Nick Waterhouse Takes Over SaMo Pier

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.

Valentine's Funk

Dam Funk brings his west coast flavor to the Lyric Theatre tonight to make your Valentine's day soiree fully FUNKtional.  For the singles - its a place to get your jive on, look cool and stay cool.  For the couples - show the crowd, which will undoubtedly feature some breakers, bad mommas and a few bangers, how you do your thing.  



Along with Dam, Free Food, Oddience, Benedek and Techno Sam will be playing.  The event is hosted by the Lyric Foundation and a portion of the proceeds go to Urban Compass (http://www.urbancompass.org).  You can snag tickets in advance for the low low price of $10 via lyrictheatrela.com.  

Lyric Theatre is located at 520 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036

Tonight in L.A. (December 31, 2012)

Its the last night to see a concert in 2012 - so make a good choice to close out your year.  LA provides no shortage of those on this Monday night.

Ring the new year with beats from your favorite DJs at a handful of quasi-underground events including Expansion NYE with Daedelus, Tokimonsta, Robert Raimon Roy, A. Chal and So Japan or the Stones Throw family that includes Peanut Butter Wolf, Mayer Hawthorne and J. Rocc, amongst others.  Get tickets to Expansion here.





For some above ground dance floor action - consider Zedd and Nicky Romero at Club Nokia, Markus Schulz at Avalon, Pizza Party at The Central SAPC or Sasha at Exchange LA.



The Sunset Strip heats up with some soul stylings courtesy of Vintage Trouble at The Roxy, posse raps from A$AP Rocky at House of Blues and some unique Bay Area vernacular supplied by E-40 at Key Club.  



No list would be complete without consideration for California grown reggae act Rebelution at Hollywood Palladium or mention of Kendrick Lamar's takeover of the Observatory.  Dustbowl Revival hosting "Midnight in Venice" at Del Monte Speakeasy should be some throwback fun as well.





A full list of shows is below:

• A$AP ROCKY @ House of Blues – Sunset Strip

• Cake @ The Wiltern

• Rebelution @ Hollywood Palladium

• Kevin Hart – Let Me Explain @ Staples Center

• Zedd & Nicky Romero, Nick Thayer, Popeska @ Club Nokia

• Sasha, Adam Beyer, Art Department Damian Lazarus @ Exchange LA

• Dj Willy G, David Rolas @ Los Globos

• James Friedman, Split Secs, Cosmic Dan, Dirty Dave, Ben Beck @ Los Globos

• Markus Schulz @ Avalon Hollywood

• E-40 @ Key Club (KDay NYE Party)

• Vintage Trouble, Sy Smith @ The Roxy

• Gentlemen Hall, The Public Trust @ On The Rox

• Expansion NYE w/ Daedelus, Tokimonsta, Robert Raimon Roy, A. Chal, So Japan @ Warehouse Location TBA w/ Ticket Purchase

• FYF & Stones Throw NYE w/ J Rocc, Peanut Butter Wolf, Mayer Hawthorne & More @ Warehouse Location TBA w/ Ticket Purchase

• Ryan Leslie @ The Viper Room

• Nit Grit, Artifact, Stephan Jacobs, GoldRush, Russ Liquid @ Central SAPC

• Guitar Shorty @ Harvelle’s

• “Midnight In Venice” w/ Dustbowl Revival, DJ Alfred Hawkins @ Del Monte Speakeasy

• Action 45, Murdered by Drifteres, KITTENHEAD @ TRiP

• Boogaloo Assassins @ The Mint

• Hells Bells Burleqsue Show & Dj Jacques @ Dakota Lounge

• Sadie & The Blue Eyed Devils, Nacosta, Blakwater Jukebox, My Neights in Beijing @ Lot 1 Cafe

• The Henry Clay People, The Lonely Wild, Torches, Kissing Cousins @ The Satellite

• Red Kross, The Melvins, The Alexandria @ The Echo

• Bootie LA NYE @ The Echoplex

• Kill City, Sandy Pussy, Jesse Hughes @ Harvard & Stone

• Minaya & Vikus, Mikey Made & Dano Kothera, Dragon XL, John Monsod @ Yost Theater

• The Aggrolites, The Revivers, The Delirians @ Alex’s Bar

• Classixx, Danny Love @ Detroit Bar

• Kendrick Lamar, R.L. Grime & The Underachievers @ The Observatory

• Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, DJ Bobby B (of Kottonmouth Kings) @ Saint Rocke

• New Year’s Eve w/ Idina Menzel @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

• Thomas Gold, EDX, VICE @ Vanguard LA

Xmas Comes Early for L.A. Djs....

Christmas comes early. Party with Mike B, The Haycocks and DJ Pubes at La Cita if you don't feel like dropping $30 on the Stones Throw celebration at The Exchange. Either way - downtown is the place to be. For info on the Stones Throw celebration - check out our latest version of the LA Concert Blast.

PBW & Friends Dial In for 11-11-11

Still looking for 11-11-11 plans? If you’re into apophenia and like to party, this is probably what you should be doing with your Friday night....

Peanut Butter Wolf and Stones Throw are hosting an “11” party tonight at the Eagle Rock Center For The Arts (2225 Colorado Blvd) . Presented by Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock and I See Sound, the event will host 11 DJs, an $11 entry fee and will feature music from exactly 11 hundred records expected to be delivered via U-Haul.

Don’t worry about waiting until 11pm to join this party, things are set to kick off around 6pm and got until 1am.

Red Bull Music Academy Presents: Culture Clash w/ SMOG, Dim Mak, Stones Throw & Dub Club

Tonight, LA plays host to the U.S. Debut of Red Bull Music Academy's Culture Clash event. Taking place at Exchange - 4 of the hottest music troupes representing Los Angeles, Dim Mak, Stones Throw, SMOG and Dub Club hit stages for a certainly epic night.

The atmosphere will be competitive as the scene-sters compete over the course of four rounds, (although the competition will likely be friendlier than tonight's Cavs vs. Heat post "Decision" match up). For each round, the crowd will register their vote(s) on a handful of criteria - including measured cheers and applause. After warming up their respective stages with 15 minute set, the first round will judge the musicians ability to "select" the right tunes. The second round focuses on the entertainment factor and is expected to feature special guests. The third round stretches the musicians knowledge of other genres - having them stretch from their traditional outfits. The fourth (and final) round, also known as the "banger round," requires the music teams to bring their most raucous sets and baddest tunes to win over the crowd.

The night will be hosted by MC Commander - who will lead Dim Mak (electro), Dub Club (roots reggae), Smog (dubstep) and Stones Throw (funk/soul/hip-hop) through their battles over their respective soundsystems. For those unfamiliar with traditional sound clashes, each collective supplies their own sound system for the event.

With staple LA resident DJ artists like Them Jeans (Dim Mak Tuesdays), Thee Mike B (Cannonball Sundays at Drais), DJ Fashen (Cannonball Sundays at Drais), Tom Chasteen (Dub Club), Roy Corduroy (Dub Club), Dam Funk (Funkmosphere) - you know the music will be the sort of stuff that keeps LA crowds moving. Throw in some more name brand artists like 12th Planet (Smog), Peanut Butter Wolf (Stones Throw), Craze (Smog), Mayer Hawthorne (Stones Throw) and whomever Dim Mak's special guest is (or guests are) and you've got one hell of a show.

Don't miss it. Buy tickets here. (UPDATE: 10:40 am - TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT)

And, FYI, cop your tickets now because I heard it might sell out! If for some reason you can't make it, but you want to check out some DJ mashed music - DJ Quickie Mart plays his last show at Air Conditioned Lounge on Lincoln Blvd. in Venice.

FUNKMOSPHERE = Weekend Hangover Cure

Did you wake up with a case of the Mondays this week? Pining for the weekend fun that just ended? Wishing you had just one more night to kick it to some good music and have a few libations? If you did, you should have gone to Funkmosphere at Carbon last night. AND, we basically recommend you go there every week...

For 4 years, Dam Funk, the rising Stones Throw artist, has been holding down Carbon in Culver City, CA on Monday nights with a plethora of electro-funk boogie records. B-boys routinely show up to display their talents and battle with both friends and dance foes. 45 fans and electro-boogie-funk lovers line the bar with $5 or less beers and flat brims while they absorb the 70s sounding grooves and observe the flailing bodies on the dance floor. Once the clock strikes midnight, you're certain to see someone get served - and quite possibly by one of the spectacular b-girls that gracefully whip the competition into shape.

The night is always FREE, and on this particular Monday - the Funkmosphere crew was celebrating Egyptian Lover's birthday. As seen above, Peanut Butter Wolf was in the house and spinning the fire for the mostly 'regular' crowd along with Dam Funk.

What is remarkable about the Funkmosphere event is that it is an untapped resource of awesomeness; despite its 4 year tenure, the amazing music and ambiance - it doesn't get to capacity. It certainly gets crowded (usually by regulars) and it can get hot indoors if it weren't such a cool summer, but there is always enough space for the dancers to put the moves on.

So, if you are looking for something to cure your weekend blues or simply spice up the start of your week - we have no better recommendation than Funkmosphere. If you are looking to meet some cool people and possibly new friends who could teach you some amazing dance moves - go there. The crowd of 21+ electro boogie funk lovers are a friendly bunch; their love for the music is infectious and they are happy to share their appreciation with others. The DJs love for the scene, especially the host's, is infectious too. The dancing is absolutely breathtaking - it makes you wish you were remotely close to that good. Combine all those elements at a cool, relatively inexpensive bar and you just got one Damn Funky event.

Funkmosphere is a FREE electro-funk boogie event that takes place every Monday at Carbon on Venice Blvd. - 9300 Venice Blvd. FYI, If you were a fan of the old Starshoes bar on Hollywood Blvd. and the funky shows that would go down there with DJ Miles, this is a similar substitute BUT with better dancing.

I Need A Dollar

Depending on the circumstances, this appropriately titled blog post has been true to you at some point or another. No matter who you are - rich, poor, male, female, black, white, employed or unemployed - I imagine you've found yourself in a situation where you needed a dollar. While those circumstances may not have rivaled the poetic picture that Aloe Blacc paints in his destined to be classic Stones Throw cut "I Need A Dollar", it is a theme that all Americans, and all people, can understand at its core.

The video doesn't necessarily do the song justice - the lyrics are rich and potent and its remix potential, from a lyrical and sample stand point, not even fully realized yet (keep your eye out for the 12th Planet remix that should be coming soon).

Just check this portion of the song -

What in the world am I gonna to do tomorrow
is there someone whose dollar that I can borrow
Who can help me take away my sorrow
Maybe its inside the bottle
Maybe its inside the bottle
I had some good old buddy his names is whiskey and wine
hey hey
And for my good old buddy i spent my last dime
hey hey
My wine is good to me it helps me pass the time
and my good old buddy whiskey keeps me warmer than the sunshine

Those lyrics make me feel like Aloe is speaking to homeless people, but this song is truly an anthem for the downtrodden, even if you are at the top when you take your fall. When you're feeling helpless, you turn for help at any angle, and sometimes you don't make the wisest choice (the bottle), but it is all because you are looking to relieve your sorrows and you might go to extraordinary, but unjustifiable lengths to get away from that sorrow and justify your actions simply because they helped you through your tough patch, even if that behavior is not truly justifiable (check out the whiskey/wine/buddy analogy).

Maybe I am reading into deep - but, I f'ing love this song, so please forgive me. Besides when you know you are going to hear a song all summer long - you may as well start getting introspective on the lyrics, right?

Let us know your thoughts on the song on our facebook page or make a comment here. While you are at it - check out these fine fine links to remixes and reworks of Aloe Blacc's "I NEED A DOLLAR"

"Rasta Monsta" - Marky - http://usershare.net/fgyxmy1tyv1a

"I Need A Dollar" (Sterns Edit) - http://tuftsmania.com/blog/2010/05/11/i-like-to-relax-and-listen-to-yacht-funk/

"Juicy Dollars" - DJ Dizzy - http://drop.io/c0egoo7/asset/juicy-dollars-dj-dizzy-mashup-mp3