The Do LaB returns for it’s fifth annual art and music festival, Lucent L’Amour 2010, this Saturday, February 13 at the Shrine Expo Hall. This year’s festival will include both indoor and outdoor areas of Shrine with two stages of live music, DJs, burlesque and vaudeville performances, as well as live art creations and installations.

The Do LaB has put its signature imaginative experience design stamp on festivals all over the world, including Coachella. This year’s festival will include:

Two Stages of Music featuring: Bassnectar, N.A.S.A., Stanton Warriors, Yard Dogs Road Show, Beats Antique, Ana Sia, Lazer Sword, Lynx & Janover and Patricio

Live performances by Lucent Dossier Experience, The Yard Dogs Roadshow, Suddenly Dapper, as well as numerous fire dancers, circus acts, and general mayhem instigators

We have pairs tickets to giveaway for this sure-to-be fun night.

*Please note the event is 18 and over.

Full appearing artist listing, as well as ticket and general info below.

»continue reading 5th Annual Do LaB Lucent L’amour 2010–This Saturday, February 13, Shrine Expo–Win Tickets

Watching The Who yesterday, with the other 106 million of you, it just wasn’t doing it for me. Not sure why. Went in for another look and listen and turns out it’s a perfectly acceptable performance. About as good they could do with the two of them. Just not quite popping. I still can’t really put my finger on exactly why. Is the lack of dynamics? The energy? The stage setup? The song set list and/or order of the medley? (Pinball Wizard, Baba O’ Riley, Who Are You, See Me Feel Me, Won’t Get Fooled Again) All of the above?

With them scraping the bottom of the barrel for a possible–God help us–Eagles appearance next year, the time has clearly come to find some younger bands to fill this spot. Maybe ease into it with a contemporary classic act–I nominate Pearl Jam for 2010.

HEADS UP

Spirit Animal w/ Des Roar, Imagine Dragons and All Wrong and The Plans Change @ The Roxy Mon 2/8
($10 “bottomless beers”–?–if you go to the Roxy, please report back on this)

Apparently it’s Free Music Monday around here. We’re passing this one along more out of curiosity than full fledged endorsement. This unfortunate titled–and equally unfortunate artwork–Brazen Brand is a free remix and covers record download. There is clearly some good taste in cover songs selection. But as far as the actual execution of the covers… er, we’ll leave that up to you to judge. The Ginuwine cover sounds a bit like a Flight of the Conchords pastiche, but we don’t know enough about Spirit Animal (from L.A.–”post-synth” anyone?) to know if they are in on the joke or not.

Full tracklist and download link below.

»continue reading Spirit Animal–Tonight and Next Monday at The Roxy–Cover Devendra, Yeasayer, Beirut on Free Download LP

HEADS UP

Hugh Cornwell w/ Kristeen Young @ Alex’s Bar, Long Beach Sat 3/27
Hugh Cornwell w/ Kristeen Young @ Spaceland Tue 3/30

The original front man of the brilliant Stranglers, author of the lyric to the timeless “Golden Brown,” among many other classic singles, Hugh Cornwell, comes to town with solo stops down at Alex’s Bar and Spaceland, March 27 and 30, respectively.

A compelling draw in her own right, Kristeen Young (photos by Sung of her opening for Morrissey here) opens both shows.

And, just in time for the tour, stand-up man that he is, Hugh is offering a free download his full new LP, Hoover Dam, on his website.

Hugh Cornwell | hooverdamdownload.com

HEADS UP

Peter Gabriel @ Hollywood Bowl Fri 5/7

The ticket pre-sale for us special American Express cardholders and fan club members is live now.

Am I the only one a bit dubious Peter Gabriel can headline the Hollywood Bowl these days? I tend to think of him of having about the same waning popularity these days as, say, a Tears for Fears. And to further push it, he’s proudly advertised this show as “orchestra, no drums, no guitars.” Integrity for sure, but maybe not hardly strong selling points for casual fans. More power to him if he can fill it up. God knows I’d rather see him do well there instead of another damn Eagles show.

PICK OF THE WEEK

St. Vincent
w/ Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Tues February 9
El Rey Theater
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]
 
 
 
 

Christian Death
w/ Mad Life
Friday February 12
El Rey Theater
Show canceled!
[ENTER TO WIN]

The Album Leaf
w/ Sea Wolf
Saturday, February 13
El Rey Theater
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]
 

Adolescents w/ Youth Brigade Fri 3/12
Metric @ The Palladium Fri 3/26
Slumberland Records 20th Anniversary Party w/ Henry’s Dress, Boyracer, Go Sailor, Pants Yell! & Devon Williams @ The Echo Sun 3/28
Shearwater @ Spaceland Sat 4/24
Jeff Beck w/ Zappa Plays Zappa @ Nokia Theater Sat 4/17
Ponys w/ Disappears @ Spaceland Sat 5/1
Broken Social Scene @ Henry Fonda Mon 5/3
Drive By Truckers w/ Henry Clay People @ Avalon Fri 5/7
Why? w/ The Donkeys & Josiah Wolf @ Glass House Thu 6/3
 

TUESDAY
Louden Wainwright III @ Largo
Mia Doi Todd featuring Ariana Delawari , Correatown & Special Guest @ Spaceland
Mumford & Sons @ Troubadour
Nouvelle Vague @ Henry Fonda
St Vincent w/ Wildbirds & Peacedrums @ El Rey

WEDNESDAY
Lucha Vavoom Valentines Day From Lucha with Love featuring Live Masked @ Mayan Theatre
Milk & Honey @ Bar Lubitsch
Wild Beasts @ Troubadour

THURSDAY
Eddie Santiago @ Conga Room
Editors @ The Wiltern
Justin Townes Earle @ The Echo
Lucha Vavoom Valentines Day From Lucha with Love featuring Live Masked @ Mayan Theatre
Richard Thompson @ Largo
The Thermals @ Troubadour

FRIDAY
Chicago Underground Duo; Pit er Pat @ Bootleg Theater
Christian Death @ El Rey
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia & Family Guy live @ Gibson Amphitheatre (Partners In Health’s Stand With Haiti benefit)
Meshell Ndegeocello @ Largo
STS9 @ The Wiltern

SATURDAY
Alice In Chains @ The Palladium
Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub @ Spaceland
Dirty Dozen Brass Band @ The Mint
James Lavelle @ Echoplex
The Album Leaf @ El Rey

SUNDAY
Dengue Fever w/ Buddy @ The Echo (1pm Kidrockers show)
Poncho Sanchez @ Conga Room
Van Dyke Parks w/ Clare and the Reasons @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop

»continue reading No Cancer! Benefit w/ Vivian Girls, No Age, Abe Vigoda & many more, Sunday, Feb 7 at The Strange

Passing along word from our friends at FMLY:

IT’S BIKING! IT’S MUSIC! IT’S NEW AND OLD FRIENDS! IT’S A GOOD FREE TIME!
ALL BIKES ARE WELCOME (anything on wheels that is self sustaining, really. Skateboards will be pulled by bikes.) Rollerbladers please come. REMEMBER: THERE IS NO LEADER, YOU ARE THE LEADER.

MEET AT 7:30 RIDE AT 8:30

The Bands: Funderstorm, Professor Calculus, Foot Village, Heroes + Heroines, Meho Plaza, White Fang, Rob Walmart

Word from FMLY’s Cameron on the event’s Facebook page as of last night is that the ride will go on, rain or shine. But let’s hope for little to no rain for safety’s sake.

Feb 5: Chapin Sisters w/ Sands
Feb 6 – 20: C’est L’amour in collaboration with Heard of Elephants
Feb 8: Ohioan, Ah Holly Fam’ly
Feb 10: a night curated by Friends of the Family
Feb 11: Semiconscious Gloria, Seasick + special guests
Feb 12: Pocahaunted, Moon Duo (featuring members of Wooden Shjips) + special guests
Feb 13: Woolen, Tremblexy + special guests
Feb 17: Movie Night! First Screening 8:00pm; Second Screening 10:00pm
Feb 18: Random Patterns, Alpine Decline + special guests
Feb 19: howardAmb, Vaginals, Missincinatti, LA Fog

Synchronicity | syncspacela.com
4306 Melrose Ave, 90029
 

PHOTO: Kenny Rogers Roasters, Singapore by H4NUM4N on Flickr. Some rights reserved.
Kenny Rogers Roasters franchise information available at the corporate website’s “Take My Hand” section.

He may no longer have a wood-fired chicken joint near Hollywood and Highland (or anywhere else in the United States at this point save perhaps Ontario Mills), but he’s still the Gambler – albeit with a vaguely western Santa Claus semblance – still the Gambler just the same, and though his signature wood-fired chicken franchise focus of recent decades has shifted to the Far East, full throttle, Kenny’s back on stage in April here in the US of A, performing with guests at some giant casino up in Connecticut and touting his first 50 years in music (don’t be confused, guy’s actually a septuagenarian underneath all that hair and botox). Yesterday’s press release, sent from Nashville, begins with what is probably my favorite subject line of the calendar year to date (as Victor noted, is there any other type of Kenny Rogers announcement?):

Subject: Major Kenny Rogers Announcement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A CELEBRATION OF A LIVING LEGEND
KENNY ROGERS: THE FIRST 50 YEARS TELEVISION SPECIAL

Taping To Take Place At Foxwoods Resort Casino’s MGM Grand Theater
On April 10th, 2010

Kenny Rogers To Share The Stage With Many Of His Favorite Friends Including: Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Alison Krauss, Wynonna, The Oak Ridge Boys And Countless Others

February 4, 2009 – Nashville – A beloved, universally known icon of American entertainment will be performing at the event of his lifetime this spring.

»continue reading Major Kenny Rogers Announcement: The First 50 Years: Television Show to Take Place In April

HEADS UP

Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park, Chicago (3-day pass)
Fri 7/16 – Sun 7/18

Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park, Chicago Fri 7/16 (Modest Mouse & more)

Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park, Chicago Sat 7/17 (LCD Soundsystem & more)

Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park, Chicago Sun 7/18 (Pavement & more)

Anyone up for Chicago in the dead of summer?

Lineup announced so far, with much more to come:

»continue reading Pitchfork Music Festival, July 16 – 17, Union Park, Chicago–Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, Pavement & more–Tickets On Sale Today

HEADS UP

Broken Social Scene @ Henry Fonda Mon 5/3

Ticket pre-sale today, Friday, Feb. 5. Password: BROKEN.

Regular ticket on-sale, Sat., Feb. 6, 10 am.

Broken Social Scene | www.brokensocialscene.ca

Walking north on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd, it was a bit surreal to happen upon the newish Las Vegas outpost of Pink’s Hot Dogs. Something like a funhouse mirror of our own local institution, Pink’s LV is basically a door on the front facade of Planet Hollywood. However, there is a nice sized self-seating area, right on the boulevard, welcome on this stretch of busy street.

There is a line to place your order, but it is short, moves fast and–crucially–does not run parallel to the food preparation itself, as it does here on La Brea, denying you that anticipatory glimpse for personal reckoning prior to ordering. How many of our orders have been altered at the last minute (for the better or for the worse) as we peer through the glass as the workers slap that together an order for those ahead of us on that final stretch to the cashier.

»continue reading Los Angeles in Las Vegas: Pink’s Hot Dogs

Obviously, the show is unwatchable, but this silent treatment kind of lends it a new level of macabre. The silent pauses are unbearable.

Video below.

This should be cool–then again everything “Q.T.” reeks of cool–back-to-back screenings of Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds –with an appearance by Quentin, this Monday, Feb. 8 at the Egyptian Theater.

For better or worse, the Egyptian uses Fandango to sell tickets. We can’t tell if tickets are sold out or haven’t been on sale yet. There was nothing up yesterday, now there’s a page here with a show time, but no option to buy.

Following Michel Gondry’s film for Mia Doi Todd, here’s another LA-based chanteuse getting the premium video treatment from an A-list auteur–a David Lynch video for Ariana Delawari.

This clip is a little different than Gondry’s, not just stylistically, but also in that it’s a medley of several songs, tied together with song titles read aloud by D.L. himself, in that long-distance phone call distancing vocal effect he often uses. (I don’t know why I find it so funny.) Also of note: The signature red velvet drapes. (Will we ever see Twin Peaks on Blu Ray?)

The video is hosted exclusively at DLF.tv, no doubt to maximize quality (select HD for best viewing). Head over there to watch it.

HEADS UP

Daedelus, Nosaj Thing & Jogger @ Space 120, Palm Springs Thu 2/4

Daedelus, Nosaj Thing & Jogger @ Echoplex Fri 2/5

Three of our city’s finest electronic types hit the long and winding road starting tonight in Palm Springs (West Valley desert represent!) for a 22-show cross-country tour. Plus we wanted an excuse to run this pretty sweet hand drawn poster.

Daedelus | daedelusmusic.com
Nosaj Thing | nosajthing.com
Jogger | MySpace
 

Losanjealous is happy to welcome back to Pacific Palisades this weekend the 18-year-old rock star phenom of Japanese golf, the impressively coiffed, impeccably styled Ryo Ishikawa (石川 遼) a.k.a. the Bashful Prince (“Hanikami Ōji”).

SuperSport.com has a quote on his return to Riviera:

“Last year here, I was very, very nervous,” Ishikawa said Tuesday after an early practice round on the course nestled in the Pacific Palisades suburb of Los Angeles.

“But this year my mentality is much different. I experienced so many things last year. I’m much more comfortable.”

And of course, Ryo loves Los Angeles:

Ishikawa has visited a shopping mall in LA, and he tried In-N-Out Burger, the classic burger chain.

A huge fan of his, the Golf Girl assembled a collection of the varied pants stylings of Ryo:

»continue reading Welcome Back, Ryo Ishikawa! First 2010 PGA Appearance at Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club This Weekend

I admitted my expectations for the new season were unreasonable, so a let down was inevitable. I’m just not feeling the heavy mystical tone on which it seems the Island story is going to end. Reincarnations, manifestations, resurrections, all that crap. It’s just not nearly as compelling as the time travel theoretical (faux) science stuff, to me at least. (Remember back when it was theorized that the Smoke Monster might even be a swarm nanobots?)

On the narrative level, I guess we are looking a Schrodinger’s Cat or Many Worlds (thanks to your dad, E.) set up–with the parallel realities, simultaneous Island/Los Angeles narratives, which at some point will braid together and resolve. Personally, I’d be happy moving the whole story off the damn island for good already. (It’d be fun to see them run around Los Angeles for a while.) And this Genghis Khan-looking dude above, apparently a character of some heavy significance, showing up at this late stage of the game is just an annoying stalling tactic. It’s like a like a new video game boss showing up after you thought you had the game beat.

P.S. Can’t ABC get some quality CGI at this stage? That underwater composite shot looked like some kid knocked that out on iMovie on a Mac.

HEADS UP

Why? w/ The Donkeys & Josiah Wolf @ Glass House Thu 6/3

There was a lively back and forth on the topic of the significance of a band’s name, how it might affect their chances for success a little while ago.

Why? might prove/disprove any and all name-related strategies with solid indie-level success they seem to be having with their own impossibly broad moniker, complete with punctuation. Good for them.