Sunday 03.01.09: 826LA’s BATTLE OF THE BANDS @ echoplex

The live 826LA Battle of the Bands is an all-ages show going down at the Echoplex in Echo Park on March 1 at 3:00 p.m. Each set includes an original song written by 826LA students in Songwriting with Kate and Friends, a workshop led by singer/songwriter Kate Micucci.

The live 826LA Battle of the Bands will be judged by industry professionals: Liz Garo, Booker at Spaceland Productions; Pat McGuire, Editor in Chief of Filter Magazine; and Daniel Gill, owner of Force Field PR. Winners will receive spots in 826LA’s new monthly variety show Tiny Vaudeville, a music video produced by Draw Pictures, a profile on filter-mag.com, and other prizes.

Buy Tickets

3pm / $10 / All Ages

Sunday 03.01.09: GARCETTI FUNDRAISER @ echoplex

6pm / $10 / 18+

Sunday 03.01.09: PART TIME PUNKS with TYVEK + WEAVE! @ echo

with:
Tyvek
Weave!

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.02.09: Origami Records Residency SUMMER DARLING / WRITER / THE MONOLATORS / THE HECTORS / DJ VELVET TOUCH @ echo

Summer Darling || Listen || Watch

Based in Los Angeles and formed in 2002, Summer Darling began as a three piece indie pop band with an interest in songwriting and melody. Comprised of vocalist / songwriter Ben Heywood, drummer / guitarist Dan Rossiter and bassist/vocalist Heather Bray, they released the “What’s Done is Done EP” shortly thereafter, handcrafting each CD individually. In 2004 they collaborated with producer Frank Lenz (Pedro the Lion/Richard Swift/Starflyer 59) for the full length record “I Know You, I Never Knew You” and again released it themselves.

The last few years have seen Summer Darling chart a different direction. With the addition of Loop Haro on drums and a more group-oriented approach to song crafting, 2008’s “Health of Others” is the first of 3 digital EPs to be released this year, representing a new dynamic style. On it, Summer Darling explores the relationship between infidelity and retribution. The songwriting focuses on a more band-oriented approach, resulting in a more dynamic and symphonic sound. – Insomnia Radio

with:
Writer || Listen
The Monolators || Listen
The Hectors || Listen
DJ Velvet Touch

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

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+

Wednesday 03.04.09: 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 03.04.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 03.05.09: WET CASSETTE / THE LIEUTENANTS / DOWNTOWN UNION / JACK LITTMAN @ echo

Wet Cassette

You may have seen fedora-topped frontman Daniel Holden before, risking life and larynx for a hot riff and a cold beer. No doubt he was flanked by stone-faced guitarist Jarrod Stiles and bassist Mike Peralta, propelling their brand of Lomita-approved, ‘70s-era rock into the 21st century. But recently, the business cards changed.

Until the middle of last year, Wet Cassette performed under the more cleverly inebriated moniker, Rolling Blackouts. Eschewing booze for sex in name only, Holden and company introduced a new drummer (Sean Johnson) and added a keyboardist (Jon Highlander), both hailing from another South Bay mainstay, the Voyeurs, formerly of E>K>U>K>. (To further complicate the musical map, original drummer and professional wildman Gabe Garnica has moved on to form Sonadora with ex-dios-er Qevin Morales.) Defining the difference between their past and present selves, Holden glibly states, “Wet Cassette sounds like your dreams coming true. Rolling Blackouts were less dreams coming true and more like keeping you up all hours of the night.” Plus, he adds, the band simply likes how it rolls off the tongue. – The District Weekly

with:
The Lieutenants || Listen
Downtown Union
Jack Littman

8:30pm / Free / 21+

Friday 03.06.09: First Fridays with FOOLS GOLD / BLK JKS @ Natural History Museum

This season’s First Fridays celebrate “Darwin Year” through entertaining and fascinating conversations with six of the world’s foremost authors and experts on the life of Darwin, the science of evolution, and the revolutionary impact of the man and his work. Join us in discovery with an evening of programming: a curator-led tour, a discussion forum with Dr. Neil Shubin and Dr. Michael W. Quick, artist performances Fool’s Gold and Blk Jks and a DJ lounge with The Phatal DJ + Anthony Valadez (dublab.com)

with:
Fools Gold
Blk Jks || Listen

plus DJs:
The Phatal DJ
Anthony Valadez

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

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

5:30pm / All Ages

Friday 03.06.09: 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 03.07.09: BOOTIE LA @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

Live at 11 PM, from San Francisco, mashup pioneers:
THE EVOLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE
presents The Wheel of Mashup and the brand-new VidiMasher 3000!

Bootie mashup DJs:
DJ PAUL V.
DJ SHYBOY

This month, live on stage at 11 PM, Bootie LA is proud to present the return of the “Grandfathers of the Mashup” — The Evolution Control Committee. These groundbreaking, copyright-infringing pioneers will be presenting “The Wheel of Mashup,” where you, the audience, spin the outer wheel to determine the music and the inner wheel to choose the vocals — the two get mashed together on the spot! The ECC will also be bringing their latest mashing invention, the VidiMasher 3000. It’s a giant video screen hacked from two Nintendo Wii controllers that allow TradeMark G. to instantaneously mix and mash over 800 samples right before your eyes … literally! It’s Britney vs. Led Zeppelin, the Fat Boys vs. the Muppets, the Black Eyed Peas vs. Green Eyed Lady, and many, many more.

Also on the bill are Bootie mashup DJs Paul V. and Shyboy, who will be spinning mashups for the dancefloor all night!

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. 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!

FMI: http://www.BootieLA.com

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

Saturday 03.07.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.08.09: MICHAEL GIRA (Angels Of Light / Swans) / LARKIN GRIMM @ echo

Michael Gira (Angels Of Light / Swans) || Watch

Starting in the late 1970s, Michael Gira made some of those most abrasive, visceral and violently beautiful music imaginable, his shows with a shifting cast of Swans now legendarily loud and brutal, his artistic collaboration with Jarboe one of the oddest and most compelling mixes of energies that the rock world has ever seen. Swans recorded dozens of albums from 1982 to 1998, closing their career with the monolithic two-cd live album Swans Are Dead. Gira and Jarboe went separate ways, and Gira almost immediately began working on an entirely different kind of project, rooted in traditional folk, blues and country; more lyrical, less ritual. He called it Angels of Light.

Many people have been part of Angels of Light over the years, Devendra Banhart and Akron/Family most famously, but dozens of others have contributed voices, instruments, personalities and ideas. Even so, it’s Gira’s project, as strange and joyful and confrontational and intelligent as the man himself. The project has changed over time, incorporating massive, celebratory anthems at one stage of Gira’s creative process (check out “Rose of Los Angeles” from Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home), and tamping down to the musical equivalent of line drawings in the mostly acoustic The Angels of Light Sing ‘Other People’. – Popmatters

With:
Larkin Grimm || Listen

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

7pm / $12 advance; $14 day of show / All Ages

Sunday 03.08.09: PART TIME PUNKS – Yay! Records Nite with THE TARTANS + THE SEA LIONS @ echo

with:
The Tartans || Listen
The Sea Lions || Listen (7″ Release Party)

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.09.09: Origami Records Residency WAIT.THINK.FAST. / SUMMER DARLING / SHILOE / TWO GUNS / THE CITY STREETS @ echo

Wait.Think.Fast.

Wait Think Fast is one of the current standouts in a burgeoning scene of ethnically and musically diverse Los Angeles-based bands. Fronted by Argentinean-born vocalist and pianist Jacqueline Santillan, the quartet adds distinct flavor to its atmospheric, post-punk sound by using both Spanish and English for its bilingual lyrics. Wait Think Fast released a self-titled debut EP last year, and it’s recently followed it up with the 7-song Vuelve al Mar, on L.A.’s Origami Records. – NPR

with:
Summer Darling || Listen
Shiloe || Listen
Two Guns || Listen
The City Streets || Listen

8pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.10.09: FOREIGN BORN / SLEEPY SUN / LARKIN GRIMM @ echo

Foreign Born || Listen || Watch

Born in San Francisco in summer 2003, the gauzy psych rock of Foreign Born is created by Lewis Pesacov (guitar), Matt W. Popieluch (vocals/guitar), Garrett Ray (drums), and Ariel Rechtshaid (bass). In 2005, the quartet headed south to L.A., and issued the 12″ release, “We Had Pleasure” b/w “Escape” and the In the Remote Woods EP. Percussion-loaded pop ballads, hypnotic bridges, and danceable rock edges all have their place on On the Wing Now. “Into Your Dream” ebbs and flows with new millennium Echo and the Bunnymen pop before sliding into a Raconteurs-style jam, while “Trial Wall” frolics with verses that capture the tinny clamor of Interpol without the latter’s ascending energy or dizzying choruses, but clear standout is “In the Shape,” a guitar-wheedling, high-energy treat tucked near the end of the album. – Spin

with:

Sleepy Sun || Listen || Watch

San Francisco’s Sleepy Sun is one of those every-so-often bands that absorbs, processes, and spits out its influences in such a way as to make pee run down the pants legs of music reviewers everywhere. From the heavy-thunder freakout of “New Age” through the gospel-tinged lament of “Lord” to the straight-up bad trip on “White Dove,” the band’s lysergic emanations, delivered through copper plumbing, are all flowery footpaths, winding streams of Robitussin, and nitroglycerine shrieks. They are designed to explode the most expanded of frontal lobes. Even the annoying parts resonate, so it’s better just to sit back and wait for the moment you missed to finally broadside you as revelation. Because that’s exactly what an album like this promises. – SF Weekly

Plus:
Larkin Grimm || Listen

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

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Wednesday 03.11.09: 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 03.11.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

SCION A/V – KITSUNÉ PIONEER CD RELEASE PARTY

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

CLICK TO RSVP

10pm / FREE WITH RSVP / 18+

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+

Friday 03.13.09: SAY HI / TELEKINESIS / DEVON WILLIAMS @ echo

Say Hi || Listen || MP3

This brand new track from Eric Elbogen, who records as Say Hi, couldn’t have arrived at a more appropriate time: Anchored by an icy lead guitar riff and a chorus that longs for winter’s end, “November Was White, December Was Grey” is what’s playing in Mother Nature’s iPod this weekend as she tightens her frigid grip on much of America.

Seattle-based Elbogen tells SPIN.com that the song reflects the feeling of isolation winter can bring: “The overwhelming percentage of the year I spend cooped up writing records definitely comes with some cabin fever. And this song is mostly about that.”

What’s more, says Elbogen, “The title of the record came from this song, specifically the oohs that the backing vocal sings halfway through the first verse. That made me think of the abundance of oohs and aahs I sing throughout the record.” – Spin.com

With:
Telekinesis
Devon Williams

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
text oohs&aahs to 467467

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

Friday 03.13.09: 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 03.13.09: GRAM RABBIT / EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS / CROOKED COWBOY AND THE FRESHWATER INDIANS @ echo

Gram Rabbit || Listen || Watch

They’ve gone from strange to stranger, those Joshua Tree denizens known as Gram Rabbit. On their third album, RadioAngel and the RobotBeat, they come out spitting, with lead singer and co-songwriter Jesika von Rabbit coming off like Grace Jones with a bunny fetish on the fed-up-with-technology electro-ditty “American Hookers.” Considering they go to sleep every night under a sky filled with more stars than the rest of us can only dream of, it’s not surprising their lyrics express a great deal of concern for “the world gone wrong.” They also come from a place with fewer teeth per capita than the rest of the state, hence references to priests smoking crystal meth and pit bulls. Even weirder is “The Rest of Us Sleep,” which sounds like video-game effects. My pick hit is “Fancy Dancy,” with what may be the best line of the summer: “Any way you slice it, it’s still bologna.” They even wrote a song about Landers, called “Landers,” which is some blips and plucks and pounds and maybe some voices. Bonus: Most of the new tunes are excellent for doing “The Robot.” – LA Weekly

with:
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Crooked Cowboy & The Freshwater Indians

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

9pm / $10 Advance, $12 Day Of Show / 18+

Saturday 03.14.09: Binary Presents FUTURECOP / MIAMI HORROR / SHOUT OUT OUT OUT OUT / SHORT CIRCUIT / KIDS ARE RADIOACTIVE @ 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:
Miami Horror
Shout Out Out Out Out || Listen
Short Circuit
Kids Are Radioactive

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

9pm / $10 / 18+

Saturday 03.14.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.15.09: Australian BBQ with MY DISCO / THE DRONES / DAPPLED CITIES / RED RIDERS / THE FUMES / THE BOAT PEOPLE / LOENE CARMEN / THE ART / HELL CITY GLAMOURS @ echo

with:
My Disco
The Drones
Dappled Cities
Red Riders
The Fumes
The Boat People
Loene Carmen
The Art
Hell City Glamours

2pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / all ages

Sunday 03.15.09: PART TIME PUNKS with THESE ARE POWERS + DEATH SENTENCE: PANDA! @ echo

with:
These Are Powers (Ex- LIARS members)
Death Sentence: Panda!

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Monday 03.16.09: Origami Record Residency WAIT.THINK.FAST. / VOICESVOICES / THE LATE BIRDS / DAME SATAN@ echo

Wait.Think.Fast.

Wait Think Fast is one of the current standouts in a burgeoning scene of ethnically and musically diverse Los Angeles-based bands. Fronted by Argentinean-born vocalist and pianist Jacqueline Santillan, the quartet adds distinct flavor to its atmospheric, post-punk sound by using both Spanish and English for its bilingual lyrics. Wait Think Fast released a self-titled debut EP last year, and it’s recently followed it up with the 7-song Vuelve al Mar, on L.A.’s Origami Records. – NPR

with:
VOICEsVOICEs
The Late Birds || Listen
Dame Satan || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 03.16.09: FoF Music & Dublab present LARYTTA / HECUBA / NOSAJ THING @ echoplex

Larytta || Listen || Watch

Offbeat, off-kilter, and for the most part off their rockers, Swiss tandem Larytta are making trouble in the best of ways. The phrases ‘degenerate-rock,’ ‘ESLectro,’ and ‘exchange-student afro-pop’ readily come to mind. For an electronic head locked in the basement, this is an uncomfortable breath of fresh air, goose bump material that leaves you looking back over your shoulder to see if someone is watching. Taking the impossibility out of contradiction, Difficult Fun is the best of tests. Like your calculus teacher handing out a problem set of brain-teasers and optical illusions, Larytta challenges you to take a leap outside of comfy confines and expand your notion of what music-making is and can be. – Tiny Mix Tapes

with:
Hecuba || Listen
Nosaj Thing || Listen

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

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Tuesday 03.17.09: … AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD / FUNERAL PARTY / MIDNIGHT MASSES @ echoplex

And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead || Listen || Watch

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead is putting the finishing touches on its sixth album in New York with producer Chris Coady. The as-yet-untitled set is due in January via the band’s own Richter Scale label through the Universal-distributed Justice Records. An EP, “Festival Time,” will precede the album in October. In addition to the title track, it will feature an unconventional cover of the Replacements’ “Within Your Reach” as well as the instrumental “The Betrayal of Roger Caseman and the Irish Brigade” and the dark, riffy “Bells of Creation,” which will appear on the album in a different form… The material previewed for Billboard is indeed more hard-hitting than on the past two Interscope albums, with “Inland Sea” building from a measured, midtempo rocker to a furious instrumental finish and the snappy “Fields of Coal” conjuring an inspirational chorus that Reece says reminds him of the Summer Olypmics. Another untitled track is fast and punky, with an Unwound-style feedback barrage. – Billboard

with:
Funeral Party
Midnight Masses

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

8:30pm / $15 advance, $18 day of show / 18+

Tuesday 03.17.09: Echo & The Purple Pit Presents NUTTY w/ Special Guest DJ BONEBRAKE’S BONEBRAKE SYNCHOPATERS @ echo

Bonebrake Syncopators (featuring DJ Bonebrake of X)

and:
Nutty || Listen

Plus a Special Guest DJ

“The PURPLE PIT, situated and hosted by NUTTY at various swanky establishments around town, is THE jazz/lounge/exotica hangout for L.A. hipsters, jetsetters, scene-makers…the SWINGERATI, dig? Check out L.A.’s best lounge bands, plus art, comedy, top-shelf cocktails and fine dining. Leave your daily reality with the hat-check chick and step into swank time!”

Two Shows starting at 9pm & 11pm

8:30pm / $8 / all ages

Wednesday 03.18.09: GOLEM / THE SWAY MACHINERY @ echo

Golem || Listen

America, what a country! The assimilated young New Yorkers in this Gypsy-punk sextet sure think so, jury duty and ESL classes notwithstanding. Previous Golem discs rewired traditional klezmer (raucous Jewish wedding jazz), mainly with vocals in Yiddish. Their fifth disc’s originals, based loosely on Ukrainian immigrant songs collected by singer Annette Ezekiel-Kogan, are in English and just about every tongue spoken East of the Danube, with rock and reggae underpinning whirling dervishes and Old World lover’s laments. The universality comes from carefree comic irony: Ezekiel-Kogan brassily nails a mock citizenship exam (Q: “Can you name the 49th state in the Union?” A: “Al-aaaaa-ska!”) and cosinger Aaron Diskin rhymes kosher and fo’ sure in a song about how much he loves tuches. Pretty soon, the space between exile and arrival starts sounding like a hot spot. – Blender

with:
The Sway Machinery || Listen

7pm / $8 / 18+

Wednesday 03.18.09: DUB CLUB presents ANTHONY B @ echoplex

Anthony B || Listen

Draped in the rich colours of African cloth, his trademark staff in hand, and his dreadlocks wrapped regally on his head, Anthony B embodies all that it is spiritual and proactive about Reggae music. This artiste has been steadfast in his mission to represent the poor and oppressed, using sharp lyrics to confront political injustices and bring the issues of the people to the forefront. In the process, he has raised the quality of performance standards and lyrical content for the industry, through the release of 13 albums, over 1000 singles and appearances on over 100 albums in the last 14 years.
Anthony B’s musical journey started in the church, back when he was still called Keith Anthony Blair in Clark’s Town, Trelawney. In this part of rural Jamaica, Anthony B was immersed in the thunderous chants and rhythms of Revivalism and the Seventh Day Adventist church where he honed his soon-to-be signature vocals. In his formative years, the artiste also cleaved to the music of Otis Redding and the incomparable Peter Tosh.

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 advance, $15 day of show / 21+

Wednesday 03.18.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 03.19.09: Comedy Is The New Black & BUST Magazine present ELLE O ELLE with some of LA’s Funniest Female Comedians @ Echoplex

A little bit of stand up,a little bit of sketch comedy,a lot of laughs and a few surprises as COMEDY IS THE NEW BLACK and BUST MAGAZINE celebrate the first day of spring with some of L.A.’s funniest female comedians!

A Night of All Female Comedy with Stand Up Comedienns from Comedy Central, MTV, The Late Late Show, and more!

Liesa Mills, Kat Wompas, Candace Kregg, Tamra Brown, Justine Marino, Mary Patterson Broome, Jada Cada-Pretta, Jackie Gold, Lizzy Cooperman, and Erin Foley

Sketch Comedy from Alex Fox and Rachel Lewis of the Jon and Eddie Show, Multimedia from Michaela Dietz and Erin Brown from that DumShow and Hari Leigh and Susan Burke from the Country Club.

Also lots of free giveaways!

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

7:30pm / $10 / 18+

Thursday 03.19.09: SAMSARA BLUES EXPERIMENT (Germany ex-Terraplane) / FARFLUNG / THE FANCY SPACE PEOPLE @ echo

Samsara Blues Experiment (Germany ex-Terraplane) || Listen

From Berlin, Germany comes an awesome band for you guys to check out. They are called Samsara Blues Experiment (SBE). The band combines 60′s psychedelia with a bit of stoner and doom thrown in for good measure. As quoted from their MySpace page, “You will find the actual sound of SBE in comparison somewhere between newer age Doom Rock and bluesy Psychedelia. Imagine Robin Trower jamming with the guys from Sleep and add some Sitar”. Check them out now! – Heavy Planet

with:
Farflung || Listen
The Fancy Space People

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 03.20.09: CLUB UNDERGROUND & HANG THE DJS – The Return of RAZZMATAZZ @ echoplex

Performing live:
Jeppe (formerly Junior Senior)
Jean Paul Yamamoto (Japan)

Plus DJs:
Larry G. (Underground / Razzmatazz)
Maurice De La Falaise (Hang The DJs / Razzmatazz)
Clifton (Underground / Razzmatazz)
Alex (Transistor / AM/FM)
Diana (Underground / Black Candy)
Ruth (Razzmatazz / Trash)

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

FMI:
ClubUnderground.net
Hang The DJs

9pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 03.20.09: FOUR TET / JON HOPKINS / DJ FROSTY @ echo

Four Tet || Listen

As Four Tet, Kieran Hebden has been a chameleonic interpreter of genres. Using a cut-up and collage approach, he’s bent folk music, jazz, and hip-hop into impossible shapes; each time we seem to draw a bead on his style, whether it’s folktronica, instrumental hip-hop, or IDM, Hebden neatly steps out of the crosshairs to leave us firing at thin air. In fact, his music is best understood according to practice. From the folky samples of Pause to the laptop bobbins of Rounds to the free-jazzy squalls of his collaborations with drummer Steve Reid, Hebden has seemed less interested in developing genres than in absorbing their tropes into his own hermetic sound world. What distinguishes Four Tet’s albums isn’t so much the kind of music he appropriates as how he uses it, and in this he’s been fairly consistent: He snips and smears until his sources all but vanish into his crisp polyrhythms. – Pitchfork

with:
Jon Hopkins || Listen
DJ Frosty (Dub Lab)

9pm / $13 / 18+

Saturday 03.21.09: BLACK MOUNTAIN / THE SADIES @ echoplex

Black Mountain || Listen || Watch

Black Mountain’s self-titled 2005 debut was crammed full of Sabbath-inspired riffs and thick, druggy dirges, and the Vancouver quintet seemed poised to charge Queens Of The Stone Age’s stoner-rock castle, unkempt beards flapping wildly in the wind. In The Future offers the same intense, throbbing psych-prog, but with a few new, welcome flourishes: Stephen McBean’s deep, throaty howls remain paramount, but vocalist Amber Webber is a much more prominent force now, and her otherworldly warbles balance nicely against McBean’s pipes. Structurally, Black Mountain still favors quick changes and untraceable arrangements, and although it’s easy to accuse the band of aping all of 1975 (at times, Black Mountain sounds like the best Led Zeppelin cover band ever), the riffs are mostly unimpeachable. The eight-minute single “Tyrants” is an epic celebration of what Black Mountain does best, with its intense, building guitar slams, bowel-emptying drums, and sudden bursts of calm. Loud-quiet-loud has never been so dizzying. – The Onion AV Club

With:
The Sadies || Listen

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

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
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8:30pm / $12 Advance, $14 day of show / 18+

Saturday 03.21.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.22.09: PART TIME PUNKS – FACTORY RECORDS NITE @ echo

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.23.09: KAMRAN’S PRINCE NIGHT BIRTHDAY BASH – THE RAT PACK VS THE REVOLUTION @ echo

So, yeah. My dad had me when he was forty… His bday is March 19th. Mine is March 25th. We’re both in LA and having a party. He likes Sinatra. I like Prince. Come party with the Persians. Join us in your best new-wave glam or rat-pack inspired garb. 1999+10: I’m thirty.

Like before, its for charity AIDS Project Los Angeles. Last year we made over $800. Having said that, its completely voluntary. Times are tough. Come have fun. No pressure on the charity but if you can give, either give at the door or donate via PayPal. Either way, NO GIFTS PLEASE! Your gift to me would be showing up and most importantly DRESSING UP.

Confirmed Performances by Summer Darling, vosotros, Love Grenades and Club Underground DJs [diana b. goode(underground / black candy), soft touch (underground / funky sole), supercrass (underground / am/fm)] all playing Prince and Sinatra all nite. Maybe more to come.

FMI: http://www.cykik.com/prince

8pm / Donations Accepted / 21+

Tuesday 03.24.09: T MODEL FORD (Early Time) / DARK MEAT / GRAMPALL JOOKABOX @ echo

T Model Ford || Watch || MP3

T-Model’s 80-something years old… his Mississippi Driver’s License says he’s 84, his US Passport says he’s 87, and he says he’s 88… so you decide. He started playing guitar based on Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, but T’s only got one style: his own. T’s illiterate, so no use in talking to him about tuning. We call it “open T” because it’s his own unique sound. T-Model says he doesn’t have a care in the world. I believe him. He’s acting like he is willing to die on the road, playing music and doing what he loves.

with:

Dark Meat

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

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

plus:
Grampall Jookabox

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8pm / $10 / 18+

Tuesday 03.24.09: AN HORSE / WINTERSLEEP / AMATEURS @ echoplex

An Horse || Listen || Watch

Started in the basement of an indie record shop, this clever and efficient Australian duo have experienced rapid success, scoring a U.S. deal via tourmates Tegan and Sara and placing a song (the jagged, confident “Postcards”) in a Mercedes commercial. Kate Cooper’s tales of awkward, broken love and chronic miscommunication don’t seem ripe for selling sedans, but her reedy voice and zippy melodic guitar, plus drummer Damon Cox’s imperfect harmonies, keep things from getting too depressing. Clever/corny lines — “Like that good Hole album / I can live through this” — add levity, too. – Spin

with:
Wintersleep || Listen
Amateurs || Listen

8pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 03.25.09: MARNIE STERN / STARFUCKER / WHAT’S UP? @ echo

Marnie Stern || Watch

It wasn’t until she was 23, when she heard Sleater-Kinney for the first time, that Marnie Stern’s life began to the take her in the direction of the noise and punk-inspired experimental rock that would later define her music. She soon began learning finger-tapping techniques on her electric guitar and began assiduously practicing and recording songs until she had enough for a demo. Stern sent the tape to Kill Rock Stars, which immediately signed the young singer/guitarist to their 5RC imprint. The folding of the company, after the departure of founder Slim Moon in 2006, caused a slight delay in the release of her debut, In Advance of the Broken Arm, but the record, whose songs had been written over a period of more than two years in Stern’s Upper East Side New York apartment, and featured drums from Hella’s Zach Hill, finally came out in early 2007. Stern took somewhat less time to record her follow-up, releasing This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It in 2008. – All Music

with:
Starfucker
What’s Up? || Listen

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

8pm / $10 advance; $12 day of show / 18+

Wednesday 03.25.09: 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 03.25.09: NO CULTURE @ echo

FMI: No Culture on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 03.26.09: THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES / TERA MELOS / KILL KILL KILL @ echoplex

These Arms Are Snakes || Listen

Artsy Seattle post-hardcore act These Arms Are Snakes mixes the urgency and aggressive vocal style of punk with the exploded song structures and technical complexity of the original wave of math rock bands. This fusion is a logical progression from the bandmembers’ former projects: singer Steve Snere was formerly of the Minneapolis-to-Seattle emo transplants Kill Sadie, while bassist, singer, and keyboardist Brian Cook was formerly in long-running math rockers Botch. (Scene incest note: other former members of Botch and Kill Sadie, guitarist David Knudson and bassist Cory Murchy respectively, formed another Seattle post-hardcore act, Minus the Bear, whose drummer, Erin Tate, was in both Kill Sadie and one lineup of These Arms Are Snakes. A Pete Frame-style family tree among all these bands would probably induce a nagging headache.) – MTV

with:
Tera Melos || Listen
Kill Kill Kill || Listen

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

Thursday 03.26.09: KENAN BELL / ILLINOIS / DOT HACKER / BOOM BIP (DJ set) @ echo

Kenan Bell || Listen || Watch

Wasn’t too long ago that Kenan Bell, above, cringed when he heard “rapper” uttered with his name. “In so many places there’s a negative connotation with the word,” the 25-year-old says, agreeing that, yes, one of those places might be the private school in Montrose where he teaches fourth- through sixth-graders. “But even with the negative persona rap music has, I think I can make music that embodies better things.” Bell, above, is off to a good start – with childhood pal Jason Burkhart and music vet Jon Siebels (Eve6), he released his “Good Day” EP earlier this year, is putting the finishing touches on a full-length album and has captured the fancy of L.A. crowds with his spry melodies and sprightly wordplay, thanks in part to a live lineup that includes the likes of guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and drummer Eric Gardner. A rock and jazz fan whose parents sang gospel, Bell manages to blend pop sensibilities, indie-rock edge and hip-hop attitude into rapid-fire soliloquies that even his students could love. – LA Times Buzz Bands

with:
Illinois || Listen
Dot Hacker
Boom Bip (DJ Set) || Listen

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text adventures to 467467

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 03.27.09: THE ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR / WE ARE THE WORLD @ echo

The Asteroids Galaxy Tour || Listen

The current fascination with mid-60s soul isn’t just confined to British performers. The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are a Danish duo, with additional musicians for gigs, who give the sounds of Stax and Motown a sort of sunny, summery, almost psychedelic air. The rhythms are basic, direct and insistent, the melodies so instantly infectious you’ll probably think you’ve heard them before, and there is a horn section (including trumpet and sax) to give the songs that all-important soul-revue feel – the group’s name even sounds like a cosmic version of one of those 60s soul package tours. – Guardian

with:
We Are The World

Save Money when you order tickets by mobile phone
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8:30pm / $13 advance; $15 day of show / 18+

Friday 03.27.09: 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 03.27.09 – MISS KITTY’S HAUNTED MANSION @ echoplex

the boulet brothers present
Miss Kittys Haunted Mansion

FLOOR Show by the rock and roll burlesque diva DIAMONDBACK ANNIE

the return of electrocunt JER BER JONES
(model for me, tube sox vs tube tops) LIVE SHOW

photo sho by ALLAN AMATO

your theme is HAUNTED MANSION
nu-wave werewolves, gorgeous graveyard dollies, frankenhooker, vampire sluts, electro mummies, tim burton trollops, dead hollywood socialites, glitter ghouls, and all things fashion, nekkid and haunted tongue in cheek glitter glamorous hollywood monsters and more

nu-electro, nu-disco, nu-wave, nu-rave, indie dance w/ djs RX SLAUGHTER and DAVE RAPE

starring the boulet brothers, miss kitty, calpernia addams, angelista le fuque, katie kane, johnny 2.0, ernie omega, kewpie munster, kiwi thunder, melodie gore, cuddles, and the miss kittys filthy family and guests

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

10pm / FREE before 10:30pm, $10 after / 21+

Saturday 03.28.09: MILLIONS OF DEAD COMPS / TRANSIENT / BASTARD ASS / BROKEN PATTERNS / ARTIC CHOKE / HEART THROB / AD / DOGS HOLY LIFE / SUEDEHEAD / REALICIDE / RAMBO KNIFE @ echo

2pm – Rambo Knife
2:30pm – Realicide
3pm – Suedehead
3:30pm – Dogs Holy Life
4pm – AD
4:30pm – Heart Throb
5pm – Arctic Choke
5:30pm – Broken Patterns
6pm – BastardAss
6:30pm – Transient
7pm – Millions of Dead Comps

1pm / $8 / All Ages

Saturday 03.28.09: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 03.28.09: TILT presents RADIOCLIT / SHORT CIRCUIT / KILLED BY SYNTH / LOVE GRENADES / ALFA / STROM CARLSON & DAMAGE @ echoplex

with:
Radioclit
Short Circuit
Killed By Synth
Love Grenades
Alfa
Strom Carlson
Damage!

RSVP on Going.com

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

10pm / $10 / 18+

Sunday 03.29.09: KIDROCKERS present RADAR BROS / LE SWITCH Hosted by MATT DWYER @ echo

with:
Radar Bros. || Listen
Le Switch || Listen

KiDROCKERS is a concert series that began in January 2007. These All Ages shows are designed to bring families together to experience some of the most engaging and vital artists in indie music and comedy. Artists perform original (not specifically made for children) songs in a manner that is both authentic and kid-friendly. Past artists include Tad Kubler (and members of the Hold Steady), Matthew and Ira of Nada Surf, Ra Ra Riot, Langhorne Slim, The Jealous Girlfriends, Harlem Shakes, Rogue Wave, The Subjects, Looker, Bishop Allen, The Spinto Band, Locksley, Phonograph, Palomar, Pela, Los Campesinos!, Chris Baron and LEVY.

Hosted by Matt Dwyer

Ages 3-13 recommended. Adults must be accompanied by a kid and vice versa.

1pm- 2:30pm / $9 in advance $12 at the door / All Ages

Sunday 03.29.09: PART TIME PUNKS with THE HOMOSEXUALS / SILVER APPLES + SHARK TOYS @ echo

with:
The Homosexuals || Listen
Shark Toys
Silver Apples || Listen

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

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $12 advance, $15 day of show / 18+

Monday 03.30.09: Echo & 826LA present TINY VAUDEVILLE @ echoplex

Hosted by
Marc Evan Jackson
&
Joel Spence

With special guest stars:
Bob Odenkirk
(Mr. Show; Tom Goes to the Mayor; Breaking Bad)

Charlyne Yi
(Knocked Up; the forthcoming Paper Hearts)

Martin Starr
(Freaks & Geeks; Knocked Up; Adventureland)

and more!
Magician Arthur Trace
Musical comedy with Claybo & Downs
826LA’s Battle-of-the-bands winner The Pity Party
and many more surprises!

Orchestra led by
Dan Bern
and featuring
Common Rotation

826LA hosts the 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.

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

8pm / $12 / 18+

Monday 03.30.09: Origami Records Residency SUMMER DARLING / WAIT.THINK.FAST. / KISSING COUSINS@ echo

Summer Darling

Based in Los Angeles and formed in 2002, Summer Darling began as a three piece indie pop band with an interest in songwriting and melody. Comprised of vocalist / songwriter Ben Heywood, drummer / guitarist Dan Rossiter and bassist/vocalist Heather Bray, they released the “What’s Done is Done EP” shortly thereafter, handcrafting each CD individually. In 2004 they collaborated with producer Frank Lenz (Pedro the Lion/Richard Swift/Starflyer 59) for the full length record “I Know You, I Never Knew You” and again released it themselves.

The last few years have seen Summer Darling chart a different direction. With the addition of Loop Haro on drums and a more group-oriented approach to song crafting, 2008’s “Health of Others” is the first of 3 digital EPs to be released this year, representing a new dynamic style. On it, Summer Darling explores the relationship between infidelity and retribution. The songwriting focuses on a more band-oriented approach, resulting in a more dynamic and symphonic sound. – Insomnia Radio

with:
Wait.Think.Fast.
Kissing Cousins

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.31.09: MIA DOI TODD / CHRISTY & EMILY @ echo

Mia Doi Todd || Listen || Watch

More lavishly arranged than Manzanita, more organically warm than last year’s La Ninja remixes, Mia Doi Todd’s seventh full-length marshals a mini-orchestra of strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion in service of the songwriter’s unearthly beautiful voice. Opener “River of Life/The Yes Song” gives the nod to Todd’s two great influences, the breezy jazz phrasings of Joni Mitchell and the otherworldly drone of Ravi Shankar. It’s long at 10+ minutes, but never static as it bridges sunny California pop with lysergic mysticism. “Night of a Thousand Kisses” slips sleek orchestral textures of oboe, flute and French horn into the mix, almost, but not quite overpowering Todd’s vocals, while “Kokoro,” first heard on La Ninja, has the sensual lilt of bossa nova. On past records Todd’s lovely voice has overshadowed the strength of her songwriting, but this collection of very adult, very sophisticated pop songs breaks the trend. – Harp Magazine

with:
Christy & Emily || Listen

8:30pm / $8 Advance, $10 Day Of Show / all ages