HARD Summer Festival 7/19/2008

I don't know how almost let this slip past, but a late notice is better than never.

On July 19,2008 Dim Mak, Urb Magazine, and Indie 103.1 are throwing festival at the Shrine Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The HARD Summer Festival features N.E.R.D., MSTRKRFT, Spank Rock, Kid Sister, A-Trak, and Steve Aoki. $50.

Sunset Junction 2008

The review of my experience at Sunset Junction Street Festival 2007 would be titled "Fear in Loathing in LA." You will have to use your imagination, because I can't really remember.

Lineup for Sunset Junction Street Festival 2008
Saturday, August August 23, 2008: Broken Social Scene + Cold War Kids
Sunday, August August 24, 2008: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) + Black Keys
Plus great local bands: Henry Clay People, Gram Rabbit, Happy Hollows and Castledoors.

Despite the heat, crowd, and tacky carnival amtosphere, for only $30 ($15 per day), this festival is absolutely mandatory! Go green, ride the Metro. See you there.

So L.A.

The Philippians’ sampling of hip-hop influences, moody ambient sounds, and soft vocals mimic a drive through L.A.’s hybrid urban landscape, moodily loathing our history of boosterism, while stuck in the daily freeway commute that culturally defines the city’s lifelines.

Though I haven’t bought the full album yet—it’s hard to come by in Orange County!—I’ve found any reason to play and play and play the four free tracks. Each song progresses and flows into one another like an all too short road trip, sampling Pink Martini’s "Je ne veux pas travailler" on “Tin Foil Fish” and rap/hip-hop sample on “Third Time Out.”

Still, the electronica repeats just enough to categorize and maintain musical coherency. Otherwise, various samplings make Goodnite Life Ratatat’s electronic counterpart, shifting beats, tones and styles. Add a cool ambiance and lyrical nostalgia à la RJD2’s “Making Days Longer” and voila, “Three Heart Machine.”

New York doesn’t make music like this.

The Philippians, Goodnite Life

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

Here are the L.A. shows I'm looking forward to (but will never be able to attend all) in the summer and fall. Until Orange County expands past The Detroit Bar (I'm not 21 yet), Plush Lab (the kind of bands I like play only occasionally), OCCCA (not good for when I want to see big-name acts) and Sol Art (not good when I want to hear something loud and danceable), I'm sticking to L.A. for live music.

JUNE

21 - Marissa Nadler (Fingerprints Record Shop)
27 - Arthur Magazine Benefit Party
29 - Feist (Wiltern)*
30 - Battles (Troubadour)

JULY

7 - The Decemberists, Band of Horses, Andrew Bird (Hollywood Bowl)*
10 - Klaxons (El Rey)^%
13 - Os Mutantes (El Rey)*
16 - Vampire Weekend (Troubadour)* - Tickets are sold only at the door, $5
18 - The Polyphonic Spree (El Rey)
20 - Sonic Youth (Greek Theater)
20 - The Bird and The Bee (El Rey)
21 - Daft Punk, Kavinsky, Sebastian (L.A. Sports Arena)* - SOLD OUT
25 - The Rapture (Mayan Theater)^%
26 - The Rapture (Mayan Theater)^%
26 - Sea Wolf (UCLA Hammer Museum)*
31 - Peter Bjorn & John (Henry Fonda)*

AUGUST

11 - Tiesto (L.A. Sports Arena)
18 - Blonde Redhead (Sunset Junction)
19 - Blonde Redhead (Glass House)*
25 - Au Revoir Simone (Troubadour)
28 - Gogol Bordello (Henry Fonda)*
29 - Wilco (Greek Theater)

SEPTEMBER

9 - Paul Oakenfold, Underworld (Hollywood Bowl)
13 - Wolf Parade (El Rey)
14 - Cinematic Orchestra (El Rey)*
18 - Animal Collective (Henry Fonda)*
19 - New Pornographers (Henry Fonda)
20 - New Pornographers (Henry Fonda)
22 - Simian Mobile Disco (Echo)*
29 - Bright Eyes (Hollywood Bowl)*

OCTOBER

13 - Devendra Banhart (Orpheum)*
17 - The Black Lips (Glass House)
28 - Final Fantasy (Troubadour)* - Possible Beirut appearance?

* - Extra enthusiasm
% - Call them what you will, but the New Rave/dance-rock fads are good for dancing if nothing else