Unlike intr0vert, I will not be going to SXSW. Instead, I have to live vicariously through my co-author, who will actually be a part of the action with KAV. So I put together a short list of the bands I’d like to see, were I actually going. I have pretty great taste in music, so if you are lucky enough to be going, you should check them out.
Neon Trees: These electro-punk rockers from Utah have an album (‘Habits’) coming out this month. Their single, ‘Animal’, and it’s accompanying video caught my attention for the following reasons: I love handclaps. I am envious of their style and hairdos. Their drummer looks like the hipster love-child of Sarah McLachlan and Samantha Malone. Their shit makes me shake my ass. These are all really good reasons. You must watch this acoustic version of ‘Animal’, it really shows their versatility. They’re coming to Chicago next month with 30 Seconds to Mars, and if I’m lucky enough to get to see them live, expect a review/interview.
Living doll Janelle Monáe will finally be releasing her “debut” album The ArchAndroidon May 18 of this year. I know, that seems pretty far in the future, well, that’s how Cindi Mayweather rolls. Fret not, she has released two tracks “Tightrope” (f/Big Boi of Outkast) and “Cold War” which you can preview on her website and will be touring this spring. Prepare to be inspired if you haven’t seen or heard Ms. Monáe live, I’m convinced she’s a cyborg. No mortal woman can dance that hard and sing so pitch-perfectly…unless it’s actually Prince in drag.
Janelle Monáe Spring Tour MARCH
15 Washington, DC Black Cat
17 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
18 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
21 San Francisco, CA Café Du Nord
22 San Francisco, CA Café Du Nord
23 Los Angeles, CA (Buy Tix) The Viper Room (see you there!)
24 Los Angeles, CA (Buy Tix) The Viper Room (see you there!)
29 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
30 Chicago, IL Schubas Tavern
31 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
APRIL
2 St. Andrews Detroit, MI
5 Smith’s Olde Bar Atlanta, GA
6 Smith’s Olde Bar Atlanta, GA
9 Joe’s Pub New York, NY
10 Joe’s Pub New York, NY
Happy Hearts Beneift for Haiti WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10
BOOTLEG THEATRE 2220 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA
(free parking behind Praise Christian Church)
$15, 18+ (Buy Tickets)
The Fold presents… a Benefit for Haiti featuring:
PETE YORN
TIM KASHER (Cursive)
CRAIG WEDREN (Shudder to Think)
+ Special Guests
The event will be hosted by the hilarious NICK KROLL(The League), DAVID WAIN(The State, Stella) and NICHOLAS SHUMAKER and more. Proceeds go to benefit Happy Hearts, an organization that specializes in secondary response efforts.
I think it would be a drastic conflict of interest to slurp on a friends band and make an out and out recommendation for you to be into them, so I won’t do that. I’d like to preserve the little bit of integrity I have left so I will instead tell you with absolute honesty that of all of the regular bands that I see on the strip (and I see A LOT of bands on the strip), one of very few that I actually enjoy seeing at least once a month is Lady Sinatra. Their own brand of Rock & Roll is as hard, fast and loud as it is difficult to pin down directly. I sometimes swear that I hear a bit of Motörhead in the backbeat mixed with a bit of that indefinable Sunset Strip sound. The musicianship is tight and the swagger is loose. If you’ve got a girl that likes to strip then put on “Girl, You’ll Be A Trainwreck Soon” off of their 2nd album Hisses & Kisses and let her do her thing. The band (@LadySinatra) was at one point giving away a free download of the record in exchange for a Tweet, but that offer may have expired. It’s still available through iTunes.
Lead singer and head of Loose Fang Records, Bunny Holliday recently sat down with evergrowing institution The Real Sunset Strip w/Scheff and The Hawk for the short interview/artist profile above (shot by photographer Andrew Herrold) which should give you a taste of their sound.
But to catch them in action they’ll be playing Monday February 15th at Crazy Girls Gentleman’s Club (Sunset & LaBrea) in West Hollywood with Sink To See and brilliant newcomers Jacuzzis (fb event). Full Disclosure: I’m playing that show, too. But if you haven’t seen Lady Sinatra in on their home turf at The Viper Room then you just haven’t seen them in their destructively natural habitat. Read the rest of this entry »
Fresh off performing with the tonally impaired Taylor Swift and legend Stevie Nicks at Sunday’s Grammy ceremony, Butch Walker and his new band The Black Widows…which I’m kinda guessing is at least 70-100% of his regular touring moppets The Let’s Go Out Tonites are set to releaseI Liked It Better When You Had No Heart on February 23rd with a handfull of Pre-Order options now-available including a tongue-in-cheek $25,000 option which will get you a limited personal friendship with Mr. Walker. Head to Butch’s website to check out the various legitimate options. If you dig the record I suggest you purchase the vinyl version which comes with a cd for your digital fix and will be released a full 2 weeks earlier on next Tues Feb 9th.
A sold out record release show is set for Tue Feb 23 at his usual spot The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. More tickets have already been released but it of course sold out immediately. Starting March 4 Butch will embark on a string of dates with Train to support the record (which you can preview below, dates listed after that). I know I speak for a lot of my friends who have been fans of BW since either The Marvelous 3 days or his early solo career when I say, “Butch! We love you, you make great music but please, please, please MAKE A HUGE OVER-THE-TOP ROCK RECORD PRONTO AND TOUR THE SHIT OUT OF IT!”
In L.A. you are encouraged not to acknowledge a celebrity’s existence —certainly don’t say anything to them, that’s what tourists do! It’s understandable why. After all we are all human beings who wish to be rewarded for our deeds but allowed our personal freedoms including the right to peace and privacy. But I’ll have been a citizen of the The City of Angels for 3 years come Valentine’s Day (romantic I know) and I don’t give a fuck what you say, if I want to talk to someone regardless of who they are…I’m gonna. Of course even I have my rules and standards. You never, ever bother a famous person with their kids or at dinner…EVER! And I want it very clear that I’m not trying to bother anyone just because they are famous. It’s ALWAYS about WHAT they do, which is why they are famous to begin with unless they are a non-celebrity like cast members of The Hills*. I’m not going to say something unless I really have something to say. Problem is, you always think of something to say out-of-the-blue 5 minutes later. Fortunately this afternoon. I had just such a 2nd chance.
You should know that I have an EAGLE-EYE for personalities. Some people just have that “glow-of-importance” to them. Maybe I can subconsciously observe their aura. I know that sounds ridiculous.** I have no real explanation for it. When I first moved to California my inner dialog after a quick glance at someone was always, “That person looks a lot like _________.” only to realize at 2nd glance that it most likely was that person, just doing whatever. I’ve learned now to accept that it probably is that person as it proves true more likely than not.
Last March I recommended Echo Park dance troupe/electrosiezure We Are The World as a band “You Should Know” and really, this recommendation is for your own good if you feel that music needs an artistic boost removed from the cult of celebrity currently seized ahold of iTunes. Finally the Echo Park quarted have made a hauntingly spectacular video for standout track “Clay Stones” in anticipation of their first release, a single of the song available today via IAMSOUND (still saying pre-sale). The Vinyl will be out 2/23 on Manimal.
And as I’ve said before if you get the chance to catch their kenetic live show (of which they play very few) consider yourself very lucky. Their myspace page indicates an upcoming February residency here in Los Angeles but a venue has yet to be revealed. Rest assured I will be making as many trips to Silverlake/Echo Park this month as necessary.
Hey! I’m back in my homestate somewhere in middle America and I’ve been hanging out with a lot of people who really want to come visit me on the coast but with money tight don’t really have that luxury. Behold a solution (of sorts)! Lauren Scheffand The Hawk host a show via UStream calledThe Real Sunset Strip LIVE from The Roxy Theatre. It’s a great chance to see what goes on during a typical Saturday night in the musical heart of West Hollywood that spawned bands like The Doors, Van Halen, Motley Crue and Guns N Roses.
Speaking of which, former GNR/Velvet Revolver/The Cult drummer Matt Sorum, a regular fixture of the strip, even stopped by a few weeks ago to chat with the guys about the glory days of The Strip (video below). Other recent guests have been Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Harry Perry, B-Real from Cypress Hill and Tattooed Millionaire to name very few. Other regular guests and skits from Scheff & The Hawk include bartenders, managers, drunks and misfits from various other Sunset Strip institutions like The Viper Room and The Comedy Store. You’ll probably see me pop-up there every now and then.
Check out the show! Join the Ustream chat sometime and make Twitter and Facebook friends with The Real Sunset Strip!
I consider myself a pretty bigButch Walker fan. After meeting him after a festival with The Marvelous 3 in 1999 I’ve followed his career intensely. All the while mystified because for the life of me I just can’t understand how this guy isn’t bigger than all of the artists he writes & produces for?
Butch is in the midst of a series of shows in LA, NYC, Chicago and hometown Atlanta where he’s dedicated each night to one of his specific solo records. During his November residency at The Hotel Cafe in LA I caught the first night where he played the 2004’s Letters (still my favorite BW solo effort) with his entire biker gang in tow.
February 2, Butch will release his 5th solo album, Groundhog Day: The AlbumI Liked It Better When You Had No Heart on VINYL! With a regular CD/Download dropping Feb 23…but you should probably get a record player anyway.
He’s calling his new band The Black Widows which seems a bit forced in an Is-Ryan-Adams-Starting-A-Death-Metal-band? kind of way. But I’d imagine it opens up a lot of possibilities for his graphic designer. Butch can do no wrong by me, bring it!
Old Canes is the work of Lawrence, KS native Chris Crisci (of The Appleseed Cast). The band has an eclectic indie-folk sound with lush instrumentation reminicent of Band of Horses or Sea Wolf. His most recent album Feral Harmonic was released on 10/20 through Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records. A limited edition set of HANDMADE CD & LP packaging is available. You can download an MP3 of “Trust” from Feral Harmonic here.
I highly recommend getting to the show by 9pm to see LA up-and-comers Sol Giant & I Will Never Be The Same. Drink specials kick in just as Old Canes takes the stage…the perfect Sunday!
Recently signed to Perez Hilton’s label and even more recently signed to a huge deal with Interscope, New York glam punks SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS are a quartet of handsome gents burning high energy Rock N’ Roll that will sting your ears and tease your nethers. It’s danceably infectious AC/DC-meets-Rocky Horror swagger has been lighting up clubs for the past 3 years with fabulously filthy/gorgeous frontman Justin Tranter tearing up stages and after parties like a platinum-blond transvestite GODZILLA!
“I GOT A DIAMOND IN MY POCKET AND A GUN IN MY PURSE SCREAM SEMI PRECIOUS WEAPONS OR YOU MIGHT GET HURT!”
Rounding out the group is the unstoppable trio of Dynamite Drummer Dan Crean, Wig-Afficianato Guitarist Stevy Pyne and Bass Beast Cole Whittle using every inch of every stage at every show. As an exception to the rule, typically you would find an act that rocks this hard and dirty and looks this good to be light on real musical talent but SPW actually met at the prestigious Berklee College of music in Boston.
“STICKY WITH CHAMPAGNE, THAT’S OK IT’S HER BIRTHDAY!”
SPW will be doing 2 shows at The Viper Room in November: Friday the 13th & Wed the 25th. An excellent review of a trio of shows at The Viper Room last July can be found on their blog. A recent interview by Sunset Strip Ambassador and Buzzfinder Brent X. Mendoza with Lead Singer and Daytime Jewlery Designer Justin Tranter (Fetty) can be found @ TheSunsetStrip.com.
“HER HAIR, HER HAIR, HER HAIR IS ON FIRE! SHE DON’T NO WATER LET HER FUCKING HEAD BURN!”
Semi Precious Weapons are currently recording their follow up to 2008’s We Love You with Jack Joseph Puig in Los Angeles and will be opening for Lady Gaga on The Monster Ball Tour (LA Shows @ Nokia Dec 21-23).
Oh, All Hallows Eve, our favorite holiday! We hope you all have a happy and relatively unsafe Halloween. Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do. That is a very short list. At least send us pics and video if you do!
One of my favorite albums of late summer/early fall is Sea Wolf’s latest White Water, White Bloom (itunes). There is something soothing and hypnotic about the rhythm of Alex Church’s acoustic guitar that, when paired with his lazily romantic lyrics makes this record work amazingly well in more intimate, laid back environments. I was also bumping it in the tour van for a string of dates up and down the west coast. Now I can’t hear this record and not think about the changing leaves.
In the spirit of Halloween, below is the video for “Wicked Blood” off of White Water, White Bloom starring fan of the LA music scene Shannyn Sossamon (Rules of Attaction, A Knight’s Tale). I met her once sitting next to her at an Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros concert at The Regent downtown and she was even more beautiful in person. Speaking of beautiful actors…
Because AvantTrash is a very vampire friendly place, I’m glad to announce that on November 6th, Sea Wolf, alongside Band of Skulls, Death Cab for Cutie and Anya Marina will be performing in a special Twilight: New Moon event at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. Select cast members will be on hand for a Q&A afterwards. Bring your earplugs, the vampy teens will be in full effect.
Tegan & Sara’s 6th Full-Length Album Sainthood came out yesterday, go get it! It’s the first record that the Canadian twins have ever written together in the same room in their 29 years! Just like 2007’s The Con, it was recorded by Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie in Portland. They are currently on tour with dates going through April 8th.
Everybody on the planet knows that Michael Jackson died this past summer and everybody knows that he was in the middle of rehearsing for a 50 date stint in London. That tour was entitled This Is It and as the name implies, was to be the final live performances of his career. After his death, Jackson’s representatives revealed that everything, including dress rehearsals, had been filmed by the production company putting the show on. They decided to make a film as a final gesture to fans (and, no doubt, to recoup millions of dollars lost on the production itself) so everybody could see what the King of Pop had planned for his last act. I scored some tickets to the preview screening in Lincoln tonight and just got back from seeing the flick. I know you are all curious about the big question: does he look like he’s about to fall over and die, or is he the vibrant performer we all remember? Read on…
On the last night of a month-long tour, Esser and DATAROCK (and KAV for the West Coast) were playing a venue in Seattle rhat completely dropped the ball with the show’s production. The sound was terrible and non-existent in the monitors and the promoter was not-to-be-found until about 10pm and booked this terrible hipster rap act that ate up the headliner’s set time and threw water all over the stage (which doesn’t mix well with electronics!). Also, Seattle (and maybe all of Washington) has this bogus law about “No alcoholic beverages onstage”. All in all, it was a weird scene. But we made the best of it until finally the band was asked to stop playing around 1:30 am.
On top of this, the last night of any tour is subject to some ribbing, some hijinks…you know, shenanigans. One camera can’t possible do this night justice but I can hope that this sheds a little light on the situation. A cautionary tale.
Last week I posted about the upcoming DVD for Live At Reading and Amazon who was hosting the “School” video wasn’t allowing an embed, so here it actually is! Reminisce over the best band of the 1990’s. Don’t debate me, fuck you for trying!
I posted about this event this time last year and a lot of people have been searching for it lately (at least 63 of you today alone!). So I figured I would repost with the new information so you are privy to the new shit.
On Octobre 24th head over to Hollywood Forever Cemetery (6000 Santa Monica Blvd) from 4 – 11pm for Dia De Los Muertos. It’s $10 and they make it a point to tell you No Dogs, No Coolers and…No Skateboards? Im sure there has been some axle grinding on Valentino’s Crypt or something to prompt this rule. It’s not like you can ride very smoothly on the cemetery’s driveway or anything.
Be sure to put a sugar skull on Johnny Ramone’s Statue.
Dude, I was literally to the left of the dude wearing the Nebraska hat. In fact, I was facing this chick’s direction as this argument went down. Photo via the Journal Star.
I didn’t even know about the health care rally until my girlfriend mentioned it about thirty minutes before it started. Way to go Obama. Utilize your e-mail list a bit better. Anyway, it was a muggy day and I decided to walk down wearing my They Live tee which garnered a bunch of weird facial reactions from the hippy leftists who weren’t sure whether or not I was with the protesters to said protesters who kept taking pictures of my shirt. Seriously. One dude even got out his camcorder and filmed it. Not me, just the tee. I’m sure this image will be popping up on conservative blogs all over the country with “OBEY” replaced with “OBAMA”. Come to think of it, that’s a pretty clever use…
