Ben Folds - 5.20 @ Palladium

Live Nation is running a special promotion right now where you can get tickets to see Ben Folds for $10 (it ends up being about $17.50 with the fees). Regular priced tickets were going for $35, plus fees....so this is a significant savings.

To take advantage of the promotion, just got to LiveNation's webpage and find the promotions tab in the drop down menu and then type in the word FAIR.

Saturday - DJ VIPJ of the COOL KIDS @ AIR CONDITIONED

Air Conditioned Supper Club, located on the west side of Lincoln Blvd just South of Rose, will be hosting DJ VIPJ of the Cool Kids and DJ Quickie Mart on Saturday night.

I don't think I included that in the blast...  

CONCERT BLAST 5/14 - 5/17

CONCERT BLAST

Thursday May 14^th

Knights of Monte Carlo @ Key Club (Downstairs)

Tech N9ne, Murs @ Key Club

Halifax, Amue, Goodnight Caulfield, Megasapien @ Knitting Factory (Front Room)

Momet Trigger @ The Smell

Ann Hampton Callaway @ Catalina Bar & Grill

Afternoons, Happy Hollows Warpaint @ Troubadour

MOS DEF @ HOB – Sunset

Jay Nash, Pronto @ Sainte Rocke

Lucero, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Alex’s Bar

Indigo Girls, Matt Morris @ El Rey Theater

Kenny G @ Hollywood Bowl

Sara Watkins @ Largo

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ Regent Theatre

Craig Haus, The Mighty Regis @ Molly Malones

Janelle Monae @ Royce Hall at UCLA

Ernie Halter, Jim Hanft @ The Hotel Café

The Lovetones, Scout Niblett @ Spaceland

Restavrant @ Silverlake Lounge

Magic Lantern @ The Prospector

North Indiana All Stars, Big Light, OHMphrey @ Roxy Theatre

The Charlatans UK, Afternoons, The Happy Hollows @ Troubadour

Idyllists, Lemonwilde, Samantha Stollenwreck @ The Viper Room

Maryz Eyez @ The Lighthouse Café

Polyamorous Affair, All Leather @ The Echo (Echoplex)

Friday May 15^th

Van Hunt @ Zanzibar

Aggrolites, Boogaloo Assassins, The Lions @ El Rey

Lucero, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Troubadour

The Bombs, The Guilty Hearts, Magick Daggers @ American Legion, Post 206

Keb Mo’ @ Canyon

Warner Drive, Run Devil Run, Silent Treatment, Still Standing @ HOB - Sunset

Jack Temphcin @ Genghis Cohen

ARP, Teen Wolf Too, Treasure Mammal @ Echo Curio (All Ages)

Halloween Swim Team, Dylan Doren, Paper Rainbow @ L’Keg Gallery (All Ages)

The Action Design, The Dollyrots, Bella Novela @ Alex’s Bar

Poncho Sanchez @ Congo Room

UNA @ El Cid

Sonny, Vas Deferens, Io Echo, Dead Sara @ Knitting Factory (Front Room)

The Lovetones @ Redwood Bar & Grill

Spidergard, Rich Sheldon @ Michael’s Pub

DJ Oggy @ Blue Moon

Volto @ Knitting Factory

Jon Brion @ Largo

Helmet @ Sainte Rocke

Death To Anders @ Spaceland

Justin Klump @ Molly Malones

Christopher Hawley @ Good Hurt Night Club

Jack Tempchin @ Genghis Cohen

Club Underground presents Ponytail, Cex @ Echo

AM Session @ Rusty’s Surf Ranch

Huntingfield w/ Sara Haze, The Jakes & The Steelwells @ Roxy Theatre

Saturday May 16^th

Loney Dear, Lights On, AM @ Spaceland

SOULIVE @ Key Club

Doves @ Wiltern

Opeth, Enslaved, Josh Gabriel @ Avalon

Black Strobe @ Echoplex

Sara Gazarek @ Café Metropol

O + S @ Bootleg

Cosio @ Bordello

Claire Cronin, Brandon Intelligator, Jason Grier @ Echo Curio

Propoghandi @ The Echo

Smash Mouth @ Long Beach Marina Green

Phil Solem, Brasil Brazil, Chapin Sisters @ Woodley Park (10:30 am)

Weezer, Kings of Leon, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rancid @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (KROQ Weenie Roast)

Mogwai, Dead Meadow @ Orpheum

O + S @ Bootleg Theater

The Blanks @ Largo

Hang the DJS w/ Black Strobe & Rebotini @ Echoplex

Funky Sole w/ DJ Miles @ Echo (FREE)

Cubensis @ Lighthouse Café

FIshtank Ensemble @ Boulevard Music (Culver City)

Justo Almario, Dave Samuels’ Caribbean Jazz Project @ Greek Theatre

Rose’s Pawn Shop @ Brodello

The Zydepunks @ O’Brien’s Irish Pub (Santa Monica)

Ramon Ayala @ Gibson Amphitheatre

PROTECTME, Audacity, Numerators, F’N A! @ The Smell (All Ages)

Free Moral Agents @ The Prospector

Restavrant, Dirt Dress, Grand Lake @ Pehrspace

Curt Smith @ McCabe’s

Aiden @ The Knitting Factory

Pronto, Nels Cline @ The Mint

Marc Ford @ Sainte Rocke

Kingsizemaybe, Tony Gilkyson @ Taix

Giant Drag, The Icarus Line, Shaky Graves @ Troubadour

Tiffany @ the Whisky

Sunday May 17^th

Grouch and Eligh @ Key Club

Ceci Bastida @ Air Conditioned Lounge (Venice)

Scarnella, Bobb Bruno @ Eagle Rock Center for the Arts

The Dollyrots @ Knitting Factory

Kevin Devine, Miniature Tigers, Brian Bonz @ Trouabdour

Madame Trash Heap @ The Mint

Mad Sin @ The Knitting Factory

Mega Wand, No Ones & The Somebodies, Jimmy Kane @ Knitting Factory

Melineh Kurdian @ The Hotel Café

Foot Village, Total Bros, Nuclear Animals @ L’Keg Gallery (all Ages)

Clarence Bucaro @ Room 5

Carlos Mencia @ Conga Room

Shotgun Party @ Redwood Bar & Grill

Primordial, Moonsorrow, Swashbuckler, Blackguard @ HOB – Sunset

Kristi Bride and the Light, Erik Smith and the Yes Men @ Dakota Live Music Lounge

ON THE RADAR

5/19 – Allman Brothers Band, Doobie Brothers @ Greek Theatre

519 – The Decemberists, Other Lives @ Palladium

5/20 - Ben Folds @ Palladium

5/20 - Allman Brothers Band, Doobie Brothers @ Greek Theatre

5/20 – The Detroit Cobras @ Troubadour

5/21 - Willie Waldman Project feat. Robby Krieger (of the Doors) @ The Mint

5/21 – Nine Inch Nails, Jane’s Addiction @ Verizon Wireless Amphiteatre

5/21 – Jill Sobule @ Largo

5/21 – Nino Moscella @ El Cid

5/21 - The 88 @ Key Club

5/21 – BLK JKS, Hecuba @ Echo

5/21 – Funeral Party @ The Roxy

5/22 – Deadmau5 @ Palladium

5/22 – Nino Moschella @ The Continental Room (Fullerton)

5/22 – The Kills @ El Rey

5/23 – The French Semester @ Hippie Palace (AKA Suburban Nirvana Club)

5/23 – Nomo @ Spaceland

5/23 – Fischerspooner @ Avalon

5/26 – Lady Sovereign, Chester French @ El Rey

5/27 - Prodigy @ Palladium

5/27 – moe. @ Roxy

5/27 - Sun Kill Moon, Mia Doi Todd @ El Rey

5/28 - Ben Harper and Relentless 7 @ Wiltern

5/28 - Garaj Mahal @ The Mint

5/28 – moe. @ Roxy

5/28 – Fleetwood Mac @ Staples Center

6/1 – The French Semester @ Live on Hunnypot Unlimited Radio (Broadcast out of Culver City)

6/3 – Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head @ Spaceland

6/3 – 2 Live Crew @ Key Club

6/5 - Kate Voegele w/ Angel Taylor, Amy Kuney @ El Rey

6/5 – Clues @ The Echo

6/5 – Erykah Badu @ Club Nokia

6/5 – Lucybell @ Knitting Factory

6/6 – Holy Fuck @ Troubadour

6/8 – Metric @ Wiltern

6/8 – The French Semester @ Dakota Live Music Lounge

6/9 – 6/11 – The Tragically Hip @ Troubadour

6/11 – Balkan Beat Box @ Key Club

6/12 – Del The Funky Homosapien, Mike Relm, Bukue One, Serendipity Project (The Funkman Tour) @ HOB – Sunset

6/12 – The Orb @ Henry Fonda

6/13 - Incubus w/ The Duke Spirit @ Hollywood Bowl

6/13 – DataRock, Casxio @ Key Club

6/18 – Matisyahu, K’Naan @ The Wiltern

6/18 – Busdriver @ Knitting Factory

6/19 – Art Brut @ The Echo

6/19 – Todd Rundgren @ Club Nokia

6/19 - Jimmy Herring @ HOB - Sunset

6/20 – PJ Harvey & John Parish @ The Wiltern

6/20 – DJ Quik feat. Kurupt @ HOB – Sunset

6/20 – The Mae Shi @ Mr. T’s Bowl

6/22-6/23 – Wilco @ The Wiltern (Sold Out!)

6/25 – Wilco @ The WIltern

6/26 - Aretha Franklin @ Hollywood Bowl (on sale Saturday at Noon)

6/26 - Xavier Rudd @ HOB – Sunset

6/27 – The Zombies, The Yardbirds @ The Spencer Davis Group @ The Wiltern

6/28 – Adele @ Hollywood Bowl

6/28 – Phoenix, Amazing Baby @ Wiltern

6/29 – Ani DiFranco @ Orpheum Theatre

6/30 – Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood @ Hollywood Bowl

7/7 – The Hold Steady @ El Rey

7/9 – Old 97’s w Rhett Miller @ Henry Fonda

7/10 – Andrew Bird, Ra Ra Riot, Heartless Bastards @ Greek Theatre

7/11 – Tortoise @ Troubadour

7/16 – Cowboy Junkies @ The Wiltern

716 – Germs, The Mae Shi, Spider Problem

7/17 – The Donnas @ Troubadour

7/21 – John Butler Trio @ Troubadour

7/21 – Counting Crows, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Augustana @ Greek Theatre

7/29 – Mika Miko @ Alex’s Bar

7/29 – Bedouin Soundclash @ The Roxy

8/04 – Bowerbirds, Megafaun @ Echo

8/28 – Ted Leo + The Pharmacists @ Echo

9/05 – Bob Weir & Ratdog w/ special guest Jackie Greene @ Greek Theatre

9/08 – AC/DC @ Honda Center

9/18 – Pink w/ The Ting Tings (On Sale Saturday at noon)

WORD?!?!?

· Nino Moschella, an artist on Ubiquity Records (personally one of my favorite record labels), will be performing at El Cid on Thursday May 21^st. You might be familiar with his music and not even know it. His song “Kiss The Sky,” a collaboration with Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, has been in movies.

· Eminem’s new record, Relapse, drops on TUESDAY. I heard some tracks on Power 106 today, including one featuring Dr. Dre, and I must say I am excited to buy the record.

· NPR (npr.org) is hosting an exclusive first listen to Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse’s new record Dark Night of the Soul. Check it out at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104129585. I’m listening to it now, and it is definitely different and Danger Mouse is taking things in a new direction. It is more The Good, The Bad & The Queen than it is the Black Keys’ Attack and Release. There are things I am enjoying about some of the tracks, but I really wish I was listening to Mouse’s alleged project with Black Thought, or a new Gnarls Barkley or Danger Mouse & Jemini record instead.

Delayed Concert Blast

FYI - Please be advised that BRANDON'S LA CONCERT BLAST will be delayed this week. Brandon is currently visiting his newborn nephew, Noah Harvey Schaefer, and has not been able to access all of the information he uses to compile the CONCERT BLAST. This week's version should be published on Wednesday. Thank you for your patience...

Ryan Bingham is Vanilla Cowboy Country Rock

I went to the esteemed Troubadour last night to see the rising artist Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses. I arrived just after the band went on and was not regretting my decision, despite having missed a few songs. Although the room was packed (I believe the show sold out), the music, at first, seemed like plain old vanilla cowboy country rock. By the end of the night, I felt the exact same way (to their credit - there were two or three songs that actually piqued my interest).

After moving to a different side of the room to get some more space and check out the other instrumentalists, I was a bit more impressed. I was on the far side and closest to the mandolin/guitar played, who is easily the most talented musician in the band. He definitely can rip it. I enjoyed watching him play the mandolin and guitar, especially when he made his instruments weep and wail. He was a great compliment to Bingham's less than stellar guitar skills. The chemistry between the mandolin player and Bingham is pretty good - the mandolin player reads Bingham's clues and understands when he needs to come in and give the lead man help to carry the music.

What bothered me about their dynamic is that anytime the song called for some unique musicianship or the highlighting of an instrument, Bingham would not be singing. Bingham's asset is his voice...definitely not his guitar picking...and it would have been nice to see how his vocals shine when combined with the guitar player going off. Instead, each time the song called for some good guitar lines, Bingham stopped singing and gave his cue to the mandolin player. As I watched this dynamic unfold song after song after song, all I could think was that either the mandolin player (along with the bassist) should start their own band or Bingham himself needs to get better at his instrument.

It was not until the final song before the encore, which is clearly their most popular song, that I got to see Bingham unleash some musical talent that is worth paying for. Their final song was exciting, energetic and Bingham was actually playing and controlling his guitar.

The other highlight was Marc Ford's son, who plays bass and keys for The Dead Horses. As I mentioned above, I think him and the mandolin player should consider starting their own group....unfortunately, they lack the pretty face appeal that majors (and major agencies like CAA) look for and find in a guy like Bingham.

The lowlight of the show was the drummer's stoic appearance. I saw nothing that resembled enthusiasm or excitement in the way that he played. He essentially looked like he had no emotion whatsoever. He wasn't bad at his craft, but they could find someone who can play the exact same and at least smiles while he is doing it.

All in all, it was a half-decent night of music. I'm not much of a cowboy type anyway, but the music was nothing that I am writing home about. It was more than tolerable, but I definitely left wondering what all the buzz is about and why the room was so packed. Either there are a lot of Texans in LA that I've never met or half of the CAA office was in attendance to make Bingham feel good. I'm quite confident it was the latter (I met like 10 people who work or formerly worked at CAA).

I don't think I will be going to see Bingham again, at least not anytime soon, unless they get a new drummer or someone pays for me to go and buys all my drinks.

Props to Cleveland

This song isn't great, nor is the video, but I have to pay homage to my hometown (Cleveland) and Lebron James for winning the MVP. Check out the Witness video and the notorious Cleveland Tourism video.

Witness Video



Cleveland Tourism Video

Pragmatic - My New Hot Chip

I just discovered these guys, Pragmatic. They hail from St. Louis, MO and they remind me a lot of Hot Chip.

Apparently the group started as an experiment because some of the members enjoyed messing around with analog synthesizers.

The group currently has a few digital singles out, including a free download available on their myspace page www.myspace.com/thepragmatic.

You can also get some free downloads of their music at http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/The_Pragmatic/music .