Debuting the Doolittle show to the U.S. at this first of a three-night-stand at the Hollywood Palladium, Pixies have the crowd won over before a note is played. But nonetheless they will deliver the goods over the course of an hour and half set that unfolds. One of the side effects of the play-a-classic-album show is that the fixed script largely eliminates the element of surprise and prunes out the most casual fans. The collective vibe is thus more akin to that of something like Rocky Horror screening; the converted going to church. It’s heartening to see multiple generations of fans, even if the mean age might skew a bit towards the Gen X’ers. One little ‘tween girl skipping around has an endearing tiny iron-on shirt with their four faces in silhouette.

After a pixelated projection of Buñuel and Dali’s Un chien andalou, famously source material for the poetry of Debaser, they take the stage, three of the four of them clad in slimming all black, David the lone hold out in a white button down. A quartet of conjoined glowing globes, something between a science fair molecular model and rosary beads, dangles over them. Lo-fi but effective stage art (to go along with projections of unique new song-length films assigned to most of the songs). They ease into the set with four Doolittle-era B-sides. And while I had hoped for Kim’s “Debaser” bouncing bass eighth-notes to be the first sounds of the night, going with the B-sides proves to the be right way to go–a nod to the deeper fans, serving to build the anticipation, while setting the album in some kind of context.

Kim, the all-time queen of indie rock, growing out a short pixie ‘do, is with smile all night behind her P-bass. She’s positively bursting to connect and chit-chat with fans between tunes. She couldn’t be more of a contrast to Frank’s stage presence, imposing and quiet between the tunes, save a few words exchanged with Joey. He seems relaxed, even kind of slouching a bit at the mic. Not to say he is not putting everything he’s got into it–his scream tears through the dark room, as impressive as ever and his meaty hands hold down perfect rhythm up and down the guitar neck–but that he’s so cool and at ease, it all comes effortlessly to him at this stage of the game. Joey is focused and intense, nailing his melodic top lines and pulling Les Paul feedback precise as lasers out of his Marshall stacks. David looks well and is also pulling grins behind the kit–maybe it’s a rhythm section thing–and is hitting the skins with full intent and fury these days.

So do they pull it off? Of course. They are on their game for the most part but I can see them warming up a bit by the time the Friday show rolls around. From Debaser all the way through to Gouge Away, it’s one long party, each and every tune greeted warmly, like an old friend. When it’s all over, following a second encore of three Surfer Rosa tunes, including Kim’s star turn on Gigantic–played with the Palladium house lights turned on, lending a nice surreal dream effect to the end–it’s the consistency of Doolittle end to end that we’re left with. Not a dud in the batch of fifteen tunes. Debaser, Here Comes Your Man and This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven may be the “singles”, but the deeper cuts shine and seem to resonate with the crowd most. Hey, Gouge Away, Tame, Mr. Grieves–all deep cut classics. Even Dave’s turn for La La Love You has it’s charm. Another thing comes across is that no song is longer (or shorter) than it needs to be. Would that more bands today had this mentality these days instead of stretching three minute ideas into five minute dirges. On CD, the whole of Doolittle clocks in under 40 minutes. Live, throw in a few guitar swaps and tune ups, it stretches out a perfect set length.

While the play-an-entire-classic-album live show trend may have run its course–even tonight, just around the corner at the Fonda, Devo is running through Freedom of Choice–few albums can match Doolittle’s consistency, ideal sequence, poetic cohesion and wide range of sonic dynamics and translate to the live stage as perfectly. Except for maybe Surfer Rosa. Or Bossanova. Or Trompe le Monde.
 

Sidebar: The anticipated limited edition Minotaur Pixies career-spanning box set by Artists In Residence made an early appearance behind the merch table at these shows. Though usual term “box set” really is inadequate in this particular case. Beyond the recordings it contains, in a multitude of formats, it is as a whole, one gorgeous art piece. If there are fears that today’s iTunes MP3 culture is threatening to reduce music to mere computer files, Minotaur is a 25-pound argument for the continued importance of physical music product. I haven’t seen a comparable collection that’s been assembled for any other rock band. Full details here.

Sunday Morning 1 (Oki Dog)
36″ x 24″
Oil on canvas
$6,000.00
David Anderle

Billy Shire Fine Arts
Exhibition: November 14, 2009 – December 5, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 14th, 7-10 pm

Did You Know?
As of Autumn ‘09, the Oki-Dog (Fairfax@Willoughby) LA County Public Health Score is back down to a bright red 73 “C” rating, thanks to:

• VIOLATION 001: HOLDING OF PHF (MAJOR)
• VIOLATION 006: DISEASE TRANSMISSION – CARRIER / WOUND / RASH (MAJOR)
  1. Lesion / open wound on hand of food employee
  2. Food employee with an open sore on hand with only a bandage covering wound
• VIOLATION 017: NO WATER / NO HOT WATER – FOOD PREPARATION FACILITY (MAJOR)

“C” Days Are Back! Back, At The Oki-Dog!

» Billy Shire Fine Arts (Official) (Upcoming Exhibits)

» DEVELOPING: OKI-DOG UPGRADED TO “A” HEALTH STATUS; WORLD AS WE KNOW IT DRAWING TO CLOSE IN NINE (9) DAYS

Send me an e-mail with your first and last name and mailing address for a shot at the DVD; contest closes end of day.

Happy Friday.

» Flyin’ Cut Sleeves (MVD)

The modern interpretation of Halloween is characterized by a breakdown in the barrier between our innermost desires and demons, and external displays of decorum. There’s only one day of the year when it’s socially acceptable to dress like the lead in a tacky porno, a serial killer, a superhero, or a serial killing superhero pornstar (I think I just hit on next year’s costume). And there’s no better time to indulge in Lucha VaVOOM, the hit stage show that mixes Mexican wrestling with burlesque.

Mexican wrestling is a soap opera for men. It pits the good guys (tecnicos) against the bad guys (rudos) in a battle for honor. But instead of utilizing manipulation and gossip, competitors wage war on one another with man-handling and grunts. In between matches in this macho telenovela (Lucha), show creators Liz Fairbairn and Rita D’Albert have woven sultry strip tease (VaVOOM). D’Albert hand selects dancers based on athleticism and mastery of a unique skill. Watch the videos below to get a glimpse of how the show plays out.

ATENCION POR FAVOR! The bass in the Mayan Theatre is barely tolerable to the human ear, much less a video camera. So make sure to take your volume down before playing.

First, you get a little sex…

Acrobat Leigh Acosta shows off saucy feats of strength.

…Then a little fanfare…

Luchador Cassandro does a pre-battle twirl on the catwalk.

…Then you get hit with the Lucha…

Cassandro takes a beating at the hands of an unmerciful Rudo.

A shot to the head. Ouch!

…Then it’s back to the VaVOOM…

Model/performer Karice proves that Hula-hooping is not child’s play.

…You get the idea.

When Halloween ends, the portal between fantasy and reality closes. Rudos and tecnicos return to their corners. Acrobats descend from their poles. And ordinary folks put away their corsets, daggers, capes, and spandex. Luckily, Lucha VaVOOM fanatics and potential fans don’t have to wait until Halloween rolls around next year to partake in sexo y violencia. There are three other seasonally-themed shows, the next of which takes place February 10-11, 2010. Check out LuchaVaVOOM.com for more info.

Merci
Ryan

In front of a crowd of about 200, the young New York City band wasted no time getting into new material, opening with long-time live staple, “White Sky,” which will appear on Contra. Other new tracks included “Holiday,” “California English,” “Run,” and “Cousins,” which is heavy on the surf guitar and quickly becoming my new favorite. The new single, “Horchata” (’dedicated to Lola’s across the street,’ where they apparently have really good horchata), sounded particularly tight for a new addition.

The small crowd was extremely easy to interact with, evident when keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij started talking about Bradley Nowell and asked if anyone had seen Sublime back in the day (someone actually raised their hand, but, you know, those people are always lying). Lead singer Ezra Koenig addressed almost everything shouted out at him, including incessant demands for “Horchata” and handshakes.

Musically, the band pulls off their fast-paced, intricately recorded tracks extremely well, though many of the more challenging songs were obviously slowed down for easier playing (”Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” for its lead guitar lick, especially). The keyboards were, on occasion, a lackluster substitute for the string sections on the self titled record (”M79″ comes to mind), but Batmanglij still makes it work.

The best moment of the show came during “A-Punk,” when the small handful of people who could fit in the standing area started dancing after being asked very politely by Koenig to “move a little.” It was kind of odd to see less than 30 people dancing at a show to a song that was charting on the Billboards not too long ago. The extremely intimate setting made it seem more like a house party than a concert, and a band that’s used to headlining festivals of late had an overwhelming command of the small stage. Overall, it was a solid, energetic 14 song set that included almost exactly half of each album.

VW continues their tiny venue California run on Thursday at Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace (and I wasn’t exaggerating about the one Starbucks thing, I just checked Google maps). Contra is due January 12, and also threatens to be another early Album of the Year choice. Vampire Weekend make blogging easy.

Elizabeth Stolfi
www.mypoproks.com

HEADS UP
Vampire Weekend @ Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown Thu Nov 5
Vampire Weekend + ??? @ Lomita VFW Hall Post 1622 Sat Nov 14

MORE WEEKEND VAMPIRES
Vampire Weekend, Secret Show, Chinatown, Halloween 2009 (by Sung)

Pixies
Doolittle Tour
Wed 11/4 w/ No Age
Thurs 11/5 w/ Black Gold
Fri 11/6 w/ Rain Machine
Hollywood Palladium
 

Ian Anderson
Performs the Acoustic
Jethro Tull
Fri 11/6
The Wiltern
Info | [ENTER TO WIN]

Bostich + Fussible
Nortec Collective Presents
Thurs 11/5
Echoplex
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]

Múm
w/ Sin Fang Bous & Hildur Gudnadottir
Fri 11/6
El Rey Theater
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]
 

The Books @ Hollywood Forever Masonic Lodge Mon 11/23
Cold War Kids @ The Wiltern Fri 1/22
Fishbone, Less Than Jake, Cage, The Swellers & screening of the Warped Tour 15th Anniversary Movie @ Glass House Sat 12/5
The Start w/ Mellowdrone @ Troubadour Sat 12/12
Tom Morello, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tom Gabrel, Shirley Manson, Butch Walker, Jarrod Gorbel, Charlotte Martin and more @ Avalon (Pablove Foundation Benefit) Sat 11/21
U2 @ Anaheim Stadium Sun 6/6/10 (On sale 11/9/09 10 am)
U2 @ Oakland Alameda County Colosseum (On sale 11/2/09) Wed 6/16/10
City and Colour @ Henry Fonda Sat 1/23
Squirrel Nut Zippers @ El Rey Fri 1/1
Lady Gaga w/ Kid Cudi @ Nokia Theater Wed 12/23
Lady Gaga w/ Kid Cudi @ Nokia Theater Tue 12/22
Fat Freddy’s Drop @ The Roxy Fri 11/20
The Cribs w/ The Blood Arm @ The Roxy Mon 11/9
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Miquel Atwood-Ferguson Quintet, DJ Sets by Madlib, Coleman & B+ @ Echoplex Fri 11/6
Deftones @ Avalon Thu 11/19
50 Cent, T-Pain, Pitbull, Fabolous, Jeremih and Jay Sean @ Gibson Amphitheatre (Power 106 Cali Christmas) Wed 12/16
Them Crooked Vultures @ The Wiltern (Dave Grohl, Joshua Homme and John Paul Jones) Tue 11/17
Slash, Ozzy Osbourne, Perry Farrell, Billy Idol, Travis Barker, Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother), Dave Navarro & more @ Avalon (Layn Rocks: Los Angeles Youth Network Homeless Benefit hosted by George Lopez) Sun 11/22
We The People Festival @ L.A. Center Studios (Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies, Madvillian, Flobots, Anti-Pop Consortium, Daedelus, Blu&Exile, Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds & more) Sat 11/21
Lizz Wright @ Luckman Theatre Sat 11/7
 

TUESDAY
Devo @ Henry Fonda (Performing “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” )
LA Weekly’s LA 101 w/ Silversun Pickups, Dandy Warhols, Dengue Fever & Matt and Kim @ Gibson Amphitheatre
Minus The Bear @ Glass House
Ojos Rojos, Jason Simon (Dead Meadow) @ The Press (129 Harvard Ave, Claremont) (free)

WEDNESDAY
Broadcast w/ Atlas Sound @ Troubadour
Devo @ Henry Fonda (Peforming “Freedom of Choice”)
Faun Fables @ The Mint
Pixies @ The Palladium (The Doolittle Tour)

THURSDAY
Cage The Elephant @ El Rey
Dinosaur Jr @ House of Blues
Nortec Collective Presents Bostich + Fussible @ Echoplex
Pixies @ The Palladium (The Doolittle Tour)
R Kelly @ Nokia Theater
Tahiti 80 @ Troubadour
The Bravery @ The Wiltern
Vampire Weekend @ Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown
Zigaboo Modeliste (The Meters) & The Soul of John Black @ The Mint (The Mint’s 72nd Anniversary)

FRIDAY
Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, Sea Wolf & Band of Skulls @ Hollywood & Highland (The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack show)
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Miquel Atwood-Ferguson Quintet, DJ Sets by Madlib, Coleman & B+ @ Echoplex
Julian Casablancas @ Palace Theater, Downtown
Múm @ El Rey
Pixies @ The Palladium (The Doolittle Tour)

SATURDAY
Lizz Wright @ Luckman Theatre
LMFAO Party Rock Tour w/ Shwayze & guests @ Hollywood Palladium (moved from The Wiltern)
Ludo @ Glass House

SUNDAY
Benefit for Laura Ann @ Echoplex (Backward Clock Society featuring Billy Corgan, Kerry Brown and Mark Tulin, The Happy Stars (Brian Young and Joe Skyward), The Pulsars, Tim Rutili, Syd Straw, Pity Party, Light FM, more)
Jay-Z & N*E*R*D @ UCLA Pauley Pavillion

Set list below.

Dirty Projectors with the LA Phil @ Disney Concert Hall Sat 2/27/2010 (On sale Saturday 11/14 10am)

This past Halloween, thousands of Angelenos gathered at the beautiful Legendary Park Plaza near MacArthur Park for KCRW’s Masquerade: A Halloween Costume Ball & Dance Party.  With one look at the massive two-story venue (several large wings and two outdoor areas for lounging and dining at some of LA’s premier food trucks), the set list (DJ Shadow, Sea Wolf, Little Dragon, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, various KCRW DJs) and the full costume participation of the guests, we knew this was going to be a stellar night. 

This was one of the bar areas and DJ rooms.  I believe this is where all the KCRW DJ’s spun, including Jason Bentley, Liza Richardson, Garth Trinidad, Raul Campos and many more.  We unfortunately time-traveled though this room for most of the night.

Nothing says LA like dancing in a large open patio with a hippie, Robin Hood looking MF, Zorro, a Filipino guy and a cross-dressing Bozo.  Good times!

With the large influx of food trucks hitting our streets, it only made sense to invite a few of LA’s favorites.  There was Border Grill, Coolhaus the Ice Cream truck, Sprinkles cupcakes, a Grilled Cheese truck and Kogi BBQ, who showed up later.

The venue was seriously huge and there weren’t problems going in and out of the different rooms. The only line that seemed to be forming deep was at the 2-mph Samy’s Camera booth, which you would think, would know how to run a smooth picture shooting/printing operation a little more smoothly.

Upstairs is the main stage and it is HUGE.  There were Middle-Eastern tents set up along the side for the extra-sedated guests.

The first band to come on was Los Angeles’ very own indie folk/rock band Sea Wolf, who were dressed up as Dia de Los Muertos skeletons.  They rocked.

Next up was Sweden-based band Little Dragon.  The singer, Yukimi Nagano, is previously known for her work with ultra-talented electronic/jazz musicians, Koop and is also dating Jose Gonzalez, formerly of Zero 7.  Her band, all wearing their signature ‘dragon’ masks put on a real nice set.  From hard-hitting electronic to smooth, slow jams that make you dance with your eyes shut like a crazy person, Yukimi Nagano knows how to put on a show.   I’d die to see her perform with Koop.

Had I known that DJ Shadow would make us shake bones for an hour straight, I would’ve paid someone else to go and do the shooting.  He was THAT good.  The last few times I’ve seen him was with his stint with Cut Chemist and I now know that he can put on a great solo show.  Seriously, it was fun.

And the final act last night was none other than Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, who have been getting a lot of attention in the band scene.  My friend refers to them as a younger version of Gogol Bordello for his folky, circus-like music that never failed in getting the crowd to go wild.  Unfortunately, my wife was getting sick and we had to call it a night.

This was truly a great evening.  Met a ton of people with creative costumes and happy attitudes.  And got a nice headache in the morning.  More photos below.

MORE KCRW @ PARK PLAZA ‘09
» KCRW’s RadioActive Dance Party, Park Plaza Hotel, April 11, 2009

A costumed Vampire Weekend played a secret show on Halloween at a loft apartment in Chinatown. The location was fitting since the building was home to the legendary Madame Wong’s night club in the 70’s and 80’s. Keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij dressed up as a unicorn, drummer Chris Tomson was Ace Ventura, bassist Chris Baio wore a giant shrimp costume, but I could never quite make out who singer Ezra Koenig was supposed to be. The band tore through a full set of new and old songs with Mansard Roof and Oxford Comma sounding better than ever. It was a relaxed house party atmosphere with the main room crowded only during the performance. Throughout the night guests mingled around the kitchen turned DJ & bar area, the smaller family room space, and the rooftop terrace. The latter I discovered through climbing a long second stairway and half expecting to see Kareem Abdul Jabbar around the corner at the top as in Game of Death. Free Colt 45’s were served and, in a shoe store that was open on the ground level, free Tecates were offered. Ironically, no Horchata was to be found.

LA is home to the largest art colony in the world. That’s right, the world. It’s one of our city’s best kept secrets. Twice a year, the Brewery Art Association near downtown LA opens its doors to art aficionados, collectors, students, curious onlookers, and those who only wish they could support themselves based solely on creative genius. I fit into those last two categories.

The following photo collection reflects my first experience at the Brewery Artwalk, which took place this past Saturday and Sunday, October 24 & 25. It is in no way a comprehensive representation of the work that was on display (the complex boasts roughly 300 work/live studios). But it’s a taste of an authentic, thriving art scene unique to LA—a must-try for all Angelenos.

Living Where You Work

Brick: A Blast From the Past
The Brewery is composed of industrial buildings–some dating back to the late 1800s–that have since been converted into lofts ranging between 600 and 6,000 square feet.

An Invisible Wall
Hanging windows make a cozy kitchen in Dave Lefner’s studio.

How Artists Relax
An elevated hot tub (standing nearly 15 feet off the ground) overlooks a nearby rail yard.

Less Talk. More Art.

John Friedericy

A selection (#4) from a 30 piece collection of stone-lithography prints detailing the artist’s process.

Selected work. Piece #5.

Selected work. Piece #30.

Pieces from the collection “Origins Extinct.” Mixed media.

Stump on her process: “I’ve never been able to do abstract art, but I’ve always wanted to. The drips make it feel…loose.”

Composed of over 800 separate ceramic elements, Chuang’s work references symmetry and pattern-making that occur within nature.

Patterson hand-paints each pair with a custom design. Fashionable and functional, the shoes will maintain their look through wear and tear because of a unique property in the paint that bonds it with the leather.

Kaleb Higgins

Lithograph prints and spray paint.

Higgins and Patterson were some of the younger artists I ran into. They shared a studio. Their work is infused with a sense of play.

Tuan Phan

These seemingly decaying forms are Phan’s representation of Stupas, empty vessels that mark graves in Buddhist burial grounds.

Fin

The next Brewery Artwalk will take place in April of 2010. Don’t miss it!

» Brewery Artwalk (official site)

Direction, analog synths and miscellany by Brian LeBarton (Beck)
Percussion by Carla Azar (Autolux)
Cello by Vanessa Freebairn-Smith

Over the course of 90 minutes in a darkened room under Disney Hall last night Brian LeBarton, clad in a fur-and-rubber wolf mask, made enough improvised bleeps, blurps and flatulent noises to equal the output of six men with an array of vintage synths surrounding his workspace. Supporting musicians Carla and Vanessa were tastefully subdued, never at the forefront for any extended period of time. Nothing was rehearsed beforehand.

Golem, the movie itself, 90+ minutes of shadowy lighting and fantastic 1920 surrealist sets by Hans Poelzig (playbook of which Theodore Geisel must surely have taken a page from), has been scored a variety of ways over the ages (fun and notable example: dig the brief death metal montage by Mike Patton’s Fantomas, here). I’m not exactly sure the reason, but spacey free jazz and analog sounds lend themselves to silent German Expressionist films quite well, and last night’s performance was well-executed and no exception, drawing parallels for myself to the scoring of Murnau’s Nosferatu by the venerable Tortiose a couple of years ago up in Chicago.

Around the 90-minute mark the trio, locked in one final groove, continued jamming straight into the credits before LeBarton looked up and realized the movie was over. THE END. 60 more seconds of noise, and things wound down.

“100% not what I expected!” From the woman behind me to her viewing companions immediately following last night’s screening, the words were uttered with the sort of inquisitive loudness that invariably comes pre-bundled with a passive longing for those within earshot to agree with the proclaimer. Far too busy forming my own opinions with my own viewing companions, I didn’t take the bait, and while I’ll never know if she enjoyed the performance or not, in my book “the unexpected” is never, ever a bad thing — particularly at Halloween.

Speaking with Brian after the screening I was told the improvised score will be completely different tonight; most notably the finale, which he threatens to build to heavily with “all kinds of crazy shit.” Big congrats to our ticket winners; thanks for all your entries yesterday.

RECOMMENDED
The Golem w/Live Score by Brian LeBarton@ REDCAT Sat Oct 31 (ALL HALLOWS’ EVE)

]]> http://www.losanjealous.com/2009/10/31/brief-notes-on-last-nights-live-golem-score-redcat-brian-lebarton-guests/feed/ 0 http://www.losanjealous.com/2009/10/30/florence-and-the-machine-roosevelt-hotel-october-29-2009/ http://www.losanjealous.com/2009/10/30/florence-and-the-machine-roosevelt-hotel-october-29-2009/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:44:38 +0000 Sung http://www.losanjealous.com/?p=25426

HEADS UP
Florence & The Machine @ Troubadour Fri Oct 30 (tonight) (long sold out; good luck)