Full photo gallery below.

»continue reading The Mountain Goats, Henry Fonda Theater, November 15, 2009

As we close in on Miller Time around these parts, here’s a round up of a few of the day’s top stories that for one reason or another your humble editors considered–but ultimately rejected–for individual posts today.

― Authorities search for robbers who made a Gold Line getaway
God bless, The News. Never one to let the small details of the story pass up a good catchy alliterative headline. If you actually read the story, you will see that the crime was a stolen cellphone. Not to down play it if it was your phone that was swiped, but with the breathless headlines of robbers on this you’d think it was a bank heist or something big.

― Disputes Continue Over Jackson Estate and Public Memorial
NYT finally jumps into the mix to solve our Michael Jackson funeral costs debacle. First comment out of the box about sums it up:

PLEASE (Yes-I’m screaming) Can we stop talking about this family? Yikes.
— Francine

― DA announces new tool to combat dog fighting
FINALLY, a 24-hour dog fighting hot line. (877) NO-2-FITE. HOW many times have I witnessed a dog fight at 4 a.m. and thought if only there was a number I could call to stop this dog fight. Standing $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of individuals involved in dog fighting. Cock fighting is still OK.

― Prolific ‘BMW bandits’ steal parts from more than 50 luxury cars on the Westside
Wait a minute… Something’s not right here…. BMW’s? On the Westside? What are the odds?

― Aprons are no longer for the matronly
And, on the lighter side, Sabrina Enayatulla, our favorite LA Muslim Women’s Style Examiner, breaks it down for us on aprons.

PHOTO By Sung. Full gallery of Ray acoustic here.

Ray Davies returned to L.A. to debut his latest release “The Kinks Choral Collection” at capacity filled Orpheum Theater. Backed by a 28-voice choir and a four-piece band the former Kinks’ lead singer performed a mixture of songs from both his solo catalog and Kinks’ classics in a rousing two hour set. Davies started off the show intimately with an acoustic set accompanied by his guitarist Bill Shanley. The two played for much of the first half of the show with Davies interacting with the crowd frequently. The audience responded in turn, singing along to tunes such as “A Dedicated Follower of Fashion” and “Sunny Afternoon”, and with frequent cries between songs for their favorite songs, at which Davies finally remarked, “[What] an embarrassment of riches.” He was right as he and his ensemble would perform most of the requests as the night went on.

About forty minutes into the show the rest of the band joined, which included former Kinks keyboardist Ian Gibbons. Together they performed additional Kinks material from the earlier “Til the End of the Day” and “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” to the 80’s hit “Come Dancing”. After a twenty minute intermission the choir slowly made their way on stage. Davies announced that they would start with songs from the album Arthur. The choir contributed beautifully to the songs “Shangri-La” and “Victoria”. He then introduced “You Really Got Me” by saying, “If you don’t know this next song you shouldn’t be here.” During the song, Ray danced around the stage, even leaping into the air with his guitar at one point, showing that, even at 65, he still knows how to rock the room.

»continue reading Ray Davies & The Vox Society Choir Perform The Kinks Choral Collection, Orpheum Theater, November 14, 2009

It’s apparently cancelation day over here. Going from in doubt, to today, canceled. From the Troubadour website:

Canceled due to transportation problems. Refund at point of purchase. If you purchased tix via fax, you will be refunded today 11/17

If you have anything else that you would like to announce is canceled, feel free to send it our way.

UPDATE: Tour openers Those Darlins will play The Fold at Silver Lake Lounge at 10:30 tonight.

New 9-minute feature “Oil of L.A.” worth checking out went up on VBS.tv today. Directed by Joseph Patel and hosted by Nate Harrington, and sharply shot and tightly edited, it’s a great quick look at current and former oil wells that are hidden in plain sight right around town, including spots such as Beverly Hills H.S. (who knew?), the Farmer’s Market and the Beverly Center. The film doesn’t really aim to delve into the implications of its findings beyond just acknowledging the wells’ existences, but packs a lot in its 9-minutes–definitely a compelling pitch for some funding to support a longer piece on the subject.

Bruins go down in 2OT to CSU Fullerton at Pauley last night. I didn’t catch most of the game. How bad did the Bruins look in this season opener? Forget it, don’t answer that. I see Roll and Lee put up some numbers. But even Lavin never lost to CSU Fullerton. This does not bode well for the season to come. Next up are Bakersfield and Pepperdine, usually two automatic W’s to pencil in, but, now, maybe not so automatic.

The festival, which was to have featured Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendancies and many others, this Saturday, November 21, has been postponed and will be rescheduled for “early 2010.”

From the Festival:

“As organizers, we are committed to presenting only the finest event possible for this important movement. Due to ongoing economic challenges, we decided our best option was to move the event to a later date to insure these standards are maintained for the benefit of our important, loyal audience.”

Refunds are available for those who have already purchased tickets via their point of purchase.

HEADS UP

Vampire Weekend @ Henry Fonda Tue 1/12/2010 (On sale Friday 11/27 at noon)

HEADS UP

The Slits @ The Echo Sun 12/13

Trapped Animal–the first new full-length LP by The Slits in 25 years–out now on Narnack Records.
 

Following up on covering The Velvet Underground & Nico and Songs of Leonard Cohen, Beck’s Record Club takes on Skip Spence’s classic Oar along with Wilco, Feist and Jamie Lidell. The first fruit from the sessions, album opener “Little Hands,” is up on Vimeo now:

Beck shares some notes on the session:

»continue reading Beck Record Club #3: Skip Spence’s Oar Featuring Wilco, Feist and Jamie Lidell

1) Them Crooked Vultures (Grohl, J.P.J., Homme & co.) will perform tonight, Monday, November 16 @ The Roxy.
2) Tickets @ the door, night of show, non-transferable, no ins-&-outs.
2a) No lineups before 2 pm.
3) Doors @ 8:30.
4) 2 hours of drinking.
5) Them Crooked Vultures @ 10:30.
 

Full photo gallery below.

»continue reading Ray Davies, Orpheum Theater, November 14, 2009

HEADS UP

Night One, Sat 12/12: AFI, Rise Against, Alice In Chains, 30 Seconds to Mars, Three Days Grace, Anberlin, Dead By Sunrise

Night Two, Sun 12/13: Muse, 311, Slightly Stoopid, Phoenix, The Bravery, Metric, Vampire Weekend, Cage the Elephant & White Rabbits @ Gibson Amphitheatre

Which band are you least looking forward to seeing?

Matt Muse photo by Carlie from San Diego Street Scene 2007.

PICK OF THE WEEK

Julian Plenti
(Paul Banks of Interpol)
w/ I’m In You
Thursday, November 19
El Rey Theater
Info
 

Royksopp
w/ Jon Hopkins
Wednesday, November 18
Club Nokia
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]

Snoop Dogg
w/ DJ Quik and Nipsey Hussle
Thursday, November 19
Club Nokia
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]

Eureka! West Coast, Left Coast
Festival Opening Event with
Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, Matmos, & Mike Einziger
Saturday, November 21
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Info | [ENTER TO WIN]

Peter Bjorn & John
w/ El Pedro Del Mar
Saturday, November 21
Club Nokia
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]

The Juan MacLean DJ Set
w/ Parallels
Saturday, November 21
Echoplex
Info
[ENTER TO WIN]

Julian Casablancas
w/ The Strange Boys & The Growlers
Friday, November 20 | Palace Theater
November Residency through 11/27
Info | [ENTER TO WIN]

Passion Pit @ Fox Theater Pomona Sat 12/12
Grant-Lee Philips @ Largo Sat 12/12
St Vincent w/ Wildbirds & Peacedrums @ El Rey Tue 2/9
Magik Markers @ The Smell Mon 12/21
Fink (Fin Greenall) @ Spaceland Fri 12/4
Sea Wolf @ The Roxy Thu 12/17
West Coast, Left Coast: Songs of the Sun with Brian Wilson, Dave Alvin, The Living Sisters, and Harper Simon @ Disney Concert Hall Sun 12/6
Weezer @ UC Irvine Bren Events Center Mon 1/11
The Cribs w/ Jemina Pearl (ex-Be Your Own Pet) @ Glass House (On sale Sat 11/14 12 pm) Tue 1/26
The Album Leaf @ El Rey Sat 2/13
Medeski Martin & Wood @ El Rey Thu 2/18
Medeski Martin & Wood @ House of Blues Anaheim Fri 2/19
Sasquatch Music Festival @ Gorge Amphitheater (3-day Pass) Sat 5/29
U2 @ Angel Stadium (On sale 11/20 10 am) Mon 6/7
 

WEDNESDAY
Anglos, Kid Theodore @ Silverlake Lounge
David Garza @ Largo
Royksopp @ Club Nokia
Snoop Dogg “How the West Was One” with DJ Quik and Nipsey Hussle @ Grove of Anaheim
The Big Pink with Crystal Antlers, IO Echo @ El Rey
The Hidden Cameras featuring Gentleman Reg @ Spaceland (Club NME)

THURSDAY
Deftones @ Avalon
Dethklok & Mastodon @ The Palladium
Johnny Echols Turn featuring The Quarter After & Sweaters @ Spaceland (Classic-era Love lead guitarist)
Julian Plenti @ El Rey (Interpol’s Paul Banks)
Snoop Dogg @ Club Nokia
The Swell Season @ The Wiltern
The Whigs @ Troubadour

FRIDAY
Dethklok & Mastodon @ The Palladium
Fat Freddy’s Drop @ The Roxy
Jaguar Love @ The Smell
Julian Casablancas @ Palace Theater, Downtown
Mike Watt @ Redwood
Neon Indian @ Echoplex
Raphael Saadiq @ The Wiltern
Ray La Montagne @ Orpheum Theatre
Solomon Burke @ Club Nokia
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down @ Glass House
When You Awake & The Fold Present A Tribute To Neil Young w/Delta Spirit, Ferraby Lionheart, Jason “Dead Meadow” Simon, Leslie “and the Badgers” Stevens, Parson Red Heads, Restavrant, Chapin Sisters, much more @ Bootleg Theater (Children’s Music Fund Benefit)

SATURDAY
Band of Horses, Tom Morello, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tom Gabrel, Shirley Manson, Butch Walker, Jarrod Gorbel, Charlotte Martin and more @ Avalon (Pablove Foundation Benefit)
Ben Gibbard @ The Actors Gang (Tim Robbins’ WTF?! Fest)
Blashpemous Rumours, Richard Blade, The Cured, Joshua Tree & Inx-sive @ House of Blues (Save New Wave II cover bands)
Elefant @ Troubadour
Eureka! West Coast, Left Coast: Kronos Quartet performing Thomas Newman w/ Terry Riley, Matmos & Incubus’ Mike Einziger @ Disney Concert Hall
Friendly Fires w/ The XX @ Henry Fonda
Peter Bjorn and John with Fool’s Gold and El Perro Del Mar @ Club Nokia
Ray Lamontagne @ Orpheum Theatre
The Fiery Furnaces w/ Cryptacize & Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele @ El Rey
The Juan Maclean @ Echoplex
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)
West Coast, Left Coast: Festival Opening Night @ Disney Concert Hall (Kronos Quartet, Terry Riley, Matmos, Mike Einziger)

SUNDAY
Baseck & Sonic Death Rabbit, War Tapes, John Carpenter, Pack of Wild Animals, free vegan food + Scoops @ The Smell (Food Not Bombs benefit)
Mental Head Circus @ King King
Ray Lamontagne @ Orpheum Theatre
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)

Massive photo gallery of the band below.

»continue reading Vampire Weekend, Hollenbeck Park, November 1, 2009

The Getty has a pair of great British cinema double-bills this Saturday and next in their Four Angry Young Men film series. Tomorrow, November 14, screens Look Back In Anger and Satuday Night and Sunday Morning (starring Albert Finney, above). Next Saturday, November 21 features This Sporting Life and The Loneliness of the Middle Distance Runner.

Any self-respecting Smiths, Decemberists, Belle and Sebastian or Arctic Monkeys fan no doubt knows these influential films well (or should) but it’s always nice to see them on a big screen in the dark with similarly minded, tastefully dressed fans. I only wish they would have dug a bit deeper and thrown in a film or two from this era that is a bit harder to catch, such as not-on-DVD The L-Shaped Room.

The series is free but you must to make reservations individually for each film online at the above link.

Three days in advance of Monday’s Los Angeles premiere screening of the highly anticipated, cumbersomely titled The Twilight Saga: New Moon at the Westwood Village Fox theater, a line of fans camping out in hopes of red carpet bleacher seats has begun. The obsessive, predominantly female fans, known as TwilightHeads, number about 100 as of press time, and have a line of full of folding chairs, sleeping bags, board games, Elmer’s glue, glitter, posterboards, battered books and laptops dotting Le Conte Avenue. The head of the line is anchored by some kind of Twilight sukkot, the ironic religious connotations of which, in this context, fairly appropriate given these fans’ fervor. While security is on hand, the many unintentionally homeless denizens of Westwood Village can be counted on to keep them company over the next three nights.

Because Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa shopping for my mother can never start too early, I headed all the way down to the South Coast Plaza Williams-Sonoma on Thursday to get Chef Thomas Keller to sign a copy of his newest cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home.

I’ll admit to some butterflies in my stomach anticipating what I would say to the man behind French Laundry and the Beverly Hills Bouchon opening this Wednesday, November 18.

After a three hour wait (no joke) I finally got Chef Keller to scribble his name illegibly, so “Nancy” will be all impressed and shit. I said some stupid things that I don’t remember. He smiled.

Here are some observations from my afternoon in this Orange County mall…
»continue reading Thomas Keller: The Taylor Swift of the Cooking World

Nearly one year after I first dropped the word of a pending Westwood Village Barney’s Beanery back in December 2008, a “Coming Soon!” sign has finally been hung on the former Good Earth, former Straton’s spot (and about 150 feet from the Westwood C.P.K.). Year-long delays, along with unexplained sudden shutterings, are unsurprising when it comes to the fickle zoning and real estate winds in the Village. Let’s hope that a) Barney’s can take root and stick around for a while; and b) that the village idiots will stick to O’Hara’s and not ruin the vibe at Barney’s.

For some strange reason, I get a lot of Las Vegas related e-mail. I mean, like, a lot. Could have something to do with the fact I’m there just about monthly, but who knows. This offer that hit my in-box was too good to not pass on to all of you–Have your photo taken with the Lakers 2009 Championship Trophy, today through Sunday at The Mirage just $299.

Or, if $299 and a drive to Vegas is too steep for you, e-mail us a photo and we will Photoshop the trophy in your hands for only $199–a savings of $100 plus the cost of going to Vegas.

Full trophy time and location details if you insist on going to Vegas below.

»continue reading Take Your Photo with the Lakers Trophy in Vegas, $299; Losanjealous Photoshop Job, $199