A cool watercolor sky highlights a picture perfect space age suburban shopping center. The spirited sea breeze has blue and yellow plastic pennants swagging and snapping in the wind and a Blue Chip Stamp banner clinging for life on a two-headed lamppost. Red clay brick glows with warmth beside sunshine yellow and snow-white stucco. Flat facades labeled with store names spelled out in fun fonts hover over impressive floor to ceiling plate glass doors and deep-dish display windows. Abandoned shopping carts share the spacious parking lot where colorful, chrome tipped cars parked are on the bias. There is one foreign car in the lot, a British roadster. It doesn’t take up much room. A raised bed of tropical plantings, up front, looks like a feeding trough for vegetarian dinosaurs.
»continue reading Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: Modern Shopping Center, Ventura, CA , 1961

FRIDAY APRIL 17
TICKETS

A Place To Bury Strangers, Alberta Cross, Bajofondo, Beirut, Buraka Som Sistema, Cage the Elephant, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Craze and Klever, Crystal Castles, Dear and the Headlights, Felix da Housecat, Franz Ferdinand, Genghis Tron, Ghostland Observatory, Girl Talk, Gui Boratto, Leonard Cohen, Los Campesinos!, M. Ward, Molotov, Morrissey, N.A.S.A., Noah and the Whale, Patton & Rahzel , Paul McCartney, Peanut Butter Wolf, People Under the Stairs, Ryan Bingham, Silversun Pickups, Steve Aoki, Switch, The Crystal Method, The Aggrolites, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Black Keys, The Bug, The Courteeners, The Hold Steady, The Knux, The Presets, The Ting Tings, We Are Scientists, White Lies

SATURDAY APRIL 18
TICKETS

Amanda Palmer, Amy Winehouse, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Atmosphere, Band Of Horses, Billy Talent, Blitzen Trapper, Bob Mould Band, Booker T, Calexico, Cloud Cult, Crookers, Dr. Dog, Drive By Truckers, Drop The Lime, Electric Touch, Fleet Foxes, Gang Gang Dance, Glass Candy, Glasvegas, Henry Rollins, Hercules and Love Affair, Ida Maria, James Morrison, Liars, Mastodon, Michael Franti & Spearhead, MSTRKRFT, Surkin, Para One (Live), Superchunk, The Bloody Beetroots, The Killers, Thenewno2, Thievery Corporation, Tinariwen, TRAV$DJ-AM, Turbonegro, TV On The Radio, Zane Lowe, Zizek

SUNDAY APRIL 19
TICKETS

Antony and the Johnsons, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Christopher Lawrence, Clipse, Friendly Fires, Fucked Up, Gaslight Anthem, Groove Armada (DJ Set), Jenny Lewis, Junior Boys, K’naan, Late of the Pier, Lupe Fiasco, Lykke Li, M.A.N.D.Y., Marshall Barnes, Mexican Institute of Sound, My Bloody Valentine, No Age, Okkervil River, Paolo Nutini, Paul Weller, Perry Farrell, Peter Bjorn and John, Public Enemy, Roni Size, Sebastien Tellier, Shepard Fairey, Supermayer, The Cure, The Horrors, The Kills, The Night Marchers, Themselves, Throbbing Gristle, Vivian Girls, X, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

3-DAY PASS TICKETS

CAMPING TICKETS

Official Festival Site

Jeannette and I were prowling around Wednesday eve and we stumbled upon this gigantic, fantastic, (insert adjective here) wall on Melrose about a block east of Fairfax. Anybody following Neckface’s work in LA knows that he tends to favor the Fairfax and Melrose corridors for whatever reason (proximity to New Image? He’s had some shows there). Anyhow, check it out while it lasts; typically that wall is reserved for back catalog reissues, shoe adverts and/or something similarly ignorable. (Photo by Jeannette)

» Bored? Jeannette’s Flickr Stream Never Fails To Entertain In Some Capacity

HEADS UP
Relentless 7 @ The Mint Thu Jan 29
Relentless 7 @ The Mint Fri Jan 30

These two hot, guaranteed-to-be-packed shows were added to our calendar right around lunchtime today. What could this mean? It could mean that you have the chance to witness Ben Harper & company tear up a very intimate setting (possibly covering Queen’s “Under Pressure” in the process). It could also mean that you clearly need to refresh our show listings page 8-10 times per day and scour it like mad. You have been duly advised, I will see you there, don’t sleep on it. (See the photo up there lifted from the band’s myspace? They played the Mint back in December and you see what happened.) Doors at midnight, show @ 1230, it’ll be a late one (by LA standards).

Five and half years since their last area apperance, now pared down to an essential trio, England’s Tindersticks return to Los Angeles for a March 13 date at the Henry Fonda Theater. Ticket presale begins this Saturday, January 30 at 10 am.

Their current album, The Hungry Saw, finally released stateside by Constellation late last year, is their 7th proper LP of their 15+ year career–not counting a deep back catalog of numerous soundtracks, compilations and live releases–and ranks among in the best half-dozen or so releases of their oeuvre. For the uninitiated, their 1993 double LP debut, The Tindersticks First Album, is the place to start. Easily it is one of the finest albums of the 1990’s, if not any decade.

Despite what we might hope, realistically, we don’t foresee them continuing for many more years, so do take this opportunity now to say you saw them before they shuffle off.

Tindersticks @ Henry Fonda Theater Friday 3/13
 

Chrome-ee-oh… ohhh… oh.

They won’t let you forget their slick, shiny name. Nearly all of Chromeo’s songs have a shoutout to the band’s moniker — and their stage set sports a giant pink neon sign that reads “Chromeo Two Step.” The Montreal duo’s signature keyboard stands are pairs of lighted mannequin legs that look like the leg lamp from A Christmas Story.

Chromeo performed to a sold-out LA crowd at Key Club on Thursday, January 22, their last show before they disappear into the studio to record the much-awaited follow-up to 2007’s Fancy Footwork. There was not much room for footwork of any kind on Thursday though, as the club was completely packed shoulder to shoulder.
»continue reading Chromeo @ Key Club, January 22, 2009

A brief look at the current prices of some of the longest DRM-free music mp3s on the marketplace at two major vendors, and why you should or should not buy them from either vendor based strictly on price.

Today we compare some of the longest DRM-free offerings of Amazon and ShockHound, in an attempt to completely fill an iPod nano with as few songs as possible. (You guys remember ShockHound, right? Hot Topic Inc’s scrappy DRM-free MP3 site that launched last fall, we hosted that party at the Troubadour with Titus Andronicus and No Age, yours truly was mumbling belligerently onstage briefly…ringing any bells? No?) Time will tell if I should have added a “paid content” clause and a few $s to that good ol’ ShockHound ad contract, for I’m giving them mad publicity today.

Background
I was shopping around for Miles Davis mp3s out of curiosity yesterday morning, and I discovered that one can in essence buy a $20 album for less than two bucks, once you figure out who’s got what tagged “Album Only”. (N/B: You are an absolute fool not to download both tracks off Pangaea below for a whopping $1.98, but I’ll save the speech as tastes differ in these waters.) Many commercial digital offerings on the market will throw one or two songs into the dreaded “Album Only” category, rendering your digi-album or playlist incomplete unless you kowtow to the ugly ploy which forces you to buy a full album at a higher price just for one song (how very 20th century). Well, fuck that. As you’ll soon see, the labels don’t even properly manage “Album Only” tracks on a vendor-by-vendor basis.

Why the long songs?
After I’d finished with Miles, I stuck with very lengthy selections for this exercise in order to see who was pricing on a weighted scale based on song length (Amazon, albeit sporadically), and who was foolishly giving away 45-minute 80mb files for 99cents (both, to my surprise). Unfortunately you still can’t buy something like the hour-long opus Sex by The Necks anywhere digitally (and jesus! I’m holding onto that CD, because the fucker is apparently selling for $36 retail, go figure); nonetheless, I feel I’ve managed to amass a somewhat well-rounded cross-section of ridiculously long mp3s below. Note that every so often I threw a curve ball just to gauge the libraries of both vendors. (To further complicate the price-by-length irregularities, a friend has pointed out that a 15-second track by Melt Banana is going for $0.99 on both sites, but that’s a separate chart for a separate day. Takers?)

Regarding MP3 Quality
Amazon claims to have 256kbps mp3s; Shockhound claims 192kbps minimum. So both of these options already beat the pants off of iTunes (128kb with DRM) and iTunes Plus (256kb DRM-free – but AAC, not mp3, not exactly universal out of the box and often pricier to boot).

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO…
»continue reading Amazon vs. ShockHound: Where to Buy Your Long-Playing DRM-Free MP3s And Why

PICK OF THE WEEK

Calvin Johnson
w/ Sharon Cheslow, Devon Williams
& Sam McPheeters
Sunday, February 1
The Smell
Info
 
 

Aceyalone @ Zanzibar Wed 1/28
Patton Oswalt @ Largo Sat 1/31
Riverboat Gamblers, G.G. Elvis, Stab City, much more @ Alex’s Bar (Long Beach) (Nine-year anniversary party) Sat 1/31
Mike Watt, Riverboat Gamblers, Black Fag (tribute act), The Heartaches, more @ Alex’s Bar (Long Beach) (Nine-year anniversary party) Fri 1/30
Mike Watt & The Secondmen @ The Prospector (Long Beach) Thu 2/5
I See Hawks in LA @ Redwood Fri 2/6
The Bronx @ Echoplex Tue 2/3
Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ The Mint Wed 2/4
Fol Chen w/ Karin Tatoyan, Avi Buffalo and special guests @ pehrspace (Fol Chen CD release show) Sat 2/7
Aceyalone @ Dakota Lounge Fri 2/13
Mike Stinson @ Footsie’s Sat 2/14
The Soul of John Black @ Cafe Boogaloo (South Bay) Sat 2/14
Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk @ The Mint Thu 2/12
The Gourds @ The Mint Sat 2/14
Very Be Careful @ Bordello Sat 2/14
Donovan Frankenreiter @ Brixton South Bay Sat 2/14
Rickie Lee Jones & The Vaudevillians @ Largo Sat 2/14
Don Caballero, sBACH (ex-Hella), more @ Alex’s Bar (Long Beach) Sat 2/14
The Soul of John Black @ The Mint (CD release show) Tue 2/17
Ben Lee @ Largo (record release) Tue 2/17
Black Black w/ Alexandra Hope, Corridor, VoicesVoices @ Spaceland Thu 2/19
Dead Confederate @ Spaceland Wed 2/25
Colin Hay @ Largo Thu 2/26
David Pajo, The Growlers @ Bordello Thu 2/26
Lords of Altamont, Kitten DeVille, more @ Vertigos Fri 3/27
Fishbone @ Brixton South Bay Fri 2/27
Faun Fables @ Spaceland Sat 2/28
Lords of Altamont, much more @ Redwood Sat 3/7
M83 w/ LA Phil @ Disney Concert Hall Sat 3/7
Akron/Family @ Steve Allen Theater Tue 3/10
Akron/Family @ Steve Allen Theater Wed 3/11
Akron/Family @ Steve Allen Theater Thu 3/12
Anavan, VoicesVoices, more @ The Smell Wed 3/11
English Beat @ Brixton South Bay Fri 3/13
Rhett Miller @ Brixton South Bay Fri 3/27
Dan Auerbach @ El Rey (Black Keys) Sat 3/14
And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead @ Echoplex Tue 3/17
Luckman Jazz Orchestra @ Luckman Fine Arts Complex (John Coltrane Tribute) Sat 3/21
Dark Meat @ The Echo Tue 3/24
Marnie Stern @ The Echo Wed 3/25
Tricky @ Henry Fonda Wed 3/25
The Tallest Man On Earth @ Troubadour Thu 3/26
Moody Blues @ Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara Mon 3/30
Emiliana Torrini @ Troubadour Mon 3/30
Dr. Lonnie Smith @ The Mint Fri 4/3
Great Lake Swimmers @ Spaceland Sat 4/4
Clem Snide @ Spaceland Tue 4/7
Monotonix w/ The Mae Shi @ Spaceland Fri 4/10
Atomic Punks @ Brixton South Bay (Early VH Tribute – keep eyes peeled for Michael Anthony) Fri 5/8
The Dead @ The Forum Sat 5/9
Fleetwood Mac @ Staples Center Thu 5/28
Paul Roberts @ Alex’s Bar (Long Beach) (ex-Stranglers) Fri 5/29
Luckman Jazz Orchestra @ Luckman Fine Arts Complex (Freddie Hubbard Tribute) Sat 5/30
 

»continue reading Losanjealous Concert Picks: Jan. 26 – Feb. 1

Full live gallery below.

»continue reading Department of Eagles, Troubadour, January 24, 2009

Not long ago we asked veteran KXLU jock McAllister to sound off on Indie 103’s demise. Commenters had a field day with the article: loving it, hating it, getting depressed she didn’t write the way they wanted her to and so forth. As such I consider that article a massive success. At the time, we also asked representatives from KCRW and Indie itself (RIP) to voice their reactions to the situation. Former Indie 103 Music Director Mark Sovel had no official response for us, but said he’d be glad to speak on air about anything and everything. (You can read some words he gave Daily Swarm over here.) KCRW, on the other hand, has now taken the opportunity to roll the death of the station into its winter pledge drive:
»continue reading Additional, Arguably Unnecessary Notes Regarding Indie 103’s Demise (And KCRW’s Response)

»continue reading The Cave Singers, Troubadour, January 24, 2009

Photos courtesy John Bollozos at The Fader.

High Places is the kind of band that you want to be best friends with. The band is composed of just two members, Robert Barber and Mary Pearson, the latter of whom is so damn cute it kind of doesn’t matter if she’s talented or not. Lucky for the rest of us, she actually has a super sweet voice, just perfect for the band’s innocent and cute-but-not-cutesy lyrics. At the High Places’ show at the Echo last Thursday the band again has proven themselves to be more than the single hipster’s wet dream.
»continue reading Journey to High Places (Echo, January 22, 2009)

Every so often the analytics team notifies me of this sort of anomaly; thought I’d give you the heads up on the thumbs up. (HAH!) Browse the full calendar here.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 5:51 PM

Troubador Cancelled
Hello, we are very sorry to say that after soundchecking this afternoon, Dave’s voice is still not strong enough to make it through a performance and we unfortunately need to cancel tonight’s Troubador show. This also means that tomorrow’s potential Henry Fonda show will definitely not be happening as well. We apologize to everyone for inconvenience, frustration and disappointment. We are in the midst of possibly rescheduling both LA shows for mid February to honor all tickets originally purchased for shows on January 23rd and 24th. Please stay tuned to ticketmaster, goldenvoice and troubador websites, as well as myanimalhome.net and this myspace page for information. (src)

(thanks for staying on top of it, s)

Note: No myspace kudos showing for that blogpost yet as of 633pm. Step up.

Lotta illnesses this week. Must be the dreaded “flu and cold season” …

The Animal Collective show tonight at the Henry Fonda Theatre has been postponed due to illness. We are trying to reschedule for later this weekend/early next week, refunds are also available at point of purchase. Our website will have up-to-date information. For updates you can also check the bands website: http://myanimalhome.net/ (src)

»continue reading Save Yourself The Drive: Animal Collective Cancelled This Eve

Official site | MySpace

The Mae Shi @ SXSW 2008
The Mae Shi @ F Yeah Fest 2008
The Mae Shi @ Detour Fest 2008