L.A. BURNING: WEST COAST CONCERT PICKS, June 5th To June 12th, 2017
Moon Honey
Each week, there are many musical events happening around Los Angeles, but I always advertise the smallest shows, because they are my favorite ones. I don’t care very much for big arenas and large stadiums, I always prefer intimate clubs and bars, and we have plenty of that around LA. A new month means new Monday residencies, and on Monday June 5th, you will have a lot of choices as usual.
Psychedelic weirdness pop duo Moon Honey start their residency at the Echoplex, and the night will be a lot of fun because The Dead Ships, the Bomb and SWIMM are also playing.
Send Medicine will start their residency at The Satellite, with Dream Phases, Elijah ocean and Fleece, whereas The Walcotts start theirs at the Bootleg Bar, with Jessica Childress, Puscie Jones Revue
Although I don’t know any of these bands, the show at the Echo with Whores, Wrong Bummer and Hepa-Titus was recommended to me, probably because Whores are another must-see punk-metal-noise band
On Tuesday June 6th, Imaad Wasif is playing at the Bootleg Bar, and you have to check out this immensely talented guitarist: Beside his psych folk band Alaska!, and his numerous collaborations with Lou Barlow & The Folk Implosion, Black Mountain’s Stephen McBean, Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O and Lykke Li, this guy also manages to have a solo career and his forthcoming album was produced with Bobb Bruno (Best Coast). Another guitar wiz Avi Buffalo is opening with Iress.
Daniel Lanois & Rocco DeLuca are playing at the Masonic Lodge At Hollywood Forever Cemetery. This place is magic and you should be prepared for profound soundscapes filled with sliding sounds responding to each other in a very soothing and melancholic way.
On Wednesday June 7th, the amazing Nina Diaz is playing at the Satellite, she is going solo, without her Girl in a Coma band, but I really want to see her… last time I have tried she had laryngitis and couldn’t perform, it was really too bad for such a vocalist, but I am sure she will be fine this time. See is opening and her mix of alt-rock/pop is expected to be excellent.
Valerie June is playing at the El Rey Theatre with her rural Tennessee gospel going from slide guitar to heavenly harmonies, building a bridge between traditional roots and electrifying blues. Lynn Cardona is opening.
Oklahoma punk sister duo Skating Polly are playing at the Bootleg Bar, and I would go if I wasn’t already going to see Nina Diaz, especially because the very wild Starcrawler are opening with Gal Pals.
Also, Goapele plays at Amoeba Music, and I don’t know anything about her, except that she has a new Dreamseeker EP and is a singer, songwriter, producer, actress, designer and activist and has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, E-40, and Eric Benét.
On Thursday 8th, Boogarins are playing at the Bootleg Theater, but I am especially familiar with the opener, JJUUJJUU, which will bring you the most psychedelic astral communion experience you will ever have.
SadGirl play a sold out show at The Smell, and I only mention it because, who knows, you may get ticket anyway, and also because I truly think they are gonna be big soon… with a frontman who looks like a vintage movie star and an aggressive retro-doo-wop-fuzz-surf sound, they will soon sell out big places. I said it first.
Zebulon Café is a new place I haven’t had the chance to check out yet, and on Thursday they have sonic experimenters L.A. Drones, with Parlor Walls, Oracle Room and Jerkagram… but this is just one example, as they pretty much have a show or a movie showcase every night. Yeap, we didn’t have enough places to check out new music, or let’s say there are so many bands in LA we needed another venue.
On Friday June 9th, ZZ Ward has a show at The Roxy, and I think Iman loves her. There is also a hip hop/fashion event downtown LA called Made Los Angeles with Opening Ceremony unveiling their Fall 2017 Fashion Show that will feature RZA of Wu Tang Clan on Friday. On Saturday, designer JOYRICH will be celebrating 10 years with a collection in collaboration with Snoop Dogg, and finally Wiz Khalifa and Taylor Gang will premiere a special collaboration with LA-based designers 424 & Pleasures that will culminate in a live concert performance by Wiz and members of Taylor Gang.
The same day, there is a new edition of Sound And Fury Fest at The Regent Theater, and if I know very few of all these bands scheduled to play (TURNSTILE, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, HARLEY FLANAGAN, BENT LIFE, BRACEWAR, DANGERS, ECOSTRIKE, FURY, INCENDIARY, FIREWALKER, FREE, GATECREEPER, HARNESS, KRIMEWATCH, LOCK, LOWER SPECIES, LOYAL TO THE GRAVE, MORE TO PRIDE, PRIMAL RITE, PROFILE, QUEENSWAY, STEP FOR CHANGE, TAKE OFFENSE, TERROR, TURNOVER, TØRSÖ, VEIN, WESTPOINT, XIBALBA, GOST) I am sure it will oscillate between violent hardcore, more hardcore and furious hardcore with may be a touch of death metal!
On Saturday 10th, Valley Queen, Velvet, Metronohm, Lexie Rose play at the Echo, a fine all-lady line up presented by Play Like A Girl. I saw Valley Queen once and they were fantastic, as they are described as a hybrid of southern rock and Motown, with traces of 1970s canyon rock. Their debut 7″ was produced by Lewis Pesacov who also produced Best Coast, FIDLAR and Fool’s Gold.
Off the 405 presents White Fence at The Getty museum. White Fence/Tim Presley, a frequent Ty Segall collaborator, plays punk-psychedelic music with a heavy layer coming straight from the 70’s.
The same day, the amazing, mind-blowing Schizophonics are playing an in-store at Permanent Records..
And on Sunday 11th, ex- Black Lips Saint Pé is doing his own thing at the Bootleg theater, while Vex Ruffin, an act landing somewhere between a raw aggressive grungy punk and a weird experimental electronic rock, is opening. Never Young, described as ‘Sonic Youth, At The Drive In, and My Bloody Valentine having a ménage à trois’ is also playing.
