Tonight in L.A. (October 3, 2012) - L.A.'s Concert Options for Tonight

Whether it’s the new rocking sounds of The Black Keys, fun., Foster The People or some other band your parents haven't heard of - you can hear it all with the indie rock cover sounds of Black Crystal Wolf Kids as they launch their residency at The Viper Room.

Along with BCWK – on the Sunset Strip KROQ Locals Only throws down at On The Rox with NO, Beach Party and The New Limb.   Head east and you’ll find Father John Misty and Daniel Lanois at Bootleg Theater, Eyes Lips Eyes and the debut performance of Hobart W. Fink at The Satellite (for FREE too) and the kickoff to FILTER MAGAZINE's CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL!  Over at Taix lounge - you get an intimate treat from Penguin Prison, The Chevin and School of Seven Bells.  If you're not already figuring out how you're making your way to Taix - you're either busy, don't like discovering music or sipping a bit too much weak sauce today.   Or maybe you just can't handle that energy in that little room - in which case - go really east and you can relax with Conor Oberst’s melancholy rock and Jenny Lewis at Fox Theater Pomona. 

And, last but not least, the native Chicago homie Prob Cause is spitting at Taix for Culture Collide Festival as well.  He goes on at 10:30 and his new video Flex (above) is all over MTV.  Get hip to it. 

For a full list of excuses to get off your ass and rock - see below...

• Slash, Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Foxy Shazam @ The Wiltern (POSTPONED)

• Justin Bieber @ Staples Center

• Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis @ Fox Theater Pomona

• Father John Misty, Daniel Lanois, Inara George, Becky Stark, Great Northern @ Bootleg Theater

• Kimbra, The Stepkids @ Fonda Theatre

• Eyes Lips Eyes, Hobart W. Fink, Vex Ruffin, Owls @ The Satellite (FREE)

• Tashaki Miyaki, Babies on Acid, LA Witch @ The Echo

• Dub Club @ The Echoplex (FREE)

• The Nukes, Shotgun Alley, Dollface, Never Like The Movies, Crying 4 Kafka, Through The Valleys @ The Roxy

• NO, Beach Party, The New Limb @ On The Rox

• Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Monster Island, Feral Cat @ The Viper Room

• Tapioca & The Flea, Bad Weather California @ Harvard & Stone

• Chief, The Reflections, James Supercave @ Los Globos

• The Ugly Kids, The LExingtons @ Down and Out Bar

• The Sunset Drifters @ Hideout

• Inda Eaton, Go West @ Vitello’s

• Nick Lowe, Eleni Mandell @ Troubadour

• Kate Earl, The Young Romans, Neon Hymns, Tomten @ The Hotel Café

• Dan Rockett, Michael Grant, Shakti Bliss, Viking Burhiser , Joe Con @ The Mint

• Port Royal, Era, AEM, Asymmetrical Head and Bizzart @ The Virgil

• Maria Minerva, Dream Panther, Pharoahs, Father Finger @ The Central SAPC

• Lita Ford, Boy Hits Car, Cry Wolf @ Saint Rocke

• Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Anderson Hall @ Coach House

• Guttermouth, The Queers @ The Observatory

• George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Mike Eldred Trio @ House of Blues – Anaheim

• Frank Sontag @ Canyon Club

• Vision, The Vivids, Vows, Guides @ Silverlake Lounge

• Max & The Moon @ Library (at The Redbury)

• Mount Eerie, Bouquet, Ever Ending Kicks @ Eagle Rock Center for the Arts

• The Chevin, Penguin Prison (DJ Set – Live Vocals), School of Seven Bells, Panoptica Orchestra (DJ Set) @ Taix Champagne Room

• Prob Cause @ Taix (CULTURE COLLIDE) 

• Kevin Barnes (Of Montreal), Brothers of the Well, DJ Supercrass @ Taix Front Lounge

• The Withers @ Lot 1 Café

• Thavius Beck @ Low End Theory at The Airliner

• Vision, The Vivids, Vows, Guides @ Silverlake Lounge

• Garrett Warren, Alfa Juliet, Lilac @ King King Club (FREE)

• Rogelio Martinez @ House of Blues – Sunset Strip

Guide to Collide

Filter's Culture Collide Festival officially kicks off tonight at The Standard with an intimate lobby performance from Theophilus London amongst others. But, the true festivities get going in the early evening on Thursday when six different venues open their doors to Filter's festival badge bearers.

You could get confused with all the different options presented to you - so we're giving you a little pointers in this friendly GUIDE TO COLLIDE.

With Echoplex, Echo, 826 and Taix all within legitimate walking distance of one another, it is hard not to gravitate towards the events at those four venues. Thursday offers artists at all 4 with notable performances from Black Lips, City Riots, Kamp! and LexiconDon at Echoplex, CasioKids from Norway at Echo, rising LA act Gamble House at 826 and the European sounds of The Black Atlantic (Netherlands), Gold Lake (Spain), Laleh (Sweden) and Nive Neilsen & The Deer Children (Greenland) at Taix. In audition to the aural pleasureas, Taix also offers some internationally themed happy hours that are likely to please the palate.

However, to draw some of the crowd away from a massive collision of people, Filter made sure the line-ups at Spaceland and Standard were super strong on opening night. I'm heading to Spaceland - which boasts Risers, a young band out of Los Angeles already making a statement with well crafted, somewhat epic songwriting, opening for Finaland's K-X-P and Zebra and Snake. For those with an international appetite for DJs, Standard hosts El Guincho (Spain), The Witness Protection Programme (Ireland) and Sebastian Tellier (France), along with a live performance from Voxhaul Broadcast.

Risers

Friday, your Collision Decisions get a little bit easier as only four venues play host. If you want to go to festival center - you'll have easy access to Klaxons, Land of Talk, The Besnard Lakes, Suuns and Baby Monster at Echoplex if you prefer music from North America. If you love the blokes from over the pond, The Boxer Rebellion, White Lies (Dj set), Amusement Parks on Fire and Witness Protection Programme at Echo is probably for you. Taix hosts artists fromt ehr est of the world - with Battle Circus (New Zealand), City Riot (guide says AUS - not sure if thats Australian or Austrian - reminds me of DUMB & DUMBER - put another shrimp on the barbie, mate!), Harrys Gym (Norway) and L. Stadt (Poland). We'd guide you to those three venues over Spain inspired Spaceland's line-up of El Guincho, Gold Lake, Capsula, The Outline and Two Sheds.

Saturday is the last "venue day" and also the last day of beer gardens and Happy Hours at Taix. I think I'm going to invest some time in the tribes culture by visiting Taix from 2-4 pm to check out the happy hour and special guest performance presented by the Israel Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Wonder if that special guest might be Pink Noise or Monotonix, both Israeli acts performing later at Spaceland where they will be joined by Mariachi El Bronx, The Franks and Jacuzzi Hi-Dive.

Also performing Saturday night are White Lies, Voxhaul Broadcast, Battle Circus + others at Echoplex; Cass McCombs, Laleh, The Black Atlantic at 826LA and Bambi Kino, Capsula, Two Sheds and Hello Saferide at Taix.

Sunday is the culmination, the climax, the entree course - as most of the above mentioned acts pour out into the streets and flood Sunset Blvd. with indie tunes galore. The Toyota Antics sponsored Block Party begins around 2:30 p.m. with Glaciers, followed by The Tender Box and a special guest. Things don't get going with multiple acts until around 5 pm - which leaves enough time to recover from a wild Saturday and poke your head in at the start of the Do Over (only 3 Sundays left after this one).

But, once 5 rolls around - acts multiply - Monotonix, Amusment Parks on Fire and White Lies all take the stage within that hour, followed shortly after by Phantogram, Cass McCombs and The Boxer Rebellion, who headline stage 2. The festival closes out with headline spots from Tokyo Police Club on the Main Stage at 8 and Seal Wolf and Fran Healy's respective acoustic performances at the Church.

Learn more details about Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival, including where you can get tickets - by clicking here.