Thursday 02.19.09: ELENI MANDELL / WHISPERTOWN 2000 / USELESS KEYS @ echo

Eleni Mandell || Listen || Watch

The New Yorker once called L.A.’s Eleni Mandell “the best unsigned artist in the business,” and while she’s flirted with small independents since, she has yet to truly reap the national exposure she’s long deserved. The kudos she received from a few significant outlets for 2007’s Miracle of Five was a start, but with any hope, the lights will shine brighter with the release of the upcoming Artificial Light. The LP drops February 17 via Zedtone Records (…yeah, who?) and we’re telling you right now: don’t miss the boat on this one.

Judging by the fantastic mp3 of the title track above — jagged, mysterious and not-so-sublty funky –the album should be full of left turns. Plus, Stark favorite Inara George (of The Bird and The Bee) guests, on a song we can only hypothesize as being the greatest sounding duet ever. (Those two voices together? Send the album our way, please.) – Stark Online

with:
Whispertown 2000 || Listen
Useless Keys || Listen

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

8pm / $10 / 18+

Thursday 02.26.09: HEALTH / ABE VIGODA / CAPTAIN AHAB @ echo

Health || Listen || Watch

To paraquote something Henry Rollins once wrote in his classic book, Get in the Van: I once saw Lightning Bolt make people lose their shit, but not like HEALTH. I have no basis of comparison to other HEALTH shows, but this will go down as one of the best live shows I’ve seen in my life, and I’ve seen more than a few. While HEALTH’s records are good, they don’t hold a candle to the live performance. Jerking themselves around like puppets the musicians were electrifying, and that crypto-divine power transferred to the audience, who writhed and jumping about with total abandon. To be honest, the crowd did get a little obnoxious, with more than a few people spilling splashes of drinks on pedal boards — something that made the musician in me cringe.

Although to some, HEALTH’s music might have sounded like utter chaos with occasional moments of sublime musical beauty, to me it was like they had taken the essence of no wave, post-punk, harsh noise and electronic pop and created an alchemical blend of all of it that was unbelievably intense and visceral. – Westword

with:
Abe Vigoda || Listen
Captain Ahab || Listen

8pm / $12 / all ages

Thursday 03.12.09: PLANTS AND ANIMALS / CASTLEDOOR / AVI BUFFALO @ echo

Plants and Animals || Listen || Watch

Like a distant Canadian cousin of Blitzen Trapper, this three-piece spins shaggy songs into expansive, genre-bending symphonies. And though last year’s too-brief With/Avec EP hinted at Plants and Animals’ expansiveness, it didn’t fully prepare listeners for Parc Avenue, a sprawling collection of rootsy melodies, majestic arrangements, and classic rock riffs that owes as much to jam-band psychedelia and it does to delicately orchestrated chamber-folk.

The album kicks off with “Bye Bye Bye”, which sounds, initially, like a Coldplay ballad led by Neil Young. But, mere seconds into the song, it explodes into a choral epic built on a foundation of jaunty pianos and embellished with plangent autoharp runs and bursts of stately brass. Tellingly, the track’s infectious climax is more satisfying because it comes in fits and starts, its anthemic build interrupted several times by quiet interludes of noodley folk.

That, in short, is Plants And Animals. They offer up explosive, Polyphonic Spree-sized choir choruses, 1970s AM radio guitars, cozy folk balladry, and rambling stoner boogie-often in the course of one song– and switch between them with little warning. Many of their songs clock in at over five minutes long, but that’s all the better for them to pick up steam, stylistically mutate, or expand. – Pitchfork

With:
Castledoor || Listen
Avi Buffalo

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

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 18+

Tuesday 03.03.09: FUJIYA & MIYAGI / POP LEVI / PROJECT JENNY, PROJECT JAN @ echo

Fujiya and Miyagi || Listen || Watch

It’s an odd thing when a band adds a drummer, and instead of building on the electro-funk of older material, the sound becomes more abstract. Yet that’s exactly what Fujiya & Miyagi’s members accomplished on their new album, Lightbulbs. The band says that new member Lee Adams speeds the action forward on drums, but this time around, the synths are dreamier and David Best’s biting vocals are breathier.

In a session recorded by KEXP at the Gibson Showroom during the CMJ Music Festival, Fujiya & Miyagi opt for Lightbulbs material, and despite the ambient funk of the CD, the live drums add a little more oomph in the studio. The band ended the set with an unreleased song, “Sick and Tired,” a piano-driven romper that sounds like David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” on a heavy krautrock kick. – NPR

with:
Pop Levi
Project Jenny, Project Jan || Listen

MOVED TO ECHO
1822 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

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

8pm / $14 advance, $16 Day of show / 18+

Thursday 02.12.09: Heart & LA Record present THE HAPPY HOLLOWS / CROOKED COWBOY AND THE FRESHWATER INDIANS / THE MOVIES / ANNI ROSSI / JILLIAN HANK LEIGH / WHITMAN plus Special guests @ echo

with:
The Happy Hollows || Listen

But is Sarah Negahdari the strangest woman in rock? You decide. We’ll say this: She’s one of the coolest. A killer hybrid of Kim Deal, PJ Harvey and Emily Haines, Negahdari has the guitar chops, explosive energy and winning sense of humor that should make The Happy Hollows one of the more interesting band of our new millennium’s next decade. Keep an eye out for her. – Wired Magazine

with:
Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians
The Movies
Anni Rossi || Listen
Jillian Hank Leigh
Whitman

Plus Special Guests

presented by: Heart and LA Record

7pm / free before 8pm, $5 after / 18+

Monday 02.23.09: HOLLOYS / AVI BUFFALO / HIS ORCHESTRA @ ECHO

Holloys || Listen

The holloys’ dynamically evolving sound of avant-garde techniques and influences drawn from a diverse range of cultural traditions and musical genres culminates in the release of Art Wars, their new, five-track EP. With its beat-heavy blend of trance, dance, Afropop polyrhythm, neo-prog, electronica and soaring pop melodies, Art Wars finally ushers rock into the 21st century.

Los Angeles-based visual artist and musician Jim Brown has taken the holloys through many incarnations and performance venues. Jim has toured the holloys throughout Mexico and Japan as a solo act, performed in the piss-stained alleys and lofts of LA’s gallery district, and has included an acclaimed solo show at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. At the same time, the holloys sound has evolved from ambient noise through abstract trance jamming to Art Wars’ successful reintegration of song and voice on its five, searing, pop-inflected and exquisitely danceable tracks.

With:
Avi Buffalo
His Orchestra

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 2.16.09: HOLLOYS / RAINBOW ARABIA / PIT ER PAT @ echo

Holloys || Listen

The holloys’ dynamically evolving sound of avant-garde techniques and influences drawn from a diverse range of cultural traditions and musical genres culminates in the release of Art Wars, their new, five-track EP. With its beat-heavy blend of trance, dance, Afropop polyrhythm, neo-prog, electronica and soaring pop melodies, Art Wars finally ushers rock into the 21st century.

Los Angeles-based visual artist and musician Jim Brown has taken the holloys through many incarnations and performance venues. Jim has toured the holloys throughout Mexico and Japan as a solo act, performed in the piss-stained alleys and lofts of LA’s gallery district, and has included an acclaimed solo show at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. At the same time, the holloys sound has evolved from ambient noise through abstract trance jamming to Art Wars’ successful reintegration of song and voice on its five, searing, pop-inflected and exquisitely danceable tracks.

with:
Rainbow Arabia
Pit Er Pat || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 02.25.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / FREE for 21+ before 11pm & $5 after, $5 for under 21 / 18+

Wednesday 02.18.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / FREE for 21+ before 11pm & $5 after, $5 for under 21 / 18+

Sunday 02.15.09 THE MUSIC TAPES / NANA GRIZOL / BRIAN DEWAN @ echoplex

The Music Tapes || MP3 || Watch

Even within the context of the Elephant 6 Collective, The Music Tapes have always stood out as an especially eccentric band. After contributing to indie milestones like Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control, Music Tapes mastermind Julian Koster decided to resurrect his high school project with the help of Jeremy Barnes (now of A Hawk and a Hacksaw).

Their debut, First 1999’s Imaginary Symphony for Nomad, was a conceptual psych-pop near-masterpiece that featured Koster’s brittle off-key singing, experimental arrangements, and even more experimental production (parts of the record featured an Edison wax cylinder recorder from 1895). The only thing fans of that record have had to keep them going since is an almost impossible to find CDR of the sequel, Second Imaginary Symphony for Cloudmaking (you can hear portions of it here.)

Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes is the first proper follow-up to the First Imaginary Symphony. It is a concept record as well, although the narrative this time around is less explicit (most of the songs are about clouds or reindeer or both). Koster’s affinity for the singing saw is at the forefront of this album as well, which, paired with his aggressively unique voice, may make for a disarming first listen for the uninitiated. But the singing saws, banjos, and Ping-Pong ball percussion begin to make sense together and create a whimsical world in which the fate of a tornado can have a direct emotional effect on the listener. – Prefix Mag

With:
Nana Grizol
Brian Dewan

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

8 pm / $12 / All Ages

Friday 02.13.09 Stones Throw & Echo present PEANUT BUTTER WOLF / PRINCE PAUL / EGYPTIAN LOVER / DAM-FUNK / MAYER HAWTHORNE @ echoplex

Peanut Butter Wolf || Listen || Watch

PB and a cadre of DJ’s and Stones Throw affiliates crowd the DJ cabinet, and the mob from inside assimilates into the patio’s mob, an army of hip, unhip, dread-locked, fro-hawked, fedora topped anticipation. PB did not disappoint, after some tech stall, up comes the video projection to the immediate left. DJ Rhettmatic (Beat Junkies/ Visionaries) handling hype duties, the music video mixing was a new experience for me. One might assume that the somewhat younger crowd may not appreciate “oldies night”, and I would have to Homie The Clown their asses across their crown, everyone was sold. 50’s to early 70’s, funk to hippie-rock, the mixes of the videos and the music was audio/video ecstasy. I dug, they dug, it was a good time. – Urb

with:
Prince Paul

Prince Paul is already revered as a godfather to the genre, mentioned in the same breath with older hip-hop icons like Grandmaster Flash and Kool Herc. He first took to the turntables at 11 years old, and ever since, Paul has remained the hip-hop scene’s most adventurous producer, shaping and reshaping the music according to his gonzo sensibility.

Plus:
Egyptian Lover
Dam-funk || Listen
Mayer Hawthorne || Listen

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text stonesthrow to 467467

9pm / $15 / 18+

Friday 02.20.09: Echo & Club Underground present BROKEN SPINDLES / RAINBOW ARABIA @ echo

Broken Spindles || Listen

The Faint’s bassist is branching back out into his one-man project.

Broken Spindles, the solo project of The Faint’s Joel Peterson, returns Feb. 17 with Kiss/Kick from The Faint’s own label, Blank.wav records. Recorded in studio The Faint opened last year, Enamel, the new album branches out from the laptop-recorded minimalism of the Spindles’ earlier work, to tap live drums and all that other stuff you can do in a studio and not on a notebook computer.

“I knew that finding the balance of opposites was key to making sense of it all, to get the right mix of human and machine, acoustic and electronic, analog and digital, spontaneous and premeditated,” Peterson said in a statement. – Aversion

with:
Rainbow Arabia

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

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 02.06.09: Echo, Club Underground & Hang The DJS present LADY SOVEREIGN @ echo

Lady Sovereign || Listen || MP3

A 5 ft 1 pixie with giant passion, ambition and sheer raw talent, if there is one theme running through the magical existence of Lady Sovereign, then it’s that of being a fiercely independent creative spirit who, one way or another, was born to be different.

Back in the studio and back in control, her forthcoming album Jigsaw is everything we have come to expect from a rapper whose unique flow and gutsy sensibility has already wowed hundreds upon thousands of fans all over the world. Setting the record straight, Jigsaw tells Sov’s rollercoaster story of the last two years with her usual honesty, genre-defying beats and punchy, zest-fresh lyrics.

Back in the pilot’s seat with an awesome new album and her own label, it looks like that indomitable spirit of Sovereign is bang on; everything is good, everything is working out. And the next chapter has only just begun…

Plus:
Club Underground Resident DJs spinning all night

9pm / $10 / 18+

Monday 01.26.09: 826LA & echo present TINY VAUDEVILLE with POP LEVI @ echoplex

826LA hosts the first of the monthly series, 826LA’s Tiny Vaudeville, an extravaganza of talent at The Echoplex in Echo Park. Created and curated by the folks of 826LA, Tiny Vaudeville is the smallest vaudeville show in Los Angeles! Each show will run approximately ninety minutes and features acts from ranging from live music, short films, stand-up and sketch comedy, novelty acts, lectures, slide shows, and more. Between acts, a name actor will read original writing by students of 826LA. Tiny Vaudeville’s combinations are endless, and so are the possibilities! Each show is a unique theater experience.

with:
Dave (Gruber) Allen
The Dan Bern Orchestra
Dave Foley
Garfunkel & Oates
James Adomian
Derek Hughes
Marc Horowitz’s live 24/7 talkshow
Jeremy Konner
Al Madrigal
and more!

Plus musical guest
Pop Levi

BUY TICKETS

8pm / $10 / 18+

Sunday 04.26.09: MR. LIF w. DJ STATIK / WILLIE EVANS JR. / GRIEVES @ echo

Mr. Lif || Listen || Watch

When he began releasing singles in the late ’90s, party rap was the dominant style most MCs favored, but Mr. Lif’s lyrical agenda was a political and socially conscious one that recalled the rap stars of the previous decade — Public Enemy, Gang Starr, and Boogie Down Productions. Born Jeffrey Haynes, Mr. Lif grew up in the Boston, MA, suburb of Brighton, attending college for two years before focusing on a music career. He released his first single, “Elektro,” in 1998, attracting the attention of labels Grand Royal and Def Jux.

Working closely with producer and Def Jux label head El-P, Lif released a series of critically acclaimed singles and EPs, starting with Enters the Colossus in 2000. Touring kept him busy for the next year, but he still found time to release the “Cro-Magnon” single and a live CD. His most ambitious work to date followed in 2002 with a pair of concept releases. The Emergency Rations EP bookended collaborations with Edan and Akrobatik in an MC abduction scenario, while the I Phantom full-length formed a saga that led him from birth to apocalypse. He revisited his Akrobatik collaboration in 2005, when the pair joined producer Fakts One to form the Perceptionists, who released Black Dialogue, also on Definitive Jux. One year later, he returned with Mo’ Mega, his follow-up to I Phantom, featuring eight productions from El-P and features from Murs, Aesop Rock, and Blueprint. -All Music

With:
DJ Statik
Willie Evans Jr.
Grieves || Listen

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

7pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / all ages

Monday 02.02.09: HOLLOYS / BOBB BRUNO / DAVID SCOTT STONE / BUZZARD @ echo

Holloys || Listen

The holloys’ dynamically evolving sound of avant-garde techniques and influences drawn from a diverse range of cultural traditions and musical genres culminates in the release of Art Wars, their new, five-track EP. With its beat-heavy blend of trance, dance, Afropop polyrhythm, neo-prog, electronica and soaring pop melodies, Art Wars finally ushers rock into the 21st century.

Los Angeles-based visual artist and musician Jim Brown has taken the holloys through many incarnations and performance venues. Jim has toured the holloys throughout Mexico and Japan as a solo act, performed in the piss-stained alleys and lofts of LA’s gallery district, and has included an acclaimed solo show at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. At the same time, the holloys sound has evolved from ambient noise through abstract trance jamming to Art Wars’ successful reintegration of song and voice on its five, searing, pop-inflected and exquisitely danceable tracks.

with:
Bobb Bruno
David Scott Stone
Buzzard

8:30 pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 02.09.09: HOLLOYS / SABERTOOTH TIGER / RED EXILES / CALIFORNIA PARTY GIRLS @ echo

Holloys || Listen

The holloys’ dynamically evolving sound of avant-garde techniques and influences drawn from a diverse range of cultural traditions and musical genres culminates in the release of Art Wars, their new, five-track EP. With its beat-heavy blend of trance, dance, Afropop polyrhythm, neo-prog, electronica and soaring pop melodies, Art Wars finally ushers rock into the 21st century.

Los Angeles-based visual artist and musician Jim Brown has taken the holloys through many incarnations and performance venues. Jim has toured the holloys throughout Mexico and Japan as a solo act, performed in the piss-stained alleys and lofts of LA’s gallery district, and has included an acclaimed solo show at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. At the same time, the holloys sound has evolved from ambient noise through abstract trance jamming to Art Wars’ successful reintegration of song and voice on its five, searing, pop-inflected and exquisitely danceable tracks.

with:
Sabertooth Tiger || Listen
Red Exiles
California Party Girls

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 01.15.09: Spaceland on Ice with DAMSELLES @ Pershing Square

Spaceland Productions Presents:
Damselles

>MC XYZ

FMI: Respect on Myspace

10pm / $10 / 21+

Friday 01.02.09: RESPECT with HIVE / GASLAMP KILLER / MACHETE / 12TH PLANET / PAWN & EMU / MCS XYZ & DECO @ echoplex

HIVE [d&b]
GASLAMP KILLER [breaks/hiphop]
MACHETE [d&b]
12TH PLANET [dubstep]
PAWN + EMU [dubstep]
MC(s) XYZ & DECO

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

FMI: Respect on Myspace

9pm / $10 before 10:30pm / 18+

Friday 01.23.09: Echo & Club Underground Present – JAPANESE MOTORS / THE GROWLERS @ echo

Japanese Motors || Watch

With a pro surfer as their lead singer and a drummer who used to be a designer for the surf gear brand Hurley, it’s no surprise that Japanese Motors’ music is all about surfing, drinking, parties, and girls (not necessarily in that order). At its best, Japanese Motors embodies that lifestyle so completely that it transports listeners into the band’s laid-back, sun-drenched world. The album kicks off with “Single Fins & Safety Pins,” the perfect distillation of the band’s sound world: over lapping waves and keening seagulls, Alex Knost’s vocals are half Richard Hell’s deadpan cool and half surfer boy drawl, while the rest of the band’s handclaps, hooks, and backing vocals pay homage to the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and all the other California surf rock bands that came before them. “Single Fins & Safety Pins” is so undeniably charming that the rest of Japanese Motors doesn’t quite live up to that high standard. Japanese Motors are a party band and this is definitely a party album — in fact, it often sounds more like a rowdy live album than something recorded in a studio. This off the cuff, have-another-beer feel helps lanky rockers like the Strokesy “Coors Lite” and “Spendin’ Days,” which features the great line “Too hippie to be a punk/Too punk to be a hippie,” and the drunken lament “Regrets a Paradise” captures the romantic confusion that Japanese Motors’ easygoing lifestyle isn’t immune to. – Allmusic

with:
The Growlers

Followed by UNDERGROUND DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

8:30pm / $8 til 10:30pm, $5 after / 18+

Thursday 01.01.09: CLOSED

Saturday 01.03.09: BOOTIE LA @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

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

From San Francisco, Bootie creators and DJs:
ADRIAN & the MYSTERIOUS D

Midnight Mashup Show:
ADRIAN sings a live mashup!

FREE giveaways of the annual year-end “Best of Bootie 2008″ mix CD, featuring 20 of the best mashups from the past year!

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 six 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, 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 infamous Midnight Mashup Show this month will feature Adrian singing a live mashup. Bootie showcases the best in mashup productions from around the globe and delivers them on the dance floor … because one song at a time just isn’t enough!

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

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

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

Friday 01.09.09: TORMENTA TROPICAL with PAUL DEVRO (Mad Decent) / STAR EYES / LOS RAKAS / ORO11 / DISCO SHAWN @ echoplex

TORMENTA TROPICAL

with:
Paul Devro (Mad Decent)
Star Eyes (Trouble & Bass, NYC)
Los Rakas (Panama/Oakland)
Oro11 (Bersa Discos)
Disco Shawn (Bersa Discos)

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

9pm / $10 for 21+, $12 for under 21 / 18+

Tuesday 01.27.09: Indie 103.1 & Echo present CHECK ONE TWOSDAY with IO ECHO / ZAZA / JJAMZ @ echoplex

Io Echo || Listen || Watch

“IO IS A TRUE ROCKSTAR WHO IN TIME COULD TAKE HER PLACE NEXT TO SIOUXIE, JOEY RAMONE AND PATTY SMITH” -103.1 press release, Mr. Shovel

“IO ECHO SURE CAN PUT ON A HELL OF A PERFORMANCE”- Filter Magazine

“HAILED AS SOME OF THE BEST STUFF OF THE YEAR IN ROCK…YOU WILL FIND THE VOCALISTS’ PERFORMANCES SLIGHTLY CREEPY YET SATISFYING” – Deli Magazine

“EXPLOSIVE IN THE MOST ADDICTIVE WAY POSSIBLE” – LA City Zine

“IO ECHO IS BECOMING A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH” – Amateur Chemist

with:
Zaza || Listen
Jjamz

8:30pm / Free until 10:30pm, $ 5 after / 18+

Tuesday 01.20.09: Indie 103.1 & Echo present CHECK ONE TWOSDAYS with CASTLEDOOR / EARL GREYHOUND / HE’S MY BROTHER, SHE’S MY SISTER @ echoplex

Castledoor || Listen || Watch

From the swinging, rubberband rhythms of “Dumpster Diving”’s melodic surge to the swaying “We Will” to the slow motion, twinkling sweetness of “Nightlight”’s autumnal, leaf-drift grace, Castledoor’s ‘Til We Sink EP is nearly as frustrating as it is gorgeous—so addictive are the record’s three soul-swept and buoyant tracks that, as “Nightlight”’s final vinyl groovespun harmonies fade into the ether, you can’t help but demand an additional seven songs of smoldering rock ‘n blues. Which isn’t bad for marketing—between this and 2006’s Follow the Dove EP, expectations and demand for a full-length probably can’t get any higher. The fact that this EP is a sliver of an LP-length recording session of music yet to be released (the band: “[We] guess the record labels are having a hard time these days, or something…”) mingles a bit of nervousness and disquiet to that sense of excited expectation. Lucky us then, that if only for it’s brief running time, ‘Til We Sink generates such a lovely sense of ease and enjoyment in the listener as to render any reservations muted and the expectations at full-blast. – Web In Front

with:
Earl Greyhound || Listen
He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister

8:30pm / Free until 10:30pm, $ 5 after / 18+

Tuesday 01.13.09: Indie 103.1 and Echo present CHECK ONE TWOSDAYS with WARPAINT / BROTHER READE / CROOKED COWBOY @ echoplex

Warpaint

Fucking gorgeous. That was overheard while Warpaint opened with a bold and utterly beautiful set of post-rock ethereality. Physically, yes, but that’s too obvious. Musically, however, it’s a bit unexpected. While probably well-studied in the art of Blonde Redhead, Jawbox, and Sonic Youth these ladies have a rhythmic feel and style all their own. And although the band may get some heat for the celebrity factor surrounding them (which we’ll avoid mentioning), we can safely say they don’t sound like a “Hollywood” band at all. Thank goodness. – LA-Underground.net

with:
Brother Reade || Listen
Crooked Cowboy

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

8:30pm / Free until 10:30pm, $ 5 after / 18+

Wednesday 01.28.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

resident DJs:
Guns N Bombs
Goddollars

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / FREE for 21+ before 11pm & $5 after, $5 for under 21 / 18+

Wednesday 01.21.09: CURUMIN with Special Guest MONEY MARK @ echo

Curumin

Named after a Brazilian word for “indigenous children,” hailing from Spanish and Japanese ancestry, and rhyming and scheming in Portuguese, Luciano Nakata Albuquerque has dazzled since his 2005 hybrid-funk debut “Achados e Perdidos” dropped with the help of Blackalicious’ Chief Xcel. That DJ evidently liked what he heard, and bankrolled this sophomore effort, which is easily one of hip-hop’s finest releases of 2008. That is, if you consider a mash of samba, funk, soul, rap, jazz and bossa nova to be hip-hop. “Japan Pop Show” displays skill on every level. The dance-floor grind of “Magrela Fever” might be the best club banger of the year. The title track is a psychedelic recombination of David Axelrod and Os Mutantes’ funky genes, and the subtle spacetracking of “Mistério Stereo” is as accessible for indie heads as it is for soul old-schoolers. Curumin’s classical training on percussion and keyboards has paid off heavily, especially on the instrumental groove of “Fu Manchu” and jazz and dub explorations of “Salto No Vácuo Com Joelhada” and “Saída Bangú.” It is, literally, all good. – Metromix LA

With Special Guest:

Money Mark

8pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 01.14.09: No Culture with DAM-FUNK / GODDOLLARS @ echo

with
Dam-Funk (Stones Throw)
Classixx
Goddollars
Ferverss

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / FREE for 21+ before 11pm & $5 after, $5 for under 21 / 18+

Wednesday 01.07.09: No Culture with GUNS N BOMBS / COSMIC KIDS / ACID GIRLS / FREE BLOOD @ echo

Guns N Bombs
Cosmic Kids
Acid Girls
Free Blood (DJ set)

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / FREE for 21+ before 11pm & $5 after, $5 for under 21 / 18+

Monday 01.26.09: Monday Night Residency – ROBERT FRANCIS / MAGIC BULLETS / PETER & THE WOLF / ANNI ROSSI @ echo

Robert Francis || Watch

It would be an understatement to say that Francis’ musicianship belies his young age, as some of One’s best songs already harbor the rustic, world-weary quality that many artists spend their careers cultivating. Whether or not Francis has actually experienced the pastoral blues that color his lyrics is beyond the point; his dusty baritone and heartland imagery make the potential fib worthwhile. From the right-handed piano twinkles of opener “Mama Don’t Come” to the gorgeously hypnotic, looping closer, there’s an airy sense of space to these ten songs. Even the album’s most ornate material — the seven-minute title track, perhaps, with its climax of co-ed vocals and sweeping violin — is allotted enough room to breathe. When the orchestration becomes lush, Francis usually swoops in with a musical reprieve, be it a momentary break in a riff’s rhythm or a touch of reverb to widen the sound. Even more interesting is his love for subtle, esoteric flourishes: a dog barking in the middle of “The Devil’s Mountains,” right before the bluesy pedal steel gives way to mariachi horns; delayed violin in verse two of “Little Girl”; the church-like harmonies in “Dakota.” It’s impressive proof that Francis’ self-appointment as producer isn’t the result of some youthful ego trip, but rather the most logical choice for a penny-pinched teenager — or, for that matter, anyone whose music mirrors these rustic folk-pop strains. – All Music

with:
Magic Bullets || Listen
Peter & The Wolf
Anni Rossi

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 01.19.09: Monday Night Residency – ROBERT FRANCIS / AMATEURS / LEX LAND / AVI BUFFALO @ echo

Robert Francis || Watch

It would be an understatement to say that Francis’ musicianship belies his young age, as some of One’s best songs already harbor the rustic, world-weary quality that many artists spend their careers cultivating. Whether or not Francis has actually experienced the pastoral blues that color his lyrics is beyond the point; his dusty baritone and heartland imagery make the potential fib worthwhile. From the right-handed piano twinkles of opener “Mama Don’t Come” to the gorgeously hypnotic, looping closer, there’s an airy sense of space to these ten songs. Even the album’s most ornate material — the seven-minute title track, perhaps, with its climax of co-ed vocals and sweeping violin — is allotted enough room to breathe. When the orchestration becomes lush, Francis usually swoops in with a musical reprieve, be it a momentary break in a riff’s rhythm or a touch of reverb to widen the sound. Even more interesting is his love for subtle, esoteric flourishes: a dog barking in the middle of “The Devil’s Mountains,” right before the bluesy pedal steel gives way to mariachi horns; delayed violin in verse two of “Little Girl”; the church-like harmonies in “Dakota.” It’s impressive proof that Francis’ self-appointment as producer isn’t the result of some youthful ego trip, but rather the most logical choice for a penny-pinched teenager — or, for that matter, anyone whose music mirrors these rustic folk-pop strains. – All Music

with:
Lex Land || Listen
Amateurs || Listen
Avi Buffalo

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 01.12.09: Monday Night Residency – ROBERT FRANCIS / THE HORSETHIEVES / RED CORTEZ / EVAN (from Parason Red Heads)@ echo

Robert Francis || Watch

It would be an understatement to say that Francis’ musicianship belies his young age, as some of One’s best songs already harbor the rustic, world-weary quality that many artists spend their careers cultivating. Whether or not Francis has actually experienced the pastoral blues that color his lyrics is beyond the point; his dusty baritone and heartland imagery make the potential fib worthwhile. From the right-handed piano twinkles of opener “Mama Don’t Come” to the gorgeously hypnotic, looping closer, there’s an airy sense of space to these ten songs. Even the album’s most ornate material — the seven-minute title track, perhaps, with its climax of co-ed vocals and sweeping violin — is allotted enough room to breathe. When the orchestration becomes lush, Francis usually swoops in with a musical reprieve, be it a momentary break in a riff’s rhythm or a touch of reverb to widen the sound. Even more interesting is his love for subtle, esoteric flourishes: a dog barking in the middle of “The Devil’s Mountains,” right before the bluesy pedal steel gives way to mariachi horns; delayed violin in verse two of “Little Girl”; the church-like harmonies in “Dakota.” It’s impressive proof that Francis’ self-appointment as producer isn’t the result of some youthful ego trip, but rather the most logical choice for a penny-pinched teenager — or, for that matter, anyone whose music mirrors these rustic folk-pop strains. – All Music

with:
The Horsethieves
Red Cortez (formerly The Weather Underground)
Evan (from the Parson Red Heads)

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 01.05.09: Monday Night Residency – ROBERT FRANCIS / ANDREW FROM RADARS TO THE SKY / SEASONS / BOLLWEEVIL @ echo

Robert Francis || Watch

It would be an understatement to say that Francis’ musicianship belies his young age, as some of One’s best songs already harbor the rustic, world-weary quality that many artists spend their careers cultivating. Whether or not Francis has actually experienced the pastoral blues that color his lyrics is beyond the point; his dusty baritone and heartland imagery make the potential fib worthwhile. From the right-handed piano twinkles of opener “Mama Don’t Come” to the gorgeously hypnotic, looping closer, there’s an airy sense of space to these ten songs. Even the album’s most ornate material — the seven-minute title track, perhaps, with its climax of co-ed vocals and sweeping violin — is allotted enough room to breathe. When the orchestration becomes lush, Francis usually swoops in with a musical reprieve, be it a momentary break in a riff’s rhythm or a touch of reverb to widen the sound. Even more interesting is his love for subtle, esoteric flourishes: a dog barking in the middle of “The Devil’s Mountains,” right before the bluesy pedal steel gives way to mariachi horns; delayed violin in verse two of “Little Girl”; the church-like harmonies in “Dakota.” It’s impressive proof that Francis’ self-appointment as producer isn’t the result of some youthful ego trip, but rather the most logical choice for a penny-pinched teenager — or, for that matter, anyone whose music mirrors these rustic folk-pop strains. – All Music

with:
Andrew from Radars To The Sky
Seasons
Bollweevil

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 01.25.09: PART TIME PUNKS with ANAVAN @ echo

with:
Anavan || Listen

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 01.18.09: PART TIME PUNKS – Factory Records Tribute Nite @ echo

This Sunday is PART TIME PUNKS first-ever “Factory Records Nite” — our tribute to the greatest of all Post-Punk labels out of Manchester, England. Responsible for the discovery & release of JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER, A CERTAIN RATIO, ESG, SECTION 25, CRISPY AMBULANCE, CRAWLING CHAOS, THE DURUTTI COLUMN… (and eventually, JAMES, HAPPY MONDAYS, THE WAKE & QUANDO QUANGO). What that means: a four-hour Freaky Dance party of all Factory Records–from the post-punk era to Madchester. (and NO live bands.)

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 01.11.09: PART TIME PUNKS with THEE MIGHTY ANGELS / GOLDEN YEARS / DJ TIM BURGESS @ echo

with:
THEE MIGHTY ANGELS (Dave Newton from MIGHTY LEMON DROPS]
GOLDEN YEARS [Drew from THE ADORED]
Guest DJ Tim Burgess [from THE CHARLATANS]

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 01.04.09: PART TIME PUNKS vs COBAIN IN A COMA with THE BRIDEZ @ echo

with:
The Bridez

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Wednesday 01.28.09: 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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 01.21.09: DUB CLUB with YAMI BOLO @ echoplex

Yami Bolo || Listen

Bolo remains true to the spirit of reggae when, in speaking of his work, he states “the singer is but the instrument. It’s the Almighty at work.” Bolo’s commitment to conscious lyrics is evident throughout his music, he is determined to spread the love and happiness of his spiritual strength through exploring his multiple roles as singer, songwriter and musician.

This is exemplified on Yami Bolo’s over nineteen albums. Yami Bolo recently appeared in the movie “Life and Debt” and his single “Worldwide Corruption” is featured on the soundtrack released by Tuff Gong/Universal.

Yami Bolo’s talent has been long recognized by fellow artists, recent collaborations with Ghetto Youths Damian and Stephen Marley include the No 1 Jamaica-hit single “Still Searchin;” “She Needs My Love;” and “Stand A Chance” for the Motown-released Grammy Award-winning “Halfway Tree” album. Collaborations with Capelton “Put Down the Weapons”; Jack Radics “The Puppet Master”; Josey Wales and Charlie Chaplin “Do Good” exemplify Bolo’s militant commitment to the youths whose “coming of age” under current economic and social conditions require the love of their fellowman and a redefined reverence for the highest moral standards, have lead to popular radio hits in Jamaica. “Freedom” co-written by Yami Bolo and Snow was produced by Dave Kelly for Atlantic Records.

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

9pm / $12 / 21+

Wednesday 01.14.09: 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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Wednesday 01.07.09: 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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 01.30.09: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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 01.16.09: CLUB UNDERGROUND with VICTIM VISION / RED CORTEZ @ echo

Victim Vision

Hard hitting rock and atmospheric reverb provide the foundation for comic tales of psychological terror, heroic morality and cosmic sexual fantasy. Victim Vision live shows feature a special blend of psychadelic lights and plenty of fog.

with:
Red Cortez (formerly The Weather Underground)

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 01.09.09: CLUB UNDERGROUND with BART DAVENPORT (From Honeycut) @ echo

with:
Bart Davenport || Listen

Coming off of his stint with the electronic dance-pop band Honeycut, you might have figured Bart Davenport to weave some electronics into his soft-rocking sound on his fourth album Palaces. You’d be wrong though. The same basic template of acoustic guitars and restrained instrumentation makes up the bulk of his sound. The mellow influence of ’70s groups like Bread and America still casts a long shadow and he still sings the same kind of intimate lyrics with the same heartbreaking tenderness. What Davenport adds this time is a soul influence to go with the classic rock and soft rock. Not the kind of Ronson-retro sound that threatened to take over the late 2000s, instead he looks to the lush ’70s soul of groups like the Stylistics with their layered harmonies, gentle horns, and tinkling glockenspiels. Check the beginning of the entrancing “A Young One” if you doubt it. It truly comes off as mash-up of Bread and the Stylistics, and ends up sounding way better than you might expect. Amazing, even. – All Music Guide

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 01.02.09: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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+

Saturday 01.31.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 01.24.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 01.17.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 10.10.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 01.03.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 01.08.09: NORTEC COLLECTIVE featuring BOSTICH + FUSSIBLE / MEXICAN DUBWISER @ Echoplex

Bostich + Fussible || Watch

“‘Tijuana Sound Machine’ is both folk music friendly and alien/outer space driven, as electronic freaky as anything by Bjork, Radiohead, or Aphex Twin. If anything, the album is wildly innovative, the first salvo in what may become a global electronic revolution… The music is simply irresistible. Never mind hip-hop, ‘Tijuana Sound Machine’ will truly take a nation of millions to hold it back.”
- Yahoo! Music

“The best dance music of all time. It’s sexy, suave and has real instruments.”
- SF Weekly

“A hayride on speed… this is one party you don’t want to miss.”
- Billboard

with:
Mexican Dubwiser

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

8pm / $13 advance, $15 Day of Show / 18+

Thursday 01.08.09: SPACELAND ON ICE with WAIT.THINK.FAST @ Pershing Square

Spaceland Productions Presents:

Wait.Think.Fast.

@ Pershing Square
532 South Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013

FMI: Downtown On Ice

7pm / FREE / all ages

Thursday 01.22.08: FMLY Presents HIGH PLACES / HECUBA / INFINITE BODY @ echo

High Places || Listen

Pearson’s saccharine vocals add an elegant grace to the High Places sound as they drift in and out of the mix, occasionally fading into nothingness. Often her vocals resemble those of Margaret Fielder from Laika, with whom High Places share more than a few joint musical fascinations.

Two of the first three tracks, “The Storm” and “The Tree with the Lights in It,” are the kind of wispy slices of cherubic electronica that have become the band’s trademark. The jittery rhythms encompass sounds that resemble treated steel drums, feet clumping through muddy water, and fizzy bursts of broken-down electronics. Barber’s sparse percussion and Pearson’s treacly vocals are the two constants throughout, occasionally lending a samey feel to the record. But it’s hard to resist their charms when they hit their stride, such as on standout track “Vision’s the First…,” which is the perfect distillation of the High Places sound. – Prefix Mag

with:
Hecuba || Listen
Infinite Body

8pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / All Ages

Saturday 01.24.09: Echo & TILT present FUTURECOP / THUNDERHEIST / FRANKI CHAN / WE ARE THE WORLD @ echoplex

Futurecop

This may be the catchiest, most enjoyable collection of music that’s ever appeared here on Video Pop. That’s saying a lot.

Manzur and Peter (aka Futurecop!) sent me another fantastic mixtape, and this one is absolutely jam-packed with moments of pop bliss!

They’ve incorporated some of the highest quality baltimore club and nu-disco/electro pop in this one, as well as some Futurecop! originals (“Eyes Like the Ocean” and “Space Thieves.”) All around solid stuff.

At only 26 minutes, Euromixtape October 2008 is also very concise. I really like mixes that are under half an hour because the DJ is forced to make good decisions, get rid of any filler, and make something special happen from the start. If that was the goal with this mix, they definitely succeeded. – Video Pop

with:
Franki Chan
Thunderheist || Listen
We Are The World

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

9pm / $12 / 18+

Friday 01.23.09: F Yeah and Filter present JAY REATARD / EARTHMEN AND STRANGERS / SLANG CHICKENS @ echoplex

Jay Reatard || Watch

Solo debuts aren’t supposed to be this good. Jay Reatard has been kicking around Memphis since a teen, starting in the 1990s with the dirty-word punk of The Reatards, and lately in the thrashy synth-centered Lost Sounds. The brilliant Blood Visions falls somewhere in between – rambunctious and roaring, jerking nervously all the way. Tons of highlights here – tons of them – hitting on just about every style that’s had the word “punk” thrown at it as an epithet. It adds up sounding closest to the not-quite-new-wave rock that bounced between ambitious indies and majors around 1980; it resembles the twisted naiveté of the era, before bands realized that building a hook around “I will kill you” was going to keep them off the airwaves. – Dusted Magazine

with:
Earthmen and Strangers
Slang Chickens

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

8pm / $12 advance, $14 Day of Show / All ages

Tuesday 01.06.09: Indie 103.1 and Echo present CHECK ONE TWOSDAY with POP NOIR / THE PACIFIC/ THE FRANKS / ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME @ echoplex

Pop Noir
The Pacific
The Franks
Me Love You Long Time

8:30pm / Free until 10:30pm, $ 5 after / 18+