On Friday, I had the weird and esteemed honor of attending the kick-off event for the mall tour put together by Hot Topic and the good folks of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Of course, if all you came for was the eight-minute performance by Death Cab For Cutie, you might not have known Hot Topic was involved — all logos were hidden and banners rolled up for their micro set. Then again, considering the presence of the über-dreamy cast — not too mention longer performances by Anya Marina, Sea Wolf and Band Of Skulls — I’m sure the subtler details went to the wayside.
Read about it here (via Spin). Bad quality, but proof they actually showed:
Thank God it’s still Friday, because I just discovered something waaaaaaaaay fonky (yes, that is an intentional “o”). Mega huge big-ups to Kristi Lomax at KPFK for spinning this jam on her new “One Track Mind” show. Holy smokes. Give it to the 1:40 mark to convince ya. Once the synths arrive, you’ll know you came to the right place.
The legendary Pixies began the U.S. wing of their Doolittle tour last night in Los Angeles, kicking off back-to-back nights at the Hollywood Palladium. No Age opened, and all told, it was a pretty magical night. Read about it here (via LA Weekly’s West Coast Sound).
1. Short shorts, possibly leather, probably black, combined with a tight-fitting, logo-sporting T-shirt (often in a color to match the shorts) and, most importantly, the inexplicable presence of knee pads.
“Last night, Devo stripped off their yellow plastic jumpsuits to reveal rollerbladerhosen. Too bad they left the helmets at home.”
It’s true. This week’s installment of the INCHES L.A. vinyl column focuses entirely on the output of local indie , Dangerbird Records. I hand-picked a combination of the label’s best-for-listening and most innovative releases, including stuff from all of the bands mentioned above — flagship players like Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, Darker My Love, and Eulogies. MP3s from all four are included, along with the requisite photos, reviews, and recommendations, plus a Top Ten chart from Origami Vinyl.
Last night Devo surprised the hell out of the Henry Fonda Theater’s sold-out crowd. In short, the ancient New Wave innovators slayed, proving with grandly nerdy fanfare that, truly, age ain’t nothin’ but a number. They do it again tonight, except performing their 1980 LP, Freedom Of Choice, front to back, whereas last night’s show featured all of the band’s Brian Eno-produced debut, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!. Read about it here, and check out the excellent photos from Andrew Herrold.
