Sunday 10.20.08: PINBACK / MR. TUBE AND THE FLYING OBJECTS @ echoplex

Pinback || Listen || Watch

Album four from San Diego indie-pop collective Pinback brims with more box-ticking excellence than its immediate predecessor, Summer In Abaddon. Whereas the band’s 2004 long-player was a studied exercise in melancholic understatement, melded to some mightily addictive pop hooks, this ten-tracker is an immediately gratifying affair that pulls not a single punch in the catchiness stakes.

Opener and lead single ‘From Nothing To Nowhere’ is a statement of intent: confident, it bolts from the blocks to deliver a vocal within five seconds. There’s little in the way of slow-release here; few songs that take many a repeat listen to worm their way beneath the skin. Pinback have mastered their craft and, in a manner akin to The Shins, are now able to deliver with faultless magnificence within their field. Sure, their take on pop-rock is a few awkward timings short of compositional rocket science, but by working within the familiar – the acceptable aural face of contemporary indie – Pinback have developed to a zenith position. Autumn Of The Seraphs is, almost without doubt, their strongest collection to date. – Drowned In Sound

with:
Mr. Tube & The Flying Objects || Listen

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

8pm / $18 adv, $20 dos / All Ages

Thursday 10.02.08: KURT WAGNER (Lambchop) / THE CHAPIN SISTERS @ echoplex

Kurt Wagner || Listen || Watch

Kurt Wagner is currently basking in more acclaim than he can shake a shitty stick at. The success of his band (and it is his band) Lambchop’s ‘Nixon’ album has placed him in his rightful position as one of alt-country’s leading lights – most of tonight’s crowd would quite happily slap the label ‘legend’ onto his baseball cap. You only have to hear how darn quiet it is in here, a hushed reverence is awarded only to those who have earned it in cynical old London town. Oh, and they laugh at all his jokes.

But has Wagner earned his kudos? Well, you only have to hear ‘Nixon’’s opener, the fragile ‘The Old Gold Shoe’, stripped of it’s 14-strong band, to realise that these songs sound as towering even with just an acoustic guitar and some weird, taped sound effects. So far, so good. When he breaks into his Curtis Mayfield falsetto on ‘You Masculine You’ he is so astonished at the awed reaction that he can’t help but chuckle at himself self-consciously. And, of course, we chuckle along. – NME

with:
The Chapin Sisters || Listen

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

7 pm / $14 advance; $16 day of show / all ages

Saturday 10.11.08: Echo & F Yeah present DENALI / HOLLOYS / THE VALLEY ARENA @ echoplex

Denali

Denali formed in April of 2000 in capitol city of Richmond, VA when Maura Davis approached her older brother Keeley about helping her with some songs she’d been working on. These four-track recordings became the seeds from which the two of them would cultivate the band’s first songs. After enlisting the help of fellow Richmond vets Jonathan Fuller and Cam DiNunzio, the original line-up was complete.

Rehearsals in Jonathan’s living room gave way to a practice space in a cousin’s garage, some sheet rock, a PA system, etc, etc. After recording their first couple demos that year, the band went on to sign to the Jade Tree label in 2001. Their self-titled debut came out in April of 2002, followed by The Instinct in October of 2003. Touring commenced, van was purchased, t-shirts were made, and the band set out to make some fans. Both records were licensed by French label Vicious Circle in early 2004 and Japanese label Big Records around the same time. The band toured the U.S. numerous times before disbanding in Spring 2004 for the usual reasons. A posthumous DVD of live performances and home movies was released by Lovitt Records in 2006.

For the past few years, the Denali four have been scattered across the country in different cities, playing with various bands, working this job and that, but at the beginning of 2008 they all found themselves back in Richmond by coincidence. Getting together to play again seemed the natural thing to do, and after a spate of rehearsals, they decided on the next logical step: reunion shows!

Long live Denali!

with:
Holloys
The Valley Area || Listen

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

8pm / $15 adv, $17 dos / All Ages

Tuesday 09.23.08: BRANT BJORK / THE HIGH SAINTS / THE CHUCK DUKOWSKI SEXTET @ echo

Brant Bjork || Listen || Watch

Brant Bjork is one of those musicians whose understated brilliance one can imagine Lester Bangs endlessly praising in an obtuse and meandering essay (were Bangs not twenty-five years dead). Bjork’s music is of the sort that inspires and requires uncompromising loyalty from his devotees and to those not indoctrinated, may seem easily dismissed.

Read a bio of Brant Bjork and you will most likely encounter a roster of “desert” or “stoner” bands that he once graced with his presence behind the skins: Kyuss, Fu Manchu. But the remarkable thing about Bjork’s solo material is the absence of the heaviness generally associated with the apocryphal desert rock label (or stigma, depending on who you are talking to). Mr. Bjork has made a career out of breaking stock stoner-rock character into something of a slacker funk enigma ever since his first solo album Jalamanta surprised and befuddled fans of the aforementioned stoner schtick. – Blog Critics Magazine

with:
The High Saints || Listen
The Chuck Dukowski Sextet || Listen

8:30pm / $12 / 18+

Thursday 09.18.08: MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON / BLACK DIAMOND HEAVIES @ echo

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson || Watch

Life definitely handed Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson loads of lemons (and first names), but he chose Atmosphere’s route and painted that shit gold on his self-titled amalgam of alt-country, blues, and garage grit. Even without firsthand experience of “tits dragging in the dust,” you can’t help feeling the ache in this multi-racial Brooklyn-via-Oregon troubadour’s tenor. The 25-year-old’s ruminations on homelessness, alienation, and trying (and failing) to kick drugs hark back to David Ryan Adams, Jeffrey Scott Tweedy, and Townes Van Zandt at their most downtrodden. Thankfully, Robinson’s self-knowledge and self-conscious attempts to avoid veering into clichéd tortured-artist territory serve to cut the tension nicely: On “Buriedfed,” he declares: “This is my last song about myself/About my friends/Find something else to sing.” – The Village Voice

with:
Black Diamond Heavies || Listen

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Sunday 09.21.08: PART TIME PUNKS with WARPAINT / VUM @ echo

with:
Warpaint
Vum

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 09.14.08: PART TIME PUNKS with NIKKI OBSCURE / MASTER B.E.T.A @ echo

with:
Nikki Obscure
Master B.E.T.A

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 09.04.08: THE SHACKELTONS / LAMPS @ echo

The Shackeltons || Listen

What makes bands like Pixies, Fugazi, and Les Savy Fav so exciting — and what makes the Shackeltons, from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, similarly thrilling — is a breathlessness, a creeping sense that crouched behind the towering melodies and heard-’em-before razor guitars (think Television, in addition to the aforementioned bands), there’s complete breakdown. A half-dozen times on their debut, the Shackeltons sound completely convincing, and that’s about six more times than most bands ever manage. – Spin.com

with:
Lamps

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Wednesday 09.10.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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 09.03.08: DUB CLUB with SISTER CAROL @ echoplex

Sister Carol || Listen

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 / $12 / 21+

Tuesday 09.02.08: 400 BLOWS / TRICLOPS @ echo

400 Blows || Listen || Watch

with:
Triclops || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Monday 09.29.08: Monday Night Residency – DEATH TO ANDERS / FOL CHEN / RADEMACHER / DIE ROCKERS DIE @ echo

Death to Anders || Listen

While it’s up to the listener to decide whether or not Death to Anders’ new album, Fictitious Business, is a concept album — Danson says “maybe” — there’s no question that it’s an ambitious accomplishment both in songwriting and production that demands to be listened to in its entirety. A self-described “surreal and cryptic look at life in the 21st century,” the album takes listeners on an intense journey full of abrupt turns through beautiful and paranoid terrain marked by lush walls of sound, rollicking melodies, noisy swells and questioning lyrics. There’s a lot of variety within and between each of the 10 songs, but an ongoing narrative with repeating themes sews it all together. – Performer Mag

with:
Fol Chen
Rademacher
Die Rockers Die || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 09.22.08: Monday Night Residency Acoustic Night – DEATH TO ANDERS / SARAH NEGADARI (from Happy Hollows) / MAD GREGS @ echo

Death to Anders || Listen

While it’s up to the listener to decide whether or not Death to Anders’ new album, Fictitious Business, is a concept album — Danson says “maybe” — there’s no question that it’s an ambitious accomplishment both in songwriting and production that demands to be listened to in its entirety. A self-described “surreal and cryptic look at life in the 21st century,” the album takes listeners on an intense journey full of abrupt turns through beautiful and paranoid terrain marked by lush walls of sound, rollicking melodies, noisy swells and questioning lyrics. There’s a lot of variety within and between each of the 10 songs, but an ongoing narrative with repeating themes sews it all together. – Performer Mag

with:
Sarah Negadari (from Happy Hollows)
One Trick Pony || Listen
Mad Gregs

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 09.07.08: PART TIME PUNKS @ echo

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 09.07.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with MIKE STINSON / WEST OF TEXAS / THE LINCOLN BEDROOM @ echo

with:
Mike Stinson
West of Texas || Listen
The Lincoln Bedroom

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / all ages

Saturday 09.06.08: SMOG 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY @ echo

with:
Plastician (Rinse FM, TerrorRhythm, BBC Radio 1, Rephlex, London UK)
Cyrus (Tectonic, Random Trio, Sub FM, London UK)
12th Planet
Knife Dreams
DJ Evol
DLX
Emu
Pawn
Unit
Subcode

MCs: Kemst & BYPASS

Art Installations by: Spectr

Turbosound by: Mobius

FMI: www.smogla.com

9pm / $10 before 11pm, $15 after / 21+

Friday 09.05.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND with THE BLACK WATCH / THE VOYEURS @ echo

with:
The Black Watch || Listen
The Voyeurs

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+

Sunday 08.24.08: Echo and Stones Throw present PEANUT BUTTER WOLF Sunset Junction Afterparty plus J ROCC / ARABIAN PRINCE / DAM FUNK / HAIRCUT

Peanut Butter Wolf || Listen || Watch

He took on the name Peanut Butter Wolf in the late-80s when he realized that, in an odd turn of events, a girlfriend’s youngest brother feared the “peanut butter wolf monster” more than death itself. Wolf and his more conventionally-named counterpart, Charizma, began recording in 1989 when the two were still teenagers. Within three years, the duo signed a contract with Hollywood Basic (Disney) alongside label mates Organized Konfusion and DJ Shadow. Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf were riding high, touring Europe, receiving press in magazines such as Billboard and (a then newspaper format) Urb, hanging with radio legends Sway & King Tech on Wake Up Show and performing live shows with groups like House of Pain, Nas and The Pharcyde. Then, in December of 1993, Charizma tragically lost his life. Stunned, Wolf temporarily gave up on music.

After releasing the song “Just Like A Test” with Charizma for David Paul’s Bomb Hip Hop Compilation early in 1994, Upstairs Records, a label known primarily for house music, approached Wolf to record an instrumental LP. Thus, the Peanut Butter Breaks was born; the record became the Wolf’s calling card, leading to meetings and collaborations with like-minded DJs like Q-bert, Cut Chemist and Rob Swift.

After the release of Peanut Butter Breaks, PB Wolf found himself in demand as a producer. His track for the all-scratching compilation Return of the DJ was labeled “incredible” by The Source magazine. He released a 6 song compilation for South Paw Records in 1995, featuring collaborations with up and coming San Jose MCs. He also produced Kool Keith’s first single as a solo artist “Wanna Be A Star.” These releases, amongst others, led to a picture disc EP for British label 2 Kool Records.

In 1996, Peanut Butter Wolf founded Stones Throw Records. Charizma’s posthumous “My World Premiere” was the single to launch the label. Lately, PB Wolf has moved away from producing (save the odd remix or compilation track) to build the Stones Throw label and to travel as a DJ to Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada, and across the US. Through his willingness to experiment and provide Stones Throw’s artists with musical carte blanche, he has overseen the releases of Lootpack’s Soundpieces, Quasimoto’s The Unseen, Breakestra’s Live Mix, Yesterdays New Quintet’s Angles Without Edges, Madlib’s Shades of Blue, and Jaylib’s Champion Sound.

with:
J Rocc || Listen
Arabian Prince || Listen
Dam Funk || Listen
Haircut || Listen

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

10 pm / FREE if 21+ or $10 if under 21 / 18+

Monday 09.15.08: Monday Night Residency – DEATH TO ANDERS / RADARS TO THE SKY / THE TRANSMISSIONS / THE MONOLATORS @ echo

Death to Anders || Listen

While it’s up to the listener to decide whether or not Death to Anders’ new album, Fictitious Business, is a concept album — Danson says “maybe” — there’s no question that it’s an ambitious accomplishment both in songwriting and production that demands to be listened to in its entirety. A self-described “surreal and cryptic look at life in the 21st century,” the album takes listeners on an intense journey full of abrupt turns through beautiful and paranoid terrain marked by lush walls of sound, rollicking melodies, noisy swells and questioning lyrics. There’s a lot of variety within and between each of the 10 songs, but an ongoing narrative with repeating themes sews it all together. – Performer Mag

with:
Radars To The Sky
The Transmissions || Listen
The Monolators || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 09.08.08: Monday Night Residency – DEATH TO ANDERS / ROBERT FRANCIS / THE HENRY CLAY PEOPLE – ACOUSTIC SET / MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY @ echo

Death to Anders || Listen

While it’s up to the listener to decide whether or not Death to Anders’ new album, Fictitious Business, is a concept album — Danson says “maybe” — there’s no question that it’s an ambitious accomplishment both in songwriting and production that demands to be listened to in its entirety. A self-described “surreal and cryptic look at life in the 21st century,” the album takes listeners on an intense journey full of abrupt turns through beautiful and paranoid terrain marked by lush walls of sound, rollicking melodies, noisy swells and questioning lyrics. There’s a lot of variety within and between each of the 10 songs, but an ongoing narrative with repeating themes sews it all together. – Performer Mag

with:
Robert Francis
The Henry Clay People (Acoustic Set) || Listen
Manhattan Murder Mystery

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 09.19.08: MAN MAN / CRYSTAL ANTLERS / JONAH RAY @ echoplex

Man Man || Listen || Watch

Part swampy juke joint brawlers, part smooth Philly warehouse doo-wop crooners, a sprinkling of wild-eyed, demon-haunted art hustler, and a hint of punky kindergarten playroom Pollyannas, Man Man bring their incomparable vision of “pop music” to bear with Rabbit Habits, their Anti- Records debut. Having honed their legendarily exuberant live show to hypothalamus-tickling perfection opening for such indie stalwarts as Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire and Cat Power, the band has captured the fiery spirit and essence of a Man Man show and etched it into 45 minutes of the most raucous, weirdly moving, spiritually uplifting music this side of Oppenheimer’s great beyond. Stand-out tracks such as “Top Drawer” and “Big Trouble” illustrate Man Man’s ability to provoke and inspire in a single instance.
Man Man’s power isn’t derived from the genres they stumble across, or the maniac light in their eyes, or the sweat pooling in their beards. It’s the unbearable sadness in their marrow and how they transform it, like the existentially distressed but heroically steadfast men men they are, into a terrible and lionhearted joy.” – Pitchfork

with:
Crystal Antlers
Jonah Ray

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

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

8pm / $15 advance; $17 day of show / 18+

Saturday 08.16.08: Art Don’t Sleep presents A Celebration for Jackson Conti featuring Azymuth (Exclusive US Performance) & Carlinhos Sound of Brasil @ Echoplex

Azymuth || Listen || Watch

Azymuth started their career back in the early 1970s when Marcos Valle invited them to record on a soundtrack LP in tribute to the Formula 1 racing driver Emerson Fittipaldi.One of the tracks was entitled Azimuth, and after the great success of this record in Brazil they asked Marcos if they could use it as the name for their band. This was the official start of Azymuth. At this point there was a fourth member, Ariovaldo – the percussionist of the group who died tragically in the mid-Seventies, throwing into question the continued existence of the band.

In 1979 their first Milestone release became one of the best-selling LPs on the label. It featured the worldwide disco/fusion hit Jazz Carnival. As a single, it sold over 500,000 internationally and remained in the UK top 20 for eight weeks. Azymuth went on to record a string of albums on Milestone, establishing themselves as one the worlds great jazz bands. They played in the best jazz festivals and venues around the globe, and worked with other musicians like Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, Deodato and Stevie Wonder.

Since 1996 the Azymuth sound has gone from strength to strength and has gained many new, younger fans across Europe. Through their energetic shows and especially through remixes by some of the most exciting producers around (Roni Size, 4 Hero, Jazzanova, Kenny Dope and Global Communications to name a few) theyve become an important force once again on the underground jazz scene.

Their new album for Far Out pays homage to the different styles they have created over the years, albeit with 100% new recordings. The album is split into three different parts, representing their 30 years. Tracks featuring Roberto Menescal, Emilio Santiago, and Fabiola represent the early years when Azymuth recorded with a constant stream of singers, creating some of the Brazils most popular vocal bossas and sambas. Representing Azymuths fertile period of the late 70s and early 80s (when they would regularly sell in excess of 500,000 albums!) they welcome percussionists Cidinho Moreira and Chacal, creating the classic Azymuth sound as heard on Jazz Carnival, Partido Alto and Dear Limertz.

with:
Carlinhos Sound of Brasil

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

9pm / $15 / 21+

Wednesday 08.20.08: Hell Ya! presents TWILIGHT SLEEP / EXITMUSIC / AVI BUFFALO @ echo

Twilight Sleep || Listen

Twilight Sleep’s evolution from idea to actively gigging band has been a gradual but exciting process, fueled by the group’s fearless creativity and ability to work as a productive team, culminating in last month’s release of the Race to the Bottom of the Sea EP, their sophomore and most fully-realized effort to date. Full of movement and feeling with sound combinations ranging from sleek to slightly raw, there is a post-punk vibe to the music that feels like 1983 married to an up-to-the-minute Silver Lake sensibility. A bit of goth and electronica pull from the band’s early Bay Area roots, and founding member Raj Lathigara’s years of training in classical Indian music yields impeccable song structures. The lyrics are Marcellino’s, inspired by sounds she and Lathigara create, and she calls their content “a snapshot of my mind.” The first track, “Night So Lush,” sounds like a handful of jewels scattered on velvet, and blue feathers and rubies are just a few of the graceful images interwoven on “Bluebird (Red Sky).” – Performer Mag

with:
Exitmusic
Avi Buffalo

8pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 08.14.08: MASAYA NAKAHARA HAIR STYLISTICS / MIKE KELLEY / PAUL MCCARTHY @ echo (late show)

A very special reunion meeting of the infamous Tokyo-based noise musician Masaya Nakahara (Violent Onsen Geisha, Hair Stylistics) and Los Angeles artists/musicians Mike Kelley and Paul McCarthy.

Organized in collaboration with Royal/T and Jay Sanders

with:
Masaya Nakahara Hair Stylistics
Mike Kelley
Paul McCarthy

10pm / $8 / all ages

Friday 09.12.08: SUPREME BEINGS OF LEISURE / CARMEN RIZZO @ echoplex

Supreme Beings of Leisure || Watch

Trip-hop band’s third release in six years, “11i” is a dark and moody mix of entrancing tunes. Vampy siren Geri Soriano-Lightwood’s vocals are in rare form, adding the right amount of diva to the tunework of Ramin Sakurai; together, the pair create a sound that promises to take listeners down the rabbit hole. While the album can be a bit somber and pitchy at times, “11i” is brimming with tantalizing, soulful tracks; “The Light” and “Oneness” are electronica at its most seductive, filled with rhythmic thumping and dark undertones, while “Ride” and “Mirror” are upbeat efforts, though far from the realm of conventional dance music. – Variety

with:
Carmen Rizzo || Listen

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

RSVP at http://losangeles.going.com/supremebeings

9pm / free with RSVP / 21+

Sunday 09.07.08: Tee Pee Records & Filter present MANIFEST DESTINY FEST with WITCHCRAFT / EARTHLESS / WITCH / THE WARLOCKS / GRAVEYARD & MORE @ echoplex

with:
Witchcraft
Earthless
Witch
The Warlocks
Graveyard
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound
Ancestors
Night Horse
TK Webb and The Visions

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

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

3pm / $15 / all ages

Thursday 09.18.08: RESPECT – Westcoast Poppin Exhibition 4 with FAUST & SHORTEE / EDIT / CLUTCH / U-OME @ echoplex

With:
FAUST & SHORTEE (Urban Assault)
EDIT [LIVE PA] (Glitch Mob, Alpha Pup)
CLUTCH
U-OME
Resident MC XYZ + MC JULZ

Plus Dance Crew Performances By:
FOREIGN XCHANGE
MACHINE GONE FUNK
FUNNY BONES

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $10 after / 18+

Thursday 09.11.08: RESPECT with SABURUKO / ONKET with PHENETIC / NOFACE / MC XYZ @ echoplex

with:
SABURUKO (Integral, Horizons Music, NY)
ONKET w/PHENETIC (Sonus Music, DENVER)
NOFACE

plus Resident MC XYZ

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $10 after / 18+

Thursday 09.04.08: RESPECT @ echoplex

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 09.24.08: DUB CLUB @ echopex

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 09.17.08: DUB CLUB with JOEY ALTRUDA & CLASSIC RIDDIMS / MARK MORALES / SPECIAL GUESTS @ echoplex and echo

Joey Altruda + Classic Riddims

plus guest dj Mark Morales from Hot Shot soundsystem downstairs

Echodelic Soundsystem with special guests

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 / 18+

Wednesday 09.03.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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 08.25.08: OLLIN / SEASONS / MORIS TEPPER @ echo

Ollin || Listen

Originally a raucous chicano act that made its mark by spicing up punky rock ”’n roll with Tex-Mex and Jarocho influences, Ollin (the Aztec word for ””movement”” and ””earthquake””) eventually turned outwards to the rest of the world, incorporating klezmer and African sounds and rhythms into its music. More recently, Ollin opened for famed Irishmen The Pogues in San Francisco, and made such an impression that The Pogues demanded that the band open for them in Los Angeles late last year. The influence goes both ways: Ollin”’s new album San Patricios pays homage to the Irish soldiers in the Mexican-American War of 1847, and shows off a comfortable alignment of Irish fiddle-music and traditional Mexican rhythms. – Prefix Mag

with:
Seasons
Moris Tepper || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 08.16.08: HANG THE DJS FASHION SHOW DANCE PARTY @ echo

With:
Jeppe (of Junior Senior)
Par Avion Band || Listen

plus DJs:
Loren
Sol
Victor
Maurice de la Falaise

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

9pm / $8 / 18+

Sunday 08.31.08: Grand Ole Echo & Echo present: SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS / 5 O’CLOCK SOMEWHERE / MIKE STINSON (acoustic) @ echo

Southern Culture On The Skids || Listen

“For pretty much the entirety of its two decades together, Southern Culture on the Skids has positioned itself as shameless champions of everything white trash. How bizarre, then, to discover that the veteran three-piece actually has impeccable taste. Singer-guitarist Rick Miller, flame-haired bassist Mary Huff, and drummer Dave Hartman may subsist on cold fried chicken, warm Schlitz, and instant coffee, but damned if they don’t sound impossibly classy on Countrypolitan Favorites.

Having evidently run out of new ways to sing about dirt-track dates and cheap motels, SCOTS goes the covers route this time out. Forgetting kitsch-sorry, there’s no trailer-park version of “Running Bear” here-the band concentrates on songs from country’s golden past. Wasting no time getting to the good stuff, they rocket off the line with a rockabilly revamping of Don Gibson’s ’50s classic “Oh Lonesome Me”. From there, Miller and company display an ambition that will shock and awe even their most hardcore disciples. T. Rex’s glamtastic “Life’s A Gas” gets reborn as psychedelicized MOR, the Who’s “Happy Jack” is transformed into a banjo-powered hoedown, and “Tobacco Road” ends up funkier than John Loudermilk would have ever dared dream.” – No Depression Magazine

with:
5 O’Clock Somewhere
Mike Stinson

Plus Special BBQ on the Patio!

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

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

Monday 08.11.08: PIERRE DE REEDER / MICHAEL RUNION @ echo

Pierre de Reeder || Listen

On the pop-folk ditty, de Reeder pairs acoustic plucks with a bright lead and lush harmonies on a timeless pop melody, instantly affirming his membership in the noteworthy-side-project club already frequented by his bandmates. Rich layers of “hey, hey, hey” and “ha, ha, ha” reach great heights and shimmer before the song’s guitar solo playfully hijacks the middle section. By handling nearly all of the album’s instrumentation, de Reeder proves why he’s such an asset to Rilo, but by writing a song the caliber of “Never Thought,” he successfully stands alone. – Spin.com

with:
Michael Runion

8:30pm / Free for 21+, $7 for under 21+ / 18+

Sunday 10.05.08: PART TIME PUNKS with TWIN CRYSTALS / GUN OUTFIT / NODZZZ @ echo

With:
Twin Crystals
Gun Outfit
Nodzz || Listen

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Tuesday 08.26.08: THE DONKEYS / GOLDEN ANIMALS / VICTIM VISION / THE SHIRLEY ROLLS @ echo

The Donkeys

The Donkeys’ lazy, country-tinged Americana sound is a perfect match for the band’s San Diego home. The group’s second album, Living on the Other Side, is a simple and soothing summer set — music for driving with the top down, sunbathing in the sand and napping in a hammock. The sound isn’t anything too fancy: The group just makes sweet, straightforward music to slowly sway to as the waves roll in. – NPR

with:
Golden Animals
Victim Vision
The Shirley Rolls

8:30pm / $6 adv, $8 dos / 18+

Friday 10.10.08: QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT / GOLDEN TRIANGLE / STATIC STATIC @ echoplex

Quintron & Miss Pussycat || Listen

Quintron and Miss Pussycat exemplify the idea that a self-made world is the only place to live: He’s the Mad Max of one-man bands, usually dressed in a thin sharkskin suit with an organ that’s outfitted with a muscle car grill, colored lights pulsing like fireworks around him. He occasionally turns to his homemade secret weapon, the Drum Buddy, a wood-encased oscillating drum machine based on the principles of a Theremin. Laurie Anderson and Nels Cline have purchased updated copies of the instrument. The bright-eyed Miss Pussycat dresses in hand-stitched outfits that are part Kitty Wells, part pop art. She reigns over a puppet kingdom that rivals Sid and Marty Krofft’s rainbow imaginations.

The pair’s unflagging spirit wants to have fun, to party, to do what they do best in New Orleans, especially at funerals: to celebrate. For Quintron, that means dirty, bump ‘n’ grinders like “Swamp Buggy Badass” or the funky, somewhat foretelling song he wrote before Katrina, “Ninth Ward Breakdown.” It’s what makes Mardi Gras more than some rich people tossing junk into crowds, and what makes New Orleans just as weird and wonderful as ever before, tragedy or no. – Indyweek.com

with:
Golden Triangle
Static Static

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

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

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

Saturday 09.06.08: BOOTIE LA @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

Back from Bootie at Burning Man, resident Bootie mashup DJs:
ADRIAN & the MYSTERIOUS D

From Indie 103.1’s “Neon Noise”:
DJ PAUL V.

Midnight mashup show:
R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance)

Hooping performances by:
Hoopatron

Launched in 2003, Bootie was the first club night in the United States dedicated solely to the burgeoning artform of the bootleg mashup — and is now the biggest mashup event in the world, with monthly parties in seven cities on two continents. Mixing and matching every conceivable musical genre, era, and style into one big dance party where everyone feels welcome, Bootie provides the soundtrack for the A.D.D. generation — with free mashup CDs given away like candy!
Resident DJs Adrian, the Mysterious D, and Paul V. keep your brain guessing and body dancing with creative song combinations, celebrating — and satirizing — the many different forms of music. The synchronized dance troupe R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance) will perform the midnight mashup show to one of Bootie’s biggest hits, and Hoopatron returns to the stage for some hula-hoop go-go dancing!

FREE Bootie CDs to the first 75 people through the door!

FMI: http://www.BootieLA.com

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

Tuesday 10.14.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents WIRE / THE MUSLIMS @ echoplex

Wire || Listen || Watch

Usually, when a band has been around for 30 years and is most famous for the material produced in its first five years, the praise for new albums tends to reward the band for music made decades in the past. There may be no band that fights against this phenomenon more than Wire. This is a band that trumped all the first-wave punk bands with its watershed debut, 1977’s Pink Flag, and then immediately wiped the slate clean with the post-punk classic Chairs Missing the following year. The band’s legacy rests on the notion that its members would rather be caught dead then rest on their laurels.

Object 47, its name deriving from its number in the Wire catalog (similar to their third album, 154, the number of shows they’d performed to that point), is a new direction for a band that have made a career of taking new directions. While Send and the Read and Burn EPs revised the blueprint of the band’s classic material, Object 47 is by far the most trip-hop-influenced material Wire has ever produced, with additional elements of classic Madchester and acid house. – Prefix Mag

with:
The Muslims

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

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

8pm / $20 adv, $22 dos / 18+

Thursday 09.25.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents MISSION OF BURMA performing “Vs” / HANK IV @ ECHOPLEX

Mission of Burma || Listen

Mission of Burma helped define early-80s post-punk, adding tape manipulation to the typical guitar-bass-drums and pushing punk’s limits without compromising its rebellious spirit. Now almost 30 years later, the band’s debut album Vs. remains a staple. – Pitchfork

with:
Hank IV || Listen

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

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

7:30 pm / $20 / 18+

Tuesday 08.12.08: ARIEL PINK’S Haunted Graffiti / CHAIRLIFT / GARY WILSON / DJS IAN MARSHALL and DON BOLLES @ ECHOPLEX

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffitti || Listen

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

with:
Chairlift || Listen
Gary Wilson || Listen

And DJs:
Ian Marshall
Don Bolles

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

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

9pm / $12 / 18+

Saturday 08.09.08: MONKEY SHOES (CD release Show) Featuring DOMINIC BAKEWELL @ echo

Dominic Bakewell

Dominic Bakewell, a stay-at-home dad, has been playing music and writing songs for over 30 years and recently turned to writing children’s songs after the birth of his son. His alternative rock pop style has been carried into his children’s music. The multi-instrumentalist began playing at house parties as a teenager with his friends and then played the Los Angeles club scene in various bands. At the age of 50 he finally released his first album, Monkey Shoes, which many say is sure to be a classic. The CD has catchy, melodic and smart songs with great beats that kids and parents will love.

Come see Dominic, backed by a great band, perform his children’s music of catchy, melodic and smart songs with great beats that kids and parents love. No cover charge.

3pm / FREE / All ages

Thursday 08.07.08: ROCK FOR RENTER’S RIGHTS with HOLLOYS / MAYAZTEK / WE ARE GOOD FRIENDS / WEBA GARRETSON & RALPH GORODETSKY & MORE @ echo

Rock for Renter’s Rights
Eviction Defense Network’s 5th Anniversary Benefit

with:
Holloys
Mayaztek
We Are Good Friends
Weba Garretson & Ralph Gorodetsky
& Special Guests

Pre-sale Tickets available by phone!

For more info, call 213.385.8112 or email info@evictiondefensenetwork.org

FMI: www.evictiondefensenetwork.com

7:30pm / $15 / 21+

Saturday 08.30.08: F YEAH FEST 5 with NO AGE / NEGATIVE APPROACH / MATT & KIM & MORE @ echo and echoplex

Echo: 1822 Sunset Blvd.
3:15pm – Witch Hats
3:55pm – Nodzzz
4:35pm – Underground Railroad / Off With Their Heads
5:45pm – Paint it Black
6:25pm – Trash Talk
7:05pm – Abe Vigoda
7:55pm – The Strange Boys
8:35pm – David Vandervelde
9:20pm – Two Gallants
10:15pm – Ladyhawk
11:00pm – Crystal Antlers
11:45pm – Monotonix

Dennis Owens from Good Foot will be djing all night in the Echo.

EchoPlex: 1154 Glendale Blvd.
3:15pm – Graham Forest
3:55pm – Mannequin Men
4:35pm – The Mae Shi
5:15pm – Past Lives (ex Blood Brothers)
5:50pm – Brother Reade
6:25pm – Mika Miko
7:05pm – Japanther
7:45pm – Fucked Up
8:30pm – Negative Approach
9:20pm – High Places
10:05pm – Glass Candy
11:00pm – Matt & Kim
11:50pm – No Age

Dublab Soundsystem will be DJing in the EchoPlex

Rec Center: The corner of Logan & Sunset- 1161 Logan. 2 blocks from the Echo.
4:30pm – Dimitri Coates
5:10pm – Tod Adrian Wisenbaker
5:50pm – David Dondero
6:30pm – Comedy show featuring Matt Besser, Matt Braunger, Natasha Leggero, Jarrett Grode, Kyle Kinane and hosted by Brody Stevens
7:45pm – Michael Runion
8:30pm – Frank Fairfield
9:00pm – Comedy show featuring Bob Odenkirk, Jeff Garlin, Josh Fadem, Matt Dwyer, Jonah Ray and hosted by Andy Daly

Also with:
Triumph of Lethargy
Best Fwends
Rumspringa
Anavan
Preacher and The Knife
Silverghost
War Tapes
60 Watt Kid
Halloween Swim Team

WILL CALL, TICKETWEB AND GUEST LIST IS LOCATED AT THE ECHOPLEX
1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Fyeah5 to 467467

2:30pm / $18 / All ages

Sunday 08.31.08: Echo & F Yeah present POLVO / TRANS AM / THE DRONES @ echoplex

Polvo

One of the most popular and accomplished bands in the arty, noisy indie rock offshoot dubbed math rock, Polvo touched on many of the style’s hallmarks: dissonant, intricately layered guitars that often employed alternate tunings; odd, off-kilter rhythms; an emphasis on dense sonic texture; and unorthodox song structures that, nonetheless, were often unconventionally melodic. Additionally, their music had a pronounced Eastern feel that came not only from the Indian and Middle Eastern-style drones in their compositions, but actual Asian instruments as well; that helped set them apart from other post-Sonic Youth/Slint guitar experimentalists. – VH1

with: Trans Am
The Drones

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

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

8pm / $15 adv, $17 dos / all ages

Saturday 08.09.08: FLOSSTRADAMUS / N.A.S.A / TROUBLEMAKER / DJ KID LIGHTNING @ echoplex

Flosstradamus || Listen

Chicago’s Flosstradamus are the perfect DJs for impatient Web surfers accustomed to having the entire history of recorded music at their cursor-tips. “We’re like MP3 bloggers, but with skills,” says twenty-six year-old Curt Cameruchi (a.k.a. Autobot). Armed with four turntables, two laptops, two mixers, two sequencer/samplers, a Serato MP3 “scratcher” and more than 5,000 tracks, Cameruchi and twenty-four-year-old Josh “J2K” Young craft brain-frying live sets that fuse jiggly Windy City club music, gritty crunk, cheesed-out R&B and the occasional indie-rock remix: a Flosstradamus gig features blends of Michael Jackson and Justice, Full Force and Bloc Party, Daft Punk and Jay-Z.

Flosstradamus distinguish themselves not just with track selection, but with the way they tweak, fiddle,and freak every cut — it sounds like the songs are being ripped up and sewn back together again in real time. “In the blog era of DJing, everyone has everything,” says Young, whose older sister is underground rapper Kid Sister. “Now, you have to set yourself apart with your performance, and by creating your own stuff.” – Rolling Stone

with:
N.A.S.A || Listen (Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon)
Troublemaker
DJ Kid Lightning
Plus More TBA!

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

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

9pm / $15 / 18+

Tuesday 08.19.08: LE SWITCH / NICO STAI / LES BLANKS / THE WORLD RECORD @ echo

Le Switch || Listen

Aaron Kyle sings as if he’s never five minutes from his last whiskey, or five minutes from his next, occasionally lurching into a down-deep growl you wouldn’t think could come from an angular white dude in a collared shirt and old browline spectacles.

But it’s that voice, and the woeful tales it conveys, that have endeared L.A. fans to the distinctly vintage soul-pop of Le Switch. “We’re not the fashion police,” Kyle says. “I think if you write a good song, people are going to respond, no matter whether it’s gonna end up in Vice magazine. Besides, I’d trade soul for cool any day.”

Le Switch’s sound, which nods to the likes of Leon Russell, Dr. John and Randy Newman, first began to take shape when Kyle fell in with drummer Joe Napolitano in 2005. Maria DeLuca (trumpet, viola, vocals) joined next, and by the time keyboardist Josh Charney and bassist Christopher Harrison had come on board, Kyle was eager to “make the Leon Russell or Harry Nilsson album we wanted to make,” he says. “Everybody in this band listens to a huge assortment of ’60s and ’70s music — there’s not a lot of new music I can drive with.” – LA Times

with:
Nico Stai
Les blanks
The World Record

8:30 pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 08.18.08: GIL MANTERA’S PARTY DREAM / ANAVAN / SWORDS OF FATIMA @ echo

Gil Mantera’s Party Dream || Listen

This is one of those left of center records that you might start off scratching your head over, but then find yourself completely in love with. Here we have another duo inspired by early ’80s synth-pop and danceable new wave. I might be dating myself here, but do you remember Q-Feel’s “Dancing In Heaven (Orbital Be-Bop)” from 1982? Well, take that track, throw in some squiggly vocoder effects a la Daft Punk, spritz it with some angular guitar solos, and you’ll arrive with a plus one for this Party Dream…All of this smile-inducing, Casio disco-punk brings to mind Devo meets Kraftwerk — on uppers. Wrapping this package with a nice bow is singer Ultimate Donny’s strong pipes, and he’s got one of those voices that reminds you of other people you can’t quite place. Apparently, their live shows feature over-the-top antics like burning their pubic hair, wrestling in spandex and donning fake moustaches. Somehow, that makes perfect sense. – IN Los Angeles Magazine

with:
Anavan || Listen
The Swords of Fatima

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 08.22.08: BEACHWOOD SPARKS / THE TYDE / WINTER FLOWERS / MIA DOI TODD / THE MOVIES / BLANK BLUE / DJ NOBODY & SPECIAL GUESTS @ echoplex

Beachwood Sparks || Listen

Beachwood Sparks have come to represent a certain part of California–they are the music of the trees, the hills, the valleys, the canyons and the streams that were all part of this great state before any of us were here. Embodying all that we know now as canyon music, their light, ethereal and sometimes morose psychedelic California-country rock picks up where the Notorious Byrd Brothers left off, and is crafted to convey an appreciation for all that natural beauty cast away from our urban enclaves. – LA Record

with:
Winter Flowers || Listen
Mia Doi Todd || Listen
The Movies
Blank Blue || Listen
DJ Nobody

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

8pm / $14 / 18+

Saturday 08.23.08: CLUB SUICIDE – OFFICIAL SUNSET JUNCTION AFTERPARTY @ echoplex

OFFICIAL SUNSET JUNCTION AFTERPARTY

with:
DJ Amanda Jones (Das Bunker, Perversion, Malediction Society)
DJ Robert Lockerby (Clockwork Orange)

spinning the best in Electro, Indie, and ’80s.

The last Saturday of every month!

Come and check out our SUICIDE GIRL GO-GO DANCERS!

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

10pm / $5 all night with Sunset Junction Wristband / 18+

Tuesday 08.05.08: Echo & Human Ear Music present – GARY WILSON / JASON GRIER / JULIA HOLTER / CROOKED COWBOY & THE FRESHWATER INDIANS @ ECHO

Gary Wilson || Listen

In 1977, a 24-year-old musician from Endicott, N.Y., released a wonderful, odd album called “You Think You Really Know Me.” Combining elements of pop, proto new wave, jazz, avant-garde composition and electronic music, Gary Wilson delivered sincere lyrics, alternately sweet and angst ridden, about the women in his life and his fantasies, most notably in the pleading, quixotically titled “6.4 = Make-Out.”

The album, which he released himself, quickly found a cult following, which over the years included the punk band Husker Du, the avant-garde group the Residents and the “Simpsons” cartoonist Matt Groening. It earned the status of a favored vanity-label obscurity among record collectors, and Beck, in his single “Where It’s At,” even sang about how Mr. Wilson “rocks the most.” – NY Times

with:
Jason Grier || Listen
Julia Holter
Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians

8:30 pm / $7 / 18+

Tuesday 08.12.08: OR, THE WHALE / IDAHO FALLS / LESLIE & THE BADGERS @ ECHO

Or, the Whale || Listen

A reference to Moby Dick and a testament to the roots of what making music is all about, San Francisco seven-piece Or, the Whale, is kicking up dust along the West Coast and spreading the gospel of honest music. Writing songs with a country heart and a scope that encompasses the entire country, Or, the Whale’s sound embodies a friendly front-porch gathering, a rollicking jubilee, and a painful lament. From gospel to roots, Or, the Whale’s songs preserve a warm, organic feeling that transcends age and musical disposition. – Performer Mag

with:
Idaho Falls
Leslie & the Badgers

8 pm / $7 / all ages

Friday 08.29.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND with THE PACIFIC / MY MACHETE @ echo

The Pacific

4-piece, rock n rollin’, city-livin’, 5-9 workin’, trend-killin’ original. no frantic, fancy-pant, flash-era throwbacks in this camp. the pacific bring you gritty, vocals of passion and crushing guitars of conviction in it’s purest, most unpolluted-by-industry form. i would love to see these lads carry the torch into the new musical evolution as we enter into another phase of what t.wilson quoted as the 13 year revolution of a change in pop-culture. sit back or aggressively fly out of your seat hurling, unexpectedly into some innocent bystander and enjoy the classically nurtured, new sound of THE PACIFIC. – Xavier Zero

with:
My Machete

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 08.22.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

11pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Saturday 08.09.08: DESCARGA presents LUCKY 7 @ echo

¡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, 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+

Friday 08.15.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND with POP LEVI / THE PARSON RED HEADS @ echo

Pop Levi

Nobody is putting out music like Pop Levi’s right now. Levi calls his sound astral rock ‘n’ roll-much catchier than the more descriptive psych-glam-garage-blues-rock fusion. If you need an artistic point of reference, think Prince meets Marc Bolan mixed with probably a bit too much Syd Barrett for his own good. It’s not the most unusual group of influences, but Levi works them into a sound all his own.

Infectious up-tempo numbers like “Sugar Assault Me Now” and “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut” show that Levi has some ready-for-primetime swish in his step, especially the latter, with its overt sexuality. He seems equally comfortable with his acoustic, strumming some contemplative tearjerkers like “Skip Ghetto” and “From the Day That You Were Born,” and he has enough soul to pull off blues-funk tracks like “Blue Honey” and “Hades’ Lady.” This is to say that Pop Levi can do it all, and do it all well. – Prefix Mag

with:
The Parson Red Heads || Listen

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

9pm / $5 / 18+

Friday 08.08.08: CLUB UNDERGROUND with POP LEVI / THE FILTHY SOULS @ echo

Pop Levi

Nobody is putting out music like Pop Levi’s right now. Levi calls his sound astral rock ‘n’ roll-much catchier than the more descriptive psych-glam-garage-blues-rock fusion. If you need an artistic point of reference, think Prince meets Marc Bolan mixed with probably a bit too much Syd Barrett for his own good. It’s not the most unusual group of influences, but Levi works them into a sound all his own.

Infectious up-tempo numbers like “Sugar Assault Me Now” and “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut” show that Levi has some ready-for-primetime swish in his step, especially the latter, with its overt sexuality. He seems equally comfortable with his acoustic, strumming some contemplative tearjerkers like “Skip Ghetto” and “From the Day That You Were Born,” and he has enough soul to pull off blues-funk tracks like “Blue Honey” and “Hades’ Lady.” This is to say that Pop Levi can do it all, and do it all well. – Prefix Mag

with:
The Filthy Souls || Listen

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

9pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 08.14.08: XIU XIU / CARLA BOZULICH @ ECHO

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

Carla Bozulich || Listen

7:30pm / $12 / ALL AGES

Wednesday 08.27.08: SHEARWATER / WYE OAK / NEIL MORGAN @ echo

Shearwater || Listen
“Shearwater evokes washed-out swimming holes full of corroded batteries and bad dreams. The group’s haunting Palo Santo lopes around guitar, piano, banjo, and the voice of a singer who sounds unduly poised even when he’s on the brink of losing it. Portentous atmospheres and patient pacing recall the ornate movements of late-period Talk Talk, but flashes of fuzz and brusque indie-rock urgency make the rarified moods bristlingly real. It’s the kind of album that can steal a breath and pay it back, with interest, after the debt is long forgotten…Grade: A” – The Onion AV Club

with:
Wye Oak || Listen
Neil Morgan

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

8:30pm / $12 / 18+

Wednesday 08.06.08: L TRAIN vs. GET YER ROCKS OFF! with THE MUSLIMS / THE BLOOD ARM / THE WALLBURDS / THE FRANKS @ echo

The Muslims

Assured-beyond-their-years San Diego quartet the Muslims will definitely get a lot of attention for their name, but we’re much more interested in the band’s catchy, sorta sloppy and stark post-punk-infused rock ‘n’ roll. They mix a kind of Strokes-y, and therefore VU, detachment and something that bumps in the night like Hell and his Voidoids (or, better yet, Hell and the Heartbreakers doing “Love Comes In Spurts”). You can also hear a bit of the Stooges — not just because the band cites ‘em, along with the Replacements, as an inspiration — and early Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers (see “Future Rock,” “On My Time,” etc). Whatever the mix of forerunners, the Muslims find a way to make it their own — it’s kinda uncanny. – Stereogum

with:
The Blood Arm || Listen
The Wallburds
The Franks

and DJs:
Paulie (L Train/Coup D’etat)
Christopher (Get Yer Rocks Off!)

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Thursday 08.28.08: MATTHEW SWEET / GREG LASWELL @ echo

Matthew Sweet || Listen

His popularity heyday may have been in the early ’90s, but alterna-rocker Matthew Sweet is still around and kicking out the jams. A whole new batch of those will arrive on Sunshine Lies, Sweet’s new album, which is slated for a July 22 release via Shout! Factory. Sunshine Lies was recorded in that city so known for its sunshine and its lies, Los Angeles. Sweet’s long-time pal Susanna Hoffs (of Bangles fame), who Sweet was last heard with on the 2006 covers collection Under the Covers Vol. 1, provides backing vocals for the title track. Sweet calls the album “very direct, but seen through the eyes of nature, or rather modeled on its beauty, chaos and freedom, something like a stab at sonic art nouveau.” – Prefix Mag

with:
Greg Laswell

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

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

Friday 08.08.08: Echo & ArtDontSleep present – PLATINUM PIED PIPERS / MUHSINAH / THE GASLAMP KILLER / KUTMAH @ echoplex

Platinum Pied Pipers

Slowly but surely carving out the sounds and styles they’ll unveil on their sophomore LP, Abundance, coming this fall on Ubiquity, Platinum Pied Pipers and their ultra-nouveau eclectica will reconnect well with the modern hipster/electro rock/new wave/ R&B concoctions that are escaping people’s private studios these days. Usual suspects Waajeed and Saadiq (not Raphael) continue conducting the soothing sonic assault, but we can also expect to see ever-dependable producers like DJ Spinna, Kev Brown, Oddisee and Geology alongside new-bians like MonicaBlaire and Nico Redd. Added to the group between their ?uestlove-loved 2005 debut, Triple P, is Coultrain from St. Louis, chanteuses Jamila Raegan from NYC and Karma from Texas. – Now Magazine

with:
Musinah

Plus DJ sets by:
The Gaslamp Killer || Listen
Kutmah

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

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

9pm / $14adv. $16dos / 18+

Monday 08.04.08: SCION Presents TODAY IS THE DAY / WITHERED @ echo

Today is the Day || Listen

Are they a doom, sludge, or noise metal band? That is a question that has been foisted upon Today is the Day for much of their career thus far. However, as evidenced by their 2007 release, ‘Axis of Eden’ (and first for the Supernova label), the group — which has long been led by singer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer, Steve Austin — the group is getting increasingly more melodic. But rest assured longtime fans, there is still plenty of noise and molasses-murky riffage to go around. Things kick off with the sluggish and Sabbath-y “Free at Last,” which is a sonic approach that appears throughout the album, as evidenced by such other standouts as the powerful Kyuss-like “Circus Maximus.” But if it’s noise you want, it’s noise you still get from Today is the Day — especially on “If You Want Peace Prepare for War” (which halfway through, transforms into a nifty Beatles-esque middle eastern tune) and the mysteriously-titled “Black Steyr Aug,” among others. Unlike the majority of doom metal bands that are sonically one-dimensional, Today is the Day are not afraid to go off exploring, as evidenced by ‘Axis of Eden.’ – All Music

with:
Withered || Listen

RSVP to get in for free!

8pm / FREE with RSVP / All Ages

Friday 08.01.08: Echo & Underground present – FRIENDLY FIRES / POP LEVI @ echo

Friendly Fires

Ghetto-dwelling, dank-smelling, P’fork-reading pop naysayers beware: you are going to hate this. It doesn’t reinvent anything. It doesn’t challenge anyone. It won’t win you any indie point wars, for they have already been on Channel 4, the first unsigned band in fact to be featured on Transmission. This song will refuse to be a cult classic and much like ‘Oh My God’, ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco’ and ‘Darts of Pleasure’ it’ll haunt you in steakhouses, office parties and within festival fences for years to come. You’ll find the lyrics overly simplistic and ever so saccharine, the hugely sentimental story of escapist boyhood romance will frustrate you but that’s fine because you’ve got documentaries about bands no-one’s ever heard of to watch and limited-edition vinyl to carefully brush the dust off of. You’ll deal with it, but it won’t give you the dumb smile I can’t currently wipe off.

Pop predictors, ready? Hey ho! Let’s go… “One day, we’re gonna live, in Paris, I promise, I’m on it!” And so begins the whirl of one of the most exciting singles of the year. It’s a post-p’funk dreamscape of slithering shoegaze guitars and cowbells. These are St. Albans kids who’ve swallowed the party pills of LCD, embraced the geeky-lilt of Hot Chip and tied it together with some won’t-leave-you-for-weeks sweaty hooks as instantly infectious as the clap, The Kooks or Kylie. All of which is conjured together as both an open invitation to dance and an assault upon your neurons. – Drowned in Sound

with:
Pop Levi

Plus Underground DJs spinning Britpop / Indie / Garage / 60’s / Soul all night

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

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

Sunday 08.17.08: GRAND OLE ECHO @ echo

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / all ages

Sunday 08.10.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with DAVE INSLEY / CLIFF WAGNER AND THE OLD 7′S / THE BURLINGTON FAMILY / HOMESICK ELEPHANT @ echo

with:
Dave Insley || Listen
Dead Rock West || Listen
The Burlington Family
Homesick Elephant

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / all ages

Sunday 08.03.08: GRAND OLE ECHO with MIKE STINSON / DAVE GLEASON WITH OLD CALIFORNIO / LISA AND HER KIN @ echo

with:
Mike Stinson
Dave Gleason with Old Californio
Lisa & Her Kin || Listen

hosted by Chris Morris and DJ Cuz’n Roy

5pm / FREE / all ages

Thursday 08.28.08: RESPECT & SOUNDLAAB present MARCUS VISIONARY / RAW / JAHWY / MC RIDDA @ echoplex

with:

MARCUS VISIONARY (Digital Sound Boy,TORONTO)

with:
RAW (Bboy3000, N20)
JAHWY
MC RIDDA

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $10 after / 18+

Thursday 08.21.08: RESPECT with DEMO / FRISKE / NOFACE / MC DRE @ echoplex

with:

DEMO (Human Imprint, SEATTLE)

plus:
FRISKE (Human Imprint, Renegade Hardware, UK)
NOFACE
MC DRE

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 08.14.08: RESPECT with OPTICAL / MACHETE b2b THE SERUM / INDENTATION / DRONE / MC DINO @ echoplex

with:

OPTICAL (Virus Recordings, UK)

plus:
MACHETE b2b THE SERUM
INDENTATION
DRONE (B-DAY SET)
MC DINO

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $10 after / 18+

Thursday 08.07.08: RESPECT with MYSTICAL INFLUENCE / SCOOBA b2b AMC / WORLD RENOWNED / MC DECO COMPREHENSION @ echoplex

with:

MYSTICAL INFLUENCE (Syrous, Vinyl Syndicate,TORONTO)

Plus:
SCOOBA b2b AMC
WORLD RENOWNED
MC DECO COMPREHENSION

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Wednesday 08.27.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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 08.20.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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 08.13.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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 08.06.08: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

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+

Sunday 08.31.08: PART TIME PUNKS – SMITHS / MORRISSEY NITE @ echo

all dancing to all Smiths all nite long!

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 08.24.08: PART TIME PUNKS Sunset Junction After Party with Guest DJS !!! @ echo

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8, $5 with Sunset Junction wristband / 18+

Sunday 08.17.08: PART TIME PUNKS with THE TELESCOPES / FUXA / SUKI EWERS @ echo

with:
The Telescopes
Fuxa
Suki Ewers

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 08.10.08: PART TIME PUNKS with INDIAN JEWELRY / WEAVE! @ echo

with:
Indian Jewelry || Listen
Weave!

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 08.03.08: PART TIME PUNKS with WIRES ON FIRE / RUMSPRINGA @ echo

with:
Wire on Fire
Rumspringa

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Saturday 08.02.08: SMOG SESSIONS with YOUNGSTA / SEVEN / DLX / RICKY DEF / AUDIO ANGEL / KEMST @ echo

with:
Youngsta (Tempa, Fwd, Rinse FM, SM Soho, London UK)
Seven (Tempa, Smog, London UK)
DLX (Smog, Steps in Time, LA)
Ricky Def (Holy Ghost Sound, LA)
Audio Angel (Celebrity Junglist, Argin, Surefire, SF)
Kemst (Smog Pure Filth, LA)

tubrosound by: Mobius

Art Installations by: Spectr

FMI: www.smogla.com

9pm / $7 presale, $10 before 11pm, $15 after / 21+

Friday 08.01.08: A FUNDRAISER PARTY for OBAMA with Z-TRIP / DJ DIABETIC (SHEPARD FAIREY) / TROUBLEMAKER + SPECIAL GUESTS @ ECHOPLEX

A Fundraiser Party for Obama

First 100 arrivals will receive Obey’s Obama “HOPE” poster
All proceeds go to the Obama Campaign

with:
Z-Trip || Listen
DJ Diabetic (Shepard Fairey)
Troublemaker
+ Special Guests

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Enter through alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text Vote4change to 467467

8pm / $20 / 18+

Friday 08.29.08: Urban Underground Presents THE WESTERN CONFERENCE with ZIONI / ABSTRACT RUDE / MYKA9 / RAW vs D-STYLES / DADDY KEV / LEVIATHAN / WOES @ echoplex

with:
Zion-i
Abstract Rude || Listen
Myka9 || Listen
Raw vs. D-Styles
Daddy Kev || Listen
Leviathan
Woes

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
(Enter through alley)
Los Angeles, CA 90026

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

8pm / $20adv, $25dos / 18+

Saturday 08.02.08: BOOTIE LA with ECLECTIC METHOD @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

From the UK: Live on stage, a video mashup set from DVJ mixing pioneers:
ECLECTIC METHOD || Watch

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

Midnight mashup show:
JOHNNY 2.0

Bootie LA is proud to present a special audiovisual VJ mashup set from UK video mashup pioneers ECLECTIC METHOD. Dubbed “the future of nightclub entertainment,” they’ve created video remixes for The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal, The White Stripes, M.I.A., and U2, amongst others.

Eclectic Method don’t just mix videos like DJs mix records — it goes a step beyond. Take a healthy dollop of post-modern irony, a Britney sample here, an indie-rock riff there, an electronic dance anthem or two, and a peppering of pop classics, and you’re on your way to understanding the Eclectic Method style. Top that off with some rare hip-hop and film action mania and you’ve got an all-encompassing audiovisual show shuffling together mainstream and underground to create a live visual improvised remix experience.

2005’s “We’re Not VJs” was the world’s first DVJ video-mixtape and was phenomenally received. Their second mix album, “Lock Up Your Videos,” was released earlier this year, and with their ongoing remix projects and video podcasts, they continue to push the boundaries of mashup culture.

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 75 people through the door!

FMI: http://www.BootieLA.com

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

Saturday 08.16.08: Aquarium Drunkard presents JAMES JACKSON TOTH (from Wooden Wand) / THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE @ echo

James Jackson Toth

Now with what could technically be called his first “solo” album, the Tennessee-based singer and songwriter takes that more structured writing challenge to the next level with a mercurial and unpredictable album that veers between mesmerizing, 70’s retro-rock and edgy modern musings. Produced by Pacific Northwest indie-rock figure Steve Fisk (Screaming Trees, Nirvana), “Waiting” masterfully hits all the right touchpoints of haunting, spacious country/blues rock of mid-career Stones and the bourbon-soaked troubador drawl of a dustbowl Tom Waits (but without the gruff rumble). His vocals often married in a lovely duet harmony with wife Jexie, Toth and his loose-limbed but nimble songs have a disarming, straightforward charm that goes down easier as the album moves, sometimes gliding, sometimes in fits and starts, through its twelve engaging, often dreamy songs. – Direct Current

with:
The Dutchess & the Duke

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

8 PM / $8 advance; $10 at the door / all ages

Wednesday 08.13.08: THE LOCUST / QUI / UPSILON ACRUX / HALLOWEEN SWIM TEAM @ echo

The Locust || Listen

The Locust have always been noted for their alarming musical turns – just as soon as the listener’s settled into something relatively easy listening, given the band in question’s past, ‘We Have Reached An Official Verdict: Nobody Gives A Shit’ shows up, all dragonfly shrieks and Transformers death, and tips a few buckets of aural horseshit all over the place. A minute and 22 seconds after it arrived, it’s gone, but again don’t get comfortable: this isn’t an album of rapid-fire seizures a la its predecessor. You’d go so far, in fact, to say that The Locust have excelled themselves on New Erections: they’ve written ‘proper’ songs.

Of course, the ridiculous is still fantastically realised and brutally executed: the blink and you’ll miss it fit of fucked-up foaming-at-the-mouth franticness that is ‘Full Frontal Obscurity’ is terribly comic and completely terrifying in equal measures. Vocals snake about each other while drums slow, gradually, over a minute-something of sweaty sludge-core camped up with Rocky Horror histrionics. ‘Scavenger, Invader’, meanwhile, isn’t a song by any stretch of the definition: it’s an inhuman grind, the sound of Terminator’s killer robots achieving their goal of global conquest, throughout the ages. – Drowned in Sound

with:
Qui || Listen
Upsilon Acrux
Halloween Swim Team || Listen

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

7pm / $15 / All Ages

Sunday 08.03.08: BORIS / TORCHE / LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR @ echoplex

Boris || Listen

Even though Japan noise/metal/rock/drone kings Boris have created a progressive body of work, the latest release from the prolific trio seems to be carrying baggage of the band’s recent collaborations with both Sunn0))) and Merzbow, in addition to further merging existing influences like punk and hard rock.

With all that going into the blender, Smile is remarkably diverse. The pacing changes from the psychedelic melancholy of opener Flower Sun Rain into quick, loud and messy punk/noise explosions before opening up the freak-out floodgates on My Neighbor Satan. Near the album’s close, the psychedelic insanity of Ka Re Ha Te Ta Sa Ki is a whirlwind of pounding drums, circular chanting, spasmodic guitar noise and violent soloing that perfectly exemplifies Smile’s fusion of panicky, heavy abrasiveness and lush, melodic and dreamy sprawls. – Now Magazine

with:
Torche || Listen
Lair of The Minotaur || Listen

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

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

7pm / $14adv, $16dos / all ages

Saturday 08.23.08: LA Weekly Presents THE GERMS / THE MAE SHI / SPIDER PROBLEM @ echo

The Germs || Listen

The “new Germs” have toured semi-regularly since 2005, including a run on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour and playing the “Secret” premiere in June. Fans and some punk peers initially derided the reunion, believing it to be either a nostalgic cash-in or a reputation-sullying mistake. But those aghast by Landon from “A Walk to Remember” donning Crash’s blue-circle armband, are realizing that West’s spit-soaked reprisals of his Crash role are faithful and riveting, right down to West’s spitfire rebuttals to skeptics.
“If you sit home moaning about the past and haven’t seen us play, then you can go to hell,” West said. “I wasn’t going to mess with Darby’s songs or change his singing style. I wasn’t going to be sober doing lounge-jazz either.”
In a way, the Germs’ sets are more live theater than reunion tour, and less of a post-mortem hit parade than a chance for a younger generation to feel the gleeful fury and bleak sadness of the ’80s L.A. punk scene for themselves.
“There is a level of chaos, mischief and danger to it, but it’s fun and done in the original spirit,” said West. “We try and show them what a real punk rock show should be.” – LA Times

with:
The Mae Shi
Spider Problem

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

8:30 pm / $17 Advance, $20 day of show / 18+

Thursday 08.21.08: BOB LOG III / SCOTT H BIRAM / LEFT LANE CRUISER @ echo

Bob Log III

“When I turned 11 I got my first AC/DC record and that’s when I stopped putting the guitar down, let’s put it that way. I’m 33 now, my guitar playing’s 22. That means last year it became old enough to drink in America,” laughs the patently indescribable one-man-band Bob Log III. The Tucson-based Log has just lobbed Log Bomb, his latest bundle of bluesy, boozey and breast-obsessed mayhem, into an unsuspecting world. His is a baffling but playful mix of talent and novelty, truth and fiction. Accompanied only by his guitar (played with one human hand and one fabled “monkey paw,” allegedly transplanted onto his arm after a boating accident), he offers an almost ridiculous but somehow compelling musical ride, fuelled as much by his love of the guitar as his “appreciation” of the fairer sex. To truly understand the phenomenon that is Log, one must attend one of his live shows, slightly surreal, must be seen-to-be-believed experiences where Log plays the guitar like the salvation of his soul depends on it, his face hidden under a requisite helmet. Log claims the helmet serves the dual purposes of housing a mic for his vocals (“If I fall over I can still play guitar and sing,” he explains) and obscuring his face form the girl he’s hiding from (It’s like a security barricade”). – Uptown

with:
Scott H Biram || Listen
Left Lane Cruiser

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

8:30pm / $12 / 18+