Hat tip Pam

White Denim’s James Petralli by Jeremiah Garcia

I was fortunate to be able to attend KCRW’s winter holiday benefit concert “Are Friends Eclectic?” this weekend past at the venerable Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. For those that couldn’t make it to the soiree, here is a ten-second recap, Losanjealous-style:

Mia Doi Todd started the proceedings. She was allowed one song. That, or she only played one song. She sounded great. Following the five-minute set by Mia I discovered that the evening, comprising ten acts, would unfold in a Front of Curtain, Behind Curtain sort of pattern – and that witty banter (or something resembling it) would be provided from the KCRW on-air DJ personalities, themselves an eclectic crew, situated in the foremost house-right balcony, Statler and Waldorf style.

Other Lives followed, behind the curtain. This was my first time catching the Stillwater band and I am pleased to report they sounded as great as Spotify would lead you to believe. They represented my home state of Oklahoma more than adequately and were one of my favorite acts of the night.

Following Other Lives, Belle Brigade appeared in front of the curtain. I’d been force-fed a few of their songs for some months and I am pleased to say their harmonies did not disappoint.

Austin act White Denim followed. Full confession, this was the band I was most looking forward to seeing, and they did not disappoint. I had not seen the band perform for a few years and their latest material (do give the album D a spin) sounded stellar live. Further confession that somewhere in here I began nitpicking the sound mix in the theatre, got up after the final song, grabbed a cocktail and made a silent resolution to enjoy the acts, sound mix be damned.

Secret Sisters were next, front of curtain. One of them liked to talk. A lot! Props for their closing cover of the “Steve Martin Date Song” from the Jerk (“Tonight You Belong to Me” – ed). However, I noticed a peculiar thing, and if they read this, the Secret Sisters will probably crucify me, but it appeared that although they personally stayed in perfect harmony throughout the a cappella cover, they began the song in one key and ended the song in quite a different key. Hey, that’s what I heard. Don’t shoot the messenger. I welcome a re-singing on my voicemail if I heard incorrectly. I will pull out my tuning fork. Props for a cappella just the same.

Anna Calvi followed. Prior to her act we were told, by a silver-clad DJ Valida in the Statler-Waldorf balcony, that she was a sight to behold. Or something along those lines. Anna sounded good. If you want the Hollywood pitch, think the tamer stylings of PJ Harvey meet the tamer fretwork of Stevie Ray Vaughan – that will get you somewhere in the vicinity. I enjoyed the set but I expected something more, given the introductory hype. Feels like Anna, moreso than most of the acts on the bill, would benefit from a longer set time. I don’t think she got the chance to open up. I was also on my third cocktail, so read into that what you will.

Zee Avi was next. And yes, Zee Avi fans, she did play the Morrissey cover “First of the Gang to Die.” She also threw in a couple of lines from “Pumped Up Kicks” which seemed a bit of a superfluous play for legitimacy (hey, that’s me). She has a great voice; she should not squander it covering everybody else’s stuff. Zee played a few songs and then we were left with a few heavy hitters.

Jimmy Cliff probably needs little introduction. Then again, it’s been a while since I scoured the demo data for this website. Maybe he needs all kinds of introduction. He is a reggae heavy-hitter. His set brought the theatre to its feet for the first time all night. By this time the show was tracking about an hour later than promised, but I knew this was going to happen when I started pacing frantically after Mia came on the stage a few minutes late. Jimmy got big applause for all of his hits, many of which can all be found on the The Harder They Come movie soundtrack. [Reggae Homework Assignment: Watch Harder They Come, Rockers, and Countryman in one long weekend. If you remember any parts of them, you now know a lot about reggae.] He delivered said hits with a huge band while wearing a shimmering outfit that he may or may not have stitched together after stealing Valida’s dress. He also got big applause for “I Can See Clearly Now”, at which point I annoyed concertgoers in my perimeter by reminding them that song is in fact a Johnny Nash song from the 1970s which Jimmy re-recorded for the Disney Jamaican Bobsled movie Cool Runnings in the early 1990s. Christ, I’m old.

»continue reading Review: KCRW’s “Are Friends Eclectic?” Holiday Benefit Bash, Orpheum Theatre, December 3, 2011

HEADS UP
Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE! @ Nokia Theatre
November 26 (Saturday)
11am, 230pm, 6pm
Showtimes and tickets | Watch this

Tickets are for the 230pm matinee; four seats together.

Please include your name and mailing address when entering to win, as these are hard tickets and will be mailed in a timely fashion. Good luck!

[ ENTER TO WIN TICKETS NOW ]

We were fortunate to attend an evening session featuring St Vincent at Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studio a few weeks back. The session, hosted by KCRW, was an album release party of sorts: Annie Clark and team entertained an audience of roughly 150 KCRW foot soldiers with songs from her new album, Strange Mercy. She also shared a few anecdotes about songwriting, guitar technique, Garage Band, albums-as-children, and David Byrne with host Jason Bentley.

The show will be airing today on Morning Becomes Eclectic sometime around 11:15am. Tune in or check it out online here: KCRW St Vincent Live Set @ Berkeley Street.

Photos by Jeremiah Garcia

Flying Lotus by Sung

HEADS UP
Eagle Rock Music Festival – Today

Saturday, October 1, 2011
4:00-11:00pm
On Colorado Blvd. between Argus & Eagle Rock Blvd.

»continue reading Happy October: Eagle Rock Music Festival Is Today: Set Times

Make for the 213 come Sunday for your art and cocktail fix and catch Light FM for free, before they go on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins this fall (both bands play the Wiltern, Oct 5). Take it away, press release:

Anna Meliksetian Projects Presents
I N T E R C H A N G E

a group exhibition featuring John Baldessari, Rob Brander, Scott Marvel Cassidy, Mustafa Hulusi, CK Lyons, Chris Richmond, Jim Shaw, Jill Spector, Marnie Weber, and Peter Wu.

Reception: Sunday, October 2, 2011 from 6-10 pm
Complimentary Cocktails and Hors d’Oeuvres served from 6-8 pm.

Exchange LA (Art Gallery – Ground Floor)
618 S. Spring Street (between 6th and 7th)
Los Angeles, CA 90014

After Party upstairs at Exchange LA from 9pm – 11pm featuring musical performance by LIGHT FM.

This event is complimentary.
Please RSVP at [email protected]
For table reservations at the After Party, contact Anna Meliksetian at 323.828.4731.

Anna Meliksetian Projects is pleased to present “Interchange,” a group exhibition featuring works by internationally renowned artists John Baldessari, Mustafa Hulusi, Jim Shaw, and Marnie Weber, as well as younger emerging artists, who are influenced directly or indirectly by their work. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be a special unveiling of a new 40-foot painting by Los Angeles based artist Jim Shaw!

January ’07

HEADS UP
Buy your very own signed and numbered Hancock Park David from Youngwood Court at an upcoming estate sale! (via Curbed)

NOTE: The future of the official Y Que Hancock Park t-shirt line remains unclear at the time of this writing.

We’ve had a lot of fun with this house over the years – shared a few emails with its owner – and taken plenty of photos, as evidenced. Best of luck to Norwood with the next chapter. Click through for a couple of holiday shots.

»continue reading Buy Your Very Own David Statue At The Youngwood Court Estate Sale (RIP House of Davids)

TVOTR @ SXSW 2011 by Jane

TV on the Radio • Arctic Monkeys • Panda Bear • Warpaint • Smith Westerns
Hollywood Bowl
Sunday, September 25
Tickets and Info

Please include your name and mailing address when entering to win, as these are hard tickets and will be mailed in a timely fashion. Good luck!

UPDATE: Contest Closed. Thanks!

[ ENTER TO WIN TICKETS NOW ]

The last time I had gone off caffeine was nine years ago. I was living in a tiny studio in Venice Beach and working in the west valley. My commute was the PCH. Withdrawal was brutal, but after a week or so of foggy ten-hour full-day headaches, I had weaned myself off the caffeine, reducing my daily intake from roughly 800mg down to about 30-50mg per day. I was proud of myself, feeling healthy, sleeping deeply, dreaming vividly and waking up thirty minutes before the alarm, every morning. But the following winter while visiting my folks, I went back on caffeine during a snowstorm, largely out of boredom – and I’d never looked back.

Last Monday I was late for work. I was in a real rush. I didn’t have time to get my fix. “I don’t need coffee today. In fact, let’s kick it to the curb and see what happens. I drank enough Joe in San Francisco yesterday to give me a heart attack. No coffee; I’m going to eat right this week, too.”

And so this past week I subsided on placebo decafs and the occasional green tea, and subsequently dropped my daily caffeine intake from the 800-1000mg range down to about 35-40mg, again, by my calculations.

I also bitched out my boss on three separate occasions (going so far as to assign her a few action items), berated a consultant, dicked over my downstairs neighbor by poaching the dryer while his duvet was clearly still wet (and played innocent), bitched out my girl for playing Jewel on her iPad, gave various parties the silent treatment, warned Robin that her plane might crash if the jet fuel wasn’t properly blended, berated a pigeon, considered kicking a dog in the jaw, called a tiny black ant on my workstation a “fucker” before squashing him with my thumb, unnecessarily humiliated my vanpool-mates, muttered to myself incessantly, appeared grouchy, scowled, frowned, postulated in a foggy haze, dozed (fell fast asleep on a park bench during lunch break), drooled, bolted out of a St Vincent show without saying hello to a soul, felt miserable, and generally acted in a menacing fashion, for four days straight. All true. I dreamt vividly, and woke scowling.

»continue reading iPhotograph My Life: Ep 2: Off Coffee Twice

2011 3-Day Music Lineup:
Andy Clockwise, The Fling, White Arrows, Vaud & The Villains, The Taiko Project, He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, Shadow Shadow Shade, Eastern Conference Champions, Light FM, Deap Vally, Judson McKinney, The Damselles & TC4, Berlin featuring Terri Nunn, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, Little Ones, Dante vs. Zombie, Devon Eisenbarger

Alongside a stellar music lineup the festival is adding a bunch of food truck options this year. Hm, shame on you if you go to a Lobster Festival and eat from a truck without eating the actual Lobster the festival was built upon, nothing against food trucks per se but there is a time and a place for them. Do as you will; the trucks will be there.

We have general admission as well as VIP (3-day + lobster) packages to sling at this time; all winners will be drawn at random. Please include your name and mailing address when entering to win, as these are hard tickets and will be mailed in a timely fashion. Good luck!

[ ENTER TO WIN LOBSTER FESTIVAL TICKETS NOW ]

» 2011 Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival: September 16, 17, 18

Chhom @ Outside Lands by Sung

WHO:
DENGUE FEVER (http://www.denguefevermusic.com) band members Zac Holtzman, Senon Williams and Chhom Nimol.

WHAT:
A bike ride photo and interview opportunity.

WHEN:
Friday, September 9
2:00 pm: Photo opp
2:30 pm: Short bike ride around MacArthur Park
3:00 pm: Lunch

DENGUE FEVER is playing a free show at Fingerprints at 7 p.m.

WHERE:
The back of Homeland Cultural Center at the graffiti wall, MacArthur Park (1321 E. Anaheim St.). Lunch immediately following at Grand Paradise Restaurant (1350 E. Anaheim St.).

WHY:
The band will take a whirl on Cambodia Town’s new cargo bike and commuter bikes to bring attention to Cambodia Town and the unadulterated fun of bicycling. The event is open to the public — who are invited to arrive via bicycle. Members of the media and the public are invited to dine at the restaurant via individual reservations or first come, first served.

Cambodia Town is one of four Bike-Friendly Business Districts (BFBDs) in Long Beach, intended to encourage merchants and their customers to choose bikes, not cars, for short trips. The districts each have cargo and commuter bikes for merchant errands and offer bicyclists discounts every Saturday through the new Bike Saturdays program, free bike repairs, bike valets at events, and more. The BFBD program is made possible by the Department of Health and Human Services through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the City of Long Beach. For more information, please visit http://www.bikelongbeach.org and http://www.choosehealthla.com/move-healthy/biking

The National @ Treasure Island 2010 by Sung

(Sharon sounded great as ever at Bumbershoot this past Monday. – ed)

HEADS UP
The National, Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten @ Hollywood Bowl
Sunday, September 11, 2011, 7:00pm
Tickets and info

[ ENTER TO WIN TICKETS NOW ]

Please include your first and last name when entering. Good luck!