Blog: foldblog

It's almost two months away, but worth noting. At the Bordello downtown, a night of compositions of legendary Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett is in the works, featuring "20 or so of Los Angeles' finest and most fearless performers." So far on the bill: Mezzanine Owls, Pity Party, Midnight Movies, Eleni Mandell, Irving, Priscilla Ahn, Good Listeners, Gwendolyn, Biirdie, Nora Keyes, Moon Upstairs, Big Search, Marjorie Faire, Thundersnail (Amps for Christ), Bedroom Walls, and many more...in fact the final line up is still brewing, so stay tuned. Chatter about some other performers being lined up is [...]

Affable and down-to-earth seven piece act Castledoor played the Silverlake last night, and I hear that before their folky-pop set, a sound check revealed a phantom low humming sound. Frontman Nate Cole wagged his finger to the stage behind him and announced unknowingly: "Yeah there's a big buzz up here..." earning titters from the crowd. The sound problem was fixed, but there's a buzz alright... I admit to YouTubing and Myspace stalking them, and giddily looking forward to the co-residency they're set to rawk with Buffalo Roam in March. Check out this show [...]

This Monday Feb. 19th, the Silversun Pickups will be playing in town- on Jay Leno. Tune in, or if you're really in the mood for a live show, I imagine you could line up at the NBC studios with some Wichita tourists for a few hours. Actually, I have no idea how that works. They're slated to be on with Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson....but conspicuously no Paula Abdul. Maybe they'll catch up with Paula and MC Scat Cat (below) for some bar hopping afterwards though.

Okay, so this is worthy of jotting down: In Waves , the dreamy, layered dark pop trio has the Fold's Tuesday residency for February, but they're hopping between the Silverlake and El Cid. So for the remaining few dates, take some notes on where to catch them- it's worth it. They're groovy. Silverlake Lounge Tuesday, Feb 20th El Cid, Tuesday, Feb 27th

When I saw Wires on Fire open for the Cold War Kids almost a year ago, I was shocked to when these four peachy youngins melted my face off with screeching rock. They'll be playing the Silverlake Lounge residency in April, which happens to have not four, but five Mondays. April 23rd, they share a bill with the LA based jagged rock trio Qui, who has David Yow, of Scratch Acid and the Jesus Lizard, on vocals. Have a gander at this Pitchfork article for the deets.

It's Valentine's Day, and love/unrequited obsession is in the air. My object of constant, drooly preoccupation these days is a little nook named Elf - a new Echo Park eatery on Sunset near Alvarado. Leave me alone- I can totally be in love with a restaurant. Founded and staffed by the members of ethereal psychedelic band Viva K, Elf Cafe features organic vegetarian food and a cozy mellow setting. The open kitchen is tiny and immaculate, and gives a view of the meticulous preparations of phyllo dough tarts, pressed whole wheat sandwiches, and some sort of [...]

Last Wednesday, I popped by the Silverlake Lounge late, just in time to catch the riveting action of the last band wrapping their cords. Mulling about for a while, I noticed a new face at the door: a tiny chick from Finland named Yenny. Or Yennie. Or Yeni, or something. Turns out it's spelled Jenni, and not only does she man the clipboard at Fold shows, but she's also an esteemed bassist, laying down some funky rhythms for Eskimohunter, Har Mar Superstar, Junior Senior and, yep-- even Melanie C., former Spice Girl. She's fully [...]

I love tiny little instruments, and there's nothing like a quality whorehouse. Thursday, pixie uke-leer Janet Klein is playing with her Parlour Boys at The Bordello, which just re-opened downtown. You may have been to the spot in its former life when it was Little Pedro's, a dark little joint with a taxidermied polar bear suspended from from the ceiling by bike chains. A few months ago, they closed and gutted the place, and its current incarnation is modeled after a lush, velvet-surfaced brothel, complete with a bed tucked in a wall nook. [...]

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There's just something about a champion that makes you want to w00t! in victory. The nebulously dubbed, indie rock trio Eastern Conference Champions storm the Silverlake Lounge tonight, putting Mondays in a headlock for the month of February. Rumor has it that Castledoor, who open tonight but share a co-residency next month with Buffalo Roam, are pretty bitchin' too. Maybe Monday doesn't suck so much after all.

check castledoor's video here

Softlightes CD Release is being held February 9th at The Fold in Tangier

I dutifully attended the last show of the Pity Party's monthlong residency, because plainly: I loff them. Bizarre and electro-minimalist, they sound like the synth-y love baby of Devo and Metric. Also, I enjoy watching Maurice Robert's headband wilt slowly down his face until it falls over his eyes and he yanks it off in a flustered huff. What I was not expecting Monday was to fall headlong in lust for the Happy Hallows , whose singer/guitarist Sarah Negahdari (dressed in white knee socks, short shorts and a billowing Edwardian blouse) screamed and shook [...]

Earl Greyhound played the Silverlake Lounge last night, and operatives tell me that it was an agoraphobe's nightmare. A line snaked out the door, and inside was thick with humans waiting for some serious rock to occur. I caught them Tuesday night at El Cid, and the very first thing that struck me was the sight of percussive legend Ricc Sheridan's bass drum. (And his canyon of an ass crack as he bent over setting up.) The sparkle green Ludwig kick is larger than my kitchen table, rumoured to be 97 inches [...]

Sure-- it was over a week ago, but good things warrant heralding, even after the fact. Sonic Boom who consists soley of Pete Kember of Spaceman 3- played a psychedelic, experimental set at Silverlake Lounge on January 30th, and folks are still yammering about The Awesome that ensued. Like a switchboard operator, he mastered over a bay of analog circuitry, stabbing cables in and out to create signals which were fed directly into the PA systems. No microphones. No computers. Pure spacey, throbbing noise. 175 people stood in stunned silence [...]

Who'd a thunk these local losers would knock Beyonce out of the number one spot on MTV...

A back-to-back hailstorm of rawk is about to befall Los Angeles in the form of Brooklyn-based trio, Earl Greyhound. Riding on a buzzcloud and embarking on a monthlong tour, they stop into El Cid on Tuesday and Silverlake Lounge on Wednesday with riffs that would make T. Rex proud (and an afro that could shame Wolfmother.) Balmy Los Angeles should be a welcome break for the three: we just heard that 50 miles outside of Bismarck, North-Freakin'-Dakota their tour van hit a patch of ice, and somersaulted over three times. The van was totalled, but apparently the [...]

Watch for changes soon to the FoldSilverlake.com site... It's currently breathing in the heavy fumes of sedation, ready for a bit of an overhaul. This is, after all, Los Angeles.

Tamale Guy is not coming tonight.