News: The Republic Tigers To Play Morning Becomes Eclectic, Spaceland

In addition to an ever-expanding tour along the east coast (including dates with The Hold Steady and Nada Surf), perennial SSM faves The Republic Tigers will be heading west for a May 12 appearance on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, followed by a Spacleand performance on May 13. These dates follow the May 6 release of their debut LP Keep Color on Chop Shop Records. FYI: the band's appearance on Letterman has been pushed back from May 7 until May 22. Things are going very well for these guys, so be sure to check them out sometime in the next few months. I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed. (Photo by Michael Forester.)

This Week's Recommended Music: Foals, Cut Copy

That's what I get for not confirming domestic release dates before heading to Amoeba.

I dropped by the Sunset Boulevard record store on Sunday to explore a slew of British acts, but came away with several alternative, domestic releases due to my blind assumption that everything is already at Amoeba. Anyway, Foals (shown live at SXSW, above) was one of these U.K. acts. Turns out their debut LP Antidotes was released in the U.S. on Tuesday.

Now, Pitchfork be damned. Antidotes is a tight, sleek record for fans of twinkling, stylish, post-post-punk music, all held together by clockwork tempos, metronome-tight grooves, and great vocal interplay. Some of the guitar work reminds me of Minus the Bear, but the key to this release is how exciting nearly every track is. Catch them for $10 (pre-fees) at The Troubadour on May 24.

Also out this week is In Ghost Colours, the follow-up to Cut Copy's excellent debut Bright Like Neon Love. Hitting #1 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart, fans and newbies alike are in for a fifteen-track collection of Tim Goldsworthy-produced electroclash indietronica. It's all here: pop sensibilities, laser-guided production, hooks galore, dance roots, and, of course, neon 3D Wayfarers. On tour in April with Black Kids, as well as a Coachella stop.

Off-Topic: Rock Chalk Jayhawk

'Nuff said.

News: The Republic Tigers Shoot Video, Play Tribeca Film Festival

On Monday, I was lucky enough to have lunch with SSM faves The Republic Tigers, who were in the Los Angeles area filming a video for their excellent track "Buildings and Mountains" (available for download from their MySpace page). The video shoot took place at El Mirage Dry Lake (the same location for Shania Twain's "That Don't Impress Me Much" video) and was directed by Brian Savelson (who did the videos for Band of Horses' "Is There A Ghost" and "The Funeral"). As you can see from photos by Jill Kaplan, the video involves a boat in the desert. Apparently the band endured several sandstorms during the course of the shoot. Not sure when we'll get to see the finished project, but hopefully the quality of the video will match that of the track.

In other news, The Republic Tigers may be joining The National for a performance at the Tribeca Film Festival. Details on this show are sketchy, but the date will likely be around May 4, the day after a show by The National in Pennsylvania and The show will be on May 2, 2008 at Webster Hall, a few days before The Republic Tigers' previously-reported appearance on Letterman, at the end of their upcoming April tour of the east coast. Go Tigers!

News: The New Amsterdams To Play The Troubadour

My friend Eric from The New Amsterdams just informed me that they are on tour and will be stopping by The Troubadour for shows on April 3 and 4 with Big Head Todd & The Monsters. They are playing in Anaheim tonight, and will be hitting Europa in May. Do try and catch them!

News: The Republic Tigers Announce Tour, Do Letterman

Hot off a successful trip to SXSW, SSM faves The Republic Tigers will hit the road this spring in support of their forthcoming debut LP Keep Color, out May 6 on Chop Shop Records. The band are sticking to the eastern portion of the country for now, but I'm sure they'll head out west soon enough (perhaps this summer?). And, on May 7, The Republic Tigers make their TV debut with a slot on The Late Show with David Letterman. Full tour below:

Apr 8 2008 8:00P	Jack Rabbit Slim’s	Albany, New York
Apr 9 2008 8:00P	Kirkland Arts Center	Clinton, New York
Apr 10 2008 8:00P	Iron Horse	Northampton, Massachusetts
Apr 11 2008 8:00P	Toquet Hall Teen Center	Westport, Connecticut
Apr 13 2008 8:00P	Great Scott	Boston, Massachusetts
Apr 14 2008 8:00P	Southpaw	Brooklyn, New York
Apr 15 2008 8:00P	Bowery Ballroom	New York, New York
Apr 17 2008 8:00P	DC9	Washington DC, Washington DC
Apr 19 2008 8:00P	Salem High School	Plymouth, Michigan
May 7 2008 10:30P	David Letterman	New York, New York

Photo by the great Forester, who finally posted pics from The Republic Tigers' show at Spaceland.

Live: RAMP @ Crash Mansion -3/15/08

Last Saturday night, I caught '70s underground funk legends RAMP at Crash Mansion. Sampled by Tribe Called Quest and PM Dawn, RAMP recently reunited after a three decade hiatus, and have been touring Europe and select U.S. venues. They were great, funky, fun, and awesome for dancing. Drummer John Manuel and guitarist Landy Shores were standouts. Their only release - 1977's Come Into Knowledge - is available at Amoeba Records in vinyl (and maybe CD, too).

Live: Cut Copy @ The Echo - 3/10/08

Cut Copy played a sold out show at The Echo on Monday night. I arrived with an extra ticket and had no problem selling it to one of the 100+ hopeful concertgoers queued up outside the venue. After a quick face-value transaction, I slipped inside to catch the end of openers Walter Meego, who are definitely worth checking out.

After a brief equipment change, Cut Copy took the stage and got right down to business, blazing through an almost non-stop 45 minute set. They played a ton of new stuff as well as selections from Bright Like Neon Love. For as much live instrumentation and vocals they use, Cut Copy are still a dance act at heart, and the amped up crowd thrived on the band's tight, sleek energy. I'm usually not a fan of sweating at shows, but dancing and clapping to Cut Copy is an exception I'll always make.

Partial Setlist:
"So Haunted"
"Hearts On Fire"
"Lights and Music"
"Time Stands Still"
"Future"
"Going Nowhere"
"That Was Just A Dream/Zap Zap"

Upcoming Shows:

Mar 12 2008 8:00P	Karma Lounge - Modular SXSW Showcase	Austin, Texas
Mar 15 2008 8:00P	Studio B	New York, New York
Mar 17 2008 8:00P	Mercury Lounge SOLD OUT!! w/ holy ghost and fever	New York, New York
Mar 29 2008 8:00P	V FESTIVAL Sydney	Sydney, New South Wales
Mar 30 2008 8:00P	V FESTIVAL gold coast	gold Coast, Queensland
Apr 5 2008 8:00P	V FESTIVAL Melbourne	Melbourne, Victoria
Apr 6 2008 8:00P	V FESTIVAL Perth	Perth, Western Australia
Apr 23 2008 7:00P	Scala	London, London and South East
Apr 25 2008 8:00P	COACHELLA	Indio, California
Apr 26 2008 8:00P	MEZZANINE w/ simian mobile disco & black kids	San Francisco, California
Apr 28 2008 8:00P	DOUG FIR LOUNGE w/ black kids	Portland, Oregon
Apr 29 2008 8:00P	Richards On Richards w/ black kids	Vancouver, British Columbia
Apr 30 2008 8:00P	NEUMO’S w/ black kids	Seattle, Washington
May 2 2008 8:00P	URBAN LOUNGE w/ black kids	Salt Lake City, Utah
May 3 2008 8:00P	LARIMER LOUNGE w/ black kids	Denver, Colorado
May 5 2008 8:00P	WAITING ROOM w/ black kids	Omaha, Nebraska
May 6 2008 8:00P	7th Street Entry w/ black kids	Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 7 2008 8:00P	ABBEY PUB w/ black kids	Chicago, Illinois
May 8 2008 8:00P	MAGIC STICK w/ black kids	Detroit, Michigan
May 9 2008 8:00P	LEE’S PLACE w/ black kids	Toronto, Ontario
May 10 2008 8:00P	Cabaret Musee Juste Pour Rine w/ black kids	Montreal, Quebec
May 12 2008 8:00P	PARADISE w/ black kids	Boston, Massachusetts
May 13 2008 8:00P	STUDIO B - w/ black kids	Brooklyn, New York
May 14 2008 8:00P	Bowery Ballroom w/ Mobius Band / T&T (Tim Goldsworthy & Tim Sweeney)	New York City, New York
May 15 2008 8:00P	BLACK CAT w/ black kids	Washington DC, Washington DC
May 16 2008 8:00P	PURE w/ black kids	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 17 2008 8:00P	SONAR - w/black kids	Baltimore, Maryland

Live: Grizzly Bear @ Walt Disney Concert Hall - 3/1/08

On the first day of March, I trekked down to the Walt Disney Concert Hall with Kfuture and aspiring MC Greater Good for a very special evening with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Grizzly Bear. As you may recall, we were able to score front-row tickets through some Ticketmaster screw-up. My god, these were the best seats I've ever had for anything. If I had been so daring, I could have reclined and propped my feet up on the stage, which was only about three feet high and right in front of us. Unreal.

We arrived about three minutes before the Philharmonic started. Conducted by Joana Carneiro (who put the whole night together), the Phil performed Boccherini's Ritirata notturna di Madrid, Britten's Four Sea Interludes, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. The first piece featured dueling percussionists, one of which was right in front of us. It was incredible to watch the musician start by tapping the drum with his fingers and then eventually escalate to annihilating the skins with sticks à la Explosions In The Sky. Also great was the ability to watch Carneiro's face throughout the performance and filter out the sound of each particular instrument. I knew the Phil would be top-notch, but now I'm definitely going to make more of an effort to attend their performances.

Anyway, the Phil was great, but the main event was Grizzly Bear. We snuck out for the intermission and when I returned the stage had been transformed for Grizzly Bear's set. Directly in front of my seat was Chris Taylor's insane vocal/bass/clarinet/flute/accordian/sample/delay/looping/feather rig, with which he produced myriad sounds and layering, and much of the band's atmospheric elements. To the right of him was Ed Droste, who has the strongest and purest set of pipes in the group and also played some great riffs on his Telecaster and autoharp. Next was Daniel Rossen, the veritable anchor of the band with regard to rhythm and vocals. Finally was drummer Christopher Bear who ran some delays on his kit and also triggered a variety of samples/synths. Everyone sang.

The performance was beautiful and complete, featuring the tracks "Easier", "Little Brother", "He Hit Me", "Knife", "On a Neck, On a Spit", and "Shift", among many others. Each track was executed with near-masterful technique and the sounds blended perfectly (certainly a result of the performance itself and the acoustics.) Grizzly Bear seemed relaxed and calm, and very very appreciative of the venue and crowd. Taylor even remarked that he wished his clarinet teacher had been there.

It was an incredible evening overall, definitely to become a highlight of the 2008 Los Angeles concert season. And it is so inspiring to see the WDCH booking bands like Grizzly Bear, Cornelius and Neko Case both with and without accompaniments from the Philharmonic.

FYI: The WDCH is extremely strict about photography, which is probably a good thing overall. I was able to squeeze off a few shots, posted below. Also, L.A. Times article here, source of the top photo.

Live: Cat Power @ The Wiltern - 2/29/08

On Leap Day, The Lady Doc and I caught a beautiful performance by Cat Power at The Wiltern. We cozied up in some excellent Loge seats just as the opener finished. Awhile later, The Dirty Delta Blues Band took the stage and proceeded to warm up the crowd with their easy, fluid chops. As good as they were, everyone was obviously awaiting Chan Marshall's first appearance. Thankfully, a glowing chanteuse entered stage left and immediately got down to business. Marshall treated us to a polished, golden-throated selection from her catalog, lulling the crowd into a serene state of consciousness. What I love about Marshall is how she forgoes the convention of most female vocalists who constantly belt it out. Instead, Marshall relies on subtle beauty and restraint, and she does so to perfect effect.

Check out her recent appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic. And, for related work, do pick up SSM's highly-recommended You Follow Me, by Nina Nastasia and Jim White, who happens to be the drummer for The Dirty Delta Blues Band.