Monday 03.01.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR / NALEPA / HEALAMONSTER & TARSIER / FULL FRONTAL @ echo

The Delta Mirror || Listen || Watch || MP3

A certain strain of recent indie rock seems to be taking an unusual interest in illness and death. You could blame Arcade Fire, the sad loss of whose family members only happened to lead to one of the most universally acclaimed independent releases of the past decade. Last year, the Antlers’ Hospice focused an entire album on the subject of a man with terminal bone cancer. Now L.A. trio the Delta Mirror’s upcoming Lefse debut, Machines That Listen, sets each of its nine songs in a different room of the hospital.
This slow, layered ballad “He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You” stands out not for its pathos-ridden subject matter– I’m still not sure I know exactly what it’s about– but rather its restrained emotional gutpunch, which it achieves with a simple but catchy tune and dramatically expansive production. Imagine the Big Pink’s electro-shoegaze explosions sounding vulnerable. “I’ve got too much time on my hands,” goes a gothy male vocal, and before long we find out the reason why– and the guy responsible won’t fucking be held responsible. The next time the Delta Mirror sing those words, at the end of the song, their meaning has changed. Damage done. – Pitchfork

With:
Napela || Listen
Healamonster and Tarsier
Full Frontal

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.02.10: THE MOTH GRANDSLAM V: Uncharted Territory @ Echoplex

The Moth GrandSLAM V: Uncharted Territory

The Moth presents the GrandSLAM, a battle of wits and words – fierce, hilarious, heartbreaking and all points between. Listen as ten StorySLAM champs tell five-minute tales of uncharted territory. Stories of new places on the map or in the mind.

The Moth is dedicated to finding intriguing people to tell inspired stories. At The Moth StorySLAM, those people find us. On this night, using words as weapons, they word- it-out to determine The Moth’s NY GrandSLAM Story Champion. No notes, no scripts – just pure, old-fashioned, unadulterated storytelling. Fun, fast, furious.

Hosted by Brian Finkelstein

Stories by:
John Grady
David Baer
Anne Flanagan
Matteson Perry
Stephen James
Mariana Williams
Carlos Kotkin
Jamie Leake
Alan Zarembo
Riley Ray Robbins

Music by
Alex Burke on the Vibraphone

@ The Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm / $17 / 18+

Tuesday 03.02.10: NICE NICE / WE BREAK CAMERAS / BULLIED BY STRINGS @ echo

Nice Nice || Listen || Watch || MP3

Portland duo Nice Nice have been playing their brand of hard-to-categorize post-punk for nearly a decade. And while they’ve built a solid fan-base with that slow-building career, they’ll be reaching a whole new audience when their upcoming LP is released by Warp Records.

Titled Extra Wow, the album is expected from Warp this spring on April 6. As a press release explains, “Extra Wow is an extremely apt title for an album that presents itself as a constantly unfolding collection of kaleidoscopic musical sediments. Each song effectively builds on the one before it to create the effect of an album-length crescendo that encompasses everything from forward-reaching psychedelia and neo-primitive electronic experiments to dub rhythms and learned lessons from the pillars of krautrock.” – Exclaim.ca

with:
We Break Cameras || Listen
Bullied By Strings || Listen

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

Wednesday 03.03.10: SHRINEBUILDER (feat. members of Melvins, Neurosis and Om) / STORM OF LIGHT / GREEN AND WOOD @ echo

Shrinebuilder (feat. members of Melvins, Neurosis and Om)

When this collaboration between Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, Melvins’ Dale Crover, Om’s Al Cisneros and Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich was announced, the weight of expectation could hardly have been greater. After all, considering some of the jewels in their collective discography, who would dare bet against them? Wino alone has blessed the metal world with a string of great albums by The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and the legendary Saint Vitus. Neurosis and Melvins, meanwhile, have done much throughout their careers to broaden and break down heavy rock’s sometimes rigid boundaries.

Their styles may differ, but as guitarists, Scott Kelly and Wino complement each other perfectly. This blend of apocalyptic doom and repetitive, mantra-like space rock sounds like the work of one man. With Cisneros’ bass throbbing ominously below and Crover’s drumming nailing it all to the floor, they could scarcely hope for a better rhythm section.

Clocking in at an average of over seven minutes, these tracks blaze and smoulder in turns, shifting smoothly between the two states with consummate ease. Like some vast force of nature, the four pull together, erecting sheets of guitar noise overlain with howling vocals before melting it all down into sublime, almost pastoral instrumental passages.

When four combustible, competitive musicians are locked in a room for three days with a tape machine rolling, the results are rarely dull. Great things were forecast for this unlikely project and great things have duly been delivered. It might just be a bridge too far to call Shrinebuilder spiritual, but these guys have clearly tapped into forces far greater than themselves. – BBC

with:
Storm of Light || Listen
Green and Wood

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

Wednesday 03.03.10: 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+

Thursday 03.04.10: SHRINEBUILDER (feat. members of Melvins, Neurosis and Om) / STORM OF LIGHT / NIGHT HORSE @ echo

Shrinebuilder (feat. members of Melvins, Neurosis and Om)

When this collaboration between Neurosis’ Scott Kelly, Melvins’ Dale Crover, Om’s Al Cisneros and Scott ‘Wino’ Weinrich was announced, the weight of expectation could hardly have been greater. After all, considering some of the jewels in their collective discography, who would dare bet against them? Wino alone has blessed the metal world with a string of great albums by The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, The Hidden Hand and the legendary Saint Vitus. Neurosis and Melvins, meanwhile, have done much throughout their careers to broaden and break down heavy rock’s sometimes rigid boundaries.

Their styles may differ, but as guitarists, Scott Kelly and Wino complement each other perfectly. This blend of apocalyptic doom and repetitive, mantra-like space rock sounds like the work of one man. With Cisneros’ bass throbbing ominously below and Crover’s drumming nailing it all to the floor, they could scarcely hope for a better rhythm section.

Clocking in at an average of over seven minutes, these tracks blaze and smoulder in turns, shifting smoothly between the two states with consummate ease. Like some vast force of nature, the four pull together, erecting sheets of guitar noise overlain with howling vocals before melting it all down into sublime, almost pastoral instrumental passages.

When four combustible, competitive musicians are locked in a room for three days with a tape machine rolling, the results are rarely dull. Great things were forecast for this unlikely project and great things have duly been delivered. It might just be a bridge too far to call Shrinebuilder spiritual, but these guys have clearly tapped into forces far greater than themselves. – BBC

with:
Storm of Light || Listen
Night Horse

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

Thursday 03.04.10: LESLIE AND THE LYS / CHRISTOPHER THE CONQUERED / THE MONOLATORS @ echoplex

Leslie and The Lys || Listen || Watch

For the rest of this review, body glitter = sweat. Iowa’s mainframe zaftig-white-female hip hop star, Leslie Hall, cleaned house at the Echoplex Friday night with her traveling circus act Leslie and the Lys. It looked like a neon fringe and gold lamè factory exploded all over Echo Park.

More than a musician, Leslie Hall is a movement, because Leslie could not do what she does (and she does it so well) at any other time than the present. She exists now as the result of a culture in whiplash from several pop commodity crashes: Suzanne Somers, Jazzercise, heroine-chic, daytime talk shows, the celebutante, Tony Robbins, and, of course, the Bedazzler.

For the rest of this review, body glitter = sweat. Iowa’s mainframe zaftig-white-female hip hop star, Leslie Hall, cleaned house at the Echoplex Friday night with her traveling circus act Leslie and the Lys. It looked like a neon fringe and gold lamè factory exploded all over Echo Park.

More than a musician, Leslie Hall is a movement, because Leslie could not do what she does (and she does it so well) at any other time than the present. She exists now as the result of a culture in whiplash from several pop commodity crashes: Suzanne Somers, Jazzercise, heroine-chic, daytime talk shows, the celebutante, Tony Robbins, and, of course, the Bedazzler. – LA Weekly

with:
Christopher the Conquered || Listen
The Monolators || Listen

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

8:30pm / $11 advance, $13 day of show / all ages

Friday 03.05.10: FIRST FRIDAYS with DEERTICK / EVEREST @ Natural History Museum

LIVE FROM FIRST FRIDAYS:

In the diorama hall:

Deer Tick
Everest

Labeled as one of Rolling Stone’s Top 5 Bands from SXSW in 2009, Deer Tick, will be kicking off their US tour this month at First Fridays. Don’t miss their country-rock must-see show. Los Angeles based Everest, who have opened for the likes of Neil Young and Wilco, have been hailed as the new face of American rock-and-roll.

DJs:

DJ Shortee
Them Jeans

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

FMI: Natural History Museum

5:30pm / concert + museum pass= $15, museum pass= $2-$9 / All Ages

Friday 03.05.10: THE APPLESEED CAST / DREAMEND @ echoplex

The Appleseed Cast playing Low Level Owl 1 & 2 in their entirety

Low Level Owl is a supernova and a full redefinition of the band, a sprawling two-disc monster that redirects their ambition from the emotional release of their earlier albums into the meticulous conceptions crafted through endless hours of studio time. Overhauling their sound and incorporating a wide mélange of styles, Low Level Owl goes a long way towards emasculating any of their previous hardcore influences by injecting a thoughtful, gentler Britpop jangle and winsome vocals and harmonies. The result is a mix of elements combining the enterprising studio conceptions of Radiohead with touches of shimmering Stone Roses psychedelia knitted together with the conviction and energetic drumming of the early U2, all draped over a monolithic prog-rock conceptual framework.

The technical execution throughout the album is flawless. The rock tracks are spread evenly across both Low Level Owl discs (which are available separately– Use Your Illusion-style– presumably so as to not overwhelm listeners) and are interspersed with instrumental and ambient tracks that act as connective tissue. Josh Baruth’s fantastic drumming is placed in the front of the mix and propels all of the traditional songs. Each of the tracks are awash in keyboards with the vocals generally lying low in the mix, making the lyrics difficult to decipher. These are the only constants through the entire work as Appleseed Cast takes you on a tour through most of the highlights of 90s pop and rock. – Pitchfork

with:
Dreamend || Listen
Dreamend is a Chicago-based shoegazer musical group signed to Graveface Records, whose music is characterized by textured guitar work and prominent drums and percussion. Song styles range from post-rock to bluegrass. The group has been compared to groups such as Mono and Explosions in the Sky.

Dreamend is the main musical output of Ryan Graveface, Graveface Records’ owner/sole employee and guitarist/bassist for psychedelic oddballs Black Moth Super Rainbow (BMSR). Since its inception in 2002, Graveface has released albums by Monster Movie (ex-Slowdive), The Loose Salute (Mojave 3 side project), Kid Dakota, Appleseed Cast, Art in Manila (ex-Azure Ray), Octopus Project, BMSR and many more.

8:30pm / $13 advance, $15 day of show / 18+

Friday 03.05.10: Club Underground & Echo present SHADOW SHADOW SHADE / BIXBY KNOLLS / RHONE OCCUPATION @ echo

Shadow Shadow Shade

A year ago last week, I wrote that L.A. septet Afternoons were a good bet to release one of the finest albums of 2009. So much for my crystal ball.

Instead, the business of writing, recording and releasing new material has moved glacially (and carefully) for the band, whose operatic pop anthems grabbed L.A. by the ears in 2008. Finally, at the outset of 2010, there is news to report: The group has changed its name to Shadow Shadow Shade (no MySpace page for that moniker yet) and has nearly completed a six-song release of all-new material.

Setting aside local favorites such as “Say Yes” and “Love Is a Western Word” for the time being, the band worked much of the year on new songs — as well as paid attention to its new management/legal team, which told the band in no uncertain terms that a name change was in order because the Welsh pop band the Afternoons were there first.

“It’s been six months of wracking our brain for a name,” says singer-guitarist Brian Canning, who explains that he and mates Aaron Burrows, Brent Turner, Claire McKeown, Sam Johnson, Steven Scott and Thomas Biller finally thrashed out a new name during a band meeting at a bar. That followed, Turner says, one 24-hour stretch that saw more than 250 e-mails exchanged between members.

The new material? It’s 35-plus minutes of music, somewhere between and full-length and an EP, and still subject to some editing, Canning says. “I want to call it a concept EP, but I shouldn’t say that because it sounds too indulgent,” he says. “Let’s just say the songs are long, and flow into one another.”

OK, so … Bands to Watch, 2010: Shadow Shadow Shade. – Buzz Bands

with
The Bixby Knolls
The Rhone Occupation

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Saturday 03.06.10: 826LA, Origami & Echo present CHICKENS IN LOVE with THE SUBMARINES / THAO NGUYEN / PITY PARTY / SUMMER DARLING @ echoplex & echo

Chickens In Love: An 826LA Benefit Show

with live performances from:

The Submarines || Listen
Thao Nguyen
The Pity Party
Summer Darling || Listen

+ More artists TBD!

A one-day all-ages MINI MUSIC FESTIVAL is scheduled for March 6, 2010 at the Echoplex, featuring The Submarines, Summer Darling, The Happy Hollows, The Growlers, and more! Get in the mood with punk rock hairdos from The Hive Hair Shop, rocker accessories from local LA designers, burgers from Grill ‘Em All Food Truck, and more.

CHICKENS IN LOVE is a full-length album of original songs with lyrics written by 826LA students and recorded by Los Angeles recording artists. This album will feature recordings by She & Him, Fiona Apple, Cold War Kids, Tim and Eric, The Submarines, Summer Darling, The Happy Hollows, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Dum Dum Girls, The Growlers, Crystal Antlers, and The Pity Party!

Enter at
Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

12pm / $15 / All Ages

Saturday 03.06.10: BOOTIE LA with DJ MORGOTH (from Bootie Berlin) @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

BOOTIE BERLIN comes to LA!
From Germany, special guest:
DJ MORGOTH
Creator of the Rick Astley vs. Nirvana Rick-Rolling YouTube internet meme!

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

Midnight Mashup Show: resident dance crew
R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance) –

BOOTIE BERLIN is coming to LA! DJ MORGOTH, the party-starter behind Bootie’s branch in Berlin, is the infamous creator of last year’s Rick-Rolling internet meme sensation, the ridiculous Rick Astley vs. Nirvana mashup, “Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit Up,” which got over two million views on YouTube before being pulled down. The video garnered media attention around the world, from VH1′s “Best Week Ever”, to The Guardian UK, to Justin Timberlake’s own web site!

And for the Midnight Mashup Show, resident dance crew R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance) will take over the stage in all their gold-suited glory for another show-stopping dance performance.

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 eight cities on three 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.

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. And free mashup CDs will be given away like candy!

FREE Bootie CDs to the first 100 people through the door!

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

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

Saturday 03.06.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.07.10: EARTHWORM ENSEMBLE @ echo (Early show – Kid’s show)

Earthworm Ensemble || Listen

Earthworm Ensemble, a new group which includes members of the acclaimed Los Angeles alt-Americana band I See Hawks in L.A., will release its first family friendly CD by the same name on February 16, 2010. Rocking guitars, fiddles, steel guitar, accordion, psychedelic bass and drum grooves, and rich vocal harmonies, make Earthworm Ensemble the new standout in family music.

Featuring a diverse range of musical styles, including country, folk, Americana, rock and New Orleans funk, Earthworm Ensemble includes 11 original songs that will bear repeated listening by kids of all ages. These songs offer an imaginative, child’s eye view of nature and the universe, with light and humorous touches throughout. “Bang a Drum” is a deceptively simple percussive piece that will get kids up off the couch and banging along to the beat. A healthy, DIY message is humorously delivered in the father-to-son song “Pizza Moon,” and we can come along for the ride on old-timey songs like “The Traveling Train” and “Walking Boy.”

The authentic and fresh sound of Earthworm Ensemble comes from a who’s who of California folk/country artists. I See Hawks in L.A. artists Paul Lacques, Shawn Nourse and Paul Marshall are joined by host of talented friends and family. The artists have variously played in bands with Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakam, Sly Stone, the Strawberry Alarm Clock and John Denver. The wistful voices of the Chapin Sisters (including two of Tom Chapin’s daughters) add a sweet and soulful element to three of the tracks, including the resonant lullaby “Good Night Little Spaceship.” The CD also features Discovery Science Channel host and country rapper Zachariah and TexMex/bluegrass vocalist Christina Ortega.

2pm / $5 / All Ages

Sunday 03.07.10: PART TIME PUNKS – THE CURE NITE w/ guest DJ Alex (from AM/FM & TRANSISTOR) @ Echo

with:
DJ Alex (from AM/FM & TRANSISTOR)

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.08.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR / ALEXANDRA HOPE / CORRIDOR / SISTER CRAYON @ echo

The Delta Mirror || Listen || Watch || MP3

A certain strain of recent indie rock seems to be taking an unusual interest in illness and death. You could blame Arcade Fire, the sad loss of whose family members only happened to lead to one of the most universally acclaimed independent releases of the past decade. Last year, the Antlers’ Hospice focused an entire album on the subject of a man with terminal bone cancer. Now L.A. trio the Delta Mirror’s upcoming Lefse debut, Machines That Listen, sets each of its nine songs in a different room of the hospital.
This slow, layered ballad “He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You” stands out not for its pathos-ridden subject matter– I’m still not sure I know exactly what it’s about– but rather its restrained emotional gutpunch, which it achieves with a simple but catchy tune and dramatically expansive production. Imagine the Big Pink’s electro-shoegaze explosions sounding vulnerable. “I’ve got too much time on my hands,” goes a gothy male vocal, and before long we find out the reason why– and the guy responsible won’t fucking be held responsible. The next time the Delta Mirror sing those words, at the end of the song, their meaning has changed. Damage done. – Pitchfork

With:
Alexandra Hope
Sister Crayon
Corridor

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.09.10: Future Sounds & Echo present: TWIN TIGERS / SKYBOMBERS / USELESS KEYS / APES OF WRATH @ echo

Twin Tigers || Watch

Athens, GA- bred band Twin Tigers are ready to unleash their refreshing brand of indie pop on the masses. Influenced by many distinguished artists including the Velvet Underground, Twin Tigers make a sound that is entirely their own and will keep you coming back for more.

Their latest LP, Gray Waves, is out March 2 via Old Flame Records, and FILTER is happy to premiere the video for “Red Fox Run”, an upbeat psychedelic light show featuring the band interlaced with vintage images- a clear homage to the music that inspires them. The band will take their sound on the road, including a trek to Austin, TX for SXSW, where they’ll hit various showcases, and record a live session for the recently relocated WOXY.com. – Filter Magazine

with:
Skybombers || Listen
Useless Keys || Listen
Apes of Wrath

8:30pm / $5 / 18+

Wednesday 03.10.10: ABE VIGODA / LOVVERS / THE BLACK APPLES @ echo

Abe Vigoda || Listen || Watch

Along with Women, Dirty Projectors and Wavves, Abe Vigoda is chipping away at our expectations of how a 21st century rock band should function.

Reviver doesn’t simply take the concepts laid down in Skeleton and give them a novel new twist. Instead, this is the sound of a completely different band, barely recognizable from the fumbling, itchy and trebly guitars that prickled through tracks like “Dead City/Waste Wilderness” from the preceding record. They’ve undergone a process of attrition, of paring down the Abe Vigoda sound until it represents something totally new. All the energy and ideas poured into their music have been un-learned and spewed out into a different musical space. – Prefix Mag

with:
Lovvers || Listen
The Black Apples

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

Wednesday 03.10.10: DUB CLUB presents RAS MICHAEL AND THE SONS OF NEGUS mixed by SCIENTIST / ALL STAR SABAR ORCHESTRA / CLAUDIUS LINTON @ echoplex

A Night of Roots and Culture

RAS MICHAEL and the Sons of Negus
mixed by Scientist

with special guests:
All Star Sabar Orchestra

and a acoustic set from:
Claudius Linton

Ras Michael was born George Michael Henry in Kingston, Jamaica. He grew up in the Rastafarian community in the ghettos of Kingston. He is known throughout the world as a reggae vocalist and Nyabinghi drum specialist whose style is the heartbeat of roots reggae.

In the early 60′s, Ras Michael formed the Sons of Negus, a rastafarian group of drummers and singers who had grown up in the tradition of burra drumming, one of the few surviving remnants of their African heritage. In Jamaica, the burra and kumina drums first sounded to celebrate the religious and social gatherings of the African people in Jamaica. Gradually, the Rastaman took over, beating the drums at their prayer meetings, or groundations. While Ras Michael’s music is drawn from an amalgam of biblical and African chants, he distinguished himself from the other drummers in the early Rastafarian movements by forging the connection between the traditional hand drums and the modern electric instruments used in commercial music, thereby taking his message of equal rights and unity from a few scattered communities in Jamaica’s parishes out to the entire world.

Ras Michael has worked, recorded and performed with some of the most legendary musicians in the world, including Peter Tosh, Lee Perry, Burning Spear, Stevie Wonder and Roberta Flack. He performed with Bob Marley at the One Love Peace Concert in Jamaica in 1978. Later that year, Marley was asked what he thought of Ras Michael. “Ras Michael is a roots master and a Nyabinghi specialist” he said. “He tells it like it is.” Ras Michael has recorded more than 24 albums over the years, including the memorable Kibir Am Lak (Glory to God) , Rastafari Dub featuring Peter Tosh, Robbie Shakespeare, and Earl “Chinna” Smith , Love Thy Neighbor ),and Zion Train .His tune “None Of Jah Jah Children No Cry” is a reggae anthem. Ras Michael is one of the founders and president of the Rastafarian International/Marcus Garvey Culture Center in Los Angeles, and and he continues to tour internationally .”The music is spreading” Ras Michael says, “and the people are getting more of an understanding. Without the one drop hard-core reggae music, without the Nyabinghi drop, reggae would not be reggae and have no true identity. It brings the elders, it brings the old man, it brings the young guys, it brings the ghetto people, the uptown people, downtown and suburbs…everyone, with true expressions of themselves, so it is reality.”

The All Star Sabar Orchestra is a young group of musicians recently arrived in LA from Dakar , Senegal where they were frequent performers in the nightclubs and cultural gatherings of that African capitol. Composed of 5 percussionist/vocalists , their music is a modern urban take on traditional styles. They rap in the Wolof language over intricate and fiery drumming in the “Bayefaal” mode.

At the mixing board for both of the bands will be the dubmaster Scientist. The late King Tubby is generally recognized as the father of Dub music, the style of reggae known for heavy drum and bass tones and wild reverb and echoes. Scientist was Tubbys apprentice and learned at his side, mixing reggae records from the age of 13 onwards. Many of Scientists albums are dub classics , such as “Scientist Rids The World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires”. With him at the controls the bass will be in the place!

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

9pm / $5 BEFORE 10PM, $12 AFTER / 21+

Thursday 03.11.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB / THE WHIGS @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is set to release their fifth studio album, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, on March 9th (US/Canada). This release signifies the band’s first full-length on their own Abstract Dragon label, in partnership with Vagrant Records and Co-Op Music Group. The band wrote and recorded most of the album at The Basement Studio in Philadelphia, PA – the same room where they wrote and recorded “Howl” as well as some work in their hometown Los Angeles. Beat The Devil’s Tattoo also marks the first album with drummer Leah Shapiro.

The trio is primed to embark on a North American headline tour upon release, kicking off February 26 in Sacramento and culminating at New York City’s Webster Hall on April 8, with a stop in Los Angeles on March 14th at The Echoplex.

with:
The Whigs || Listen

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

8:00pm / $25 / 18+

Thursday 03.11.10: THE CAVE SINGERS / THE DUTCHESS AND THE DUKE / THE MOONDOGGIES @ echo

The Cave Singers || Listen || Watch

True to their acoustic mantra, they maintain an earthy, naturistic, rootsy feel. Not as in a “twangy country,” but as in, “if Fleet Foxes had more facial hair then they might sound like this.” They even throw in washboards and harmonicas and give a nod to the oft-neglected blues music of the Mississippi River Delta. From even the first listen, it is evident that The Cave Singers has perfected the ghostly, resonating qualities of minimalism that separate it from a hoard of meditative, chai-sipping imitators.

Welcome Joy is somber and sweet enough to be enjoyed on calm evenings, but yet packs enough punch that you won’t be embarrassed if you leave it in your car when you pick up your best buds from lacrosse practice. It is a treasure trove anthology of styles, all led by the powerful, wailing voice of Pete Quirk. His unique vocal blend is perfectly complimented by gentle, throbbing drum pulses and Derek Fudesco’s masterfully rationed guitar work. Each pluck is gentle and deliberate. There are no wasted notes and none of that awful, mindless strumming that saturates contemporary indie music. Each hit of the string is left to resonate, creating a gentle, almost haunting atmosphere.

And the thing is, that The Cave Singers seem to have risen to these levels of greatness overnight. How did they get this good? Washes of warm pigments and wistful, breezy sounds abound. Impressionistic lyrics and smooth guitar interplay float by. This is the perfect album for shooting the breeze or enjoying the outdoors. Songs are warm and inviting, and they maintain that sort of “Sticky Sweet Honey Goodness” that scientists have recently found to be the primary ingredient in the soundtrack to your best summer memories. Welcome Joy is the perfect, earthy balance of the grittiest and the sweetest splendors that the Pacific has to offer. I feel like I would enjoy this record even better if I were a more frequent participator in No Shave November. But regardless, it’s still damn good. – Adequacy

with:
The Dutchess and The Duke || Listen
The Moondoggies

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 18+

Friday 03.12.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB / THE WHIGS / MINI MANSIONS @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is set to release their fifth studio album, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, on March 9th (US/Canada). This release signifies the band’s first full-length on their own Abstract Dragon label, in partnership with Vagrant Records and Co-Op Music Group. The band wrote and recorded most of the album at The Basement Studio in Philadelphia, PA – the same room where they wrote and recorded “Howl” as well as some work in their hometown Los Angeles. Beat The Devil’s Tattoo also marks the first album with drummer Leah Shapiro.

The trio is primed to embark on a North American headline tour upon release, kicking off February 26 in Sacramento and culminating at New York City’s Webster Hall on April 8, with a stop in Los Angeles on March 14th at The Echoplex.

with:
The Whigs || Listen
Mini Mansions

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

8:00pm / $25 / 18+

Friday 03.12.10: Echo & Club Underground present SLEEPY SUN / SLANG CHICKENS @ echo

Sleepy Sun || Listen || Watch

their debut album, Embrace, dispenses its earth-quaking riffage in such carefully measured, perfectly spaced-out rations, it tricks you into thinking the band is much heavier than it actually is.

Their long hair, nature-kid press photos and onstage face paint seemingly align Sleepy Sun with San Fran’s tie-dyed tradition, but the band’s palette is actually smeared with a whole lotta Blacks: Sabbath, Mountain (whose producer, Colin Stewart, works the boards here), Angels and– when singer Bret Constantino busts out a boogie-summoning wail on “Snow Goddess”– even the Crowes. But if the opening “New Age” establishes Sleepy Sun as archetypal stoner-rockers– with Constantino’s vaporous vocals floating atop a subterranean fuzz bassline, molten guitar leads, and drum fills that roll right off of Bill Ward’s tom-tom rack– the song’s follow-up, the surprisingly affecting piano-based spiritual “Lord”, shows the group has designs on writing songs that still move you after the drugs wear off, and that Constantino can be the sort of emotionally assertive vocalist who doesn’t always have to hide behind the haze. – Pitchfork

with:
Slang Chickens || Listen

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

Saturday 03.13.10: FYF & echo present SMITH WESTERNS / PEARL HARBOR / YOUNG VEINS / MICHAEL RUNION AND THE ROYAL FAMILY @ echo

Smith Westerns
Pearl Harbor
Young Veins
Michael Runion & the Royal Family

5:00pm / $7 / All Ages

Saturday 03.13.10: YOU SAY PARTY WE SAY DIE / WHITE ARROWS / LITTLE RED RADIO @ echoplex

You Say Party We Say Die || Listen || Watch

The new album from Canadian new-wavers, You Say Party! We say Die!, simply titled XXXX, falls right into this realm of new millennium pop culture. Their extremely catchy keyboard hooks, combined with raw guitars and vocals filled with a sort of hypnotic angst, pays homage to the era when MTV played nothing but music videos.

Nothing sets the mood more than the dark opener track “There is XXXX (In My Heart),” lead singer Becky Ninkovic sings a tune of heartbreak so sad over a vibraphone keyboard setting that sends chills down your spine. She swears there’s love in her heart, though (I assume, naturally, that XXXX is supposed to be LOVE), and quite suddenly, over a much friendlier pop riff that could be played in the club somewhere. The drums kick everything up for sure with a rhythmic sort of intensity that you can just imagine people in out-of-style clothes jumping to strobe lights. If John Hughes hears this track, he’ll wish he was still making movies about teenagers dealing with hormones and identity crises. – Consequence of Sound

with:
White Arrows
Little Red Radio

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

8:30pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / 18+

Saturday 03.13.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.14.10: THE AUSSIE BBQ 2010 with THE CHEVELLES / CITY RIOTS / GOONS OF DOOM / CHILDREN COLLIDE / PAUL DEMPSEY / OH MERCY / DAPPLED CITIES / WASHINGTON / CASSETTE KIDS / SHERLOCK’S DAUGHTER / HENRY WAGONS @ echo (day show)

THE CHEVELLES
CITY RIOTS
GOONS OF DOOM
CHILDREN COLLIDE
PAUL DEMPSEY
OH MERCY
DAPPLED CITIES
WASHINGTON
CASSETTE KIDS
SHERLOCK’S DAUGHTER
HENRY WAGONS

The Aussie BBQ has grown in to one of the biggest shows as part of the SXSW calendar and in 2009 through popular demand branched out to include shows in Los Angeles and New York. These satellite shows not only offered music industry executives another chance to find the next big thing but it also gave local punters the chance to experience a mini festival of great Australian music without the expense or time of travelling all the way to Australia.

After the success of the inaugural Aussie BBQ last year the organizers have decided to truck in another load of great Australian music for The Aussie BBQ 2010. This year you will again not only get fresh Australian beer and BBQ but another swagger of bands.

FMI: www.theaussiebbq.com

12pm / $15 / All Ages

Sunday 03.14.10: KiDROCKERS with WATSON TWINS plus THE ONE AM RADIO @ echoplex (day show – kids show)

The Watson Twins || Listen
plus The One AM Radio

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 03.14.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB / THOUSAND DOZEN GLOVES @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is set to release their fifth studio album, Beat The Devil’s Tattoo, on March 9th (US/Canada). This release signifies the band’s first full-length on their own Abstract Dragon label, in partnership with Vagrant Records and Co-Op Music Group. The band wrote and recorded most of the album at The Basement Studio in Philadelphia, PA – the same room where they wrote and recorded “Howl” as well as some work in their hometown Los Angeles. Beat The Devil’s Tattoo also marks the first album with drummer Leah Shapiro.

The trio is primed to embark on a North American headline tour upon release, kicking off February 26 in Sacramento and culminating at New York City’s Webster Hall on April 8, with a stop in Los Angeles on March 14th at The Echoplex.

with:
Thousand Dozen Gloves

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

8:00pm / $25 / 18+

Sunday 03.14.10: PART TIME PUNKS with BLESSURE GRAVE + TWIN CRYSTALS + RANDOM CUTS @ echo

BLESSURE GRAVE
TWIN CRYSTALS
RANDOM CUTS

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.15.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR / POP NOIR / CANNONEERS / TIGERS CAN BITE YOU @ echo

The Delta Mirror || Listen || Watch || MP3

A certain strain of recent indie rock seems to be taking an unusual interest in illness and death. You could blame Arcade Fire, the sad loss of whose family members only happened to lead to one of the most universally acclaimed independent releases of the past decade. Last year, the Antlers’ Hospice focused an entire album on the subject of a man with terminal bone cancer. Now L.A. trio the Delta Mirror’s upcoming Lefse debut, Machines That Listen, sets each of its nine songs in a different room of the hospital.
This slow, layered ballad “He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You” stands out not for its pathos-ridden subject matter– I’m still not sure I know exactly what it’s about– but rather its restrained emotional gutpunch, which it achieves with a simple but catchy tune and dramatically expansive production. Imagine the Big Pink’s electro-shoegaze explosions sounding vulnerable. “I’ve got too much time on my hands,” goes a gothy male vocal, and before long we find out the reason why– and the guy responsible won’t fucking be held responsible. The next time the Delta Mirror sing those words, at the end of the song, their meaning has changed. Damage done. – Pitchfork

with:
Pop Noir || Listen
The Cannoneers
Tigers Can Bite You

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 03.15.10: Echo & Warp Records present GONJASUFI (dj set) / GASLAMP KILLER / MAIN FRAME @ echoplex

GONJASUFI || Watch (dj set)

In pairing with L.A. producer Gaslamp Killer, Gonjasufi has found a powerful outlet for his otherworldly strain of singing. Together they’ve created A Sufi and a Killer, one of the most fascinating slabs of hallucinogenic head-nod music to arise from Southern California’s post-hip-hop vanguard. Unlike the digital bleeps and squelches of SoCal contemporaries FlyLo and Nosaj Thing, however, Gaslamp Killer and Gonjasufi draw from their hip-hop background to create an LP that could as easily fit on the Stones Throw roster as well as it does IDM-centric Warp. The beats knock, but for every moment of b-boy-friendly atmosphere, there’s another moment– or a simultaneous one– that makes like 21st century acid rock.

Gonjasufi’s vocals are both haunting and haunted, coolly assertive yet frequently fixated on mortal matters, and they bleed vividly through Gaslamp’s corroded analog wall of zero-fi psychedelic noise. The results are stark: Brooding, bad-trip laments (“Kobwebz”), a doo-wop number punctuated by spacey twang (“Duet”), a warping of the blues (“Ageing”). Even the more straightforward stuff has a grimy quality to it, particularly the heavy soul of “Change”, the bar-jazz tension of “Advice”, and the woozy “Kowboys & Indians” with its Eastern vocals looped against a rust-covered revision of club rap beats circa 2003. – Pitchfork

with:
THE GASLAMP KILLER
MAIN FRAME

plus specials guests

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

9pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 18+

Tuesday 03.16.10: WHITE STRIPES UNDER THE GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS SCREENING @ echoplex

Join Us for a FREE all ages screening of
White Stripes Under the Great White Northern Lights! || Watch the Trailer

Screening starts at 8pm!
Film will be projected over the stage with seating and peppermint candies provided.

Click here to RSVP

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

Doors at 7:30pm — Screening begins at 8pm / FREE / all ages

Tuesday 03.16.10: SPLEEN UNITED / TERRY POISON / MAD PLANET @ echo

Spleen United || Spleen United || Watch

For Danish band Spleen United, success in their home country came relatively quickly. Their high-energy synth-heavy rock earned them a gold record for their 2005 … (more) debut, Godspeed into the Mainstream, and by the time they released their 2008 follow-up, Neanderthal, their growing popularity sent the album straight to Number 1 – and garnered them yet another gold album and an arsenal of awards.

Led by brothers Bjarke and Gaute Niemann, Spleen United (which also includes members Kasper Nørlund, Rune Wehner and Janus Nevel Ringsted) now has its sights set on America: Neanderthal will be released Stateside through their producer Michael Patterson’s (She Wants Revenge, Ladytron, Beck) popantipop records in January 2010, followed by a proper U.S. tour.

with:
Terry Poison || Listen
Mad Planet || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Wednesday 03.17.10: St Patrick’s Day with OLLIN (Performing the Pogues ‘Rum, Sodomy and The Lash’) / BRANT BJORK @ echo

Ollin || Listen || Mp3

On St. Patrick’s Day, Ollin, the world-folk-punk fusion outfit from East L.A. will perform Rum, Sodomy and the Lash by The Pogues as well as many other traditional Irish tunes. This yearly tradition has a following unto its own. Ollin themselves have opened for The Pogues, in San Diego, LA and in New York on St. Patrick’s Day at The Roseland Ballroom 2008. Opening for this years show is singer songwriter Brant Bjork, a true artist of Mexican and Irish descent.

with:
Brant Bjork
DJ Tumors
DJ Jake

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 18+

Wednesday 03.17.10: 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+

Thursday 03.18.10: KCRW presents XIU XIU / TUNE YARDS / NOVELLER @ echo

Xiu Xiu || Listen || Watch

The seventh full-length record for these Oakland, Calif., art-rockers on long-time label home Kill Rock Stars is their first since the departure of long-time member Caralee McElory and follows the 2008 release of Women As Lovers. New recruit Angela Seo joins percussionist Ches Smith and Jamie Stewart, the groups’ founder, principal songwriter, and sole constant member (who moonlights in Former Ghosts). Dear God I Hate Myself follows other provocatively titled Xiu Xiu releases like Fag Patrol and features a number of songs composed on the Nintendo DS. – Prefix

with:
Tune Yards || Listen
Noveller || Listen

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 18+

Thursday 03.18.10: DOWN AND DERBY ROLLER DISCO @ echoplex

The Los Angeles event is set apart from Down and Derby parties in other cities by its authentic 70s feel. The resident DJs don’t just spin popular tunes for which the era has become known—they reach into the depths of 70s music to bring partiers the obscure hits that may not be recognizable by most, but are truly indicative of the culture and lifestyle of the era.

Down and Derby, is a retro-inspired roller-skating party created and designed to give attendees a unique nightlife experience. The interactive throwback events combine décor reminiscent of a 70s roller disco with attendees participating through wearing fashion attire evocative of the era. DJs known for pushing the limits of mixing and music production are procured, adding vibrant energy to the event with both underground and popular mixes.

The entry fee is $5 with RSVP, $10 at the door and quad skates of every size will be available to rent for another $5. Guests are welcome to bring their own roller skates to the event.

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

RSVP at www.downandderby.org

9pm / $5 with RSVP, $10 at the door / 21+

Friday 03.19.10: echo & Club Underground present HIGH PLACES / NITE JEWEL / DUNES @ echo

High Places || Listen || Watch

“I Was Born” feels like an especially personal statement from High Places. Mary Pearson loves the bassoon, her primary instrument: She spoke about taking classes and teaching lessons when we did a Quit Your Day Job in early ’08, but this is the first High Places song to feature the instrument. Rob Barber adds a little straight-up guitar, which reminds you he grew up listening to hardcore, punk, and other guitar-based music. Speaking of growing up, the first-person lyrics involve Pearson remembering the day she was born, thinking about being born again, channeling that moment, etc. That, and they self-directed, shot, and edited the beautifully eerie video of themselves alone and washed out in the desert. Adding to the solitary feel, the “I Was Born” single’s out today without a second track, via Thrill Jockey. – Stereogum

with:
Nite Jewel || Listen
Dunes

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

Friday 03.19.10: DANCEiSM @ echoplex

with:
BEN OPRSTU [DANCEiSM]
PANCE PARTY
AVI D
ILLIMENTAL [DANCEiSM]
THE KiD [SHIFTY RHYTHMS]

Plus:
Body Paint
Live Kinetic Lighting by DANCEiSM
Artifact01 (v.4)
Roaming by YoungANDSleek
More Surprises

Dress Code: FUN + Creative

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

Buses from USC + LMU. Check back for details.

RSVP @ http://DANCEiSM.COM

9pm / $10 with RSVP, $20 without RSVP / 18+

Saturday 03.20.10: BETH HART / JEFF YOUNG @ echo

Beth Hart || Listen || Watch

The first time I heard/saw Beth Hart was at an electronics show a few years ago. I was strolling down the aisle ways minding my own business and there she was, a dirty rock n’ roll chick seducing me with her hypnotic banshee songs on a big screen flanked by a towering pair if speakers. I stood there mesmerized watching this rock n’ roll dream until I was forced to move on when those at the booth changed the DVD.

I immediately sought out every CD she had produced and tracked down the live DVD she had released. I was and am enthralled by Beth Hart and her music. This photo gallery captures her moments and her dangerous beauty. You can’t capture the power and beauty of her music in photos, for that you will have to track down a CD or two. Never mind which one, they all have their merits. Get them all if you can and the must have DVD, Live at the Paradiso.

Many have compared her to Janis Joplin, and I think that is fair, but don’t be mistaken, this girl has her own identity. Someone over at Amazon described her something like this: Her creation was a collaborative work between God and Satan. They combined the best of Janis Joplin, Tina Turner, Otis Redding, and John Lee Hooker then added a bit of spice like atomic energy, several forces of nature such as hurricanes and tornadoes, the pure unapologetic sexuality of the most sensual of strippers, the humanity of mankind, and coated the whole mess with nitro glycerin, then dropped it from the sky…waiting to see what would happen. The result was Beth Hart. – Rock N Roll View

with:
Jeff Young

6:30pm / $15.00 / all ages

Saturday 03.20.10: Tilt Vs Blow Up LA with DATABASE / STRETCH ARMSTRONG / THE GLASS featuring DJ WOOL & DOMINIQUE / THE PENELOPE(S) @ echoplex

with:
DATABASE From Brazil
STRETCH ARMSTRONG Plant Music Records, NYC
THE GLASS live: Plant Music / NYC
featuring DJ WOOL & DOMINIQUE
THE PENELOPE(S) live: PARIS, FRANCE

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

FMI:
TILT
Blow Up LA

9pm / $10 advance, $12 at door / 18+

Saturday 03.20.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.21.10: PART TIME PUNKS with SEA LIONS / THE NEW HOUSE / DJ SUMIRE @ echo

PART TIME PUNKS
Indiepop / Twee Nite

with special guests
SEA LIONS [Yay! Records
THE NEW HOUSE [from Japan]

guest DJ Sumire from TWEE GIRLS CLUB in Japan]
joins resident DJ Michael Stock for a nite of Indiepop + Twee + C86

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.22.10: THE FREQUENCY / C-HORSE / THOUSAND DOZEN GLOVES @ echo

The Frequency || Listen || Watch || MP3

Haven’t posted a 15 minute plus track on here in ages – actually, come to think of it I’m not sure I ever have, which is a travesty as most of the best songs stretch to a good quarter of an hour.

LA’s The Frequency aren’t afraid to take you on a pyschedelic meander and this opus clocks in at 17’34″, rinsing your ears with woozy slide guitar for a quick four minutes before taking you off to planet pachouli for an epic trip that’s by turns Jonestowny, Floydy and Spiritualizedy.

So slow down, stop, turn off Twitter and shut out the outside world for a bit. Or play Battleships. – NME

with:
C-Horse
Thousand Dozen Gloves

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.23.10: ASTEROIDS GALAXY TOUR / WALLPAPER / WHITE APPLE TREE @ 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:
Wallpaper
White Apple Tree

8:30pm / $15.00 / 18+

Wednesday 03.24.10: CYMBALS EAT GUITARS / BEAR IN HEAVEN / FREELANCE WHALES @ echo

Cymbals Eat Guitars || Listen || Watch

Let’s give some respect to Staten Island, home of Cymbals Eat Guitars. It’s a fledgling indie-rock quartet, but Joseph D’Agostino, its 20-year-old guitarist, singer and principal songwriter, seems like a one-man shop. He fits a lot into his music. The songs on the band’s self-released first album, “Why There Are Mountains,” which served as the basis for Thursday’s set, contain ecstatic passion; wordy, lyrical precision; hazy, drifting instrumental interludes; chiming, mechanistic, clean-toned strumming; wild, dirty, stuttering solos. The sources for his inspiration can be obvious — Pavement, Built to Spill, Dinosaur Jr. — but so are his ambition and passion. And with “Tunguska,” a new song played near the end of the set, he’s made that most difficult thing in self-consciously smart music: a ballad, one strong enough to make young women near the stage look at him with big eyes. Seeing the band live drove home the full effect of guileless catharsis: Mr. D’Agostino wears himself out for you. (Like a clutch hitter between swings, he ritually composed himself after every song, wiping down his guitar neck, adjusting his capo, taking a deep breath.) – NY Times

with:
Bear in Heaven || Listen
Freelance Whales

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

Wednesday 03.24.10: 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+

Thursday 03.25.10: TOBACCO / THE HOOD INTERNET / THE BATHS @ echo

Tobacco || Watch

In 2008, Black Moth Super Rainbow frontman Tom Fec released Fucked Up Friends, the first album from his alter-ego Tobacco. And Fec hasn’t quit Tobacco yet. (Get it? You get it.) On May 25, Anticon will release the vividly titled Maniac Meat, Fec’s second album as Tobacco. And Fec’s roped a big-name collaborator into this one: Beck, who must’ve been unable to resist working with someone whose name rhymes with his.

Beck guests on two Maniac Meat tracks: “Fresh Hex” and the awesomely named “Grape Aerosmith”. Perusing the Maniac Meat tracklist, many of these song titles sound like the kind of things Beck could’ve come up with circa Midnite Vultures: “New Juices From the Hot Tub Freaks”, anyone? “TV All Greasy”? “Motorlicker”? If Fec can get Beck back into his M.V. pimp-stride, there’s a special place in heaven reserved for him.

Tobacco will spend March and April touring the U.S. – Pitchfork

with:
The Hood Internet || Listen
The Baths

8:30pm / $10 advance, $12 Day of show / 18+

Thursday 03.25.10: Web In Front & I Promote Good Bands present THE DEADLY SYNDROME / SIGNALS / RABBITS @ echoplex

The Deadly Syndrome || Listen || Watch

Well, the long wait is finally over–after releasing their excellent debut, The Ortolan on Dim Mak records in 2007 and playing a slew of shows, tours, and sweater festivals, The Deadly Syndrome have finally returned with a new disc of their frenetic and hook-charged rock. Nolens Volens (Latin for “whether willingly or unwillingly”) will be independently released by the band on March 23rd–meaning you’ll be able to purchase digital copies from the usual gang of distributors like iTunes and Emusic, or you can buy a physical copy from the band’s website.

Produced by the band and co-mixed with Kennie Takahashi, Nolens Volens‘ sound, according to the band, promises “less ghosts, and less wolves. We tried to be as honest as we could. Hopefully we succeeded.” And, from the sound of “Wingwalker,” a preview track on the band’s website, it may well have been worth the wait. – Web In Front

with:
Signals
Rabbits

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

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 03.26.10: Echo and FYF presents YACHT / BOBBY BIRDMAN / SMALL BLACK / WASHED OUT / PICTUREPLANE @ echoplex

YACHT || Listen || Watch

Jona Bechtolt– founding member of YACHT, former member of the Blow– is a huge talent, something that may not have been readily apparent on any of his three previous LPs. Those albums, created largely as solo endeavors, will not have prepared listeners for See Mystery Lights. Now an official partnership between Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans, who performed on several songs on 2007′s I Believe In You, Your Magic Is Real, YACHT finally feel like a full-fledged band with direction and vision, particularly given the added weight (or rather, levity) of Evans’ influence.

The songs on See Mystery Lights– from the bouncy, burbling you-can’t-take-it-with-you screed “The Afterlife” (which plays like a less spastic companion piece to the Mae Shi’s “Run to Your Grave”) to the roller rink-ready vocoder vocals of “I’m In Love With a Ripper”– represent YACHT at their most poppy. It’s a collection of stone jams that finds the band finally as hellbent on experimenting and expanding the boundaries of its sonic scope as it is on having fun. Built on electronic foundations– laser effects, skittering computerized beats, and spacey synth lines (or guitar riffs that have been tuned or distorted to sound like synths)– these new songs are giddy with creative freedom while remaining tethered in service of their melodies. The vocal melodies are bright and buoyant, but delivered (by either band member, or in unison) in a chanted, oftentimes detached monotone that plays up the repetitive lyrics’ mantra-like feel and adds a welcome undercurrent of slacker cool to their otherwise sugary optimism.- Pitchfork

with:
Bobby Birdman || Listen
Small Black || Listen
Washed Out || Listen
Pictureplane || Listen

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

8pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / All Ages

Friday 03.26.10: Echo & Club Underground Present FOREIGN BORN / JAIL WEDDINGS @ echo

Foreign Born || Listen || Watch

Foreign Born are an L.A. indie rock outfit that exist further west and outside of the Smell or Silver Lake, a band that seems to have germinated over the years outside all semblances of scene in a city whose guitar music rarely sounds genuinely Californian. I’m writing from the opposite coast, but Foreign Born have made a record that feels like a conversation with the Pacific coastline and sounds like endless summer. – Pitchfork

with:
Jail Weddings || Listen

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

Saturday 03.27.10: Aquarium Drunkard & Spaceland Productions present WAVED OUT Music Festival with SURFER BLOOD / BEST COAST / TURBOFRUITS / ACTIVE CHILD / THE COATHANGERS / DIRST DRESS / GAMBLE HOUSE / THE PO PO / MOON DUO / SANDWITCHES / FAMILY PORTRAIT / SUPERHUMANOIDS / TAPEDECK MOUNTAIN / GIANT CLOUD / PIZZA! / APES OF WRATH @ Echoplex & Echo

Aquarium Drunkard is pleased to be teaming up with Spaceland Productions to present WAVED OUT: an all ages – two room festival at The Echo and Echoplex in Los Angeles on Saturday March 27th. 

The first of more to come, WAVED OUT will showcase the best of new music with performances by
Surfer Blood
Best Coast
Turbofruits
Active Child
The Coathangers
Dirt Dress
Gamble House
The Po Po
Moon Duo
The Sandwitches
Family Portrait
Superhumanoids
Tapedeck Mountain
Giant Cloud
Pizza!
Apes of Wrath

Plus:
KXLU
Origami Vinyl
Hit & Run
Ice Cream Man

Hosted by:
Matt Dwyer
Matt Braunger

Enter at
Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Aggeles, CA 90026

3:30pm / $10 / All Ages

Saturday 03.27.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.28.10: The Los Angeles Rock N Roll Preservation Society presents POW FEST with THE STANDELLS / THE ZEROS / PETER CASE / PIERCED ARROWS / GIANT DRAG / TY SEGALL / LORDS OF ALTAMONT / SEAN WHEELER AND ZANDER SCHLOSS / LULLABYE ARKESTRA / GESTAPO KHAZI / LE FACE / CHARLIE AND THE MOONHEARTS / ROUGH KIDS / OKIE DOKIE / THE SPURTS / LUXURY SWEETS / THE JONES ACT / VOLAPIKE @ echoplex

with:
The Standells
The Zeros
Peter Case
Pierced Arrows
Giant Drag
Ty Segall
Lords of Altamont
Sean Wheeler & Zander Schloss
Lullabye Arkestra
Gestapo Khazi
Le Face
Charlie and the Moonhearts
Rough Kids
Okie Dokie
The Spurts
Luxury Sweets
The Jones Act
Volapike

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

12pm / $20 / All Ages

Sunday 03.28.10: PART TIME PUNKS – SLUMBERLAND RECORD LABEL 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY with HENRY’S DRESS / BOYRACER / THE HOW / GO SAILOR / ROUND RECLUSE / PANTS YELL / SUMMER CATS / DEVON WILLIAMS / NEVEREVER @ echo

HENRY’S DRESS
BOYRACER
THE HOW
GO SAILOR
BROWN RECLUSE
PANTS YELL
SUMMER CATS
DEVON WILLIAMS
NEVEREVER

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

7pm / $15 / All Ages

Monday 03.29.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR / PITY PARTY / SPIRIT VINE / BORNEO @ echo

The Delta Mirror || Listen || Watch || MP3

A certain strain of recent indie rock seems to be taking an unusual interest in illness and death. You could blame Arcade Fire, the sad loss of whose family members only happened to lead to one of the most universally acclaimed independent releases of the past decade. Last year, the Antlers’ Hospice focused an entire album on the subject of a man with terminal bone cancer. Now L.A. trio the Delta Mirror’s upcoming Lefse debut, Machines That Listen, sets each of its nine songs in a different room of the hospital.
This slow, layered ballad “He Was Worse Than the Needle He Gave You” stands out not for its pathos-ridden subject matter– I’m still not sure I know exactly what it’s about– but rather its restrained emotional gutpunch, which it achieves with a simple but catchy tune and dramatically expansive production. Imagine the Big Pink’s electro-shoegaze explosions sounding vulnerable. “I’ve got too much time on my hands,” goes a gothy male vocal, and before long we find out the reason why– and the guy responsible won’t fucking be held responsible. The next time the Delta Mirror sing those words, at the end of the song, their meaning has changed. Damage done. – Pitchfork

with:
The Pity Party
Spirit Vine || Listen
Borneo

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 03.30.10: HALLOWEEN SWIM TEAM / JESUS MAKES THE SHOTGUN SOUND / KILL THE CAPULETS @ echo

Halloween Swim Team || Listen || Watch

Halloween Swim Team’s new single, “Pitch Black,” is now available for streaming from their website. Self-described as “electronic space pop prog kraut suck,” Halloween Swim Team definitely has an unusual sound. Plus, they’ve got some great music videos. Check out the video for “Thin Airlines” from their last release, The End of the Sky, for a truly strange and psychedelic mix of floating cats, swirling keyboards, and tiger finger puppets. That video alone is reason enough to check out their latest single.

“Pitch Black” has a synthpop feel with electronic drum beats that are somehow both charming and abrasive. It’s far catchier than their previous work, with an air of confidence that surely translates into their live shows.- LA Record

with:
Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound
Kill The Capulets || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 03.31.10: TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT / THE POLISH AMBASSADOR / THE SHAKES / JESSE COOPER @ echo

Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt || Listen

Lead singer Neil was dressed in his usual stuffed animal suit, and we were able to score some amazing hats from the communal costume box. Mr. Sparkle, and Ms. Hamburgler, respectively. In a world where bands have been taking themselves seriously for far too long, this show gave me hope that the people can be unabashedly silly and passionately serious at the same time. We sang, we danced, we cried…fine, no one cried, but it was an emotional experience. Neil and the band, er, ipod, played five or six songs, each one with more lust than the last. It’s impossible not to get wrapped up in the commotion – the costumes, the lights, the screaming – you could walk into on of their shows completely sober and moments later feel like you’re tripping balls. It’s craziness in the best sense of the word.

Tromping up and down the narrow hallway, falling on himself and everyone around him, scaling benches and tables, Neil sang and screamed and sweat. Backed by the Grrrrl Police,( Neil’s entourage of backing singers dancers and performance lighting artist’s wearing a vest of balloons) this show turned into something out of a pre school mad house, full of ADD generation kids who just want to dance, be silly, and bang on the drum all day. – Quiet Color

with:
The Polish Ambassador || Listen
The Shakes
Jesse Cooper

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

Wednesday 03.31.10: 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+