Concerts galore hit the streets of Los Angeles tonight - but the best ones are just East of Vine St. at Hollywood Palladium (ALT-J) and Fonda Theatre (Purity Ring and Jon Hopkins). If you can chase down tickets to either one of those performances - you won't regret it. O.C. residents get a visit from Icona Pop at The Observatory. Full list of shows for Tuesday August 27, 2013 below the videos.
Majical Cloudz, Moon King, My Hawaii @ The Echo
ALT-J @ Hollywood Palladium
Russian Masterworks @ Hollywood Bowl
Purity Ring, Jon Hopkins @ Fonda Theatre
Truckfighters, Fatso Jetson, Last Days of Ancient Sunlight, Hellbeast of the Night @ The Satellite
The Electric Sons @ The Viper Room
Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers, Brothers Comatose @ Troubadour
Pete Holmes Living @ Largo
The Bluffs, Duncan McKnight @ Detroit Bar (FREE)
The Ten Thousand, DECORATOR @ Bootleg Bar
Tasuni-Mak World Series feat. Mandeep Sethi, Garbriel Taren @ Del Monte Speakeasy
Horizon, Sarah Pigion, Ella Kromah @ WitZend
Within Reason @ Constellation Room
Icona Pop @ The Observatory
Ana Lunoe, Fashen, Special Guests @ Dim Mak Studios
Shauna Brittenham, La Marche, Cali Rivlin @ Room 5 Lounge
Light FM, Fascination w/ Josef Cristofer, Yvonne Black, Kelly Divan, Angel SPade, Erick Amas @ Los Globos
Nicole Atkins, The Brother Sal, Nick Africano, Kieran Leonard @ The Hotel Cafe
Chainsaw Brotheres, Dizzy Bats, Grumpus, Three Trees @ TRiP
Tonight is not your average twilight series performance down by Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Ana born, Huntington Beach raised Nick Waterhouse brings his bluesy and soulful vocals and guitar right by the beach. Making his recording debut in 2010 with the release of "Some Place" and "That Place" - the storied musical journeyman has been on a wild ride ever since. In May 2012, he released his first full length album, Times All Gone, via Stones Throw imprint Innovative Leisure Records. He continues to maintain a strong working relationship with the Allah-Las and is contributing to production of their sophomore record as well as his own. Catch the Cali crooner tonight at Santa Monica Pier for FREE. Boogaloo Assassins open.
Quasi-local (OC and Long Beach) act Kiev enjoy the third night of their stellar residency this Monday night at Bootleg. Their Radiohead meets My Morning Jacket meets Medeski Martin & Wood sound recalls all things that are good about music, without any of the pop, begging to be discovered, drivel. These guys make music they like - and they appear to have fun doing it too.
Celebrate their latest projects at Bootleg tonight with Miya Folick, The Steelwells, MYPET and DJ Kat Corbett! And, its FREE!
Fierce, beautiful, well-orchestrated all aptly describe Breakfast's "True Love Waits" - but nothing does it justice like the song itself. The deeply emotional ballad belted by the beautiful Andrea Adolph is enhanced by dramatic accordion and perfectly peppered ivory and ebony.
The clap breakdown is charming and cute, as is these seemingly young artists opining about how true love waits. Does it?
Its a summer Thursday - which means FREE shows at the Santa Monica Pier (The English Beat w/ Maxwell Smart) and Levitt Pavilion's (Christian Scott at McArthur Park, New Found Road in Pasadena). Locals The Neighbourhood pack Fonda Theatre and Lakers hero Kobe celebrates the release of Kobe Up Close at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live.
A list of more entertainment options is below the videos.
Enjoy an excellent Saturday and find some good music to check out live in this list below. We like Cloud Control and Tapioca & The Flea at Bootleg Bar if you want to be on the next tip, Hardwell at Palladium to dance your ass off, Mark De Clive Lowe presents Church at Levitt Pavilion McArthur Park if you want some FREE entertainment and The National with Daughter to rock out under the twilight sky at Greek Theatre.
Check out a more complete list below!
The National, Daughter @ Greek Theatre
Emeli Sande @ Club Nokia
Smith Westerns, Wampire @ El Rey Theatre
Chicano Batman @ Levitt Pavilion Pasadena
White Fence, Jessica Pratt and Jonathan Rado @ Trouabadour
Mark de Clive Lowe presents CHURCH @ Levitt Pavilion McArthur Park
One Direction a@ Staples Center
Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett & His Large Band @ Hollywood Bowl
Ivete Sangalo @ Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
Hardwell @ Hollywood Palladium
Cloud Control and Tapioca & the Flea @ Bootleg Bar
The Shadow Principle, Odd Owl, the Verm and Adam’s Breakfast @ Silverlake Lounge
The Obsessed, Hirax, From Ashes Rise and Final Conflict @ Echoplex
Plus, Smiles, V-3P0 and Dust & Chrome @ Satellite
Star & Dagger, Boots Electric and Purple @ Los Globos
Turbo Lightning, Zebroids, Dirty Few and Heller Keller @ the Smell
Shivering Windows, Nicole Kidman, Filardo, Eyes Seas and the Cthulhus @ Lot 1 Café
The Bluebonnets, Upset and EZ Tiger @ El Cid
Derek Rogers, Good Willsmith, l’eternebre and Black Hat @ pehrspace
Animal Cloud, NTNT, Science Fiction Theater, Darren Frank and Robb Benson & the Sheik @ the Hotel Café
Taro Hart and Melvin Seals & JGB @ the Mint
Dilana and Bleck @ Roxy Theatre
Original Sinner, Opus Dai, Thick as Thieves, Day Above Ground, Kraterface and Sunset Cannons @ House of Blues
Brad Kay’s Regressive Jazz Quartet @ Del Monte Speakeasy
Free Moral Agents, Stab City, Plague Vendor, Ghostnerd and SoCal Tennis Pros @ Alex’s Bar
The Roots hold a soft place in founder Brandon Dorsky's SUPERGOOD heart. Having seen them upwards of 40 times - they capture a special place a top the list of bands he's seen most. Their acceptance of a spot on Jimmy Fallon's late night program meant less touring than their former 200+ shows a year - but hey, the world now gets the treat of seeing them every night - and that is a net positive.
Earlier this week, they really impressed when Robin Thicke joined the legendary Roots crew and Mr. Fallon for a special rendition of "Blurred Lines" with classroom instruments. Which version do you prefer? The video might not be as sexy as the scandalous original, but check it out and decide for yourself.
Its Tuesday, but it already feels like the week is halfway over given that most of America is checking out of work Wednesday for an extended weekend. Before you head out for the fireworks, BBQs and lounging by a pool or beach to cure the ails of these heat waves - check out the stream of AraabMUZIK's The Remixes Vol. 1 on Pitchfork.
As you might expect - the MPC master freaks and reworks popular tracks and dance floor anthems, infusing them with his quintessential hip-hop swagger. AraabMUZIK's release drops on Ultra Music on July 9th - but stream this at your celebration(s) of freedom if you want to see a little extra free expression on your patio dance floor.
SUPERGOODMUSIC had the privilege of giving away a handful of tickets to some Halloween themed music events around town this weekend (thank you Live Nation, Mike Tunney, Vanguard, Key Club). We gave one special follower, @OhSheida, a full slate of treats in the form of tickets to Miike Snow at Vanguard on Friday and Janelle Monae & Of Montreal at Hollywood Palladium on Saturday night.
Sheida took it the extra mile, stopped at The Roxy for Witch Hunt before Miike Snow and then sent us this bad-ass thank you. Rock on @OhSheida. You are, undoubtedly, a fan of supergoodmusic.
MY SUPERGOODMUSIC NIGHT: October 29, 2010
After working a nine hour shift Friday, I didn’t think I’d be able to make it out. I sucked it up and gathered the last bits of energy I had and headed to The Roxy. While standing in line I saw Napolean Dynamite, a few zombies and a couple of penguins waiting to get into The Roxy’s Witch Hunt.
Playing inside was Las Vegas’ rock band, Imagine Dragons.It was their final song and Dragons frontman did not hold anything back. He jumped towards the cymbals and started slapping them. Every time he slapped it, I was getting a burst of energy.Each slap equaled a shot straight to the head. The band made me feel like a snake; their guitarist my personally charmer. After that one song I was ready to let loose.
Up next was Saint Motel. In hindsight, the only thing I wish I did for this show was to learn their lyrics so I could have sang along with the rest of the room. Saint Motel not only kept my ears happy but had some visual eye candy too. They put a spell on me with clips from Hocus Pocus and live shots of them on stage. ‘To My Enemies’ and ‘Dear Dictator‘ were my favorite songs from that night. Look, if there is one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s to support and listen to this LA native band. After their riveting performance, I could’ve been all set for the night but oh no no! It was just getting started…..
Fast forward and I’m now sitting in bumper to bumper traffic driving down hollywood trying to make it to the Vanguard.You’re probably wondering who still plays at Vanguard? Well wonder no more! The boys of Miike Snow had a 90 minute dj set that could’ve lasted twice as long and I still would’ve itched for more. Miike Snow dropped and remixed their very own Black and Blue, Animal and Silvia.As a band, these Swedes are hella talented, and as a DJ group they don’t disappoint either.They know exactly what it takes to have a good time.They took it back to the homeland playing a little Swedish House Mafia and ending the night with Rusko.
It was definitely in my Top 10 Craziest Dance Parties. The crowd at Vanguard isn’t necessarily anything I ever want to be apart of, but that infectious energy that can only be supplied by epic music experiences is.Although I probably won’t head back to the Vanguard again unless I’m accompanied by Miike Snow, all in all, I had an amazing night and I have to shout out and thank Brandon “Supergoodmusic” Dorksy for that.
Over at SUPERGOODMUSIC, we are stoked to have the stellar line-up of Blockhead, Signal Path and Nocando coming to town next weekend. After listening to Signal Path's recently released (AND FREE) album, Imaginary Lines (which you can play at the bottom of this post) we reached out to the artists to learn more and get amped for the upcoming show.
Not only did we discover that Signal Path's Damon Metzner is a cool mo-fo who formerly lived in Michigan, we found out he trained under Galactic's Stanton Moore too!!! Imaginary Lines had me sold on attending The Roxy initially, but armed with the knowledge that Damon is a funk master's disciple, I definitely won't miss a minute next Saturday!
Below is our full interview with Damon from just before he hit the road to tour (first show was last night Seattle), along with a stream of the album. ENJOY :D
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Where did you grow up?
Damon: I grew up in the great city of New Orleans, with a little bit of time in America's High Five: Michigan!
SUPERGOODMUSIC: How did you decide to chase a career in music? When did you give up the typical "day" job?
Damon: I've been bouncing between being a performer and working the music industry side of things since I was 17. The last job outside of either the music industry or performing was at a pizza shop in New Orleans when I was 16.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Did you go to school for music or take any music lessons growing up?
Damon: I did both. I started out taking lessons with the great teacher Mark DiFlorio in New Orleans who then introduced me to Stanton Moore. Stanton was a gigantic inspiration in my playing and having him take the time to show me a few things was a huge motivator to say the least. I then went on to major in jazz at The University of New Orleans before changing my major to business at The University of Montana.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Where did the name Signal Path come from?
Damon:Ryan Burnett (guitar production) came up with the name in 2000. It makes sense for an electronic act, no? Haha.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: What is Signal Path all about?
Damon: Signal Path is a musical project created by Ryan Burnett (guitar/production) and myself, Damon Metzner (drums). We try to incorporate deep melodic ideas that wrap around compositionally focused core of intricate rhythm and massive low end. Both Ryan and I draw a lot of influence from american roots music, and try to incorporate those influences with our electronic production. Rhythmically, we definitely identify with a lot of glitch, hip hop and big beat music, but intertwine acoustic instrumentation as well. We regularly incorporate acoustic guitars, mandolins and lapsteel guitars that weave inside synths, massive leads and heavy basslines. Our goal is to produce deeply meaningful unique music that can be both beautiful and intense live.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: What's brewing at the moment?
Damon: Right now we are 100% focused on the recent drop of our free album Imaginary Lines, that came out on September 1st. Getting ready for one of the most exciting headlining tours in our history too. We couldn't be more thrilled to share the stage with some of our favorite artists in the nation including Blockhead, Bluetech, Designer Drugs, EPROM and EOTO. Having the opportunity to perform with artists of this caliber is a HUGE inspiration.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: What makes this tour that you're embarking on different from all your previous ones?
Damon: This tour really stands apart as it's giving us the opportunity to perform music from an album that we spent more time on than any other release. This tour also is allowing us to work with some of our favorite producers in the country.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: When will you be playing LA?
Damon: Saturday September 25th. At The Roxy. We're giving you a pair of tickets to give away. (tweet and mention @supergoodmusic @signalpath & @theroxy for chance to win or e-mail contest@supergoodmusic.com with the Subject: Signal Path)
SUPERGOODMUSIC: When was the last time you played LA? Where? How was it?
Damon: We haven't played in LA since 2007 when we did a run with the Pnuma Trio. We played a place called Fais Do Do. It was a great time for sure. LA throws down.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Where have you stayed in LA when you've come? Do you have a favorite place? Do you have a favorite spot to hit up to eat?
Damon: Hahahaha - Well, we pretty much always stay at some seedy motel....this one time, naw, forget it.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Have you had In n Out? Is it the best fast food burger there is?
Damon: I have had In n Out...and although a fantastic burger, I have to say that the Burgerville's in Portland, OR takes the cake for the organic(ish) fastfood chains...I hope I get some free burgers out of this!
SUPERGOODMUSIC: I hope I do too. So, what's next?
Damon: We're focused on making the next several months some of the most positive in the history of the band. We couldn't be more proud of the music we've put out on the new album. We just really can't wait to get on the road and share the music with the fans live. Ultimately, none of this would be possible without their support.
SUPERGOODMUSIC: Anything else you want to let the SUPERGOODMUSIC community know?
Damon: We just really want to thank all the fans. Like I said, NONE of this could happen without them which is one of the reasons why we give the music away for free. Of course we'd like to give props to www.supergoodmusic.com for the opportunity to share these thoughts and help spread the word. We'd also really love to thank all the artists we're fortunate enough to work with including the amazing visual artist Josh Keyes who donated a fantastic piece of art for our use as our album cover.
FULL TOUR SCHEDULE:
09/16/10 Thu - Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/17/10 Fri - Bellingham, WA The Wild Buffalo - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/18/10 Sat - Portland, OR Refuge - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/21/10 Tue - San Diego, CA Casbah - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/22/10 Wed - Santa Cruz, CA Moe's Alley - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/23/10 Thu - Arcata, CA Arcata Theater - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/24/10 Fri - Berkeley, CA Shattuck Down Low - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
09/25/10 Sat - West Hollywood, CA Roxy Theatre - w/ Blockhead, Nocando
10/01/10 Fri - Dallas, TX La Grange - w/ Eprom
10/02/10 Sat - Austin, TX The Parish Room - w/ Eprom
10/09/10 Sat - Denver, CO Ogden Theatre - w/ EOTO
10/14/10 Thu - Minneapolis, MN Cabooze - w/ Sovereign Sect
10/15/10 Fri - Aberdeen, SD VFW Post 42 - w/ Sovereign Sect
10/16/10 Sat - Fargo, ND The Aquarium - w/ Sovereign Sect
10/20/10 Wed - Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
10/21/10 Thu - Grand Rapids, MI Founders Brewery.
10/22/10 Fri - St.Louis, MO 2720
10/23/10 Sat - Madison, WI Annex
10/28/10 Thu - Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre - w/ Designer Drugs
10/29/10 Fri - Bozeman, MT Filling Station
10/30/10 Sat - Chattanooga, TN Collective Vision
11/11/10 Thu - Oxford, MS Proud Larry's - w/ Bluetech
11/12/10 Fri - Nashville, TN 12th + Porter - w/ Bluetech
11/13/10 Sat - Asheville, NC Club 828 - w/ Bluetech
11/15/10 Mon - Blacksburg, VA Awful Arthur’s - w/ Bluetech
11/16/10 Tue - Knoxville, TN Southbound - w/ Bluetech
11/17/10 Wed - Raleigh, NC Pour House - w/ Bluetech
11/18/10 Thu - Wilmington, NC Kefi - w/ Bluetech
11/19/10 Fri - Charleston, SC The Pour House - w/ Bluetech
11/20/10 Sat - Atlanta, GA Apache Cafe - w/ Bluetech
Got to give a shout out to my man Clancy at Media Contender for reminding me of how hilariously awesome these Fred The Raver videos are. Wish he would have been at HARD!!!
Had the privilege and pleasure of hitting up the Sunset Strip a handful of times this week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights, but I finally remembered to bring my camera to Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek at House of Blues on Wednesday and Hyper Crush last night at The Roxy. Both acts come with a hip-hop edge, but wildly different spectrums. Kweli & Hi-Tek representing Reflection Eternal and their lyrically rich and classic sound whereas Hyper Crush is a flavor of the new electro-fueled party anthem hip-hop variety in the vain of other artists like LMFAO.
Kweli ripped it from the minute he got on stage - opening with an original Reflection Eternal banger "Move Something." The lyrics were on fire and Hi Tek backed him up perfectly all night - especially in the series of opening cuts from their original record. Concentrating on old material as they got going, they satisfied the crowd's hunger to hear their original (and arguably ground breaking) works. I was definitely satisfied, although still wish I'd gotten to hear "Africa Dream."
Hyper Crush came out on fire. Immediately after premiering their video to a wild, young, intoxicated and neon dressed crowd, the curtains lifted and they smacked the crowd in the face with their electro-dance hip-hop fusion. The crowd was shook, screamed, raised their hands on command, crowd surfed and clamored for more. Hypercrush did a great job of controlling The Roxy crowd energy and made sure they delivered on fans expectations, by hosting Far East Movement on stage for a track and on playing fan favorites, like "Robo Tech" (whose video we have just below) and their live remix of La Roux's "Bulletproof."
All in all, despite missing the opening acts, I had a great time. Like the aforementioned LMFAO, Hypercrush destroyed a sold out show at The Roxy. LMFAO just opened for Black Eyed Peas at Staples Center - so who knows what is next for the interesting trio they call Hypercrush?
So, I foolishly have hit the town the last few nights sans camera. While that means we don't have pictures to share from our escapades - there are still stories, highlights and bands worthy of mention since our last update.
Saturday night brought us to the second night of Flying Lotus for the epic introduction of Lotus with a band. With Lotus flying high off the release of Cosmogramma, the night was one to be remembered. Not only was there a Cosmogramma themed design-your-own-tee-shirt station in the back of the Echoplex, but there were Cosmogramma images being projected on walls both inside and out. The whole night had a very artistic avant-garde feel to it - which was only further emphasized by the improvisational saxophone playing of Ravi Coltrane.
Looking at the bill for Saturday night, I did not anticipate that we'd go from Gaslamp Killer to Coltrane's quintessential jazz in a matter of an hour, but it happened. Spanning the spectrum of multiple genres, the night became a melting pot of experimentation, collaboration and last, but not least, people. There were all sorts of heads out - from electro freaks, to hip-hop heads, to music critics, to seeming jazz aficionados. While the eastside is more often the locale for finding a mixed bag of people - this was one of the more diverse crowds I'd seen at a show recently. Although we tuckered out at the end of Flying Lotus' set, we were happy to have witnessed Flying Lotus' first full band performance. If you failed to make it - you can check out some free flying lotus downloads from www.rcrdlbl.com right here - http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Flying_Lotus/music - including his remix of Kanye West's "Love Lock Down."
Sunday we took the night off from concerts, but we were back at it again on Monday with stops at the Libertine and 14 Below. The Libertine, hosted Hunnypot Unlimited's radio show with guest Foster The People, who unfortunately cancelled their performance due to a band member's personal issues. Nonetheless, "Hot Tub"John Anderson asked the questions and produced some nuggets of information about the recently signed and rising LA indie-electro-soul buzzband. From Libertine we made an obligatory stop at Pinches Tacos (best Carne Asada taco in town), before heading to the westside to meet up with A/J and Dak of Saint Motel for Glen & The Sunshine Gang at 14 Below.
Arriving at 14 Below, A/J, Dak and I bumped into @berkorules of @theviperroom before witnessing the crazed unitard party that is Glen & The Sunshine Gang. With half the band in skeleton themed unitards, it was a spectacle to be seen. That picture was only made more graphic when the pantsless keyboard and effects player removed his shirt and started dancing in his tighty whities in the middle of the crowd. I was particularly down with their juiced up version of "We Didn't Start The Fire", the classic song from Billy Joel's Storm Front album. Glen, their front man, who began the song by jumping off stage in his not so flattering to the crotchal region all red unitard, gave a performance that can only be described as rock star. What this band might lack in great songs they make up for in great (and energetic) live show. Although I can't say SUPERGOODMUSIC will be rocking out to Glen & The Sunshine Gang tracks on a regular basis - we do look forward to seeing the band again and intend on being a bit more intoxicated to enjoy the balls to the wall party that is GTSG.
Last night we ventured to The Roxy in hopes of catching both Ironheel and Bigelf. Ironheel includes band members (Jim) that hail from Boom D's hometown of Shaker Heights, but unfortunately, SUPERGOODMUSIC missed their performance. We did happen to catch Vas Defrans and Bigelf - both loud, but both worthy of The Roxy's stage. Bigelf not only had big sound, but big make-up, big hair and a big wardrobe. For reference the lead singer - whose name I do not know - was wearing a striped scarf and a jacket, with a mane down to at least his shoulders and more eye make-up than you've seen since Cats. (Okay, the Cats reference is an overstatement, but I'm just saying - homeboy rocks the make-up hard). We caught most of their big performance but left a little early to attempt a run at seeing Steve Aoki and Special Guest at Dimmak....which was thwarted by Frankie & Johnny's scrumptious pizza and a desire to watch LOST. (BTW - LOST finally answered some questions!)
Uploading a video of their performance of "Saving Grace" last night at The Roxy right now, we just had to upload a few pictures, taken by Brandon "Boom D" Dorsky, of this amazing (and rising) trio too.
Their songs are performed with a passion, the wa-wa hohner is fun to watch, and the band is tightly knit. KROQ often knows what's up when it comes to the indie rock scene and last night at The Roxy was no exception.
Crash Kings are great - and their over hour long show solidified why we had them play our 10 Days of 2010 earlier this year, and why we went to see them at SXSW and why we will go see them the next time they are in town. Their shows are fun, sweaty, sexy and filled with rock n' roll flavor, both old and new as evidenced by their top notch Hendrix cover last night.
The trio know how to channel energy, keep a crowd focused and deliver the supergoodness.
Tonight and tomorrow night I will find myself doing a back to back Silverlake Lounge trip. Like the frequency in which I go surfing, it is rare that I find myself wanting to hit up Silverlake Lounge two nights in a row over other LA offerings. But, I have good reason this week as both Hotel St. George and Chasing Kings will be showcasing their talents on the small eastside stage.
Hotel St. George, whom hail from San Diego, are making the drive up tonight for a FREE performance on the heels of their recent video release which features outdoor wizard back rubs and robots with guns and whiskey. As of this writing, it has been viewed a mere 41 times, but with that sort of ridiculousness, it ought to be viewed more.
You can see Hotel St. George (and maybe even the robot?) play tonight at Silverlake Lounge.
Chasing Kings reign on the stage tomorrow night at 10 pm. The quartet plays cool, classic-rock, indie-rock and surf-rock inspired grooves with stellar vocals that will have you pining for more at the end of their show. I had the privilege of catching up with the band in their living/rehearsal space a few weeks back where we talked about everything from first dates to music festivals to Stop Making Sense. Any questions? Just check out some of the footage from our hilarious conversations here...
