and lights, and mashup videos on three giant screens!

This month — from San Francisco — Party Ben returns to rock the decks, as well as spin several of his own custom mashup videos throughout the night. Resident DJ Paul V. — from Indie 103.1’s “Neon Noise” — and special guest DJ Axel keep your brain guessing and body dancing with creative song combinations, celebrating — and satirizing — the many different forms of music. And returning to the stage for the midnight mashup show — just in time for Cinco de Mayo — is Kay Sedia!

Launched in San Francisco in 2003, BOOTIE was the first club night in the United States dedicated solely to the burgeoning artform of the bootleg mashup. Mixing and matching every conceivable musical genre, era, and style into one big dance party where everyone feels welcome, it’s a place where all sounds, cultures, and sexualities can unite on the dance floor. Bootie provides the soundtrack for the A.D.D. generation — with free mashup CDs given away like candy! Bootie – because one song at a time just isn’t enough.

FREE Bootie CDs to the first 50 people through the door!

FMI: http://www.BootieLA.com

9pm / $5 before 10 pm, $10 after / 21+

Friday 05.02.08: SOULSLAM LA3 – Prince VS Michael Jackson – with DJ SPINNA @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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DJ Spinna || Listen

Every year in New York DJ Spinna rocks a party called Soul Slam. It draws upon a couple thousand people annually. We are very happy to invite you to a special and rare installation of the Soul Slam here in Los Angeles. We know you will appreciate it just as much as we do. The King or The Prince? you decide…

DJ Spinna sets the tone of this event as he lays down track after track from both MJ’s and Prince’s extensive music catalogues along with tracks of their cohorts, i.e.; Jermaine Jackson, Vanity, Janet, Sheila E., J5, The Time, remixes, samples, etc.

Opening set by DJ Jeremy Sole [KCRW, Musaics,Afro Funke']

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

9pm / $11 adv, $15 dos / 21+

Friday 05.02.08: UNDERGROUND & ECHO PRESENT – SUPREME LOVE GODS / LADIES & GENTS @ echo

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with:
Supreme Love Gods || Listen
Ladies & Gents

plus resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Tuesday 04.15.08: BOOZE CLUES Pub Quiz @ echoplex lounge (enter at 1822 Sunset Blvd

Posted by damara - filed in events

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Booze Clues is a bimonthly pub quiz that tests your knowledge of music, current events, and pop culture. Come with a team of up to six players, or form one at the bar. Prizes are awarded for the highest score, most entertaining wrong answers, and best team name.

“The competition is as fierce as it is fun, and the questions are no walk around the Trivial Pursuit board game. You have to read the newspaper, be somewhat literate, know about art and, of course, be a pop-culture junkie.” Linda Immediato, LA Weekly

@ Echoplex Lounge
enter at 1822 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

7pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 04.30.08: THE ENTRANCE BAND / FOOL’S GOLD / GLASSER @ echo

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Entrance

The Entrance Band || Listen

Guy Blakeslee is not the first musician to feel the cold chill of the grave on his neck, nor the first to evoke said shiver with eerie slides of blues guitar. His fourth full-length (the first on Tee Pee) may, however, be the happiest album ever written about death or at least the one you’re most likely to dance to, whirling gypsy style around the room. That’s because his contemplation of memento mori is unusually euphoric, full of ecstatic sweeps and jubiliant yelps. He may be staring death right in the eyes, but he’s happy about it—he can hardly contain himself.

Consider the opening sally of “Grim Reaper Blues”, a buzz of feedback exploding into great circling blues guitar riffs, the whole enterprise so enveloped in pitch-black echo that you feel you’re listening in a cave (or perhaps a sepulcher). Still there’s a party going on down here. Pass the flask, grim reaper, because Entrance is downright exultant in his howls and bends and slides. – Popmatters

with:
Fool’s Gold
Glasser

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Tuesday 04.29.08: NOT IN THE HOUSE / LOS TRENDY / BRIAN GRILLO @ echo

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Los Trendy

Los Trendy

with:
Not In The House
Brian Grillo

8:30pm / $5 / 18+

Friday 04.25.08: URBAN UNDERGROUND @ echoplex

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with:
Defari (Likwit crew / ABB Records)
2Mex (of the Visionaries)

plus Resident DJs:
Leviathan
Soul Life
DJ Lord Ron
AC The PD

Hosted by: Pow Shadowz

@ Echoplex
enter at 1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI: Urban Underground on Myspace

8pm / $10adv, $15 dos / 18+

Thursday 04.24.08: HELL YA! presents BIRDS OF AVALON / TWILIGHT SLEEP / VENUS INFERS @ echo

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with:
Birds of Avalon || Listen
Twilight Sleep || Listen
Venus Infers

Plus The HELL YA! DJS

8pm / $5 / 18+

Saturday 04.19.08: HANG THE DJS with BLOODCAT LOVE / ACID GIRLS / THE COCAINE KIDS / MID CITY WEST @ echo

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With:
Bloodcat Love
Acid Girls
The Cocaine Kids
Mid City West

spinning the best in: indie, international pop, britpop, electro, disco, post-punk, new wave, no wave, hiphop and more..

FMI:
Hang The DJs on Myspace

10pm / $7 / 18+

Tuesday 04.15.08: SUBHUMANS / CIRIL / HIT ME BACK @ echo

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Subhumans || Listen

Mixing anger, wit and analysis with their trademark dynamic punk ethos this is the Subhumans at their most crushing and intense. You realize that they didn’t decide to make a new album, but had to. There’s a message front and center- they’re fed up with war and politics, and they’ve got something to say about it. Just as they always have been, the Subhumans are the voice of the common man. This is an album that can stand proudly next to over 25 years of Subhumans history without feeling out of place. – Interpunk

with:
Ciril
Hit Me Back

Ticketweb

7pm / $12 / all ages

Tuesday 04.08.08: BOTTOMS UP DANCE PARTY @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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With:
DJ Lance Rock
DJ LL Cool G
Damien Decottle – Live Dance show with Dhari
DJ NGA Dave
Skare Tactic
Ten G Bob
Nic Cohn

@ echoplex
enter at 1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

9pm / FREE / 18+

Sunday 04.13.08: ALL IN ‘08 – Poker Tournament to benefit THE BRIDGE PROGRAM with KILLSONIC / CECI BASTIDA / TRANSFATAL EXPRESS / CANNONBALL FUN @ echoplex

Posted by damara - filed in events

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a Charity Poker Tournament and Benefit Concert for the Bridge Program. Cool prizes for all the top winners, a benefit concert with special guest performances after the tournament (8 pm), dancing, drinks, and surprises . . . all in a very happening club environment.

With performances by:
Ceci Bastida || Listen
Killsonic
Transfatal Express
Cannonball Fun

Register to play at: http://bridge.kintera.org/poker

FMI: The Bridge Program

2pm register; poker playing starts at 3pm, Music at 7:30pm / $200 to play, $12 to watch / 18+

Monday 04.28.08: SHE & HIM featuring ZOOEY DESCHANEL & M. WARD / LAVENDER DIAMOND @ Vista Theatre

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She & Him

She & Him featuring Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward || Listen

She & Him is a story of musical serendipity: Two artists, each renowned in their own creative fields, meet and recognize a certain shared nostalgia. The result is destined to be one of the musical highlights of the year.

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward first met to record a version of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “When I Get To The Border” for a movie soundtrack. Immediately struck by one another’s talents and finding an instant rapport, Zooey let slip that she wrote her own songs which she recorded alone at home on her computer. Somewhat shy about anyone hearing these musical morsels she eventually sent the demos to Matt who was instantly impressed. They soon reconvened at his Portland studio to begin work.

Embracing the warm sound of early analog recordings, Volume 1 is more than just a showcase for Zooey’s rich and endearing voice; it’s a distinctive and endlessly charming album. The songs themselves give a respectful nod to the likes of Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt and The Zombies while Matt’s production gives them just the right amount of golden era sheen. Whether Zooey’s channeling Ronnie Spector as on “I Was Made For You” or joining Matt in turning The Beatles “I Should Have Known Better” into a seductive hula guitar duet, the results are always captivating.

with:
Lavender Diamond || Listen

@ Vista Theatre
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Ticketweb

7pm / All Ages

Friday 04.04.08: FIRST FRIDAYS with THE WATSON TWINS / CASTLEDOOR @ Natural History Museum

Posted by damara - filed in events

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First Fridays – Dinner, Discussion, Music & More

with:
The Watson Twins || Listen
Castledoor

@ Natural History Museum
900 Exposition Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007

FMI: http://www.nhm.org/firstfridays/

5:30pm – Tour
6:30pm – Discussion
8:00pm – Music

Ticketweb

5pm / Adult $9, students (w. ID) $6.50, Members FREE / All Ages

Tuesday 04.22.08: INDIAN JEWELRY / GENEVA JACUZZI / THE MUSLIMS / IMAAD WASIF with TWO PART BEAST @ echo

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Indian Jewelry

Indian Jewelry || Listen

It feels like we’ve been talking about Indian Jewelry’s sweaty noise-psych forever, probably because their songs are so epic that we feel like they took us on a really intense quest or like, gave us heatstroke. But that’s the best thing about IJ, they make us want to leave the city and drive around, our backs stuck to the car seat and a really smelly dog hanging out next to us. – Fader

With:
Geneva Jacuzzi
The Muslims
Imaad Wasif With Two Part Beast || Listen

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $8adv, $10dos / 18+

Thursday 04.03.08: SLEEPINGBOY / SUMO / DANIEL BRUMMEL (from Ozma) @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

Sleepingboy

Sleepingboy

with:
Sumo
Daniel Brummel

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 04.01.08: THE POOR EXCUSES / SWORDS OF FATIMA / TALL HANDS / LIFE UNDER WATER @ echo

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The Poor Excuses

The Poor Excuses

The Poor Excuses play wordy, rambunctious, groove-heavy indie punk with a freaky edge. – Flavorpill

with:
The Swords of Fatima
Tall Hands || Listen
Life Under Water

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 04.08.08.: NOBODY / THE GASLAMP KILLER / CAROLINE / JACK TUNG @ echo

Posted by damara - filed in events

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Nobody || Listen

Nobody (Elvin Estela), has been a fixture in the Los Angeles music scene since the early 1990s, first as a producer for many of the premier emcees at the Good Life Cafe/Project Blowed, and then as a remixer, producer, and important member of the global electronic and indie-rock communities. He has worked with, remixed, and toured in support of the Postal Service, Prefuse 73, The Mars Volta, Aceyalone, Mia Doi Todd, and many others. His releases for Ubiquity and Plug Research have garnered him not only critical praise, but the clout to define and redefine his sound as he sees fit. His productions effortlessly flow from the hip-hop themes of his early career to the psychadelia and rock motifs of his most recent work, and his vast musical vocabulary allows him to deliver with each and every mix. – Mush Records

with:
The Gaslamp Killer || Listen
Caroline || Listen
Jack Tung || Listen

Ticketweb

8pm / $8 / 18+

Tuesday 04.29.08: SHE & HIM featuring ZOOEY DESCHANEL & M. WARD / LAVENDER DIAMOND @ Vista Theatre

Posted by damara - filed in events

She & Him

She & Him featuring Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward || Listen

She & Him is a story of musical serendipity: Two artists, each renowned in their own creative fields, meet and recognize a certain shared nostalgia. The result is destined to be one of the musical highlights of the year.

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward first met to record a version of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “When I Get To The Border” for a movie soundtrack. Immediately struck by one another’s talents and finding an instant rapport, Zooey let slip that she wrote her own songs which she recorded alone at home on her computer. Somewhat shy about anyone hearing these musical morsels she eventually sent the demos to Matt who was instantly impressed. They soon reconvened at his Portland studio to begin work.

Embracing the warm sound of early analog recordings, Volume 1 is more than just a showcase for Zooey’s rich and endearing voice; it’s a distinctive and endlessly charming album. The songs themselves give a respectful nod to the likes of Dusty Springfield, Linda Ronstadt and The Zombies while Matt’s production gives them just the right amount of golden era sheen. Whether Zooey’s channeling Ronnie Spector as on “I Was Made For You” or joining Matt in turning The Beatles “I Should Have Known Better” into a seductive hula guitar duet, the results are always captivating.

with:
Lavender Diamond || Listen

@ Vista Theatre
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Ticketweb

7pm / All Ages

Wednesday 04.02.08: GLACEAU presents – Charlemagne’s Birthday Show w/ THE OUTLINE / ROBOT LOVE / P.S. NEVERMIND / DREAM KIDS / THE FRANKS @ echo

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The Outline || Listen
Robot Love
P.S. Nevermind
Dream Kids
The Franks

7:30pm / $5 / 18+

Saturday 04.12.08: DESCARGA presents CAVA @ echoplex

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Cava

with:
Buyepongo

CAVA is back! This sultry Singer-Songwriter and Musician will headline the next ¡Descarga! with her all-star group on April 12th at Echoplex. Tickets are available at the door—$7 before 11pm or $10 after. CAVA’s sound is an eclectic mix of up-tempo world music that seamlessly fuses son, cumbia, salsa, ska and even Japanese Taiko drumming. Her Voice communicates a strong-willed feminine energy that is simultaneously sultry and maternal. She is a charismatic and commanding performer, backed by an all-star band that boasts residencies with Beastie Boys, Ozomatli, Mentiritas, among other musical affiliations. The ensemble features Walter Miranda on Piano, electric- keyboards and bass; Alfredo Ortiz on Drums and Timbales; Franchot Tone on Guitar and Maceo on Japanese Taiko drums. Opening the evening is an up-and-coming five-piece vallenato group, Buyepongo, that hails from East Los Angeles.

Plus Resident DJs Sloe Poke, Mando Fever, Bobby Soul, Loslito, Azul & Mexican Dubwiser spin classic salsa, cumbia, merengue, Latin hip hop, reggaeton, mashups, Brazilian and deep house grooves all night

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90027

¡Descarga! is a monthly Afro-Latin music gathering for the people. This event is an alternative to the commercial salsa nights that have dominated the LA scene for years. Resident DJs Sloe Poke, Mando, Bobby Soul, Loslito, Azul and Mexican Dubwiser spin classic salsa and cumbia; plus merengue, punta and reggaeton. With live bands gracing the stage at midnight at nearly every show, it has become the taste-making New York to L.A. soiree, running over 5 years strong.

FMI:
www.descargaclub.com
Descarga on Myspace

9pm / $7 before 11pm, $10 after / 21+

Wednesday 04.09.08: SUMMER DARLING / WAIT.THINK.FAST / ARMY NAVY / KISSING TIGERS @ echo

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Summer Darling

Summer Darling || Listen

I’d never seen Summer Darling before. It only took me about three bars of the first song to fall in love with the foursome. For large portions of their set I felt like I was transplanted to the year 1994, nearly sure my track jacket had transformed itself to an old flannel shirt found at Goodwill. One or two songs reminded me of something like The Promise Ring or early Jimmy Eat World. That’s not to say that Summer Darling is playing in the past because there was something very contemporary about what they were doing. I think ten years younger and played twice as fast, and Summer Darling might be at The Smell instead of The Scene.

There was a lot of band interaction as they played, turning to face each other and look each other in the eyes. What I really loved were the lyrics. They were honest, if not venomous, but still endearing. The words to the songs were sung above, not beneath, the instrumentation and that made for a very intimate set despite the deafening buzz and fuzz. – Classical Geek Theatre

with:
Wait.Think.Fast.
Army Navy
Kissing Tigers

Plus Djs Kevin Bronson + Squaregirls

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 04.10.08: MIA DOI TODD / WINTER FLOWERS / KARIN TATOYAN @ echo

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Mia Doi Todd

Mia Doi Todd || Listen || Watch

Mia Doi Todd is one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own rite, but as connecting links between other musicians. Through collaborations, she brings together the psychedelic electro of Nobody, the lysergic country pop of Beachwood Sparks survivors, the raga-rock textures of Shankar and the sophisticated jass phrasings of Joni Mitchell. As good as La Ninja is on its own terms, it may be even more important in the way it reinforces the ties between disparate musicians within her orbit. She’s the center of one of the more interesting pop electronic scenes around these days – and this album demonstrates, through the strength of her songs and her willingness to let them out into the world, why this should be. – Dusted Magazine

with:
Karin Tatoyan || Listen
Winter Flowers || Listen

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 04.11.08: XIU XIU / THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN @ echo

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Xiu Xiu

Xiu Xiu || Listen || Watch

The San Francisco outfit, led by Jamie Stewart, are one of the most unique musical acts currently making music. Their brand of challenging and extremely personal music is distinctive and something that only Stewart and co. can do. And with Women as Lovers they have created one of their more accessible and cohesive albums to date.

In many ways, Xiu Xiu has been able to maintain its steady stance as being part of the indie-rock/pop genre and the avant-garde stylists. While this line is often blurred, even by Xiu Xiu themselves, their songs are carefully crafted pop songs with beautiful intimate touches all around. – Delusions of Adequacy

with:
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down || Listen

Ticketweb

8pm / $10adv, $12 dos / all ages

Sunday 04.27.08: PART TIME PUNKS with Guest DJs THE TEENAGERS / THE OLD HAUNTS / LILY MARLENE plus Secret Special Guests @ echo

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Guest DJs THE TEENAGERS! plus

* * * SPECIAL SECRET GUESTS who we can’t announce until Saturday nite! (stay tuned to www.parttimepunks.com for the announcement) * * *

And THE OLD HAUNTS + LILY MARLENE!

Come early and avoid the line…

plus resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $10 / 18+

Sunday 04.20.08: PART TIME PUNKS @ echo

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Part Time Punks

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resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 04.13.08: PART TIME PUNKS with GARY WAR / WEAVE @ echo

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with:
Gary War
Weave

resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Saturday 04.06.08: PART TIME PUNKS with ANAVAN / KUATO @ echo

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With:
Anavan || Listen
Kuato

resident djs Michael Stock and Benny Shambles spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 21+

Sunday 04.27.08: GRAND OLE ECHO w/ DEAD ROCK WEST / JEREMIAH & THE RED EYES / BOB WOODRUFF @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Dead Rock West
Jeremiah & The Red Eyes
Bob Woodruff

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.20.08: GRAND OLE ECHO w/ DAN JANISCH / RICH MAHAN (FROM SHURMAN) / LAST CAMPFIRE @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Dan Janisch
Rich Mahan (from Shurman)
Last Campfire

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.13.08: GRAND OLE ECHO w/ TONY GILKYSON / PATTY BLEE @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Tony Gilkyson
Patty Blee

Plus Squaredancing from 3pm-5pm
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hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

3pm / $5, FREE after 5pm / all ages

Sunday 04.06.08: GRAND OLE ECHO w/ DAVE GLEASON WITH OLD CALIFORNIO, JAIMI SHUEY, WEST OF TEXAS @ echo

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Grand Ole Echo

with:
Dave Gleason with Old Californio
Jaimi Shuey
West of Texas

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 04.17.08: ELI “PAPERBOY” REED / JAIL WEDDINGS / THE SHAKELTONS / DON CAVALLI @ echo

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Eli “Paperboy” Reed

Eli “Paperboy” Reed || Listen

So far, soul and funk of the throwback variety have been dominated by the ladies, but Eli “Paperboy” Reed could buck that trend. The blue-eyed soul sensation and his sevenpiece True Loves delivered a monster set of set of old-school R&B to a foot-loose crowd Thursday night at Club de Ville. The 24-year-old Allston, Mass., native opened with horn-driven burner “Stake Your Claim” from the forthcoming Roll With You, due out in late April on Q Division Records. At his best, the bourbon-sipping, guitar-strumming soul shouter sounds like Wilson Pickett reincarnate, down to the signature punctuating howl. Even the bravado of Pickett’s “A Man and a Half” is rivaled by “The Satisfier,” a scorching burst of R&B bravado. It’s not all high-energy shouting, though, as Reed, sporting a stuffy brown suit and Beaver Cleaver hairdo, deftly cooled the crowd with sweet soul ballad “She Walks.” – The Austin Chronicle

with:
Jail Weddings
The Shackeltons || Listen
Don Cavalli

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Saturday 04.12.08: DIRTY PROJECTORS / NO KIDS @ echo

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Dirty Projectors

Dirty Projectors || Listen

While Longstreth’s initial albums were mostly string-backed folk, he’s now given himself up to rhythm– in his words, his compositions have become more “horizontal” than “vertical.” The horizontal’s great for dancing– an opportunity that arises a few times here– but verticality is still the source of the songs’ tensions. Coffman and Waiche’s coos stack harmonies with Longstreth’s bleat like little car wrecks, and even though the guitars move like a West African dance band or math rock, the songs seem propelled by the constant resolutions of notes rather than the beats themselves. – Pitchfork

with:
No Kids

Ticketweb

8pm / $10adv, $12dos / all ages

Friday 04.25.08: UNDEGROUND with AAnchors AAweigh @ echo

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with:
AAnchors AAweigh || Listen

plus resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Friday 04.18.08: UNDERGROUND with QUARTER AFTER @ echo

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with:
The Quarter After || Listen

plus resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Friday 04.11.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND (following Xiu Xiu) @ echo

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With resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Friday 04.04.08: UNDERGROUND with ASHBURY / BULLET FOR DALI @ echo

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with:
Ashbury
Bullet for Dali

Plus resident DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Wednesday 04.23.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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Dub Club

plus Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 04.16.08: DUB CLUB with HALF PINT @ echoplex

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with:
Half Pint || Listen

A classic singer known for his huge hit Greetings, Half Pint continues reeling out the hits. As a veteran singer Half Pint sticks to what he knows best, the tried and true formula of classic reggae. On the 16-track album, Half Pint explores various subject matters from liking his best friend’s girl to being on the ‘no stress express.’ Half Pint’s lyrics are all clean and not overly sexual or violent like most songs of today.

The album has a relaxing, mellow feel throughout that washes over the listener. Inviting listeners to come onboard to a musical journey, the album begins with Unity as Half Pint and Jack Maness chants that “we’re all in it together”. My Best Friend’s Girl has an old-time rocksteady/ska feel that makes one want to get up and do a lively jive. – The Jamaica Star

plus Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

Ticketweb

9pm / $15 / 21+

Wednesday 04.09.08: DUB CLUB @ Echoplex

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Dub Club

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

9pm / $5 / 21+

Monday 04.28.08: Monday Night Residency – RADARS TO THE SKY / THE FLYING TOURBILLION ORCHESTRA / THE WESTERN STATES MOTEL / I MAKE THIS SOUND @ echo

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Radars to The Sky

Radars To The Sky

As scores of aspiring bands around Los Angeles find, life can get in the way of music. Take a year in the life of Radars to the Sky frontman Andrew Spitser: “You graduate from law school, you take the bar exam, you get a job, you’re having a baby, and you think, ‘When the hell am I going to get this done?’ ” he says of his quintet’s “Big Bang” EP, its second release of 2007.

The singer-guitarist and his bandmates — guitarist Seamus Simpson, bassist Martin Avelar, drummer Kenny Kupers and singer-keyboardist Kate Post Spitser, his wife — got it done, all right, five intense volleys of indie rock with arcs back to a time when indie rock was less self-conscious. It’s no surprise that Spitser’s heroes are Built to Spill; the gnarly interplay between guitarists and the time signatures might bring Pavement or Sebadoh to mind. Even allowing for its self-production, “Big Bang” can be big and bold (and tender, when Kate Spitser’s vocals enter the mix), rock whose working-class trappings disguise an essayist’s soul. – LA Times

With:
The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra
The Western States Motel || Listen
I Make This Sound || Listen

Presented by KROQ & Metromix

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 04.21.08: Monday Night Residency – RADARS TO THE SKY / YOU ME AND IOWA / RADEMACHER @ echo

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Radars to The Sky

Radars To The Sky

As scores of aspiring bands around Los Angeles find, life can get in the way of music. Take a year in the life of Radars to the Sky frontman Andrew Spitser: “You graduate from law school, you take the bar exam, you get a job, you’re having a baby, and you think, ‘When the hell am I going to get this done?’ ” he says of his quintet’s “Big Bang” EP, its second release of 2007.

The singer-guitarist and his bandmates — guitarist Seamus Simpson, bassist Martin Avelar, drummer Kenny Kupers and singer-keyboardist Kate Post Spitser, his wife — got it done, all right, five intense volleys of indie rock with arcs back to a time when indie rock was less self-conscious. It’s no surprise that Spitser’s heroes are Built to Spill; the gnarly interplay between guitarists and the time signatures might bring Pavement or Sebadoh to mind. Even allowing for its self-production, “Big Bang” can be big and bold (and tender, when Kate Spitser’s vocals enter the mix), rock whose working-class trappings disguise an essayist’s soul. – LA Times

with:
You Me & Iowa || Listen
Rademacher || Listen
plus special guests

Presented by KROQ & Metromix

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 04.14.08: Monday Night Residency – RADARS TO THE SKY / THE TRANSMISSIONS / THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE / DEATH TO ANDERS @ echo

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Radars to The Sky

Radars To The Sky

As scores of aspiring bands around Los Angeles find, life can get in the way of music. Take a year in the life of Radars to the Sky frontman Andrew Spitser: “You graduate from law school, you take the bar exam, you get a job, you’re having a baby, and you think, ‘When the hell am I going to get this done?’ ” he says of his quintet’s “Big Bang” EP, its second release of 2007.

The singer-guitarist and his bandmates — guitarist Seamus Simpson, bassist Martin Avelar, drummer Kenny Kupers and singer-keyboardist Kate Post Spitser, his wife — got it done, all right, five intense volleys of indie rock with arcs back to a time when indie rock was less self-conscious. It’s no surprise that Spitser’s heroes are Built to Spill; the gnarly interplay between guitarists and the time signatures might bring Pavement or Sebadoh to mind. Even allowing for its self-production, “Big Bang” can be big and bold (and tender, when Kate Spitser’s vocals enter the mix), rock whose working-class trappings disguise an essayist’s soul. – LA Times

with:
The Transmissions || Listen
The Henry Clay People || Listen
Death To Anders || Listen

Presented by KROQ & Metromix

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 04.07.08: Monday Night Residency – RADARS TO THE SKY / THE PARSON RED HEADS / AUSHUA / THE WEATHER UNDERGROUND @ echo

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Radars To The Sky

As scores of aspiring bands around Los Angeles find, life can get in the way of music. Take a year in the life of Radars to the Sky frontman Andrew Spitser: “You graduate from law school, you take the bar exam, you get a job, you’re having a baby, and you think, ‘When the hell am I going to get this done?’ ” he says of his quintet’s “Big Bang” EP, its second release of 2007.

The singer-guitarist and his bandmates — guitarist Seamus Simpson, bassist Martin Avelar, drummer Kenny Kupers and singer-keyboardist Kate Post Spitser, his wife — got it done, all right, five intense volleys of indie rock with arcs back to a time when indie rock was less self-conscious. It’s no surprise that Spitser’s heroes are Built to Spill; the gnarly interplay between guitarists and the time signatures might bring Pavement or Sebadoh to mind. Even allowing for its self-production, “Big Bang” can be big and bold (and tender, when Kate Spitser’s vocals enter the mix), rock whose working-class trappings disguise an essayist’s soul. – LA Times

with:
The Parson Red Heads || Listen
Aushua || Listen
The Weather Underground || Listen

Presented by KROQ & Metromix

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 04.05.08: Benefit for Garden School with GWENDOLYN & THE GOOD TIME GANG / A Magic show with RYAN MAJESTIC @ Echoplex

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Gwendolyn & The Good Time Gang

It is very much to Gwendolyn’s credit that her second album for kids, Get Up and Dance!, released late last month, is entirely irony-free. Somehow, though, the songs are eager without turning off the parents. For example, kids will enjoy her exhortation to “bounce and bounce and bounce” (ad nauseam) “around” on the leadoff title track, while parents will smile wanly at the recognition of the fact that this, yes, is exactly how their child moves. But somewhere in the course of the song, the music opens up, adding handclaps and becoming sonically interesting (without losing the kids). The rest of the album is like that, too — the super funky “Eensy Weensy Spider,” the disco freeze-dance of “Red Means Stop,” and the best song never recorded for Grammar Rock!, “I Can Read.” The listing of vegetables “Out in My Garden” is reminiscent — in a good way — of their debut album’s “My Anatomy.” I also appreciate the fact that the album doesn’t end with a typical kids-album-closer slow song, but instead with the peppy “Sunny Day.” It fits perfectly here. – ZooGlobble.com

And:
Ryan Majestic (Magic Show)

@ Echoplex
Enter at 1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

10am / $10 for kids and $12 for adults / All Ages

Friday 04.04.08: AUTCHRE / ROB HALL / MASSONIX @ Echoplex

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Autechre

Autechre || Listen

It would be deathlessly simplistic to say that Autechre make dance music, like saying that Vivendi sells compact discs. While it’s true that the English duo’s sound is coincidentally rhythmic, it’d be more appropriate to hail them as the true Sound of the City. Just as 1995’s Tri Repetae perfectly and pristinely captured the paranoid spirit of rapidly gentrifying urban areas—the soundtrack of homeless people pushed east, sodium streetlights casting an aura over rain-slick streets, and a deserted series of districts devoted part-time to factory-made toys, candy, and machine parts—their ninth and latest album, Quaristice, finely etches a glass metropolis with acid both nitric and hallucinogenic. – The Village Voice

with:
Rob Hall
Massonix

@ Echoplex
Enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

9pm / $18 adv, $22 dos / 18+

Wednesday 04.02.08: DUB CLUB presents DON CARLOS @ Echoplex

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Don Carlos

Don Carlos (born Euvin Spencer) Legendary Reggae Artist – Born and raised in one of the most deprived regions of Western Kingston, Jamaica, in a district notoriously known as Waterhouse, which incidentally is also a musical spawning ground for many of Reggae’s greatest ever talents, such as King Tubby, original member of Black Uhuru, The Jays, Junior Reid and King Jammy to name but a few, Don Carlos started his singing career back in 1973, as one of the original members of the aforementioned roots vocal group Black Uhuru. Alongside other founding members, Garth Dennis who later went on to joining the Wailing Souls and Derrick Ducky Simpson Uhuru’s central figure, as part of the trio, Don played a prominent role in the recordings of the highly acclaimed Love Crisis album, for producer Prince Jammy in 1977. The said album was later re-released and re-titled as Black Sounds of Freedom. A year after the trio’s ground breaking debut, Don Carlos surprisingly decided to part company in pursuit of a solo career. Having needed at least three years to get the grips of being a soloist, plus developing a knack for song writing and grooming that distinctive, vocal styling it wasn’t until May 1981 that Carlos really took the fraternity by storm, courtesy of a heavy, roots and culture flavored show case album titled Suffering for Negus Roots.

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Main Entrance is through Alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

FMI:
Dub Club on MySpace

Ticketweb

9pm / $15 / 21+

Saturday 04.05.08: BOOTIE LA @ Echoplex

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LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party moves to the Echoplex!

Resident mashup DJs:
ADRIAN & the MYSTERIOUS D
DJ PAUL V.

From club Blender, special guest DJ:
RAW-BURT

Midnight mashup show, from Salt Lake City:
PRINCESS KENNEDY

This month, Bootie moves downstairs to the Echoplex — so now there will be more room to dance! Resident DJs Paul V., Adrian, and the Mysterious D keep your brain guessing and body dancing with creative song combinations, celebrating – and satirizing – the many different forms of music. This month, guest DJ Raw-Burt from club Blender joins them.

Launched in San Francisco in 2003, Bootie was the first club night in the United States dedicated solely to the burgeoning artform of the bootleg mashup. Mixing and matching every conceivable musical genre, era, and style into one big dance party where everyone feels welcome, it’s a place where all sounds, cultures, and sexualities can unite on the dance floor. Bootie provides the soundtrack for the A.D.D. generation – with free mashup CDs given away like candy! Bootie… because one song at a time just isn’t enough.

FREE Bootie CDs to the first 50 people through the door!

FMI: www.BootieLA.com

9pm / $5 before 10:30pm, $10 after / 21+

Saturday 04.05.08: LE LOUP / THE RUBY SUNS / PRINCETON @ echo

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Le Loup

Le Loup || Listen

Don’t be jealous of Sam Simkoff’s seven-piece D.C. collective just because they were snapped up by Sub Pop offshoot Hardly Art after only playing a few live dates. Simkoff’s compositions are shockingly ripe for someone so green. And though Le Loup is now practically Broken Social Scene-sized (thanks to Craigslist), all of the wily, weird and wonderful tracks on this debut are basically Simkoff’s solo bedroom recordings. Many tracks on their loquaciously titled debut explore richly textured, almost pastoral, Animal Collective-like experiments, but “We Are Gods! We Are Wolves!” finds Simkoff at his ethereal best. Starting out with spare, staccato synthesizer bleeps and bloops, the song blossoms with each added layer of sound—spooky/sensitive multi-tracked vocals, which split the difference between Devendra Banhart and Spencer Krug, shine when layered on top of the electronic padding, recalling Nancy Wilson’s percolating score for Almost Famous. – Paperthinwalls

with:
The Ruby Suns || Listen
Princeton || Listen

Ticketweb

8:30pm / $8adv, $10dos / 18+

Monday 04.14.08: STARS OF THE LID / CHRISTOPHER WILLITS / NUDGE @ Echoplex

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Stars Of The Lid

Stars Of The Lid || Listen

Kranky Records has often made subtle reiteration and variation an art form via the careful, restrained, frequently ambient drones of the likes of Keith Fullerton Whitman, Growing, and Tim Hecker, but some of the finest work in their catalogue is arguably that of Stars of the Lid, the long-running project of Brian McBride and Adam Wiltzie (formerly of Austin, Texas, currently relocated to Los Angeles, California, and Brussels, Belgium). The duo’s earlier work focused on manipulated guitar and field recordings, creating deep, often sparely-inhabited soundscapes, but by 2001’s sprawling two-hour The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid they’d moved on to glacially evolving orchestral arrangements incorporating other musicians and live horns and strings. The shift was accompanied by an increasing focus on melody, albeit on melody as an exercise in restraint, muted and melancholic, for a resulting album drifting out of pure drone and into to a sort of deeply textured classical minimalism. Finally, six years of slow intercontinental collaboration later, continued exploration into the latent melodic potential of their work has yielded McBride and Wiltzie’s masterpiece, And Their Refinement of the Decline. This expansive symphony, refined, decisive, and beautifully-realized, is a unique work, an impressive work, and ultimately, an important work. – Popmatters

with:
Christopher Willits || Listen
Nudge

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Ticketweb

8pm / $13adv, $15dos / all ages