Blog: The Vinyl District

Greetings from Laurel Canyon! I'm confused? When I started putting together this Idelic Hour playlist I was under the impression that this was "granny week" in LA? I thought what a cool fucking idea—a playlist of songs dedicated to none other than my "momma's momma!" Grandma, a classic Idelic Hour muse it shall be. Now, days later I realize it is sadly not Granny but Grammy fever we're experiencing here in LA. Of course I will go to a party or two, schmooze around, pat backs, congratulate, complain and console with industry types. After [...]

Well, I thought it was just me but a sold out and packed to the rafters 9:30 Club Wednesday night proved me wrong: The Darkness has certainly been missed. The reunited British rockers left it all on that stage Wednesday, hitting all the hight points from their debut Permission to Land and its follow up, One Way Ticket to Hell and Back. New numbers featured throughout the set from a forthcoming release did nothing to slow the pacing. [...]

If you're half as ADD as I am, you're going to need... (Hey, so what about that new Earl Sweatshirt?) Wait, what was I saying? Oh yeah, if you're half as ADD as I am, you're going to need your weekends to be a Swiss Army knife of musical genres. Well, here in the 901 area code, we've got your back on this Friday/Saturday combo with some fantastic hip hop, hardcore, and country music to give you a chance to show off those $150 jeans you bought on impulse. Friday [...]

It's time for another edition of Weekend Shots, but this weekend is not like the others. No, this weekend is something special, friends. This weekend, we tip our hats to music clubs that are hosting a Defend Music Night show on Friday, February 10th, in an attempt to raise awareness and gain support that will ultimately make the small music venues exempt from Cleveland's 8% admission tax. This is a huge deal, Cleveland, so head out and support your local venue! There [...]

Mardi Gras is coming and it won't be long! Now's the time to get your stamina primed by practicing for the big week ahead. Besides all of the parades on St. Charles Avenue, a favorite venue is reopening, a favorite guitarist is jamming and the dogs are on parade. Here's where you'll be. The Bingo! Show is taking over the cabaret formerly known as Le Chat Noir all three nights this weekend. Led by maestro/maniac Clint Maedgen, [...]

Looking for some live music in Chicago this weekend? We've got you covered. Check out this weekend's featured show along with a more extensive weekend list below! A LULL @ Schuba's , 2/12 Chicago quintet A Lull, takes experimental rock to a whole new place. By combining organic and electronic sounds on top of endless layers of percussion, A Lull is able to blur genre lines and create something as unique as it is beautiful. Recording everything themselves, the band is allowed to create without any [...]

ELECTROCITY is throwing a vampire Valentines party this Saturday night, the 11th. This event, Love Bites , from the now bi-weekly dance party with local DJs, will be at Senses. ELECTROCITY has been growing like crazy and if you look at any of their pictures or videos on Facebook, you can tell these parties are chock full of energy and sweat. The regular ELECTROCITY guys, plus guest Myrryrs, will DJ the night. You can check out the promo mini-mix for the event here and the flyer below. And [...]

Cygnets (Logan Turner - Vocals/Bass/Guitar; Dan Snow - Synth/Vocals; Chris Bruce - Guitar/Bass/Vocals) is a 3 piece from Edmonton, Canada. Their sound is a retro mix of guitars and synths that could easily have been torn from the pages of the '80s style magazine, The Face. Founding member Turner had previously written and recorded a wealth of material alone prior to bringing in close friends Chris Bruce and Dan Snow to establish Cygnets officially as a trio. The pair brought more depth and texture to their sound by adding a flourish of [...]

by Cesar Perdomo and Lauren Goddard This week, The Vinyl District will be looking back at some of the bands that called Gold Leaf home and the music they produced during their stay, as a reminder of the importance DIY spaces provide within a creative community and as an impetus to keep the existing spaces thriving. As more artists began to settle into Gold Leaf Studios, word spread among the citizens of D.C. about a unique haven for creative individuals. As residents started to host more events, the popularity and [...]

The Beachland Ballroom served as charming host to a couple of rollicking acts this past Friday night. I was mainly in the house to get a second look at Shit-Box Jimmy, who romanced me last week at Now That's Class. The thing about last week that was on my mind was that Shit-Box played in a cramped, intimate setting, and it worked really well. This time out they had the more airy environment the Ballroom offered, and while I prefer to see them in overcrowded dungeons personally, they still put on a great performance. [...]

The Mothership emerged ever so gloriously Tuesday night at the 9:30 Club . George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic , the pioneering psychedelic funk collective, played to a diverse crowd ranging from college-age Funkensteins to grey-haired devotees. The scene was sexy, uninhibited and orgiastic. When the music started, it didn't stop. Since the Collective's inception in the late '60s, Clinton and his bandmates have forged a camaraderie whose impact is part of the roots of popular music. At 70 years old, Clinton is living, breathing, musical history. What stood out the most [...]

The alternative music festival, now in its third year, announced its preliminary lineup yesterday. The three-day festival is scheduled at venues in and around the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood on March 9-11, 2012. TVD contributor Ariane Trahan of Easy Apple is a local programming partner. Other acts that are confirmed to appear include J Roddy Walston & The Business, Big Freedia, Shayfer James, The Men, Aunt Martha, Black Taxi and The Pharmacy. Local and regional acts are also featured including Sun Hotel, Caddywhompus, Rotary Downs, Big History, Brass Bed, Katey Red, [...]

And Ms. Marian Fahey McLaughlin has why you should come out indeed: After spending the afternoon in a crazed hunting state crouched over crates of records at the DC Record Fair, wind down the day with dark and delicate folk music from Cate Le Bon and Marian Fahey McLaughlin. Sure, you might be excited to give your finds an immediate spin, but in case you want to extend your musical experience into the evening, come over to DC9 by 7:30 for a bill of two girls with guitars. [...]

Everybody who recognizes the name Doug Martsch knows the man from his long and fruitful tenure as leader of Built to Spill, but that's the only notch on his guitar strap. And if asked to cite Martsch's "other band," a considerable number of those who know him would likely offer up the name Halo Benders like the total smarties they fancied themselves to be. And they'd not be incorrect. But in addition to Martsch's involvement, that fine group also featured ex-Beat Happening/K Records honcho Calvin Johnson and longtime producer, solo artist and ex-Pell Mell member Steve [...]

Born and raised in San Francisco, Daisy McCrackin moved to Los Angeles to further her career as an actress. Whilst appearing in films such as 3000 Miles to Graceland alongside Kevin Costner, and co-starring in Halloween alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, Daisy found herself stretching her artistic horizons with music, playing guitar and writing songs between acting. It was during her two years living in the Topanga Canyon artist colony The Rodeo Grounds where she started to redefined her artistic identity. At the behest of a close friend she finally jumped full-time into [...]

by Cesar Perdomo and Lauren Goddard For the past two decades, Washington D.C. has seen some drastic changes. From streets over-run with crack to new high-rise high-priced condos punching through every open street corner and skyline available, D.C. is in a constant cycle of transformation. For the creative-minded person living in D.C. during this time of transition, it was difficult to find an inexpensive venue where artists could thrive in a city that is ubiquitously known for its landscape of Government buildings and National museums. Enter Mike Adams [...]

Fort Knox Recording's Liftoff , the band I touted as gatekeepers to the glo-fi movement, is featured today as part of Listen Local First's DC Local Music Day. The band is a collaboration of Steven Albert, Steve and Johnna Raskin (of Speedy Consuela), and Thievery Corporation's Rob Myers. They create rich sounds that are reminiscent of Saint Etienne, Calexico, Portishead, and Ennio Morrione. That's why Listen Local First honors them. Listen Local First is a musical initiative responsible for DC Local Music Day. The monthly event, which starts today, February 8th, [...]

Okay, it's 1999, and you want to go out dancing but hip hop isn't your thing. Desperate for culture and a reason to shed some energy, you talk to some in-the-know buddies who give you shady directions to an underground party in some random warehouse. When you arrive, its a scene right out of movie. The warehouse is old, dark, dank as hell and probably not even close to fire code, the music blasting out of the speakers is crispy fresh and much "cooler" than anything you've ever heard from the radio, and a loving [...]

Her resume called her a cultural anthropologist, event coordinator, and project consultant. But that doesn't even come close to summing up the life of Gloria Powers (pictured with Kermit Ruffins and John Boutte). Born in 1945, she was a tireless advocate for the musicians and the music community of New Orleans. I first encountered her when she booked Michael Ray & The Cosmic Krewe. The legendary trumpeter who played with Sun Ra and Kool and the Gang before relocating to New Orleans, led a band that had an ever-changing roster of musicians. "Glo" was the calm [...]

Whether you like it or not, Valentine's Day is less than a week away, and a whole day dedicated to love can be pretty tough if you're all by your lonesome. Fortunately, with the V-Day release of their latest record, one Chicago band wants to remind all of the broken-hearted souls out there that Unicycle Loves You . Failure , the latest release from the indie-rock trio is due out on Mecca Lecca Recording Co. , 2/14. This is the part where I highly recommend that you head to The Empty [...]