Echo & Club Underground Present
JAPANESE MOTORS / THE GROWLERS
Echo

With a pro surfer as their lead singer and a drummer who used to be a designer for the surf gear brand Hurley, it’s no surprise that Japanese Motors’ music is all about surfing, drinking, parties, and girls (not necessarily in that order). At its best, Japanese Motors embodies that lifestyle so completely that it transports listeners into the band’s laid-back, sun-drenched world. The album kicks off with “Single Fins & Safety Pins,” the perfect distillation of the band’s sound world: over lapping waves and keening seagulls, Alex Knost’s vocals are half Richard Hell’s deadpan cool and half surfer boy drawl, while the rest of the band’s handclaps, hooks, and backing vocals pay homage to the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and all the other California surf rock bands that came before them. “Single Fins & Safety Pins” is so undeniably charming that the rest of Japanese Motors doesn’t quite live up to that high standard. Japanese Motors are a party band and this is definitely a party album — in fact, it often sounds more like a rowdy live album than something recorded in a studio. This off the cuff, have-another-beer feel helps lanky rockers like the Strokesy “Coors Lite” and “Spendin’ Days,” which features the great line “Too hippie to be a punk/Too punk to be a hippie,” and the drunken lament “Regrets a Paradise” captures the romantic confusion that Japanese Motors’ easygoing lifestyle isn’t immune to. - Allmusic
with:
The Growlers
Followed by UNDERGROUND DJs spinning the best in Brit / Indie / Soul / Twee / Madchester / Punk / Glam
8:30pm / $8 til 10:30pm, $5 after

¡¡¡ MARK YOUR CALENDARS !!!
ONE TRICK PONY
CD Release Party!
Pehrspace

Berliner Gazette show review (Translated)
Last sunday the FEINKOST Gallery hosted One Trick Pony, a little known band from L.A. Or "the most critically denounced band in obscurity" as they introduce themselves ironically on MySpace. Sunday’s sun still shining when I meet Randolph and Jennifer. He: the voice, the guitar and the creative dwelling of the band. She: former band manager turned drummer. He: tall, dark skinned with a mustache. She: delicate, pallid, with long, waveless hair. We talk about Cleveland, cows and a proper equivalent for the title of my book in english.
As they begin, Jennifer sits behind a box, working it with a pedal and two small drumming brushes, as if it was a sowing-machine she was trying to make dance. Without an expression in her face and with an angel’s voice she supports Randolph’s emotional voice, that is accompanied by his guitar. The audience loves it. Their very presence and the music. The music could be described as Neo-Folk or it could be compared to the imagination not Lou Reed but Chris Martin would’ve been the frontman of Velvet Underground. But the most exciting part of the event is the place, the moment and the improvised character of the show.
Show date: Sun.Mar.30.2008 @ Feinkost Gallery
www.berlinergazette.de

Favorite albums of 2008 list... - BuzzBands.la
"Equal parts heartland riffage and witty, socially aware words, the Henry Clay People level dueling guitar lines and harmonies rooted in the 12-note western scale." - Flavorpill
We had the pleasure of running into Pilar yesterday and had a chance to catch up a little. She's off to Chile for a bit, but is coming back to prepare for a February residency at Bordello. What a remarkable person...can't wait to see her play next month. Anyway, we dug up this vintage performance from her former band Los Abandoned.
Here's some video of Soko's last and only known L.A. performance:

Echo Park Named One of Top 10 Great Neighborhoods

And when you hear that, you might find yourself asking which Realtor came up with that ranking. Luckily, this time there is some creditability behind the designation: the American Planning Association. They "singled out Echo Park because of its breathtaking topography set in the hills above downtown, historic architecture, pedestrian-oriented streets and stairways, and engaged residents who, over the years, have gone to great lengths to protect and preserve their community," according to an APA release (add: their website has more info and history on why EP was chosen) .... more after you click on the image!
SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES!!!
THE MAE-SHI @ Spaceland

THE MOVIES @ Spaceland

DENGUE FEVER @ Viper Room

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