Tuesday 11.10.09: Aquarium Drunkard presents BISHOP ALLEN / THROW ME THE STATUE / DARWIN DEEZ @ echoplex

Bishop Allen || Listen || Watch

Bishop Allen has broken through to a larger audience than any Brooklyn DIY power-pop duo could be expected to, first by landing the twinkly song “Click, Click, Click, Click” in a camera commercial, then by belting out the ferociously catchy “Middle Management” in the movie Nick And Norah’s Infinite Playlist. The band’s third LP, Grrr…, is designed to appeal to fans of those two semi-hits; it’s a record full of explosive percussion, scratchy guitars, and fragments of melody that bandleaders Justin Rice and Christian Rudder repeat until they wear down listeners’ resistance. Much of Grrr… ventures pretty far into the cutesy—as the album’s title suggests—but more often than not, Rice and Rudder’s strong rock-sense gives Bishop Allen’s songs enough kick to overcome their cloying elements. And the pair have a knack for super-charged ditties like “Oklahoma,” “Rooftop Brawl,” and “Cue The Elephants” that can make any given three minutes of the day feel a lot happier. -A.V. Club

with:
Throw Me The Statue
Darwin Deez

ENTER THROUGH THE ECHO AT 1822 SUNSET BLVD!!
Entrance Fee gets you into both shows at the Echo/Echoplex!!

8pm / $8 / all ages

Tuesday 11.10.09: 60 WATT KID / BEST COAST / GOWNS / TEARIST @ echo

60 Watt Kid || Listen || Watch (Record Release Show)

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:
Best Coast || Listen
Gowns || Listen
Tearist

Entrance Fee gets you into both shows at the Echo/Echoplex!!

8:30pm / $8 / all ages