Nightbeat: Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes’ amazing debut album is a soothing tonic for troubled times – which probably makes it sound a little too ’70s James Taylor. (A closer sonic parallel: My Morning Jacket singing along to the Grateful Dead’s Anthem of the Sun.) This sensitive young band from Seattle thanks their parents and their record collections on the album’s inner sleeve, and lo, they’ve listened well: Their beautiful mix of electric folk-rock, choral music, and Brian Wilson-styled pop achieves heights not hit since your days of … well, yore. Bring your own tambourine and believe in magic.
–Joshua Sindell
Sat. at The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, (213) 413-8200, Attheecho.com. Sun. at Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake, (323) 661-4380, Clubspaceland.com.
This Week’s Highlights
Thursday, June 26
Cartel. Flyweight pop punk. The Roxy, West Hollywood, Theroxyonsunset.com.
Everclear, Soul Asylum, Camper Van Beethoven. Soul Asylum and Camper Van have at least a decade on Everclear, but look who’s headlining! No justice anywhere. House of Blues Sunset Strip, West Hollywood, Hob.com.
L.A. Guns. Warning: ex-Warrant vocalist Jani Lane’s now handling the vocals for the recently splintered hard rockers. The Whisky, West Hollywood, Whiskyagogo.com.
Sam Phillips and the Section Quartet. Phillips steps out from longtime producer T Bone Burnett’s shadow with her latest album, Don’t Do Anything. Largo, Los Angeles, Largo-la.com.
U.S. Air Guitar Championships. If this catches on, say goodbye to Guitar Centers. The Troubadour, West Hollywood, Troubadour.com.
Friday, June 27
B-Real. Cypress Hill’s cartoon-voiced rapper goes it alone. Whisky.
The Casualties, Time Again. Crusty punks ahoy! Crash Mansion, downtown L.A., Crashmansionla.com. Also Sat. at Vault 350, Long Beach, Vault350.com.
Nikka Costa. The fiery soul singer is known for her passionate live performances. El Rey Theatre, Miracle Mile, Theelrey.com.
Dilated Peoples, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, 88-Keys. Veteran hip-hoppers meet the underground’s rising stars. House of Blues Sunset Strip.
Godhead. Industrial-goth rockers share their pain with you. Cat Club, West Hollywood, Myspace.com/thecatclub.
Grand Archives, Sera Cahoone. Indie/roots-rockers mix country and rock sounds. The Echo, Echo Park, Attheecho.com.
Hellogoodbye. Chirpy pop-punk from the Drive-Thru Records stable. Key Club, West Hollywood, Keyclub.com.
Hot Hot Heat, The Shys. Has the warmth faded from the once-blazing Hot Hot Heat? Will the Shys’ British Invasion-inspired tunes ever find an audience? Tune in and see. With the Deadly Syndrome. The Roxy.
Juliette and the Licks. The female Iggy? No. No, not even close, really. Viper Room, West Hollywood, Viperroom.com.
Mark Knopfler, Jesca Hoop. Singer-guitarist Knopfler still impresses with his sensitive and lyrical guitar-playing. Greek Theatre, Griffith Park, Greektheatrela.com.
Randy Travis. Hardly an intimate honky-tonk, but it’ll have to do. Long Beach Arena, Long Beach.
Mick Turner. The Dirty Three guitarist goes solo. The Smell, downtown L.A., Thesmell.org.
Saturday, June 28
Mickey Avalon. Hollywood rapper thumps chest and dishes on his exes. Key Club.
Camp Freddy, Louis XIV. The Sunset Strip Music Festival continues with jamming and tomfoolery at 8755 W. Sunset Blvd., 1-9 p.m. Sunsetstripmusicfestival.com.
The 88, Derby. Portland-based studio nerds Derby team up with L.A. popsmiths the 88 for a night of well-crafted tuneage. With IMA Robot. The Roxy.
Electric Daisy Carnival. DJs, glow-sticks, and plenty of dancing. L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park, Electricdaisycarnival.com.
Cyndi Lauper, The B-52’s, special guests. Hip-swinging concert promoting the True Colors Fund. Greek Theatre.
Louis XIV. Racy San Diegan rockers hope to jump-start their stalling career. Viper Room.
McQueen, Billy Boy on Poison. British all-girl band McQueen meets local bad boys B.B.O.P. at tonight’s “Whisky Jam.” The Whisky.
Willie Nile. New York singer-songwriter strips down, plays acoustic. McCabe’s Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, Mccabes.com.
P.O.D. S.D. rap-rockers return. EXIT @ L.A. Convention Center, South Hall, Exitconcerts.com.
Panther, Plants and Animals. Indie rock from Portland, Oregon’s Panther, and Montreal’s Plants and Animals. Spaceland, Silver Lake, Clubspaceland.com.
Sgt. Pepper’s Revisited with Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick performs the Beatles album in its entirety, plus special guests. Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, Hollywoodbowl.com.
Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet. American old-timey/roots group (feat. Bela Fleck, Ben Sollee and Casey Driessen) with Chinese-themed lyrics. The Troubadour.
311, Snoop Dogg, Fiction Plane. Lazy stoner jams meets stoner gangsta rap for a summer’s night of middle-class fun. Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Laguna Hills.
Sunday, June 29
Gilberto Gil, Devendra Banhart. Gil’s Brazilian rhythms meets Banhart’s freaked-out folk? Talk about eclectic! Hollywood Bowl.
Meshell Ndegeocello. The acclaimed singer-bassist returned with last year’s The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams. Key Club.
Bob Weir & Ratdog, Gov’t Mule. The long, strange trip continues … . Greek Theatre.
Willoughby. A.K.A. Gus Seyffert, a local musician who’s played with the Bird and the Bee’s Inara George. Tangier, Los Feliz, Foldsilverlake.com.
Weird Al Yankovic. Well, he’s no weirder than his audience. Ventura Theatre, Ventura.
Monday, June 30
The Happy Hollows. Hot local indie-rock trio plays slightly off-kilter pop. Spaceland.
Tuesday, July 1
Boston, Styx. Seventies pomp rock in all its glory … but no Brad Delp (R.I.P.) or Dennis DeYoung to be found! Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, Gibsonamphitheatre.com.
Ours. Six years between albums … but with the Rick Rubin-produced Mercy the Jersey dark rockers are back and stronger for the time. The Roxy.
We Are Scientists. Inland Empire dance-rockers return with Brain Trust Mastery. El Rey Theatre.
Wednesday, July 2
Modey Lemon. Pittsburgh trio recalls the psychedelic garage sound of Thee Hypnotics. The Echo.
Todd Rundgren. Can the wizard/true star confine himself to a small stage? Key Club.
Published: 06/25/2008
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