by Brad RobertsWhat ever happened to OK Go? (at right) Back in 2005, they were one of the very first bands to pull me back into the current music scene. Music videos were my only window into what was going on and that coincided with the release of their now legendary music video for "A MillionWays" that took the world by storm. Their heartfelt, yet pathetic dancing abilities endeared them to millions, and the song was downright catchy as well. I was videotaping (remember VCR's?) music videos from TV during that time as my source for learning about new music and that was one of my early favorites. So when I decided to go back out to concerts after a more than twenty year hiatus I saw that OK Go were playing a sponsored show at The Roxy on December 14, 2005 and I wanted to go. It was only the third show I attended and my first trip to The Roxy in almost thirty years and I loved their lively performance. Above all, this band is smart and fun!
I saw them a couple of more times, at The Troubadour and Safari Sam's, when they appeared poised on the edge of superstardom back around 2006 but then they seemed to fall off my radar. But they were never gone. I had failed to notice their continuing excursions into innovative and hugely popular music videos and the political activism of lead singer, Damian Kulash, on a variety of causes, who wrote op-eds for The New York Times and testified to the House Judiciary Committee. Had I been paying attention I would surely have tried to get a ticket for one of their shows this week at The Troubadour on Tuesday or The Echo on Wednesday, which are, naturally, sold out. Having so effectively and creatively straddled the divide between independence and commercial success, they are worthy of respect and admiration.
There's a huge number of shows this week with each night offering about 10 or more shows . I'm going to try to keep the recommendations to a manageable amount. Here goes: Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel on Monday at the Corners residency at The Echo, The Happy Casualties, who I haven't seen in too long, are over at Lot 1 on Tuesday, two new favorites, Broken Arrow and Wages both play on Thursday night at appropriately staggered times so I can get to both sets at Hotel Cafe and Silver Lake Lounge, respectively.
Was down with a cold last week so only got out to one show, but it was a doozy. The Album Leaf presented their new documentary about the 2011 tour of China and Japan, Beyond There, which was entertaining and informative, but the live set they played afterward was really gorgeous. In the atmospheric confines of The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery they cast a powerful spell last Tuesday night.
Monday, July 21
- LA Font, So Many Wizards, Heathers, Girlpool @ The Satellite
- Corners, Jeffertitti's Nile, Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel, Levitation Room @ The Echo
- Hi Ho Silver Oh, Iska Dhaaf, Irontom, Wistappear @ Bootleg HiFi
- "School Night!" W/ Erik Hassle, The Crookes, Lames Bayous @ Bardot
- Island Apollo (formerly: The Bolts), City City, Tolan Shaw @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Nico Vega, Queen Caveat, Dark Waves @ The Roxy
- Screening of "White of the Eye" w/ live score by members of Slow Rose and Pure Shit @ Pehrspace
- Higher Flux, Roots of Mine, Little Dove, Bats in the Belfree @ The Viper Room
- Lady Gaga, Lady Starlight, Crayon Pop @ Staples Center
- Vieux Farka Toure, M Geddes Gengras, Miles Cooper Seaton @ Los Globos
- Yung Lean & Sadboys @ Los Globos (upstairs)
- Martha Wainwright w/ Special Guests, Nobel, Violet Sion @ Hotel Cafe
- Twin Atlantic, Kiven, Badflower @ The Troubadour
- Blood Candy, Bonfire Beach @ Harvard & Stone
DECISION:Only a couple of more chances to catch this month's residencies at the local clubs with LA Font and a strong bill of So Many Wizards, who were nearly crushed against the back patio wall at The Echo during Lolipalooza last month by enthusiastic fans, the happy misery of Heathers and girl-power band Girlpool at The Satellite and Corners, with an equally powerful line up of the genre/gender bending Jeffertitti's Nile, the electronic/psychedelic drone of Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel (at right) and the self-described "sun-dried roots, psych rock" of Levitation Room over at The Echo. Not to be outdone, Hi Ho Silver Oh, has Irontom along with Iska Dhaaf and Wistappear for this third installment of a run at Bootleg HiFi.
Over at Pehrspace, they're having a screening of the cult film White of the Eye, but with a live score perfromed by members of Slow Rose and Pure Shit.
Tuesday, July 22
- Cymbals, Wunder Wunder, Strangeheart, Roses @ The Echo
- Kawehi, Ray & Remora, Chase Cohl @ Bootleg HiFi
- OK Go, Myles Hendrik @ The Troubadour
- Goo Goo Dolls, Daughtry, Plain White T's @ The Greek
- Lady Gaga, Lady Starlight, Crayon Pop @ Staples Center
- AJ Croce @ The Grammy Museum
- Gold Star, Nocona, Lael Neale @ Harvard & Stone
- Jazz Tuesdays/The Moonrise Club w/ Dave Stuckey & The Hot House Gang @ El Cid
- Honey Country, Lauren Shera, Brandyn Burnett, The Last Lions @ Hotel Cafe
- The Happy Casualties, The Bobby Vega Experience, Ancient Monster Design @ Lot 1
- Jesse Williams, Vaanigons, Whispering Pines, Talk About Forts @ Los Globos
DECISION:
Get ready... get set...OK Go! Tonight they return to the site of one of their early shows, The Troubadour, for the first of a sold out, two-night stop-over in L.A. with the support of Myles Hendrik (tomorrow at The Echo). Their show at The Troubadour on October 30, 2006 was memorable, especially when Damian performed a song laying on his back on the floor surrounded by an astonished audience. Would love to be there.
But a couple of other, small scale shows are taking place over on the East Side which should keep those of us frozen out of the OK Go shows merry, such as The Happy Casualties (at right), Richard Saxless Ross and a new band called Ancient Monster Design do Lot 1 and Vaanigons and Whispering Pines are on tap at Los Globos.
Wednesday, July 23
- The Crookes, The Soft White Sisties, The Bulls @ The Satellite
- OK Go, Myles Hendrik @ The Echo
- Cadillacs In Space, Paris Carney, machineheart @ Bootleg HiFi
- The Lady, DIA, Tim Carr, Cassandra Violet @ El Cid
- Vice Versa, Wandering Gypsies, Cheesecake Factory @ Five Star Bar
- Nightmare & The Cat, Max & The Moon, The Peach Kings @ The Roxy
- FUZZ, AUDACITY, Sandy Pussy @ The Troubadour
- All Scene Eye presents Nacosta, Reverse The Curse, We Are Kings & Queens, Without @ The Lexington
- Hot Karate, Mars and The Massacre, Mursic, Splice the Mainbrace @ Silver Lake Lounge
- White Lung, Nasa Space Universe, DIN @ Los Globos
- The Frights, Pilgrims, Death Lens @ The Smell
- "Desert Nights" w/ Jess Williamson, Tara Fox, Kris Gruen @ The Standard
- The Gallery & Honor By August, Shyboy, Alexis Keegan, Gavin James @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Nightmare & The Cat bring a nice indie bill to the Strip at The Roxy, featuring Max & The Moon and The Peach Kings and it's the last chance to catch OK Go in town, at The Echo.
Thursday, July 24
- Matt Pryor, What's Eating Gilbert, The Josh Berwanger Band, Phoebe Bridgers @ The Satellite
- Twilight Concert Series w/ Cayucas, Papa @ Santa Monica Pier
- White Fence, Dream Boys, The Abigails @ The Echo
- The Sound of Tomorrow w/ Lakim, Doja Cat, Chris McClenney, Joe Kay, Andre Power, Andres @ Echoplex
- The Neighbourhood, Danny Brown, White Arrows @ The Greek
- Wages, The Papers, Sky Lake, Found The Flood @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Joyce Manor @ Amoeba Music
- Say Anything, The Front Bottoms, The So So Glos, You Blew It @ The Fonda Theatre
- Part Time Punks w/ GEMS, Drab Majesty, Intimatchine @ Los Globos
- Honky Tonk Hacienda w/ Sam Outlaw, The Band Of Strangers @ El Cid
- The Dirty Nil, Hunny, Los Angeles Police Department @ Bootleg HiFi
- Fred Page, Ari Herstand, Broken Arrow, Miles Tackett & The 3 Times @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Quandary: two band I desperately want to see again are competing tonight. But I think I can swing it if the set times are right. Quandary solved: I can get over to Hotel Cafe by 7 PM, if I go right from work, to see Broken Arrow (at left), a band that started out great and just keeps getting better, unbelievably. Then I can hop the Sunset bus and get to Silver Lake Lounge in time for a set by Wages (above right) around 10-ish, who is one of the best bands I've ever booked for my Feed Your Head shows. Both bands are near the leading edge of a new wave of bands coming down the pike.
Like OK Go, I saw Say Anything years ago but have failed to keep up with them. I could renew that acquaintance tonight at The Fonda. White Fence begin a two-night run at The Echo , but only tonight are The Abigails sharing the bill.
Friday, July 25
- White Fence, Tomorrows Tulips, Cold Beat @ The Echo
- A Nuclear Keg Party w/ Municipal Waste, The Shrine @ Echoplex
- Luluc, Alto @ Bootleg HiFi
- Joyce Manor, Tony Molina, Winter Break @ El Rey
- Allen Stone, Bad Rabbits @ The Mayan
- Kivan @ Los Angeles Zoo
- Okapi Sun, Citizun, Ishi, Too Bad @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Crisis Arms, Fattty Cakes & The Puff Pastries, Charlyne Yi @ The Smell
- Birds Of Chicago, Kari Kimmel, The Native Sibling Record Release Show, Padorr @ Hotel Cafe
- Bobby London, The Spencer Owen Timeshare James Rabbit, Me Lacey @ Pehrspace
- All Scene Eye presents Black Mambas, Substitute Universe, Electro City @ Casey's Bar
- ACIDIC, Thatwasthen, Waterbear Mating Season, The Bad Romantics, SPACEcream @ The Troubadour
- The Internet @ FIGat7th
DECISION:
There's a Nuclear Keg Party down at Echoplex with appropriate nuclear apocalyptic bands, and upstairs at The Echo, White Fence completes their second night here. Okapi Sun, about to embark on a cross-country trip to do a residency in NYC, bid 'adieu' with an intimate show at Silver Lake Lounge tonight and All Scene Eye presents Black Mambas, Substitute Universe, Electro City downtown at Casey's Bar.
Saturday, July 26
- Burger Saturdays w/ The Sloths, Vision, Levitation Room @ The Echo
- Country In The City w/ Shelby Lynne, Jamestown Revival @ Annenberg Space for Photography
- Saturday Off the 405 w/ Caught A Ghost @ The Getty Center
- When In Rome, Missing Persons, Information Society @ Downtown Stage, Pershing Square
- Au Revoir Simone, Dresses, The Lower 48 @ The Roxy
- BUSted: True Stories About Getting Around LA by bus By People Who Don't Drive presented by Scott Schultz @ Stories Books & Cafe
- GRMLN, Gothic Tropic, Sad Girl @ Los Globos
- Lael Neale Video Release Show, No Silver Bird, Special Guests @ El Cid
- Jon Hopkins, Teebs @ Echoplex
- Obits, Creative Adults, Toys That Kill @ Bootleg HiFi
- Straight Line Stitch, DEDVOLT, Cage 9, Dead Horse Trauma @ The Troubadour
- Decker, Samuel L Cool J, Future Loves Past, Nick Shattuck, Party Gardens, M. Lockwood Porter @ Hotel Cafe
- Radical Something, Yonas, Sam Lachow, Under Great Lights @ El Rey
- Foreigner, Styx, Don Felder @ The Greek
DECISION:
Truly a cornucopia of varied selections tonight which could prompt me to try again to see two shows in one night, for the second time this week. I must be nuts, but I could start out with BUSted: True Stories About Getting Around LA by bus By People Who Don't Drive at Stories Books & Cafe which, presented by Scott Schultz, usually starts around 7, after which I could run down the street to catch GRMLN and Gothic Tropic at Los Globos.
Other interesting programs are scattered all over town: "Country In The City" is a wonderful program that tonight presents Shelby Lynne and our own local alt/country heroes, Jamestown Revival, at the Annenberg Space for Photography. "Saturday Off the 405" is featuring the hot band Caught A Ghost at the lush Getty Center. Both great destinations for a summer evening.
There's a terrific show downtown at the Downtown Stage in Pershing Square where When In Rome, Missing Persons and Information Society will be playing between the tall buildings and under a starry sky.
Not to be outdone, The Smell presents it's annual event; Battle Show VI feat. Hollows vs. Bobby T. & The Slackers, Franky Flowers vs. Jeffertitti's Nile and NO PARENTS vs. Psychomagic. Could be wild and weird.
Sunday, July 27
- Grand Ole Echo presents "Agastock" w/ Sarah Stanley, Tony Gilkyson, The Jolenes, Jeremiah and The Red Eyes @ The Echo (3 PM)
- Archer Black @ The Satellite
- Flaamingos, Los Pinos, Conde @ The Smell
- Part Time Punks w/ Magik Markers, Death Valley Girls, G. Green @ The Echo (10 PM)
- Conway @ Petersen Automotive Museum
- PJ Morton, Major @ The Troubadour
- Roy Zimmerman @ McCabe's
- Steven Taetz, Rod Picott, Tongue & Groove @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Could take it easy tonight, or take in a late show with Part Time Punks at The Echo at 10 with Magik Markers, Death Valley Girls and G. Green. Petersen Automotive Museum's summer concert series offers Conway (at right) tonight.