On 4/27/12 at 9:59am, I got super lucky when I managed to snag a pair of tickets to see Fiona Apple at The Hollywood Palladium on 7/29/12 because, as expected, the show sold out in a matter of minutes. My roommate, Stephanie, immediately claimed my 2nd ticket then we proceeded to spend 3 months eagerly awaiting our 1st Fiona show ever.
Fiona Apple's 4th studio album was released on 6/19/12 (7 years after her last album, Extraordinary Machine, was released in 2005) & I believe it broke some sort of record for being 1 of the longest album titles ever. It is called The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. To keep it simple, most people just refer to it as The Idler Wheel...
I'm not exactly sure why Fiona took 7 years off but, after witnessing her inspirational performance on Sunday night, it doesn't seem like the time off has weakened her game in the least bit. She's the tiniest woman with THE biggest voice. She's also an incredible pianist. She even motivated me to go home & play a few songs from her 1st studio album Tidal on my 72-key weighted Roland keyboard. I'm no Fiona:-P
If you missed Fiona's Palladium show, I must insist you do everything in your power to see her in October at The Greek Theatre in LA. She's unreal live.
Join me next Tuesday 8/7 for The Ross Sea Party's 1st night of their August residency at Central in Santa Monica!! My Vibe Fest headliners have been on temporary hiatus recording their 1st album but now they're back & they're better than ever!
I can't wait to hear all of their new songs! Central is THE place to be EVERY Tuesday in August!
Message from RSP:
We're announcing our Tuesday night weekly residency this August 2012 at CENTRAL S.A.P.C. in Santa Monica. (We will be announcing details about our album release soon as well) Special guests on various nights include: The Dead Ships, Hello Echo, Dylan Trees, Blonde Summer, Thurlow, Opus Orange, Kevin Earnest, The Breakups, The Mid Cities, and Kid Cadaver.
Doors at 7:30pm The Ross Sea Party play weekly at 10pm FREE entrance every week. Central S.A.P.C. http://centralsapc.com/index.cfm 1348 14th St, Santa Monica CA, US
I wish the free concert Lord Huron is playing at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA on Friday, August 24th wasn't them opening for Cults. I've seen Cults a few times now & they're cute & fun & all but, because they're on the bill, I can guarantee this show will quickly turn into yet another free LA show clusterfuck :-/
Since Lord Huron doesn't have any other LA tour dates scheduled in the next few months, I'm still going to try to make it but I'll secretly be wishing Cults cancels because Lord Huron most certainly deserves the headlining position.http://www.lordhuron.com/
Last night was a f*ckin blast. First, I did wine & snacks on the beach for a couple hours at the FREE Santa Monica Pier concert with some of my favorite people then I headed to Central to see Mumbai Science & Isom Innis (of Foster the People) do a DJ a set...also for FREE! Isom Innis could be a full-time DJ but, because I love Foster the People, I'm happy he manages to juggle both gigs.
Central is quickly becoming my fave westside music venue. It's only 2 miles from my apartment which is SO nice...especially since usually I have to trek all the way to the Hollywood/Echo Park/Silverlake area for most of my other shows.
I wish I could rally to go to the Silent Disco at Central tonight (Beastie Boys versus A Tribe Called Quest) but, unfortunately, because I have a ton of stuff going on the rest of the weekend & last night was so crazy, I'll only be stopping by Central ~8pm tonight to pick up my debit card. You know you had a fun night when you forget to close your tab...lol.
Here's the 2nd single off Tame Impala's new album Lonerism due out this October!
I CAN'T WAIT to see these super psychedelic Aussies properly for the 2nd time at Outside Lands 2012 in SF next month. I saw them for my 1st time at Silverlake Lounge in LA way back in June 2010 but, because the venue was so tiny & packed, I couldn't really SEE them...I just heard them & they were STILL fuckin awesome. They're gonna be phenomenal in Golden Gate Park!
You have ONE more chance to catch a free blondfire show at Central in Santa Monica next Tuesday 7/31! Don't miss out! This brother/sister duo from New York, NY has got some serious talent in their genes!
I'm only slightly embarrassed to admit I discovered this track on So You Think You Can Dance last week. I don't care. I like that show. I'm totally in awe of the things talented dancers can do with their bodies & it turns out the people who pick the music for the show have pretty amazing taste in tunage as well!
Kalle Mattson must've left his heart in San Francisco too. This video is incredible. The cinematography is amazeballs. I especially love the Bay to Breakers time lapse. Watching this just made me more excited than ever to get my ass back up to SF next month for Outside Lands!
I've really been pushing my luck with my shows/concert ticket situations lately. For starters, I managed to NOT get into Moby's free show at The Annenberg Space for Photography on Saturday night. After waiting in line for over 2 HOURS & making it to the VERY front of the line (I literally would've been the next person admitted), my 2 friends & I were told they'd just reached their 4,000 person capacity...yet they received over 20,000+ RSVPs. So I ask: What's the point of the RSVP list, KCRW?? Grrr...I'm still bitter.
THEN, I stupidly assumed The Hollywood Bowl's annual Reggae Night (featuring Ziggy Marley & Toots & The Maytals) on Sunday night wouldn't sell out. I've been to this same event the past few years & I could've sworn it never sold out. Turns out, it sells out every year. I don't know how I wasn't aware of this but, somehow, I wasn't so I didn't buy tickets for Reggae Night ahead of time.
Worst case, I figured my concert buddy & I would easily be able to find tix on Craigslist...especially since we didn't care how far away the seats were. We just wanted to bring snacks & wine to The Bowl & enjoy a fun night of getting irie with 1000s of other people under the stars. Unfortunately, we only made it to the entrance of The Bowl (where we still enjoyed our snacks, alcoholic beverages & even a little reggae which we actually could hear pretty well from outside the venue) because the guy we found on Craigslist got as far as telling us he was parking & would be meeting us in just a few minutes only to suddenly fall off the face of the Earth & never respond to us again. Please note: NEVER ATTEMPT TO BUY TICKETS FROM A CRAIGSLISTER NAMED ANGEL. We hate Angel. He's a jerk & his name is stupid :-P
And...enough complaining! I just needed to vent...
On the bright side, 1 of my 3 show attempts last weekend DID work out. I got a last minute to the sold out Aesop Rock show at el Rey Theatre for only $20 at the door! I'd once again mistakenly assumed this show wouldn't sell out then is DID sell out a few hours before the show. I decided to just try going anyway &, to slightly make up for all the bad luck I experienced the rest of the weekend, I magically snagged 1 last ticket from the box office (MINUS the usual Ticketmaster service fees!). So it's not all bad :-) And Aesop Rock's definitely not bad. Plus he gives out free haircuts on stage now :-) Be sure to check out Aesop's new album Skelethon in its entirety HERE as soon as possible because it's pretty fuckin sweet.
Check out 1st single from Bloc Party's latest upcoming album Four set for release on 8/20/12! As much as I enjoyed Kele's solo album, I'm ready for some new Bloc Party & I can't wait to finally see Bloc Party for my 1st time at Outside Lands in SF next month!
I'm very much diggin' Dirty Projectors' new album Swing Lo Magellan which was just released on Tuesday 7/10. DP's style is really unique. Each track is sounds nothing like the last & I'm a big fan of variety.
Episode 5 of the 5th season of True Blood aired on Sunday 7/8 & was, in my opinion, the best episode of the season so far. Shit went down! And this original track featuring Iggy Pop Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast made it even better!
You can currently preview Aesop Rock's FULL new album Skelethon on Rhymesayers' Youtube channel!! Track #5 Fryerstarter is my fave so far but I'm only 18 minutes into the 55 minute album. I'm already hooked.
As my friend Paul so simply & accurately put it, "No reason not to listen to this album."
There's also NO reason to miss Aesop Rock at El Rey Theatre on Friday night! The show isn't sold out yet (but it should be!), tickets are only $20 a piece, the El Rey is the BEST indoor venue in LA AND good hip hop shows are few & far between. Don't miss out!
When Central: Social Aid & Pleasure Club in Santa Monica posted a message on their Facebook page yesterday saying there was going to be a special guest at last night's In The Valley Below & blondfire show, their clue was the following: "PLUS a surprise guest all the way from Norway. Who could it be? Hint: They're known for a certain Arcade Fire cover." I put 2 & 2 together & deciphered that the special guest was going to be Mr. Little Jeans! To be honest, until yesterday, the only song I knew by Mr. Little Jeans was their SICK cover of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs (see video below) but, after hearing them play a few other songs live last night, I discovered there's a lot more to this Norwegian quartet.
And, since I got stuck at work late last night &, therefore, missed all of In The Valley Below & only caught the last song of blondfire's set, I'm determined to go back to Central on Tuesday 7/24 to see both acts in their entirety because In The Valley Below AND blondfire are playing EVERY Tuesday night in July FOR FREE at Central! I did some research yesterday & these 2 new artists both sound pretty cool. I also heard some rave reviews about them from other people last night who were lucky enough to catch their sets.
I'm SO excited to hear Tame Impala's full 2nd album Lonerism in October OR sooner if I can get my grubby, music-stealing hands on it before the release date!
Yeah, I'm losing my edge. I'm losing my edge. The kids are coming up from behind. I'm losing my edge. I'm losing my edge to the kids from France and from London. But I was there.
I was there in 1968. I was there at the first Can show in Cologne. I'm losing my edge. I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks. I'm losing my edge to the Internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1962 to 1978. I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Tokyo and Berlin. I'm losing my edge to the art-school Brooklynites in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered eighties.
But I'm losing my edge. I'm losing my edge, but I was there. I was there. But I was there.
I'm losing my edge. I'm losing my edge. I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks. But I was there. I was there in 1974 at the first Suicide practices in a loft in New York City. I was working on the organ sounds with much patience. I was there when Captain Beefheart started up his first band. I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime." I was there. I was the first guy playing Daft Punk to the rock kids. I played it at CBGB's. Everybody thought I was crazy. We all know. I was there. I was there. I've never been wrong.
I used to work in the record store. I had everything before anyone. I was there in the Paradise Garage DJ booth with Larry Levan. I was there in Jamaica during the great sound clashes. I woke up naked on the beach in Ibiza in 1988.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent. And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody. Every great song by the Beach Boys. All the underground hits. All the Modern Lovers tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Niagra record on German import. I heard that you have a white label of every seminal Detroit techno hit - 1985, '86, '87. I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '60s cut and another box set from the '70s.
I hear you're buying a synthesizer and an arpeggiator and are throwing your computer out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Yaz record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your guitars and bought turntables.
I hear that you and your band have sold your turntables and bought guitars.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records? This Heat, Pere Ubu, Outsiders, Nation of Ulysses, Mars, The Trojans, The Black Dice, Todd Terry, the Germs, Section 25, Althea and Donna, Sexual Harrassment, a-ha, Pere Ubu, Dorothy Ashby, PIL, the Fania All-Stars, the Bar-Kays, the Human League, the Normal, Lou Reed, Scott Walker, Monks, Niagra, Joy Division, Lower 48, the Association, Sun Ra, Scientists, Royal Trux, 10cc, Eric B. and Rakim, Index, Basic Channel, Soulsonic Force ("just hit me"!), Juan Atkins, David Axelrod, Electric Prunes, Gil! Scott! Heron!, the Slits, Faust, Mantronix, Pharaoh Sandersand the Fire Engines, the Swans, the Soft Cell, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics, the Sonics. You don't know what you really want. (x15)
I can't believe how incredibly lucky I was on Tuesday! By some small miracle, I managed to snag a $25 ticket (from yet another ridiculously kind-hearted Craigslist stranger...you know who you are!) to the VERY MUCH sold out Beach House show at El Rey Theatre. This show sold out in less than 3 minutes on Cinco De Mayo &, despite writing a note in my planner AND setting an extra alarm on my phone, I still managed to miss the 10am sale start because I overslept after a crazy night at Ed Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros at The Greek the night before (concert addict chick problems...lol).
Since people are Craigslist were being greedy bastards trying to sell a single ticket for Beach House's El Rey show for as much as $100-150 PER TICKET when face value was no more than $25-30, by about 3pm Tuesday, I had given up hope. THEN the concert gods smiled upon me when I received an Email from an interested seller in response to the following ad I posted on Craigslist looking for 1 ticket for no more than $50 (which was a long shot but worth a try!):
I know this is probably a long shot since so many people have already posted WANTED ads for Beach House on Tuesday 7/3/12 at the El Rey but I figure it's still worth a shot since I'm only looking for ONE ticket. I'm praying an honest, fellow, live music fan will take pity on me & sell me 1 GA ticket for $50 or less. It's GOOD CONCERT KARMA, I swear! :-)
I'm a HUGE Beach House fan. Ever since I 1st saw them open for Grizzly Bear at the Hollywood Palladium a couple years ago, I've been madly in love with their music & I have THE biggest girl crush on Victoria Legrand <3 Plus, I'm out of town in September when Beach House is playing 2 nights in a row at The Wiltern so this is most likely the only chance I'll get to see them in 2012.
PLEASE contact me if you can help me out & I promise to pay it forward the next time I have an extra ticket to a sold out show. It's the right thing to do! ;-)
Not only did my Craigslist angel bless me with a ticket but he ALSO gave it to me for only $2This man has ALL kinds of good concert karma coming his way &, thanks to him, I got to attend my 3rd Beach House concert which proved to be the best 1 yet! I love Victoria Legrand SO much. She's incredible.
I'm SO grateful I've managed to acquire fellow live music-obsessed friends who I can occasionally call less than 4 hours before a show to rally for a wild Sunday night full of lasers, dancing & Downtown LA antics. Otherwise, THIS night wouldn't have been possible...
