Blog: L.A. RECORD

It's time for L.A. RECORD to team up with Cha Cha Lounge and make a new batch of L.A. RECORD pint glasses! Artists, drawers and frequent beer drinkers: send us your art! It needs to say L.A. RECORD and CHA CHA LOUNGE somewhere on it, be a clear black-and-white line drawing (so it'll print correctly) and we need it by Tuesday, April 23. TIF preferred, JPG or PSD or something is OK! Send 'em to rsvp@larecord.com with subject PINT GLASS! We'll pick winners at the Cha Cha on the night of Tuesday, [...]

Photos and words by Debi Del Grande When OMD made its return two years ago after what seemed like a billion years, the shows at The Fonda and Club Nokia were, of course, sold out. This time around, the British synthpop masters are playing Coachella and made another stop to The Fonda. Not only was this gig sold out, the crowd was more intense, excited and definitely let OMD know they were very much appreciated. After all, this group has many many beloved hits and the new album English Electric has that OMD sound, [...]

photo by Daiana Feuer Prepare yourselves, my little pretties, for a video that will titillate some people and shock all grandmothers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU77Aa RQIhg L.A. RECORD exclusive video premiere coming soon for Dorian Wood's "La Cara Infinita" featuring Eddika Organista on vocals and Margaret Cho sitting atop a piano. Plus, behind the scenes photos and an interview with Dorian Wood. The song is awesome. — Daiana Feuer

Photos and words by Sam Saturday You could practically feel the desert in the air as The Faint and White Arrows teamed up to play the Observatory between their Coachella dates. In the process, White Arrows psyched up the crowd with cool jams, mostly from their full length Dry Land Is Not A Myth . Nebraskans The Faint turned around the cool vibe set by their opener with some glitchy throbbing rhythms. Their frenetic stage presence matched the energy of their songs, including favorites “Desperate Guys”, “The Geeks Were Right”, and “Agenda Suicide” and some brand [...]

dan kern If you’re going to learn how to be in a rock band, then you couldn’t have a better teacher than Ian Svenonius, frontman of Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up, Weird War, Chain & the Gang, etc. Svenonius’ new book, Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group , is a handy instructional manual delivered with all his stylish, erudite swagger, and a little help from the beyond. The Make-Up plays tonight at the Glass House. This interview by Eyad Karkoutly. What inspired you to write the [...]

Photos and words by Scott Sheff Thirty years may have passed since they came onto the scene, but that didn’t stop veteran grunge/punk rockers Mudhoney from delivering a fast-paced, high energy set for a packed house at The Echo. With fans passing out before the show and the smell of vomit wafting through the air, you’d think it was 1988 all over again. While there may have been less moshing and rowdiness than in years past, the older crowd still banged their heads, crowd surfed and even managed a few stage dives throughout the show. One [...]

Photos and words by Scott Sheff There are some bands whose names mirror their music, and such is the case for the all-female quartet from London called Savages. The hard-hitting, industrial-style post-punk band played to a sold-out crowd at The Echo before heading off to the big stage of Coachella, and unabashedly ripped through a loud, fierce and ferocious set of unforgettable and penetrating music. Individually, each member captivates you with their intensity and focus, but together, the music forms a loud, powerful and gritty sound that knocks you down with force and vigor, yet makes [...]

After watching Norton benefit shows pop up around the world, DJ and garage historian Howie Pyro decided to put together the most gigantic Norton Benefit of all with help from the Real Boss Hoss and Deke Dickerson. Now after four straight months of 20-hour-days, the most Norton-ian Norton benefit of all is ready to blow the walls off the Echo tomorrow. Pyro takes a moment just after receiving the beautiful custom poster collabs he made with Lance Thingmaker and Devil One to put together a liver-than-ever annotated video playlist for tomorrow’s show. THE UNTAMED [...]

luke mcgarry Decades before rich Westsiders started calling Silver Lake “East L.A.,” the real East L.A. was far hipper than an Elliott Smith mural would suggest, and had far more dedicated rock fans, too. Brown-skinned kids in Beatle boots, white-skinned kids in Nehru jackets, and mod-a-go-go girls and boys of all shapes and sizes under age eighteen went apeshit on Whittier Blvd each weekend, set loose on a rhythm-driven rampage. The 60s in East L.A. were a time when teens would pack themselves in by the hundreds and thousands into ballrooms and armories to [...]

New Build are the new band that grew out of Hot Chip (and kinda LCD Soundsystem too!) and they're going to be playing the Echoplex on Sat., Apr. 27. AND not only do we have free tickets, but we also have free VINYL, CDs and a USB stick of the new album, so you will be able to enjoy their music on every possible medium extant in the 21st century! Wanna win? Email us at rsvp@larecord.com with subject NEW BUILD and we'll pick winners! Be sure to give us your full name, address and what prize [...]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gShwv rQ-hg One thing about being L.A. RECORD is that you get to watch these bands grow from little seeds shivering in the dark that you water and fertilize with beer and adjectives and then watch them grow and blossom like florescent petunias, they grow legs and tambourines and pretty clothes. And you feel like a parent, like they're your baby and they've left the house but you get to still feel proud of them. It's weird. I don't know. But it's real. Congrats to He's My Brother She's My Sister on their TV debut. [...]

Photos by Debi Del Grande Coachella headliner Phoenix made a stop at Fox Pomona last night before they head to the desert on Saturday. Remember when they sold out the Hollywood Bowl? So so surprised this show wasn't sold out. But I guess with so many shows going on, music fans already had plans when they were announced the same week. But the lucky ones that were there danced like crazy as the guys played hit after hit, including selections from their latest Bankrupt! . The Frenchmen constantly made eye contact with the crowd as [...]

Photos by Debi Del Grande Coachella headliner Phoenix made a stop at Fox Pomona last night before they head to the desert on Saturday. Remember when they sold out the Hollywood Bowl? So so surprised this show wasn't sold out. But I guess with so many shows going on, music fans already had plans when they were announced the same week. But the lucky ones that were there danced like crazy as the guys played hit after hit, including selections from their latest Bankrupt! . The Frenchmen constantly made eye contact with the crowd as [...]

Photos and words by Leslie Kalohi It's that wonderful time of year when Coachella's main acts descend upon air-conditioned LA clubs before the journey into Indio, providing a great opportunity for those who either will not be attending or who just want the intimacy of smaller venues. Based on the screams and excitement alone from fans at Club Nokia, Passion Pit could have easily headlined one of the festival’s nights. One can easily imagine frontman Michael Angelakos’ trademark, high-register vocals carrying through the chilly, desert air. He commanded the stage right from the start, [...]

Photos and words by Ethan Shvartzman Clairy Browne delivered 110% pure diva at the Troubadour transporting us to a smokey nightclub somewhere circa 1960. The entire band gave us a show full of sultry ballads and clap-a-long jams. The new single "Love Letter" was a highlight as was the killer encores with great sax solos by Darcy McNulty. Personally, Browne won me over with medley of "The Boy Is Mine / She Plays Up to You" which momentarily broke the 60s spell with a 90s guilty pleasure. [...]

Photos and words by Debi Del Grande Making its mind-blowing debut, How To Destroy Angels took the stage at the Fox Theatre in Pomona and it was well worth the wait. With the release of Welcome Oblivion , it was only a matter of time. The right time. While many fans who were at the rail were a little disappointed they couldn't see the faces of Mariqueen Maandig and Trent Reznor (at least not right away) due to the intricate, yet sheer panels that covered the stage and kept the members in the shadows, the [...]

Words and photos by Leslie Kalohi Fans lined up for hours at Reno’s Grand Sierra Theatre, eager to be up front for The Postal Service’s FIRST show of an extensive reunion tour that will have the band busy for through the better part of summer. It was fitting that the band’s return to the stage in almost a decade coincided with the release date of the 10th anniversary edition of the Give Up . After such a lengthy absence and lack of new material, it seemed like no one would get the chance to [...]

Photos and words by Debi Del Grande Spunky Sallie Ford brought her sassy self and The Sound Outside to the Troubadour on their final stop of the tour. I was immediately drawn to the Portland quartet with Ford's vocal chops and style, the extremely tight drumming of Ford Tennis, upright bassist Tyler Tornfelt, and Jeff Munger on guitar. It wouldn't be a proper show without the venue's disco ball as Ford noticed it and had it turned on. [...]

Photos by Debi Del Grande Family, friends, art, drinks, a mariachi band, buttons, celebratory piss into a veuve clicquot bottle, a really cute dog and a brand spanking new album Head in the Dirt were part of Hanni El Khatib's exhibit on Saturday night. Don't miss him at Coachella. [View with PicLens]

Photos and words by Scott Sheff Empty cans of PBR, stage diving and a little nudity were just part of the festivities on-hand at The Echoplex as Canadian Mac DeMarco and his irreverent blend of indie rock took the stage—and the crowd—by storm. From start to finish, DeMarco and company kept the energy high as they thrashed and shredded their way through songs from DeMarco's first two albums, Rock ‘n Roll Nightclub and Mac Demarco 2 . In addition to his own tunes, DeMarco ripped through a fast-paced medley of covers, ranging from [...]