Tonight in L.A. (October 4, 2012) - Who's Playing L.A. Tonight?

The 4th of October may not be a holiday - but its certainly a musical celebration in Los Angeles as it brings the public launch of Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival, amongst other events.

Culture Collide is only $20 for four nights of all-in music off of Sunset in Silverlake - with Taix, The Echo, The Echoplex, The Church and Origami Vinyl all playing host - so don't miss out on the action.  Tonight - SGM recommends the indie electro rock sounds of American Royalty at The Echo, although no matter where you end up - you should find something worldly and eclectic at Culture Collide.    

Kimbra returns to Fonda Theatre for a second night of her infectious pop - and she is again joined by The Stepkids.   If you've got time to spare or just love sexy soul - show up to the Hollywood neighborhood early and catch Miguel perform for free at Amoeba Records around 6 pm.     

If you want to be at a venue that will force you to move a little bit - there is always the weekly VS party at The Central SAPC.  

For more toned down sounds - Dr. Dog plucks some strings at The Observatory and Jake Shimabukuro does the same over at Pepperdine University.   Coheed and Cambria treat a sold out crowd at Troubadour, The World Record celebrates the release of a double LP at The Echoplex and for a complete list of musical options - see below.  Our recommended performers are in bold.

• Say Anything, Murder By Death, The Sidekicks @ HOB – Anaheim

• Weird Al Yankovic @ City National Grove of Anaheim

• Zen Robbi, Garret Lee Robinson, Station, Josh Fischel @ Saint Rocke

• Dr. Dog, Cotton Jones @ The Observatory

• Little Green Cars @ McCabe’s Guitar Shop

• The World Record (Double LP Release Show), Francisco The Man, Seasons, Geronimo Getty, The Damselles & TC4, Adeline & The Philistines @ Echoplex

• FILTER MAGAZINE’S CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL w/ John Talabot, American Royalty, The Balconies, Boxeur The Couer @ The Echo

• FILTER MAGAZINE’S CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL w/ Immanu El, Touchy Mob, Coldair, The Standards, Colorfeels @ Taix (FRONT Lounge)

• FILTER MAGAZINE’S CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL w/ Tribes, Blood Red Shoes, Of Verona, Jared James Nichols @ Taix (Champagne Room)

• FILTER MAGAZINE’S CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL w/ Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500, Drug Cabin, Marit Larsen, Kyst @ The Church

• Kimbra, The Stepkids @ Fonda Theatre

• My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Left Spine Down @ El Rey Theatre

• Lido Beach, Bear Crossing, Hayley Kiyoko, The Deal, Pretend Electric @ The Roxy

• Sunflower Dead, That Metal Bar, Railroad to Alaska @ The Viper Room

• Luciano, A Jay King, Sound Sick, Don Benjamin, Sonny Ray, Marz Leon, Lexy Pantera, Code Name Ghost @ On The Rox

• Patrick Wolf, Woodpigeon @ Bootleg Theater

• The Milk Carton Kids, Leslie Stevens @ Largo

• Coheed & Cambria, Aeges @ Troubadour

• Here Come The Mummies @ HOB – Sunset

• Jake Shimabukuro @ Pepperdine University

• Julia Fordham, Bear Attack, Grant Mitchell, Judith Owne @ Molly Malones

• Dubb @ Key Club

• Lita Ford @ Canyon

• Marcus Miller @ Catalina Bar & Grill

• Lost in Atlantis, Gabe Kubanda, Destenee @ Hard Rock Hollywood

• Red Baraat @ The Mint

• Kyle McNeill, Leftover Cuties, The Shook Twins, Poeina Suddarth @ The Hotel Café

• Sea Wolf, Oren Lyons @ Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace

• The Intelligence, Zig Zags, Shark Toys, Adam Wade (DJ) @ The Satellite

• Money Son, Slow Learner, Dennis Robicheau & The Sophisticates, Novi Split @ Lot 1 Café

• Total Brick, Sanglorians, Froadz, Hearts and Minutes @ Silverlake Lounge

• Touchy Mob, Monster Cat, Go Back To The Zoo @ Origami Vinyl (Culture Collide)

• Tony Martinez @ Supperclub

• NEXT w/ Gloria Estefan, John Rich, Nelly, Joe Jonas @ Orpheum Theatre

• Cirque Du Belasco w/ Peso, Teks, Ralph Retro, Era, Medisko, Goofie, Satisfy, DGAF, Rawb, Klepto, Temrinal, Ukno, Legacy, PFM, bowly, Roxwell, Appeal @ Belasco Theater

• Peter Pants, Slutever, Palm Reader, Dining Dead @ The Smell

• Here Comes The Mummies @ House of Blues – Sunset Strip

• Dubb, Jake and Papa, Soco Burns, Jesus, Those Guys, Bae Delanoe, Phenom @ Key Club

• Pop Up Comedy: Matty Shea, Peet Guercio, Josh Lehrman @ The Mint

• Versus ft. Very Special Secret Guest @ The Central SAPC

• Tego Calderon @ Conga Room

• Huntress, Cliff Em All, Menstraurs, Mawdryn @ Los Globos

• Glow! @ Yost Theater

• Harlow Gold @ Harvelle’s

• Trevor Green, Parker Ainsworth, Odd Us @ WitZend

• King’s Road, Deux Sons @ Harvard & Stone

• Miguel @ Amoeba (FREE)

• Saturn Returns, Buddha’s Sister @ TRiP (FREE)

• Dr. Dog, Cotton Jones @ The Observatory

• Guitars A Go Go, Ding Dong Devils, 3 Balls of Fire, Casino 66 @ Redwood Bar

• Brewfish, Native Vibes @ Slidebar (FREE)

• Gabriel Johnson @ bluewhale

• Young Dubliners @ SLO Brew

• Ahkiyyini”s (Album Release), Dumbo Gets Mad, DJ Valida, DJ Heidi @ Del Monte Speakeasy

• John Beasley @ LACMA

• Fishtank Ensemble @ Skinny’s Lounge

Get Gaymous with Scissors Sisters

June is gay pride month and what better way to celebrate it than with the appropriately named Scissor Sisters at Hollywood Palladium on Saturday?  If you want to move, sweat and meet your new gay best-friend - look no further than Sunset and Centro on Saturday June 16, 2012.  

We're dishing out a pair of free tickets to their poppy-gaymous glam rock electroclash dance party - and we strongly recommend you hit us up at contest@supergoodmusic.com if you want to go. The formerly Fibrillating Scissor Sisters are celebrating the release of their album Magic Hour (released May 28, 2012) and will most surely be dropping "Only The Horses" "Shady Love" and "Lets Have a Kiki" for their first time in LA - plus classics like "Take Your Mama" and "Fire With Fire."

If you don't want to chance it - ensure you'll be inside for the party by getting tickets here via Live Nation. 

Win Tickets to Purple Melon at The Central!

We know you like free stuff, so hopefully you’re still looking for something to do Saturday night because we have tickets for Purple Melon at The Central SAPC in Santa Monica!

Purple Melon is a British transplant rock band gracing LA with their presence for sometime now, and their upcoming album Henry’s Rocket is due out later this month. Check this video for a preview of the band, and once you decide you want to go, email contest@supergoodmusic.com.

NeverShoutNever Exclusive Performance This Week

Last week NeverShoutNever released their third full-length studio album Time Travel. While that might not be a blip on all rockers' radar, it certainly is a huge one for their devoted fan base. Anyone who’s been a fan of Christopher Drew and band knows their discography also includes multiple singles and over 3 other EPs. In support of the new release NSN launched “The Time Travel Tour” with A Rocket To The Moon, The Plain White T’s, Fake Problems, and Carter Husley. *

The tour rolls through Los Angeles this week, with NSN performing at HOB-Sunset and The Grove of Anaheim on September 28^th and 30^th, respectively. While tickets are still available for each show - what fans should be rushing to is the exclusive hang out event with the band happening Friday September 29^th. Announced only last Friday, the indie-rock band act as special guest at the grand opening of the new Warner Bros. Records store in Burbank.

The band will be doing an acoustic set as well as a signing. This exclusive event is limited to the first 250 people who show up. Do not be fooled; NSN draws a crowd. If you want to get in, you might expect to be waiting a few hours ahead of time to secure your spot. The show starts at 5:00 PM and there will be exclusive merchandise available for purchase, including a limited edition lithograph signed by the whole band.

Even better news for those who attend the HOB-Sunset show. If you bring your ticket stub you get the lithograph and a special NSN button for FREE! And as a consolation for those who cannot attend the in-store appearance (i.e. those who work normal jobs with normal hours), you will be able to stream the session online. These exclusive opportunities don’t happen very often anymore with the band so if you can get to Burbank with time to kill in line - consider it.

The new WB Records location is 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. Street parking is available but limited. If no parking can be found on Warner Blvd - try Riverside Dr.

*Supporting acts differ from show to show.

* post by Shannon Moore

Keeping it Cremey

Dub Frequency (DF) is smacking LA in the face with some cool parties this weekend.

Tonight, Creme De La Creme is at Foundation Room at House of Blues on Sunset. Blaqstarr holds it down, with support from a few friends. I'll be there post T. Mills.


Tomorrow, the dF crew heads downtown to The Standard for a No Shirt, No Shoes curated pool party with musical stylings from Poolside, Futurecop!, Fiero and more! It is their 1st pool party of the summer, so you know it will be banging.

RSVP to the events for FREE entry at www.dubfrequency.com

Sunset Strip Music Festival Skeets Off at The Roxy

As you can see, DJ Skee, Skee TV and all their guests (Xzibit, Paul Wall, Strong Arm Steady) seriously threw it down to start off the amazing weekend that is the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

The Roxy played host to the star studded event that was the third installment of Skeetox and there were a handsome lot of notable characters in the audience. Surprisingly, the room was not at capacity despite the twitter publicized announcement that both Xzibit and Paul Wall would be there. But, hey, that made for a way more comfortable environment.

Enjoying the choice crowd, I mingled for a while before Skee and his band took to the stage. Once there, Skee's band brought a nice selection of recent and old hip-hop hits to the party and added their own live flavor to the DJ set. Although not The Roots, this live hip-hop medley band is fun to watch and very energized on stage. Playing a host of familiar music, it was really easy to enjoy their performance. They had me questioning why I don't go (or possibly form) a hip-hop cover band....

After DJ Skee and his band finished riffling through chart toppers of yesterday, Strong Arm Steady were the first guests to grab the mic and massage the crowd. Playing in familiar stomping grounds, SAS delivered a quick dosage of their L.A. flavor before handing the microphones over to more accomplished MCs.

After Strong Arm Steady, Paul Wall came to the stage with his quintessential iced grill and painted arms. Starting late, perhaps because he had drove slow, Wall reminded the crowd why his Southern drawl and swagger can still rock a room, leaving the crowd pining for more.

Wall, although a veteran, is not as senior as Xzibit. Long before Wall's "Ride Slow" or his own TV show Pimp My Ride, X was killing the West Coast with his poetic flow on tracks like "Foundation" and "Papparazzi." No longer really acclaimed for his MC abilities (he does more acting and voice overs; his last album release was in 2006), Xzibit exhibited why he still deserves credit amongst his rapper brethren. He was energetic, enthusiastic and passionate on the stage. You could feel the energy rise when the took the mic and you were itching for more when he finished his performance.

Thanks to The Roxy and DJ Skee for making it happen. It was dope. We can only hope that the rest of Sunset Strip Music Festival week and weekend is this good.

From Reflection to Hyper - Hitting The Sunset Strip for Live Music

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?

Pictures and post by Brandon "Boom D" Dorsky