Friday 07.16.10: Spaceland Productions & Kcrw present JOHN DOE & EXENE / THE LIVING SISTERS / FERRABY LIONHEART @ The Autry

John Doe & Exene

John and Exene, who took the stage in simple, black-and-white outfits, looked a little bit like the Appalachian folkies who inspire their music. Although their romance ended nearly 25 years ago, the pair retains a certain chemistry and tenderness that comes through in their patient, funny onstage banter. And, before we get into the music, there’s something else you should know about John and Exene: Their fans — from 20-somethings to 50-year-old punks — adore them. Not a moment of silence could pass without someone yelling, “We love you, Exene!” or good-naturedly joking with John.

As someone who’s devoted a lot of time to thinking about X — I just submitted a 33 1/3 proposal on Los Angeles — the performance was a chance to reflect on the way their music has evolved over the years. Although the road from punk to Americana seems long, the movements are tied together by the raucousness of rockabilly. And the space between the sex, drugs, and death that fueled LA punk and the sex-booze-death triumvirate that has driven American roots music for a century has never been that great. As it turns out, the California noir and Southern gothic aesthetics may just be kissin’ cousins.

For much of the set, John’s acoustic guitar was the only instrument accompanying their voices, as they paged through a selection of each musician’s own compositions, a handful of covers, and a sprinkling of X classics. Throughout, John and Exene kept the audience engaged. John joked about his excitement to contribute a track (“The Losing Kind”) to a Samuel L. Jackson movie and the disappointment of discovering just how bad Black Snake Moan turned out to be. As Doe put it, “Even Christina Ricci running around in her underpants couldn’t save it.” And before performing the Carter Family standard “Poor Old Heartsick Me,” they told the story of their chance meeting with June Carter, who apparently told them, “If I never sing that song again, it’ll be too soon.”

Of course, for an old X fan, the highlight of the evening was hearing two of my favorite old-school tunes, “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” and “In This House That I Call Home.” During the second encore (that’s right, kids — both about to turn 53 and still gracing audiences with multiple encores), a few people shouted out, “Los Angeles!”

“On an acoustic guitar? Really?” John shot back, without missing a beat. I knew he was right, but I couldn’t fault them for the request. Even on an acoustic guitar, I would’ve liked to hear it, too. – Tiny Mix Tapes

with:
The Living Sisters
Ferraby Lionheart || Listen

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

7pm / General admission= $22, Limited seated admission= $30 / All Ages

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 07.16.10: TRANNYSHACK LA @ echoplex

Back at our fabulous LA venue, Echoplex for our summer edition!

With performances by:
Lady Bear
Squeaky Blonde
Rhea Litre
Hoku Mama
Fade-dra
Raya Light
Ethel Merman
Monistat
Shenana Iggins
Phyllis Navidad
and your hostess Heklina!

Special guest Kembra Pfahler (Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black)

DJ’s Hotne$$a & David Banjela

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

9pm / $10 / 21+