[Once around the weekend, quickly and briefly, as we work toward Perry Farrell’s big 50th birthday on Sunday …] Tonight: Hard-touring Cold War Kids have just set off on a monthlong U.S. jaunt that brings them to the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A., with support from fellow Long Beachers Crystal Antlers. (Side note: On April […]
[Birthday cheers to Steve Tyler, even if Blender magazine won’t be celebrating any more …] I’ll start with a couple of fun-sounding under-the-radar things: Canadian genre-hoppers Hot Panda [pictured] plays the early set at the Silverlake Lounge. Then there is the electro-cool Alaska in Winter at Bordello. [Sample both below]. … Rosemary’s Garden, the new […]
[Happy birthday to Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, and here are some shows you might want to drive by …] I dare you to see An Horse [pictured] and not be completely won over. The Aussie duo is at the Echoplex with Nova Scotia’s Wintersleep. … Then again, you could be won over by […]
[Queen Latifah blows out birthday candles today as the fog of St. Patrick’s Day wears off. A couple nice little shows in town tonight:] Straight outta the jet Propulsion Laboratory, those purveyors of shoegazey rock noir Nightfur [pictured] celebrates the release of its album “Illusions” at the Silverlake Lounge; the Breakups open. … Sucker for […]
[Happy birthday to Nancy Wilson from Heart … Now, to a great slate of shows:] Bands, bands, from distant lands: The Soundtrack of Our Lives [pictured], those Swedish purveyors of psychedelic power-pop, are back with a new album, “Communion” (on Yep Roc), their first effort in four years. And quite an effort it is – […]
For all the serious tones, goosefleshy emotions and half-whispered meditations on Great Northern’s sophomore album, the title came to songwriters Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte as they sat in a darkened room brainstorming on that very issue. “I went to find a pen to write some of them down,” Stolte says, “and couldn’t find the […]
Approximately 4,213 musical acts from Los Angeles will descend on Austin, Texas, next week for South by Southwest, and probably that many industry types, hangers-on and, yes, blogpersons. On the Buzz Bands show in Little Radio this morning, I will chat with some of them – including Kenan Bell, whose first single “Fruits and Vegetables” […]
[New flavors for your iPod, have a taste …] Matthew Houck, who makes music as Phosphorescent, creates sepia-toned Americana that’s seemingly wired straight to the soul. His February release “To Willie” is a musical homage to Willie Nelson, much in the same vein as was Nelson’s 1975 nod to Lefty Frizell, “To Lefty From Willie.” […]
[Birthday candles Sunday for both Ry Cooder and Sly Stone on what will be a very busy weekend …] Tonight: Van Nuys-based imprint Hopeless/Sub City Records has been doing good things for years with its charity outreach, and its eight annual Take Action Tour, with DoSomething.org as this year’s beneficiary (the group will get three […]
[Joel and Benji Madden celebrate their birthday today, on what apparently is a popular day to be born, judging from the number of reminders on my pesky my social networks. Can we just automate the huzzahs?] It’s not his birthday until Saturday, but tonight’s installment of Low End Theory at the Airliner is being called […]
