Cage the Elephant at House of Blues New Orleans, April 21st

Tags

Cage the Elephant, funk, Nashville, punk, rock, Thank You Happy Birthday

In the heart of the New Orleans French Quarter sits the House of Blues, an 800+ capacity venue, the walls of which are covered with nearly 300 pieces of folk art.  Directly above the stage, is an oval emblem of Bo Diddley dressed in glorious white, standing as an angel above a sanctuary under the caption, ‘Who do you love?’ This Friday night crowd loves Cage the Elephant.  The Nashville Indie group is currently touring the U.S. in support of their 2009 sophomore release, ‘Thank You, Happy Birthday.’

Opening for Cage is a group of fellow Tennessee rockers named Bad Cop, featuring drums along with three and four guitars to produce raging spacedelic kick-ass rock and roll.  The frontman stares maniacally into the crowd as if to indicate that it is simply a matter of time before subliminal messages achieve massive mind control. Perhaps someday.  But this night’s crowd belongs to vocalist Matt Shultz and the band, comprised of guitarists Brad Shultz and Lincoln Parish, along with bassist Danial Tichenor and drummer Jared Champion.

Nostalghia at Dissilence 2 event, December 3rd

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Cool for Chaos, Nostalghia

With the New Year swiftly approaching, it is time for another helping of Dissilience, an event labeled as an Underground Euro/Americano Coterie taking place off of Beverly Boulevard in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles.  Basically it is an evening of art, poetry, and music.  It’s a night to be exposed to all things creative and to mingle with the artists.  The grand finale performance at this showcase evening is Nostalghia debuting her new EP, ‘Cool for Chaos.’

The Trophy Fire at Silverlake Lounge, November 15th

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Modern Hearts, powerpop, Silverlake, The Trophy Fire

Off the corner of Hollywood’s Silverlake and Sunset Boulevards you will find Silverlake Lounge, a dark bar & stage with minimal seating.  It’s not the most inviting place, but if you are interested in hearing new music in close quarters, this is the place to be.  Based in San Francisco, The Trophy Fire is among several bands set to take the stage.  This L.A. gig is the final show of this powerpop trio’s northeast/west coast tour.

A couple dozen people have arrived, heard a few songs already, and gotten their drinks; they are ready and eager for what’s next.

Alexx Calise, On the Roxx, October 15th

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Alexx Calise, In Avanti, On the Roxx, Sound of Cancer

Alexx Calise can’t wait for Halloween.   With red streaks running through her hair and heavy black eyeliner, you might think she’s vamped out early.  This year however, the thrill of October 31st is not in the costume.

For Calise, it will be in the excitement of releasing the Sound of Cancer debut album, ‘No Vampires in Gilroy.’ SOC is the collaboration of Calise and drummer Dennis Morehouse (who also plays for Gilby Clark, and Braw), which puts forth haunting choral melodies against dark soundscapes textured with a bit of everything from soulful blues to grunge metal.

Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box, June 2

Tags

Manchester Orchestra, Sleeper Agent, The Music Box, Twilight Sleep

On the first Thursday of June, Manchester Orchestra toured their way up the California coast to The Music Box, an intimate venue on the star laden Hollywood Boulevard, in support of their third album ‘Simple Math.’

This Indie band from Atlanta has been making waves since their highschool days together in 2004.  Intimate lyrics accompanied by loud-soft-loud guitar and synth orchestra sequences have drawn a following in the L.A. area, making this a sold out concert.