North To South

Tonight! Tonight!

2010-02-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

This is going on tonight, RSVP is a must! It's gonna be pretty dope so go if you can.

@THE ROXY
9009 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
10pm-2am
18+

RSVP: http://www.scion.com/houseparty/

New Releases

2010-02-03T00:02:00.001-08:00

These are the new CDs out this week.

Lil Wayne, Rebirth
Midlake, The Courage of Others
Salvador Santana, Keyboard City
The Soft Pack, The Soft Pack*

*Can't wait to get my hands on this.

Weekly Events

2010-02-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

This is a list of some awesome shows and events going down in the LA area this week. Enjoy!

Monday
-KROQ Locals Only Presents: The Useless Keys @ The Echo
-Do Make Say Think, The Happiness project, Years @ Troubadour
-Abe Vigoda @ Pehrspace
-Princeton, 60 Watt Kid, Active Child @ Spaceland

Tuesday
-Dim Mak Tuesdays @Cinespace
-Ferraby Lionheart, Willoughby @ Bootleg
-The Nervous Wreckords (members of Louis XIV) @ Bootleg
-Wale @ The Roxy

Wednesday
-Prefuse 73, Gaslamp Killer, VOICEsVOICEs @ Troubadour
-NOMO @ Spaceland

Thursday
-The Year Zero @ Alexs Bar

Friday
-Yeasayer, Warpaint @ Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles County
-Dave Davies (of The Kinks) @ El Rey Theatre
-The French Semester @ LKeg Gallery
-Daedelus, Nosaj Thing @ The Echo

Saturday
-Langhorne Slim, April Smith @ McCabes
-They Might Be Giants @ Largo
-Vivian Girls, Best Coast, Pearl Harbour, Dunes @ The Smell

Sunday
-They Might Be Giants @ Largo

Dubstep

2010-01-19T01:41:00.000-08:00

Dubstep, a newcomer amongst the electronic genres, has been making torrential waves across the world as it rips through clubs with as much force as it has bass. It originated in the UK from the electro garage scene in an attempt to fuse d'n'b, dub, reggae, and electro. The result was dubstep, generally characterized by the near excessive use of bass, warping leads, the snare hit on the 3rd beat of every measure, a 2-step rhythm, "dark" sounds, and as of late the sample of old 8-bit sounds for use in the melody. This isn't your traditional 4 on the floor affair, dubstep is taking steps in directions some people find offensive. Regardless of wether you think this is the music of the future, or if its the music of a UK cyberpunk hell, its here to stay. The most notable artists are Skream, Rusko, Benga, and Digital Mystikz. Some good songs to get started with are Skream's Let's Get Ravey Remix of La Roux's In For the Kill, Rusko's Remix of Bionic Commando, Stagger by Skream, and 26 Basslines by Benga.

Upcoming Events

2010-01-13T21:44:00.001-08:00

You should check out all of these upcoming shows if you live in the LA area. * denotes a show that I will be attending

January
1/22 Cold War Kids, Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) @ The Wiltern
*1/26 The Cribs (feat. Johnny Marr), Jemina Pearl @ The Glass House
1/27 The Airborne Toxic Event @ Troubadour
*1/30 Moving Units @ The Glass House

February
2/1 Do Make Say Think @ Troubadour
*2/10 Wild Beasts, Still Life Still, Magic Bullets @ Troubadour
2/11 Editors, The Antlers @ The Wiltern
*2/26 We Were Promised Jetpacks, The Lonely Forest, Bear Hands @ Troubadour

March
3/2 The Magnetic Fields @ Wilshire Ebell Theatre
*3/5-6 The Clientele, The Wooden Birds @ Spaceland
3/10 Delta Spirit @Bootleg
*3/11, 3/14 Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ The Echo
3/20-21 Gomez @ El Rey
*3/25 She and Him @ El Rey Theatre
3/25 The Morning Benders @ Troubadour
*3/28 Air, AM @ Walt Disney Concert Hall

Welcome To Electronica

2010-01-12T02:44:00.000-08:00

First of all, hello to all of those who actually check this, I personally haven't updated this for quite some time. Lately, however, since I've been dabbling in DJing and expanding my musical pallet, I figured I would help you do the same. I got the idea of doing a weekly edition on different types of electronica so keep on the look out for my updates. So without further adieu lets get this ball rolling.

Electro House

This style of music is a mix of house music and electro. It takes the four on the floor beats of house and adds the stylistic leads and filters of electro. It generally fuses a bit of trance, dnb, or indie rock into it. It seems to have originated from the UK and France and still remains insanely popular there. Notable artists of this genre are Daft Punk, Justice, Boys Noize, SebastiAn, Benny Benassi, MSTRKRFT, Eric Prydz, Deadmau5, Crookers, Danger, Laidback Luke, and The Bloody Beetroots. They are the champions of the majority of what the electronic music people mainly listen to today. If you see one name you recognize on that list of names please do yourself a favor and check out the others. People say every day that techno is dead but it really isn't. It lives on through anyone that has a passion for fun.

Locals Only! We Barbarians

2009-11-19T21:11:00.001-08:00

We Barbarians are an amazing three piece band straight out of Long Beach. Their jagged guitar riffs, sick bass lines & thunderous drum beats make them an awesome act to experience live first hand. They are known to play many shows in the LA area and have recently supported Local Natives during their Spaceland Residency. If you ever get the chance to see them live, do so, you will not regret it.

Locals Only!

2009-10-20T18:06:00.001-07:00

I am proud to announce that I will be starting a new, hopefully weekly column, showcasing local LA based bands. All the bands will have passed my rigourous, and extremely high standards. So stay tuned!

Roll With The Punches

2009-09-23T02:01:00.000-07:00

Four Year Strong isn't what you would call your normal pop-rock band. Hailing from Massachusetts, this energetic 5 piece band takes the clean-cut, fun-loving image of pop-rock and throws it out the window. The best way to describe them is to take the bitter and spiteful lyrics of Fall Out Boy, the energy, image, and breakdowns of A Day To Remember, and a heaping helping of 90s grunge-itude. Some tracks to check out include "Bada Bing! Wit a Pipe!" "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Hell" and their cover of No Doubt's "Spiderwebs." Also, Hi! I'm back from hell with a ton of new music. Sorry for the lack of posts but don't worry we're gonna keep 'em coming strong.

LittleBIGJoy

2009-07-15T18:46:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, three other Strokes members have side projects, here is Fab Moretti's band Little Joy.
Little Joy is composed of Fab Moretti (The Strokes), Rodrigo Amarante (Los Hermanos) and Binki Shapiro, a very talented musician and LA native. Amarante and Moretti met at music festival in Lisbon and they both had the idea of forming a music collaboration unrelated to their current bands. While on hiatus from Los Hermanos, Amarante came to LA to work with Moretti on their new music project, they met Binki Shapiro through mutual friends and the rest is history.
All the music on their self titled debut is very laid back and simple. Sometimes simple is all you need to be great. I highly recommend you check out their music.

Phrazes For The Young

2009-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

I know I am not the only one waiting for a new Strokes album, but it seems that the wait is only going to get longer. It's been three years since First Impressions Of Earth came out, and in those three years, Albert, Nikolai and Fab have all been working on their own endeavors. And now a new Stroke has a side project in the works. Julian Casablancas will be releasing his solo debut album oddly titled Phrazes For The Young.
It's slated for a fall release and 8 tracks have been recorded so far. It will be released by Cult Records/RCA. He is planning a series of tour dates to coincide with the release of the album.
You can check out his official website for a video preview.

http://www.juliancasablancas.com/

The Dead Weather Horehound

2009-07-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

The debut album, Horehound, from The Dead Weather is out today. So download it from iTunes or go to your local music store and get your copy. I will post a mini review as soon as I listen to the entire album.

Warped Tour

2009-07-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Warped Tour came to Ventura County, CA this weekend and I must say it was absolutely fantastic. InnerPartySystem totally stole the show. The amount of raw energy and feeling these guys put into their music and performance was staggering. Every line, lyric, and note was delivered perfectly and with feeling which is a rare thing to see not only out of a band these days but especially an electro-rock band. But to be fair to the rest of the bands there I must say that Scary Kids Scaring Kids did put on a fantastic set. Personally I think they should have had more time to perform since they were one of the more popular and talented bands there. The crowd was going wild for SKSK and we all wanted more but due to the fact that they were on a secondary stage and they had another band on after them made them cut their set short. They covered the basics of their music and threw in a more obscure track for the true fans. Streetlight Manifesto put on a pretty good set, but it was lackluster for some reason. Maybe it was the almost apathetic attitude of the singer or maybe it was the lack of a massive pit of people chanting and skanking. Either way they could have had a better show. 3OH!3 was terrible. No energy in their performance, no feeling, no nothing. I'll stick to their albums until they learn how to put on a show. There wasn't much else worth mentioning that I saw. Good Warped Tour this year though. I may go back to Carson when they come back around with Chiodos and He Is Legend in tow.

Michael Jackson: Dead

2009-06-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

No joke, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is dead. This is a very sad day for the music world. I will spend the rest of the day listening to his amazing music that inspired a whole generation of musicians. Check out TMZ for more info.

TMZ: http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-dies-death-dead-cardiac-arrest/

Depressed

2009-06-24T02:32:00.000-07:00

Depression blows, however it inspires as well. So in the spirit of the season I have for you a list of favorite albums, bands, and or songs to listen to whilst in this emotionally sensitive state.

Armor For Sleep - What To Do When You Are Dead. Their breakout album into the scene. Their follow-up to this album, which was a huge dissapointment comparatively, isn't really worth listening to due to the fact it started them mainstream attention and lead to their quick pounding by certain tv stations and magazines that deserve to rot and die. Regardless this album is really good. It's quite solid musically, great lyrics, and really emo lol. So if you're into that take a crack at it if you haven't.

Chiodos - The Words "Best Friends" Become Redefined, There's No Penguins in Alaska, To Trixie and Reptile, Thanks For Everything. Great songs, a bit angry due to the fact they're really a screamo band but hey they're still great songs and a great band if you discount their latest attempt at making an album.

The Postal Service - Give Up. Every track on this album is a winner. Many different moods, tones, and great word play. One of those you have to listen to at least once in your life. I personally love this one more than most albums. For those of you who don't know who The Postal Service is, it's a side project formed by Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie and Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, they're mainly minimalistic electronic music with Gibbard providing vocals and guest vocals of Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley fame.

Scary Kids Scaring Kids - Drowning, The Bright Side of Suffering, The World as We Know It, Holding On. These are mainly highlights from both of their albums. Definitely some of their sadder but harder work. SKSK is a post-hardcore band out of Arizona who heavily incorporate synthesizers into their music. Definitely one of the better bands on the scene right now and if you haven't heard of them you must be under a rock because they're destroying right now.

Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight, Disarm, Landslide, Eye. Not really going to get into this one. If you haven't heard of Smashing Pumpkins pick up a copy of Melon Collie and The Infinite Sadness RIGHT NOW AND LISTEN TO IT.

Suburban Legends - I Want More. This song is a gem. It was on their original EP's the green and orange ones. I suggest getting the orange one because Tim was a much better singer than their original. Suburban Legends are a ska band out of Orange County, CA and they're a ton of fun. Regardless this song isn't necessarily a sad song musically, but the lyrics are absolutely fantastic.

Tokyo Police Club. Listen to them. Do it. Please?

The Used - The Used. It will be a classic one day, you'll see. It has so much emotion and raw energy and feeling its ridiculous. Pick up a copy and take a listen and you will be opened up to the world of Bert McCracken.

Well that turned out a LOT longer than anticipated. Oh well, hope you got something to listen to out of it.

Are You Offended Yet, Yeah?

2009-06-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

Alright, all of you should be familiar with Does It Offend You, Yeah? and if you aren't, what the fuck? Get on that shit now. But enough of your inadequacies and your apparent erectile dysfunctions as a music aficionado, a while back Morgan Quaintance, who was an integral part of DIOYY, left the band and formed Plugs, not to be confused with The Plugs. There is no beef between Quaintance and his old band mates, only the best of luck and more good music. Win, fucking win. Anyway, Plugs' debut drops in July and is aptly named Scandalism, you can download their EPs, Imaginary Friend, That Number and All Them Witches, on iTunes now.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/plugsmusic
Official Site: www.plugsmusic.co.uk
Twitter: www.twitter.com/plugsmusic

Just like heaven

2009-06-19T22:25:00.001-07:00

Shit I need to buy:
Bloc Party - Intimacy: Remixed
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Transformers: Season 1
inFAMOUS
Batman: The Animated Series Seasons 2-4
The Dead Weather - Horehound (Not out yet, but yeah)
Tickets to Matt & Kim, Passion Pit and The Dead Weather
I think I need another job. =[

You are the girl that I've been dreamin' of...

2009-06-19T01:56:00.000-07:00

So lately I've been on a real Black Kids kick. My associate on this blog recently introduced me to Black Kids and I must say they are one of the most fun, playful, yet powerful bands I have had the pleasure of listening to lately.
They're straight out of Florida and they're a good cross of pop and indie-rock with some sweet keyboards thrown on top. So if you get a chance I highly suggest you pick up a copy of Partie Traumatic. Highlight tracks : Hurricane Jane, I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You, Partie Traumatic, Love Me Already, Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo).

Let's Buy Happiness

2009-06-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Heading over to a local jazz club to watch a friend of a friend's band play tonight. Hopefully it will be as awesome as I think it will be. My little cousin has been asking me to give an intro to electronica list so here it goes!

Daft Punk - Discovery and Homework,
Fatboy Slim - You've Come a Long Way,
Justice - Cross,
The Presets - Apocalypso,
The Crystal Method - Tweekend,
Kavinsky - 1986,
Moby - Play,
MSTRKRFT - The Looks,
Tiesto - In Search of Sunrise Vol. 6

Its a short list but its a good place to start.

Like a pair of your old, favorite jeans

2009-06-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me personally, you know that I have so much music saved on my computer, stacks of CDs and the rare vinyl or two littered around my apartment. Many have asked me if it's even possible for me to like that much different kinds of music. Somehow it is and I listen to everything in my possession. Not all at once, I go through my phases on a day to day basis and I suffer from music ADD. When I do go back to something that I haven't listened to in a while I find it very refreshing and I reconnect and appreciate that album all over again.

Recently I rediscovered Silent Alarm by Bloc Party. Jesus, it's so good it gives me chills. It takes me back when I was in High School and I heard them to the first time. The sick ass guitar noise and meaningful lyrics overwhelmed me. That summer I saw Bloc Party three times in the span of one week. And it was worth every penny and mile driven.

So I say to you reader, go pick up a CD you haven't listened to in a while and love it all over again.

Hello

2009-06-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Sup? I'm Frosty, the other half of this dynamic duo. So EDC and Warped Tour are coming up soon for those of us in LA. I'm pretty excited about seeing Theivery Corp, Paul Oakenfold, ATB, Boys Noize, and Shiny Toy Guns at EDC on Friday. I'd totally go both days, but due to the fact Warped Tour is on that Sunday, I feel like living through the weekend and not passing out in a ditch at Warped tour. As for Warped tour seeing Scary Kids Scaring Kids, 3OH!3, Streetlight Manifesto, Black Tide, InnerPartySystem, and The Devil Wears Prada is going to be sick. Being the fan I am of these bands you would think that I would have gone to either of these events before, but for some reason I have never had the money/time to do so. So basically epic fail on all previous attempts of going and epic win for this year!

It's Friday night & I ain't got nobody

2009-06-12T22:15:00.000-07:00

Sitting outside of a Starbucks and watching the cars go by.

The Dead Weather @ The Roxy

2009-06-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Dead Weather are gonna be playing at the Roxy in LA next Wednesday, June 17th. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at Noon PST and will be $25. This is something no one should miss. See you there.

Passion Pit

2009-06-12T15:05:00.001-07:00

I remember the first time I heard Sleepyhead, it blew me away. I knew I had to get their Chunk of Change EP. The sounds that came out of my speakers were a mixture of disco beats, sick ass keybord notes and synth goodness.
When they released their full lenth album, Manners, I was more than just excited, I was anxious to see if these guys were the real deal. They were. More amazing music that makes you want dance and clap along. I was overwhelmed and wants to see them live. Definitely worth checking out.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/passionpitjams

Follow me on Twitter

2009-06-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Do it!
http://twitter.com/LupinBeast

Tokyo Police Club back in the studio

2009-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

That's right bitches, TPC is back in the studio To record a follow up to their debut album Elephant Shell. Who knows what direction they are gonna take with this one. I personally really liked A Lesson in Crime EP, it was only about 16 minutes long but it packed quite a punch. Elephant Shell was great, don't get me wrong, I would like to see them take a step back for the next one and show some grit.

MySpace: www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub
Site: www.tokyopoliceclub.com

LA Weekly Detour Festival

2009-06-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

As many of you Angelenos may know Detour is an amazing music festival that is held in LA on the streets surrounding city hall and it's always the first weekend of October. Past acts have included Bloc Party, The Presets, Beck, Gogol Bordello and many more. I know its still to early to even speculate what bands are gonna play this year but I can't wait. I would love to see Bloc Party play but that will be very unlikely because its rare to see repeat performers, but one can only hope. See you jerks there.

Army Of Two

2009-06-12T00:03:00.000-07:00

Amazing news, my very good friend will be helping me with my blog by contributing his own posts and things of that sort. I am very excited and I hope he starts posting soon.

The Dead Weather

2009-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Alright, I admit I just heard about Jack White's new band recently, and honestly, I am very disappointed that I didn't check them out sooner.

The Dead Weather is composed of Jack White, Allison Mosshart (The Kills), Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) and Dean Fertia (Queens of the Stone Age). A bit overwhelming right? I got my hands on a few of their tracks yesterday and all I can say is, God Damn. Their sound is so good it must be bad for you.

I can't stop listening to them and its only gonna get worse when their debut album, Horehound hits stores. You can bet your ass that I will see these guys when they come to town.

Number Zero

2009-06-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

After many years of complaining about music reviews, I am finally writing a music blog. It took quite a bit of convincing (not really), and I guess I can waste away more hours in front of the computer to do this. Reviews always suck, so I am just gonna tell people what to listen to and what shows to go to. More to come soon, unless I lose interest.