Thursday 04.01.10: The Onion & The AV Club present OUR DUMB BOOK EVENT with DIVISION DAY / TOM LENNON / BEN GARANT / MEGAN GANZ @ echoplex

OUR DUMB BOOK EVENT

Beautiful people of Los Angeles, reschedule your Botox appointments. Put that anal bleaching on hold. Stop doing whatever other lazy L.A. stereotype we can’t think of, and point your Prius in the direction of Echo Park: We’re coming to see you.

That’s right, the multimedia caravan around our Inventory book is coming to the Echoplex on April 1, and this time we’re bringing with us our siblings, The Onion—who have their own awesome book to promote. (Buy them together for a low low price here!) For one night only, staff members from both publications will be on hand to read, show videos, talk, and generally goof around for your enjoyment.

And we won’t be alone. Joining us will be Tom Lennon and Ben Garant (of Reno 911!, The State, and a bunch of other stuff), reading their guest lists from Inventory, Important Things With Demetri Martin writer—and former Onion scribe—Megan Ganz, L.A. band Division Day, and others TBA. It’s going to be crazy and fun, and you should most certainly come.

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

7:30pm / $10 / 18+

Thursday 04.01.10: WE ARE THE WORLD – Record Release Residency AND SIR HEFFINGTON’S FINGERED @ echo

We Are The World || Watch || MP3

Yeah, it’s bold and a little silly calling yourself We Are The World when there’s that other “We Are The Word” in its various forms. The song and the phrase claim a cartoonish “It’s A Small World” unity + Manifest Destiny-esque spirit, but true, it’s also a culturally resonant title to give your Los Angeles electro dance band/troupe. To their credit, WATW’s intriguing enough visually (the Bruised Man Group?) and musically to own it. We showed you the video for Clay Stones‘ title track with its burnt forest, bodysuits, and the aggro nature worship these things inspired. You get to create your own visuals for “Fight Song,” the collection’s next single. – Stereogum

featuring:
Sir Heffington’s Fingered

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 04.02.10: FIRST FRIDAYS with BREAKESTRA / FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS @ Natural History Museum

LIVE FROM FIRST FRIDAYS:

In the diorama halls:
Breakestra
Fitz and the Tantrums

In 1996 DJ “Musicman” Miles Tackett formed Breakestra, a funk orchestra featuring Mixmaster Wolf and an everchanging lineup of local talent. The Los Angeles-based ensemble fuses elements of hip hop, funk and sould to create a unique, infectious sound. Back in LA after playing SXSW, Fitz and the Tantrums’ soulful 60’s inspired style will make you want to jump up and dance.

DJs:
Them Jeans
Cosmic Kids

@ 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 04.02.10: GRAM RABBIT / ANDY CLOCKWISE / CROOKED COWBOY AND THE FRESHWATER INDIANS / THE CALIFORNIAN @ echoplex

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:
Andy Clockwise || Listen
Crooked Cowboy and The Freshwater Indians
The Californian

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

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

Friday 04.02.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND & ECHO Present TORCHES IN TREES / SWEATER GIRLS / TREMELLOW / CLUB UNDERGROUND DJS @ echo

TORCHES IN TREES
“Anchored by solid melodies with a poignant melancholy edge, the band plays unhurried, hazy psychedelia that lured me right into the middle of the atmosphere they set out to create. It’s a heady, intoxicating mix, and I think in fairly short order this band could have a large following…The smooth, insinuating vocals are treated as another of the instruments and as such, perfect pitch is required and this band does that with a remarkable concentration that appears easy for them. They are well represented on their first EP, released last January, New Blood, New Sight, and I look forward to a full length from them.”
-feedyourheadtoday

“Any band that plays a guerrilla gig in Chinatown after being told they were too young to play at the venue they had been booked at, is an instant favorite in our book. The surreal combination of beautiful music, rent a cops on bikes and LAPD’s finest searching frantically for the power outlet, while suprised shoppers and wanderers looked/cheered them on one night in Chinatown square, is something one cant easily forget. One of our favorite gigs of the year.”
-club underground

SWEATER GIRLS
Sweater Girls are not all girls and are infact 2/5 boys (one of which is former Siddeley Allan Kingdom!). They play catchy indiepop with nice female vocals and twinkly leads aplenty. The demos on their MySpace page are wonderful and I’d highly recommended listening to them all, perhaps a few times. Indiepages described them as a “full band Softies” a little while back, which not only sounds a bit like a dream, but is also relatively accurate! They’ll be heading off the New York City Popfest Thursday, May 20 at the Cake Shop. I would definitely consider them a “don’t miss”.- skatterbrain

TREMELLOW
Reminiscent of the shoegaze bands from the eighties at times, but fresh enough to bring some flair to the table, Tremellow played a strong set with a lot of energy. – LA Record

with CLUB UNDERGROUND DJS spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam

FMI: Club Underground on Myspace

9pm / $5 advance, $8 day of show / 18+

Saturday 04.03.10: BOOTIE LA with THE KLEPTONES / DJ PAUL V. / DJ SHYBOY / ANNA KONDA @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

Direct from the UK! Britain’s best mashup producer:
THE KLEPTONES

Resident Bootie DJ:
DJ PAUL V.

Special guest DJ:
DJ SHYBOY

Midnight Mashup Show:
ANNA KONDA as Lady Gaga

Direct from the UK, Bootie LA is proud to present a rare Stateside appearance from The Kleptones, one of Britain’s best mashup producers. Since 2003, they’ve released six full-length mashup albums — all for free on the internet — including the seminal Queen bootleg album, “A Night At The Hip-Hopera.” Their recently-released double album — their first in two years — immediately blew up the blogosphere with its dual sides: “Uptime” provides the Bootie dance floor bangers, while “Downtime” plays the role of a chilled-out after-party.

Special guest DJ Shyboy joins resident DJ Paul V. on the decks throughout the night, and for the Midnight Mashup Show, it’s the return of Anna Konda, who will be channeling a mashed-up performance of Lady Gaga.

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!

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

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

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

Saturday 04.03.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.04.10: Spaceland Productions & KCRW present An Evening with NELLIE MCKAY @ echoplex

Nellie McKay || Listen || Watch

What could notoriously eccentric young New York singer-songwriter Nellie McKay have in common with notoriously normal Hollywood icon Doris Day? The comparison only begins with McKay’s new album, Normal as Blueberry Pie: A Tribute to Doris Day.

McKay first declared her love of Doris Day in a 2007 book review she wrote for The New York Times. McKay wrote of the exemplary pop singer, whose wholesome persona made her Hollywood’s biggest female draw: “Her music is uncluttered, sensual and free, driven by an irrepressible will to live.”

But while Normal as Blueberry Pie wouldn’t be a Nellie McKay album if it weren’t a little kooky, McKay’s arrangements find a graceful midpoint between her postmodern cabaret and Day’s popped-up big-band singer with chops for miles. It emphasizes the purity McKay’s voice shares with Day’s. It, too, is uncluttered, sensual and free. – NPR

@ Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Tickets purchased for Nellie McKays’ show at Alex Theatre on 3/28/10 will be honored at the Echoplex or 100% refunds are being offered. For a refund, please contact the point of purchase.

9pm / $23 advance, $26 day of show / All Ages

Sunday 04.04.10: PART TIME PUNKS with NON (Boyd Rice) / CULT OF YOUTH @ echo

NON (Boyd Rice)
Cult Of Youth

plus resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $10 / 18+

Monday 04.05.10: Monday Night Residency – WALKING SLEEP / STEVENSON RANCH DAVIDIANS / SONS OF AUGUST / CARSICK CARS @ echo

Walking Sleep (Formerly The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra) || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Web in Front favorites the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra have trimmed down their name, while doing nothing to scale back the Lee and Nancy-meets-Scott Walker pristine indie pop for which they are known–the band is now Walking Sleep, and their sound thankfully remains the same. Further, their upcoming debut, Measures, is stunning, and you can hear a few tracks here. – Web In Front

Six-member indie rock outfit Walking Sleep, from LA, are set to release their debut full-length album, Measures, on May 25. I hadn’t heard a thing about them until we received an email with an accompanying mp3 today, and well, I lapped it up. The song, “Final Chapter”, shows tremendous promise for the album as a whole, mixing precious guy girl vocals with hand claps and an upbeat guitar driven background alongside subtle hints of psychedelia. (The female vocalist is Sara Radle, formerly of The Rentals.) The album was produced by Aaron Espinoza, who has previously worked with a KR favorite, Earlimart, among others. – Knox Road

with:
Stevenson Ranch Davidians || Listen
Sons of August
Carsick Cars

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 04.06.10: SARA MELSON / MODERN TIME MACHINES / ANDREW LYNCH / BUTTERFLY CHILD @ echo

Andrew Lynch || Watch

Crafting mordant pop songs in the vein of Randy Newman, Josh Ritter or Jeff Tweedy, Lynch consistently hides fractured characters, twisted narratives, and bittersweet love stories beneath cryptic metaphors and shimmering production. “My Head Around”, an orchestral, mid-tempo rocker moves along so smoothly that it takes the whole song to realize the narrator is not smitten by love but beaten down and blind sided, his head turned backwards to the mistake he is about to make. “This Bird” layers a tale of a man imprisoned who can’t fight his murderous tendencies over catchy, jangly, piano and staccato strings. “The Thrill Is Gone” paints a portrait of a relationship gone sour and the vices we use to hide the truth from ourselves and fool ourselves into staying against a bombastic musical backdrop featuring downbeat guitar and grandiloquent horns and bells.

Sun Incisions is a wonderful album that will reveal more and more upon every listen. Lynch uses unique perspectives and unreliable narrators to create a bittersweet world of insecurities and foibles that seems sentimental, comical, twisted and relatable at the same time. – Radio Free Silverlake

with:
Modern Time Machines
Sara Melson
Butterfly Child

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 04.07.10: MILES KUROSKY (from Beulah) / PANCHO-SAN / SEXY JAIL @ echo

Miles Kurosky || Listen || Watch

Miles Kurosky’s old band Beulah, was always the one Elephant 6 act somewhat tethered to the earth-writing and delivering relatively straight forward love songs, even as its more mind-expanded peers sang dreamily of kings of carrot flowers and birds with candy-bar heads. The Desert of Shallow Effects is Kurosky’s first solo effort since dissolving Beulah five years ago, and, happily his singular gift for melody-rich pop hasn’t deserted him.

The result is an album brimming with stories of slightly off-kilter characters—such as the n’er-do-well protagonist of “Dead Language Blues,” whose mother calls him “all the time” to see if he’s still “failing … tempted each day by European ways, speed freaks and strays”—and driven by a classicist’s nose for hooks. – Paste Magazine

with:
Pancho-San
Sexy Jail

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

Wednesday 04.07.10: 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 04.08.10: WE ARE THE WORLD vs WE ARE THE WOLVES / SIR HEFFINGTON’S FINGERED @ echo

We Are The World || Watch || MP3

Yeah, it’s bold and a little silly calling yourself We Are The World when there’s that other “We Are The Word” in its various forms. The song and the phrase claim a cartoonish “It’s A Small World” unity + Manifest Destiny-esque spirit, but true, it’s also a culturally resonant title to give your Los Angeles electro dance band/troupe. To their credit, WATW’s intriguing enough visually (the Bruised Man Group?) and musically to own it. We showed you the video for Clay Stones‘ title track with its burnt forest, bodysuits, and the aggro nature worship these things inspired. You get to create your own visuals for “Fight Song,” the collection’s next single. – Stereogum

featuring:
Sir Heffington’s Fingered

with:
We are The Wolves || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 04.09.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND presents SPIRIT ANIMAL featuring GRAY KID / KOZMONAUT @ echo

Spirit Animal || Listen

The new band fronted by singer Steve Cooper (the Gray Kid) is heady confection of electro, funk and blue-eyed soul. Spirit Animal’s forthcoming album “The Cost of Living” was hatched in collaboration with Jordan Richardson and Jesse Ingalls (now bandmates of Ben Harper), Daniel De Blanke (Robotanists) and Computer Jay, among others. When Cooper sings “When we try / too hard to dance / We look like / ANTS!,” you will not be able to stand still, promise. – Buzz Bands

with:
Kozmonaut || Listen

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

9pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 04.09.10: DJ Paul V. Presents SPUNK @ echoplex

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far away (actually, the early 90′s in Silver Lake) -Queers ‘n queens ’n their cool straight friends descended upon the dance clubs, starving for eclectic and alternative sounds on the dance floor.
The scene and synergy was palpable, exciting, decadent, & fun!

>> WELL NOW, IT’S TIME TO RECLAIM THE DAMN NIGHTLIFE! <<

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

DJ PAUL V. (Dragstrip 66, Bootie LA) & DJ MATT CORNWALL
WILL SPIN THE BEST IN INDIE ALT ROCK ELECTRO BEATS!
Click the link for the SPUNK vibe:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=404640811881

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AT 12-MIDNIGHT :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

** WIN TICKETS TO THE SOLD-OUT CRYSTAL CASTLES SHOW! **
MONDAY, APRIL 12th @ THE ECHOPLEX!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

PLUS! AMAZEBALLS SHOW WITH THE RIDICIDONK – JESSICA & HUNTER!
Watch – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99tqMp07d3M

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

:: Special video premier by NADYA GINSBURG! ::
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nadya-Ginsburg/51649120764

:: Fierce airbrush body tattooing by MARKY MAKE UP! ::
http://www.facebook.com/MarkyMakeUp

:: Sexy bitchin’ photos by ROLLING BLACKOUTS! ::
http://www.facebook.com/RB.rollingblackouts

:: Your slutatious door-whore – GO-GO EDDIE HIBBS! ::

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

*** SPUNK WILL BE A LADY GAGA-FREE DANCE ZONE! ***

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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

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

Saturday 04.10.10: The Nervous Breakdown & Stories Books & Café present: Some Words and Music with ELLYN MAYBE / STEVE ABEE / RICH FERGUSON / JANET FITCH / 50 CENT HAIRCUT @ Echo

The Nervous Breakdown & Stories Books & Café present:

Some Words with:
ELLYN MAYBE
STEVE ABEE
RICH FERGUSON
JANET FITCH

Plus Music by:
50 CENT HAIRCUT

Hosted by:
Milo Martin and Lenora Zion

6pm / $5.00/ 18+

Saturday 04.10.10: Filter & KROQ Locals Only Present SAINT MOTEL / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / PITY PARTY / MISSISSIPPI MAN @ echoplex

Saint Motel || Listen || Watch

Filter Magazine, KROQ Locals Only, and The International Flying Saucer Bureau (or I.F.S.B.) present WE MAKE CONTACT with SAINT MOTEL at The Echoplex on Saturday April 10th.

Here’s some info about the origins of the first World Contact Day:

***The following is a true story***

In April 1953 an organization known as the “International Flying Saucer Bureau” gathered all its members urging them to participate in an experiment termed “World Contact Day” whereby, at a predetermined location, they would attempt to collectively send out a telepathic message to visitors from outer space. However, days before the 1953 World Contact Day, the head of the I.F.S.B. had a mysterious visit from some officials who scared him so badly he canceled the event and disappeared into the wilderness.

On April 10, 2010 the “International Flying Saucer Bureau” has decided to try another mass telepathic ceremony. Nobody knows exactly what happened with the 1st one but it is rumored that they were onto something – something that Saint Motel plans to discover.

So on April 10th join SAINT MOTEL and be part of history as we all …MAKE CONTACT!

with:
Voxhaul Broadcast
The Pity Party
Mississippi Man

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

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

Saturday 04.10.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.11.10: GRAND OLE ECHO Kickoff with I SEE HAWKS IN LA / WHEELHOUSE / MARS ARIZONA @ echo (day show)

I See Hawks in LA

“Southern California is a land of strange, dangerous and beautiful contrasts. A mountain lion prowls outside the tract home bedroom of a teenage girl while she talks, oblivious to its existence, on her cell phone. A rattlesnake slithers across an empty shopping mall parking lot on a hot summer night while the employees count up the days profit and turn out the lights. While paparazzi chase the latest talent free celebrity, a talented, literate bunch of soulful musicians create honest and wise roots music for the ages. I See Hawks are indeed one of California’s unique treasures.” – Dave Alvin

Wheelhouse

Wheelhouse is Brian Whelan calling in every favor in his back pocket. A solo debut ten years in the making, Whelan has combined LA’s rich Americana history with the younger, snottier indie-rock of the city’s present day. As a member of the Broken West, Whelan explored the new(ish) frontiers of the independent music world, and while backing up Mike Stinson, Randy Weeks and Tony Gilkyson learned the ancient art of honky-tonking. Whelan loves the rock ‘n’ roll of Buddy Holly the way most of us love our mothers – don’t miss the chance to catch him live and in person. Band features Broken West leader Ross Flournoy and former Everest members Rob Douglas and Derrek Brown.

Mars Arizona

No, you can’t get there from here. You can stare at the map all you want and you won’t find it. Mars Arizona has a population of two, and is best apprehended with the ears.High Desert is the fourth album from Mars Arizona, the name Nicole Storto and Paul Knowles use when they’re fashioning their brew of country, rock, and roll. As a matter of practice they’re joined by some talented helpers including drummers Billy Block (Frank Black) and Ken Coomer (Uncle Tupelo and Wilco), fiddler Ollie O’Shea (Hank Williams III) and lap steel guitarist Paul Laques (I See Hawks In L.A.), and a host of others.

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 04.11.10: NINE INCH NAILS SCREENING- ANOTHER VERSION OF THE TRUTH @ echoplex

‘Another Version Of The Truth’ brings Nine Inch Nails’ supporters and those on the inside together like never before. – Sphere Magazine.

Another Version of the Truth is a not for profit fan-produced, publicised, and distributed, 3 disc live DVD documenting the Nine Inch Nails Lights in the Sky Tour, which took place across the Americas in 2008. The release has been critically acclaimed, as a project with “no creative limitations” (Antiquiet) that is exemplary of “why those who embrace what technology allows will do just fine moving forward” (Techdirt). It has also gained praise from Trent Reznor, who was “blown away” by the release. The community effort has continued since release, with free screenings taking place across the world – from Moscow to Melbourne, San Francisco to Glasgow. To date, thousands of dollars have been raised for the DEC Haiti fund, the Red Cross, and Hope for Hearts, among other charities.

The Los Angeles screening, taking place at the Echoplex on April 11 2010, will continue this trend. A fundraiser will be held at the event at the event in aid of the Eric De La Cruz foundation, which Nine Inch Nails supported during their 2009 tour. The Hope for Hearts cause is especially pertinent in light of current political events in the USA.

Premium VIP packages (including a commemorative poster, T-shirt, and free copy of the DVD) have already sold out, but early access tickets are still available. There will also be a raffle of NIN merchandise, with all proceeds going to the Hope for Hearts foundation.

The event is also set to include a number of free gifts, DJ sets, and surprises for those who attend.

VIP packages
We are offering 200 of 800 possible tickets to the screening as part of VIP packages. These are two-tiered and guarantee your entrance to the event (if you show up before it reaches capacity). If you do not wish to buy a ticket in advance, we cannot guarantee your entry. Over 600 people have expressed interest in attendance – without it being advertised from KROQ/local LA event lists yet – and we’re capping the event at 800. Here are the packages we are offering:

1) $20 – VIP Access (130 tickets available):
- You will enter the venue first/bypass any lines to get into the screening until the venue reaches capacity (so don’t turn up late!).
- You will be invited to an after party, which may include extra screenings, and other goodies TBA

2) $50 – VIP Premium (50 tickets available):
You will get everything included with Priority Entry AND:
- a screenings poster
- an limited edition screenings t-shirt (brand: American Apparel)
- a copy of the 3 DVD set straight from our in-house distribution team (which you will either receive in the mail or at the screening)
- more goodies TBC

to purchase a VIP package Visit:

(maximum two tickets per session)

Please remember to bring Photo ID so we can issue you with a VIP and/or 21+ wristband

Don’t want to buy a VIP pass but still want to help the charity? We’re also arranging a raffle of DVDs, CDs, vinyl, posters, flyers, and anything else we can get our hands on! (All NIN-related of course). Raffle tickets can be purchased as you enter the venue, and we’ll have a table set up at the back during the show.

Can only spare a few cents? We’ll also have a jar at the bar for micro-donations

We’re also looking into planning some exciting freebies and surprises for you…but you won’t find out about those until you show up!

Also stay tuned to KROQ for your chance to win AVOTT-related goodies and a handful of special passes to the event!

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

7pm / FREE – $50 / All Ages

Sunday 04.11.10: PART TIME PUNKS – SMITHS NITE with guest DJ JOSE MALDONADO (Sweet & Tender Hooligans) @ echo

Guest DJ:
Jose Maldonado (from The Sweet And Tender Hooligans)

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 04.12.10: Monday Night Residency – WALKING SLEEP / UNION LINE / GOLDENBOY / BIG WHUP @ echo

Walking Sleep (Formerly The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra) || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Web in Front favorites the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra have trimmed down their name, while doing nothing to scale back the Lee and Nancy-meets-Scott Walker pristine indie pop for which they are known–the band is now Walking Sleep, and their sound thankfully remains the same. Further, their upcoming debut, Measures, is stunning, and you can hear a few tracks here. – Web In Front

Six-member indie rock outfit Walking Sleep, from LA, are set to release their debut full-length album, Measures, on May 25. I hadn’t heard a thing about them until we received an email with an accompanying mp3 today, and well, I lapped it up. The song, “Final Chapter”, shows tremendous promise for the album as a whole, mixing precious guy girl vocals with hand claps and an upbeat guitar driven background alongside subtle hints of psychedelia. (The female vocalist is Sara Radle, formerly of The Rentals.) The album was produced by Aaron Espinoza, who has previously worked with a KR favorite, Earlimart, among others. – Knox Road

with:
Union Line || Listen
Goldenboy
Big Whup || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 04.12.10: CRYSTAL CASTLES / HEALTH / DJ PAUL V. @ echoplex

Crystal Castles || Watch

Crystal Castles played a typically raucous show at the Leeds Festival this afternoon (August 29), with singer Alice Glass leaping into the crowd and spending much of the set propped up by audience members as she sang.

The electronic duo – with Ethan Kath on keyboards and effects and a live drummer – were playing on the NME/Radio 1 Stage on the second day of the event.

It wasn’t long into the set before black-clad Glass began her high-octane stage antics, mounting the drum kit to sing during ‘Courtship Dating’.

Then, during ‘Reckless’, she leapt into the front row, still singing as fans and security guards held her aloft.

She eventually clambered back onto the stage, grabbing a strobe lamp during ‘Crimewave’ and spitting into the photo pit.

She later returned to the front row, where she spent most of the final 20 minutes of the set.

The band ended their set with ‘Intimate’, Glass curling up onstage to rest, before leaving the arena clasping a bottle of whisky to huge cheers. – NME

with:
Health || Listen
DJ Paul V.

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

9pm / $20 advance, $23 day of show / 18+

Tuesday 04.13.10: SMOG SESSIONS with RSD / KELLY DEAN / DJ UNIT / RICKY DEF / KEMST @ echo

RSD Punch Drunk, Tectonic, Black Box – Bristol UK
(aka Rob Smith / Smith & Mighty)
RSD, perhaps better known as Bristol bass and drum music stalwart Rob Smith (one half of respected production duo Smith and Mighty), has been pushing bass heavy rhythms for more than two decades.

Under the moniker RSD, Rob Smith produces fresh, innovative bass music that simultaneously pays dues to his deep soundsystem roots while pushing things ever forward. He remains firmly at the forefront of Bristol’s endlessly inventive music scene. With a staggering discography and a range of projects encompassing dub, drum and bass, 2-step and dubstep, Rob Smith has has his finger squarely on the bass-pulse. From his musical beginnings playing guitar in local roots reggae band Restriction, Rob’s music has always had a strong dub aesthetic.

Forming the, now legendary, production duo Smith and Mighty with collaborator Ray Mighty in 1987, the pair’s early releases on the Three Stripe label were influential in laying the groundwork for both the trip hop and jungle scenes for which Bristol would become renowned. A period of chart success and major label involvement in the early nineties was followed by a return to their underground roots for Smith and Mighty. During this time they worked with Peter D. Rose to release groundbreaking music on their More Rockers imprint.

Rob Smith also went on to collaborate with local roots reggae producers Henry & Louis. This fruitful relationship culminated in 2001 with the release of the fantastic, yet criminally overlooked ‘Time Will Tell’ LP. Smith and Mighty’s addictive 2002 jump-up vocal cut “B-line fi blow” featuring Niji 40 may still be firmly lodged in many listeners’ brains.

Rob Smith has found a new home in 2009, as RSD, comfortably adapting to the rolling, sub- heavy rhythms of dubstep. With releases on respected labels including Punch Drunk, Earwax and Tectonic, RSD’s sound is typified by impossibly heavy soundsystem-testing sub-lines and junglist dub breaks. The irresistible energy of tunes such as 2007′s infectious breaky roller “Pretty Bright Lights”, 2008′s bubbling summer-vibed “Speakerbox” and the speaker destroying dread-fuelled stepper “Jahway” has rapidly cemented them as anthems.

with:
KELLY DEAN
DJ UNIT
RICKY DEF
KEMST

FMI: smogla.com

10pm / $5 before 11pm, $10 after / 21+

Wednesday 04.14.10: THE RUBY SUNS / TORO Y MOI / PEPPER RABBIT @ echo

The Ruby Suns || Listen || Watch || MP3

On March 2, sunny New Zealand psych-pop outfit the Ruby Suns will release Fight Softly, the follow-up to the BNM’ed 2008 LP Sea Lion, on Sub Pop. (It’s out March 8 in the UK on Memphis Industries.) That’s the space-bar-averse cover art above.

Talking to Pitchfork back in October, frontman Ryan McPhun described Fight Softly as “probably the opposite” of Sea Lion: “I used a lot more synths. And there’s a shitload of effected guitar on it. But I didn’t use a lot of live drums. Going into it, I wanted to use organic sounds but I didn’t want them to sound organic, which is the opposite of what a lot of people do. It’s safe to say the new stuff is more bass-y.”

Right now, we’re getting our first taste of how the more bass-y Ruby Suns sound. Click below to stream or download “Cranberry” from Fight Softly. (UPDATE: The album version has been replaced with the radio edit.)

Shortly after the album hits, the Ruby Suns will tour North America, bringing glo-fi youngster Toro Y Moi along for the ride. – Pitchfork

with:
Toro Y Moi || Listen
Pepper Rabbit

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

Wednesday 04.14.10: DUB CLUB presents MAD PROFESSOR @ echoplex

Mad Professor

The name Mad Professor was first given to Neil Fraser by friends at school, who were amazed by the experiments he carried out as a youth. Having built a radio and telephone system at the age of 10 years, it was no surprise that his interest and subsequent career in electronics along with a love of Motown, Philadelphia International, Treasure Isle and music of all types propelled him onward. In the early Eighties, having built his own mixing desk, he launched the Ariwa Studio/ label . Early works include sessions with Ruts DC, Mikey Dread, Johnny Clarke and many more international artists. DUB ME CRAZY, the first in a 12 part series of albums, was to become his beacon for the label. With an episode being issued every year, the titles all told a different story. Beyond the Realms of dub – Dub me crazy Pt2, The African Connection – Dub me crazy Pt3, and Dub me crazy Pt 7 – Adventures of a dub sampler. The distinct variation and surprising sound effects were unique for this time. Dub, and the cool sound and clarity of his mixing encouraging many artists to the growing label. By the mid Nineties, Mad Professor’s profile increased to legendary status after remixing Massive Attack’s second album, Protection. By 1998 the Ariwa record catalogue contained over 155 titles including over 30 dub albums from Mad Professor, 3 albums from U-Roy including the classic True Born African, 7 albums from the Upsetter, Lee Scratch Perry and many classic Lovers Rock albums.Fresh demand for the live dub show has taken the Ariwa Sound to many far flung places. In 2003 Mad Professor was invited to play at the Greenpeace festival in Manáus, Brazil. Since then, Mad Professor has become an annual visitor to South America, Playing also Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela, Australia, New Zealand, Estonia, Portugal. In 2005 the dub show played Seoul in Korea, driving several hundreds of fans crazy to the warbler sounds. Bangkok in Thailand in 2006 and Goa in India in 2007, courtesy of the Big Chill. the Mad Traveller also played Dakar, courtesy of the Senegalese govt. Mad Professor is also involved in the Back to Africa festival, an annual celebration in the Gambia, committed to the positive movement of descendants of Africans, back to Africa.

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 / $10 / 21+

Thursday 04.15.10: WE ARE THE WORLD / SIR HEFFINGTON’S FINGERED / BODY LANGUAGE @ echo

We Are The World || Watch || MP3

Yeah, it’s bold and a little silly calling yourself We Are The World when there’s that other “We Are The Word” in its various forms. The song and the phrase claim a cartoonish “It’s A Small World” unity + Manifest Destiny-esque spirit, but true, it’s also a culturally resonant title to give your Los Angeles electro dance band/troupe. To their credit, WATW’s intriguing enough visually (the Bruised Man Group?) and musically to own it. We showed you the video for Clay Stones‘ title track with its burnt forest, bodysuits, and the aggro nature worship these things inspired. You get to create your own visuals for “Fight Song,” the collection’s next single. – Stereogum

featuring:
Sir Heffington’s Fingered
Body Language

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Thursday 04.15.10: DOWN AND DERBY ROLLER DISCO with YELLE (DJ set) @ echoplex

Super excited about this months Down & Derby Roller disco. Its packed full of special guests and as always SKATING*DRINKING*DANCING.

FIRST up we have DJ Nugget in town from Pittsburgh PA. Nugget is a 4yr OG of Down & Derby. He played the first ever D&D and will bring nothing but 8th grade dance jams sprinkled in with dancefloor makeout hits.

Also in town to provide nothing but dancefloor bangers and backward skate jams is our Resident Vegas Down & Derby skate guard, Dj Shred. Shred had played all of our Vegas productions and lately has been commanding over 1,000 skaters in Rain nightclub @ The Palms Resort & Casino.

And I saved the best for last! One of my favorite imported artists, YELLE. This firery little singer songwriter hails from France, sings in French but is universal in the language of bodyrocking! YELLE will be blessing us with a very special dj set fitting for our roller disco!

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

Buy tickets at:

RSVP at www.downandderby.org

9pm / $10 with RSVP / 18+

Friday 04.16.10: MAU MAUS / LEGAL WEAPON / STAINS / SYMBOL SIX @ Echoplex

Mau Maus || Listen || Watch

Everybody knows the Mau Maus. Whether it’s some story of a chaotic back-alley Hollywood show, or dark tales of crimes real or imagined, the Los Angeles punk scene wouldn’t have been the same without Rick Wilder and the nefarious group. Reveled and reviled, taking the raw energy of Iggy and the Stooges and infusing an unhealthy dose of James Brown jive, the Mau Maus sprang upon the emerging Hollywood scene in 1978. After tearing through the Masque and one-time pimp-hang the King’s Palace (as well as tearing through some member changes), the line up of Rick Wilder, Michael Livingston, Scott Franklin and Paul Mars shanghaied the Hong Kong Café, pounded down the Whiskey and uprooted the Mabuhay Gardens. They then proceeded to record the incendiary Robby Krieger-produced Mad Dog sessions, the little-heard, after-hour Paramount tapes and two songs for Hell Comes To Your House Vol. 2. A scene-stealing performance in the OJ Simpson detective movie “Cocaine and Blue Eyes” accented this “Joyride to the End of the World”…

Wilder moved to New York City, Franklin joined the Cramps, Mars toured the world as a front man and Livingston formed… the Livingstons. But now the quartet has reformed to finish off the few survivors left from those fiery days, as well as those brave enough to withstand the flames. Expect a cd of old and new recordings, and some more of those infamous performances (whatever you do, don’t call the cops). Love ‘em or hate ‘em…they wouldn’t have it any other way.

with:
Legal Weapon
Stains
Symbol Six

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

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

Friday 04.16.10: ECHO & CLUB UNDERGROUND present MICACHU (DJ Set) / 22-20s @ echo

Micachu || Listen

Micachu is the moniker of major new talent, 21 year old songwriter and producer Mica Levi.

Despite her relative youth, Mica arrives as something of a Midas touched, Renaissance artist: equally at home writing and producing stunning, experimental pop with the likes of Matthew Herbert, as MCing with friends in various grime collectives and balancing this with her day time tutorage at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she’s studying composition.

Perhaps the real beauty of Mica’s talent is despite her prodigious musical ability she without fail keeps things rough around the edges: no polished beats when bit fat dirty ones will do, obvious choruses eschewed for intricate yet subtle melodies that grow and grow…

with:
22-20s

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

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

Saturday 04.17.10: JJ / DELOREAN / BACHELORETTE @ echoplex

jj || Watch || MP3

Where did jj come from? The Swedish duo, unknown and perhaps nonexistent until recently, put out two albums in the past eight months; both are very good and very cryptic. jj n° 2, last year’s concise (and counterintuitively titled) debut, offered poppy Balearic beats, guitars and keyboards that shimmered, and smoky female vocals, all finessed with R&B flourishes. The songs sounded familiar—long-forgotten MTV jams, maybe—but the whole enterprise came off as elusive, a bit like the singers’ hard-to-place accents. What were listeners to make of a dubbed-out version of Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop”? What about that giant pot leaf on the album cover?

On the whole, jj n° 3 is more straightforward, more welcoming. The band still adores spacey pastiche: The opener, “My Life,” commences with a bluesy, solo piano rendition of The Game’s “My Life,” which morphs abruptly into the foam-party chestnut “Around The World.” But rather than piling on congas, woodblocks, and knowing winks, jj n° 3 is restrained, sometimes favoring just cymbal and snare. The best songs, like the standout “Voi Parlate, Lo Gioco,” play in contrasts, summoning synthetic swells that teeter toward cheesy but end up transcendent. They could’ve fallen out of a high-school locker in a John Hughes movie. They’re the best Lou Pearlman demos you’ve never heard. – The AV Club

with:
Delorean
Bachelorette

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

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

Saturday 04.17.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.18.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with TONY GILKYSON / DIME BOX BAND / CASEY NEILL AND THE NORWAY RATS @ echo

Tony Gilkyson || Listen
Dime Box Band || Listen
Casey Neill & The Norway Rats || Listen

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 04.18.10: PART TIME PUNKS with LOVE IS ALL / WEAVE! / LOVE GRENADES @ echo

Love Is All || Listen || Watch

The jittery, hooky Swedish postpunk crew Love Is All are back. The band has moved from longtime home What’s Your Rupture? to new label Polyvinyl. And on March 23, they’ll release their third album, the topically titled Two Thousand and Ten Injuries.

Love Is All recorded the follow-up to 2008′s A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night at their Gothenburg studio last summer. The Aislers Set’s Wyatt Cusick and the band themselves serve as producers. That image above is the cover art, and you can hear the album track “Kungen” below.

As well as CD and download, the album will be available on 180-gram vinyl, in three different versions. There’s the classic black vinyl version, but you’ll also be able to cop it on white vinyl (limited to 500 copies) and yellow vinyl (limited to 500 in Europe). – Pitchfork

with:
Love Grenades
Weave!

10pm / $10 / 18+

Monday 04.19.10: Monday Night Residency – WALKING SLEEP / THE PARSON RED HEADS / FRANKLIN FOR SHORT / REPEATER @ echo

Walking Sleep (Formerly The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra) || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Web in Front favorites the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra have trimmed down their name, while doing nothing to scale back the Lee and Nancy-meets-Scott Walker pristine indie pop for which they are known–the band is now Walking Sleep, and their sound thankfully remains the same. Further, their upcoming debut, Measures, is stunning, and you can hear a few tracks here. – Web In Front

Six-member indie rock outfit Walking Sleep, from LA, are set to release their debut full-length album, Measures, on May 25. I hadn’t heard a thing about them until we received an email with an accompanying mp3 today, and well, I lapped it up. The song, “Final Chapter”, shows tremendous promise for the album as a whole, mixing precious guy girl vocals with hand claps and an upbeat guitar driven background alongside subtle hints of psychedelia. (The female vocalist is Sara Radle, formerly of The Rentals.) The album was produced by Aaron Espinoza, who has previously worked with a KR favorite, Earlimart, among others. – Knox Road

with:
The Parson Red Heads || Listen
Franklin for Short || Listen
Repeater || Listen

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 04.20.10: FYF Fest Presents EARTH / WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM / LORI GOLDSTEN @ echoplex

Earth || Listen || Watch || MP3

Earth, the older of the two, has refined itself over almost 20 years. Formed by Dylan Carlson, still its leader, it once favored aggression and chord changes that felt like rock, even at a ritual crawl and without singing. But recently its music sounds more like a film background, with a scent of Miles Davis’s “In a Silent Way.” On Tuesday Mr. Carlson played a Fender Stratocaster with a clean tone; Adrienne Davies played drums, applying each slow beat carefully; Don McGreevy’s bass notes, reverberating in the hall, massaged the soles of your feet; and Steve Moore warmed up the chords with electric piano. Earth doesn’t really do peaks and valleys; it makes its case without a fuss and leaves you wanting more. – NY Times

with:
Wolves in the Throne Room || Listen
Lori Goldsten

@ the Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

8PM / $10 advance, $12 day of show / All Ages

Tuesday 04.20.10: BEAR HANDS / HOLLOYS / RANDOM PATTERNS @ echo

Bear Hands || Listen || Watch

When the four piece came on stage there was a bit of anticipation in the crowd. I took a peek at the setlist which started with “Slow.”A fitting title because the song indeed achieved its namesake. It was a little something to set the mood, something to prepare the masses (which was mostly filled with punkers for the next group) and something to get the crowd moving – to get the crowd moving in a slow sultry way, the only way to move with the swaying synths.

Everything about Bear Hands just screamed sexy. “Get a Grip” highlighted funky vocals displayed by Dylan Rau to the drug-like wails of Ted Feldman which created a dreamy daze. Not everyone was into the sexiness and some mumbling about them being too mellow for those naysayers. “Can’t Stick Em” brought the house down. It may have started out with faint guitars but it turned into a kick drum tyraid complete with over-driven bass. Rau went from singing to shouting “Go Home” at the top of his lungs.

Perhaps those initial naysayers should have just gone home but they all obviously wanted more once the set ended. A band that successfully takes you in and out of lush haze with vivid shoegaze mixed in is the perfect mix for any indie dance party. – BeatCrave

with:
Holloys || Listen
Random Patterns || Listen

8:30pm / $8 / 18+

Wednesday 04.21.10: When You Awake Presents MEGAFAUN / BREATHE OWL BREATHE / HI HO SILVER OH @ echo

Megafaun || Listen || Watch

“Plant that flag on solid ground,” advise the members of Megafaun on their second album, Gather, Form & Fly. The trio– comprised of brothers Brad and Phil Cook and Joe Westerlund– sing that admonition repeatedly, in boisterous unison, yet they have no intention of taking such advice, at least not musically. In fact, since the disbanding of their previous band DeYarmond Edison (with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon), they have celebrated the joys of shaky foundations, creating ingeniously ramshackle folk rock that combines acoustic instruments and mountain harmonies with obtuse sound collages, meandering song structures, and abstract passages featuring the most psychedelic banjo imaginable. As if to illustrate this point, they’ve even designed the album cover so that it works either as a square or as a diamond, the subtle shift of landscape revealing new ambiguities.

“Solid Ground” kicks off with a dirty guitar riff and a walking bass line, unfolding as a formally repetitive blues. This type of structure– the same line three times, followed by a new fourth line– is perhaps the most solid ground in rock, yet Megafaun make it slippery by adding a squealing solo whose feedback emanates not from a guitar, but from a closely mic’ed blues harmonica. Near the end, the casual midtempo groove threatens to fall apart as the instruments break stride, but Megafaun manage to keep it together. Averse to predictability and sentimentality, the band is restless with established forms, yet instead of subverting blues and folk traditions, they upend them. Their ends are deconstructive, not destructive. – Pitchfork

with:
Breathe Owl Breathe || Listen
Hi Ho Silver Oh || Listen

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

Wednesday 04.21.10: DUB CLUB presents MICHAEL ROSE backed by DUBTONIC KRU / ELJAI @ echoplex

Michael Rose

Michael Rose started his recording career as a solo artist for record producers Yabby You and Niney the Observer. He joined Black Uhuru in 1977 after the departure of Don Carlos and Garth Dennis. He led them to international success in the early 1980s, with hits like “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”.

They won the first-ever Grammy Award for reggae in 1985 for the album Anthem, with the hallmark voice of Rose in the forefront.
After the release of Anthem, Rose left Black Uhuru and retired to the Blue Mountains in Jamaica to start a coffee farm. He returned to record a new string of Sly and Robbie produced singles.

Since then he has continued to record and tour , performing recently at the Hollywood Bowl. He is one the few roots singers who can still claim to rule the dancehall in Jamaica. In 2007 he recorded the number 1 Jamaican single “Shoot Out” for producer John John. This will be a big night at Dub Club!

backed by
Dubtonic Kru
Dubtonic Kru are one of the top studio and backing bands out of Jamaica

Opening the show will be the powerfully voiced LA based Belizean reggae artist
Eljai

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

9pm / $10 advance, $15 at the door / 21+

Thursday 04.22.10: Echo & FYF present JAPANDROIDS / NOBUNNY / ALL LEATHER @ echoplex

click to purchase poster

Japandroids || Listen || MP3

what makes Post-Nothing such a thrill is the manner in which Japandroids hold absolutely nothing back. As contagious as any of the lyrics, melodies, riffs, or drum fills are, their energy and lack of self-consciousness is every bit as equally lovable. Opening mission statement “The Boys Are Leaving Town” could be seen as a goof on Thin Lizzy, but the response, “Will we find our way back home?”, is delivered with such conviction that between those two lines, “Boys” displays a palpable desperation. Six tracks later, the question is still unresolved– amidst the cyclical thrum of “Sovereignty”, they observe: “It’s raining, OH-OH! in Vancouver/ But I don’t give a fuck/ ‘Cause I’m far from home tonight.”

Where it all comes together best is “Young Hearts Spark Fire”. Almost a flipside to LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends”, it’s thematically similar, trading wistful reminiscence for drunken defiance and pulsing electro for chaotic garage rock. The five minutes go by in a blur, and amidst the guitar heroics and cymbal-bashing, King lets his guard down on Post-Nothing’s key line– “We used to dream/ Now we worry about dying/ I don’t want to worry about dying.” It would be so easy to view this sort of musical and lyrical directness with suspicion, but “Young Hearts” is life-affirming stuff– if only it affirms that, even in these times, life doesn’t need to be as complicated as we tend to make it. – Pitchfork

with:
No Bunny
All Leather

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

8pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / all ages

Thursday 04.22.10: WE BARBARIANS / CORREATOWN / ALL WRONG AND THE PLANS CHANGE / THE COOLING TIME @ echo

We Barbarians || Listen || Watch

So, there’s this We Barbarians album called There’s This There’s That and it has some things I should probably tell you about. For example, in order to review it properly I would have to tell you of all of the comparisons that come to mind while listening to the album, or at least that I’ve gathered from the six times I perused it. Some of the songs remind me a tiny bit of their Long Beach neighbors Cold War Kids while other songs portray elements of War-era U2, with anthemic drum beats and precise, cutting distortion. Other songs make me think echoey, orchestral pop, which can be found on “Trickle Down”. “War Clouds” is a pertinent song asking poignant questions about war and the state of the turbulent world around us… but I’m not going to tell you all of that because I mostly just want to say that it is a really great album and that you should listen to it, and re-listen to it again and again. – IndieRockReviews

with:
Correatown || Listen
All Wrong and The Plans Change
The Cooling Time

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Friday 04.23.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND and Filter present EVERYBODY WAS IN THE FRENCH RESISTANCE… NOW / EZRA FURMAN AND THE HARPOONS @ echo

Everybody Was In The French Resistance…Now

If you don’t know the gimmick yet, Everybody Was In The French Resistance… Now is all about rewriting the biggest mistakes in pop history. Whether it’s telling Avril Lavigne to back off or correcting the likes of Bob Dylan on “Think Twice (It’s Not Alright)”, they’ve corrected some grave injustices in the popular musical landscape. But if you’re still not sure what’s going on, you can get a first-hand look when the band, lead by Art Brut’s Eddie Argos and The Blood Arm’s Dyan Valdes, tour the U.S. and Canada this April and May.

The tour kicks off April 23rd in Los Angeles, CA and darts all across the U.S. and into Toronto and Montreal before wrapping up on May 26th in Phoenix, AZ. In an interview with NME recently, Argos said he was excited to get out on the road, especially to get ahead of work on his day job band.

“I’m really looking forward to the tour,” Argos said. “Unfortunately Dave Newton, who played the European tour and SXSW shows, can’t make it. We have Ian Catskilkin from Art Brut instead, which will be useful for writing the next Art Brut album.” – Consequence of Sound

with:
Ezra Furman and The Harpoons || Listen

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $8 / 18+

Saturday 04.24.10: DANCEISM @ echoplex

FELLI FEL [POWER 106]
ROBOT LOVE [DANCEiSM]
PAUL DEVRO [MAD DECENT]
CAROLINE D’AMORE
TEAM EZY

Featuring
Body Paint
Live Kinetic Lighting by DANCEiSM
Artifact01 (v.4)
Photobooth by YoungANDSleek
Roaming by Caesar Sebastian
More Surprises…

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

Buses from USC + LMU.

RSVP @ http://DANCEiSM.COM

9pm / $15 with RSVP, $20 without RSVP / 18+

Saturday 04.24.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 04.25.10: ALL IN ’10 – Poker Tournament to benefit The Bridge Program @ echoplex

All-In ’10

Dozens of poker players competing for the All-In ’10 Championship and great prizes.
Be part of the action!

What is All-In ’10?
It’s a Charity Poker Tournament for the Bridge Program. Great prizes for all the top winners. Loads of action and surprises!

How does All-In ’10 work?
It’s simple. It’s like a walk-a-thon.
Register to play for only $25.
Then raise your buy-in.
Ask friends and family members to chip in and sponsor you.
Invite them down to the ECHOPLEX to watch you play.
The minimum buy-in is only $200.
Raise more and you can buy-in at a higher level and reap the rewards!

What kinds of prizes?
New prizes are coming in all the time, so check back here for updates. Visit our full list of prizes to see a complete list and details.

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

Register at: The Bridge Program

12pm / $25 to register, $200 to buy in / 21+

Sunday 04.25.10: KiDROCKERS with WARPAINT / HIS ORCHESTRA @ echo

Warpaint
His Orchestra

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 04.25.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with WIREPONY / THE 1921A @ echo

Wirepony || Listen
The 1921A

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 04.25.10: PART TIME PUNKS with BLANK DOGS / COSMETICS @ echo

Blank Dogs || Listen
Cosmetics

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Monday 04.26.10: Monday Night Residency – WALKING SLEEP / RADAR BROS / OBI BEST @ echo

Walking Sleep (Formerly The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra) || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Web in Front favorites the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra have trimmed down their name, while doing nothing to scale back the Lee and Nancy-meets-Scott Walker pristine indie pop for which they are known–the band is now Walking Sleep, and their sound thankfully remains the same. Further, their upcoming debut, Measures, is stunning, and you can hear a few tracks here. – Web In Front

Six-member indie rock outfit Walking Sleep, from LA, are set to release their debut full-length album, Measures, on May 25. I hadn’t heard a thing about them until we received an email with an accompanying mp3 today, and well, I lapped it up. The song, “Final Chapter”, shows tremendous promise for the album as a whole, mixing precious guy girl vocals with hand claps and an upbeat guitar driven background alongside subtle hints of psychedelia. (The female vocalist is Sara Radle, formerly of The Rentals.) The album was produced by Aaron Espinoza, who has previously worked with a KR favorite, Earlimart, among others. – Knox Road

with:
Radar Bros || Listen
Obi Best

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 04.27.10: JULIETTE LEWIS / TAHITI BOY AND PALMTREE FAMILY / 22-20S @ echo

Juliette Lewis || Watch

An air of bemusement seems to follow Hollywood film stars when they embark on a musical career; partially because we’re all wondering why they’d want to, but mainly because most of the output is pretty damn awful.

Fortunately this doesn’t apply to Juliette Lewis who, after five years, two full length albums and numerous tours and festivals, is still going strong. She’s dispensed with the services of previous band The Licks and got a new group together to produce a sound that’s certainly more arty and definitely more adventurous on Terra Incognita.

Hard Lovin’ Woman is a blues piece with a very strong whiff of Janis Joplin to it and the rest of the album drops hints of Patti Smith, Courtney Love and Kim Carnes. Which is fortunate, as all of these suit Lewis’ trademark sultry rasping vocals which did so well in Hot Kiss. – MusicOMH

with:
Tahiti Boy & The Palm Tree Family
22-20s

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Wednesday 04.28.10: Rock For Renters’ Rights with MAYAZTEK / LA FOG / CHANGO / CHICANO BATMAN / ALLAN IDES WITH DJ PHATRICK @ echo

featuring:
Mayaztek
LA Fog
Chango
Chicano Batman
Allan Ides with DJ Phatrick

100% of the proceeds go towards keeping Eviction Defense Network

To Purchase tickets, or for more information, please call 213.385.8112 or email info@evictiondefensenetwork.org

7:30pm / $15 / 18+

Wednesday 04.28.10: 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 04.29.10: ELLE O ELLE 4 @ echoplex

BUST Magazine and Comedy is the New Black present

Elle O Elle 4:The Funniest Females in Los Angeles

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

7:30PM / $10 / All Ages

Thursday 04.29.10: LA Record & KROQ Locals Only present LEMON SUN / LEOPOLD AND HIS FICTION / RED ARROW MESSENGER @ echo

Lemon Sun || Watch || MP3

“As hard-charging brilliant as anything I’ve heard in that venue in the last decade-plus.” Ron Garmon – LA RECORD

“The LA-based outfit is gracious enough to take their listeners with them on this David Bowie-esque journey. Packed with hard driving drumbeats and accompanied with Rob’s strong voice the listener is then rocketed into the abyss of their own imaginations. Not to mention the heavy guitar riffs that seems to resonate and awaken anyone’s soul.” DELI MAGAZINE

with:
Leopold and his Fiction || Listen
Red Arrow Messenger

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 04.30.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND with NITE JEWEL / SUGAR & GOLD / LUXXURY @ echo

Nite Jewel || Listen || Watch || MP3

When the news came last week that Nite Jewel was releasing a 7-inch through Stones Thr–err, “1984 Records,” it seemed surprising that a historically hip-hop (+ funk/soul) label would drop a waxy gem from one of this city’s leading ladies of lo-fi. But upon further inspection, it makes perfect sense: Ramona Gonzales’ synth-heavy tracks are stoney, catchy, rhythmic and full of funk — thrift store funk, at least. Both of these tracks appeared on her excellent and out-of-print Good Evening LP, but they’re given new warbly, warmth on this release. “Weak For Me” sports a strange brand of ’80s pop refracted through a dingy lens and colored with the beat-oriented eccentricities of Gary Wilson. Gonzales’ high keen lords over reverberating drum rolls here, while “Suburbia” finds her spacing out over a subdued but driving soundscape. Neither was meant for the crispness of digital audio. Download the MP3 below, but do your turntable a favor and pick up the 45. – LA Weekly

with:
Sugar and Gold
Luxxury

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

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

Friday 04.30.10: Performer Magazine presents HEARTLESS BASTARDS / HACIENDA / AMY COOK @ echoplex

Heartless Bastards || Listen || Watch

Erika Wennerstrom’s enormous voice typically dominates discussion of this Ohio trio, and for good reason. Hers is a mighty blues holler, projecting self-conflict not just to the rafters, but to the rafters in other states. As distinctive as Wennerstrom sounds, however, her confident guitar work and the tight rhythm section of Mike Lamping and Kevin Vaughn do just as much to color these songs. On their third album, the Bastards stray further and further from the monolithic blues-rock of their 2005 debut while sharpening the soft focus of 2006′s All This Time. The guitar-heavy title track certainly lives up to its name, sloping steeply to a psychedelic peak. “Nothing Seems the Same” and closing track “Sway” jam more sparsely, but The Mountain sounds best when the Bastards explore unlikelier textures, like the sinister acoustic jangle of “Be So Happy” or the banjo-spiked ramble of “Had To Go.” This album isn’t merely a single peak, but a whole mountain range. – Paste Magazine

with:
Hacienda || Listen
Amy Cook || Listen

8:30pm / $14 advance, $16 day of show / 18+