Wednesday 07.07.10: JULIA NUNES @ echo

Julia Nunes || Listen || Watch (8:00pm set time)

Julia Nunes is from New York State, a songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. “She has a voice like no other…” Her talent is just now reaching to the public from websites like YouTube.com and Myspace.com. Her first CD “Left Right Wrong” is available all over the world and on iTunes. All the songs are originals.

Julia’s song, “Into the Sunshine” was featured on YouTube.com. The video has over a million views. Even before she was featured on YouTube, Julia won the Bushman World Ukulele Contest, with her entry, “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child, on ukulele. Bushman is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of performance ukuleles.

7pm / $13 advance, $15 day of show / All Ages

Sunday 07.25.10: PART TIME PUNKS – SMITHS/MORRISSEY NITE @ echo

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 07.18.10: PART TIME PUNKS- FACTORY RECORDS NIGHT with DJ TIM BURGESS (of The Charlatans) @ echo

with guest DJ Tim Burgess [of THE CHARLATANS]

spinning JOY DIVISION, NEW ORDER, HAPPY MONDAYS

and the rest of Tony Wilson’s Factory Records, 1978-92

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 07.11.10: PART TIME PUNKS with Hugh Cornwell (front man from THE STRANGLERS) & Clem Burke (BLONDIE) & Steve Fishman (THE CONTORTIONS) / FULL FRONTAL / MANICORN @ echo

HUGH – CLEM – FISH
Post-Punk supergroup featuring Hugh Cornwell (frontman for THE STRANGLERS),
Clem Burke (BLONDIE) & Steve Fishman (CONTORTIONS)

plus
Full Frontal
Manicorn

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Sunday 06.20.10: PART TIME PUNKS with WARLOCKS / THE MEEK / GREEN EYES [ex-Midnight Movies & Hole] @ echo

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $10 / 18+

Sunday 06.13.10: PART TIME PUNKS eith THE ICARUS LINE + ACOCALIPS [aka Vice Cooler/XRXBX] + Guest DJ ROY CORDUROY @ echo

THE ICARUS LINE
ACOCALIPS [aka Vice Cooler/XRXBX]
Guest DJ ROY CORDUROY

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 06.27.10: PART TIME PUNKS with FUXA + LSD & THE SEARCH FOR GOD + SUKI EWERS @ echo

FUXA
LSD & THE SEARCH FOR GOD
SUKI EWERS

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Friday 06.04.10: FIRST FRIDAYS with PEANUT BUTTER WOLF / NEON INDIAN / THEM JEANS / CLASSIXX @ Natural History Museum

Performances in the diorama hall with Peanut Butter Wolf and Neon Indian
Since founding Stones Throw Records in 1996, San Jose-native Chris Manak (aka Peanut Butter Wolf) has found recognition as a producer with a willness to experiment and the confidence to provide Stones Throw’s artists with musical carte blanche. He has overseen the releases of Lootpack’s Soundpieces, Quasimoto’s The Unseen, Breakestra’s Live Mix, Yesterdays New Quintet’s Angles Without Edges, Madlib’s Shades of Blue, and Jaylib’s Champion Sound. In recent years PB Wolf has strayed from producing to perform as a DJ internationally.

Spin Magazine hailed Neon Indian as one of the best peformers of SXSW this year, describing the Texas-based group’s sound as ”rinky-dink synth pop that built a pastel pleasuredome out of squiggly synth lines, chintzy keyboard, brittle guitar, and a charmingly stiff beat.”

Resident DJ, Them Jeans (a.k.a. Jason Stewart) and special guest Classixx
With musical tastes spanning from hardcore punk to dancefloor-friendly hip-hop, post-rock to ambient electronic, Them Jeans never fails to deliver a set with the perfect mood for the gathering. Them Jeans is joined in the DJ lounge this month Classixx, a Los Angeles-based duo who recently performed at Coachella Music Festival.

@ 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

Sunday 06.06.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with Grant Langston & The Supermodels, Rich McCulley, John Meeks (CD release party) @ echoplex

Grant Langston & The Supermodels
Rich McCulley
John Meeks (CD release party)
50 Cent Haircut

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

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Wednesday 06.02.10: DUB CLUB presents IZZY / REBEL EMPIRE / TAZZ @ echoplex

This night will feature some of LAs best upcoming dancehall acts:
Izzy
Rebel Empire
Tazz

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

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

Monday 07.26.10: MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS / WHITE APPLE TREE / BARON VON LUXXURY @ echo

MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS || Listen || Watch

Following the 2007 release of their debut full-length Dystopia, Australian synth-rock trio Midnight Juggernauts are set to return with their sophomore release, The Crystal Axis. The follow-up record is said to follow a path previously untraveled by the band: one littered with elements of psychedelia, Italo, prog, Krautrock, and free-form jams all re-focused to fit a solid pop format. Siberia Records, the Juggernauts’ own label, will release The Crystal Axis May 28, with a European and US tour to follow soon after, but you can stream the whole album on the band’s MySpace page now. – XLR8R

with:
White Apple Tree
Baron Von Luxxury

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

Saturday 06.05.10: BOOTIE LA 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY with SMASH-UP DERBY / ADRIAN & MYSTERIOUS D / DJ PAUL V. / R.A.ID. @ echoplex

BOOTIE LA 5-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY
LA’s monthly mashup bootleg party

At 11 PM — From San Francisco, the world’s first live mashup rock band returns to LA:
SMASH-UP DERBY

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

Bootie LA’s resident dance crew:
R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance)

Photo Booth by:
DrunkRockers.com

Free 20-track Bootie LA Anniversary CDs for the first 300 people!

Mash up your look! Prizes for Best Mashup Outfit!

This month, Bootie celebrates five years of mashing it up, LA-style! Since launching at The Echo back in 2005, Bootie has grown quite a bit, becoming the epicenter for mashups in Southern California. To mark its 5-Year Anniversary, at 11 PM, Bootie is proud to present the return of Smash-Up Derby, the house band at Bootie SF, and the world’s first mashup rock band. Also performing the Midnight Mashup Show will be Bootie LA’s resident gold-suited dance crew R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance).

Bootie creators Adrian & Mysterious D finally return from their world tour, where they’ve spent the past two months doing Bootie parties in Europe, Asia, and Brazil. Resident DJ Paul V. will also join them on the decks. Mash up your look for a chance to win fabulous prizes for the “Best Mashup Outfit,” and get your picture taken at the DrunkRockers.com Photo Booth. There will also be special 20-track Bootie LA Anniversary CDs for the first 300 people, featuring tracks from every guest DJ the club has featured over the past year!

Launched in 2003, Bootie was the first club night in the United States dedicated solely to the burgeoning artform of the bootleg mashup — and is now the biggest mashup event in the world, with regular parties in several cities on four continents. Mixing and matching every conceivable musical genre, era, and style into one big dance party where everyone feels welcome, Bootie’s DJs keep your brain guessing and body dancing with creative song combinations, celebrating — and satirizing — the many different forms of music. Bootie provides the soundtrack for the A.D.D. generation, with free mashup CDs will be given away like candy!

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

FMI: http://www.BootieLA.com

9pm / $6 before 10 pm, $12 after / 21+

Saturday 06.12.10: DJ PAUL V. presents SPUNK @ echoplex

ON SATURDAY, JUNE 12th – LA GAY PRIDE WEEKEND -

CLUB SPUNK RETURNS TO THE ECHOPLEX!

DJ Paul V. (Dragstrip 66, Bootie LA) presents a special dance event during LA Gay Pride Weekend – an Alternative Pride Event – for those who want to ROCK their Pride on the EAST side! And it’s also a club SPIT REUNION - as DJ Tommy Rocker joins DJ Paul V. to slick up the dancefloor with indie rockin’ electro trash!
________________________________________________________________

::: PLUS LIVE ON STAGE AT 11:00 PM :::
THE G80s! (aka The Gayties)

Featuring:
Matt McLaughlin, Tommy Keene, Chris Freeman & Jim Laspesa
… Plus a couple very special surprise guests!

Ever seen a bunch of hot, rock-lovin’ homo dudes play all your fave post-punk & new wave tunes from the 80′s live? You will now!

From The Pretenders to Psychedelic Furs to The Cure to The Plimsouls, these guys jam the hits tight – like an ultimate cover band!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gayties-G80S-the-All-Gay-Male-80s-EXPLOSION/191311048327
________________________________________________________________

:::: AND 12:30 AM HOT-ASS GIVEAWAYS! ::::

WIN tickets to see LA ROUX or EMPIRE OF THE SUN!
“Flash Your Assets” on stage & the crowd will determine the winners!
________________________________________________________________

Marky Make Up will be in the house airbrushing temporary tattoos,

and we’ll have a late-night presentation by Rasputin’s Marionettes
_____________________________________________________________

:: SO WHY DO SPUNK ON GAY PRIDE WEEKEND? ::
Because so many of the alternative gay community do not feel connected to - nor interested in -  what’s offered at the Weho Pride festival. From the hideous circuit music tent, to the warm beer in cups, to the generally bland live entertainment – there’s plenty of indie gays who just totally stay away. So SPUNK is just the fix for something different!

SPUNK is a gay event, but also welcomes women & friendly heteros, too.

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

9pm / $5.00 Cover till 10:30pm, $10.00 After / 21+

Saturday 07.10.10: Manimal Vinyl Presents SWAHILI BLONDE / WE ARE THE WORLD / WEAVE! @ echoplex

SWAHILI BLONDE || MP3

Swahili Blonde began with Nicole Turley (ex-WEAVE! drummer & vocalist) sitting in a little room amidst a bunch of instruments and recording equipment she didn’t know how to use. After many long nights, she still didn’t completely understand how everything worked, but was happy with the unconventional sounds and compositions she was able to make. She ended up being so happy with the result of her efforts, that she decided to record and release a collection of songs for a full-length album, humorously called Man Meat. The album consists of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Turley giving a recorded voice to paralleled realities, vibrant visuals, and mismatched rhythms and patterns, musical and otherwise. Woven throughout the 7 songs are lucid and eloquent performances by violinist Laena Myers-Ionita, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist John Taylor, and multi-instrumentalists Stella Mozgawa & Michael Quinn. An 8 member live version of Swahili Blonde will be playing shows in Los Angeles during summer 2010.

with:
WE ARE THE WORLD || Listen
WEAVE!

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

8:30pm / $10.00 / 18+

Monday 06.28.10: Monday Night residency – RAINBOW ARABIA / GARY WILSON & THE BLIND DATES / TAME IMPALA / WEAVE! / FOOLS GOLD (DJ set) @ echo

Rainbow Arabia || Listen || Watch

Real-life married couple and make-believe werewolf shop-crashers Tiffany and Daniel Preston, who comprise Rainbow Arabia, are based in LA, but their music spans the spooky expanses of this over-warmed ozone-choked globe. Most prominently, Tiffany’s vocal lines tend to come oil-drenched and wailing from the Middle East, while the percussion and other tidbits of electronic mayhem rounding out the soundfield are a dark (but undeniably bouncy) who’s who of global fusion motifs.

On their second mini-album Kabukimono, the duo turn in only five new songs and a Ghosts On Tape Remix of the riotous Omar K (that of the bizarre music video) from their first EP, 2008′s The Basta. The whole thing clocks in at just over 21 minutes, but this isn’t really something to complain about. If anything, Rainbow Arabia avoid the all too enticing allure of settling into a groove and flogging it to the ground while the dancers pant from exhaustion. – MusicOMH

with;
GARY WILSON & THE BLIND DATES
Tame Impala || Listen
Weave!
DJ Set by Fool’s Gold

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.21.10: Monday Night Residency – RAINBOW ARABIA / ABE VIGODA / ASKA / DEMO TEAM / DJ ORO11 @ echo

Rainbow Arabia || Listen || Watch

Real-life married couple and make-believe werewolf shop-crashers Tiffany and Daniel Preston, who comprise Rainbow Arabia, are based in LA, but their music spans the spooky expanses of this over-warmed ozone-choked globe. Most prominently, Tiffany’s vocal lines tend to come oil-drenched and wailing from the Middle East, while the percussion and other tidbits of electronic mayhem rounding out the soundfield are a dark (but undeniably bouncy) who’s who of global fusion motifs.

On their second mini-album Kabukimono, the duo turn in only five new songs and a Ghosts On Tape Remix of the riotous Omar K (that of the bizarre music video) from their first EP, 2008′s The Basta. The whole thing clocks in at just over 21 minutes, but this isn’t really something to complain about. If anything, Rainbow Arabia avoid the all too enticing allure of settling into a groove and flogging it to the ground while the dancers pant from exhaustion. – MusicOMH

with:
Abe Vigoda
Aska
Demo Team
DJ ORO11

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.14.10: Monday Night Residency – RAINBOW ARABIA / FORMER GHOSTS / 60 WATT KID / AFGHAN RAIDERS / DJ DAVID J. / DJ RIGHTEOUS TRASH @ echo

Rainbow Arabia || Listen || Watch

Real-life married couple and make-believe werewolf shop-crashers Tiffany and Daniel Preston, who comprise Rainbow Arabia, are based in LA, but their music spans the spooky expanses of this over-warmed ozone-choked globe. Most prominently, Tiffany’s vocal lines tend to come oil-drenched and wailing from the Middle East, while the percussion and other tidbits of electronic mayhem rounding out the soundfield are a dark (but undeniably bouncy) who’s who of global fusion motifs.

On their second mini-album Kabukimono, the duo turn in only five new songs and a Ghosts On Tape Remix of the riotous Omar K (that of the bizarre music video) from their first EP, 2008′s The Basta. The whole thing clocks in at just over 21 minutes, but this isn’t really something to complain about. If anything, Rainbow Arabia avoid the all too enticing allure of settling into a groove and flogging it to the ground while the dancers pant from exhaustion. – MusicOMH

with:
Former Ghosts || Listen
60 Watt Kid || Listen
Afghan Raiders || Listen

plus
DJ set by David J. (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Jazz Butcher)
DJ Righteous Trash

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 06.07.10: Monday Night Residency – RAINBOW ARABIA / SECRET CIRCUIT / JAPANTHER / PIZZA! / DJ DAVID ORLANDO @ echo

Rainbow Arabia || Listen || Watch

Real-life married couple and make-believe werewolf shop-crashers Tiffany and Daniel Preston, who comprise Rainbow Arabia, are based in LA, but their music spans the spooky expanses of this over-warmed ozone-choked globe. Most prominently, Tiffany’s vocal lines tend to come oil-drenched and wailing from the Middle East, while the percussion and other tidbits of electronic mayhem rounding out the soundfield are a dark (but undeniably bouncy) who’s who of global fusion motifs.

On their second mini-album Kabukimono, the duo turn in only five new songs and a Ghosts On Tape Remix of the riotous Omar K (that of the bizarre music video) from their first EP, 2008′s The Basta. The whole thing clocks in at just over 21 minutes, but this isn’t really something to complain about. If anything, Rainbow Arabia avoid the all too enticing allure of settling into a groove and flogging it to the ground while the dancers pant from exhaustion. – MusicOMH

with:
Secret Circuit
Japanther
PIZZA!

plus DJ:
David Orlando

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Friday 06.04.10: TILT with CLASS ACTRESS / NEON INDIAN (DJ Set) / CFCF / LEXICONDON / SHORT CIRCUIT / B.R. @ echoplex

TILT Summer Concert Series by TILTmag.com
in association with Binary & Blowup LA
Present

Class Actress
(NYC / Terrible Records)

Neon Indian DJ Set
(NYC / Green Label Sound)

Los Angeles DEBUT!
CFCF
(Montreal Canada / Paper Bag/Acephale Records)

LexiconDon
(L.A. / Binary )

Resident DJ’s:
Short Circuit (Binary)
B.R.

Live Art by Demonbabies

Photobooth By http://www.Youngandsleek.com/

@ THE ECHOPLEX
1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA

FMI: TILTmag.com

8:30pm / $10 advance, $15 day of show / 18+

Friday 05.28.10: VICE and CONVERSE present -TUX AND CHUCKS- A PROM PARTY with PEANUT BUTTER WOLF / BLACK DYNAMITE / BOBBY EVANS @ echoplex

Hey, remember prom? Want a do-over on that? Vice and Converse have your Memorial Day plans set! Grab your party tux or party dress, and your Chucks, and come experience the best night of your life!

There will be a photobooth that will have prom backdrop and posed pictures will be printed on site.

There are “Best Dressed” prizes, and wear Chucks and skip the line!

See you there!

with:
Peanut Butter Wolf || Listen
Black Dynamite Sound Orchestra
Bobby Evans

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

RSVP @ http://www.viceland.com/tuxandchucks/

10pm / Free with RSVP / 21+

Tuesday 06.01.10: PROP 15 Benefit with JEREMY DAWSON FROM SHINY TOY GUNS (DJ Set) / WHITE APPLE TREE / BUDDY AKAI @ echo

Jeremy Dawson from Shiny Toy Guns (DJ Set)
White Apple Tree
Buddy Akai

This show is brought to you by the Yes on Proposition 15 campaign. Prop 15 will change the way we finance election campaigns so politicians stay focused on the job we sent them to do. Plus, it’ll help open up the political process so more young people can run for and win elected office. Help make sure this happens! Get involved in the campaign at www.yesfairelections.org.

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

Friday 06.11.10: Footlong_Development & Keistar Productions Present SOUL SLAM VI – PRINCE & MICHAEL JACKSON @ echoplex

Footlong_Development & Keistar Productions Present

SOUL SLAM VI: PRINCE & MICHAEL JACKSON

Celebrating The Life & Legacy Of Our Greatest Icon!
THE KING OF POP!
MICHAEL JACKSON (1958-2009 R.I.P)
&
Honoring Our Most Prolific & Influential Artist
PRINCE

This event centers around the honoring of two of the most eclectic and innovative artists to date, Michael Jackson and Prince! From the inception of this concept back in 1999 the response for SOUL SLAM has been enormous. DJ Spinna sets the tone of this event as he lays down track after track from both MJ’s and Princes extensive music catalogues along with tracks of their cohorts, i.e.; Jermaine Jackson, Vanity, Janet, Sheila E., J5, The Time etc. Soul Slam returns to LA this June!

Last years visit to LA brought out 1100+ people….That night’s event filled with LA’s top taste makers, fashionistas and music fans hit capacity in an hour and a half of the doors opening.

What: A dedication to Michael Jackson & His Royal Clan and Prince & His Disciple. Featuring one of New York’s finest, DJ Spinna. Also, opening set by LA’s own MonaLisa. This is a world-wide event that originated in New York and has reached San Francisco, Japan, Los Angeles & Europe.

DJ SPINNA:
Regarded as one of the most versatile and talented producers/DJ’s/Remixers in today’s musical arena. With so much studio work, it’s a marvel Spinna travels as much as he does. The constant globe-trotting performances he’s become equally famed for having brought the DJ as far as Iceland, Australia, and South Africa as well as countless jaunts through England, Europe and the U.S. Not to forget, his hugely successful tours of Japan, where Spinna is held in the highest regard throughout the country for his craft in music. He has produced numerous tracks and remixes for notable artists such as Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, De La Soul, Mos Def, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Pharoahe Monch, George Michael and many more.

MonaLisa:
Monalisa Murray has been an independent grassroots promoter of quality music and events across the country for the last 20 years. She supported various DJs and musicians in the Los Angeles area before taking her love of music to the tables. She is a member of the KPL All Stars DJ crew and has previously shared bills with DJs such as Spinderella, Garth Trinidad, Vikter Duplaix, Al Jackson, Jeremy Sole, Dam-Funk, Kiilu, Mr. Choc, Babu, Rhettmatic, Coleman, Gomez Warren and Lisa J.

@ ECHOPLEX
Enter at 1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

9pm / $11 advance, $15 at the door / 21+

Thursday 07.29.10: NATHANIEL RATELIFF / PEARLY GATE MUSIC / INFANTREE @ echo

Nathaniel Ratecliff || Listen

It had been rough on all of their bodies, there’s no doubt about it, but Nathaniel Rateliff, the main songwriter and leader of The Wheel, looked like he’d been in a prize fight or two the night before he came in for this session in the summer, with his eyes red and nearly swollen shut from the lack of sleep and consistent burning through nights as if his time was running out. It’s not just the way that Rateliff, a native of Missouri wine country (as odd as that is to say) and a resident of Denver, Colorado these days, acts on the road when the behavior isn’t just expected, but encouraged. It’s how he thinks about his miniscule allotment of time and he ruminates on the lack of tenure that all of us are faced with here, working these potentially wasted aspirations and the hollowed out but booming and thundering heart of a man who knows that there’s no way that his time will ever be enough, into his spectacularly defined and perceptive folk songs. He gives these drowsy-to-wailing songs a southern bent at times and at others he makes them feel as if they have been dropped off in the middle of a Minnesota corn field, bumped from the tailgate of a pickup truck that was driving wearily through the middle of a cold, white, winter’s night on a deserted county road that’s only been half-heartedly plowed clean. The songs that Rateliff finds himself writing, more times than not, are those that seek to find out if there is a payoff, if there can be a payoff and what exactly could this mystery payoff be if we do actually have a formidable resiliency and enough time to pull off the unthinkable – and in this case it’s happiness. Or it’s something as close to a happy ending as could be written up – maybe just an ending without all the balloons or jolly cheers and thumps on the back, maybe just little smiles, a lukewarm chest and not too many aches, to go with a family that loves you as much as you could ever expect them to. – Daytrotter

with:
Pearly Gate Music
Infantree

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

Saturday 06.19.10: Echo and Middle Earth Records present THE BLASTERS / BOB FORREST / LYNDA KAY @ echo (EARLY SHOW)

The Blasters || Listen

The Blasters embody the best traditions of American Music, performing with passion and integrity that for over three decades has won the hearts and souls of fans worldwide. Composed of founding members vocalist-guitarist Phil Alvin, drummer Bill Bateman and bassist John Bazz with Keith Wyatt on guitar, they carry on a hard-won legacy as one of the most recognizable and credible bands in American Music. Their influences range from the likes of George Jones and Carl Perkins to Ike Turner, Howlin’ Wolf, James Brown and Big Joe Turner, all blending into a sound that ignores the lines between Rock & Roll, Country, Blues and Rockabilly. “4-11-44″ (Rainman Records) is the Blasters’ fifth and latest studio album, featuring fourteen tracks that extend the band’s legacy of classic recordings. Fronted by Phil Alvin’s powerful vocals, the band follows through with spontaneity, power and grit that make their live performances into experiences not to be missed.

with:
Bob Forrest
Lynda Kay

5:30pm / $12 advance, $14 day of show / all ages

Thursday 06.03.10: FREE KUTMAH BENEFIT CONCERT with DAM-FUNK / DAEDELUS / GASLAMP KILLER / SAMIYAM / TEEBS / ABCNT / MAYER HAWTHORNE (DJ SET) / SPECIAL GUESTS @ echoplex

FREE KUTMAH BENEFIT CONCERT
With Performances by
DAM-FUNK
DAEDELUS
THE GASLAMP KILLER
SAMIYAM
TEEBS
ABCNT
MAYER HAWTHORNE (DJ set)

and VERY SPECIAL GUESTS

plus LIVE SCREEN PRINTING BY HIT+RUN

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

8pm / $20.00 / 18+

Tuesday 07.20.10: GRAND ARCHIVES/ S / KAISER CARTEL @ echo

Grand Archives || Listen || Watch || MP3

While recording their new studio album Keep In Mind Frankenstein, frontman Mat Brooke of Seattle folkies Grand Archives couldn’t seem to find the lyrics for what would eventually become “Oslo Novelist,” one of the album’s best tracks. But the group didn’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. Sans lyrics, Grand Archives began recording the track’s instrumental parts, fudging the words in the process.

Later, the words came. “The lyrics are an imagination of an author who spends a lifetime with writer’s block and finally finishes his first book on his deathbed. So I guess the song is written about not being able to write,” Brooke tells SPIN.com.

The band recruited friend Jason Kardong to provide the sweeping pedal steel on this country lament, and, indeed, it’s easy to picture the tune drifting out of the jukebox in a desolate saloon, providing a moment of serenity for the regulars crying in their beers.

It sounds straight out of Nashville — so how did “Oslo” enter the picture?

“Beats me,” Brooke says. “We’re just making this stuff up as we go along.” – Spin.com

with:
S
Kaiser Cartel || Listen

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

Thursday 06.17.10: Sargent House Presents VATO NEGRO (Juan Alderete of The Mars Volta) / SKINWALKER (Gabe Serbian and Joey Karam of The Locust) / UNFACT (David WM. Sims of The Jesus Lizard) / TECHNOLOGY (Chris Tsagakis of RX Bandits) @ echo

Vato Negro (Juan Alderete of The Mars Volta) || Listen

VATO NEGRO is the downtime alter-ego of bassist Juan Alderete of THE MARS VOLTA. Formed in 1999, the band issued its debut album, Bumpers, on N20 Records in 2008. The project has evolved through several incarnations since, with the current 3-piece lineup featuring guitarist/keyboardist Omar Rodriguez Lopez (THE MARS VOLTA) and drummer Deantoni Parks (KUDU, JOHN CALE, MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO) in its ranks. A formidable powerhouse of machine-like intensity, VATO NEGRO specializes in rhythm-driven instrumental rock within the realm of peers such as Chemical Brothers, Lightning Bolt, and A Band Of Gypsies. A second, as-yet-untitled album is slated for release on Sargent House Records in 2010 featuring this lineup.

with:
Skinwalker (Gabe Serbian and Joey Karam of The Locust)
Unfact (David WM. Sims of The Jesus Lizard)
Technology (Chris Tsagakis of RX Bandits)

8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / all ages

Wednesday 07.28.10: Buddyhead Presents OBITS / NIGHT MARCHERS / AM / DJ TRAVIS KELLER @ echo

OBITS || Listen || Watch || MP3

Obits, like Pitchfork, Drive Like Jehu, and Hot Snakes before them, rock. With the demise of Hot Snakes due to Mr. Reis and Mr. Rubalcaba leaving to start families, followed by the break up of the Sultans and of the world’s greatest band, Rocket From the Crypt, and Beehive and the Barracudas going on a long hiatus, I’ve been in need of some real, pure San Diego punk rock. This past year, the rock’n’roll gods have given us Mr. Reis’s (and the rest of the Hot Snakes’ first line up), Night Marchers, a band whose sound draws dramatically from 1950s and early 60s rock’n’roll. The gods have also given us Mr. Froberg’s Obits, a band that continues in line with the duo’s early projects.

They, Obits, are a pure, solid blues-punk rock band. Think Jon Spencer Blues Explosion plus, well, Rick Froberg. The band’s defining characteristic is as you would expect — the vocals of Mr. Froberg. I have long felt that his voice is, without exception, the best in rock’n’roll. Its tonality is perfect for the music. His yelps match up to guitars better than anyone else’s. Not even Greg Sage can hold a candle to the voice of Mr. Froberg, and Obits is built around those vocals. The guitars scream with a treble on par with D. Boon. It’s a ringing endorsement of what works in the genre, and done in a way like no one else. Just listen to “Fake Kinkade.”

Obits are part of a border movement of people to reclaim the good name of rock’n’roll. They, as so many bands here in Chicago, have taken an old, used up style, and with the greatest of joy, breathed new life into it. No one is fucking around here, this ain’t some ironic hipster bullshit, this is real punk rock music. – Buddyhead

with:
Nightmarchers || Listen
AM
DJ Travis Keller

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

Wednesday 09.08.10: Aquarium Drunkard presents THE GORIES / HAUNTED GEORGE / NICE SMILE @ echo

THE GORIES || Watch

Formed in January of 1986 over a six pack of Budweiser and “Scum of the Earth” on the record player. Played dives around Detroit for six and a half years with a couple of trips to New York City and Chicago. Released three LPs and a handful of singles. Toured Europe in the Spring of ’92. Broke up.

with:
Haunted George
Nice Smile

8:30pm / $20 advance, $22 day of show / 18+

Sunday 05.23.10: MAINLINEGAMING.COM presents THE GAMERS BALL TOURNAMENT @ echoplex

TOURNAMENT DETAILS
This event we’re featuring cash tournaments in Madden 10, FIFA 10, NBA 2k10 and Super Street Fighter 4.
Madden FIFA and NBA 2k10 will be on both consoles. Super Street Fighter 4 will just be on PS3.
Each tournament is capped at 16 seats.
Capping the amount of seats increases everyones chance of winning.

The first round in Madden, FIFA and NBA 2k10 will be a best 2 out of 3 series.
Whoever you are paired with, you play them a minimum of 2 games.
This gives you and your opponent an opportunity to make the necessary adjustments in between games. Each round after that is single elimination.

Hosted by:
MC Shay Shay
Liz Velasquez

Hip Hop performances by:
Dynamite Jive
Optic Vision

For Cash Prize Info and to Register click here
Hotline 424-298-0859

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

5pm doors, Tournament starts at 6pm / $10 general admission, $25 or $50 buy in depending on game / 18+

Tuesday 05.25.10: A Benefit for the Neda Project: THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT AND AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL / RED CORTEZ @ echo

The Airborne Toxic Event || Listen || Watch

“Poetry you can dance to… nothing short of amazing.” – The LA Times

“Absurdly rich with talent. Drums demand foot-stomping, viola is laced between indulgent guitar hooks, and the lyrics are just wry enough to tickle your nerd bone.” – The LA Weekly

“A blend of Brit rock sensibility and Southern California energy, the Airborne Toxic Event is what would happen if Morrissey and Franz Ferdinand shared a summer home.” – Spin.com

A small number of tickets are available for An exclusive dinner with The Airborne Toxic Event starting at 7PM, followed by performance. These ticket holders will be notified with details.

with:
Red Cortez || Listen

8:30pm / $30.00 / all ages

Tuesday 07.27.10: BEAR IN HEAVEN / TWIN SISTER / BEACH FOSSILS @ echo

Bear in Heaven || Listen || Watch

Though not quite coming out of nowhere, BRFM seems like a surprise gift– a striking consolidation of the spiky psych-prog tendencies of their debut into a pop framework. In terms of career gear-shifts, the move Caribou made with Andorra is the most recent precedent. Though at 41 minutes the album is economical and sharp in its execution, the band– all from Georgia and Alabama– still imbues its compositions with the generosity of spirit that makes the best Southern rock so invigorating. “Beast in Peace” opens the record with a gentle lockstep before shifting seamlessly into a mile-wide chorus. Then, they expand that chorus even further, like switching to the widest camera lens to capture a vista they just realized the full vastness of. Elsewhere, as its title indicates, “Ultimate Satisfaction” is an IMAX-wide ode to what starts out as a simple thought, then turns bodily– the refrain of “coming down!” charts the sensation spreading like a spasm. That towering exultation is also felt on the primal “Deafening Love”. While aiming for a similar sense of awe-inspiring bliss, “Love” widens the focus and luxuriates in the tremors, approximating a more protracted take on Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song”.

Yet Bear in Heaven’s greatest trick is creating music that evokes the sort of physicality and scope that could soundtrack a Hollywood film, but also works equally well at stirring up intimate bodily passion. Lush synth beds, warm electronics accenting polyrhythms, and Jon Philpot’s yearning, boyish howl coalesce into a vibe that’s muscular without being macho, and which strikes a rare balance between nuanced emotion and overwhelming sensation. Even when delving into more disconcerting subject matter– dabbling in self-loathing on “Wholehearted Mess” or confronting paranoia on the slinky “You Do You”– Philpot still manages to imbue the songs with an atmosphere of seduction and intrigue. – Pitchfork

with:
Twin Sister
Beach Fossils

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

Saturday 06.26.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 06.19.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 06.12.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Saturday 06.05.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 07.15.10: ANTIBALAS / THE SWAY MACHINERY @ echoplex

ANTIBALAS || Listen || Watch

Antibalas has been a fixture at the crossroads of international music since their humble Brooklyn beginnings in 1998. As a group entity, they are largely responsible for reviving and innovating an obscure but dynamic style of music known as Afrobeat, tirelessly spreading its gospel to over thirty countries around the world, from New York’s Rikers Island prison to Carnegie Hall, from Tokyo to Turkey.

Antibalas has truly become renowned via their relentless live show. And though it’s certainly no easy task to keep (and feed) such a vast ensemble on the road, the band has managed to average over 100 concerts a year, incessantly traversing the U.S, Canada and Europe in venues large and small be they the sweaty clubs of Brooklyn or in front of hordes of festival goers in places like Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Montreux and Roskilde exclaimed “their music is right on time,” while the New York Times, the New Yorker, Rolling Stone Magazine and a slew of others have taken serious notice. Make no mistake, as XLR8R exclaims, Antibalas are indeed “the baddest on the block.”

with:
The Sway Machinery || Listen

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

8:30pm / $20 advance, $22 day of show / 18+

Friday 09.03.10: Echo & Club Underground present STEREO TOTAL / HAWNAY TROOF / KISSES (LIVE) / ALLISTER IZENBERG @ echoplex

Stereo Total || Listen || Watch

French/German duo Stereo Total has been combining synth pop, new wave, dance music, and indie pop since the mid ’90s, and their latest album seems to find these vets in a properly self-possessed place. Doing pretty much whatever tickles their fancy, they’ve included some covers of tunes by their favorite artists, including Brigitte Fontaine, and they’ve assembled a guest list of a whole slew of their friends and co-conspirators, from Can “Khan” Oral to the Original Upper Kreuzberg Nose Flute Orchestra. Yeah, that’s right. – Prefix

with:
Hawnay Troof
Kisses || Listen
Allister Izenberg

plus:
Club Underground Resident DJs

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

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

Friday 09.03.10: SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS / LYNDA KAY / JEREMIAH AND THE RED EYES @ echo

Southern Culture on the Skids || Listen || Watch

Friday night’s Southern Culture on the Skids show at the Gothic Theatre left a mark on Denver, as they used down-home country pickin’, grinnin’ (and just the right amount of fried chicken) to lead a packed house to hillbilly stomping glee. The venue became a back woods hoe-down as frontman Rick Miller and his cohorts strung together a set of pure white-trash-in-a-blue-collar fun, with silver tongue deftly planted in cheek.

From the first strums of the opening number, Miller mixed surf, punk and country guitar wizardry with slack-jaw wit as he sang his half of the songs. Bassist (and heartbreaking truck stop beauty queen) Mary Huff belted out her share of the set in strong, sultry vocals from beneath a nearly Marge Simpson-sized, red bouffant wig, forming a no-nonsense rhythm section, and the core of funk behind the band’s shimmy-groove, with drummer Dave Hartman and touring rhythm guitarist Tim Barnes.

The quartet successfully mixed humor and sexual innuendo with the perfect amount of schtick, and ended up sounding anything but camp. Huff, decked out in white go-go boots, shining gold nylons, a miniskirt and what looked like a 7-11 clerk’s zippered uniform shirt, adjusted her makeup between almost every song. As she introduced the Wanda Jackson classic “Funnel of Love,” she also drew down the zipper on her blouse and adjusted her bra, preparing both herself and the audience for its saucy sensuality. – Denver Post

with:
Lynda Kay
Jeremiah and the Red Eyes

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

Friday 06.18.10: FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP with Aceyalone, Myka 9, Self Jupiter, P.E.A.C.E. & DJ Kiilu Grand / BUSDRIVER / NOCANDO @ echoplex

FREESTYLE FELLOWSHIP
featuring:
Aceyalone
Myka 9
Self Jupiter
P.E.A.C.E.
DJ Kiilu Grand

Freestyle Fellowship are a rap group from Los Angeles consisting of rappers Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter and producer J Sumbi. Their vocal techniques focusing on the method of the freestyle, as well as a successful infusion of hip hop and jazz, established the group as forerunners in the sub-genre of jazz rap, and also placed them amongst prominent West Coast underground hip hop acts of the early 1990s like Hieroglyphics, Abstract Rude & Tribe Unique, and The Pharcyde. They are part of a hip hop collective known as Project Blowed.

The group was formed at the Good Life Café in Los Angeles during the early 90s. Myka Nyne stated in an interview that he grew up with Aceyalone and Self Jupiter and knew them since elementary school, and he met P.E.A.C.E. in 10th grade. Before the Fellowship, Aceyalone, Spoon (of) Iodine, and Myka Nyne were in a group called the MC Aces in high school.

After releasing the album To Whom It May Concern… in 1991, the Fellowship became known in tape-trading circles, identified by their range in rhyming, at times bordering on Jazz scat, and Afrocentric messages over jazz inspired beat production. Their 1993 release Innercity Griots is acknowledged by many to be among the best hip hop albums of the 90s.

In 1993, the group went on hiatus due to the four year incarceration of Self Jupiter. After his release, the Fellowship reunited to record Shockadoom in 1998 (released 2002). Temptations was released in 2001.

plus:
Busdriver
Nocando

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

9pm / $15 advance, $17 day of show / 18+

Friday 07.09.10: Club Underground and Echo present HARLEM / BLACK APPLES / AUDACITY @ echo

Harlem || Watch || MP3

Harlem are an Austin three-piece that opt out of messing with fuzz pedals and wear their grime on their sleeve instead. You might say they rub some people the wrong way. Their first record’s title, Free Drugs, was punctuated with the following, ironically placed emoticon: ; – ) Their band name doesn’t do them any favors with the more politically correct. Their current press bio reads as though it came to its author on PCP, nonsense slapped together solely to give hapless music journalists migraines. : – ( Their live set is comprised of as much on-stage, intra-band ribbing as their jukebox rock’n'roll. But they do seem to care deeply about one thing, and that’s their songwriting.

A garage band studied in the ways of Nuggets but clearly enamored with Pixies, they are committed to crafting bubblegum choruses flavored with booze and cigarettes. Hippies, their Matador debut, showcases just how strong that commitment is from the opening bell. On “Someday Soon”, sometime-frontman Michael Coomer runs us through an exchange in which his friend catches fire and asks for a little help being extinguished. The pleas are ultimately declined for kicks. It’s sick but singable, the Nirvana-nodding “Torture Me” one other deliciously dark example. Coomer shares time playing guitar and drums with co-founder Curtis O’Mara, the two halving songwriting/guitar/lead vocal duties. The split provides a duality in tenor that does the record some serious good. When Curtis is in charge, as he is during the psychotropic shimmy of “Faces” or Casper tribute “Friendly Ghost”, the bent is relatively hopeful. If the strep-throated Coomer has the reins, expect thunderstorms. – Pitchfork

with:
The Black Apples
Audacity

8:30pm / $10 / 18+

Friday 06.25.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND with BIXBY KNOLLS / NORTHERN SKY @ echo

This week all the way from Los Angeles, THE BIXBY KNOLLS

“A blistering blend of British northern grit with a prevailing nod to great Western Americana.
The aural pleasures of Arthur Lee and Love with Joy Division, The Clash with The Beach Boys, The Smiths and Oasis with Link Wray can be heard throughout these tracks” – THE PACIFIC PRESS

Also on the bill and landing by helicopter at the bank building across the street- NORTHERN SKY “Derived from the ashes of Kinshire Way, Ashbury, Scenic, Bullet for Dali and Lucid Sound to form an all-star cast, meet NorthernSky.
Norhtern sky features members that have shared the stage with such acts as The Walkmen, VHS or Beta, John Cale of The Velvet Underground and Ian Brown of the Stone Roses.” – SCULPTURE

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

FMI: Club Underground on Facebook

10pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Friday 06.18.10: Echo and Club Underground present PANTHA DU PRINCE / DELPHIC @ echo

Pantha Du Prince || Listen || Watch

Though he lacks the crossover name recognition of producers like the Field, Burial, and Lindstrøm, Germany’s Hendrik Weber is one of the leading figures in modern techno. As Pantha du Prince, he has up until now released two albums of meticulous, minimal-inspired house music. The last, 2007′s This Bliss, found the rare balance between ambient sweep and dancefloor bounce, and it’s only grown in stature since its release. In part because of a move from the smaller Dial Records to Rough Trade and guest spots from some indie heavyweights, his new LP, Black Noise, is being met with more excitement this time around. And with good reason: Said to be born out of a period of musical exploration in the Swiss Alps, the record is both a stylistic departure for Weber and an extension of what he already does well.

Weber is unlike most minimal techno producers in that he doesn’t look to locate one groove and ride it for the course of a track. His songs open up, unfurl, and regularly change course. With Black Noise he develops this to incorporate a wide range of sounds– field recordings, atonal noise, and stray percussion all populate the album. Above all, here he aims to reproduce sounds already in nature, and where This Bliss was airy and celestial, this record is gritty and earthbound. It’s darker, more forceful, and more chaotic. – Pitchfork

with:
Delphic || Listen

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

Friday 07.16.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND with SECRET HISTORY / SWEATER GIRLS / WATERLASO @ echo

Secret History (New York)
Having created an album that was labeled “best of the decade” in Pitchfork’s P2K list, Michael Grace, Jr. (then of cult indie-pop icons My Favorite) and his decade long collaborators have remade/remodeled their sound for the new decade with The Secret History. The band’s debut LP, The World That Never Was, declares the beginning of the ‘Post-Pop’ era with songs concerned with the monsters & ghosts of youth. Now joined by singer Lisa Ronson (daughter of glam rock legend Mick Ronson), the bright lights and shadows of Grace & Co.’s songs come to life in a wholly new way, drawing comparisons to The Smiths, The Go-Betweens and Roxy Music. “Not only lives up to My Favorite’s legacy, but surpasses it… not since the first two New Pornographers records have the songs, vocals, and production come together so perfectly. On The World That Never Was, they’ve crafted one of the best, most lyrical, and emotionally powerful pop albums of the past however long.” –Allmusic.com

Sweater Girls (LA)
Smart, energetic and charming, Sweater Girls are a five-piece indiepop band from Los Angeles, CA. Formed in 2009, Sweater Girls are Joseph Teran (lead guitar), Jackie Hundza (drums), Allan Kingdom (formerly of the Siddeleys, bass), Diana Barraza (vocals and guitar) and Tatiana
Sanchez (keyboards and glockenspiel). Touted as a “full band Softies” and a “calmer Black Tambourine” by Indie Pages, Sweater Girls aim to melt hearts with their knitted brand of sweet and tender tunes. –Happy Happy Birthday To Me Records

Waterlaso (LA)
a band that is somewhere in between happy sweet pop sunshine and tender sadness. –ectomag.com

Dance to the sounds of BritElectroPopIndie60TweeSoulPostPunkDance+More

as the SUMMER rolls on with us on our dancefloor and out on our patio!

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

FMI: Club Underground on Facebook

9pm / $6 advance, $8 day of show / 18+

Friday 06.04.10: Echo & Club Underground present QUADRON / EVAN VOYTAS @ echo

QUADRON

Quadron is a child that’s been made by Coco and Robin. Both were part of the soul collective “Boom Clap Bachelors” who in early 2008 secured much respect and success with their debut “Kort Før Dine Læber”. Here they began their collaboration, and Robin fell for Coco’s beautiful voice and ability to improvise with playful ease.

Even though Coco is only 21 she is already a veteran performer, and was literally born to do it. She was a key figure as the front woman in the live band for Boom clap bachelors’ band, and now she is thrilling audiences with Robin and hers own material. Robin Hannibal has a long CV, counting collaborations with Nobody Beats The Beats, Aloe Blacc, Omas Keith from SA-RA, Wally Badarou from talking heads / level 42, Erick Sermon, Plant Life, Yamwho, Buraka Som Sistema and has international super stars, like Pharrell Williams (Nerd) and James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), declaring themselves fans of some of his other projects like “Owusu & Hannibal” and “Parallel Dance Ensemble”.

Quadrons stated goal with the debut is to give the soul scene a vitamin boost and provide an alternative to the american R’n'B that is dominating the charts. They call their music electronic soul, mixing the sound of hand-played instruments with the benefits of today’s computer-related techniques.

with:
Evan Voytas || Listen

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

FMI: Club Underground on Facebook

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

Thursday 05.20.10: STYLES UPON STYLES – “BOUNCING CATS” Screening with CRAZY LEGS / DJ ERVIN ARANA / DENNIS INFANTE @ Echo

STYLES UPON STYLES LOS ANGELES
Hosted by Crazy Legs of the world famous Rocksteady Crew & Onecypher.com

The night begins with a private screening of “Bouncing Cats”–
an inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create better lives for Ugandan children by transcending the power of hip-hop.

*All proceeds from the screening will go straight to Breakdance Project Uganda.

RSVP: bouncingcats.la@gmail.com

Styles Upon Styles begins @ 10:00 pm

Music Provided by:
Crazy Legs – Rock Steady Crew
Ervin Arana – Rock Steady Crew
Dj Dennis Infante – Onecypher.com

LIVE DJ & PERCUSSIONIST SET
PERCUSSIONISTS INCLUDE:
Melena Francis Valdes – Music credits include: Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Isaac Hayes, Barry White, Julio Iglesias, Papo Conga…
Eric Seats – Tour drummer for Patti Labelle & Lalah Hathaway
Timbali Cornwell – Tour credits – Maxwell & Album credits: Wayman Tisdale.

*SPECIAL PERFORMANCE by The World Famous Rock Steady Crew

Produced by:
Shelley Oto, Crazy Legs and Dennis Infante

RSVP Email: stylesuponstyles.la@gmail.com

7:30pm / $5 with RSVP, $10 without / 21+

Tuesday 07.06.10: FOL CHEN / RANDOM PATTERNS / PIZZA! / BATHS @ echo

FOL CHEN || Listen || Watch

“John Shade moves with composure and ease through arch, almost dour indie pop (”The Believers”) as well as joyous dollops of Of Montreal-inspired electro pop. The sexily deadpan “Cable TV” brings all the moods together, celebrating the joys of cheap motel rooms and Janet Jackson songs with boop-beeps, handclaps, and a wry smile.” – Spin Magazine

“In the spirit of I’m From Barcelona, Loney Dear or Boy Least Likely To, Fol Chen employs all my favorite electro-fey devices: cheesy ’80s keys, propulsive beats, sporadic strummy guitars that bounce between channels and, of course, xylophone. Beginning with understated, low-register vocals, the keeps building, layering on more instruments and even tossing in a key-change for good measure.” – Paste Magazine

“Elusive Fol Chen offers dark, whimsical debut” – NPR

with:
Random Patterns || Listen
PIZZA!
Baths

click to buy tickets!

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

Wednesday 06.09.10: THEMSELVES / TALKDEMONIC / BATHS @ echo

Themselves || Listen || Watch

After a six-year hiatus, Themselves return on a rampage of heady rap wrung from hardworking hands. Of course, the duo of Jeffrey “Jel” Logan and Adam “Doseone” Drucker are never too far from the frontlines of good art and honest music. Last year, their Subtle sextet released its third album, the critically acclaimed and wildly adventurous ExitingARM, and a 2005 collaboration with Germany’s the Notwist yielded the cult gem 13 & God. There have been solo offerings, guest appearances, and ceaseless touring, but not peep from the name behind 2002’s left-field classic The No Music. That blessed interim has seen Doseone and Jel become the fearless musicians and exacting artists they’d always meant to be. Now, hungrier than ever, Themselves are here to scrawl a bold new chapter across rap’s too-stale tome. Furthermore, they set out to accomplish this feat unadorned, returning to hip-hop’s most cardinal and carnal form, the number two: the DJ and the MC—neck-snapping beats and precision prose—accompanied by a little righteous indignation, of course.

with:
Talkdemonic || Listen
Baths

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

Sunday 06.13.10: BETH HART / GARRISON STARR @ echoplex

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:
Garrison Starr || Listen

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

8pm / $15 advance, $17 day of show / all ages

Friday 06.11.10: Club Underground & Echo present DELOREAN / WAIT. THINK. FAST / TEENGIRL FANTASY @ echo

Delorean || Watch

Barcelona’s Delorean mine a territory between dance music and independent pop, producing a sound that is distinctly theirs. This is the record it took Delorean 10 years to evolve into, a fusion of dance music (including their native Spanish Balearic house) and contemporary pop music. The dance-club rhythms and airy melodies they’ve toyed with in the past are fused and textured, making for a deeply obsessive, hypnotic album that retains the easy appeal of great pop music. Looking at 30+ years of club music history with fresh eyes, Delorean have made an album that is dense and soulful. Our first listen to Subiza was exhilarating, every subsequent listen is a revelation.

with:
Wait. Think. Fast
Teengirl Fantasy

8:30pm / $10adv; $12dos / 18+

Thursday 07.01.10: DUM DUM GIRLS / CROCODILES / DUNES / SOFT HEALER / DJ MARIO ORDUNO @ echo

Dum Dum Girls || Listen || Watch

Originally, Dum Dum Girls was a one-woman show. Kristin Gundred (stage name Dee Dee) first introduced the project as a bare-bones experiment, taking lo-fi 60s pop and beating it to all hell on DDG’s self-titled debut EP. But unlike your average bedroom artist with a four-track and a thing for the Ronettes, Dee Dee was writing songs that were as catchy as they were well-rounded, even when buried under a thick layer of scuzz. (She accomplished the same with the Mayfair Set, an equally scuffed collaboration with Blank Dogs.)

I Will Be still retains her EP’s grit, but smartly updates the sound, enlisting three new members (including ex-Vivian Girl Frankie Rose) and hiring Richard Gottehrer (co-writer of the eternal “My Boyfriend’s Back” and producer of records by seminal groups like the Go-Go’s and Blondie) to produce alongside Dee Dee. The result is a more accessible version of Dum Dum Girls, bolstered by terrific harmonies (three of the four girls contribute vocals) and a crisper rhythm section. Most notable of all is the production: No longer a lo-fi group, DDG are now a rock band, and an occasionally ferocious one at that. Gottehrer and Dee Dee are perfect foils: She protects the song’s fuzzy edges; he enhances the pure pop pleasures with a more textured bite.

All of this technical detail would be lost, however, if it weren’t for the fact that these songs are genuine earworms, both unfailingly hip and often wonderfully associative. Most adhere to a deep romanticism that details the various incarnations of love, from the fatalistic (“Yours Alone”, featuring guitar work from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner) to the overprotective (“Everybody’s Out”). There is an air of disaffection that peppers a lot of these songs (for example, “Oh Mein M” is sung entirely in German), but they never end up feeling too cool for school, with their giddy bounce often fostering a more inclusive feel than anything else. The quick highs, dissatisfaction, and longing can’t hide how terrifically fun most of I Will Be is. – Pitchfork

Crocodiles || Watch

When we gathered up our favorite artists’ year-end lists No Age included Crocodiles’ “Neon Jesus” as one of their top 10 “shredders” of ’08: “[Crocodiles are] a great new band from San Diego. This song is a real good kinda early eighties electro punk pop jam. It is super catchy.” All true, but something No Age didn’t mention is that it also sounds — in a great way — like Velvet Underground-swinging Jesus & Mary Chain. And if you take a look at one of the sunglasses-with-attitude photos of ex-Prayers/The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower’s Charles Rowland (guitar, synth) and Brandon Welchez (vocals, programming), there’s more to it than just the sound. The below picture’s pretty colorful, but songs like “I Wanna Kill” and “Summer Of Hate” are more shades of gray, despite the hooks (in the same way the brothers Reid can make rain, psycho candy, and darklands sounds so inviting). It also shouldn’t be surprising that they’ve posted Crystal Stilts on their Skull Kontrol blog. Sound comparisons aside, the two recently followed fellow Southern California distortion lover Wavves, signing a two album deal with Fat Possum. The first one, Summer Of Hate, is out in May. We have No Age’s beloved “Neon Jesus” along with “I Wanna Kill” and “Summer Of Hate.” Dig into the feedback. – Stereogum

plus:
Dunes
Soft Healer
DJ Mario Orduno (Art Fag Recordings)

8:30pm / $12 / all ages

Tuesday 05.04.10: MANHATTAN MURDER MYSTERY / FORT KING / JACK LADDER @ echo

Manhattan Murder Mystery
Fort King
Jack Ladder

8:30pm / Free / 21+

Thursday 05.20.10: 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 06.25.10: JOE PUG / JIM HANFT / SONNY PETE @ echo (Early Show)

Joe Pug || MP3

“While most singer/songwriters are content to warble out a few semi-clever turns of phrase, Pug’s scorching poetry and soulful, ‘every phrase could be my last’ voice will stop you cold. If you want to read the actual endorsement, touch the braille stretching up my arms. Twenty years from now, lazy journalists will compare every halfway decent songwriter to Joe Pug. Mark my words.” – Jason Killingsworth, Deputy Editor, Paste Magazine

“One of the most surprising facts about singer-songwriter Joe Pug is that he’s only 23 years old. Not only does Chicago-based singer have a beautifully mature voice, but the lyrics on Pug’s debut EP, Nation of Heat, possess wisdom seemingly beyond his age.” – NPR

“Even if the words singer-songwriter make you groan and cringe, I dare you to come to the Hideout to see Joe Pug and not develop goosebumps…His star is rising so catch him while you can.” – Time Out Chicago

“Fans of quality songwriting need to hunt down a copy of Nation of Heat.” – My Old Kentucky Blog

with:
Jim Hanft || Listen
Sonny Pete || Listen

7pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / 18+

Saturday 05.08.10: Voto Latino Concert with AWKID / CLOROFILA @ echo

Join Voto Latino as we celebrate the Los Angeles Be Counted, Represent campaign with a FREE concert by Akwid and Clorofila of Nortec Collective at The Echo on Saturday, May 8th (6pm sharp)!

In filling out the Census, Voto Latino’s L.A. members brought in almost 30 million dollars of federal resources to Latino neighborhoods. You hooked up your comunidad, so Voto Latino is hooking you up with a concert.

If you’ve already texted ‘LA’ into 738674, you’re already in. If not, text now to get in!

Come out to hear:

Akwid, LA’s original banda hip hop duo

Clorofila of Nortec Collective, recently featured on KCRW

Both Akwid and Clorofila will present tracks from their new, L.A.-inspired albums, California and Corridos Urbanos.

So que esperas, get texting! Send ‘LA’ to 738674, get your friends to do the same, and represent!

RSVP on Facebook (and invite your friends!)

6pm / FREE with RSVP / All Ages

Friday 05.28.10: Echo & Club Underground present FROG EYES / MOUNT ST HELEN’S VIETNAM BAND @ echo

Frog Eyes || Mp3

Frog Eyes definitely exist within that definition, the music resembling Wolf Parade but with a greater awareness of space. Paul’s Tomb: A Triumph is less frantic than previous record Tears Of The Valedictorian. It sees them revel in the journey. It also puts the vocals at the core of their sound. Without lyric sheets it’s hard to say exactly what is going on here with the words, strangled as they are in guttural yelps and off beat accenting. It ends up naturally distorting the words. Carey Mercer’s voice is the fulcrum around which everything else happens. The guitars and drums and keys are built around the echoes and the layers, the whoops and stutters. These songs aren’t sung. They’re performed. Mercer lives his vocals, and brings what could be flat indie into vivid, vibrant Technicolor. It might be pretentious to say it, but the performance is almost operatic. – Drowned in Sound

with:
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

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

Thursday 05.27.10: A & T presents CLUB TRAPHAUS!! with DJs EMYND / THEE MIKE B / DARK ALLEY / WALDO P @ echo

A&T Presents

CLUB TRAPHAUS!!

with DJ’s
Emynd (Crossfaded Bacon)
Thee Mike B (Camo UFO’s)
Dark Alley (Ass & Titties)
Waldo P (@waldorules)

9pm / $10.00 / 18+

Saturday 05.08.10: SATURDAYS OFF THE 405 with LES SAVY FAV @ The Getty

Les Savy Fav || Listen || Watch

Fridays Off the 405 are now Saturdays Off the 405! The free outdoor performance series is back on Saturday nights this summer with a lively mix of today’s most exciting emerging bands and DJ sets to open and close the night. And starting this summer, parking is free at the Getty Center on Saturdays after 5pm.

Lead singer Harrington appeared on stage wrapped in toilet paper on top of his red-striped shirt. After mumbling something about how he got into an accident, and that the toilet paper reminded him of a tampon, he bounced around stage for a couple tracks before getting bored and jetting over to the stairs leading up to the VIP section, despite not having a cordless mic. He hooked his feet in the bars to make an airplane with his body before finding two foot stools to use as sleds back down the stairs. Over the duration of the show, he then stripped, donned a brown shower curtain for a cloak, duct taped himself to fans, wandered some more into the audience, used someone’s cell phone, put a bucket over his head and constructed a smiley face out of duct tape, peeled a banana and stuck the end of it in a photographer’s mouth, found a straw hat, passed around a large bag of tortilla chips to the audience, and changed into an actual shirt for the encore. While still singing.

Somehow though, I knew opening the show with something like “The Equestian” was going to breed some psychosis from audience members. The furious track begins with Jabour’s heated guitar plucking, and dance anthem songs like “Patty Lee” only carry the crowd into more destructive oblivion. But for all the mad performance jumping jacks Harrington laid on us that night, I’m relieved to know that as a band LSF has some real rock meat underneath the craziness of their lead singer, even if they themselves look bewildered and slightly mortified at times by Harrington. – Tripwire

Getty Center Courtyard
1200 Getty Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90049

6pm / FREE / all ages

Tuesday 05.18.10: I Promote Good Bands & The Echo present 60 WATT KID / VOICESVOICES / PIZZA! / TAN DOLLAR @ echo

60 Watt Kid || Listen || Watch

60 Watt Kid started their set beautifully and sweetly, samples of a woman “intrigued by the idea of virtual plastic surgery” lending themselves somehow to the build-up of a wondrous tune. Then they got into a second tune, Dylan Wood looping some “Wipeout” style drums into beautiful, fragile song structures. I realized that I was the only one sitting down. The rousing crescendos that suddenly dissipated into atmospheric delicacy, and the punctuation by guitarist Derek Thomas of what sounded like a child’s xylophone all kept the audience on their toes and quiet as sweaty church mice, even when front-man Kevin Litrow ended a song with “God Bless Patrick Swayze!”

Cutting the set much too short, they wrapped up with their Willy Alexander-esque “American Standard,” an against-type rockabilly tune, wherein Litrow meandered through the audience shouting things at people. They plunked the last few echoey notes, and sadly, the hip-hop CD started its thing once more. As the audience made its way to the lawn, I caught one young man with a Misfits tattoo on his neck tell his girlfriend “These guys were siiiiick!” – LA Record

with:
VoicesVoices
PIZZA!
Tan Dollar

8:30pm / $5 / 18+

Wednesday 05.12.10: EVAN VOYTAS / BELL GARDENS / SUPERHUMANOIDS @ echo

Evan Voytas || Listen || Watch || Mp3

Los Angeles-via-Pennsylvania multi-instrumental singer and home recordist Evan Voytas — sort of a more clean-cut Ariel Pink — creates strange synth-pop/space-disco outings that feel danceable but private and insular. The idea’s explored in the video for his most recent single “I Run With You, Spirit Animal.” The clip was directed by Carlos Charlie Perez, who recently finished the upcoming Vampire Weekend video and shot those tongue-in-cheek promos that showed up on ithinkuracontra.com. You’ll find that playfulness, here as well, after Voytas locates a place to rest his plank of wood while he tries on sunglasses and animal masks. – Stereogum

With:
Bell Gardens
Superhumanoids

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Monday 05.31.10: Monday Night Residency – THE LIKE / THE YOUNG VEINS / THE LIVING SICKNESS @ echo

The Like || Watch

Formed in 2001 during their formative mid-teen years, Los Angeles’ The Like have transformed from indie-alt rock kids to a polished troupe of young ladies who create nouveau retro pop-rock with a sassy twist. Rooted in the era of early 60s British pop girl groups, this foursome have a sleek and signature sound that caught the attention of Mark Ronson (he’s producing their new album, due out in June) and The Arctic Monkeys, with whom they recently joined on tour.

Paired up with Zac Posen for the launch of his new line at Target last night, The Like performed a full set for early shoppers and fans. One thing we noticed about their performance, and that we loved to the max…the band goes straight from one song into the next. No banter in between and as the last chord of one song hits, the drum beat of the next one begins. Stylish and seamless!

We can’t wait to hear the album, especially Wishing He Was Dead, which quickly became our favorite song by the girls. It’s got a Doors’ organ vibe meshed with the soulful nature of The Shirelles. – Sheena Beaston

with:
The Young Veins || Listen
The Living Sickness

Plus DJ sets by the best Northern Soul DJs around

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.24.10: Monday Night Residency – THE LIKE / DANTE VS ZOMBIES / TIJUANA PANTHERS @ echo

The Like || Watch

Formed in 2001 during their formative mid-teen years, Los Angeles’ The Like have transformed from indie-alt rock kids to a polished troupe of young ladies who create nouveau retro pop-rock with a sassy twist. Rooted in the era of early 60s British pop girl groups, this foursome have a sleek and signature sound that caught the attention of Mark Ronson (he’s producing their new album, due out in June) and The Arctic Monkeys, with whom they recently joined on tour.

Paired up with Zac Posen for the launch of his new line at Target last night, The Like performed a full set for early shoppers and fans. One thing we noticed about their performance, and that we loved to the max…the band goes straight from one song into the next. No banter in between and as the last chord of one song hits, the drum beat of the next one begins. Stylish and seamless!

We can’t wait to hear the album, especially Wishing He Was Dead, which quickly became our favorite song by the girls. It’s got a Doors’ organ vibe meshed with the soulful nature of The Shirelles. – Sheena Beaston

with:
Dante vs. Zombies Tijuana Panthers

DJ sets by the best Northern Soul DJs around

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.17.10: Monday Night Residency – THE LIKE / JAIL WEDDINGS / GESTAPO KHAZI / STARF*CKER @ echo

The Like || Watch

Formed in 2001 during their formative mid-teen years, Los Angeles’ The Like have transformed from indie-alt rock kids to a polished troupe of young ladies who create nouveau retro pop-rock with a sassy twist. Rooted in the era of early 60s British pop girl groups, this foursome have a sleek and signature sound that caught the attention of Mark Ronson (he’s producing their new album, due out in June) and The Arctic Monkeys, with whom they recently joined on tour.

Paired up with Zac Posen for the launch of his new line at Target last night, The Like performed a full set for early shoppers and fans. One thing we noticed about their performance, and that we loved to the max…the band goes straight from one song into the next. No banter in between and as the last chord of one song hits, the drum beat of the next one begins. Stylish and seamless!

We can’t wait to hear the album, especially Wishing He Was Dead, which quickly became our favorite song by the girls. It’s got a Doors’ organ vibe meshed with the soulful nature of The Shirelles. – Sheena Beaston

with:
Jail Weddings || Listen
Gestapo Khazi
Starfucker

plus DJ sets by the best Northern Soul DJs around

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 05.10.10: Monday Night Residency – THE LIKE / THE NEW FIDELITY / BLOODBATH @ echo

The Like || Watch

Formed in 2001 during their formative mid-teen years, Los Angeles’ The Like have transformed from indie-alt rock kids to a polished troupe of young ladies who create nouveau retro pop-rock with a sassy twist. Rooted in the era of early 60s British pop girl groups, this foursome have a sleek and signature sound that caught the attention of Mark Ronson (he’s producing their new album, due out in June) and The Arctic Monkeys, with whom they recently joined on tour.

Paired up with Zac Posen for the launch of his new line at Target last night, The Like performed a full set for early shoppers and fans. One thing we noticed about their performance, and that we loved to the max…the band goes straight from one song into the next. No banter in between and as the last chord of one song hits, the drum beat of the next one begins. Stylish and seamless!

We can’t wait to hear the album, especially Wishing He Was Dead, which quickly became our favorite song by the girls. It’s got a Doors’ organ vibe meshed with the soulful nature of The Shirelles. – Sheena Beaston

with:
The New Fidelity || Listen
Bloodbath

plus DJ sets by the best Northern Soul DJs around

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 05.26.10: DRAGONETTE / EVAN VOYTAS / WHITE ARROWS @ echo

Dragonette || Listen || Watch

Dragonette is blessed. The laws of logic and music are useless around this band. On their second live date, they were already supporting New Order. Now, on their second album, these Canadian synth-poppers have undergone a complete reinvention.

2007’s Galore was built around the guitar, whilst Fixin To Thrill instantly trumps it by moving on to a mix of processed sounds and synths. Add some new fire in the band’s bellies and retro tendancies, and you are on to a winner.

Time and time again, there are unbelievable moments on this record, the band turning this into an artform over the course of the brisk 40 minutes. Synths are transformed beyond description, the vocals taken to new territory and the beats unapologetic.

The opening title track turns the screw a mere 22 seconds in, the first of many beat-drops arriving without fanfare. They mean business. “Fixin To Thrill” is a mean track, dropping in vocal samples and allowing some dirty synths to do the business. “And the boys. They offer diamonds but they’re givin the quartz.” – Consequence of Sound

with:
Evan Voytas
White Arrows

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

Saturday 05.15.10: FLYING LOTUS / RAVI COLTRANE / THE GASLAMP KILLER / GONJASUFI / MATTHEWDAVID @ echoplex

Flying Lotus (with live band) || Listen

When global bass music matriarch Mary Anne Hobbs recently told The Fader “Flying Lotus, for me, is like the Hendrix of his generation” it seemed more then an audacious opinion, and with the arrival of Cosmogramma, it’s revealed as a revelation. In the past couple of years, Flying Lotus has grown into the position of being far more than a producer, he has helped materialize a far-reaching strain of musical ideology that has encompassed not only a global family of like-minded artists, but also a nearly infinite palate of planetary (and interplanetary) sonics.

Not only has an entirely new range of sounds been unlocked by our intrepid astral traveler, but every genre touchstone associated with his name has been merged into a self-described “space opera”. Seamless in execution and too wide in scope to properly describe, it is the authentic embodiment of his unique musical heritage. The spirit of his famed aunt, Alice Coltrane permeates the record, notably in the powerful collaborations with relative Ravi Coltrane, bass virtuoso Thundercat and the brilliant harp prodigy, Rebekah Raff.

Certainly these are further reaches into a musical space that Flying Lotus had hitherto been exploring, however other collaborators such as Erykah Badu and Outkast string arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and guest vocalists Thom Yorke and a returning Laura Darlington (featured on Los Angeles’ epic closing track ‘Inifinitum’) help deliver Cosmogramma to dizzying new heights. All this name-dropping, however, is not to detract from the genius of the wizard-like figure behind it all. The most powerful aspect of FlyLo’s output has always been it’s ability to communicate his boundless love and enthusiasm for music in all it’s forms and that is what is boldly on display here.

with:
RAVI COLTRANE
THE GASLAMP KILLER
GONJASUFI
MATTHEWDAVID

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

9pm / $20.00 / 18+

Friday 05.14.10: FLYING LOTUS / RAS G / SAMIYAM / DR. STRANGELOOP / TEEBS / JEREMIAH JAE @ echoplex

Flying Lotus (A/V set) || Listen

When global bass music matriarch Mary Anne Hobbs recently told The Fader “Flying Lotus, for me, is like the Hendrix of his generation” it seemed more then an audacious opinion, and with the arrival of Cosmogramma, it’s revealed as a revelation. In the past couple of years, Flying Lotus has grown into the position of being far more than a producer, he has helped materialize a far-reaching strain of musical ideology that has encompassed not only a global family of like-minded artists, but also a nearly infinite palate of planetary (and interplanetary) sonics.

Not only has an entirely new range of sounds been unlocked by our intrepid astral traveler, but every genre touchstone associated with his name has been merged into a self-described “space opera”. Seamless in execution and too wide in scope to properly describe, it is the authentic embodiment of his unique musical heritage. The spirit of his famed aunt, Alice Coltrane permeates the record, notably in the powerful collaborations with relative Ravi Coltrane, bass virtuoso Thundercat and the brilliant harp prodigy, Rebekah Raff.

Certainly these are further reaches into a musical space that Flying Lotus had hitherto been exploring, however other collaborators such as Erykah Badu and Outkast string arranger Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and guest vocalists Thom Yorke and a returning Laura Darlington (featured on Los Angeles’ epic closing track ‘Inifinitum’) help deliver Cosmogramma to dizzying new heights. All this name-dropping, however, is not to detract from the genius of the wizard-like figure behind it all. The most powerful aspect of FlyLo’s output has always been it’s ability to communicate his boundless love and enthusiasm for music in all it’s forms and that is what is boldly on display here.

with:
RAS G
SAMIYAM
DR. STRANGELOOP
TEEBS
JEREMIAH JAE

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

9pm / $20.00 / 18+

Saturday 05.08.10: GWENDOLYN AND THE GOOD TIME GANG @ echoplex

Gwendolyn and The Good Time Gang

A smart and raucous delight, the kind of sonic adventure that ranks up there with Marlo Thomas’ classic “Free to Be You and Me,” Harry Nilsson’s “The Point” and anything from the Muppets in their heyday.
~ LOS ANGELES TIMES

The critically acclaimed debut children’s CD, “GWENDOLYN AND THE GOOD TIME GANG” won Los Angeles based songwriter Gwendolyn Sanford an ever-widening base of young fans (and their parents). It’s been reported even her sophomore holiday release “‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE ROCKIN’” enjoys year-round play! Now Gwendolyn and her band take it up a notch with “GET UP & DANCE!” an album that’s sure to rock your socks off and get your feet moving.

Songs like “Red Means Stop”, “Run Baby Run”, “Eensy Weensy Spider” and the title track “Get Up & Dance” lend a bit of friendly dance instruction to the first part of the album. The second half is rounded out with new classics like “Sunny Day” and “Sweet Marmalade”. “Bicycle Ride” act as the toddlers’ nod to Queen’s “Bicycle Race”. ”Out In My Garden” lists a myriad of fruits and vegetables and how they’re grown. The toe-tapper “I can Read” encourages listeners to pick up a book and experience a whole new world. “Ode to Pets” and “Snuggle Wuggle” – well, you can pretty much guess what they’re about! Gwendolyn’s success lies in writing songs from a child’s perspective but with the subtle wisdom of an adult.

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

11am / All Ages

Sunday 05.30.10: PART TIME PUNKS – SMITHS / MORRISSEY NITE with guest DJ JOSE MALDONADO @ 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+

Sunday 05.23.10: PART TIME PUNKS with GENEVA JACUZZI / SOFT METALS @ echo

Geneva Jacuzzi || Listen
Soft Metals

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 05.16.10: PART TIME PUNKS with XENO & OAKLANDER + EPEE DU BOIS + FRANK ALPINE + KILLING SPREE DJS SARAH AND RICH @ echo

XENO & OAKLANDER || Listen
EPEE DU BOIS
FRANK ALPINE
KILLING SPREE DJs Sarah & Rich

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Sunday 05.09.10: PART TIME PUNKS – DEPECHE MODE NITE @ echo

DEPECHE MODE NITE for “Dave Day” (aka Dave Gahan’s birthday)

Guest DJs: Ray & Alex [from The Depeche Mode Convention]

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Sunday 05.02.10: PART TIME PUNKS with TITLE TRACKS / VOXHAUL BROADCAST / CATWALK @ echo

Title Tracks || Listen
Voxhaul Broadcast
Catwalk

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $8 / 18+

Monday 05.03.10: SQUARE ON SQUARE / CUE THE MOON / JUDSON AND MARY @ echo

SQUARE ON SQUARE

Music doesn’t feel so much like a business to Evan Slamka these days, and the Los Angeles singer-songwriter likes it just fine.

With his new quintet Square on Square, Slamka has emerged from three-plus years of personal reflection and creative regeneration that followed the dissolution of Majorie Fair, which released one excellent album (”Self Help Serenade”) for Capitol Records before sinking into the major-label abyss. The music on SOS’s forthcoming five-song EP, “Spectrum of Love,” brims with the same keen melodicism and British Invasion shading as Slamka’s previous work, except now everything — from arrangements to themes — seems larger than life. – Buzz Bands LA

with:
CUE THE MOON || Listen
JUDSON AND MARY

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Thursday 05.27.10: VOXTROT – Goodbye, Cruel World tour / WE BARBARIANS / INTERNATIONAL WATERS / THE FEROCIOUS FEW @ echoplex

Voxtrot || Listen || Mp3

The Austin indie pop band Voxtrot is calling it quits. Next month, the band will embark on a short farewell tour, which they’re calling the “Goodbye, Cruel World” tour, and then going their separate ways. We’ve got the tour dates below.

In a long letter on the band’s website, frontman Ramesh Srivastava lays out the reasons for the band’s dissolution: “The career path of Voxtrot was truly one of long, simmering build, explosion, and almost instantaneous decay. Slowly, I am learning to replace any feelings of regret with positive memories of how amazing the whole thing was, and how it has, in an unexpected way, fortified my character.”

There’s a lot more where that came from, including ruminations on Peter Falk’s glass eye and Fran Healy from Travis. You can read it here.

Voxtrot leave behind one album and several EPs. Many of the band’s members have new projects in the works. Mitch Calvert is in a new band called International Waters, and they’re gearing up to release a 10″ EP called It Felt Like. They’ll also open two dates on the farewell tour. Jared Van Fleet has a solo project called Sparrow House. Matt Simon and Jason Chronis are playing in three bands together: JC & Co., The Black, and Belaire. – Pitchfork

with:
We Barbarians || Listen
International Waters
The Ferocious Few || Listen

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

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

Sunday 05.30.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with DEAD ROCK WEST / FUNERAL CLUB / VICKI HILL / TIPPY CANOE @ echo

Dead Rock West || Listen
Funeral Club
Vicki Hill
Tippy Canoe

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 05.23.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with GROOVY REDNECKS / THE CHEATIN’ KIND / ROBERT BLACK @ echo

Groovy Rednecks
The Cheatin’ Kind || Listen
Robert Black

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 05.16.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with DAN JANISCH / 50 CENT HAIRCUT / WILLIAM LEE AND THE MONDERN PRIMITIVES @ echo

Dan Janisch || Listen
50 Cent Haircut || Listen
William Lee & The Modern Primitives || Listen

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 05.16.10: Spaceland Productions, KCRW & Filter present SEA WOLF / PATRICK PARK @ The Autry

Sea Wolf || Listen || Watch

Taking its name from novelist Jack London’s 1904 seafaring adventure, Sea Wolf has evolved organically from its hermetic origins in Alex Brown Church’s living room into a muscular, full-bodied musical entity with passion to burn. After adopting the sobriquet, Church burst onto the music scene in two-fisted fashion with the EP, Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low, and the subsequent full-length debut album, Leaves in the River, about which Interview magazine observed, “His music is both erudite and unvarnished, a blend of swirling melodies, literary balladry and damaged art-rock composition.”

And now, Church’s singular vision has led to the creation of the eloquent and expansive new album White Water, White Bloom, which not only fulfills the immense promise of the initial musical diptych but conjures up its own cosmology. This is one of those rare and mysterious records wherein, the first time you hear it, you can’t shake the feeling that it’s always been part of the soundtrack of your life. You intimately know its ups and downs, its melodies and cadences, its settings and characters.

with:
Patrick Park || Listen

at The Autry Museum
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, California, 90027

7:30pm / $12 advance, $15 day of show / All Ages

Thursday 05.13.10: LA Record Presents MISSISSIPPI MAN / PEPPER RABBIT / WHITE ARROWS / THE FLING @ echo

Mississippi Man || Watch

First, listening to Mississippi Man’s debut EP, The Snake Oil Salesman, will clear up any doubts of how five West Coast kids from L.A. came to be called Mississippi Man. The album is infused with the feel of old time Southern blues, both in melody and tone, as the band reaches deep into the storied South to pull inspiration. The album starts with a ghostly carnival melody above the atmospheric hiss of an old record. The nostalgia quickly ends as the band enters and the ghostly melody transforms into a quick toe-tapping swing, accented by the shrill but melodic voice that drips into the music with grace. – Performer Magazine

with:
Pepper Rabbit
White Arrows
The Fling

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Tuesday 05.11.10: SMOG SESSIONS with BRO SAFARI / PABLO HASSAN / STEADY / CITYMAVRICK / KEMST @ echo

POWER OUTAGE MAKE-UP PARTY!

BRO SAFARI
KNICK/EVOL INTENT, DECEAST, LA

PABLO HASSAN
SMOG, LA

STEADY
SMOG, LA

CITYMAVRICK
DUDEFUCKINGHELLYEAH, SB

KEMST
SMOG, LA

POWERED BY MEDIACONTENDER.COM

RSVP @ http://app.championsound.com/1440/events/smog-sessions-may

FMI: smogla.com

10pm / FREE W/ RSVP / 21+

Friday 05.07.10: First Fridays with THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH / GAMBLE HOUSE @ Natural History Museum

Performances in the diorama hall with The Tallest Man on Earth and Gamble House

Swedish folk singer Kristian Mattson comes to First Fridays as The Tallest Man on Earth with deft guitar playing and a raspy voice that has led many to compare him to a young Bob Dylan. Mattson draws on the legacy of old blues and folk masters to create haunting, intimate songs. Gamble House experiments with gentle, soaring vocals and elements of 60s pop, choral music and “folk psychedelia” that is warm and captivating.

Resident DJ, Them Jeans (a.k.a. Jason Stewart) and headliner, DJ Moonbaby

With musical tastes spanning from hardcore punk to dancefloor-friendly hip-hop, post-rock to ambient electronic, Them Jeans never fails to deliver a set with the perfect mood for the gathering. LA’s own DJ Moonbaby performs as this month’s guest DJ.

@ 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

Thursday 05.06.10: SPINDRIFT / NURSES / MAGIC MIRROR

Spindrift || Listen || Watch

“A mix of psych-rock and the Spaghetti Western sound of Ennio Morricone equals the perfect soundtrack for your next trip to a ghost town.” -Paste Online

“[Spindrift has] upgraded the master’s spaghetti sonics for the new millennium on its imminent full-length debut The West…” -Wired.com

“L.A.’s leading practitioners of exotic soundscapes, conjuring up dreamy spells that alternately evoke spaghetti Westerns, psychedelia, dusty blues and Old World klezmer.” -LA Weekly

“I’m not quite sure what parallel universe Spindrift’s music belongs in — maybe a post- apocalyptic landscape where art movies are projected across the desert sky while what remains of the flora comes to life, wielding double-neck bass guitars and autoharps. But I’d love to visit.” -Buzz Bands

with:
Nurses || Listen
Magic Mirror

8:30pm / $8 /18+

Saturday 05.29.10: BEARRACUDA @ echoplex

After a very long wait and searching for the best venue for the club, Bearracuda comes to Los Angeles! On Saturday, May 29th we invade the Echoplex for one massive night of furry fun.

Flying down from San Francisco, we welcome DJ/Producer: MATT CONSOLA. Over the last 20+ years, he’s had an exciting career playing memorable events across the country and across the world. Recently, he had the honor of opening for The Pet Shop Boys at The Warfield for their Pandemonium World Tour September 22nd & 23rd 2009.

Joining Matt is our resident DJ at Bearracuda Portland, SAM STORICKS. Sam played our first Bearracuda New Year’s Eve party in 2006 and has been a big part of the club ever since. He also makes guest appearances at our San Francisco & Seattle parties and will be flying down for his LA debut.

Bearracuda is the largest attended bear dance party on the West Coast w/ regular parties in San Francisco, Seattle & Portland. Voted “Best club for queer men” in 2008 & 2009 by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. We’ve got beards, bears, cubs, pups, chubs, beefcakes, furballs and other wildlife!

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

FMI: BEARRACUDA.COM/LA

Join the Bearracuda LA Facebook group!

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

Sunday 05.09.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with DAVE GLEASON AND THE GOLDEN CADILLACS / THE COALS / HAYMAKER / FREAKY MOUNTAIN @ echo

Dave Gleason & The Golden Cadillacs
The Coals (formerly US Mail)
Haymaker

Backporch:
Freaky Mountain

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Sunday 05.02.10: GRAND OLE ECHO with OLD CALIFORNIO / PAUL CHESNE BAND / THE BELIEVERS @ echo

Old Californio
Paul Chesne Band || Listen
The Believers || Listen

FMI: Grand Ole Echo on Myspace

5:00pm / FREE / All Ages

Friday 05.21.10: Club Underground & Echo present FRANCIS AND THE LIGHTS / TEEN INC @ echo

Francis and The Lights || Listen || Watch

Everything about Francis Farewell Starlite, leader of synth-pop throwbacks Francis and the Lights, is insanely meticulous. Sipping on Orangina in his cement-floored Lower East Side apartment one crisp January afternoon, Starlite is dressed neatly in a dark, military-ish overcoat, charcoal-gray pressed pants, and expensive-looking black dress shoes. The bathmat is folded tidily over the tub in the bathroom; racks of clothes hang from the ceiling, still covered in plastic from the dry cleaners. A trapdoor in one corner of the room leads to the basement, where you’ll find a full-blown recording studio with the instruments all ordered just so, including an array of synths with all the white keys painted black. Starlite explains that it’s a songwriting aide: “It helps me break the mold. The difference between black and white keys is that there is no difference.”

This is where Starlite records most of his songs: shimmering, complex nuggets of ’80s-excess pop that call to mind the brainy soul shakedowns of Scritti Politti and the cocktail-jazz fusions of Steely Dan. (Studio obsessives both, too.) Since 2007, he’s released two excellent EPs and one single, a modest output with nonetheless killer highlights, including the tender, falsettoed-out ballad “Strawberries” and the spare future-funk jam “My Goals.” You may not have heard of him yet, but Starlite promises to be one of the year’s breakout successes. – The Village Voice

with:
Teen Inc || Listen