Can you spot Semi Precious Weapons?

On the bill for last night’s show at my local dive was Taylor Hawkins & The Coattail Riders. After I’d finished SXSW rehearsals with KAV for the night I figured I would stop by and check him out as there is rumor we might be sharing a bill outside of LA in the near future (awaiting confirmation). Nearing midnight I was relieved that he hadn’t yet played when I got to my local dive, AKA The World Famous Viper Room on the Sunset Strip. During the day I saw a post on The Viper Room’s Facebook…

I assumed it could be Mr.Grohl but jokingly commented “Alanis Morissette” (who he used to play for in the Jagged Little Pill days). I later found out that Taylor had cancelled around 8 o’clock but the special guests were still coming! The makeshift jam session consisted of Charly Coombes & The New Breed (Supergrass, Oasis), Rami Jaffee (birthday boy, known for Keys w/The Wallflowers), All Day Sucker and finally Scream/ Nirvana/ Foo Fighter/ Probot/ Tenacious D/ QOTSA/ Them Crooked Vultures/ The New Paul McCartney/ Patron Saint of Rock and Roll/ Dave Grohl played 4 songs with the band: “Stay With Me” by The Faces, an inspired version of David Bowie/Queen’s “Under Pressure”, a raucous version of “Helter Skelter” and then a mostly “fuck” version of “Come Together”.  I think “Here come ol’…” came around 3 times with varied results.

“Fuck You in the asshole he just do what he please!”

Shortly afterwards they pulled a guy out of the crowd who played guitar the remainder of the set. Really well in fact. What have I been saying? Come down to the strip and see something you might not be able to see anywhere else. I saw the drummer from my #2 favorite band playing tunes from my #1 favorite band on a slow Thursday. What did you do last night?

Thanks to Steve aka GameJerk aka @Jerko for the “Come Together” Video! All photos courtesy of  my iPhone but better ones from the stage can be found from The Viper Room’s facebook.

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.

The Cool Kids: Composed of Chicago rappers Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish, this duo describes themselves as ‘the new black version of the Beastie Boys’. 2008’s “The Bake Sale” has been heavily played in my iTunes for a couple years now. I unfortunately missed them at Lollapalooza year before last, so don’t repeat my mistake. Check these kids out and maybe get a little retarded to their old-school beats.

UUVVWWZ: (read-double u, double v, double w, z) My homegirl from high school, Teal heads up this gang of misfit toys from Nebraska. Their self-titled album came out last year on Saddle Creek Records. Their sound moves between soft and bluesy (in my opinion, when Teal’s vocals really shine), to intense and sassy-borderline angry. Some might feel they haven’t quiet found their sound yet, but I think their lack of commitment in this area really showcases their versatility.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears: Songs like “Bitch, I Love You” and “Get Yo Shit” just melt my heart. intr0vert & I did catch BLJ & TH at last year’s Lolla, and it was somehow soulful, and rockin’ and hilarious all at the same time. His sound has obvious soul and blues influences, but it’s still high energy stuff you wanna move to. And their live show is not to be missed.

Cheap Trick: Okay, this one is obvious. I remember meeting Rick Nielsen’s son with intr0vert at a Dick Dale show (and if you don’t know who Rick Nielsen or Dick Dale are, you’re not my friend) and proclaiming our love for Cheap Trick—he thought we were fucking with him. Even if you only know Cheap Trick via drunken karaokee versions of ‘Surrender’, you should def still check them out. They are still VERY MUCH relevant, and still VERY MUCH rock out. Most of these pussy faux-rocker bands out there today wish they could wail like Cheap Trick.

Scissor Sisters: This is not a new band by any means, but I’m always shocked when people don’t know the amazeballs-ness of Scissor Sisters. Googling that will come up with some interesting images, BTW. This filthy-gorgeous band’s self-titled debut album came out in 2004, with the follow-up, ‘Ta-Dah’ in 2006. New one’s out sometime this year. Take a listen to ‘Take Your Mama’ or ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’. Think a glamorous, modern version of the B-52s with a twinge of Elton. Oh, and their live version of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Take Me Out’ is far superior to the original. Also, vocalist Ana Matronic has an awesome and apropos half-sleeve and is a sassy, curvy redhead like me.

I do realize there are bajillions more worthwhile bands at SXSW. There are a few I am eager to learn more about and listen to (Maps & Atlases, We Are Scientists, The Postelles…). This was just my quick and dirty list of bands I’d want to see, and that I think YOU should see. If you disagree, or feel I’ve left someone out, don’t pashaw at my list. But do give me a heads up to which bands I need to get to know. Help a sister out. Just sayin’.

Making of:

Band Of Skulls Spring Tour:
3/17 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/18 – SXSW – Austin, TX (Filter’s Showdown on Cedar St) RSVP HERE
3/18 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX *
3/19 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/20 – House of Blues – Houston, TX *
3/21 – Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, OK *
3/23 – The Pageant – St. Louis, MO *
3/24 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI *
3/25 – Metro – Chicago, IL *
3/26 – Turner Hall – Milwaukee, WI *
3/27 – First Ave – Minneapolis, MN *
3/30 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH *
3/31 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY **
4/1 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY **
4/2 – Northstar Bar – Philadelphia, PA **
4/3 – Harper’s Ferry – Boston, MA **
4/4 – Ottobar – Baltimore, MD **
4/6 – Cosmic Charlies – Lexington, KY **
4/7 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN **
4/8 – 40 Watt Club – Athens, GA **
4/10 – WorkPlay Theatre – Birmingham, AL **
4/12 – Riot Room – Kansas City, MO **
4/13 – Boulder Theatre – Boulder, CO **
4/15 – Martini Ranch – Phoenix, AZ **
4/17 – Coachella – Indio, CA
4/19 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA ***
4/20 – Doug Fir – Portland, OR ***
4/21 – Knitting Factory – Spokane, WA ***
4/22 – The Crocodile – Seattle, WA ***
4/23 – Sugar – Victoria, BC ***
4/24 – The Venue – Vancouver, BC ***
4/26 – Starlite – Edmonton, ON ***
4/28 – Mod Club – Toronto, ON ***
4/29 – Studio JPR – Montreal, QC ***

* Supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
** Co-headline tour w/ The Whigs
*** Headline tour

The record in it’s entirety is streaming now at Spinner. RCRD LBL premiered the track “Castles and Tassels” as their ‘MySpace Music RCRD of the Day;’ earlier this month, the track can now be downloaded here.

Adam Green Spring Tour Dates
FEB. 16 COPENHAGEN, DK LOPPEN
FEB. 18 HAMBURG, DE UEBEL & GEFANRLICH
FEB. 19 COLOGNE, DE GLORIA
FEB. 20 BERLIN, DE POSTBANHOF
FEB. 22 VIENNA, AT ARENA
FEB. 23 MUNICH, DE FREIHEIZ
FEB. 24 ZURICH, CH MASCOTTE
FEB. 25 LAUSANNE, CH DOCKS
FEB. 27 BOLOGNA, IT COVO
FEB. 28 MILAN, IT MAGNOLIA
MAR. 2 BARCELONA, ES RAZZMATAZZ
MAR. 3 MADRID, ES RAMDALL MUSIC LIVE
MAR. 4 LISBON, PT SANTIAGO ALQUIMISTA
MAR. 6 MARSEILLE, FR LE POSTE A GALENE
MAR. 8 PARIS, FR L’ALHAMBRA
MAR. 17-20 AUSTIN, TX SXSW
APR. 1 VANCOUVER, BC VENUE
APR. 2 SEATTLE, WA CHOP SUEY
APR. 3 PORTLAND, OR DANTE’S
APR. 5 SANTA CRUZ, CA CREPE PLACE
APR. 6 SAN FRANCISCO, CA CAFÉ DU NORD (all ages)
APR. 7 SAN FRANCISCO, CA CAFÉ DU NORD (21+)
APR. 9 SAN DIEGO, CA THE CASBAH (early show)
APR. 10 LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR
APR. 13 DENVER, CO LARIMER LOUNGE
APR. 14 KANSAS CITY, MO RECORD BAR
APR. 15 CHICAGO, IL SCHUBAS
APR. 16 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP (early show)
APR. 17 TORONTO, ONT MOD CLUB
APR. 19 MONTREAL, QUE LA SALA ROSA
APR. 20 BOSTON, MA GREAT SCOTT
APR. 21 PHILADELPHIA, PA JOHNNY BRENDA’S
APR. 23 NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM
APR. 24 NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM

Living doll Janelle Monáe will finally be releasing her “debut” album The ArchAndroid on 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.

For a little background on Janelle Monáe consult the AvantTrash “You Should Know” post from September 2008.
Myspace: http://myspace.com/JanelleMonae |  Twitter: @JanelleMonae

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

I woke up to a text from a friend, letting me know Alexander McQueen was found dead in his house. He was 40 years old. I’m not putting a fucking bio up here, go to Wikipedia for that. Instead, I’ve put together some of my favorite McQueen looks/moments.

Hitchcock Style: I got my degree in Textile & Apparel Design. In our program, we all found our design aesthetic and our inspiration, and it didn’t take long to find mine. I was supposed to write a 10 page paper on a major trend at the time, and I chose Hitchcock Style. His Fall/Winter 2005 line was heavily inspired by scream queens Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren. And for me it was the most amazing juxtaposition of his impeccable Saville Row tailoring and the ‘l’enfant terrible’ attitude we were used to with McQueen. In my mind, the fifties were never so exciting.

Blow:McQueen: He had a beautiful partnership with style icon Isabella Blow. She has been credited for discovering McQueen, and actually purchased his entire graduate collection. She was a muse of milliner Philip Treacy, and was seen wearing his crazy creations more often than not. McQueen regularly enlisted Treacy to top off his runway creations.

In Memory of Elizabeth Howe, Salem, 1692: For his Fall/Winter 2007 RTW collection, McQueen had discovered that his bloodline led back to a victim of the Salem witch trials who was hanged in the Puritan hysteria of 1692. He turned the runway into a giant red pentagram that the models stomped along. Above the models heads was a film of naked women, swarming locusts, faces decaying to skulls…and ended with Elizabeth Howe’s signature being scrawled out. Only McQueen right?

Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby: The most recent of my beloved McQueen moments was Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ music video. Her looks in the video were primarily McQueen with some Haus of Gaga thrown in. The most memorable look was the space-age disco ball outfit, the finale piece of his Spring/Summer 2010 ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ show, complete with the notorious McQueenadillos.

So raise a glass to mend all the broken hearts of all my wrecked up friends. Bye McQueen.

DatNewCudi.com: Dan Black Feat. Kid Cudi – Symphonies Remix from DP on Vimeo.

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.

Hard to believe this is actually a B-Side and was also on the Twilight: New Moon Soundtrack.

For Your Consideration: Midlake
Sounds Like: CSNY & The Moody Blues goes to college.
For Fans Of: Nuggets. Led Zeppelin, Sea Wolf
Album: The Courage Of Others
(Released 2/2 – Bella Union)
Free Live Set MP3: The Denton Session (Guardian UK)
Streaming: NPR Music First Listen
Websites: Midlake.net

It took me a bit to get into this Denton, TX band Midlake. Their music reminds me of everything Led Zeppelin did that required a flute. I would be remiss in forgetting to tell you that in addition to the CD and digital album release, the band will release a deluxe edition of The Courage Of Others, featuring a copy of the band’s short film directed by Jason Lee, a double LP, 45 rpm version of the record and a 32-page book and a live CD. This theme of bands releasing short films with their records has been HUGE lately (see Melissa Auf der Maur post). Is this a big demand to the fans? Does it influence whether or not you’d buy the record? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Midlake Tour Dates
March
1 Tucson, AZ – Plush
2 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern
3 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre
4 San Francisco, CA – The Great American Music Hall
5 Arcata, CA – The Van Duzer Theatre
6 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
7 Bellingham, WA – The Nightlight
10 Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room
11 Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater
12 Lawrence, KS – Jackpot Saloon
13 Denton, TX – NX35

After the film there was a hearty Q&A where Tarantino exlaimed that the movie was not about the Holocaust nor was it ever attempting to be much more than a WWII adventure movie in the vein of “The Great Escape”. Which isn’t to say that one couldn’t get more from it but “not every movie about WWII has to be about The Holocaust”. Some of the elderly Jews in the audience were put off by the violence as audible gasps could be heard at the films bloodier scenes.

The issue of revenge was brought up as many Jews expressed that seeing this variation of history played out appealed to their “release factor” that wishes the war could have ended earlier and with less damage to their community. Eli Roth who played Lt. Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz in the film talked about how great it felt during the climax of the film to be the one who got to kill Adolf Hitler telling how people come up to him on the street and congratulate him for killing the Fuhrer.

Tarantino will be screening “Inglorous Basterds” and “Pulp Fiction” at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Monday February 8th. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, it is of course Sold Out.

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.