Kevin Bronson on May 9th, 2011

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‣ Sunset Junction’s website teased a music lineup announcement today, but there’s no word yet. There are plenty of great names floating around on the rumor mill for the Aug. 27-28 street fair. How would you feel about another blast from the Melvins (who did a Silver Lake residency in January)? Yeah, that’d be nice. So would some indie-rock from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Tapes N Tapes, as would some upbeat pop from the likes of Hanson and the Belle Brigade. Also unconfirmed but heard on the street: The Hotel Cafe will be curating a stage, and Peaches will be doing a DJ set. Tickets ($15 in advance) are scheduled to go on sale Saturday.
‣ The canyon vibe will be in full effect Memorial Day weekend, when the 38th annual Topanga Days fair brings music, dance and art to the Topanga Community Club. The main stage lineup includes music all of stripes, including Jim Messina, Lee Rocker of the Stray Cats, the Breakestra, the Lions and Maggie Mayall, appearing with her legendary husband John. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Yesterday’s Child, Bodhi Rock, Stone Child and Christopher Hawley are some of the others playing the event ($20; kids and seniors $10).
‣ Speaking of the canyon vibe, the Chapin Sisters – along with Everest, Incan Abraham and Sarah Negahdari from the Happy Hollows – play “Pitch In, Rock Out, Give Back,” a benefit concert Sunday at the Echoplex mounted in conjunction with the Harmony Project’s Big Sunday Weekend.
‣ An benefit for tornado relief in Alabama will go off Thursday at Harvard & Stone – Stone Darling will play, along with White Sea’s Morgan Kibby/Broken Remotes’ Jonathan Leahy and two artists from Birmingham, Sanders Bohlke and Preston Lovinggood. More artists to be added, I hear.
‣ Online popularity contests are just plain gimmickry, but Rolling Stone’s “Choose the Cover” is creating a stir. Fan voting will determine which previously under-the-radar artist will grace an upcoming cover of the magazine, and L.A. songstress Lelia Broussard has made the “Final Four.” (Download stuff from them here.) SoCal artists the Romany Rye and the Steelwells fell by the wayside in earlier rounds of voting.
‣ Big doings up north, where a new event called the Indie West Fest brings more than 30 bands to four stages at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on June 4. The lineup mixes veterans and newbies, and is highlighted by an appearance by both of David Lowery’s projects, Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven – and by Redd Kross. Also on board: Gram Rabbit, the 88, the Growlers, Giant Drag, the Ettes, Taylor Locke & the Roughs, the Tender Box and Bleu, among many others. Not bad for $35.
‣ Random band notes: Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits will soon get a new (and ostensibly less redundant) band name; guitarist Chris Newcomer departed to concentrate on his own project Polls, and the Pity Party’s Marc Smollin has joined the quartet, which opens for White Denim on May 25 at the Echo. … Teen Inc. has dropped the “Teen” and now will just be known as Inc. … And it was nice to see Lucas Guerin of dearly departed Casxio onstage playing bass with Lesands recently; Guerin has a new project in the works with music coming soon.

Photo by Debi Del Grande