Beachwood Sparks never exactly broke up, but they haven’t played much since about 2002. Once dancey groups like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Peaches started stealing all the magazine covers, Beachwood Sparks packed their dusty ol’ spurs away and moseyed off in a bunch of different directions, bringing life to groups as diverse as Indian Jewelry and Xu Xu Fang. But their brand of lysergic country rock has been sorely missed as of late, so it was a hoot and a holler to see them up on the Bates Stage at Sunset Junction playing a set that included most (if not all) of the songs from their self-titled debut.
»continue reading Beachwood Sparks, Sunset Junction, August 24, 2008

Today in Rampant Speculation: Sunset Junction 2008 set times are alive and kicking. If you haven’t been paying attention, the lineup looks great (Broken Social Scene, !!!, Black Keys, Beachwood Sparks, Cold War Kids, Kinky, local blog faves Voxhaul Broadcast et al).

But what’s this!? On Sunday, August 24, “4:10 TBA/Aug. 17″ will be taking the Bates Stage just before the reunited Beachwood Sparks. Who the dickens could this be!? We turn now to you, faithful reader, for a comprehensive – nay, exhaustive – analysis of the possibilities, one of which will ultimately be announced by the organizers on August 17, a mere week before show time. Who’s touring? Who’s in town or near town during that time? Vote for your best guess or add it to the list if it’s not already there.

UP THE JUNCTION
» 2007 Sunset Junction Street Fair
» Sunset Junction 2007: The Pity Party
» We Played Some Festivals Recently
» Canadian Coffee Break: The Street Fair Season
» Blonde Redhead @ Sunset Junction, 8/18/07
» Sunset Junction, Saturday: One Perspective
» Sunset Junction Options Juiced, Elongated

The Canadian Coffee Break brings together some of the finest Canadian minds in Southern California every week for a topical, lively round-tablesque discussion over very dark coffee. Won’t you join us.

This week’s topic: From Tofu to Sunset Junction, The Street Fair Season is officially upon us. How do Canadian festivals compare to those in Los Angeles? Topics to ponder…

• Live bands
• Sausages-on-sticks; grilled corn
• Greasy, rachety, dangerous-looking carnival rides
• Booze
• Entry fees
• Festival goers
• Parking situations

Marc
Montreal, where I lived for a decade, is known as the land of festivals. During the summer, a mix of inebriated tourists and locals turn the island’s streets into a city-wide Lionel Richie fantasy. It’s not unusual to find the streets packed to capacity at 3 in the morning, with clubs going in some cases until noon the next day. People seem to have nothing but good things to say about Montreal. This civic culture of celebration, no doubt contributes to the city’s reputation. Los Angeles, by comparison is infamous for terrible reputation (not that anyone here really gives a crap). This I think, is due in no small part to L.A.’s perceived lack of a public life. Having lived here several years now, I can see how one might see this city as being somehow insular, but I’d counter that there’s no shortage of public events. For every Sunset Junction, for example, there’s a year’s worth of monthly Midnight Ridazz, (which I’d argue qualifies as a kind of moving street fair). The trick in L.A. is managing to keep abreast of all the public revelry the city has to offer, which is one good reason for Losanjealous to bring back the monthly Benevolent Society event listings.
»continue reading Canadian Coffee Break: The Street Fair Season

Heisenflei, the cool-as-a-cucumber redhead of the duo The Pity Party is fully reclined in a chair as she sips a mojito at Malo. TPP have been receiving so much positive heat lately that they could melt grandma’s fillings. They recently played what is known in some circles as a catalyst into indie stardom; Sunset Junction. Barring the technical difficulties, the show was pretty good, however Heisenflei had some other opinions.

Shane: So, how do you feel about the show?

Heisenflei: Absolutely horrified.

S: Wow, that’s quite a response. Was it that bad?

H: Well, about 3/4 into our opening number, YR Life=Nice, Maurice’s pedal died.

S: That sucks, how did you guys recover?
»continue reading Sunset Junction 2007: The Pity Party

This is a wide shot intended to convey the general atmosphere of the festival. Festivals frequently feature large numbers of people (”festival goers”), mechanical contraptions that move bodies through space, against our normal physics in an enjoyable fashion (”rides”) and temporary food and consumer product vendor stations (”booths”). Festivals frequently take place in the open air, as can be seen here.

Here is another one of these festival atmosphere photographs, but taken from a different vantage point. Note booths on the left, festival goers, and ride, in this case, some sort of centrifuge contraption.
»continue reading 2007 Sunset Junction Street Fair

Last fall Blonde Redhead kicked off a Southern California outdoor festival trifecta of sorts at the LA Weekly Detour Festival. This was followed by a tremendous performance at Coachella Valley Festival in April. The latest stop for the band in support of 23, Sunset Junction combined outdoor music with amusement rides and community participation, separating itself from the other walloping festivals. Kazu Makino, Amedeo and Simone Pace performed energetically, with fervor, and differently than the other festival performances I’ve caught. As they walked off Kazu blew kisses to the large crowd and hesitated to leave the stage before blowing more, and finally departing. Blonde Redhead performs with Midnight Movies at the Glass House tonight.