Earlier this year, Geoff Geis , solo artist and principal provocateur in the band Pizza! , launched his own (cassette/digital) label, Vanity Projects, to release his album "Princess." Future plans include releasing music by many of his friends in the L.A. underground, including Magick Orchids, the Monolators, Nima and Geoff (his collaboration with Nima Kazerouni of So Many Wizards) and Pizza!. By way of introductions, though, Vanity Projects has just released a free 20-track sampler, "Vanity Loves Company: Autumn/Winter 2011." All the aforementioned artists, plus Big Whup, Gold Line, Maston and more, are represented. Included is [...]
Nov 10, 2011, 1:02pm
Fmly

That image above was created by Champoy Hate, a FMLY favorite and a member of LA's lovely Magick Orchids. Magick Orchids is just one of many rad musical projects that contributed to this new digital mixtape, Vanity Loves Company: Vanity Projects Autumn/Winter 2011 . You're welcome to download the mix via bandcamp, and feel free to share it with your friends! Vanity Projects is a new label from LA . Earlier, we released my solo album Princess , and later this month we'll have the new album from Magick Orchids called Origins of [...]

[Happy November. And happy birthday to Eulogies' Peter Walker ...] Tuesday's touts: ► Shonen Knife have been fun for a long time, and on many continents. The Japanese pop-punk standouts are celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band, and they visit the Echoplex on the heels of their latest release "Osaka Ramones," a tribute to the band in whose shadow they've rocked for three decades. The high energy starts early, with L.A.'s Monolators and [...]
Aug 30, 2011, 4:23pm
Fmly

This weekend, we held the first "Thank You, Come Again" on LA's East side, at Tierra de la Culebra park in Highland Park. We had a tremendously nice time eating potluck, chilling in the shade on one of the hottest days of the summer, and generally enjoying the gorgeous atmosphere created by the people at Arts Corps LA . We're really grateful to them for all that they do, and we hope that they'll host us again! At the top of this post is a picture of Mary and Eli Monolator, who performed a frantic medley of [...]
THE MONOLATORS, EMA AND THE GHOSTS, AND MINOR ME ON SATURDAY APR. 30TH AT THE DA CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 252 SOUTH MAIN STREET, POMONA. 7:30PM/ $5/ ALL AGES
Shows to consider while waiting to find out how Local Natives sound with a string quartet (11:15 a.m., KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic): ► The co-headlining tour featuring experimental rockers Tera Melos and guitar whiz Marnie Stern hits the Echo, where Poweraxe opens. That's Tera Melos' video for "Manar the Magic," above; the song features a guest spot from Mike Watt, and it's downloadable here . ► Rapper P.O.S. joins the party at the Satellite for this week's installment of the Har Mar Superstar [...]
Top 5 shows on a very good night for local music: ► It's officially the release date for Olin & the Moon's new album "Footsteps" — the L.A. quintet (augmented by string players) is celebrating with a Tuesday residency this month at the Echo, where tonight Coyol and Paulie Pesh support. ► Willoughby , with Henry Wolfe , plays the Hotel Cafe. I don't think I ever posted the video for Willoughby's "Frankenstein," so here you have it. The song is from 20082s "I Know What You're [...]
PETER & THE WOLF, BLACK JESUS, MOSES CAMPBELL, AND THE MONOLATORS ON THURSDAY JAN. 6TH AT THE SMELL, 247 SOUTH MAIN STREET, LOS ANGELES. 8:30PM/ $5/ ALL AGES.
Something occurred to us when we were asked to help out with tonight's show at The Smell: We love The Smell. Seems appropriate to come to this realization when the little/big space on Main Street just happens to be celebrating their 13th Anniversary this weekend.We do have many fond memories of The Smell over the years. Many include our favorite local bands' early shows (Mia Doi Todd, Irving,

THE MONOLATORS, DOWNTOWN/ UNION, AND SHIRLEY ROLLS ON TUESDAY JAN. 4TH AT LABRIE'S, 8806 EAST COLORADO STREET, GLENDALE. 8:30PM/ FREE/ 21+.
[Nels Cline, Michael Stipe, Bernard Sumner and Beth Gibbons celebrate birthdays today — must be something special about Jan. 4 ...] Three local shows tonight to lighten your load (and bide your time until you watch Local Natives on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon): ► Torches in Trees are young, really young, but they've won friends with their winsome psychedelia, and they play the Silverlake Lounge with Railroad to Alaska and the Sunshine Factory . ► Olin [...]

Melvins Start Their Friday Night Residency Happy new year everybody. There aren't many touring bands on the road right now, so get out there and support the local musicians. Monday 1/3/11 [Pick of the Night] The Belle Brigade / Alex and Sam / The Sweet Hurt / Wyoming @ The Satellite [f/k/a Spaceland] (Free) - Make sure to get there in time to see The Sweet Hurt. [...]
On Saturday, November 6th, 2010, The Monolators put together a silver and ruby gala at Perhspace in Echo Park to celebrate the release of their double EP, Silver Cites/Ruby I'm Changing My Number . The stage area was decorated with string lights and cloudy fabric, creating a dreamy look, while a spread fit for prom kings and queens was set up with punch and snacks. Opening up the show was Hot TV , three guys, a girl, and maybe a pizza place or, in Echo Park's case, a taco truck. Their fun breezy sound reminded me [...]

Dig this: New York City four-piece the Dig — not to be confused with old '90s faves Dig — named their band in honor of the movie "Dig," the Brian Jonestown Massacre/Dandy Warhols documentary. (I know, that's a lot of Digs in one sentence.) The Dig's sometimes-atmospheric, always-hooky indie-rock only has a little bit in common with the movie's purveyors of psychedelia, though. "Electric Toys," the debut album from singer David Baldwin, singer-bassist Emile Mosseri, keyboardist Erick Eiser and drummer Jamie Alegreir, has the radio-friendly pop-step of bands like the Strokes and Editors (with whom they've [...]

The Monolators From: Los Angeles, California, United States The Monolators were featured on the first ever Devil's blog ( I've Started Something ) and have been regulars ever since. The LA band are looking for a little support to help them finish the production of a 12" vinyl record. They remain unsigned (a travesty that makes me despair of the music industry) and have put out all of their records, since [...]

The Silverlake Jubilee arrives with a bang this weekend, the first-year music and arts festival bringing some 50 bands to a three-stage neighborhood fair featuring cutting-edge DJs, comedy, spoken word, film, art and fashion — not to mention three dozen or so food trucks to satiate attendees' appetites. Buzz Bands LA has joined with Jubilee organizers to co-present the indoor stage at El Cid on Saturday and Sunday night. Eastern Conference Champions — supported by Mississippi Man, Francisco the Man and Polls — headline on Saturday; Useless Keys [...]
Best Coast's Bobb Bruno & Bethany Cosentino Hello everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Far too many exceptional shows last week including last night's NO CANCER! Benefit show with No Age , Vivian Girls , Best Coast , Graham Forest , Darker My Love and more. I do believe Bethany from Best Coast 's performance as one of their most entertaining yet. [...]
Cobra Lillies are a free-for-all freak folk band made up of several Eastside bands. The band began as a side project for The Monolators, and every time I see them they have new members and routines, which have included stomp dancing, cheerleaders, and tonight a flamboyant fashion show sketch to open the show. There were bicycle bells ringing throughout the night and all sorts of weird, down-homey folksy instruments.
photography by benjamin hoste Little Radio Summer Camp with The Henry Clay People, The Happy Hollows, and The Monolators on September 6, 2009 in downtown Los Angeles.