NightBeat: BLITZEN TRAPPER
The guys in Portland’s Blitzen Trapper must make delicious Dagwood-style sandwiches when they’re taking breaks in the studio. Envisioning their lunches is as easy as hearing their music: Eric Earley’s crew start off barebones-basic like the Band, and then dog-pile on their arrangements every sonic spice and topping they can manage. The result is a music that frequently sounds rustic … for about a second or two, before mutating into a folk-rock Frankenstein, with grafted-on parts of various ’70s alloys (more Dylan, Parsons) and ’90s miscellanea (Beck, Wilco, Flaming Lips). Respect must be paid.
Sun. at The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, attheecho.com.
Thursday, November 27
Turkey. With your friends and/or family.
Friday, November 28
Bell Biv DeVoe. New Jack Swing yourself crazy after a day of Black Friday shopping. House of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, hob.com.
Melvins, Big Business, Porn. Big, bad bludgeoners the Melvins bring the heavy. The Troubadour, West Hollywood, troubadour.com. Also Sat.
Metro Station, The White Tie Affair, Tyga. Emo-pop plus synths plus Miley Cyrus’s brother, Trace, on vocals equals Metro Station; a minor rock sensation with a very iffy shelf life. Club Nokia, downtown L.A., clubnokia.com.
Soulfly, Bleed the Sky, Incite. Max Cavalera’s a busy guy, releasing both a new Soulfly album (Conquer) as well as Cavalera Conspiracy disc in the same year. Key Club, West Hollywood, keyclub.com.
The Temptations, The Four Tops. The soul legends carry on. A tribute to fallen Top Levi Stubbs is to be expected. Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, livenation.com.
Saturday, November 29
Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez. Ry Cooder and more play a benefit concert for Operation USA’s hurricane relief in Cuba, Haiti and the Gulf Coast. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, guacfund.org.
Brujeria, Mushroomhead, Pinhed. A night of brutal, Mexican-gangster-themed and masked nu-metal mayhem. House of Blues Sunset Strip.
Celtic Thunder. Theatrical, folk-estra pop from five rugged lads from the Emerald Isle. Nokia Theatre/LA Live, downtown L.A., nokiatheatrelalive.com.
Celine Dion. And, speaking of theatrical, the French-Canadian chanteuse has escaped Vegas and revisits the rest of the land. Honda Center, Anaheim, livenation.com. Also Tues. at Staples Center.
Dir en Grey, The Human Abstract. Japanese art-metal crew Dir en Grey returns with new album, Uroboros. The Wiltern, Los Angeles, livenation.com.
Holly Golightly & the Broke-Offs. Cult favorite British songstress plays a rare show. Spaceland, Silver Lake, clubspaceland.com.
M83, School of Seven Bells. Anthony “M83” Gonzalez is joined by Brooklyn trio School of Seven Bells. Music Box @ Fonda, Hollywood, henryfondatheater.com.
Sergio Mendes. The Brazilian bossa nova star brings his jazz up north. Club Nokia.
Zach Hill, Subtle. Crazed drummer Hill (Hella, Team Sleep) is joined by Oakland avant-garde sextet Subtle. Knitting Factory, Hollywood, knittingfactory.com.
Sunday, November 30
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Cleveland gangstas-with-soul project strength and loyalty. Club Nokia.
Neil Hamburger, Maria Bamford. Laugh and groan with one very funny woman, and one hopeless, sad sack of a man. Spaceland.
Ill Nino, Otep, Walls of Jericho, Sangre. A good night of nu-metal talent, and Otep Shamaya is always a ferocious performer. Key Club.
The Jonas Brothers. Tween and teen sensations the Jonases admittedly play catchy power-pop. Hollywood Palladium, Hollywood, livenation.com.
Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds, Iration. L.A. rap ’n’ jam crew Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds are teamed with fellow reggae rockers Iration. House of Blues Sunset Strip.
Monday, December 1
Steel Panther. Laugh off your tryptophan with comedy-metal antics. Key Club.
Tesla, Cinder Road. Hard-touring Sacramento rockers Tesla have a devoted following. House of Blues Sunset Strip.
Tuesday, December 2
Camp Freddy, Drive A. The all-star jam session that is Camp Freddy continues; plus local teen rock crew Drive A. The Roxy, West Hollywood, theroxyonsunset.com.
No Age. Savage hardcore from blistering local punks. The Troubadour.
Secondhand Serenade, Cute is What We Aim For. Acoustic alt rockers and emo punks with names that barely fit on T-shirts. House of Blues Sunset Strip.
The Sisters of Mercy. Aging Goth trailblazers revive their long-dormant sound. Music Box @ Fonda.
The Smashing Pumpkins. Spacebilly and his fun-time gang make the kiddies, laugh, cry, yawn. Gibson Amphitheatre. Also Wed.
Wednesday, December 3
The Hanson Brothers, Triclops! Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. Collision alert! Here’s hockey-lovin’ goof-punks (The Hanson Brothers); Bay Area avant-punk dudes (Triclops!); and friendly, eccentric, Seattle family-rockers (Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band). The Echo.
Jonathan Richman. Still “going faster miles an hour,” we assume. El Rey Theatre, Miracle Mile, theelrey.com.
Sebastien Tellier, Heartsrevolution. Suave French crooner Tellier is quite frank on latest album, Sexuality. With Hearts Revolution. Music Box @ Fonda.
Published: 11/26/2008
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