Monday 02.22.10: Monday Night Residency – USELESS KEYS / FREE ENERGY / MOON OVER MOSCOW @ echo

Useless Keys || Listen

The foursome’s debut EP, which will be out after the first of the year, is the stuff of late nights and distant horizons, taut and expansive and cinematic and not a little bit Floydian. Its title is “Is the Painting Changing?” — and no matter whether the metaphorical painting is, it’s certain that Bauer, who led the Fugazi-inspired trio the Front until the band broke up on Jan. 1, 2008, has. He calls it a “natural progression,” but it’s more a startling metamorphosis, one that Bauer attributes to the friendship and tutelage of guitarist Michael Regilio.

“The Front was the band where I drank whiskey, turned up my guitar real loud and shouted into the microphone,” he says. “In Useless Keys, I’m actually conscious of the whole package … It’s just maturing, I guess.”

Regilio was a driving force in the underrated L.A. power-pop band the Green and Yellow TV. After their respective former bands disintegrated in ’08, Bauer and Regilio would get together for lessons and jams sessions. “I saw Michael as someone I could learn a lot from — he went to Berklee, and he’s just a much better guitar player than I am,” Bauer says. “We started making demos in his bedroom, but we had no aspirations. He had something going on, I had something going on. … But then his project broke up, and I needed to plunge myself into something.”

The pair hooked up with drummer Rory Modica and bassist Guylaine Vivarat, and from their first show at Spaceland it was evident Useless Keys were a band to watch. Recent shows in New York, including one supporting the Rifles, went well, and they’ve been recording with producer Sheldon Gomberg (Rick Parker’s mix adds to the psychedelic vibe). The quartet is aiming high on its full-length album. – Buzz Bands

with:
Free Energy || Listen
Moon Over Moscow

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Tuesday 02.23.10: BUZZ BANDS LA presents GLACIER HIKING / HAIM / KITTEN / GO WEST YOUNG MAN @ echo

Glacier Hiking’s glossy, adrenaline-pumping pop-rock has been a work-in-progress for about four years now. Collaborators Ross Golan and Tommy Walter, when not busy on other projects (Golan as a songwriter-for-hire and Walter as a writer/producer), last year scrapped a plan to release an EP every three months in favor of finishing a full-length album with producer/mixer Neal Avron, who has worked with Yellowcard, Fall Out Boy, Say Anything and New Found Glory, among others.

“We feel we’ve finally found our voice,” says Golan, whose quartet also includes drummer Daniel James and bassist Yutaka Sao. “We’ve gone through a lot of phases. … But now we’ve worked hard at writing fresh music that we think represents who we are.”

Haim’s sister act started generating buzz last year when the quintet — which includes Haim siblings Este, 23, Danielle, 20, and Alana, 18, along with Alex Fischel and Jeff Conrad — started bringing its classic take on rock to local clubs. Danielle spent part of the year as a touring member of Jenny Lewis’ band, and then Julian Casablancas’ band. Haim (Hi-EEM) has been writing new material and getting a bit of weekend studio time with producer Tony Berg.

Kitten’s urgent indie-pop sounds a bit like early Metric (if you remember what Metric sounded like in its L.A. days), with 15-year-old Chloe Chaidez’s breathy vocals (she’s an admirer of both Karen O and Cat Power) striking a balance between vulnerable and worldly.

Go West Young Man’s self-titled 2009 album, all too deplorably overlooked, is full of sticky melodies and bright imagery, showing off multi-instrumentalist Damin Suarez’s slick pop songwriting chops.

- Buzz Bands LA

RSVP at buzzbands(at)gmail(dot)com

8:30pm / $5 with RSVP, $8 without / 18+

Wednesday 02.24.10: OLIVER FUTURE / THE DELTA MIRROR / JESUS MAKES THE SHOTGUN SOUND / QUEEN KWONG @ echo

Oliver Future || Listen

In Oliver Future’s new configuration, Lit will remain out front, his brother will man a bank of keyboards affectionately called “rig-zilla” and Raver will drum. “Sam just went out and bought a kit and said, ‘I’m going to be your drummer and we’re going to be a three-piece,’” Noah Lit says. “So the story is we just downsized because of the economy.” Lit says the trio “locked ourselves into an antique storage warehouse” and thrashed out new songs. “If you like the more epic and weird stuff on the first record, you’ll like his,” he adds. “There’s no feeling anymore that we have to write a single. But in a weird way, when there’s just three people playing — even though the songs are out there — everything just sounds more simple. “Before we were like an aircraft carrier. But there’s something to be said for being minimalistic.” – Buzz Bands

with:
The Delta Mirror
Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound
Queen Kwong

8:30pm / $7 / 18+

Wednesday 02.24.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Thursday 02.25.10: ANDREW LYNCH / THE SECTION QUARTET / DOWNTOWN/UNION / EAGLE & TALON @ 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:
The Section Quartet || Listen
Downtown/Union
Eagle & Talon

8:30pm / $5 / 18+

Thursday 02.25.10: 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 02.26.10: THE STRANGE BOYS / CHAIN AND THE GANG / NEVEREVER @ echo

The Strange Boys || Watch

With an expanded line-up featuring Seth Densham and Jenna Thornhill of Mika Miko and Darker My Love’s Tim Presley, Texas’s Strange Boys look to ever so slightly build upon the roots-garage template they’ve constructed over the course of several singles and an excellent debut full-length on In the Red. The Boys have an uncanny ability to internalize a host of increasingly ancient (the ‘60s will turn fifty this year mind you) pop and rock sub-sub-genres and make them sound utterly vibrant in the messed up times of now. And based on the title track/first single, the new auxiliary members seem to have picked up the band’s groove quite handily. – Prefix

with:
Chain And The Gang
Neverever

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

Friday 02.26.10: TRANNYSHACK @ echoplex

Trannyshack LA returns, once again at Echoplex, our new home, and our biggest and best venue yet. With a line-up of the most talented trannies on the West Coast, this will be the party not to miss this season. Featuring performances by Heklina, Raya Light, Squeaky Blonde, Lady Bear, Syphilis Diller, Fade Dra, Anna Conda, Fade Dra, Rhea Litre, Alaska Thunderfuck, Phyllis Navidad, and more. Hostess Heklina and partner Cody Bayne promise a night of lipstick smeared madness, and DJ Dave Rape supplies the beats before and after the show. Drop dead diva Barbie Q will greet you at the door….

Trannyshack, San Francisco’s infamous drag performance night club, shocked and delighted packed audiences every Tuesday night at midnight for over twelve years. Defying all expectations, Trannyshack incorporated everything from low brow trash to high brow performance art, and became famous (or, infamous) worldwide as the quintessential San Francisco experience. No visit to the City was complete without a stop at Trannyshack. The club has been featured in Out (which named it one of the top 10 reasons to move to San Francisco), Genre, Instinct, and Paper magazines and won numerous Best of the Bay awards, and was filmed for an independent feature length documentary , titled “Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Story” . Trannyshack is now branching out it’s empire, with shows in LA, London, Waikiki, Seattle, Portland, New Orleans, and Reno enjoying great success.

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

9pm / $10 / 21+

Saturday 02.27.09: FOUR TET / NATHAN FAKE / ACTIVE CHILD @ echoplex

Four Tet || Listen || Watch

Over the course of a truly inspired career, London’s Four Tet, a.k.a. Kieran Hebden, has remained ahead of the curve, sidestepping obsolescence by folding new strains of sound into his already rich jazz/hip-hop/folk base. Last year’s Ringer EP found Hebden reveling in the hypnotic, developing 10-minute songs that ditched the dissonance of 2005’s Everything Ecstatic in favor of calmer waters and subtler effects. There Is Love In You, his first proper album in five years, is smoother still, and to great effect—if this isn’t the best Four Tet record yet, it’s certainly a fresh face for Hebden.

These songs make no bones about their rhythmic inspiration. Most are four-on-the-floor, built atop recurring samples, but only the single, “Love Cry,” outwardly indulges in Ibiza-flavored house. (Even then, it’s under a dark cloud of dubstep digitalia.) Instead, Hebden does his contemporaries in The Field one better by using repetition as the beginning of the experiment, rather than its final resting place, as if thinking, “The music’s going to move in circles; now, how to interrupt those perfect curves?”

Each song is an exercise in craftsmanship, with the crystalline opener “Angel Echoes” patiently coming into focus, “Circling” starting over halfway through to rebuild with a new set of sounds, and “Sing” finding its pulse in a curious mix of Nintendo glitch and tined instruments—African thumb piano, an open Rhodes organ. Each unfolds into the next gracefully, until “She Just Likes To Fight,” one of the album’s shorter songs at five minutes, closes There Is Love In You. Sleepy as this final song is, it’s the record’s most surprising, beginning with a club beat, then morphing into live post-rock punctuated by hand-smacked percussion. It’s further proof that Hebden is incapable of phoning it in, and that he has plenty more tricks up his sleeve for the coming years. – The AV Club

with:
Nathan Fake || Listen
Active Child || Listen

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

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

Saturday 02.27.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 02.28.10: THE MACAROONS @ Echo (Early Show)

The Macaroons || Listen || Watch

The second incarnation of The Leevees (All Things Considered’s “best holiday record of the decade!”), the Macaroons feature musicians Dave Schneider (the Zambonis, the world’s only all-hockey rock band), Shawn Fogel (Golden Bloom, The Zambonis), Dan Saks (DeLeon, a Sephardic indie rock band also on JDub Records) and Michael Azerrad.

The record, comprised of 17 power-pop tracks for the petite set, is perfect for parents looking for an alternative to the boring lullabies of their youth. The Macaroons’ new sound signals a return to the sincerely silly, exemplified by Jerry Garcia’s folksy Not For Kids Only or the freshness of Jonathan Richman. Still, the Macaroons handle Jewish cultural traditions with a particularly kind and nostalgic humor that is as evocative for kids as it is for parents. Take “Elijah,” a sweet and wistful ode to the invisible prophet who makes his nighttime rounds during Passover, in which the kid-narrator vows to “leave the bathroom light on just for him.”

12pm / $8, family 4-pak $30.00 / all ages

Sunday 02.28.10: SCREAM (Original Lineup) / THE HOLLOYS @ echo (early show)

Scream (Original Lineup)

Scream, like most of the bands in DC, obviously had been extremely influenced by the Bad Brains, but they seemed to be more advanced musicians and had more of a rock and roll sensibility than the others. In 1982, they went into Inner Ear Studio with Ian and Eddie to record Dischord’s first full length album, Still Screaming. Scream released four albums on Dischord (as well as one on RAS Records, No More Censorship) and continued to play until the beginning of the 90’s, doing a number of U.S. and European tours.

with:
Holloys || Listen

6pm / $10 advance, $12 day of show / all ages

Sunday 02.28.10: PART TIME PUNKS – SMITH / MORRISSEY NITE @ echo

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.01.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR @ echo

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

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

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

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

The Moth GrandSLAM V: Uncharted Territory

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

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

Hosted by Brian Finkelstein

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

Music by
Alex Burke on the Vibraphone

Tickets available February 15th

@ The Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

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

Tuesday 03.02.10: NICE NICE / WE BREAK CAMERAS @ echo

Nice Nice || Listen || Watch || MP3

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

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

with:
We Break Cameras || Listen

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

Wednesday 03.03.10: SHRINEBUILDER / STORM OF LIGHT @ echo

Shrinebuilder

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

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

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

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

with:
Storm of Light || Listen

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

Wednesday 03.03.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Thursday 03.04.10: SHRINEBUILDER / STORM OF LIGHT @ echo

Shrinebuilder

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

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

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

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

with:
Storm of Light || Listen

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

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

Leslie and The Lys || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

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

with:
Christopher the Conquered || Listen

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

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

Friday 03.05.10: THE APPLESEED CAST / DREAMEND @ echoplex

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

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

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

with:
Dreamend || Listen

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

Friday 03.05.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Saturday 03.06.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Monday 03.08.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR @ echo

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

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

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 03.10.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Thursday 03.11.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

8:30pm / $25 / 18+

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

The Cave Singers || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

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

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

Friday 03.12.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

8:30pm / $25 / 18+

Friday 03.02.10: Echo & Club Underground present SLEEPY SUN @ echo

Sleepy Sun || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

Saturday 03.13.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.14.10: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB @ echoplex

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

8:30pm / $25 / 18+

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

BLESSURE GRAVE
TWIN CRYSTALS
RANDOM CUTS

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.15.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR @ echo

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

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

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

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

Ollin || Listen || Mp3

OLLIN (Aztec for movement/earthquakes) blazed out of East LA to take on the mantle of the great LA rock and rollers, bringing the energy and vibrancy of Chicano music to a growing number of devotees, in clubs, colleges and concert halls, all over the States. Coinciding with the 1994 Northridge earthquake.

Ollin began as more than a musical project; the essence of the band is punk, but the instrumentation and musical development of the band has its heart in the beautiful music of Mexico.

Tex-Mex barn burners and stomping Jarocho tunes became show staples. As the band matured they began to look beyond the walls of their own culture for inspiration. Ollin soon discovered musical and social parallels in African, Irish, Klezmer, and nearly all world genres. They are on a life long crusade to encounter and learn from any given cultures music.

This is evident in their fiery live shows as they masterfully weave world styles with rock and roll sensibilities.

with:
Brant Bjork
Last Man Standing

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

Wednesday 03.17.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

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

Xiu Xiu || Listen || Watch

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

with:
Tune Yards || Listen
Noveller || Listen

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

Friday 03.19.10: echo & Club Underground present HIGH PLACES @ echo

High Places || Listen || Watch

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

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

Saturday 03.20.10: BETH HART @ echo

Beth Hart || Listen || Watch

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

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

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

7pm / $15.00 / all ages

Saturday 03.20.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

Sunday 03.21.10: PART TIME PUNKS with FRANK ALPINE + KILLING SPREE @ echo

FRANK ALPINE
KILLING SPREE

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI: Part Time Punks on Myspace

10pm / $5 / 18+

Monday 03.22.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR @ echo

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

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

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

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

Cymbals Eat Guitars || Listen || Watch

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

with:
Bear in Heaven || Listen

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

Wednesday 03.24.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

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

Foreign Born || Listen || Watch

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

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

Saturday 03.27.10: Echo & Aquarium Drunkard presents SURFER BLOOD / TURBO FRUITS / BEST COAST / ACTIVE CHILD & more @ Echo & Echoplex

with:
Surfer Blood
Turbo Fruits || Listen
Active Child || Listen

MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!

Enter at
Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026

3pm / $10 / All Ages

Saturday 03.27.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

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

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

resident dj Michael Stock spinning mutant disco * Postpunk * indiepop

FMI:
Part Time Punks on Myspace

7pm / $15 / All Ages

Monday 03.29.10: Monday Night Residency – THE DELTA MIRROR @ echo

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

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

8:30pm / FREE / 21+

Wednesday 03.31.10: TERROR PIGEON DANCE REVOLT @ echo

Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt || Listen

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

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

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

Wednesday 03.31.10: DUB CLUB @ echoplex

with Resident DJs:
Tom Chasteen
Roy Corderoy
The Dungeonmaster
Boss Harmony

Spinning the best in classic reggae, dub and dancehall

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

9pm / $5 / 21+

Friday 04.02.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+

Saturday 04.03.10: FUNKY SOLE @ echo

with DJs:
Music Man Miles
Clifton AKA Soft Touch

FMI: Funky Sole on Myspace

10pm / FREE / 21+

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+

Friday 04.09.10: CLUB UNDERGROUND @ echo

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

FMI: ClubUnderground.net

9pm / $5 if 21+, $7 under 21 / 18+