by Brad RobertsIt looked like people were starting to come out of their hidey-holes at last and participate in life again. The degrading and demoralizing effects of the election and the indescribable idiocy of Trump is a daily confrontation with alternate reality that must be combated every chance we get. And the ground is shifting beneath our feet almost hourly. I wrote this about two hours ago (on Saturday) and already it is irrelevant with the new round of protests that are happening all across the country at the airports based on Trump's racist Muslim ban. Judge just overruled this order so we continue to trip from our collective national whiplash. And on and on it goes...
Even if it's simply to make music and going out to enjoy it, make it an act of defiance against the creeping fascism. And there are incredibly good shows this week! Come together! Best of all is the return to the stage of Pinback (above), who are on a short tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their album Autumn of the Seraphs released in 2007. Since they went on hiatus nearly two years ago, I've tried to cope by seeing Rob Crow and Zach Smith in their independent projects whenever they came to town, but always felt in the back of my mind, that we had not seen the last of Pinback. That dream comes true as they play a two night run at Echoplex and The Echo on Thursday and Friday. I will attend both shows.
Haunted Summer and Brendan Eder Ensemble bring dreamy pop and orchestral flourishes to "Desert Nights" on Wednesday at The Standard making one of the best of the week's shows. Competition comes from Avid Dancer at the intimate and charming Hotel Café Second Stage playing on a bill with Dear Boy's Ben Grey.
The Lemon Trees will fill the Bootleg with glorious harmonies on Thursday and then things get really bogged down as we get to the weekend with multiple shows every night . On Friday Rachel Goodrich is at The Hi Hat and The Blank Tapes and Golden Animals are at the Bootleg.
On Saturday Vert Ventures and Feed Your Head have a big show at Lot 1 with Culture Vulture, Emerson Star are at The Echo, and Old Testament plays The Hi Hat. Viva Violet, should be checked out at Bootleg Bar on Sunday.
By the way, Lucinda Williams continues her four night run at The Troubadour with shows on Monday through Wednesday.
Monday, January 30
Recommended:
There's a nice show tonight with Ilegal Mescal Music Series featuring Spindrift, Sea Ghouls and True Ghouls at Harvard and Stone, and Lucinda Williams is on tonight at The Troubadour and will be there Tuesday and Wednesday as well.
Warbly Jets, The Dream Ride, Collapsing Scenery JD King @ The Satellite
The Molochs, Ottofix, Exploding Flowers, Deep Field @ The Echo
"School Night!" w/ Ella Vos, Exes, Communist Daughter, Matt Maeson @ Bardot
The Absurd, Santa Barbara, Foxtrax, Ned and the Dirt, CIVX @ Silver Lake Lounge
Albert and His Dreamboats, Laura Jean Anderson, Wistappear @ Bootleg Bar
1 AMVRKA, Backbone @ Hotel Café
Monday Monday w/ Sean Watkins, honey honey, Joel Eckels, Luci, Jesse Palter, Madison, Cunningham, Jeff Young, Danni Deandrea, + more, Greyshot @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Lucinda Williams, Buick 6 @ The Troubadour
Ilegal Mescal Music Series w/ Spindrift, Sea Ghouls, True Ghouls @ Harvard & Stone
Tuesday, January 31
Recommended:
Purveyors of sunny, Southern California rock, Wilderado and Hawai represent some of the best new sounds and headline a terrific show at Resident tonight and, of course, there's Devendra Banhart at The Mayan.
Leopold And His Fiction, Hearty Har, LOVEYOU @ The Echo
Spain @ The Love Song
Jeffery Austin, Rotana @ Hotel Café
Athena Andreadis, Angela Parrish, Chesney Hawkes, Joy Autumn, Clare Means @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Kristeen Young, FEA, Spare Parts For Broken Hearts @ The Hi Hat
Plaid & The Bee @ Teragram Ballroom
Lucinda Williams, Buick 6 @ The Troubadour
July Talk, Mona, Little Junior @ Bootleg Bar
Wilderado, Hawai, Mt. Joy, Coastwest Unrest @ Resident
Jubilant Ecstasy Dream, High Society Homeless @ Silver Lake Lounge
Starset, Gemini Syndrome, V&V @ The Roxy
Devendra Barnhart @ The Mayan
Dream Phases, Healing Gems, The Creation Factory @ Harvard & Stone
Wednesday, February 1
Recommended:
Tricky night with Haunted Summer and Brendan Eder Ensemble playing at "Desert Nights" at The Standard, at the same time as Ben Grey of Dear Boy and Avid Dancer at the Hotel Café Second Stage. Well, you'll have figured out yourself.
"Desert Nights" w/ Haunted Summer Brendan Eder Ensemble @ The Standard
Lucinda Williams, Buick 6 @ The Troubadour
Muna, Lo Moon @ Teragram Ballroom
Aan, Water Slice, Cardoid, Goon @ The Hi Hat
Asaf Avidan w/ special guests @ Hotel Café
Ben Grey of Dear Boy, Avid Dancer, Eliza Rickman, Jesse Pitts @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Fenech Soler, Moons of Mars, Groves @ Bootleg Bar
Thursday, February 2
Recommended:
Super excited for tonight's show with Pinback getting back on stage after a year and a half long hiatus. Tonight they perform their ten year old album Autumn of the Seraphs from front to back at Echoplex. At The Echo tomorrow.
Gorgeous sounds coming from the silver throated females who front The Lemon Trees tonight at Bootleg, and those effervescent and irreverent lads of OK Go perform at The Grammy Museum.
OK Go @ The Grammy Museum
The Paranoyds. Egrets on Ergot, French Vanilla, L.A. Drones @ The Echo
Pinback - Performing Autumn of the Seraphs in its entirety, Vertical Scratches @ Echoplex
James Arthur w/ Tom Crouch @ Hotel Café
Austin Brown, Rozzi Crane, Jared Mahoney @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Dominique Matelsen, Rosa Rubin, Gabbi Green @ The Smell
Ty Segall, Flat Worms, Lars Finberg @ Teragram Ballroom
Mike Doughty, Wheatus @ The Troubadour
Miserable, Nunb.er, Shannon Lay @ The Hi Hat
Dear Lemon Trees, Ben Jaffe of HoneyHoney, The Fuzzy Crystals @ Bootleg Bar
Turning Violet, The Vigils @ Silver Lake Lounge
An Evening with Tom Chaplin @ El Rey
Friday, February 3
Recommended:
Tonight I'm seeing Pinback again, this time at The Echo where they will perform a more standard set of their songs from throughout their memorable career.
Lots of competition comes from Rachel Goodrich who's playing for the John Isaac Watters show at The Hi Hat and The Blank Tapes and Golden Animals at Bootleg. Great shows, wish I could go to them all.
First Fridays w/ Oddisee, MNDSGN, DΔWN @ The Natural History Museum of Natural History
Pinback, Vertical Scratches @ The Echo
Peter Hook in conversation with Moby @ The Regent Theatre
ALO, The Brothers Comotose @ The Troubadour
Jackson Breit, The New Regime, Aeges @ Hotel Café
Son of the Velvet Rat, Faunavision, Grim Chimney, Buddy, Jane @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Ty Segall, Vile, Meatbodies @ Teragram Ballroom
John Isaac Watters Rainbow Brother, Anna Vogelzang, Rachel Goodrich, Brendan Hines @ The Hi Hat
The Blank Tapes, Golden Animals, Dream Phases, Moth Drops @ Bootleg Bar
Espresso, Clit Kat, Whaja Dew, Fringe @ The Smell
Cement and Stone, Daria Black, Kylaido, Megan Neale, Omega Swan, Ward @ Silver Lake Lounge
Lotus, El Ten Eleven @ The Fonda Theatre
Saturday, February 4
Recommended:
There's about five good shows I like to go to tonight, one of them being on my own at Lot 1 when Vert Ventures and Feed Your Head present five bands including Culture Vulture, Sketch Orchestra, King Llama, Wait and Shackle and The Unending Thread.
Emerson Star play for the King Shelter Single Release Party at The Echo, Dashboard Confessional swing through town for a date at The Wiltern, while Old Testament play The Hi Hat, and The Dustbowl Revival do McCabe's. The choice is up to you.
Dashboard Confessional @ The Wiltern
King Shelter Single Release Party, Emerson Star, Yip Yops @ The Echo
Vert Ventures and Feed Your Head presents Culture Vulture, Sketch Orchestra, King Llama, Wait and Shackle, The Unending Thread @ Lot 1
Leroy Sanchez, Madilyn Bailey @ The Troubadour
STAL, J Grgry, Eric Blood @ Resident (6:30 PM)
Old Testament, Black Mambas, Dommengang @ The Hi Hat
Ty Segall, Behavior, CCR @ Teragram Ballroom
Youth On Soda, C.C. Potato, CPR @ Silver Lake Lounge
A Night of Michael Jackson, Arian Saleh Record Release Show @ Hotel Café
Skyler Day, Gregory Douglas & Amanda Ply, The Lost Weekend, Leslie Powell & Stephen Ellrod, Jack & The Bear @ Hotel Café Second Stage
Dream Boys, Once And Future Band, L.A. Takedown @ Bootleg Bar
The Dustbowl Revival @ McCabe's
Sunday, February 5
Recommended:
Settle into the reassuring and artful songs of Viva Violet, who play in a bill with Whispertown for the Louis Schefano Album Release Show at Bootleg Bar.
I Hear Voices bring The Ukulele Orchestra Of The Western Hemisphere to the legendary McCabe's.
The Garden, So Pitted, Go Dreamer, Wu Wu @ The Echo
Part Time Punks w/ Lilys, Dead Heavens, Tennis System @ The Echo
Louis Schefano Album Release Show, Whispertown, Umm, Viva Violet @ Bootleg Bar
I Hear Voices, The Ukulele Orchestra Of The Western Hemisphere @ McCabe's