Do They Know It's Halloween by The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative

Speaking of charities, in 2005, UNICEF was lucky enough to rally 28 artist to contribute to 1 super sweet Halloween song.

The North American Halloween Prevention Initiative consisted of Arcade Fire, Beck, Buck 65, David Cross, Dessert, Devendra Banhart, Elvira, Feist, Gino Washington, Les Savy Fav, Islands, Malcolm McLaren, Nardwuar the Human Serviette, Peaches, Postal Service, Rilo Kiley, Greg Kursten, Roky Erickson, Sloan, Smoosh, Sonic Youth, Sparks, Subtitle, Sum 41, Tagaq, That Dog, Wolf Parade & my FAVORITE, Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs!

DON'T MISS Own2Feet at The Vibe Hotel in Hollywood on 11/10/12!!!

Who's ready for another Vibe Fest?!? OR, more appropriately, how about a mini Vibe Fest II that's actually a fundraiser? :)

Take a couple hours out of your weekend to support a good cause by joining me & LA's newest non-profit organization, Own2Feet, at The Vibe Hotel on Hollywood Boulevard on Saturday, November 10th at 5pm to check out a screening of a new, short documentary & a live set by a rockin' band from South Carolina! And there'll be plenty of 2 Buck Chuck to help you get your Saturday night started right ;)

Own2Feet's mission statement = At Own2Feet, our mission is to empower, educate & train the local community about the prevention, management, and consequences of diabetes. We strive for sustainability from the ground up to provide actual solutions. By partnering with the government, local organizations & villages, we can inspire change… One Step at a Time :)

The suggested entry fee is a pair of Crocs footwear (or 2!) to help prevent limb loss of diabetic Fijians. A pair of shoes that cost you less than $20 could help prevent someone from LOSING A LEG. If that's not a good deal, I don't know what is! So you don't forget your Crocs, ORDER A PAIR right now!

http://www.6pm.com/crocs-shoes-on-sale~e?s=percentOffStyle%2Fdesc%2F

Also, if anyone from out of town is interested in some RAD & affordable accomodations, please note The Vibe Hotel is actually a hostel located in the heart of Hollywood! Rooms are only $79-89/night! For more information, go to http://www.vibehotel.com/

To remind yourself how cool it is to contribute to a charity, listen toYou Are The Blood by Sufjan Stevens from Dark Was The Night, a 2-disc compilation album (featuring Arcade Fire, Spoon, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Cat Power, The New Pornographers, Dirty Projectors, My Morning Jacket, The National & MANY more) benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds & awareness for HIV & AIDS:

The People Tree by N.A.S.A. featuring David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift Of Gab, & Z-Trip

This is 1 of my most favorite videos EVER! I can't believe I've never posted it before! Be sure to watch the entire thing!

With You Forever by PNAU (Patchwork Remix)

Shockingly, I haven't been to a show since last Wednesday when I saw The Ross Sea Party & United Ghosts at The Bootleg so...I'm just going to keep sharing cool tunes!!

Mr. FROSTY MAN by Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens sure knows how to make the holidays morbidly hilarious :) LOL

Yet Again by Grizzly Bear (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Breakers by Local Natives

Check out the 1st single from Local Natives' upcoming new album Hummingbird due out on 1/29/13, which just happens to be the same day I'll be SEEING Local Natives at El Rey in LA! They're SO good live. Their voices & harmonies are INCREDIBLE!http://www.thelocalnatives.com/

The Ross Sea Party & United Ghosts @ Bootleg Bar - 10/17/12

The Ross Sea Party's album release show last night at Bootleg Bar proved once again that RSP never plays a bad show!

Get your copy of their 1st studio album Hotel Pool on iTunes today!!

And, as a bonus, I was introduced to United Ghosts!

THE ROSS SEA PARTY


UNITED GHOSTS

Life of Crime by Geographer

I may have missed Geographer at both Outside Lands 2012 & at El Rey on Tuesday night when they opened for Freelance Whales but I'm determined not to miss them the next chance I get!

Freelance Whales at El Rey Theatre - 10/16/12

THANK YOU, THE SCENESTAR.COM, for hooking me up for free tickets to Freelance Whales at El Rey Theatre last night! I've never won tickets to a show before so I kinda felt like I won the lottery even though tickets were only about $25 face value :)

Unfortunately, because it was such last minute notice, I wasn't able to find anyone to attend the show with me so my extra free ticket went to waste & I rolled solo (everyone else's loss...lol). I tried to catch the end of Geographer's set because I like the few songs of theirs I've heard & people have been saying good things about their live shows AND I missed their set at Outside Lands 2012. But, alas, because their set started at 8:30pm & I was walking into El Rey at 9:07pm hoping I'd at least catch 1 song, I missed them. I only overheard the last couple minutes of their last song as I was picking up my free ticket from will call.

At that point, I had to stand around by myself for 30 minutes with no one to talk to (which is especially unfortunate & awkward for me since I always prefer to be chatting with SOMEONE) but, once Freelance Whales started playing at 9:45pm on the dot, being at the show alone no longer mattered. I was 100% transfixed on the 5 dudes & 1 chick from Queens, New York who captivated me for the next 90 minutes playing everything from guitars, drums & keyboards to xylophones, trumpets, banjos, bass, synthesizers, glockenspiels & harmoniums.

I captured a great video of 1 of Freelance Whales' songs early in the set but, sadly, when I was uploading my footage at home late last night, I somehow deleted the clip from both my camera AND computer at the same time :( So, naturally, I had to "borrow" a couple clips from other people. Check 'em out:

Broken Horse

Spitting Image

Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass by !!! (chk chk chk)

!!! (pronounced "chk chk chk") puts on 1 of THE most fun live shows I've ever seen & their videos are hilarious too. This one isn't suggestive at all ;)

The Ross Sea Party's Album Release Party THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT at The Bootleg Theatre!!!

Come to The Bootleg Theatre THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT to catch yet another kick ass Ross Sea Party show AND to pick up your own personal copy of RSP's1st studio album, Hotel Pool! I can personally attest to the fact that it is FANTASTIC!!!

8 Ball by Underworld

Father John Misty @ Bootleg Theater - 10/3/12

After missing Father John Misty's sets at both Coachella 2012 & Outside Lands 2012 & feeling dissatisfied only getting to see him perform 2 of his new solo album tracks at The Grammy Museum in June, I was determined to see a proper, full-length FJM show last night at Bootleg Theater. Although I heard FJM performed with 3 to 4 band members at both Coachella & Outside Lands, he performed all by himself last night & proved Father John Misty aka J. Tillman (formerly of Fleet Foxes) doesn't need no stinkin' band!

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings
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Garbage @ The Hollywood Palladium - 10/2/12

I rarely say negative things about the live shows I attend because I usually only attend ones I know will at least be decent, if not phenomenal :) BUT paying $100 for 2 Garbage tickets months in advance wasn't the best idea since I ended up not being able to find a single person willing to pay even $30 for a $50 ticket to come with me to see Garbage at The Hollywood Palladium last night. It didn't help that there were a million ads on Craigslist offering tickets to this SOLD OUT show for only $25-30 a piece. I don't understand what happened but, regardless, seeing a band I USED to love in the 90s (before I developed my super refined taste in musice...lol) for what ended up costing me $100 total was NOT worth it.

Shirley Manson is still hot (especially for being 46 years old!) & her Scottish accent adds to her charm. And I'll admit some of Garbage's old hits (i.e. Queer & #1 Crush from the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack) were fun to hear live for the 1st time but, overall, I just wasn't that into it :-/

On the bright side, I was able to treat my girlfriend Sarah to a fun girls' night out (because the only way I could get someone to come with me was by offering my 2nd ticket for free BUT at least I rallied a concert buddy!) & she & I still had a blast together, as we always do. The show could've been worse but, appropriately enough, Garbage did not leave the best taste in my mouth.

Queer

And, for old time's sake, #1 Crush:

Wilco @ Joanna Newsom @ The Hollywood Bowl - 9/30/12

I know this doesn't sound like a legitimate problem BUT...I've been going to WAY too many shows lately :) I don't even have time to give Sunday night's Wilco & Joanna Newsom show at The Hollywood Bowl the proper attention & praise it deserves because I'm already late getting ready for Garbage at The Hollywood Palladium tonight AND I've got Father John Misty at The Bootleg tomorrow!

The bottomline is this: WILCO was phenomenal on Sunday night at The Bowl. It was my 3rd Wilco show & I can honestly say they just keep getting better every time I see them. If you've never seen a Wilco show before (whether you know their material or not), I have to insist you go see them the next time the opportunity presents itself because, if you do, there is NO way they'll disappoint.

As for Wilco's opener, I didn't know much about Joanna Newsom before Sunday night other than she is Andy Samberg's long-time girlfriend . It turns out this harpist/pianist/singer-songwriter is 1 of the most strangely & sweetly unique performers I've ever seen. Check out my video below to get an idea of what I mean.

Joanna Newsom Performing Colleen

Wilco Performing I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

∆ (Alt-J) & Wildcat! Wildcat! @ Bootleg Theater - 9/29/12

I've seen many a band perform at Bootleg Bar (some recent faves include Rubblebucket, Islands & Yellow Ostrich) but this past Saturday night was the 1st time I ever saw a show inside the Bootleg Theater instead of the bar & it was an entirely new experience. The sold out Wildcat! Wildcat! & ∆ (Alt-J) doubleheader clearly required more space than the bar could've provided but I've seen some pretty crowded sets at the bar before (i.e. Band of Skulls) so I don't know why none of those shows weren't moved to the theater. Regardless, the theater was cool & both ∆ (Alt-J) & Wildcat! Wildcat! were awesome!

Wildcat! Wildcat! has recently been compared to MGMT & I can kind of see why. I only caught the last couple songs of their set but I liked what I heard.

∆ (Alt-J), on the other hand, is in a league all their own. I can't think of a single band to even compare them to which, in this day & age, is a rare statement. These 4 adorable, nerdy Brits are relatively new to the scene but they're already blowing up & for good reason. They have an extremely unique sound that translates unbelievably well to the stage due their harmonizing skills & on point timing. They also have been releasing some SUPER impressive & creative music videos which just adds to their appeal. Be sure to check out my 1st ∆ (Alt-J) post dated 8/31/12 that includes a couple of those videos for your viewing pleasure.

Wildcat! Wildcat!

∆ (Alt-J) Performing Fitzpleasure