Beach House at the El Rey

Live music, when done right, is an immersive experience for the audience. The sound washes over you, filling the entire concert hall and bringing all who listen into a unified resonant frequency. Such was my experience at last night's performance by Beach House at the El Rey Theater.



Words can't describe exactly how a certain combination of sounds and rhythms result in virtuosity, but when you hear it you know it.

I have to make a confession. I had no idea that the voice singing those hauntingly beautiful songs by Beach House were a woman's. Does it matter? Sort of...



Here's a set they recorded for NPR in December 2010.


A bonus was hearing a set by Wild Nothing, a solo project of the incredibly talented Jack Tatum. The songs were poppy, danceable yet full of emotion.

Serge Gainsbourg Tribute at the Hollywood Bowl

Last night, according to Twitter, Angelenos were either watching the VMAs at home or enjoying one of the highlights of KCRW's World Festival of Music at the Hollywood Bowl, a tribute concert to Serge Gainsbourg. Since I don't have cable, I was at the latter. This was easily one of the most entertaining concerts I've been to in years. Here's a taste...

What's the Bowl without food and drink?


My company for the evening, Mrs D & Lady V


Friends everywhere, including Ms B


and the toasts of the musical blogosphere, To The Maxxx & Guy Fantastico of BYOW


There was a performance taking place








Can I see a hat wobble?




Jean Claude Vannier

Crop Circles by Skull Tape

This music gets me amped to ride my bike. How about you?



Well done Skull Tape!

via BuzzbandsLA

A Very SkullTape Happy New Year!

As part of your New Year Ringing In Activities, stop a while and appreciate the glory of an all new Los Angeles band, SkullTape! They played a beyond sold out show at PehrSpace earlier this week. Behold & Happy New Year!

Up From Below, Ed Sharpe delivers coz to Abbot Kinney

Easily one of the best new acts to come out of Los Angeles is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, who played a set at the Abbot Kinney Festival yesterday. Their music is just perfectly harmonious, playful, energetic and soulful.



If you're free next weekend, my advice is to jump in your '72 Westphalia and head out to Joshua Tree where they'll be performing at the upcoming Manimal Festival in Pioneertown.

I can't imagine a better venue to see this great band. Something tells me there's big things in their future...

Kyle Field, Little Wings at McCabes

Tonight, I got to see Little Wings ~ Kyle Field and friends perform at McCabes. It was an intimate setting to hear Kyle sing some of his amazing songs. His new albums are filled with gentle sonic blankets of coz. Click here to hear a track, or here as well. Thanks Kyle!

2009 Coachella Lineup Announced!

I have to say, this year's Coachella looks to be pretty, pretty good. Perhaps multi-day a bike ride to Coachella 2009?

Barrett Johnson Performs at Ryan Callis Opening

LA Philharmonic visits Van Nuys High

What a glorious concert I heard tonight at Van Nuys High. The LA Philharmonic's annual neighborhood and community concert series is a free program where they play throughout Los Angeles at schools, churchs and other community gathering places. Tonight, the brilliant young conductor, Ryan McAdams, played 3 great pieces:

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves
Mozart: Exsultate jubilate
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Suite No. 1

Another young star, soprano Ji Young Yang from the SF Opera, sang an amazing Mozart piece that blew me away. As McAdams tells us, she filled in as there weren't any castrados in L.A. to sing the part. There was something magical about seeing and hearing this timeless music in that setting. Plus, I never turn down free tickets to see great music. The series continues this week with concerts in Pomona tommorrow and Inglewood on Friday.

Beach House: "Used to Be" [Video Premiere]

directed by Matt Amato, is for the Used To Be 7" release.
Trains? Check.
Lone Desert Vistas? Check.
Wandering along desolate bi-ways in retro cars and vestiments? Check!

Way to go Matt!

Nic passes the Morning Becomes Eclectic torch to Jason Bentley

Congratulations Jason Bentley. We'll miss you Nic.

From KCRW:

With a passion for music and culture, host Jason Bentley diligently serves up the hypnotic pulse of modern city life and club culture.

Paper Mag 24hr Store Sunset Blvd.

Last night, Heather and I rode the scooter to our old 'hood at Sunset and Larrabee to visit Paper Mag's 24 hour popup store. It closes today at 6pm. There's bands playing and cool stores selling cozy items.

Sir Heffington

Andrew Andrew

Libertine

Rodarte

Orange 20

Teenage Teardrops

Madonna at Dodger Stadium

Amazing concert.

MTV does the unthinkable.

MTV has launched MTVmusic.com, a website where you can view every music video in their extensive archive. I know you were wondering, so I checked and yes, they have YES, Yours Is No Disgrace.

Yes |MTV Music

PLaying Live on KCRW now: Blind Pilot

Just happened to be listening to KCRW when Chris Douridas starts talking about a band on tour, riding their bikes! Blind Pilot is from Oregon (could you have guessed?) Maybe Portland is used to it, but here in L.A. a bicycle riding band on tour is pretty sweet if you ask me! Plus they're really good musicians! Check out their blog with updates of their tour. Hear it now on KCRW.



Blind Pilot performs "We Are the Tide" at the Providence Bridge Pedal in Portland, OR from IAVIDEO on Vimeo.

When it comes to Music, Maxxx knows best

Staying on top of the latest and best in music today is a daunting task to say the least. The internet allows for independent distribution of music and the result is a mushrooming effect. Personally, I get totally lost in a sea of band names that all sound the same, and so I rely on a few select sources for my musical inspirations. KCRW's Nic Harcourt is probably the best known arbiter of contemporary music. Morning Becomes Eclectic is everyone's favorite morning music mixup. However, I always look forward each month to downloading and playing on my iPod the newest mix from Max. His taste is raw and and incredibly diverse, bringing to my ears old familiar tunes I would never know to look for but love, and ultra-current tracks that only the coolest most plugged in music geeks are aware of.




Would I ever hear Gang Gang Dance live in Tokyo without Max? Me thinks not, yet me likey likey!!!! Thanks Max for bringing sonic pleasure to my bike rides and workout hikes in Runyon Canyon, as well as being the soundtrack of choice for most TDC openings.

NEXT stop: Chicago

Heather and I are in Chicago this week participating in the NEXT Art Fair that opens tomorrow night. This city is amazing! It's clean, friendly, good food, excellent architecture, a lake, a river, and the weather is perfect. Last night we had a deep dish pizza that looks better than it tastes.



And went on a walk by the river.




This morning, we met Umar and Michiyo who took us to breakfast at The Original Pancake House. I had the Apple Pancakes and Michiyo had a Dutch Baby with strawberries.


Umar's from Chicago and went to high school across the street.

Umar's holding 2 new amazing drawings that we're showing at the fair.



And! Umar's launching his new CD with a party / performance this sunday. Right now we're resting at our room before heading out to dinner at Frontera. Our room has a nice view of the river.

"I want almost everything, and I get almost anything I want"

Last night, Heather and I met up with Jeana at Spaceland to see her husband's band perform. We were both completely blown away. The Mae Shi have been around for a few years and their experience was on display as they swiftly took the crowd on a wild sonic journey. Their first song was an anthem to excess that had everyone singing the refrain, "I want almost everything, and I get almost everything I want!" High energy does not begin to describe how these boys were wailing with every fiber in their being. I didn't know people could scream that loud for sustained periods, or convulse with such intensity as to summon paramedics. But that's just the attention to detail you can count on when the Mae Shi are on stage. Throw in a few pushups, a sing along under a sheet, some PBR, and Son, you got yourself a perfect friday night performance at Spaceland. I'm looking forward to their upcoming video that promises "lots of animated puking." Onward and upward lads! Godspeed!

FotC album coming out 4/22

Flight of the Conchords will release their first full length album on April 22. I've scoured the internet for these songs for weeks, and now I'll be able to get them in one simple easy to use compact disc. Thanks Brett and Jemaine!

Honey Brothers tonight @ Little Pedros

The Fold Presents:
Friday, February 22 @ Bordello
901 E. 1st St.
Downtown LA
$10
HONEY BROTHERS 12:30a

No advance tickets. Last minute show!
Great acts first:

HAZELDEN 11:30p http://www.myspace.com/hazelden
RYKARDA PARASOL 10:40p http://www.myspace.com/rykardaparasol
GOLDEN ANIMALS 9:50p http://www.myspace.com/goldenanimals
WHAT MADE MILWAUKEE FAMOUS 9p http://www.myspace.com/whatmademilwaukeefamous