METRONOMY RETURNS TO THE WEST COAST W/TROUBADOUR DATE
That’s right. The Mercury Prize nominated and UK based–sometimes three piece/sometimes four piece– band Metronomy returns to Los Angeles to play the Troubadour for their ever-growing fanbase on Saturday October 15th (info here). Supporting them are the out-of-the-box thinkers, San Francisco and NYC based multi-media pop act New Villager.
Although the show is sold out, tickets may still be available through KCRW giveaways. Keep tabs on both artist’s websites (Metronomy.co.uk and Newvillager.com) for all of the latest updates.
In the meantime, here is Metronomy’s video for “She Wants”:
OUT TO SEE: ROCK N’ ROLL GLAMOUR SHOW AT THE TROUBADOUR
It was off to the Troubadour to catch a couple favorite bands: Eastern Conference Champions and Gliss. And along the way I caught Ruby Friedman Orchestra. It was a free night hosted by Rock ‘N Roll Glamour Show.
First up was the search for free parking. I tried my normal side streets, but didn’t come up with anything. I continued farther and farther east until I found myself all the way on La Cienega. If you know where that is, you know that it is considered one lovely hike from there to the Troubadour. It was so far that I almost considered the virtues of taking Bus Number 4 to the Troubadour. It was so far away, I swear I passed by three retailers with the name Palm or Palms. On my way back to my car, I counted only two such establishments plus a fortune teller who had “palm reader” painted on the window, but I swear there was a third with Palm in its name – maybe I drove past it versus walking past it.
I did get to the Troubadour with plenty of time to spare; however, I learned that my friends had all found better parking spaces. Perhaps I should practice more patience regarding circling around the neighborhood.
Eastern Conference Champions kicked off the night. You know ECC knocked it out of the park when you look over and see a 10-year old girl with the biggest smile, a smile that she held throughout the set. I know how she felt, because when I first caught Eastern Conference Champions in early 2010 I explained their set as a religious experience. That is perhaps over the top, but seeing is believing. And so when Sunset Junction 2010 came around, I convinced a handful of friends to make sure they arrived at Sunset Junction early enough on a Saturday to catch their set. Creating converts is a wonderful experience. In fact, I created stronger converts than myself. When they played Spaceland for their residency, I believe I went to two of their nights. My friends went to three or four of the nights.
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Ruby Friedman Orchestra was up next. As a friend mentioned to me, her voice has the sound that one might hear from a ghost (that was meant in a positive light, if you were wondering). Another friend mentioned that I should look at her shoes, because those were the tallest platforms around and how could she possibly move without tumbling over. And Ruby Friedman had the quote of the night, “I have two requests. Does anyone have a towel or tissue? And can I have a new microphone stand, this one broke? . . . Now no more pictures. My make-up is like I just woke up in the morning.” And surprise surprise, my friend Jodie from The Shakers showed up as a back-up vocalist for three of the songs. After the set, Jodie was surrounded by folks saying how awesome she sounded on stage.
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In between Ruby Friedman Orchestra and Gliss, was an interesting modeling/playful fashion runway presentation by Flame Angel Design. Hot women with men battling for their affection, ending in a gunfight brawl.
And next up was Gliss. I love this band. This was only the second time I saw this band. I first saw them at Silverlake Lounge and fell in love. When they were scheduled to play in Pomona, I was greatly disappointed that I had a conflicting appointment. In the end though, they had to cancel their set so I didn’t miss anything. Honestly, who cared if I walked farther than any normal Angeleno would walk. I love their ambient vocals. I love how they switch between instruments. And I love their song ‘Morning Light.’ I’m not even sure if it is a love song or a song of despair, but who cares:
Sitting next to me
Nobody could sympathize
Only in my dreams
Everything comes to life
In your heart
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All in all, a lovely Sunday night at the Troubadour that ended for me with Gliss singing Peter, Paul and Mary’s “500 Miles.”
Final thought. During Ruby Friedman Orchestra’s set, a random thought passed through my head while seeing at least a half dozen photographers along the stage, There are simply too many of us Los Angeles music bloggers. Maybe they weren’t music bloggers, but just photographers for the band, club or the host; either way, how do you distinguish yourself from the crowd
DELTRON 3030 RECOMMENDED: Mystery Jets – ‘Serotonin’
A CELEBRATED SUMMER: PART III – WE ROCK L.A., THE CAMPER SHOWCASE
On Monday, you learned about what went into putting together the first Annual Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles in Part I of this III Part series (click here to read Part I). On Tuesday, you learned more about the actual camp week and activities that occurred during each camp day in Part II of this III Part series (click here to read Part II). Today, in this final Part (III of III), you will learn about the first Annual Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Showcase and a little about what comes next for this organization.
As the clock marked the not so rock ‘n’ roll noon-time hour, an eclectic group of women– outfitted in easily identifiable bright teal official 2010 Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles t-shirts, began to trickle into the Troubadour on Santa Monica Blvd. A music venue that has housed many musical performances from a who’s who of legendary rock outfits as well as singer/songwriters that include most of today’s hottest indie bands to rock ‘n’ roll royalty such as Elton John, Joni Mitchell, and Bruce Springsteen to name a few. These women were all camp and showcase volunteers who in just a few hours would be witnesses and participants in the history that once again was about to be made in this venue, in the form of the first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls Los Angeles Camper Showcase.
About an hour later, excited campers would be arriving. Each of them ready to rock, and to show the local community what it was that they’d been learning and working on all week. Decked out in their screen printed t-shirts, with their band names emblazoned on the fronts and customized to fit each of their personalities, they were a mixture of nervousness and excitement. Upon arrival, each band of campers was met by their volunteer band coaches and counselors, who were at the ready to help calm their nerves, psych them up, and prepare them for their performances.
For many of the volunteers and campers alike this was what they’d all been waiting for. The much anticipated moment where the campers would take the stage and show what they’d learned in just a week.
A veteran four-time (by way of the Portland Camp) Camp Volunteer, April Buker, intimated, “My favorite part of camp is the showcase. It is the culmination of the week’s activities. You get to see everyone showing off what they’ve learned, and everyone supporting the camp as a whole.”
As the volunteers continued to set-up for the showcase and prep the venue. They excitedly tried to predict how the showcase would go
Reflecting on the first days of the camp, Silverlake-based Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Coordinator and Volunteer Band Coach, Natasha Tavakoli shared, “The campers were initially nervous and shy, but as the week progressed they bloomed into energetic, unafraid, supportive, and empowered young girls. It was inspirational for the volunteers to see this transformation and we were positively affected by the camp as much as the campers.”
As show time approached, the volunteers continued to think about how they themselves had been affected by the camp and by the campers.
Volunteer Keyboard Instructor and Band Coach for the camper band Trouble in Training, singer/songwriter Melineh Kurian commented on both her transformation during the week, her fellow volunteers, and regarding the campers she instructed as they worked towards getting ready for the showcase, “I knew that it would be a transformative experience for me as a female musician, and that I would be profoundly touched. However, the connections I made as a mentor and volunteer were far beyond what I could have imagined. I also wondered at first how easy or difficult it would be to teach keyboards to a group of girls with varying skill levels. My fellow teachers made it so easy to both have fun with our students, and to show them the skills they needed to be a powerful addition to their rock band.”
The time had come to see if the campers would be able to bring together everything they’d learned throughout the week to their performances on the Troubadour stage that afternoon. This was the opportunity for the parents and relatives of the campers as well as the local community to show up to see what the camp was all about firsthand—and show up they did, packing the Troubadour on that Saturday afternoon for a chance to witness history in the making.
Quite atypical of the usual jaded “too-cool-for-school” L.A. concert-goer crowd, the parents as well as relatives of the campers along with the general audience members vied for the optimum show watching positions in the front rows as the local news station cameras set up on stage.
Anticipating the camper’s musical debuts, Jodie Schell (singer for L.A. based band The Shakers), recalled her first experience performing in front of a crowd, “I vividly remember what it was like to step in front of an audience for the first time. I was 9, and I sang “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (dedicating it to my uncle who at that time was in the Persian Gulf war). Singing was something I LOVED to do, but I was so scared that I stared at the weaving of the microphone the whole time,” laughing Schell continued, “I think I sang the verses out of order. Those first steps as a musician are so scary and awkward, but they’re so important. We’ve all been there. It takes so much courage just to step under those lights and try, and that alone deserves a standing ovation.”
The volunteers and the courageous campers stood near the stage ready to support their “camp week comrade’s” performances, waiting for their own turns to shine.
They didn’t have to wait long as emcee (and Camp co-founder) Mona Tavakoli took the stage ready to get the show underway.
The showcase opened up with the camp volunteer led Punk Rock Aerobics, not unlike how the campers would start off each camp morning, which was promptly followed by the camp theme song “We Rock L.A.” performed by the campers.
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(click on images to enlarge) Punk Rock Aerobics (pictured left) and Camp Theme Song Performance (pictured right)
photos provided by Beth Schore and Becky Gebhardt
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Here is footage taken by a showcase audience member of the campers’ initial “We Rock L.A.” camp theme song:
Without missing a beat and with the professionalism and confidence that comes with having played at the very least a dozen shows and several months spent rehearsing together, the campers took the stage. One band after the other, with only one full showcase rehearsal under their belts, catching the audience off guard with their performances after being announced onto the stage by the highly-energetic Tavakoli (pictured right – photo provided by Bella Monge) with formidable introductions such as “This band goes way back, they’ve been together since Monday!” or crowd favorites like “This band has been touring all week– from the drum room to the guitar room to the bass guitar room!”
Undaunted by the flashes of the cameras going off and the video cameras in their faces (more…)
DELTRON 3030′S ONE FROM THE VAULT: Harry Nilsson – All Time Greatest Hits
While re watching Goodfellas on bluray I noticed that May 11th, 1980 was a particularly good day for Henry Hill’s car stereo.
“Jump into the Fire” by Harry Nilsson - At the beginning of the helicopter sequence.
“Memo from Turner” by The Rolling Stones - After Henry leaves Jimmy’s with the silencers.
“Magic Bus“ by The Who – When Henry almost has the car accident.
“Jump into the Fire” by Harry Nilsson - (2nd time played) Henry drives his brother home from the hospital.
“Monkey Man” by The Rolling Stones - (2nd time played) Henry drops off the guns at Karen’s mother’s house.
“What Is Life” by George Harrison - When Henry and Karen drive to his cocaine connection’s motel.
“Mannish Boy” by Muddy Waters - When Henry is at Sandy’s place mixing the coke.
My first thought after looking up the artist for “Jump Into the Fire” was “Who the f*ck is Harry Nilsson?” (more…)
Heroes Don’t Die – ACM Artist of the Decade
Note: I promise not to overrun TRAffIK with Country 24/7 as I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but humor me on this one
The George Strait Special honoring him as the Academy of Country Music Artist of the Decade (an honor that only four other artists have earned to date) aired tonight (or last night technically) on CBS. As anyone who knows me well (or anyone who has read my Guide to my playlists–warning not a short read) can confirm, George Strait is one of my all-time favorite musical artists. The man has released 87 singles to date with 44 of those going to number one. I’m willing to bet I can sing along to about 80 percent of his songs.
I chose to stay in, which was a good thing considering how many late nights and early mornings I’ve had lately, to watch tonight’s tribute as opposed to just recording it to watch later. This show reminded me of how much I love this man and his quiet unassuming no b.s. yet completely confident demeanor, he’s a guy’s guy made up of some of the same stuff that made people love Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. He carries himself with pride and dignity, which not too many bonafide stars do today, the respect he doesn’t blatantly ask for but somehow commands from his peers is admirable. It also reminded me of how much I like hearing him sing and perform his own songs. I tuned in about 20 minutes late and I believe I missed performances from Brooks and Dunn, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, Sugarland, and possibly Faith Hill, and maybe a few others– I was able to catch most of the others.
I hadn’t pre-viewed any of the performances prior to watching them tonight and wasn’t sure what to expect. I was a little wary, only because these are the songs I grew up on. Seriously it could go either way, the artists could stick to covering his songs in the same no frills style he sings and performs them in or they might try to make them their own and completely lose the essence of the song.