Oh My Rockness

San Francisco’s Shannon and the Clams are vocalist/bassist Shannon Shaw (she was one of Hunx’s punks) and vocalist/bassist Cody Blanchard and drummer/bassist Ian Amberson (ok, he’s not a bassist too - just drums, man - just drums). Together, the trio make something like surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk.

Don’t roll your eyes at me. Chill. I didn’t say this WAS surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk. Obviously that would be a ridiculous made-up musical genre...and an abuse of hyphens...and would be like throwing a bunch of historical sound descriptors against the wall and hoping one of them sticks...before slowly sliding down to rest in a pile of its own filth. I would never resort to such tricks. That’s why I said it was LIKE surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk. What it IS is pop music.

I’ll tell you what else this is. Shannon and the Clams is a good time. This is like a sloppy 1960s sock hop - the kind crammed with slipshod punks and pranksters - who could be menacing - but could also dance like a dream. Wait. Maybe I’m just thinking of “Grease.” No. Wait. Maybe I’m thinking of “Grease 2.” Man, I always do that. Maybe it’s because it’s the exact same rags-to-coolness story except the genders are reversed. Cool times, producer bros.

Shannon and the Clams have a new album coming out on Hardly Art (Black Marble + Seapony + Woven Bones + lots more good bands). It’ll be good. They’re also currently touring with Ty Segall’s bb, Mikal Cronin. He’s good too. So I guess the action is hot hot HOT for these guys. It was only a matter of time before a surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk craze swept the nation. I’ve been predicting it for years.



Shannon and the Clams play The Glass House, on Thursday, May 30th, and The Echo, on Saturday, June 1st, and The Observatory, on Sunday, June 2nd.

San Francisco’s Tony Molina plays (and played) in a bunch of hardcore bands (Melters, Caged Animals, Ovens, Lifetime Problems and some more, I suppose). But that’s not the Tony Molina we’re here to talk about today. We shall perhaps discuss his screams another day.

We’re here to talk about Tony Molina - the power indiepop extraordinaire. Under his own name (once again, that’s Tony. Molina.) he crafts short, super singable songs that sound a little like Matthew Sweet meets Weezer meets The Lemonheads meets Dinosaur Jr. meets the occasional melodic metal riff (anyone remember The Fucking Champs?).

Now when I say Molina’s songs are short - I mean they are SHORT. Molina’s best song (his “jam,” if you will) is “Don’t Come Back” - conveniently embedded for you below (aww, I’m always doing sweet things like that) - is 1:32. That’s one minute and thirty-two seconds. And that’s a song on the longer side of things. Molina has a 42 second song. He has a 45 second song. And yes, he even has a 25 second (!) song. When is a song a snippet? When is a snippet a song? Is this the result of the Twitter generation? I don’t know. I just (sorta) work here.

I do know the feeling of wanting more is often a very good thing. And sure, a 25 second song may be pushing that theory to the limit (by the way, Molina’s twelve track 12” album is roughly ten minutes in length). But whether a song or album is “concise” or simply just “unfinished” is an discussion for another time - another place. Next Friday over soup, salad, and breadsticks, perhaps? (I love the OG.) Or, maybe we can have that chat when some band is up there on stage thinking we actually want to stand through their two-and-a-half hour set? You better be playing in a stadium if you’re going to try that on us, bub. And even then.....even then....

The mighty Slumberland record label is putting out some stuff by Tony Molina soon. Slumberland knows good pop. And if you check this guy out, you’ll know good pop too. So go ahead. Give it a stream. And when you do - don’t blink. Because just as quickly as this goodness comes....POOF....it’s gone. Erased.....from...existence.



Tony Molina doesn't have any shows scheduled....yet....but save them using your MY ROCKNESS ACCOUNT and we'll let YOU know when they're playing Los Angeles... as soon as WE know. Cool? Cool.

We have five pairs of tickets to give away to see SMITH WESTERNS at El Rey Theatre on Saturday, August 10th, presented by OH MY ROCKNESS!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 8/1. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see LOCAL NATIVES with WILD NOTHING at The Greek Theatre on Friday, September 13th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 6/13! Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see THE BOXER REBELLION with FOSSIL COLLECTIVE at Avalon Hollywood on Friday, June 7th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 6/5. Good luck!

Click here to view all the new FREE SUMMER SHOWS >>

SELECT SHOWS ADDED TO THE SITE THIS WEEK

5/23 The Presets (DJ Set) @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/23 Queens of the Stone Age @ The Wiltern
6/06 South of France @ Detroit Bar
6/12 The Donkeys @ The Echo
6/16 Indian Jewelry, Deathday @ The Echo (Part Time Punks 8th Anniversary)
6/17 Indian Jewelry, Black Bananas @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/25 Bosnian Rainbows @ First Unitarian Church
6/26 Mavis Staples @ The Fonda Theatre
6/26 Bosnian Rainbows @ The Observatory
7/13 Olafur Arnalds @ The Glass House
7/13 Dessa @ Troubadour
7/15 Dessa @ Detroit Bar
7/21 Shooter Jennings @ The Echo (Echoplex)
7/23 The Futurebirds, Diarrhea Planet @ The Echo
7/23 Papa @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
7/27 Courtney Love @ Grove of Anaheim
7/27 Allah-Las, Mrs. Magician, Sea Lions and so many more @ The Glass House (Viva! Pomona)
7/28 Weekend, Tennis System @ The Echo
8/09 Grizzly Bear @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
8/17 X @ Pershing Square
8/22 Pinback @ The Observatory
8/24 Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Deerhunter, Devendra Banhart, Toro y Moi, Simian Mobile Disco, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Dan Deacon, Delorean, Foxygen, METZ, Crystal Antlers, Waxahatchee and more @ Los Angeles State Historic Park (FYF Fest)
8/25 My Bloody Valentine, MGMT, Beach House, Solange, Yo La Tengo, Washed Out, Holy Ghost!, Melvins, Kurt Vile, Les Savy Fav, !!!, Poolside, Mac DeMarco, How To Dress Well, The Orwells, Classixx, Mikal Cronin, Fear Of Men @ Los Angeles State Historic Park (FYF Fest)
8/28 Icona Pop @ The Observatory
8/29 Icona Pop @ The Fonda Theatre
9/04 Superchunk @ El Rey Theatre
9/07 & 9/08 Black Hippy, Danny Brown, Flatbush Zombies, Earl Sweatshirt, Ratking, Talib Kweli, Wu Tang Clan and more @ San Manuel Amphitheatre (Rock The Bells)
9/07 The Cult @ The Wiltern
9/13 Local Natives, Wild Nothing @ The Greek Theatre
9/19 FIDLAR @ The Observatory
9/21 Peter Hook @ The Fonda Theatre
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Peals is a new duo from Baltimore. Their names are William Cashion - he’s in Future Islands - and Bruce Willen - he was in Double Dagger (RIP - may you be still playing as Double Dagger in Heaven - or something). Two fine Baltimore bands right there.

Actually, you might as well not even click on those two links up there and read more about Future Islands or Double Dagger. It’ll just throw you off the scent. Because this isn’t punk, you see. This is Walden Pond. And it’s easy. It’s easy like a Sunday morning (unless you work in retail or in the food or hotel industry or you’re a cop etc. - for you guys and gals, this is easy like a Tuesday morning...or whenever your day off is - perhaps you would’ve figured out what i meant regardless - but really, i just wanted to include you weekend heroes in this space here).

Using mostly quiet guitars (they explode sometimes like Mogwai - but very rarely), warm sounding keyboards, and various stringed things (that’s the classically trained technical term) Peals will set you adrift on memory bliss with their tranquil homemade instrumental soundscapes. And what is a soundscape exactly? I don’t know. It’s a word used to describe pretty stuff, I think.

But I do know this. Peals’ music is minimal. It’s peaceful. It feels like field recordings (I don’t know if they actually went to any fields to record - I wasn’t there - the wind chimes suggest someone’s super chill backyard). AND...wait for it...this band’s music is interesting. I bet you thought this was going to be boring, what, with the fields and the wind chimes and all that. Let me tell you what. Boring, this is not.

Peals’ debut album “Walking Field” is set to come out on Thrill Jockey because of course it is. That’s the perfect label for this sublime, soundscapable* journey (*well it’s a word now).

Listening to this band makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. And right now, I’m just high on life...............and on Peals too.



Peals don't have any shows scheduled....yet....but save them using your MY ROCKNESS ACCOUNT and we'll let YOU know when they're playing Los Angeles... as soon as WE know. Cool? Cool.

Ariel Pink is playing at a cemetery. What more do you need to know?



Ariel Pink plays Hollywood Forever Cemetery, on Friday, May 17th.

6/01 Flying Lotus @ House of Blues Los Angeles
6/06 Generationals @ The Echo
6/14 CSS, IO Echo @ The Observatory
6/15 CSS, IO Echo @ The Fonda Theatre
6/18 Ex-Cult, Fuzz (w/ Ty Segall) @ The Smell
6/21 Hooded Fang @ The Viper Room
7/06 Rx Bandits @ The Fonda Theatre
7/08 Future Bible Heroes @ The Echo (Echoplex)
7/10 inc. @ The Roxy
7/12 Psychedelic Furs @ House Of Blues Anaheim
7/15 The Neighbourhood @ El Rey Theatre
7/17 Belle & Sebastian, Best Coast @ Santa Barbara Bowl
7/21 Black Marble @ The Echo
7/23 Savages @ El Rey Theatre
7/26 Peter Murphy @ The Fonda Theatre (Peter Murphy Celebrates 35 Years Of Bauhaus)
7/29 Bad Rabbits @ Troubadour
8/01 Rx Bandits @ The Glass House
8/06 Palma Violets @ The Echo (Echoplex)
8/09 Foals, Drowners @ The Wiltern
8/10 The Smith Westerns @ El Rey Theatre
8/11 The National, Daughter @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
8/11 The Smith Westerns @ The Glass House
8/23 The Airborne Toxic Event @ The Pacific Amphitheatre
9/20 Gold Panda @ The Fonda Theatre
10/16 Walk The Moon @ The Observatory
10/18 Walk The Moon @ The Wiltern
11/03 Desaparecidos @ The Glass House
11/04 Desaparecidos @ The Fonda Theatre
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Chrome Sparks is Jeremy Malvin from Ann Arbor (how doooo... how do I finnnnndddd herrrrrr! - sorry, that's a Get Up Kids song.... called Ann Arbor..... once again.... I'm sorry). Malvin also plays drummer in another recent Rockness fav, Stepdad . Just thought you should know!

As Chrome Sparks, Malvin makes chill (and slightly soulful) instrumental beats using, well, whatever one-man bands use to make their beats (apples and wires and levers, I think). Chrome Sparks has a good jam called "Marijuana." Now I only bring this up because the title might give you some further insight into Chrome Sparks' sound. Of course, I certainly wouldn't know anything about marijuana itself (aka "the pot") myself because it's illegal and I don't touch the stuff and anyway the most important point I'm trying to make here is.... wait, I lost my train of thought. Oh well. Nevermind.

So give Chrome Sparks a whirl if you like your tunes to be massively chill. And if you like, I don't know, let's say Clams Casino meets Washed Out (I'm sure chill dudes hate that comparison by now, but whattya gonna do) meets Balam Acab meets Abdecaf meets Com Truise. How about that?



Chrome Sparks play with Anamanaguchi and Infinity Shred, at Lincoln Hall, on Saturday, May 25th.

London’s Wolf Alice is a new band of four that should be pretty popular. Maybe they already are pretty popular over there “Across the Pond” (i just made that term up right now). Who knows what the hell goes on there over there. They don’t even have cell phones. They have mobiles.

Led by singer Ellie Rowsell, the band rocks a new version of ‘90s “alternative music” (i just made up that term right now too). You know, that sound that had those guitars that sometimes sounded a little....what’s the word....grunge-y? Yeah. That’s it. But sometimes Wolf Alice guitars also go all noodle-y. You like those noodles sometimes, right? Right. Also, in their quieter moments Wolf Alice can even sound a bit....what’s the word...lush? Yeah. That’s it. Lush.

This is all very melodic and accessible and very radio ready...if this were 1995. In 2013, Wolf Alice is all very streamable. Very, very streamable. Think Elastica. Veruca Salt. Hole. Mazzy Star. Garbage. Silversun Pickups. Wait. What? Band comparisons are silly. But I still do them. All. The. Time.

Listen to Wolf Alice’s song “Every Cloud.” Note. It’s not a great representation of Wolf Alice at their most ‘90s grunge-y. This is one of those times they sound lush. It’s a good song. But sample some more to really get what they’re throwing down. You know? Yeah. You know.

(Wolf Alice should tour with Speedy Ortiz....and I should mind my own business.)



Alice Wolf don't have any shows scheduled....yet....but save them using your free My Rockness account and we'll let YOU know when they're playing LA...as soon as WE know. Cool? Cool.

We have a pair of tickets to see MUMFORD & SONS with MICHAEL KIWANUKA and MYSTERY JETS at San Manuel Amphitheater (San Bernardino) on Sunday, June 2nd!



For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/27. Good luck!

5/15 Tijuana Panthers @ The Well
5/16 The Appleseed Cast @ Bootleg
5/17 Fred Falke, Chrome Sparks (DJ Set) @ Lure (Private Label - Kitsune Club Night)
5/17 Sonny and the Sunsets @ The Satellite
5/18 The Black Keys, Vampire Weekend, Jimmy Eat World, Silversun Pickups @ Irvine Meadows / Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (KROQ Weenie Roast)
5/19 Colleen Green @ Origami Vinyl
5/20 Laura Marling @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
5/21 Laura Marling @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
5/22 Arctic Monkeys @ The Majestic Ventura Theater
5/28 DIIV @ The Echo
5/30 We Are Scientists @ Detroit Bar
5/31 Tijuana Panthers @ Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock
5/31 Neon Indian (DJ Set), Yacht (DJ Set), LadyHawke (DJ Set) @ Lure (Private Label)
6/12 Radar Brothers, Ola Podrida @ The Satellite
6/13 Small Black, Heavenly Beat @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/14 Poolside (DJ Set), Goldroom (DJ Set) @ Lure (Private Label)
6/29 Big Business @ The Echo
7/05 Oblivians @ The Echo
8/01 EL-P, Killer Mike @ The Echo
8/01 Son Volt @ Troubadour
8/02 EL-P, Killer Mike @ The Observatory
8/28 Lucius @ The Echo
10/12 Pet Shop Boys @ Shrine Auditorium
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Toronto's Moon King are a noisy indie-dream-garage-experimental-punk duo (got all that? cool.) led by drummer/vocalist Dan Woodhead (who's recently played with his brother’s band Doldrums as well as the mighty Grimes) and guitarist/vocalist Maddy Wilde.

Woodhead, who was in this band Spiral Beach who I don't know but the cool kids in Toronto sure seem to, has also said that Moon King's going for an "electronic folk" feel. Not really what I'm hearing, but if the man says it then I'm sure electronic folk is in there, too.

Basically to me, this sounds like a fun '80s pop party that's been punked up and blasted out by the happier cousin of My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields or something. Or, maybe Matt & Kim meets The Thermals meets Rich Aucoin. Pick whichever you want of those two descriptions and run with it. I won't mind.

The most important thing you should probably know is that Moon King is meant for happy times. They're the kind of punk that's made by people having fun up there on that stage. But you know about those drummer/singer + guitarist/singer duos... those duos are always pretty jovial.

Moon King's debut album is being released on One Big Silence, the record label run by Fucked Up's Mike Haliechuk. Into it.



Moon King open for The Thermals, at Lincoln Hall, on Thursday, May 16th.

I’m loving the power pop revolution that seems to be happening these days in this scene (what this scene is - i do not know). Because I’m not ashamed to admit it. Yes, sir. I love guitar jingle. And yes, ma’am. I love guitar jangle too. And while we’re at it, by George and by gum, I also love singing jingle jangle songs in the shower! (whew what a load off my soul that admission was - and sorry for the rough language there)

Drowners makes good shower singing music (please note the water theme). I can easily belt some of these catchy choruses while killing time before the conditioner has set on my roots or whatever the hell it needs to take so long to do. I mean, I haven’t sung this in the shower YET. But I’m willing to try it out anytime. The truth has set me free so I don’t even care. How about tonight? Does tonight work with your schedule?

NYC’s Drowners play really nice power pop. Please note: this is more rock than indiepop. More earnest than delicate. The Drowners get compared to The Strokes and The Vaccines a lot. But they’re not really as fuzzy. Drowners rock a sound that’s a little more clean. Like Big Star. Or The Records. Or The Raspberries. Or Shoes. You know what that sound is also called? It’s called jingle. And it’s called jangle. Wait. Maybe that’s two sounds. Might need to hyphen it to make it one. But gosh, I just love jingle-jangle. (again, pardon my french - sheesh, I really have a sailor’s tongue today)

Start with Drowners song, “Long Hair.” Go ahead. It’s right there below these words. Isn’t it super catchy? That jingle! That jangle! Forget tonight. I’m ready to sing in the shower right NOW. I’ll go heat up the water and then I’ll text you the directions to.....um.....to the next Drowners show. Obviously. What. You didn’t expect me to invite you over to sing in the shower.....together...did you?? I would never (perspiration forms on brow) assume you’d want to do something (nervously tugs at collar) like that. Haha. Ha. Ha.......ha. (slinks away in shame)



Add Drowners to your list of Saved Bands on your My Rockness account and we'll let you know when they're playing LA as soon as we know. Cool? Cool.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see DEVENDRA BANHART with RODRIGO AMARANTE at Fonda Theatre on Thursday, May 16th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/13. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. at El Rey Theatre on Thursday, May 16th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/13. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see YO LA TENGO at the Fonda Theatre on Thursday, May 9th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/7. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see WOODKID with The Shoes at Fonda Theatre on Wednesday, May 8th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/6. Good luck!

Click here to view all the new FREE SUMMER SHOWS >>

SELECT SHOWS ADDED TO THE SITE THIS WEEK

5/21 The Postelles @ Bootleg
5/23 The Presets, Dragonette @ Avalon Hollywood
5/23 The Mowgli's @ The Roxy
5/30 Tame Impala @ Fox Theater Pomona
5/31 White Arrows, Avi Buffalo @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/01 Pictureplane @ Los Globos
6/02 Mumford & Sons, Mystery Jets @ San Manuel Amphitheatre
6/02 Shannon and the Clams @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/08 The Field @ El Rey Theatre
6/09 Devo @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (100th Birthday Bash)
6/15 Robert DeLong @ The Getty
6/22 Father John Misty @ The Glass House
6/26 Robert Plant @ Shrine Auditorium
6/29 Giraffage @ Los Globos
7/01 Anberlin @ The Roxy
7/12 Portugal. The Man, Avi Buffalo @ The Wiltern
7/23 The Postal Service @ The Greek Theatre
7/24 The Postal Service, Divine Fits @ The Greek Theatre
7/24 The 1975 @ Troubadour
7/25 The Uncluded @ First Unitarian Church
8/03 Knife Party, Disclosure, Daniel Avery @ Los Angeles Historic State Park (HARD Summer Music Festival)
8/04 Justice, Crystal Castles @ Los Angeles Historic State Park (HARD Summer Music Festival)
8/06 The Heavy @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
8/08 The Heavy @ The Fonda Theatre
8/20 Gregory Alan Isakov @ Troubadour
8/25 Rhett Miller @ Largo
8/27 Alt-J @ Hollywood Palladium
9/03 fun. @ The Greek Theatre
9/12 Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ The Fonda Theatre
9/14 Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ Fox Theater Pomona
9/14 tba @ TBA (Mad Decent Block Party)
9/27 Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ Troubadour
9/28 Vampire Weekend, Beirut @ Hollywood Bowl
9/29 The xx @ Hollywood Bowl
10/02 Depeche Mode @ Staples Center
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL THE JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

VIEW ALL THE FREE SUMMER SHOWS HERE >>

We are thrilled to be presenting THE CAVE SINGERS and BLEEDING RAINBOW at Bootleg Theater on Friday, April 26th! We hope you can join us at the show!

For show information and tickets, click here.

San Francisco’s Shannon and the Clams are vocalist/bassist Shannon Shaw (she was one of Hunx’s punks) and vocalist/bassist Cody Blanchard and drummer/bassist Ian Amberson (ok, he’s not a bassist too - just drums, man - just drums). Together, the trio make something like surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk.

Don’t roll your eyes at me. Chill. I didn’t say this WAS surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk. Obviously that would be a ridiculous made-up musical genre...and an abuse of hyphens...and would be like throwing a bunch of historical sound descriptors against the wall and hoping one of them sticks...before slowly sliding down to rest in a pile of its own filth. I would never resort to such tricks. That’s why I said it was LIKE surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk. What it IS is pop music.

I’ll tell you what else this is. Shannon and the Clams is a good time. This is like a sloppy 1960s sock hop - the kind crammed with slipshod punks and pranksters - who could be menacing - but could also dance like a dream. Wait. Maybe I’m just thinking of “Grease.” No. Wait. Maybe I’m thinking of “Grease 2.” Man, I always do that. Maybe it’s because it’s the exact same rags-to-coolness story except the genders are reversed. Cool times, producer bros.

Shannon and the Clams have a new album coming out on Hardly Art (Black Marble + Seapony + Woven Bones + lots more good bands). It’ll be good. They’re also currently touring with Ty Segall’s bb, Mikal Cronin. He’s good too. So I guess the action is hot hot HOT for these guys. It was only a matter of time before a surf-soul-doo-wop-garage-punk craze swept the nation. I’ve been predicting it for years.



Shannon and the Clams play The Glass House, on Thursday, May 30th, and The Echo, on Saturday, June 1st.

BAM! BAM! BAM! And then it's over. That's essentially the experience you'll have listening to this band. You'll get beat up and then you'll be sad your pummeling didn't last longer.

Metz is a LOUD post-punk (whatever that means anymore) trio from Toronto that fire off the short ferocious riffs that just got their noisy ass selves signed to Sub Pop. That's what happens when you make dangerous music that RULEZ (my 11-year-old cousin told me to Caps Lock that word and end it with a 'Z' when I REALLY mean it).

If you feel like going to a show that will make you feel like you want to explode all over the venue's walls due to sheer bombastic pleasure, I suggest hooking up with Metz.

If you don't want a show that will make you want to explode all over the venue's walls, I can't say I blame you. It's a messy experience. But I also can't say you won't be missing out. If I'm going to splatter to pieces, at least it was a GUITAR and a BASS and DRUMS and DISTORTION that destroyed me. BAM! BAM! BAM! (And now it's over.)



METZ play Lincoln Hall, on Sunday, May 12th.

4/19 The Weeknd @ QC's 20/20
5/10 Delta Spirit @ Playboy Mansion (RSVP for chance to win tickets)
5/16 Janka Nabay & The Bubu Gang @ The Echo
5/18 Schoolboy Q @ Club Nokia
5/25 Stornoway @ Bootleg
5/30 Shannon and the Clams @ The Glass House
5/31 CHVRCHES @ The Fonda Theatre
6/01 Shannon and the Clams @ The Echo
6/07 The Virgins @ The Viper Room
6/27 The Soft Pack @ The Echo
6/27 Bernhoft @ Troubadour
7/10 Amadou and Mariam @ The Fonda Theatre
7/20 Rogue Wave @ El Rey Theatre
7/20 Dillinger Escape Plan @ House of Blues Los Angeles (Summer Slaughter Tour)
8/02 Daughn Gibson @ The Echo
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

San Diego’s Mrs. Magician plays fuzzy, doo-wop, multi-part harmony pop that’s also punk enough to get them signed by Swami. You know, that excellent label run by John Reis of Drive Like Rocket from the Hot Marchers. Yeah. You Know. Warning: this band is pretty addictive. (I don’t know why you need to be warned before liking a good band. It just sounded right?)

Now with Mrs. Magician being from San Diego, and your knowing a thing or two about geography and how it shapes artistic trends, you may want to ask, "Is there also a little bit of that beach sound going on here?" And I'd tell you, "There's more to San Diego than the beach, bub. There's also fish. And tacos. And fish tacos." And then I'd go on to say, "And yes. There is a little bit of the beach going on with Mrs. Magician's sound too."

(And then we'd probably end up chit-chatting some more, maybe about the legacy of The Beatles vs. The Beach Boys, or we'll get into one of our typical debates about ideas, like if it's always a perfect day outside how can that day truly be called perfect when you don't have the contrast to make the perfection possible? You know how we get when we get going. When we get going, whew! Look out now. Hide the milk. Hide the cookies.)

Here's another thing about this band. This band knows how to write a song that makes a man and a lady wanna sing along (separately or as a duet - either one). It's true. Listen to their song, "There's No God." I "embedded it" (that's super insider Internet 2.0 speak for "copying" and "pasting") right below these words. That's a good singable song, no matter your religion or your way, right? Right. And good news. There's a lot more where that came from. All of Mrs. Magician's quick, two-minute songs are singable like that one.

Last and certainly not least, how about those nice harmonies? They must be fans of The Beach Boys who perfected it I mean The Beatles who invented it I mean..... no, let's not start with this again. I'm happy to continue talking with you. But let's talk about something less intense. Like if there's a God or not.



Mrs. Magician opens for METZ + White Lung at Troubadour, on Monday, April 29th. Good line-up!

SELECT SHOWS ADDED TO THE SITE THIS WEEK

4/24 Three O'Clock @ Troubadour
4/25 Fol Chen @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
4/25 Manchester Orchestra @ House of Blues Los Angeles
4/25 Nightmare and the Cat, Shepard Fairey (DJ Set) @ Skirball Cultural Center (Gary Baseman's House Party)
5/02 The Rolling Stones @ Staples Center
5/10 Touche, Evan Voytas, Nite Jewel @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/11 Tom Jones @ Troubadour
5/15 The Rolling Stones @ Honda Center
5/15 Duniven @ The Satellite
5/16 FIDLAR, Keith Morris @ Historic Chinatown Central Plaza (LA Weekly Artopia)
5/17 Digitalism @ Troubadour
5/18 Quadron @ The Getty
5/20 Flobots @ The Observatory
5/22 Tyler, The Creator, Earl Sweatshirt @ Fox Theater Pomona
5/28 Lissie @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
5/29 Radiation City, Cuckoo Chaos @ The Satellite
6/02 ADULT @ The Echo
6/04 Big Black Delta @ The Echo
6/06 Big Black Delta @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/07 Grace Potter & the Nocturnals @ Fox Theater Pomona
6/08 Bjork @ Hollywood Palladium
6/12 Snowden @ Bootleg
6/14 The Thermals @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/20 Joseph Arthur @ Troubadour
6/26 Rachael Yamagata @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/28 Dan Croll @ Troubadour
7/13 Pickwick @ The Getty
7/19 Passenger @ El Rey Theatre
7/19 Adam Ant @ Grove of Anaheim
7/20 Adam Ant @ Club Nokia
7/27 Geographer @ The Getty
8/10 Brandi Carlile @ House Of Blues Anaheim
8/10 White Fence @ Troubadour
9/28 Depeche Mode @ Staples Center
9/29 Depeche Mode @ Staples Center
10/16 City and Colour @ Club Nokia
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS IN LOS ANGELES >>

We have a pair of tickets to give away to GARY BASEMAN'S HOUSE PARTY featuring NIGHTMARE AND THE CAT and SHEPARD FAIREY (DJ SET) at the Skirball Cultural Center on Thursday, April 25th!

For show information and tickets, click here.



Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/22. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see CRYSTAL CASTLES with Invisibles and Doldrums at Hollywood Palladium on Friday, April 26th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/23. Good luck!

Long live guitars like these! London's Cheatahs (yes, that's a sic - as in "I'm gonna sic you if you don't listen to their jam that I put below these words") are a super solid new band that tap into the gone-but-not-forgotten heyday of old school shoegaze.

Swervedriver circa "Raise" 1991 is definitely represented in Cheatah’s noisy guitar swirls. And also the pretty melodies of For Against - a forever good shoegaze band (formed in 1984) that never seem to get their due (but are still doing it - punk. rock.). And how about Ride at their "Twisterella" finest? To answer my own question, I hear that too (along with lots of other voices in my head... that... never... shut.... up).

If old band comparisons aren't your thing (quite understandable), Cheatahs could also do a tour with new-ish band Yuck, and I'm 99% confident no one would leave those shows saying, "Well, that was a weird pairing!" But Cheatahs aren't doing a tour with Yuck. As of this writing (January, 201... wait... this license plate says 1972 and OMG I just saw Moonlight Graham!) these guys are touring with Wavves. Huh. Who knew? You knew. That's who.

Can I throw out some other good old band comparisons - bands that aren't even shoegaze? I just feel like it today. Afghan Whigs, Sebadoh, Hum, and a less croaky J Mascis. OK. Thanks!

I can definitely see these Cheatahs guys going big time. And that's the highest compliment I know how to give (I'm emotionally stunted in the compliment department since the phantom voices in my head were my only childhood friends..... oh I KID I KID YOU. LOL. YOINKS. J to the K!) Not kidding about this band though. Big. Time.



Cheatahs play (with WAVVES + FIDLAR!) at The Smell, on Monday, April 22nd.

This is the dream of Jimmy and Ben.

To form a long distance band. To collaborate on an album via packages sent through the mail. To have that album come out via Sub Pop. To have that label hope it might catch on with some Death Cab or Dntel fans and might sell 20K copies. To have the album then become the second best selling album in Sub Pop's history... to Nirvana's "Bleach." Nirvana. Bleach.

To play a handful of shows to at-capacity rooms in mostly small spaces. To Give Up. To stop recording. To stop touring. To do some other things for 10 years.

To reform in 2013. To record some more. To tour at places like... the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. To play "Such Great Heights" to thousands and thousands. To have it still be a jam.

This is the dream. Of Evan and Chan. I mean, Jimmy and Ben.



The Postal Service plays the Fox Theater, on Monday, April 5th. And oh yeah, with two Coachella dates sandwiched in between.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see THE CAVE SINGERS and BLEEDING RAINBOW at Bootleg on Friday, April 26th, presented by OH MY ROCKNESS!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/24. Good luck!

We have two pairs of tickets to see YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE with PACIFIC AIR at Avalon Hollywood on Wednesday, May 22nd!

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 5/15. Good luck!

For show information and tickets, click here.

4/17 The Evens (with Ian McKaye of Fugazi) @ The Vex Arts
4/20 Best Coast @ Fingerprints (RSVP Required)
4/20 Jimmy Eat World @ Fingerprints (RSVP Required)
4/20 Laurence Juber @ Fingerprints (Free with RSVP)
4/20 Mike Watt & The Secondmen @ Fingerprints (RSVP Required)
4/22 Goldroom @ Bardot (Free with RSVP)
4/25 Wavves, Incan Abraham @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/03 Javelin, Helado Negro, Matthewdavid @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
5/11 Chrome Sparks @ Bootleg
5/19 Danny Brown @ The Glass House
5/24 The Detroit Cobras @ Down and Out
5/29 Still Corners @ Bootleg
5/31 Avi Buffalo @ Detroit Bar
6/02 Bjork @ Hollywood Palladium
6/05 Bjork @ Hollywood Palladium
6/11 Bjork @ Hollywood Bowl
6/19 Come @ Bootleg
6/21 Wildcat! Wildcat! @ The Echo
6/25 Rachael Yamagata @ Troubadour
7/07 LL COOL J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, De La Soul @ The Greek Theatre
7/12 Say Anything @ House of Blues Los Angeles
10/15 Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg with Andrew W.K. on vocals @ The Fonda Theatre
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

London's Savages are a four-piece post-punk band comprised of females (why say all-girl group? we don't say Joy Division was an all-dude group, do we? THINK ABOUT IT).

They were also one of those "buzzy" bands to come out of CMJ 2012. A wise person once said: like sands through the hourglass, so are...the buzzy music festival bands like...err...dust in..the ocean...or something. A different and more succinct wise person once said: Glory Fades. So let's all be careful to not get caught up in the hype of the buzz.

But this band is worth talking about because Savages are really good live. I know. I was there. At 3pm. Drinking well rum. Because it was free. Savages threw around lots of those solid, post-punk stabby jabby guitars (i can say 'stabby jabby' if I want) that make me want to artfully destroy something.

There were all those good bass thumps that sometimes sound like a heartbeat on heroin. And there was all that reverb too. Oh yes. There was lots and lots of reverb. There was also lots of confidence - particularly from frontwoman Jehnny Beth. She can yelp and swagger with the best of them and I will follow her wherever she made lead me.

Savages aren't exactly creating a sound you've never heard before. We've certainly heard this sound before. Not just back in 1981. But in 2001 too. It's 2012 now. And the sound is still here. It's called post-punk. But it's probably post-post-punk by now. But hey, at least it's a good sound.

Will Savages ride this hype train until they're upgraded to a buzzy private jet - I don't know. Give me some time to think about it. CMJ just ended and I hit it pretty hard this year. But at least I was out there hitting it hard for you, guys. For YOU.



Savages play The Echo, on Thursday, April 11th.

Portland’s Pure Bathing Culture is Sarah Versprille and Daniel Hindman. They both are/were* in Vetiver (*feel free to look it up yourself if it’s that important to you). The duo makes pretty pop that plays smooth in the sunshine. Call it something chill.

These easy-peasy songs go well with those easy-peasy summer days that are courageous and true and fine. The kind Ernie Hem used to write about (when he wasn’t writing about blizzards and snow capped mountains). Those rare summer days presented to us under a flawless backdrop of brilliant blue for no real reason at all - just because the gods felt like throwing us all a bone.

This band goes well with those summer days you soak in. Those summer days you cloud watch. That one looks like an elephant! No. It’s an angel surfing! No. It’s just a visible mass of suspended particles also known as aerosols! (next time you’ll know not to bring Debbie Downer when you cloud watch)

Pure Bathing Culture’s luminous songs are the embers of a gentle campfire (fyi: we’ve switched to summer nights now) getting ready to cook some crisp graham crackers and soft marshmallows and sensible dark chocolate squares (dark chocolate is the kind that’s good for you so you can eat a shit ton of it all the time and nothing bad will ever happen it’s true wikipedia told me).

And while sitting comfortable near that gentle fire, listening to Pure Bathing Culture’s songs blend into the splendor of the night, you might extend your paper plate, and you might say in an easy but firm manner, “Yo! S’more me.” And at that moment, at that fine moment, you just might receive your well-deserved satori moment of resplendent peace. At the very least, you’re about to tear into a delicious treat.

(Please note: Pure Bathing Culture also sound good on the treadmill in the basement of the gym when it’s too rainy to run outside. But that fact didn’t fit the theme. Oh wells. Whatevs. No biggie. LOL. SMH. LMFALOLOMGFLSMAAZZZZZZ.)



Pure Bathing Culture don't have any upcoming Los Angeles shows scheduled...yet. But what you can do is save them to your "My Rockness" account and then you'll know as soon as we know. Shhh. Say no more. That's a deal.

Hope you can join us tonight, FRIDAY MARCH 29th, for the FOL CHEN record release show with ROYAL CANOE at the Bootleg. PRESENTED BY OH MY ROCKNESS!

For show information and tickets, click here.

We have one pair of tickets to give away to BRIT WEEK at The Echo & Echoplex, beginning Friday, April 26th!

For tickets and show information, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/23. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to see CRYSTAL CASTLES with DOLDRUMS at Fox Theater Pomona on Thursday, April 25th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/23. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see YOUTH LAGOON at El Rey Theatre on Wednesday, April 17th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 4/15. Good luck!

4/02 Alkaline Trio @ Fingerprints (RSVP Required)
4/20 Silversun Pickups @ Origami Vinyl
4/25 Har Mar Superstar @ The Satellite
5/03 Harriet @ The Echo
5/06 Starsystem @ The Satellite
5/09 Cayucas @ The Echo
5/16 Devendra Banhart @ The Fonda Theatre
5/17 Kisses @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/18 The Appleseed Cast @ Detroit Bar
5/18 Big Boi @ House of Blues Los Angeles
5/21 The Presets @ Avalon Hollywood
5/22 Telenovela, Gothic Tropic @ Bootleg
5/26 LL COOL J, Ice Cube, Public Enemy @ Santa Barbara Bowl
5/29 Mice Parade @ The Echo
5/29 Junip @ Troubadour
5/30 Suuns @ The Echo
6/01 CHVRCHES @ Troubadour
6/07 Generationals @ The Echo
6/14 The Dandy Warhols @ The Wiltern
6/15 The Front Bottoms @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/19 Kisses @ Troubadour
6/21 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti @ First Unitarian Church
6/22 Ben Folds Five, Guster @ Santa Barbara Bowl
8/17 Screeching Weasel @ The Observatory
9/24 Depeche Mode @ Santa Barbara Bowl
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Think of an acoustic country troubadour standing in the middle of a deserted crossroads, politely asking the Devil if he wants his soul and in exchange for... well.... nothing. The Devil can just have it. That could be what happened to King Dude (note: it's also the slightly modified plotline of 1986 box office flop "Crossroads" starring a young Ralph Macchio trying to escape his "Karate Kid" success).

King Dude is Seattle's TJ Cowgill. He also sings in evil-core band (full disclosure: think I just made that genre up but I don't care), Book of the Black Earth, and runs the site, Actual Pain (the go-to online store for all of your Occult-ing needs). So yeah, this Dude goes pretty dark. But it's weird too, man.

Is witch-folk a term yet? I mean, if evil-core can be a term - why can't witch-folk? And anyway, hyphens are a neat trick to help to define all sounds. Even the indefinable sound a dude like King Dude is rocking. This is a man who sounds like Johnny Cash if he had a post-Demon Possession phase.

But why am I telling you all this. I could've just told you that one of King Dude's songs is called "Lucifer's The Light of The World" and the chorus goes, "Lucifer's the light of the world." And then you'd be like, "OK. Got it, Rockness." Anyway, it's very strange. Never thought I'd listen to a singer-songwriter-Satanist.



King Dude plays The Echo, on Sunday, March 31st.

The first thing you need to know about Atlanta's The Barreracudas is that they are completely tapping into a different time. That time would be somewhere around 1977. The look, the sound, the feel. The touch of leather. The fabric of our lives. Everything about The Barreracudas says late '70s.

The second thing you need to know about The Barreracudas is that they RULE. This is perfect power-dirtbag-pop that would be right at home on that legendary Rhino "Poptopia! '70s Power Pop Classics" box set (get that box set if you don't have it). The third thing you should know is that Barreracudas were one of the best bands I saw at SXSW 1977. I mean, SXSW 2013.

OK, listen. That this music was made today in 2013 instead of 1977 might cause some consternation among those music purists who think bands shouldn't straight copy something that was already done 30+ years ago. I get that. But I also get that those purist people are L to the 7s. It's pretty obvious The Barreracudas are approaching their whole situation as an "homage" to the glory days of power pop's past. These dudes (some of whom are also in that band, Gentleman Jesse and His Men) know what they're doing and what they're riffing off of. So relax, squares. Get that stick outta yer butt and have fun with it. The Barreracudas sure do. I mean, who even does guitar solos like this anymore? More importantly, who still rocks leather vests?

Now if you'll excuse me. I'm about to pop The Barreracudas 8-track into the dash of my Pontiac Trans Am coupe, roll down the windows so my dirtbag hair can blow, grab a pack of smokes from underneath the sleeve of my t-shirt, peel out to impress my lady friend, and cruise around the streets singing along to these songs. Destination unknown. (But I'll probably end up in the parking lot of the DQ like always. That's where us Cutters like to go.)



Berreracudas just played SXSW. They don't have any upcoming Los Angeles shows scheduled...yet. But what you can do is save them to your "My Rockness" account and then you'll know as soon as we know. Cool? Cool.

We have tickets to give away to ALL BANDS ON DECK at the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday, March 30th! With performances by POOLSIDE, YACHT, BAIO, KISSES and more!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 3/29. Good luck!

SELECT SHOWS ADDED TO THE SITE THIS WEEK

4/16 Mount Eerie @ LA Fort
4/17 Action Bronson @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
4/23 AraabMUZIK @ The Echo (Echoplex)
4/24 Bass Drum of Death @ Bootleg
5/01 Reggie Watts @ Largo
5/08 Woodkid @ The Fonda Theatre
5/10 Rhye @ El Rey Theatre
5/12 Secret Chiefs 3 @ Bootleg
5/14 Secret Chiefs 3 @ Bootleg
5/14 Devendra Banhart @ The Observatory
5/17 Sea Wolf @ The Glass House
5/21 Holy Ghost! @ Dim Mak Studios
5/21 Youngblood Hawke @ The Observatory
5/23 Turbonegro, Torche @ The Observatory
5/24 Shout Out Louds @ El Rey Theatre
5/24 Sir Sly @ Troubadour
5/25 Sir Sly @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/06 The Entrance Band @ The Satellite
6/07 Capital Cities @ El Rey Theatre
6/11 Anamanaguchi @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/13 The Entrance Band @ The Satellite
6/14 Cold Cave @ Center For The Arts, Eagle Rock
6/18 Eleanor Friedberger (The Fiery Furnaces), TEEN @ The Echo
6/20 Tilly & The Wall @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/20 The Entrance Band @ The Satellite
6/21 Sea Wolf @ El Rey Theatre
6/23 Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Guster @ The Greek Theatre
6/23 Tilly & The Wall @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/27 The Entrance Band @ The Satellite
6/28 Baths @ El Rey Theatre
7/06 The Warlocks @ Bootleg
8/22 Heart @ The Greek Theatre
10/16 Atoms for Peace @ Hollywood Bowl
10/17 Atoms for Peace @ Santa Barbara Bowl
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS >>

We hope you'll join us tonight -- Tuesday, March 19th -- to see CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING (featuring Thurston Moore) with GRASS WIDOW and WAXAHATCHEE at Echoplex!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Montreal's Sean Nicholas Savage reminds me of Harry Nilsson. You know him. Sure you do. The "Midnight Cowboy" theme song guy. There you go. Of course there's a lot more to Harry Nilsson than that song. Have you see that excellent documentary about him that came out a few... oh, wait. I'm getting sidetracked. This is about Sean Nicholas Savage. Not Harry Nilsson. I'm straying from the Point (where my Nilsson fans at out there, am I right, hoop-hoop).

Montreal seems to have this eccentro-troubadour situation going on these days. Not a scene. Just a situation. Mac DeMarco definitely fits the situation. So does Pat Jordache. And Sean Nicholas Savage, too. He rocks the weirdo Canada-Americana (Canadacana?), too.

Maybe this is just folk. There are harmonica solos, after all. Or is it just good singer-songwriter pop? I don't know. But I do know that whatever this is, it's weird. And weird is good. You know who else was weird? Harry Nilsson (he made an album that was a fable about a boy whose head was a point and, yes, this came to him during an acid trip, and yes it is awesome). Anyway, I don’t know why I keep talking about Harry Nilsson. Maybe because he was amazing?

Sean Nicholas Savage might be heading toward amazing too. I'm into it. Maybe you'll be into it. Give him a listen below. Decide for yourself. You'll either get it right away or you won't get it. Unless you get it later, of course. Getting is sometimes a process. When it's not spontaneous, of course. Both are valid experiences of getting the get. Everyone is valid. Nothing is wrong. We all rule. Forever.



Sean Nicholas Savage plays the Bootleg, on Friday, March 22nd.

Bay Area punks, Wax Idols, rock the yelping distorted ditties. Ask yer Granpaw what a dittie is. He wouldn't know or like Wax Idols though. Unless he's the coolest ol' summabitch of a Granpaw. Ok. Nevermind that now. Nevermind that now.

This band is powered by Heather Fedewa (ex-Hunx & His Punx and a bunch of other bands) who may or may not be the long lost love child of Joan Jett and Richard Hell. I mean, she's not. But I guess there is an infinitesimal chance for anything happening in this unknowable mechanism that is the world, yeah? No? Oh.

So yeah. Back to the beginning. This is punk rock. You know what that is. But it also has elements of that swirly wave-y gloom going on too. Bet you know what that is too. And oh yeah. You can dance to Wax Idols too. I don't know why. But you most definitely can.

I think all this means you can call Wax Idols "post-punk." Although that name doesn't mean anything. I heard a new Kenny Chesney song today while strolling around the Bed, Bath and Beyond. It was made in 2013. Which is after 1977. Therefore, all the songs Kenny Chesney has ever made are "post-punk." I knew I liked that ol' summabitch Kenny Chesney for a reason. This duvet I just bought will always remind me of him.

I like Wax Idols too. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. But I believe you will. Because I believe in YOU.



Wax Idols play two upcoming shows. At Permanent Records for Record Store Day, on Saturday, April 20th, and again later that night at The Empty Bottle.

3/21 Whirr @ The Smell
3/28 Guy Blakeslee (of Entrance Band) @ Bootleg
4/03 Vacationer @ The Echo
4/06 The Warlocks @ Bootleg
4/13 Lucero @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/04 Matt Costa @ The Observatory
5/05 Born Ruffians @ Detroit Bar
5/09 Of Montreal @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/15 Andrew McMahon (of Jack's Mannequin) @ Troubadour
7/17 Alabama Shakes @ Hollywood Palladium
7/18 Alabama Shakes @ Hollywood Palladium
7/18 B-52's @ The Pacific Amphitheatre
7/26 Weezer @ The Pacific Amphitheatre
7/31 The Flaming Lips @ The Pacific Amphitheatre
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOW HERE >>

OH MY ROCKNESS PRESENTS: Chelsea Light Moving + Grass Widow + Waxahatchee at The Echo, on Tuesday, March 19th.

We like all three of these bands playing this show we're presenting at The Echo. But let's just talk about Waxahatchee for right now. Cool? Cool.

NYC's (by way of Alabama) Waxahatchee is Katie Crutchfield - who sings and strums country-folk (tinged with punk) songs that come at you with a certain sense of sadness. Heartache seems to be most at work here. You and I both know about that. We've been there.

These are good drinking songs -- if you sometimes need to go that way in order to recognize and make sense of things. Been there.

Waxahatchee have an album coming out on Don Giovanni (home to Screaming Females + Hilly Eye + more fine bands). I bet it's going to be really good. Even though it's about...whew, yeah...heartache.

But I guess there's something to be said for heartache. After all, without heartache we wouldn't have any sad songs. And if we didn't have any sad songs we'd have nothing to play when we are all alone and feeling unsettled.

Those quiet moments of unsettled aloneness are often sad. Yes, they are. But those moments can also kind of be sublime too. Proof of that claim lies somewhere within the melody of this song.



Oh My Rockness Presents: Chelsea Light Moving + Grass Widow + Waxahatchee at The Echo, on Tuesday, March 19th.

Written by Patrick McNamara

SXSW is coming soon. Ready or not. Head over to our SXSW site for all the latest information.

So you know the SXSW situation. Lots of shows. Lots of them official. Lots of them unofficial. Lots of those free RSVP parties. Lots of those free RSVP parties that also have lots of that free food. Lots of those free RSVP parties that also have lots of those free.... drinks. The pause was purely for dramatic effect. You didn’t think we’d make special lists and not include one for free drinks, did you?

Oh, yeah. There are lots of bands playing SXSW too. You definitely know that. You also know there are way too many to see them all. And we’re just talking about good bands. Oh, well. Life is short. You do what you can to enjoy what you can.

We want to help you enjoy at least 13 bands, though. Below are 13 up-and-coming bands you should really try to see. These are the bands gaining traction - picking up steam - deciding to do it. Are there others you should really try to see too? Yes. There are. But these bands - these 13 bands. They won’t let you down.

ABSOLUTELY FREE

Note to self: buy stock in Toronto music scene. Absolutely Free are another good new band coming from that fine city. This band makes weird, tribal sounding pop music full of tiny explosions. It's accessible and destructive and clean and muddled and meandering and concise. It's all over the place. In a good way. In an absolutely free way. Let’s not even try to categorize them. Because NOBODY PUTS ABSOLUTELY FREE IN THE CORNER.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING ABSOLUTELY FREE SHOWS AT SXSW >>



BIG UPS

NYC's Big Ups are a completely fun and instantly likeable band. They play high energy ramshackle punk rock that you'll want to get messy and sweaty in Texas to. See Big Ups when you feel like mixing it up. But in a pleasant way. Be nice. Stay cool. Have fun. And Long Live -- Punk Rock.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING BIG UPS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



CHEATAHS

Guitars! Oh, guitars like these! London's Cheatahs (yes, that's a sic - as in "I'm gonna sic you if you don't listen to their jam that I put below these words") are a super solid new band that tap into the gone-but-not-forgotten heyday of old school shoegaze. Think early Swervedriver. Think pretty melodies. Think noise. Think Cheatahs.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING CHEATAHS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



CHRVCHES

CHVRCHES are a trio from Glasgow that play bright and squiggly synth-electro-pop. It's beautiful and happy and destined to help sell out this summer's massive festivals. Why? Because this song below is just a massive song. That’s why. Get ready for the big time.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING CHVRCHES SHOWS AT SXSW >>



FOXYGEN

These two dudes are tapping into a different time. Los Angeles’ Foxygen is Sam France and Jonathan Rado. They make pop that's swirly and hazy and druggy. It captures that musical era when rock and psych and hippy and pop all sort of merged to become something great. So if you dig, put a flower in your hair - gather a bunch of merry pranksters - do whatever it is you merry pranksters do - and then go see these guys do their thing. It’s a good thing.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING FOXYGEN SHOWS AT SXSW >>



MAJICAL CLOUDZ

Deliberate typos in your band name is the new CAPS LOCK in your band name which was the old punctuation marks in your band name. Montreal’s Devin Welsh is the mastermind behind Majical Cloudz. He makes cerebrally eccentric electronic jams. Maybe he learned some tricks from Grimes - a friend and regulator on the regular. Welsh has a good voice too. He’s a crooner. I’m always in favor of crooners. How about you? (p.s. Early indicators say bands that use symbols in their names might already be the new bands that use deliberate typos in their name - we’ll let you know.)

VIEW ALL UPCOMING MAJICAL CLOUDZ SHOWS AT SXSW >>



METZ

METZ played the Oh My Rockness CMJ show this past October. Thanks for the tinnitus, guys. We appreciate it. Just kidding. We were wearing our earplugs. We may like to rage - but we also like our hearing. It’s been good to us over the years. Anyway, these guys slay. And their shredding guitars go LOUD. They’re not angry. They’re just having fun up there.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING METZ SHOWS AT SXSW >>



PALMA VIOLETS

Another buzzy British guitar band coming over to take us over. Well, if we’re going to be taken over and held captive by someone - at least it’s someone that's armed with the good guitar jingle-jangle. So at least there’s that.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING PALMA VIOLETS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



PARQUET COURTS

Speaking of the good guitar jingle-jangle - Parquet Courts rock that solid sound too. Bouncy punk from one of the Fergus & Geronimo guys that reminds me of The Van Pelt. I liked The Van Pelt.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING PARQUET COURTS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



PAWS

Fuzzy lo-fi garage punkness from Scotland. PAWS come at you on the playful tip. See songs "Boregasm” and “Sore Tummy” for more on that. The rapid fire jams from this hyper melodic band will put you in a better mood. Bet.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING PAWS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



ROOMRUNNER

Roomrunner also played our CMJ party this past October. They blasted it. Ain’t gonna be no chit-chatting when Roomrunner play. Because you can’t hear your neighbor. No matter how loud you shout in their ear. And anyway, what could possibly be so important that you can’t wait 'til they get done playing. You’re probably just shouting, “These guys slay!” Trust us, your neighbor already knows.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING ROOMRUNNER SHOWS AT SXSW >>



SINGLE MOTHERS

Brutally fun punk from London. The one in Ontario, beeyotch. Go see them blast it. Live it. Love it. Let's get sloppy.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING SINGLE MOTHERS SHOWS AT SXSW >>



WAXAHATCHEE

Katie Crutchfield runs this show. She sings and strums mostly sad, country-folk-punk songs. I don’t know if that description will make you want to see Waxahatchee play. But this isn’t about words, anyway. This is about feeling. Watch it. And maybe you’ll feel it. And then you’ll know.

VIEW ALL UPCOMING WAXAHATCHEE SHOWS AT SXSW >>



For more show suggestions, check out our BANDS WE LIKE section here >>

3/27 inc. @ Bootleg
4/02 A-Trak @ The Echo (Echoplex)
4/15 The Postal Service, Baths @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/17 Ferraby Lionheart @ The Satellite
4/21 Beach Fossils @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/02 Lights @ El Rey Theatre
5/04 Helmet @ The Viper Room
5/05 Bonobo, El Ten Eleven @ El Rey Theatre
5/07 Laura Stevenson, Field Mouse @ The Echo
5/07 Tom Odell @ Troubadour
5/16 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. @ El Rey Theatre
5/16 Papa @ Troubadour
5/17 Ariel Pink @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
5/18 Torche @ Troubadour
5/19 Holy Ghost! @ The Observatory
5/20 Holy Ghost!, Classixx @ Troubadour
5/22 Youngblood Hawke @ Avalon Hollywood
5/22 JJAMZ @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/24 Xiu Xiu @ The Smell
5/29 Imagine Dragons @ Hollywood Palladium
5/30 Imagine Dragons @ Hollywood Palladium
5/31 Peace @ The Echo
6/01 Peace @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/04 Willy Moon @ Troubadour
6/05 Parquet Courts @ The Echo
6/12 Alkaline Trio @ House Of Blues Anaheim
6/18 Mount Kimbie, Holy Other @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/23 Austra @ Troubadour
6/28 Milo Greene @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
7/13 Black Flag @ The Observatory
7/27 Peter Murphy @ The Fonda Theatre (Peter Murphy Celebrates 35 Years Of Bauhaus)
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see DAEDELUS with TWOFRESH, RYAN HEMSWORTH and SAMO SOUND BOY at The Glass House on Saturday, March 30th!

For show information and tickets, click here.



Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 3/27. Good luck!

OH MY ROCKNESS PRESENTS: CHVRCHES AT THE ECHO!

This band is going to be huge. You heard it here first. Well, probably second. Or, third. That's fine. We'll take third. We just want to come home with a medal.

Chvrches is a trio from Glasgow that plays bright and squiggly synth-electro-pop that's beautiful and happy and destined to help sell out next summer's massive festivals. Sure, they're a few months away from (indie) world domination but they're gonna get there. Bet me.

If you like Purity Ring like I like Purity Ring, you're going to like this. Although, I should warn you, Chvrches are even MORE accessible than PR (i.e. more shower singable - so make sure that sponge microphone you have next to your shampoo is ready for this).

Other Chvrches comparisons range from The Knife to Robyn to M83 to Grimes. Those are pretty big time bands. And Chvrches will soon belong in that big time company. Not sure I've mentioned that yet.

Finally, singer Lauren Mayberry has a really nice voice. I just thought you should know. Listen to "The Mother We Share" we have conveniently embedded below. You love it, don't you? Shhh. I know you do. That's a deal. Chvrches = READY FOR THE BIG TIME.



Oh My Rockness Presents: CHVRCHES AT THE ECHO, on Tuesday, March 12th.

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to see DJANGO DJANGO with NIGHT MOVES at Fonda Theatre on Friday, March 22nd!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winners will be randomly selected on 3/20. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see CHRISTOPHER OWENS at Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Friday, March 22nd!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winners will be randomly selected on 3/20. Good luck!

We have a pair of tickets to give away to the THE BLACK LIPS with NIGHT BEATS and BEACH PARTY at El Rey on Thursday, March 21st!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winners will be randomly selected on 3/19. Good luck!


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We have a pair of tickets to give away to see THE JOY FORMIDABLE with GUARDS and FORT LEAN at the Fonda Theatre on Thursday, March 21st!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winners will be randomly selected on 3/19. Good luck!

We have two pairs of tickets to give away to the KINDNESS x JOAKIM DJ TOUR (aka EVERYONE) at El Rey on Thursday, March 14th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winners will be randomly selected on 3/12. Good luck!

3/07 Sea Wolf @ Gap @ The Grove
3/10 Green Day @ Fox Theater Pomona
3/23 Vito & Druzzi (The Rapture) @ The Lyric Theatre
3/24 Deer Tick @ The Observatory
4/10 How To Destroy Angels @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/10 Beach House @ The Glass House
4/11 Sky Ferreira @ Bootleg
4/11 Passion Pit, Tanlines @ Club Nokia
4/11 Savages @ The Echo
4/11 Yeasayer, Wild Nothing @ The Glass House
4/15 OMD, Diamond Rings @ The Fonda Theatre
4/15 The Selecter @ The Glass House
4/15 The Faint @ The Observatory
4/16 Foals @ El Rey Theatre
4/16 Modest Mouse @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/16 Sparks @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
4/16 Rodriguez @ Orpheum Theatre
4/16 The Smith Westerns @ The Echo
4/16 Franz Ferdinand @ The Fonda Theatre
4/16 The Make-Up, Gap Dream @ The Glass House
4/16 Aesop Rock @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
4/16 Polica @ The Observatory
4/17 Dropkick Murphys @ Club Nokia
4/17 Youth Lagoon @ El Rey Theatre
4/17 The xx, Nite Jewel @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/17 Public Enemy @ House of Blues Los Angeles
4/17 Lou Reed @ Orpheum Theatre
4/17 Palma Violets @ The Echo
4/17 Dinosaur Jr., King Tuff @ The Glass House
4/17 Alt-J @ The Observatory
4/17 Lee Fields & The Expressions @ Troubadour
4/18 Death Hymn #9 @ Alex's Bar
4/18 Modestep @ Club Nokia
4/18 Purity Ring @ El Rey Theatre
4/18 Vampire Weekend, Tanlines @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/18 Public Enemy @ NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction)
4/18 EL-P @ The Echo
4/18 La Roux @ The Fonda Theatre
4/18 Portugal. The Man @ The Glass House
4/18 2 CHAINZ @ The Observatory
4/18 Little Green Cars, Night Terrors of 1927 @ Troubadour
4/20 Capitol Eye @ Alex's Bar
4/20 Senses Fail @ House Of Blues Anaheim
4/22 Japandroids, Cloud Nothings @ The Glass House
4/23 Bat For Lashes @ The Fonda Theatre
5/03 Beat Connection @ CENTRAL S.A.P.C.
5/04 Beat Connection, Gold Fields @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/19 Primus @ Fox Theater Pomona
5/25 Turbonegro @ El Rey Theatre
5/30 Junip @ Troubadour
6/03 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/04 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/06 Ceremony, The Soft Moon @ The Echo
6/06 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/08 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/09 Cheap Trick @ Santa Barbara Bowl
6/09 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/11 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers @ The Fonda Theatre
6/18 Camera Obscura @ The Wiltern
7/12 Black Flag @ The Observatory

Brooklyn's Ahmed Gallab is Sinkane. You may know him for his multi-instrumental work in Yeasayer or Of Montreal or Caribou or a bunch of other good bands (he's a talented, in-demand dude).

Or, by this point, you may just know him as Sinkane. Because Sinkane has been making super solid jazzy-psych-pop for a wonderful while now.

This guy's music goes all over the map - that's one of the reasons I like him. But if I HAD to say (I don't have to say, really... but I'm going to say anyway), I'd say that Sinkane's songs are groovy, tripped-out electro-ish jams that will set you adrift on memory bliss. That's what I'd say.

I'd also say you should get into this. Get born into this. Feel this. Feel the pulsing, relaxing heat of these meditative meanderings in CosmicLand - a most magical place where the blue grass is cashmere, giant lollipops replace the trees, the clouds forever look like the hand of the gods, and the national anthem is John Coltrane's "Ascension" album. In other words, this is super chill music, guys. Super. Chill.



Sinkane opens for Toro y Moi, at The Fonda, on Sunday, March 3rd, and plays a FREE show at Bardot, on Monday, March 4th.

2/23 Nobunny @ The Echo
3/04 Sinkane @ Bardot (Free with RSVP)
3/07 Flight Facilities @ The Observatory
3/08 Bad Religion @ OC Fair & Event Center (Musink Tattoo & Music Festival)
3/09 Pennywise @ OC Fair & Event Center (Musink Tattoo & Music Festival)
3/10 Reverend Horton Heat, Lucero @ OC Fair & Event Center (Musink Tattoo & Music Festival)
3/19 Black Francis @ The Mint
3/26 Flume @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/31 King Dude @ The Echo
4/04 NO @ Troubadour
4/18 Green Day, Best Coast @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum/Sports Arena
4/18 New Order, Johnny Marr @ Santa Barbara Bowl
4/25 Alkaline Trio @ The Observatory
4/27 New Build @ The Echo (Echoplex)
4/28 Steve Mason @ The Echo (Echoplex)
4/30 Chad Valley @ The Echo
4/30 Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 @ Troubadour
5/02 Little Boots @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/02 Pyyramids @ The Satellite
5/06 Born Ruffians @ Troubadour
5/17 Disappears, Wymond Miles @ Bootleg
5/21 Kate Nash @ The Echo
6/02 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Observatory
6/04 Crystal Fighters @ El Rey Theatre
6/11 Alkaline Trio @ House of Blues Los Angeles
7/28 Justin Timberlake @ Rose Bowl
8/04 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ Hollywood Bowl
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Black Marble is a new, good and gloomy band from Brooklyn that features Ty Kube of Team Robespierre (loved those guys). This is dark and sparse spacey-synth-wave that highlights the void of... well, everything. Is that called coldwave? Kids and their genres today, I tell ya.

So yeah, veering towards the doom side of the musical spectrum, Black Marble is not exactly the type of electro band that'll "get this party started" like Team Robespierre was. But then again, life isn't a party all the time, right? Sometimes life can be a bum-out. Hey, you heard that here first. I should be a life coach.

Anyway, Black Marble's haunting pop hypnosis reminds me of another new favorite band, Trust. If you like Trust, I'm betting you'll like Black Marble. And if you like good music, you'll like Black Marble, too. Because Black Marble is a good band that makes good music. See how that works?

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit in the corner and try to wrap my head around the meaning of life having no meaning... and I'll do so by blasting Black Marble.



Black Marble play with Cold Showers and Flaamingos, at The Echo, on Sunday, February 24th.

2/21 Zola Jesus @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/02 Kitten @ The Roxy
3/07 Die! Die! Die! @ Bootleg
3/07 Lavender Diamond @ The Echo
4/02 Widowspeak @ The Echo
4/05 Dan Deacon, Kisses (DJ set) @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
4/19 Sigur Ros @ Santa Barbara Bowl
4/22 Wavves, FIDLAR @ The Smell
4/24 Skaters @ The Echo
4/26 The Cave Singers, Bleeding Rainbow @ Bootleg (Bar)
4/26 Chappo @ The Satellite
4/27 Danzig @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/30 Marnie Stern @ The Satellite
5/02 The Killers @ Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum/Sports Arena
5/02 Maps & Atlases @ The Echo
5/07 Kurt Vile, The Fresh & Onlys @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/09 Yo La Tengo @ The Fonda Theatre
5/11 Turquoise Jeep @ The Roxy
5/11 Acid Mothers Temple @ The Satellite
5/23 Tera Melos @ The Echo
5/24 Tera Melos @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
6/01 !!! (chik chik chik) @ El Rey Theatre
9/07 fun. @ Santa Barbara Bowl
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Free shows, parties, food, drinks + more.
GET THE OMR SXSW 2013 GUIDE >>

The "alt" Spice Girls? We'll just leave that question hanging, thus answering it without having to answer it. Icona Pop are two ladies (Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo) from Sweden who are going to be huge. 95% sure there's 100% no doubt about that.

They're going to be huge because they might have just written the jam of summer 2012. The jam in question is "I Love It." Have you heard it? If so, it was probably stuck in your head for awhile - and just when you think you finally rid your mind of it you had to go and read this band profile.

It's got those huge electro hooks, those big time bass lines that like to step to the dub, and one ridiculously singable chorus (complete with one slightly ridiculous line, "I'm a '90s bitch.") Sounds like jam of the summer material to me. I wonder how many commercials are going to use that song come fall/winter.

By the way, word on the street is that these two have really good "fashion sense." Now it's up to 97% that there's 100% no doubt that Icona Pop are going to be huge. They probably already are.



Icona Pop play The Observatory, on Friday, February 15th, and at the Troubadour, on Saturday, February 16th.

"The old again becomes the new" (me).... "and the seasons, they go 'round and 'round" (Joni Mitchell).... "I said, well Daddy don't you know that things go in cycles" (Q-Tip). (I give myself third place). Foxygen is the new Los Angeles duo of early twenty-somethings, Sam France and Jonathan Rado. These two dudes are tapping into a different time than 2012.

Together as Foxygen, they play '60s "inspired" (to put it mildly) pop that's swirly and hazy and druggy. It captures that musical era when rock and psych and hippy and pop all sort of merged to become something great. You know what I mean? No? Well, listen to the song below and you'll get the references to our musical past right away. Because the sound Foxygen is rocking is instantly recognizable - even to those who weren't alive when this sound first came 'round - which is most of us (hell, France and Rado's parents probably weren't around).

Foxygen have been compared to legendary "never die" artists like The Rolling Stones and The Kinks and David Bowie (please note: all of these comparisons were made by their label, Jagjaguwar). So if you dig, put a flower in your hair - gather a bunch of merry pranksters - do whatever it is you merry pranksters do - and then give Foxygen a whirl. Because..... "It's The Circle of Life. And it moves us all. Through despair and hope. Through faith and love. Till we find our place. On the path unwinding. In the Circle. The Circle of Life." (Mine was better than that one, at least.)





Foxygen plays Lincoln Hall (with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Wampire), on Thursday, March 7th.

2/28 Digitalism @ Exchange LA
3/01 Free Energy @ Bootleg
3/20 Doldrums @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
3/22 Doldrums @ Bootleg
3/29 Foxygen @ The Echo
3/30 Yacht, Poolside @ Santa Monica Pier (ALL BANDS ON DECK - Tickets on sale 2/16)
4/01 Rhye @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
4/05 Esben And The Witch, Heliotropes @ Bootleg
4/10 Sky Ferreira, How To Dress Well @ Bootleg
4/10 Local H @ The Satellite
4/10 San Cisco @ Troubadour
4/14 Mudhoney @ The Echo
4/17 Kitty Pryde @ Bootleg
4/23 Flosstradamus @ The Observatory
4/29 Blood Red Shoes @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
4/29 METZ @ Troubadour
5/01 Adam Green & Binki Shapiro @ The Echo
5/01 Paramore, Kitten @ The Wiltern
5/02 Adam Green & Binki Shapiro @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/02 Built To Spill @ The Observatory
5/03 Built To Spill @ Troubadour
5/04 Sleepy Sun @ The Satellite
5/04 Built To Spill @ Troubadour
5/09 Kate Nash @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/10 Kate Nash @ Troubadour
5/21 Daughter @ Troubadour
5/22 Presidents of the United States of America @ The Observatory
5/23 Presidents of the United States of America @ House of Blues Los Angeles
5/24 Mikal Cronin @ The Echo
5/30 John Talabot, Lemonade @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/13 Fall Out Boy @ The Wiltern
6/28 Beyonce @ Staples Center
6/28 Twin Shadow @ The Glass House
6/29 The Roots @ Club Nokia
6/29 Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Miguel @ Staples Center
6/29 Twin Shadow @ The Fonda Theatre
9/04 fun. @ The Greek Theatre
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

We are thrilled to be presenting THE WEDDING PRESENT at The Echo on February 14th & 15th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

We have some tickets to give away to each show. Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. The winners will be randomly selected on 2/13. Good luck!

2/19 French Horn Rebellion @ Dim Mak Studios
3/01 Allah-Las, The Babies @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
3/01 Surfer Blood @ The Echo
3/07 Youngblood Hawke @ Troubadour
3/14 Kindness + Joakim @ El Rey Theatre
3/20 Wavves, FIDLAR, Cheatahs @ The Echo
3/28 The Heartless Bastards @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
4/05 Phosphorescent @ Troubadour
4/08 Angel Olsen @ The Echo
5/01 VietNam @ The Satellite
5/07 Marina & The Diamonds, Charli XCX @ The Observatory
5/08 Bleached, Ex Cops @ Troubadour
5/10 Man or Astro-Man? @ The Echo
5/10 Cloud Cult @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
5/11 Marina & The Diamonds, Charli XCX @ Club Nokia
5/11 Cloud Cult @ El Rey Theatre
5/11 Jim James @ The Fonda Theatre
5/23 Boris @ The Echo (The Echoplex)
5/24 Boris @ The Echo (Echoplex)
5/25 Black Moth Super Rainbow @ The Echo (Echoplex)
6/10 She & Him @ Hollywood Bowl
7/14 Rodrigo y Gabriela, Devotchka @ Hollywood Bowl
7/19 Pink Martini @ Hollywood Bowl
7/20 Pink Martini @ Hollywood Bowl
7/21 Pink Martini @ Hollywood Bowl
8/07 Steve Martin @ Hollywood Bowl
8/09 Willie Nelson @ Hollywood Bowl
8/10 Willie Nelson @ Hollywood Bowl
9/22 M83 @ Hollywood Bowl
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

The stellar line-up for Coachella has been announced. Get excited. And punk out by planning your proper hydration techniques in advance. (We find drinking lots of water works best. But if you think another method is superior - so be it. What do we know. We just sort of work here.)

So in honor of the big line-up reveal (so nice, we linked it twice) we thought we'd make you a playlist featuring some of the bands playing the festival this year. So...we did. We're always doing nice things like that.

Oh My Rockness: we put the "alt" in altruistic.

This is some darn good '80s inspired synth-pop, I'll tell you that much, bub. St. Lucia is the resplendently blissful pop project of Brooklyn's (via South Africa via England) Jean-Philip Grobler (live, he's got a band - just telling you that to manage expectations here). This is some of the happiest and catchiest electronic jams I've heard since I first fell for Chad Valley's stuff.

Actually, St. Lucia and Chad Valley should tour together. How do we make that joyful partnership happen? I'll help with the "promo," bros.

St. Lucia's 100% accessible music (that only god-forsaken MONSTERS wouldn't like) has also been compared to OMD. And you know who likes OMD? EVERYBODY. And hey, how about I throw out a little Rick Astley shout-out too? I think enough time has passed for me to do that with sincerity, don't you?

So to recap: St. Lucia's pretty much perfect synth-pop is like Chad Valley meets OMD meets Rick Astley.......... meets Fugazi. Hey now. Just kidding on that last one, bub (obviously I meant Pavement).

St. Lucia plays a bunch of times in the next coming days.

Solange is Solange Knowles. Knowles as in Beyonce. As in Solange is Beyonce's little sister. Now, I'm gonna stop being polite and start getting real with you for a minute. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't exactly been following young Solange's career from its beginnings. I'm not exactly all things Knowles. (I had to research whether Solange was also in Destiny's Child... she wasn't... and then I researched to see if Destiny's Child are still defunct... they are... I think... pretty sure).

Solange has had some big time hits before (I guess?) and has been in some movies and stuff (I guess?) and is probably famous already... but not as famous as Beyonce... that I'm pretty sure of. So if all this Solange news is totally old, I apologize to anyone whose sensibilities I may have greatly offended. But she's new to me, guys. She's new to me.

I was first introduced to Solange because I heard that the wonderful label Terrible Records (Kindness + Horrid Red + Twin Shadow + Chairlift etc.) is putting out a couple of 12"s by her. So I listened to one of the songs from one of those 12"s - because Terrible is often anything but.

The song I played is called "Losing You" from the release called... wait for it.... "Losing You." And I'm here to tell you today - this song will make it hard for you to keep your clothes on. By the second seductive electro chorus, I was down to my long underwear. And for my neighbors' sake, it's a good thing I was wearing three layers of long underwear. But seriously on the serious - just listen to the Solange song below. I think you'll like it. And that's all I've been meaning to say to you today, friends. That's all.



Solange plays Bottom Lounge, on Saturday, February 23rd.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see NIKI AND THE DOVE with VACATIONER and KAN WAKEN at the El Rey Theatre on Monday, January 28th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 1/28 (AM). Good luck!

2/08 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs @ Lure (Private Label)
2/15 RAC, MNDR @ Lure (Private Label)
2/26 Psychic Ills @ Detroit Bar
2/28 Goldroom @ Detroit Bar
3/02 Kisses, RACES and many more @ The Ranch
3/07 Mykki Blanco @ Los Globos
3/12 Autre Ne Veut, Majical Cloudz @ Troubadour
3/18 The Joy Formidable @ The Observatory
3/21 The Joy Formidable @ The Fonda Theatre
3/26 The Heartless Bastards @ Troubadour
4/02 Fu Manchu @ Bootleg
4/05 Talib Kweli @ Key Club
4/05 Mac DeMarco @ The Echo
4/10 Sky Ferreira, How To Dress Well @ Los Globos
4/12 The Stone Roses, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Grinderman, Passion Pit, Band of Horses, Beach House, Metric, Local Natives, Japandroids, Divine Fits, Stars, Aesop Rock, Alt-J, Purity Ring, Youth Lagoon, Palma Violets, IO Echo @ Coachella
4/13 Phoenix, The xx, Sigur Ros, Hot Chip, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Franz Ferdinand, Simian Mobile Disco, Foals, Wild Nothing, Savages, Kurt Vile @ Coachella
4/14 Red Hot Chili Peppers, Vampire Weekend, Tame Impala, James Blake, Grimes, The Faint, The Airborne Toxic Event, Tanlines, Disclosure, Cloud Nothings, Thee Oh Sees, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Smith Westerns, DIIV, Deap Vally @ Coachella
4/16 King Khan & BBQ Show @ Troubadour
4/19 The Stone Roses, Blur, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, Jurassic 5, Grinderman, Bassnectar, Passion Pit, Tegan & Sara, Band of Horses, Beach House, Metric, Local Natives, Of Monsters and Men, infected Mushroom, Japandroids, Divine Fits, Stars, Johnny Marr, Four Tet, Aesop Rock, Alt-J, Dam-Funk, Polica, Purity Ring, Youth Lagoon, Lord Huron, Palma Violets, The Neighbourhood, IO Echo, and more! @ Coachella
4/20 Phoenix, The xx, The Postal Service, Sigur Ros, New Order, Hot Chip, Grizzly Bear, Knife Party, Benny Benassi, Two Door Cinema Club, Moby, The Descendents, Yeasayer, Franz Ferdinand, Violent Femmes, Simian Mobile Disco, Spiritualized, Puscifer, Portugal. The Man, The Make-Up, Bat For Lashes, Major Lazer, Foals, Danny Brown, Wild Nothing, Biffy Clyro, Theophilus London, Action Bronson, The Wombats, Guards, Savages, Kurt Vile, and more! @ Coachella
4/20 Tinariwen, Warpaint @ Sunset Ranch Oasis (Moon Block Party Desert Daze)
4/21 Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Social Distortion, Wu Tang Clan, Tame Impala, The Lumineers, Dead Can Dance, La Roux, James Blake, Grimes, The Gaslight Anthem, The Faint, Dinosaur Jr., The Airborne Toxic Event, Father John Misty, Tanlines, Rodriguez, Alex Clare, Jessie Ware, Disclosure, Cloud Nothings, Thee Oh Sees, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Smith Westerns, Hanni El Khatib, Ghost, DIIV, Unicorn Kid, Robert DeLong, White Arrows, Deap Vally, Wild Belle, and more! @ Coachella
4/21 Tinariwen @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
5/04 Bonobo @ The Fonda Theatre
5/08 Akron/Family @ The Echo
5/14 Gold Panda @ The Echo
5/18 The Black Angels @ The Glass House
5/21 The Black Angels @ Mayan Theater
5/24 Os Mutantes @ Troubadour
5/25 Imperial Teen @ The Satellite
5/26 The Damned @ El Rey Theatre
5/28 Fleetwood Mac @ Honda Center
7/03 Fleetwood Mac @ Staples Center
AND MORE...

VIEW ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS >>

Papa, can you hear me?* L.A.'s Papa is the super accessible duo (that means you can sing their songs in the shower) of Darren Weiss (formerly the drummer in Girls (RIP) and, earlier, Dawes) and Daniel Present (he was probably in some other bands too - and you heard that here first, bub).

These two play grand Americana pop - the kind of music meant for listening to while traveling down dusty roads past once vibrant towns whose glory has faded but some good still shines beneath all the decay... like maybe there's a saloon where the characters are hard but honest and fine and courageous and true. Or something like that, anyway. You can probably also listen to Papa while running to the post office or the grocery store or standing around a crowded venue or wherever too. Grand Americana pop is pretty versatile listening (I bet you could even listen to this in Canada).

Also, Weiss' vocals remind me of Roy Orbison meets Jim Croce meets the guy from Urge Overkill. Is that weird? No. It's awesome. It brings good vibes.

Finally, I should note that Papa has a song that's cryptically called, "Let's Make You Pregnant." What do you think that means? If you figure it out, please let me know.

*that's a song from the movie Yentl - I used to watch that movie a lot as a kid - you too? nah... didn't think so... hence, the asterisk explanation.



Oh My Rockness Presents! Papa at Bootleg, on Monday, January 28th.

San Francisco's Terry Malts are a boisterous trio that go fuzzy and noisy and, well, they just "rock out" (for lack of a lamer term) really good. They have some stuff out on Slumberland, an excellent label, which totally makes sense because my FIRST THOUGHT after listening to these guys was, "They remind me of a slightly less abrasive Weekend." (also on Slumberland - and the logic - it goes 'round and 'round.)

Well, ok. Maybe that wasn't my FIRST thought; who knows how many thoughts we have before our brain even notices. Deepness. Anyway, if you like noisy, swirl-y garage pop that's played all fast and stuff, then you're really going to like Terry Malts.

Oh, and you might also like Terry Malts if you like The Vaccines. Maybe that was my first thought. Who truly knows what goes on inside that brain?

Terry Malts play The Echo, on Sunday, February 23rd.

2/14 Unknown Mortal Orchestra @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
2/21 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ The Fonda Theatre
2/21 Cold War Kids @ The Observatory
2/23 Chrome Canyon, Peanut Butter Wolf @ Los Globos
2/26 Com Truise, Teen Daze @ The Echo (Echoplex)
2/28 Amon Tobin (DJ Set) @ The Fonda Theatre
2/28 Califone @ The Satellite
3/01 Caspian @ The Echo
3/01 Snowden @ The Satellite
3/02 The Muffs @ The Satellite
3/08 Matt & Kim @ The Observatory
3/12 CHVRCHES @ The Echo (OH MY ROCKNESS PRESENTS)
3/18 The Thermals, Dunes @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/21 The Black Lips @ El Rey Theatre
3/22 Citizens! @ The Echo
3/22 Christopher Owens @ Wilshire Ebell Theatre
4/06 Shlohmo @ The Fonda Theatre
5/01 Clinic @ Troubadour
5/22 Daughter @ Troubadour
5/24 Cold War Kids @ The Fonda Theatre
6/01 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Wiltern
6/15 They Might Be Giants @ House Of Blues Anaheim
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Why should you go see Quicksand when they play two upcoming shows (at The Fonda + The Glass House)? Because...it's Quicksand, dudes. It's Quicksand.







Quicksand plays The Fonda, on Tuesday, January 22nd, and The Glass House, on Wednesday, January 23rd.

We have a pair of tickets to give away to see QUICKSAND with TITLE FIGHT at the Fonda Theatre on Tuesday, January 22nd.

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 1/18. Good luck!

We have 2 pairs of tickets to give away to see PINBACK with JUDGEMENT DAY at the El Rey Theatre on Thursday, January 17th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win, Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 1/15. Good luck!

1/21 Lucky Dragons, Victoire @ The Echo (Echoplex)
2/07 Gigamesh, Them Jeans @ King King
2/09 Big Freedia @ The Echo (Echoplex)
2/09 Kitten @ The Echo
2/09 Beak> @ The Echo (Echoplex)
2/11 St. Lucia @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
2/14 Dead Meadow @ Troubadour
2/16 Avi Buffalo, Batwings Catwings @ LA Fort
2/21 Dead Meadow @ Alex's Bar
2/22 The Orwells @ The Echo
2/27 Flosstradamus @ Club Nokia
3/09 The Men @ Troubadour
3/19 Chelsea Light Moving (w/ Thurston Moore), Grass Widow @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/21 Merchandise, Wet Hair @ The Echo
3/29 Iceage, Milk Music @ The Echo (Echoplex)
4/02 Low @ Troubadour
4/16 Tyondai Braxton @ Walt Disney Concert Hall (Brooklyn Festival)
4/19 The Antlers, Chairlift @ Walt Disney Concert Hall (Brooklyn Festival)
4/22 Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner & Nico Muhly performing Planetarium @ Walt Disney Concert Hall (Brooklyn Festival: Planetarium)
4/25 Crystal Castles @ Fox Theater Pomona
4/25 Telekinesis @ The Echo
4/26 Telekinesis @ Alex's Bar
4/26 Crystal Castles @ Hollywood Palladium
5/03 Tamaryn @ The Echo (Echoplex)
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

1/13 Hunx & His Punx, Gap Dream @ Unit B
1/16 Yo La Tengo @ Fingerprints (RSVP Required)
1/17 Yo La Tengo @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
1/17 Shiny Toy Guns, Drop the Lime @ Detroit Bar
1/20 Shiny Toy Guns (DJ Set) @ Drai's
1/24 FIDLAR @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
2/02 Dengue Fever @ Detroit Bar
2/03 Bush Tetras, Terry Malts @ The Echo
2/06 Oh Darling @ The Satellite
2/22 The Dead Ships @ CENTRAL S.A.P.C.
2/23 The Night Marchers @ Alex's Bar
2/24 Black Marble, Cold Showers @ The Echo
3/03 Kishi Bashi @ Detroit Bar
4/12 Supersuckers @ Alex's Bar
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

NYC's Parquet Courts is a good (relatively) new band fronted by Andrew Savage (who also does Fergus & Geronimo - a very nice band in their own rate). His brother Max and a couple of other dudes are in this band too. Isn't this fascinating musical information so far? Maybe I should tell you what their favorite colors and spirit animals are, as well? Or, I can just tell you what they sound like. Yeah. I can do that now.

Parquet Courts are a jingle jangle guitar bands that make you want to bounce up and down. Not jump. Just bounce. Because that's what happens when you listen to lo-fi punk ditties like this. You bounce along... pleasantly. So if you listen to Parquet Courts long enough - I guess you'll develop some really nice calf muscles. And calf muscles are the new biceps, don't you know.

But back on track - think if Lee Renaldo from Sonic Youth was playing surf-rock in NYC in 1977. That's what Parquet Courts sound like. You can listen to some of their jams below. Actually, you probably already are.

So two questions: 1.) Parquet Courts are good, right? And 2.) How did I do with that whole Lee Renaldo surf-rock NYC 1977 thing? I kind of nailed it, right? Right? Hello? Guys? Hello?



Parquet Courts play The Echo, on Tuesday, January 15th.

12/31 Mayer Hawthorne, Dam-Funk, Peanut Butter Wolf @ Secret Location (Stones Throw & FYF Present)
12/31 Daedelus, Tokimonsta @ Secret Location
1/22 Jessie Ware @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
1/24 FIDLAR @ Amoeba Music- Hollywood
2/07 Solange @ House of Blues Los Angeles
2/09 Santigold @ House of Blues Los Angeles
2/10 deadmau5 @ House of Blues Los Angeles

FIND ALL NEW JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

New Year’s Eve is a celebratory night immediately preceding New Year’s Day, a celebratory day if not for the lack of postal mail. New Year’s Day is the first day of a New Year - in this case, 2013. New Year’s Eve is the last day of an Old Year - in this case, 2012.

Though time is but an allusion and no calendar can contain its fluid whims of furious passage, many people throughout this land like to celebrate this transition from an Old Year into a New Year. This annual metamorphosis is oftentimes celebrated by venturing outside of the house to find a public establishment in which to clock watch with other like-minded individuals. This gathering and subsequent socialization is called being “merry.”

Merriment means many things to most people. Some believe being merry means imbibing liquids that alter your perceptions of this transitory reality in order to get a better cerebral grasp on the curious concept of fleeting infiniteness. Others believe being merry involves moving your body in time with rhythmic music - often performed on a raised platform, i.e. a “stage,” by a musical collective. And still others believe being merry involves spending a significant sum of money on things that on any other ordinary Eve wouldn’t even cost a fraction as much.

So in order to help you make sense of things we’ve listed The Best New Year’s Eve Shows. It will help you determine which musical collectives you should see and where and how much and why. It won’t help you solve The Riddle of Time, however. That’s up to the wind in which we are all dust.

In summation....Happy New Year! Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes!

New Year’s Eve is a celebratory night immediately preceding New Year’s Day, a celebratory day if not for the lack of postal mail. New Year’s Day is the first day of a New Year - in this case, 2013. New Year’s Eve is the last day of an Old Year - in this case, 2012.

Though time is but an allusion and no calendar can contain its fluid whims of furious passage, many people throughout this land like to celebrate this transition from an Old Year into a New Year. This annual metamorphosis is oftentimes celebrated by venturing outside of the house to find a public establishment in which to clock watch with other like-minded individuals. This gathering and subsequent socialization is called being “merry.”

Merriment means many things to most people. Some believe being merry means imbibing liquids that alter your perceptions of this transitory reality in order to get a better cerebral grasp on the curious concept of fleeting infiniteness. Others believe being merry involves moving your body in time with rhythmic music - often performed on a raised platform, i.e. a “stage,” by a musical collective. And still others believe being merry involves spending a significant sum of money on things that on any other ordinary Eve wouldn’t even cost a fraction as much.

So in order to help you make sense of things we’ve listed The Best New Year’s Eve Shows. It will help you determine which musical collectives you should see and where and how much and why. It won’t help you solve The Riddle of Time, however. That’s up to the wind in which we are all dust.

In summation....Happy New Year! Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes!

Hey now! Here's some good lo-fi bedroom scuzz-pop that hits you with just the right amount of pleasant psych-surf haze, leaving you feeling contentedly chill. Can never have too much contentment or chill in your musical life, right?

Gap Dream is the project of Gabriel Fulvimar. He's from Cleveland. You know who else is from Cleveland? Cloud Nothings. Maybe there's a scene situation brewing in that city that's going to go global. That would be nice for that Cleveland. They need something since the Whore from Akron left them.

Anyway, consider Gap Dream as a cross between something like Woods and Ducktails and Thee Oh Sees. And then reconsider that. Because I'm not sure that's right. What is very right are Gap Dream's slow groovy jams; they'll make you want to tune in turn out drop out... or at the very least, just spend the $10 to see them play.

Gap Dream recently released a debut on Burger Records, but if you're a fan of most of the Captured Tracks roster (or Underwater Peoples, for that matter), I can definitely see you being into Gap Dream. It's the same kind of sitch.



Gap Dream play The Echo, on Friday, December 21st.

1/11 Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ The Glass House
1/16 Tycho @ The Observatory
1/22 Ferraby Lionheart @ Los Globos
1/22 Cat Power @ The Observatory
2/01 Geographer @ The Echo
2/15 Icona Pop @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
2/17 The Hives @ House Of Blues Anaheim
3/05 Maserati @ The Satellite
3/22 The Black Lips, Bleached, Tijuana Panthers @ The Observatory (Burgerama-Day 1)
3/23 Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, King Tuff, Allah-Las, Gap Dream @ The Observatory (Burgerama-Day 2)
3/28 Caveman @ Troubadour
3/29 Daedelus @ The Fonda Theatre
3/30 Daedelus @ The Glass House
4/27 The Proclaimers @ McCabe's Guitar Shop
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

Missed Dirty Projectors tickets? Sign up for MY ROCKNESS to get our SHOW ALERT EMAILS and you'll know when we know!

12/28 Qui @ The Echo
12/29 Rich Aucoin @ CENTRAL S.A.P.C.
12/29 Peter Murphy @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
12/30 Peter Murphy @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
12/31 A$AP ROCKY @ House of Blues Los Angeles
1/23 The Airborne Toxic Event @ Mayan Theater
1/23 Quicksand @ The Glass House
1/25 Mike Watt & The Missing Men @ The Echo (Echoplex)
1/26 Muse @ Staples Center
1/28 Adam Green & Binki Shapiro @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
1/31 Ultraista @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery
2/01 Karl Denson's Tiny Universe @ El Rey Theatre
2/05 Dirty Projectors @ Troubadour
2/08 OFF! @ The Fonda Theatre
2/09 Petra Haden Choir @ First Unitarian Church
2/09 Seapony @ Los Globos
2/15 Icona Pop @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
2/16 Icona Pop @ Troubadour
2/22 The Night Marchers @ The Satellite
2/26 Goldroom @ Dim Mak Studios
3/05 Alpine @ Bootleg
3/07 Nu Sensae @ The Echo
3/13 Frightened Rabbit @ The Fonda Theatre
3/20 Lianne La Havas @ El Rey Theatre
3/21 Matt Costa @ Troubadour
5/25 Fleetwood Mac @ Hollywood Bowl
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

12/13 Cass McCombs @ Del Monte Speakeasy
12/28 Rich Aucoin @ The Satellite
12/29 White Fence @ The Smell
1/11 Taken By Trees @ The Echo
1/13 Tycho @ Troubadour
1/14 Tycho @ Troubadour
1/15 Drop the Lime @ Dim Mak Studios
1/15 Parquet Courts @ The Echo
1/16 Andrew Bird @ Largo
1/17 Andrew Bird @ Largo
1/17 Tift Merritt, Damien Jurado @ Troubadour ("Write The Night")
1/18 Andrew Bird @ Largo
1/18 Henry Rollins @ McCabe's Guitar Shop
1/18 Henry Rollins @ McCabe's Guitar Shop
1/18 So Many Wizards @ The Smell
1/22 MS MR @ The Echo
1/25 Wovenhand @ The Satellite
1/29 Adam Green & Binki Shapiro @ Bootleg
2/01 Tegan & Sara @ Club Nokia
2/08 Chelsea Wolfe @ First Unitarian Church
2/19 Buke and Gase @ The Echo
2/21 Indians @ The Echo
3/01 Kishi Bashi @ Troubadour
3/02 Starfucker @ The Fonda Theatre
3/08 Darwin Deez @ The Echo
3/08 Boy @ Troubadour
3/23 Django Django @ The Fonda Theatre
5/15 IAMX @ The Fonda Theatre
5/23 Shout Out Louds @ El Rey Theatre
AND MORE...
FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

You know one of those bands that you're just sure is going to "make it" (whatever that means, but if we're honest with each other we both know what that means) and then don't? For me, The XYZ Affair was one of those bands. I always thought they wrote power-pop hooks that were as catchy as any Rivers Cuomo ever did (am I tossing around hyperbole there? perhaps.... perhaps not.... ). But for whatever reason, that band didn't find a sustainable audience.

Luckily though, frontman Alex Feder is still making music (and I'm not even talking about his gig as a touring musician for a massive world famous pop star either - look it up). Feder's newest project is Leonard Friend. Feder is Friend. Friend is Feder.

Using the same amazing tenor you came to love when he was in The XYZ Affair (oh wait, you didn't love them - see my point above - but it's never too late to go back and check them out, guys! it'll be, like, how Van Gogh was never appreciated in his lifetime- am I tossing hyperbole? perhaps.... perhaps not.... ), Leonard Friend is seductive synth-pop. It's polished and poppy and good for naked necking or whatever it is the kids do these days (we hear "sexting" is a new popular activity involving technology).

Perhaps a Chad Valley or a Twin Shadow could be apt comparisons to Leonard Friend. Or, you know, Michael Jackson. It's definitely not power-pop like XYZ though. Just in case you were expecting that. But you weren't expecting that BECAUSE YOU NEVER GAVE THAT BAND ITS DUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I digress. Consider getting into Leonard Friend if you like sexy electro jams like I like sexy electro jams. And then consider seeing Leonard Friend play these jams live. That will give you the opportunity to apologize to Feder in person for neglecting his previous band, The XYZ AFFAIR. Shame. Shame. Shame. (It's ok. It happens.)



Leonard Friend plays a FREE show at Bootleg, on Monday, December 17th.

We are so super excited to present this show at The Echo this Sunday night 12/9, featuring THE BABIES, GRASS WIDOW and WET ILLUSTRATED!

GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!

Then come stop by our table and say hi to Lillian! She'll give you some OMR pins and earplugs. Yay!

Grass Widow "Milo Minute" from Aubree Bernier-Clarke on Vimeo.

We have tickets to give away to see TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS at The Fonda on Wednesday, December 19th!

For show information and tickets, click here.

Enter your name and email address below for a chance to win. Only one entry per email address will be accepted. Winner will be randomly selected on 12/17. Good luck!

Another year. Another 365 days of our hopes and dreams slowly (but surely!) dissipating into a cesspool of regret! Just kidding, guys. Come on. I’m just J’ing to the K! 2012 was a pretty good year.... all things considered. My cat came back, I cut the credit card, and I even sweated for pleasure... twice. Oh yeah, I also saw some good shows and got to listen to some pretty big time jams. And those big time jams are what I want to talk to you about today (maybe I’ll get around to talking about those shows too - only the online content gods know, guys... only the online content gods know).

Below is a list of my favorite ten songs of 2012. They are in no particular order - unless my subconscious was at work again without me knowing it. I wouldn’t be surprised. My subconscious can be a real sneaky bastard.

So without further ado... let’s ado this!

Oh My Rockness’ Top Ten Songs of 2012



DIIV :: (Druun)
This here is just a really pretty instrumental guitar song. Why don’t more bands just try to make pretty songs like this? Is it because it’s hard to make pretty songs? Yeah. That’s probably it. This song should be used in a movie montage - preferably when the flawed main character (he’s damaged, sure, but he has a good heart), finds that almost in spite of himself he’s having a really nice day with someone he never expected to have a nice day with. I can totally hear “(Druun)” when that montage happens. Oh wait, maybe I’m just describing my next screenplay. Hey DIIV, can I use (Druun) when I make that movie? Shhh. Say no more. That’s a deal.

Diiv - Druun from Alex Williams on Vimeo.

College :: A Real Hero (featuring Electric Youth)
Ok. Fine. Fine. Technically, this song was featured prominently in the film “Drive” which came out at the end of 2011. And even more technically, the song was a few years old before it was even in that movie. But I’m including it on this list because 1.) Rules were made to be broken, 2.) I saw “Drive” for the first time in 2012 and 3.) THIS IS MY MUSIC BLOB SO LEAVE ME AND BRITNEY ALONE!!! (That reference is nowhere even close to being from 2012.) So this must be one helluva song to find all those loopholes, yes? Yes. It’s one helluva song. You’ve got your classic College bass-y synth sound that takes my soul to strangely intoxicating places under the subtly beautiful vocals of Elecric Youth’s Brownyn Griffin. It’s a song that takes you somewhere better. And perhaps more impressively, it left me leaving “Drive” thinking it was a better movie than it actually was (so... what Michael Mann perfected in the ‘80s....yeah?).





Poindexter :: Helpless
I consider this to be the definitive jam of my summer. It’s the perfect summer song. Seriously. Blast it right now and you’ll know what we mean. Go ahead. Blast it. We’ll wait. Are you blasting it? Good. Now doesn’t it make you want to go surfing or lick a cone or cruise in a convertible or make out under the bleachers or get stoned or whatever it is the kids do these days in summer? It doesn't even matter that the guy is singing about, you know, being helpless...and falling to pieces...and having his heart stolen and broken. But moving on, when I first heard this song, I thought “Helpless” was going to be HUGE. But a few months after its release, I’m still not even sure who this Poindexter guy is. I guess he’s from Portland? And his name might be Andrew? Um... that’s all I got. Thanks a lot! You guys have been great! Louie CK is up next! But first, lemme see you put your hands together for “Hhhhhhhelppppless!”





Chad Valley :: Younger Hunger
Oh, Chad. I mean, Hugo. You know you’ll always make any top ten list that I do (unless you don’t put anything out for a year... or, if you do, all the songs completely blow... but that will never happen with you, Chad... I mean, Hugo). “Younger Hunger” is the best song from Chad Valley’s newest album. That album is called.... wait for it.... "Younger Hunger." So even Chad (I mean, Hugo) knows this is his best jam. Go ahead and give this a spin (that’s an old disc jockey, aka “DJ” term - you see music wasn’t always streamed - I know! - there was a time when songs were played on wax that “spun” around and around). I bet this song will make you feel a little bit better about your day. And I hope it gives you hope that your night has a chance to be transcendent. You can thank Chad for that. I mean.... Hugo.





Fang Island :: Victorinian
This is quite possibly the most optimistic song I have heard. Not this year. OF ALL TIME. You calling me hyperbolic? You calling me hyperbolic? Well I’m the only one here. Who the f.... well, never mind about all that. So I get how these guys can be polarizing. Because no matter what happens - there will always be people who shit on hope and enthusiasm. And Fang Island have plenty of both, it seems. But I don’t hate those people who hate enthusiasm. Cuz that’s just hate spinning (not to be confused with the DJ term) it’s hateful wheels, you know? Yeah. You know. I encourage anti-enthusiastic people to listen to “Victorinian.” See if the listen plants a tiny seed of hope in your heart. Then hopefully you’ll want to listen to this hopeful JAM a few dozen more times. And perhaps that tiny seed of hope will sprout into a tiny sapling of happiness. I’m not saying it’s going to happen. I’m just saying it could. As for me, I now have a big old tree of hope in my heart. That’s how many times I’ve listened to this song in 2012. I call that tree Old Hopeful.... for now. I’m open to other suggestions.... for the name of my tree... in my heart.





Japandroids :: Younger Us
Speaking of hope.... hmmm, I’m sensing a theme emerging with these ten songs (damn you, you sneaky subconcious!) Japandroids are one optimistic, happy, fun band. And “Younger Us” is a song that’ll make your eyes well up with pride for humanity and the fragile, beautiful world in which we all exist in and enjoy together. Or, you know, it’ll just make you want to rock out really hard. Yeah. That’s probably it. There are very few better “rock out” bands right now than these two dudes. So Hallelujah (!) for Japandroids and here’s to being young FOREVER.... even if we’re all already the oldest we’ve ever been :(





Royal Headache :: Never Again
It was hard to pick just one Royal Headache song as a top ten song of 2012 because, honestly, all of their songs kind of sound the same. But it’s a really good sound these Australians consistently rock. So I don’t hold the uniformity against them. To me, it just means they do awesome over and over and over again. And what’s wrong with that? Nothing. But “Never Again” is as good of a place as any to get introduced to these guys. I recommended listening to this song after a night of heavy drinking. Because this will make you want to jump around and sweat out some of those poisonous toxins before going to bed. And because you found that second wind to jump around to Royal Headache, the next morning will be slightly easier to embrace. However, depending on how much you went for it, you still might wake up with one royal..... oh nevermind. (PS I didn't know Tom Jones was the singer of this band)





Ricki-Lee :: Do It Like That (Fred Falke remix)
I still don’t really know who Ricki-Lee is. She’s probably pretty famous. But I know who Fred Falke is. You can bet I know that. He’s one of the best dance jam remixers in the game. And when I stumbled across this mix he did, I gave it a listen. I’ll listen to anything that guy remixes. So I think this is the kind of song they play “at the club.” And maybe Ricki-Lee is really huge “at the club.” But I don’t go to those clubs. I can get bottle service on my couch, thank you very much. But dammit if this isn’t a BIG TIME JAM (and I make my CAPS LOCK count - so you know things are getting serious). Maybe it borders on being the kind of song they played at the terrible roller rink I used to hang out in 7th grade where everyone skated around in tight-rolled stonewashed jeans... but I don’t care. This is a JAM. And you know what? I’m just realizing right now that I’ve never even heard the Ricki-Lee’s original version. Maybe it rules as much as this? I doubt it though. Fred Falke makes this jam a JAM. I just know it.





Fort Romeau :: Jack Rollin’
Another dance JAM - but not necessarily one they would “spin” “at the club.” I don’t know - I guess it depends how cool the club is. But if the club’s bathroom is illuminated in black light and has an attendant handing you paper towels and also trying to sell you random shit like candy and hair gel - no chance that club is playing “Jack Rollin’.” This song, while stellar throughout, really gets good around the 2:40 mark when it does that “check-uh-check-uh-check-uh-check” thing or whatever it is that machine-made robot man is saying. That part gets me revved up and ready to rage (or at least get off my aforementioned couch and hunt for my remote with more zeal). So be sure to stick around for that part. The best part.





Sky Ferreira :: Everything is Embarrassing
Am I slightly embarrassed that this made my top ten songs of 2012 list? Perhaps, guys..... perhaps. But hey, it’s not my fault that the former family friend of the late great Michael Jackson, who was born in 1992 and has a Twitter profile that just says “like, whatever” and whose career seems manufactured by someone or something, made a big time JAM in 2012. It’s not my fault. I just sorta work here.



So those are my top ten songs (i.e. JAMS) of the year. Tah-dah! Hope you enjoy them. Hope your 2012 was good. Hope your 2013 is better.

Remember when we wrote about a Happy Birthday and told you that singer Kyle Thomas was in another band called King Tuff? Yeah, I didn't think so. But pretend you do remember, and then pretend you're excited to finally know what this King Tuff band is all about. Thanks for pretending!

And bud, you've come to the right place. Because we're here to tell you that King Tuff is a band that plays super catchy garage-pop with a hint of a doo-wop sock-hop vibe. Mystery revealed! And the music made is much more precious than the name King Tuff implies. You'd think a band named King Tuff would want to throttle you before throwing you off a cliff or something. But no, these Tuff-y dudes just wanna chill out and booze with you.

As for band comparisons, I'm mostly sticking with what I said for Happy Birthday: Girls, The Smith Westerns... maybe the late great Jay Reatard. But here's something new: how about I say that King Tuff sort of sounds like that one band that sang that song "That Thing You Do" for that movie I never saw... but like a drunk, blown out version of that band. How about that?



King Tuff plays The Echo, on Thursday, December 13th, and the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, on Friday, December 14th.

Alt-J (the Mac command to get the "Delta" sign that's really their name. Get it? Me neither...) is an eccentro-pop band that's, well, kind of weird I guess (instead of a cymbal the drummer uses a saucepan... now THAT'S zany!). But they're wacky in that completely melodic way that the radio really likes. Call Alt-J "safely strange" then.

Supposedly, the four members of Alt-J are from Cambridge (the English one, guys - not everything REVOLVES AROUND THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED STATES!). But Alt-J has a sound that could easily fit in with that glossy pop thing that exists in parts of the LA music scene. You know that glossy pop thing I mean. I know you do (however if you're wearing a fedora right now, I don't expect you to get it).

On a related note, Alt-J should consider touring with LA's Milo Greene... and maybe that other LA band, American Royalty. You're welcome, booking agents everywhere.

Anyway, Alt-J is probably going to be famous. They just have that famous sound. At the very least, I hear many commercials in their future. After all, every good marketer knows that singable wackiness helps sell cars and jeans and tablets.

Alt-J plays The Fonda, on Wednesday, December 12th.

12/10 Aziz Ansari, Beck @ Club Nokia (We Hate Hurricanes)
12/13 Mike Watt & The Missing Men @ 3Clubs (Dirty Laundry Holiday Party)
12/13 The Weeknd @ The Observatory
12/15 The Weeknd @ Orpheum Theatre
12/19 Big Black Delta @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
12/20 Shlohmo @ The Echo
12/22 Big Black Delta @ The Satellite
1/04 Lord Huron @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
1/19 He's My Brother She's My Sister @ Troubadour
1/20 Fidlar @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
1/22 Quicksand @ The Fonda Theatre
1/24 El Ten Eleven @ The Observatory (Constellation Room)
1/25 El Ten Eleven @ Central Social Aid & Pleasure Club
2/01 Gaslamp Killer @ Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
2/09 Incan Abraham, Cuckoo Chaos @ The Satellite
2/14 EELS @ The Observatory
2/15 Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Foxygen, Gothic Tropic @ The Echo (Echoplex)
2/15 EELS @ The Fonda Theatre
2/17 Tomahawk @ The Observatory
2/19 Tomahawk @ Mayan Theater
2/28 Jukebox The Ghost, Matt Pond PA @ The Echo
3/01 Electric Six @ The Observatory
3/02 Electric Six @ Troubadour
3/07 Why? @ The Glass House
3/09 Efterklang @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/28 Jamie Lidell @ The Echo (Echoplex)
3/29 Veronica Falls, Golden Girls @ Troubadour
AND MORE...

FIND ALL JUST ANNOUNCED SHOWS HERE >>

How to Dress Well is a guy from Brooklyn (and sometimes Cologne, but by all accounts, not both at the same time) named Tom Krell. He's been called an R & B bedroom producer, so I'll call him that too... though that seems to imply that he makes bedrooms.

He's one of the new princes -- with Active Child, perhaps -- of the burgeoning Alt 'n B scene. Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear are already the old princes... they may even be kings already... my how quickly time and titles change in these rapid days of the World Wide Web.

How to Dress Well makes some super smooth looped and sampled slow-time pop/rap/soulful jams that sound like musical sex. But, you know, we're not talking Color Me Badd here. This is accessibly experimental.

Krell collaborates a lot with this anonymous guy, cokc dokc. Apparently, cokc dokc's name derives from something having to do with foreskin... researching what a foreskin is now.

Anyway, if you want to roll to some jams that are all silky fine and full of seductively deliberate get-downs, you should definitely get down with How to Dress Well. And get the album that's out on Lefse (Neon Indian, Keepaway, The Delta Mirror, more bands that rule).



How to Dress Well plays The Echo (WITH BORN GOLD!), on Tuesday, December 4th.

Night Terrors of 1927 is a new band from Los Angeles that I know next to nothing about. At least I'm not pretending to be something I'm not, guys. At least there's that. But I do know that they do have a brand new jam called "Dust and Bones" (perhaps courtesy of the label Neon Gold, who put out stuff by Passion Pit and Goyte and stuff - I say perhaps because after doing extensive research Wikipedia and myself ARE JUST NOT SURE).

Anyway, this song is the reason I'm writing to you today. Because "Dust and Bones" sounds like it's just about ready take over the radio and I just thought you should get in on the ground floor of that situation so you can like it now and hate it when it's everywhere (that's the way this works, right?). This is too big for indie. Too, too big. It's a song that's got an Arcade Fire situation going on, for sure (you know, because of all the "whoah-oh-ohs"). And it's full of climbing choruses and crescendos and climaxes and other euphoria-inducing words beginning with the letter 'c.'

"Dust and Bones" is right on the border of being glossy/cheesy - but I don't think it quite crosses over to that manufactured territory quite yet. But then again, I've only listened to the song a few dozen times. So what do I know? Again... maybe nothing, guys. Maybe nothing. But listen to "Dust and Bones" for yourself.

In the meantime, I'll do some more research into this band - who are they? who are they influenced by? what is their favorite city to play in and what are their hopes and dreams? As soon as Wikipedia and I find out, we'll let you know. Don't you worry about that. You can count on me.



Night Terrors of 1927 play The Echo, on Friday, December 7th.