Results tagged “spaceland”

                            

Earlier this month, the Rock 'N Roll Summer Circus took place at The Echoplex, hosted by Eli Chartkoff from The Monolators with main stage performances by Marvelous Toy, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Fol Chen, and The Henry Clay People as well as sideshows by the Natural Disasters, Downtown/Union, The Damselles, Les Blanks, and Roadside Graves.

                      

LAist favorites Local Natives (LAist Interview) are performing every Monday night at Spaceland for free. The final two shows this month feature the likes of the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (LAist Review, #2), the Parson Red Heads (LAist Review, #2, #3), the Henry Clay People (Review, #2, #3, #4), Fun and Aushua. Yours truly will be DJing on August 31st, the final night of their month-long residency.

Like so many teenagers before him, when Ryan Sollee was fifteen he asked his parents for a guitar. Due to his less than perfect grades, they turned him down, but young Sollee was not to be deterred. He went down to the garage and built one from scratch with some of his dad's fishing line and some balsa wood. "It sounded horrible," he admitted, "But my parents were so impressed, that they broke down and got me one. Either that or the noise was getting to them."

                     

There is something immensely comforting about residencies - month-long appearances by bands at a relatively small venue. By their very nature, they imply homeliness and a familiarity that is both welcoming and calm. The shows, for example, are almost always free and the headlining band, via their month stay, has a fantastic opportunity to endear themselves to fans and staff by their very repetitive nature.

"Our music isn't that serious," Phil Shaheen admitted. "All of the bands I looked up to growing up weren't serious, either. They would have serious lyrics and silly music or serious music and silly lyrics. Music should be about having a good time." As the drummer of the Tijuana Panthers, one of SoCal's best surf rock groups, he knows all about that. Heavily influenced by classic 1960s surf rock fused with punk, the Panthers will make you want to put on your wet suit, grab your board, and make a beeline for the beach. Office meetings, florescent lighting, and paperwork be damned! It's a beautiful day outside, let's call in sick and hit the beach. (I wouldn't be surprised that after perusing this article if half of you got up right now and did just that.) Phil was kind enough about his band's new EP and their upcoming show at Spaceland. Here is some of what was said. Tijuana Panthers - Creature

              

Earlier this month, LA-Underground co-presented a showcase, with KXLU and Manimal Vinyl, at The Smell in Downtown LA, featuring Alexandra Hope, VOICEsVOICEs, EXITMUSIC, and Warpaint.

When the Aussie rockers, the Lovetones released their debut album, Be What You Want, in 2003 through Bomp! Records the critics freaked out. Rolling Stone hailed Matthew Tow' as being worthy of wearing paisley on Caranby Street and hanging out with Ray Davies. Three albums later, the Lovetones haven't lost any of their magic. They will be bringing their classic, psychedelic, 1960s influenced sound back to Los Angeles. The Lovetones will be playing at the Spaceland tonight, and gracing the Redwood Bar tomorrow. Last weekend lead singer and founding member, Matthew Tow, was kind enough to give us a few moments of his time. Here is some of what was said.

              

Rather than face the blistering heat and ungodly, ruinous prices of Coachella, I found myself heading towards Spaceland last Friday night to participate in some local, cooler, cheaper musical entertainment. Ironically, the band I saw produced a sound that would provide a perfect soundtrack for a spiritual awakening in the desert (especially on hallucinogens). Soon after I arrived it appeared as if the stage had been taken over by wood nymphs. Two young ladies with wild hair and lost eyes took the stage dressed in plaid and sparkles accompanied by three awkward young men who looked embarrassed to be on stage. They didn't even look like they belonged in the same band. It was like two bands had been double booked and were forced to share the stage.

       

Every now and then, when the wind is blowing the right way, the moon is half full, and the planets align you walk into a small club and have your face melted off by the sheer brilliance of some little band you've never heard of. For the twenty of you who wandered into the Spaceland at around ten on Sunday night, you know exactly what I'm talking about. For the rest of you, who were engaged in other activities (eating Easter dinner with your loved ones, having tea with Satan, polishing your bowling trophy collection, whatever) let me just say that you guys should look out for the Love Language next time they come to town. It's worth missing a tea party with Beezelbub.

                     

Last Sunday was the fourth edition of Kidrockers at The Echo (MySpace), hosted by comedians Matt Dwyer (MySpace) and Matt Braunger (MySpace), with performances by local indie bands Le Switch (MySpace) and Radar Bros (MySpace).

Are you the sort of person who goes weak at the knees when you hear a killer banjo solo? I am too. Which is why you should get your folk fix at Spaceland tomorrow night. Hailing from Ontario, Great Lake Swimmers' were in town haunting brand of melodic folk has captivated audiences all over North America. Founding member and sole singer-songwriter for the group, Tony Dekker, was kind enough to speak with us over the weekend about his latest album, Lost Channels. Here is some of what was said.

From the depths of Texas, comes a band that laughs in the face of categorization. White Denim's music is impossible nail down. (Trust me on this. I've been trying to do so for at least two hours now. The best I've come up with is experimental rock, which doesn't really mean much.) So I will just call it rock and be done with it.

Let it never be said that Youth Group are sissies. After enduring a fourteen hour flight from Sydney to LA, through untold horrors otherwise known as "customs" and "baggage claim," the Australian band still managed to put up with my meeting them at the Custom Inn Suites in Hollywood for our interview. If our places were reversed, I would have been a howling, drooling grump, refusing to talk to anyone as I crawled back to my room to sleep off the jet lag. But lo, Youth Group were bright and cheerful; a little slap-happy perhaps, but more than game for a stop at the Starbucks at the corner of Franklin and Highland to talk music. Bless them.

Racing through her apartment one day my friend Ashley yelled at me, "You have to hear this band! They're still in high school, but they're phenomenal." Dutifully I sat down and the most cheerfully elaborate pop about semen came out of the speakers. "I'm sorry. Are they singing about cum?" I asked. Ashley just grinned. I had to talk to this band.

From the intimate ballad “Julie” to the jubilant dance grooves of "That Time," Layton’s newest offering Shattered Kiss offers a colorful array of songs that evoke confident songwriting and skillful arrangements. Layton produced the album from his home recording studio located in Boyle Heights, playing almost every instrument except the drums. The EP features guest vocalist Gena Olivier of Midnight Movies on the contemplative “Living Alone.”

                     

On Monday night, while Norwegian rocker Ida Maria (MySpace) wowed the Spaceland (MySpace) crowd, Santa Barbara's Katy Perry (MySpace) returned to her singer-songwriter roots by headlining a sold out show at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, with support from last-minute openers Holly Conlan (MySpace) and Meiko (MySpace). LA-Underground observed that, "If [Perry] returned to the 50-capacity Genghis Cohen Cantina or Highland Grounds where she really started now that would be something (especially since Highland Grounds/The Dive closed last year)." But to say that this intimate show wasn't highly anticipated would be wildly inaccurate, as fans flew in from as far away as Vancouver, offering as much as $200 for a pair of tickets, and upwards of 15 paparazzi camped outside at the front and rear entrances for the duration of the evening.

Born the son of a professional guitarist who played with Bo Diddley, Rocco Deluca had blues in his soul since he was a boy. Inspired by the classic Delta bluesmen, Muddy Waters, Son House, and Robert Johnson, Rocco Deluca has created a blues/rock sound that pays homage to these late greats. The kind of blues that make you want to rip off your shirt and howl.

                                   

New Year's Eve was a raucous, booze-filled celebration at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake, with triple headliners The Happy Hollows (MySpace), The Pity Party (MySpace), and The Henry Clay People (MySpace) -- all of whom have been previously mentioned here -- kicking off 2009 with a show that will undoubtedly wind up on many "Best Of" lists at the end of this year.

                                    

As mentioned yesterday, earlier this month was the 2nd Annual Christmas Sweater Festival took place at The Echoplex (MySpace). The fundraiser, with proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders, featured a stellar lineup of rising stars from the local indie scene, including Amnion (MySpace), Castledoor (MySpace), The Pity Party (MySpace), The Deadly Syndrome (MySpace), The Happy Hollows (MySpace), and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (MySpace). It notably attracted two of the most prominent local scenester photographers, Ellei "Shadowscene" Johndro (MySpace) and Mark "The Cobrasnake" Hunter.

               

Two weeks ago, local Kárin Tatoyan (MySpace) performed at The Echoplex (MySpace) as part of Indie 103.1's recently-relaunched weekly Check One Tuesday series.

                      

Last Monday, local indie band The Movies (MySpace) continued their month-long residency at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake, with support from Sarah Negahdari and The Sad Solids (the acoustic version of The Happy Hollows), Rademacher (MySpace), and Vibe Slayer (MySpace). It was also a release party for The Movies' new album , and what a party it was.

                      

Last month, there was a great night of performances by singer-songwriters that included Carina Round (MySpace) at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, as well as Tenlons Fort (MySpace) -- backed by members of Amnion (MySpace), Avi Buffalo (MySpace), Castledoor (MySpace), and The Monolators (MySpace) -- Jenny O. (MySpace), Angela Correa (MySpace), Rachael Cantu (MySpace), and Daniel Ahearn (MySpace) at Mr. T's Bowl (MySpace) in Highland Park. Opening at Mr. T's was rapper Trick Tracy -- aka Castledoor's Brandon Schwartzel.

                             

Last Sunday was the second edition of Kidrockers, hosted by comedians Seth Herzog (MySpace) and Greg Behrendt (MySpace), with performances by local indie bands The Henry Clay People (MySpace) and The Parson Red Heads (MySpace).

Apollo Sunshine used to be touring fiends. When they first started up these guys would sell almost everything they had and hit the road for years at a time. The result? A live show that would make your hair stand on end. Their wild psychedelic-inspired blues rock will thump through your chest right down to your very soul. You'll swear it's the summer of '69 all over again. They're playing at the Spaceland tomorrow night, you lucky things, so catch 'em while you can! Jesse Gallagher, bassist, keyboardist, vocalist and really everything-ist was kind enough to talk to us from Tuscon, AZ on Monday.

                      

Last Thursday, Rilo Kiley frontwoman and Silver Lake "Pioneer Woman" Jenny Lewis (MySpace) returned to Southern California, headlining at The Orpheum Theatre with support from openers Pierre de Reeder (MySpace) and the recently-reunited Beachwood Sparks (MySpace). It was the second-to-last stop on Lewis' Tour, which began in mid-September at Spaceland (MySpace) -- see reviews at Web In Front and Classical Geek Theatre -- and The Echo (MySpace).

For the next three Thursdays in a row, local psychadelic indie powerpop outfit West Indian Girl is headlining at Spaceland in Silver Lake. The first show (tonight) will draw exclusively from their critically-acclaimed eponymous 2004 debut, featuring hits like What Are You Afraid Of, Hollywood, Miles From Monterey, and Still Lost. Their Nov. 13 set will pull from their 2007 sophomore effort, 4th & Wall, with popular songs To Die In LA, Blue Wave, Sofia and the enthusiastic Get Up. Their Spaceland residency will end on Nov. 20 with a set full of brand-new tunes they're considering for their forthcoming (still-untitled) third album, which is expected to hit stores sometime in 2009.

               

On Saturday night, The Parson Redheads (MySpace) -- previously mentioned here -- headlined a local Aquarium Drunkard (MySpace) showcase at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake, supported by openers The Sweet Hurt (MySpace) and Willougby (MySpace) as well as the Ventura-based The Spires (MySpace).

        

Last night, local ethereal shoegazers Warpaint (MySpace) closed the evening's lineup at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood. Formed in March 2007 with actress Shannyn Sossamon as drummer, the once all-female band has had two residencies this year -- February March at the Silverlake Lounge and August at Spaceland (MySpace) in Silver Lake -- as well as a spot on last month's Clean Air Clear Stars Festival (MySpace) at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace (MySpace).

                     

A number of Swedish singers, including Lykke Li (MySpace, LAist), Theressa Andersson (MySpace, LAist), and Lisa Miskovsky (MySpace), have performed at local venues in recent months, and on Monday, pop singer-songwriter and Perez Hilton favorite Robyn (MySpace) headlined an industry showcase at the Hotel Cafe (MySpace) in Hollywood, with London-based Molly Beanland (MySpace) opening.