RACHAEL CANTU
Silverlake Lounge
RACHAEL CANTU / "LITTLE BIRD" from emily on Vimeo.
“Her guitar rambles like Jack Elliott and Woody Guthrie, her lyrics haunt like Dylan and Elliott Smith, and her voice is sweet and torn like Bjork and Patty Griffin as if they all had their hands on her strings, their breath in her gut...Her songs, often accompanied by cello, organ and up-right bass, blend to create a sophisticated yet youthful sound that evoke both the raw, bleeding guitar riffs of traditional blues, and the dark, anguished experimental sound of todays indie-rock scene.” - The Fold Silverlake
WHISPERTOWN2000
Hotel Cafe
The Whispertown 2000 - "Old Times" Video from Whispertown 2000 on Vimeo.
THE FRUIT BATS /
SERA CAHOONE / LUKE TOP
Echo
The Fruit Bats || Listen || MP3
Eric Johnson has been making experimental and pop-inflected folk-rock with increasing compositional and thematic complexity since Califone/Perishable Records founders Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella prompted him to explore his craft in the mid-90s. Johnson’s recordings, enriched by contributions from an ever-revolving cast of Chicagoan characters (the current lineup includes I Rowboat’s Dan Strack and percussionist John Byce) used a melancholy hand to touch on love and the human experience on 2001’s Perishable debut, Echolocation, and 2003’s Sub Pop-released Mouthfuls. Around the release of Mouthfuls, Harp magazine described the Fruits Bats as residing somewhere on a continuum between Califone and The Shins, combining, ”…the latter’s widescreen vision with the former’s melodic knack to create something at once familiar and new.” After the years of extensive touring that followed, including stints with Modest Mouse, The Shins and Iron & Wine, as well as a handful of Wilco opening slots, Johnson returned to the drawing board with distinctly darker intent. “I was going to write this dark bummer record with shades of optimism, but my life started getting better,” he explains. The result of much soul-searching, Spelled in Bones is truly Johnson’s enlightened Romantic opus in the 18th century English literary sense of the term. With an emphasis on the “bigger picture” of life as it relates to nature’s organic relationship to man (“Legs of Bees”, “Spelled in Bones”), and irrational, spontaneous moments of beauty and rebirth (“Every Day That We Wake Up It’s A Beautiful Day”), Spelled in Bones proffers warm, thoughtful, bittersweet pop that’s as hopeful as it is curious.
with:
Sera Cahoone
Luke Top
MIRANDA LEE RICHARDS /
THE SHORE / MAGIC MIRROR
Spaceland
Miranda Lee Richards || Listen || Watch
Miranda Lee Richards first came to some attention in 2001 with the release of her debut album, The Herethereafter, which featured a wonderfully sparkling version of the old Rolling Stones tune “Dandelion.” Written just as the Stones were entering their psychedelic period in the mid-’60s, it was a perfect little ephemeral soap bubble of a song, with atypically sunny, hippie-ish lyrics and an airy-fairy musical backing that was countered by Charlie Watts’ thunderous tom-tom fills. Richards’ remake was even more precious, with her sweetly true melodies replacing Mick Jagger’s rough shouting, and it announced the arrival of a unique stylist. Her long-awaited follow-up album, the new Light of X (Nettwerk), produced by Rick Parker, charms with delicate, carefully rendered balladry and gently laid-back pop tunes. There’s a hint of country music and wide-open spaces with Ben Peeler’s pedal-steel adornments on “Savorin’ Your Smile” and “Olive Tree,” and Richards’ radiant voice lights up the dusky guitar riffs of “Early November.” She gives good jangle on the power-pop reverie “Pictures of You,” while Parker frames her solemn piano chords with shimmering guitar plucking on the ballad “Here by the Window,” which builds a haunting momentum with bluesy grandeur. Her lyrics dip a little too often into facile clichés (“biting the hand that feeds us,” “caught in the headlights,” etc.), but Richards’ gorgeous singing usually elevates even the plainest sentiments. - LA Weekly
8:30pm / $8 advance, $10 day of show / 21+
¡¡¡ MARK YOUR CALENDARS !!!
Run to Your Grave from the mae shi on Vimeo.
Click on image for full lineup and Coachella news!
Click on image for full lineup and Coachella news!
KCRW is concerned about surviving these critical times. NPR has had to cancel two daily news programs and lay-off 67 people - the largest in the network's history.
LA's commercial indie music station Indie 103 has just gone dark, unable to compete in today's corporate radio marketplace.
We need to protect Morning Edition and All Things Considered from further staff cuts. We must insure that we'll be able to send NPR the largest check from any Southern California station - almost 1.4 million dollars. NPR is more dependent than ever on these funds in this dire economic climate.
And we must see to it that emerging and independent artists will continue to have a home at KCRW.
But we can't do it without your help. Please join, renew, or make an additional donation now and give us the dollars to operate KCRW and support NPR. If you give $100 or more you'll receive the new KCRW carry-all bag for free, in additon to your premium. It folds up to fit in your pocket or purse.
Friday is your last chance to be automatically entered in all 3 Sweepstakes - a trip for two to Tahiti, a 10-Day luxury adventure in Australia, as well as the chance to win the new Jetta TDI Clean Diesel by Volkswagen.
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Your commitment to KCRW and NPR is critical in these tough times.
Lean, mean and scared
By Reed Johnson
Facing falling donations from foundations, corporations and individuals, nonprofit troupes are tightening their belts.
When Gilbert Cates tries to explain the hard times facing the Geffen Playhouse, he turns to an analogy from his long experience as a film director and producer of television shows, including the annual Academy Awards telecast. Whenever studio heads talk about cutting the budget for one of his movie projects, Cates compares it to trimming an airplane. (story continued after the jump)
Shrinking Music Videos:
More Thrills, Less 'Thriller'
By Neda Ulaby, NPR Music
Morning Edition, January 27, 2009 - The days of waiting patiently for a favorite music video to appear on MTV are long over, swallowed up by the instant gratification of the smaller screen. But as MySpace, iPhones and Youtube allow music videos to be seen anywhere and anytime, directors are discovering that viewing habits aren't the only things changing.
Music video director Sean Drake says part of the shift is an effort to capture the attention of an audience that never seems to stop multitasking.
"When I make a video, I just assume the majority of watchers are going to be on the Internet … IM-ing someone in a chat [while] … doing some other task on Word and checking their Facebook," says Drake.
So how does a music video director command the attention of the Internet viewers? One obvious trick is using flashy visuals. (story continued after the jump)
This was a really great listen...and now today, I can't get off their site. I might have to indulge in a little gift for myself...
Music Interviews & Profiles:
Saving Folk History, One Recording At A Time
All Things Considered
Judy Hyman plays fiddle in a band called The Horse Flies. In her living room in Ithaca, N.Y., there's a pine-wood dresser right next to the couch. It's not for shirts and sweaters — this used dresser holds hundreds of precious cassette tapes, an archive of rare recordings that spans more than three decades. She recorded many of them herself; the rest were gifts from other musicians and collectors.
Listen Now
also visit: www.fieldrecorder.com
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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