Mourning Trish Keenan

Horrible news today of the death of Trish Keenan, half of U.K. greats Broadcast. Touching writes-ups abound, including these from NPR's All Song Considered and The Record, Vulture, The Arts Desk, NME and Click Track.

Show Alert: Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ The Palladium - 2/22/11

Godspeed You! Black Emperor have added a second Los Angeles date. In addition to a performance at the Fonda, the Canadian godfathers of all that is holy and good in the world of apocalyptic post-rock will be playing at the much larger Palladium on February 22, 2011. Tix go on sale today at 5:00 pm here.

Show Alert: Jens Lekman @ Sky Bar - 12/4/10

From Jens himself:
"Hi everyone,
I had some stuff to do in New York this winter so I figured I might as well do a small solo show while I'm there since it's been so long.
It will be special and maybe we can have one of those houseparties afterwards, like we had last time?
If my friends neighbors are cool with that, I'll let you know.
Also, a few days before that I will play a show in LA at the Mondrian. There's still tickets for that one.
Mondrian Hotel Skybar
8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood
RSVP by emailing: skybarla@morganshotelgroup.com
Jens
x

Password: Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ The Henry Fonda Theater - 2/23/11

By now you should know that Godspeed You! Black Emperor have officially reunited and will be touring the United States, with a stop in Los Angeles at The Henry Fonda Theater on February 23, 2011. What you may not know is Goldenvoice is doing a presale on Friday, September 24, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. The password arrived in SSM's inbox this morning, so good luck: TRALALA.

Show Alert: Voxhaul Broadcast, Abe Vigoda, Crystal Antlers @ Abbot Kinney Festival - 9/26/10

OK, gang! This Sunday, head down to Venice for the Abbot Kinney Festival for three stages of free music. Of interest are Voxhaul Broadcast, Abe Vigoda and Crystal Antlers, among many other bands and DJs (including the dublab crew). There will be a smattering of food trucks, two beer gardens, plus all that is good and right (and wrong) about Venice. And there will be bike valet, so DON'T drive! Check the music schedule here.

Show Alert: A House For Lions - The Viper Room & The El Rey

SSM favorite A House For Lions has been gaining traction recently, and will be treating L.A. to (at least) two performances in the near future. The first show is on September 14, 2010 at The Viper Room. The second show is on October 4, 2010 at The El Rey, where they are performing as Jacknife Lee's hand-picked support for Tired Pony. Tickets for that show available here.

The band will be recording an EP in the next month at Red Rockets Glare Studios with Raymond Richards (Local Natives, Parsons Red Heads, Ferraby Lionheart).

In the meantime, here is a video for their track "Evolution Calls":

Show Alert: Fennesz @ Center for the Arts - 9/29/10

UPDATED: Ticket info here. Deakin and Prince Rama will also perform!

Austrian experimental electronic music godfather Christian Fennesz will be treating fans to a rare North American tour in the coming months. Eagle Rock's Center for the Arts will host Fennesz on September 29, 2010. Ticket information TBA.

SSM Spotlight: The Caves and Nathan W. McKee

The Caves are a "post-indie" band from Kansas City that weave mellow semi-acoustic tunes about growth, decay, and deceit. Bassist/Producer/Engineer David Gaumé is an old friend of SSM. The band is rounded out by Andrew Ashby (Guitar, Voice), Elizabeth Bohannon (Keys, Percussion, Voice) and Jake Cardwell (Drums, Percussion). A highly recommended EP has just been completed. Head on over to their Myspace for some sample tracks. For KC-area listeners and internet seekers, you can catch them live on 96.5 on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 (about 9:00 a.m. CST).

The Shadowbox #1- The Caves from Gnarly Enterprises on Vimeo.

Also happening this week is a free EP from Nathan W. McKee. The release is entitled For Leanne Marshall's Runway and compiles the tracks McKee composed for her shows. This work is a densely electronic affair, reminiscent of Four Tet and about half of TNT. McKee's next release apparently features vocals (but whose vocals is unclear). Download the EP here.

Show Alert: Mayer Hawthorne @ The Getty - 6/12/10

On June 12, 2010, Stones Throw Records soul protégé Mayer Hawthorne will be performing at the Getty Center, as part of this year's "Saturdays Off the 405" series. So drop by and enjoy the tunes, cocktails, art, and the sweet sounds of Mayer Hawthorne.

Mulatu Astatke: An Abbreviated Retrospective

Giant Step has an excellent piece on Ethiopian percussion/vibraphone king Mulatu Astatke. The article focuses on his everreaching influence, and includes mp3s and stream of tracks by Quantic, Nas & Damian Marley, and Oh No, among others. Enjoy!