Faith Hill celebrates Christmas a little early, Nelly busts out his brass knuckles, and Punchline are only saying YES. Here are your CD releases for the week!
Holy crap, it’s a packed night of music for a Tuesday! Summer is saying goodbye in the nicest way possible. Check out this awesome round up for the bands playing in LA tonight - with times, directions, ticket info and more!
Vampire Weekend, White Williams, Abe Vigoda | 7:00pm at The Glass House - Map | All Ages | Tickets $22.50 Buy now
This weekend and next, the Invertigo Dance Theatre will be presenting Flip Flops and Platforms, with original work by Artistic Director Laura Karlin and guest choreographer Jones Welsh, to an LA audience. Invertigo Dance Theatre does a great job at not only interesting choreography for the well trained eye, but also puts an enjoyable and innovatice show for the ballet novice. It’s refreshing to see a company perform for the mere excuse that they love to dance. The movements, music, and choreography is original and a must see for all you Angelinos.
In today’s political climate, soundbites and certainty are valued above willingness to debate or cross into the uncertain grey spaces. The dancers use dynamic movement to explore how we stand firm on platforms or waver in our beliefs. Invertigo sets out not to condemn or applaud our political stances, but to reveal the subtleties of how we communicate them. The piece explores how we frame an issue and each other, how we choose to view someone and what things look like from different perspectives. All this happens utilizing interactive set pieces, dialogue and of course an array of flip flops and platform shoes.
U·to·pi·a:any visionary system of political or social perfection.
ni·hil·ism:total and absolute destructiveness, esp. toward the world at large and including oneself [...].
Gotcha. Considering we were to be in the company of active members of a Utopian Nihilist movement, I figured it best to come armed with sufficient vocabulary. In celebration of the release of poet Milo Martin’s book, “Poems for the Utopian Nihilist”, an eclectic group of writers representing a vast expanse of the literary world took to the floor of Skylight Books, bringing equal parts light and darkness to all in attendance.
Martin opened up the evening with “Velocity” - the first poem in his collection - showcasing talent in molding strange beauty from figurative gutter debris, and therefore laying a suitable foundation for the readings to follow. Unfortunately, Chris Tannahill was unable to show, so at his suggestion Martin read his “Zero Gravity Fire, or the Slaughterhouse Waltz”, referred to as “the finest death poem of the 21st century”. Short story writer Mary Otis read a story from the opening pages of “Yes Yes Cherries” entitled “Unstruck”, a childhood interpretation of the adult world in which regret is referred to as “the useless emotion”, and where “‘fix me’ always led to marriage”.
The term “concept album” has always brought with it promises of twenty-minute epics, mind-boggling signature shifts, and countless solos from every member of the band. To see the idea carried out a little differently, look no further than On the Eve of Absolute Get Down, the debut album from Player/Kommander. Not a single song breaks the four-minute mark; instead, its ambition lies in a broad range of musical influences brought in to accent this otherwise straightforward rock album. Over the course of the thirteen songs, broken up into four rather indistinguishable “phases,” frontman James Hall tries everything from a Bee Gees croon to a raspy shout, and the results are equally scattered across the board. As a group, P/K moves from the mellow ballad “All Night Wednesday” to the sludge rock of “Way Faux El Diablo,” but the best cuts come when they find a happy medium. Tracks like “White-Out of the Mind” and “Easy When It’s On” are catchy and upbeat, the latter riding a boogie rock sensibility and full-bodied riffing from guitarists Jim Troglen and John Fuller. “Be This Way” sounds a little too much like Kings Of Leon to earn originality points, but it opens the album in style and ends before it grows tired.
After listening to a great CD by a new artist, one’s initial reaction is a desire to see them live and hear the songs he/she has come to love. For music enthusiast, few things are more exciting than seeing a “new favorite band” play live for the first time. There is the anticipation before the show, “what will they play?” “I wonder what the drummer looks like?” “Who’s opening for them/Who are they opening for?” “Will they sound as good as they do on CD?” And the questions go on and on, so much so that when the band finally hits the stage all the buildup and expectation is either quickly met with satisfaction or, in the worst of cases, utter disappointment.
LA.CityZine recently reviewed Verona Grove’s debut CD, “The story Thought Over” (read the review) giving it praise for being different from the other power pop bands out there. Power pop groups like Homegrown, Plain White T’s, Vampire Weekend, Secondhand Serenade, Mayday Parade, and on and on and on and on and on all sound like “that band:” the vocals are ridiculously identical in each group, the tempo doesn’t change much and the subject is California, girls and superficially broken hearts (maybe she broke up with you because you’re as unoriginal as your music?).
LA’s own Greek Theater is one of the most unique outdoor venues where you can go see a show. It’s also been named best outdoor small theater in the U.S. Seating just over 5000 people, it offers an intimate setting and state of the art jumbo screens for all you who forget to bring your binoculars. Located just Northeast of Hollywood in Griffith Park it’s easy to get to and quite inexpensive if you don’t mind taking Metro.
This past Friday night the Greek played host to one of Americas last remaining singing Icons. Starting out some 60 years ago He had the stage name Joe Barry, this of course didn’t suit Bob Hope who liked what he saw in the young up and comer. With his real name Anthony Dominik Bennedetto, a little to long for the marque, Hope shortened it to the name the so many fans around the world have come to know as Tony Bennett. The rest is History.
Road trips are the best time to play those songs you’re too embarassed to play when you’re alone in your room. Why not blare them when your best friends are with you and while you’re on your way to some land far, far away? I hope the gas prices don’t deter you from getting too far. Here is your perfect playlist for the week:
In case you missed this on Ellen, here’s a glimpse into Ellen and Portia’s Wedding day. Grab a box of kleenex; this totally made me cry. It’s very moving and really makes you proud to be a Californian. Go California! Yay us! Yay Ellen and Portia!
Sheena Metal Presents: Big Dave & His Dirty Liars, Zach Weisenger, Adam’s Attic, Megasapien, Leopold & His Ficition, Lo-Fi Man, Last Year’s Model | 7:30pm at Knitting Factory - Map| All Ages | Tickets $10 Buy now
Faith Hill celebrates Christmas a little early, Nelly busts out his brass knuckles, and Punchline are only saying YES. Here are your CD releases for the week!
The term “concept album” has always brought with it promises of twenty-minute epics, mind-boggling signature shifts, and countless solos from every member of the band. To see the idea carried out a little differently, look no further than On the Eve of Absolute Get Down, the debut album from 
