Benefit Concert Thursday Feb 23: Telstar, Wires In The Walls, Little Red Lung, Kevin Bronson (Buzz Bands LA)
Please join Rock Is A Girl's Best Friend, Telstar, Wires In The Walls, Little Red Lung and Kevin Bronson, for a special benefit concert to support LA's homeless population, Thursday, February 23rd at The Mint. All proceeds from the door will be donated to PATH (People Assisting The Homeless).
GET TICKETS NOW: http://www.themintla.com/show/detail/56568
DJ Kevin Bronson (Buzz Bands LA): 8:00pm
Little Red Lung: 9:00pm
Wires In The Walls: 10:00pm
Telstar: 11:00pm
The Mint: 6010 WEST PICO BLVD. LOS ANGELES, CA 90035
The Inspiration:
I was on a conference call while driving to a show in downtown Los Angeles, during an unseasonably cold December night. The show was taking place at a venue that was new to me, so I enlisted the help of my vehicle's GPS to navigate. "Turn left onto South Boyle" the GPS instructed. "Left onto Whittier Blvd" the digital voice continued. "Guys – I've gotta go!" I interrupted our conference call and hung up abruptly. My GPS routed me directly through Los Angeles's Skid Row, one of the largest populations of homeless people in the United States. It's estimated that more than 4,000 people sleep on the streets of LA's Skid Row every night.
I didn't hang up the phone out of fear. I've walked through the area at night previously. I hung up the phone out of respect. The content of the phone call was business. It was important. Yet, my mind could not handle the juxtaposition of what I was seeing on the streets with the discussions about business ringing in my ears. There was a van in front of me, driving exceptionally slow. I watched people set up their tents. They have a system. People seem to be well aware of their individual role in the community. During my drive, I witnessed how LA's homeless population works together as a means to survive. The slow-moving van in my path forced me to take it all in. "Look at what's happening here. . . This happens every night. . . You need to do something," thoughts raced through my head. By the time I made my way through the area, I had witnessed a small city being built before my eyes.
Skid Row map
"What can I do, beyond what I'm already doing?" I pondered as I continued to make my way toward the venue. I felt so blessed. . . and so responsible. My life is exceptional. Everything and everyone I'm grateful for sparked in my mind, rapid-fire. I couldn't keep up with my thoughts. "I just turned up the heat in my car, on my way to a show, to have drinks with friends, and enjoy an amazing night of live music. I need to do something. . . " So I called upon some of the friends who popped into my mind as I was giving thanks for all that I have and the people who contribute so greatly to my life. "What do you think about doing a benefit concert, in support of LA's homeless?" I asked. One-by-one, and without hesitation, they agreed.
Also among those I gave thanks for that night is YOU. We've shared live music experiences, anecdotes, and #overheard humor here, on Twitter, and YouTube. Many of us have met in person and cultivated friendships that extend well beyond a "like" button. I would love to share this evening with you, my community, as we lend much-needed support to LA's homeless community. Details about the artists, charity, and venue are below. Tickets are available here: http://www.themintla.com/show/detail/56568 Please share with your friends, invite them to join us. Thank you!
Kevin Bronson of Buzz Bands LA:
Kevin and I initially met several years ago at a Buffalo Tom show at The Troubadour. At the time, Kevin was an editor/writer at Los Angeles Times. He knew more about the music scene in Los Angeles than most people I had encountered up to that point. We hung out long after the show ended, talking about music and bands including Mercury Rev, The Shins, and Beachwood Sparks. We've been friends ever since. Currently, Kevin heads up BUZZBANDS.LA, an independent website focused on music made and played in and around L.A., offering news, reviews, interviews and song downloads. Buzz Bands has become the go-to source for fans seeking what's new and who's cool. Kevin also hosts a weekly radio program on KCSN, Sundays 7pm – 8pm (Pacific Time). If you want to know what's happening in music before it happens, this is your guy. It's an honor to have Kevin DJ this event.
Wires In The Walls:
Wires In The Walls
LA-based quintet Wires in the Walls explores a textured space between Americana, anthemic indie rock, austere post-punk, and pop. Since the band's formation in 2009, they have played many of LA's top venues and toured the east and west coasts, with their well-received 2010 EP "Call Signs" receiving local and national college radio play. Wires in the Walls takes a hands-on DIY attitude to their promotion, including the screen printing of all of their own merchandise. The band spent 2011 writing and recording their debut full-length album New Symmetry, released October 25, 2011. Wires in the Walls is: Warren Sroka (vocals/guitar – NYC), Nick Tracz (bass/vocals – upstate NY), Bryan King (drums/horns – Virginia), Dave Irelan (guitar/vocals – Oregon), & Dave Sicher (everything – Illinois).
"We're really excited to be a part of this show for a such a good cause. Los Angeles as a whole has been super supportive of us and our music throughout our brief life as a band, and so it's great to be able to give back in some small way to the larger community. Plus the lineup is fantastic, so it's like a double-whammy of awesomeness." Bryan King said when asked about Wires In The Walls' participation in this event.
Telstar:
They are among my favorite people in the world. Chris Unck, Eva Gardner, and Stew Heyduk ("Telstar") have "official bios" and credits that include P!nk, Feist, Mars Volta, Butch Walker, and Veruca Salt. Why do I love Chris, Eva, and Stew? They are amazing, kind, supportive, brilliant artists, not constrained by convention. They have a way of simultaneously existing in the past, present, and future, like a living time machine. The energy and spirit of their live shows has been the highlight of nights full of highlights. They're playful, funny, and experts in creating, as well as participating in, the party. Chris and Eva are also talented visual artists and will be displaying some of their work during the event.
I've written quite a bit about their music and live shows, some of which lends insight into the people they are, but none of which can substitute for you experiencing Telstar yourself.
The Mint:
It was during a show at The Mint in 1999 or 2000 that I decided I wanted to work "in music". There were only 8 or 9 of us at the venue. As I watched an unknown musician play in a nearly empty room, I had a strong feeling he would go on to be quite successful. "If I could get paid to do this. . . to experience music, help support it, and tell people about it. . . " I resigned from my movie studio job the following week. As soon as the musician finished his set, I approached the man who booked the venue at the time. "Who was that? You need to book him here again," I said. "I would love to keep booking him, but he doesn't draw (an audience)," the man responded. "What's his name?" I pressed. "Jack Johnson," he replied.
Needless to say, I have a long history with The Mint. It's a wonderful venue, with a great team of people behind it. You can enjoy a clear line of sight to the stage from nearly any point in the venue. The bar is perfectly situated for optimal efficiency. They have great food. I've seen artists including Frank Black, Ben Harper, Jackson Browne, Joan Osborne, and Tom Morello play The Mint.
What I love most about The Mint is the people who work there and their ongoing commitment to the community as a whole. There's a sense of Southern hospitality at The Mint. If you're there, you're family. As an organization, The Mint is dedicated to giving back to the community. They've hosted numerous fundraisers and are generously opening their doors to us on Thursday, February 23rd as we come together to lend support to the homeless.
PATH (People Assisting The Homeless):
During the last six months of 2011, PATH helped 544 people in need move into permanent housing. PATH's mission is "To break the cycle of homelessness by empowering people with the tools for self-sufficiency." They do this by helping homeless individuals and families find work, save money, secure housing, and empower their lives. PATH provides numerous essential services to the homeless including counseling, legal advocacy, housing services, employment and outreach services. All proceeds from the door during our event will be donated to PATH. For more info about PATH, you may check out their fact sheet here: http://www.pathpartners.org/factsheet/files/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20PATH.pdf
Tickets are on-sale now: http://www.themintla.com/show/detail/56568
I look forward to seeing you at the show!
[Updated: February 17, 2012]
We are pleased to announce an addition to our line up: Little Red Lung. "Why such high praise? Well, perhaps because vocalist/keyboardist Zoe-Ruth Erwin has seemingly been summoned from the collective wombs of Tori Amos, Amanda Palmer, and Florence Welch with as much artistic depth of her own to gain the type of devoted following each of those women have. Yet there's something a bit more sinister about the musical magic this band conjures up, a seductive witchery of waltzes that would incite even the most devout crossbearer to do the devil dance. They're brilliant. The band is releasing free tracks up until the release of their new album through Bandcamp. You need to download them all."
– la-underground
This entry was posted in Benefit, The Mint, Ticket Giveaways, Tickets and tagged Benefit, benefit concert, Buzz Bands LA, charity, charity concert, concert, Concert Tickets, homeless, KCSN, Kevin Bronson, Little Red Lung, live music, music, PATH, Telstar, The Mint, Tickets, Wires In The Walls.
Joseph Arthur at The Troubadour Feat. Ben Harper
The Troubadour, LA
Joseph Arthur and Ben Harper
"I'm no longer who I was, no longer who I thought I was. . . " Joseph Arthur sang during a stellar performance of his song, "You Are Free" at The Troubadour. Well, I've been seeing Arthur perform live for the past 11 years and I don't know who he thinks he is, but I think he is still one of the best songwriters around.
The first time I saw Joseph Arthur play he was opening for David Gray at The Palace (now The Avalon) in Hollywood. He performed solo and I watched in amazement as Arthur used numerous pedals to create and loop sounds, building momentum and evolving into extraordinary songs.
Joe and his pedals
It was the first time I had experienced an audience uproar for an opening act to do an encore performance (this was before Queens of The Stone Age opened for Nine Inch Nails). The crowd went insane when Arthur finished his short 30-minute set and were absolutely devastated when he didn't return for an encore. After David Gray's set, people were still talking about Joseph Arthur.
Flash forward to January 23, 2010: At this point Arthur can build a song by looping various beats and sounds, as he creates them, effortlessly. Once he lays down the tracks, he can paint while singing.
Joseph Arthur live painting
I've seen some live painting during concerts in my time, but usually the painter is another artist, not the performing musician. In Joseph Arthur's case, he performs while simultaneously painting on several massive canvases. Arthur wasn't just painting on stage because he could. After the show, Arthur sold his paintings, with 100% of the proceeds donated directly to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
It wasn't just Arthur, a bunch of pedals, and a paintbrush on stage. Ben Harper sat among Arthur's very talented band, playing lap steel guitar. Harper accompanied Arthur on vocals during one of his more recognized songs, "In The Sun." Harper also lent vocals to one of my favorite Joseph Arthur songs, "Ashes Everywhere." In addition to Ben
Harper, Arthur was joined by band mates Jessy Green, Sibyl Buck, and Kraig Jarret.
Joe sings to the painting
As Arthur played, he'd often look back at the paintings as if he was singing a line specifically to them. "Your holiness is gone. . ." he sang back to a painting, possibly a self-portrait, during "September Baby." Then Arthur would turn to the audience and sing, "Sometimes love will make you sad until you know where you belong." And then back to the painting, "You'll dream of what you never had. . . "
Joseph Arthur
Arthur played for nearly 3 hours, performing songs including "Honey and The Moon," "Crying Like A Man," "Slide Away," and "Birthday Card." Several years ago Arthur would play these similarly long sets at Largo, as if he wanted to make up for the lack of an encore during the David Gray show, or just wanted to ensure the audience was satiated. Nobody left early during those intimate shows and such was the case during Arthur's set at The Troubadour. Although in this case, prior to his second encore, Arthur remarked, "That would be it (the end of the show), but I've got to finish these paintings."
After the show, Arthur made his way to the front room where he signed autographs and took photos with every fan. He continued painting between photos and autographs, sometimes with frustration, other times with ease. Arthur also sold live bootlegs of that night's show immediately following the set – something he began doing several years ago and that I was pleased to see him continuing to do.
After all these years, thankfully, Joseph Arthur is still who I thought he was.
This entry was posted in Benefit, Largo, Troubadour and tagged Ben Harper, Benefit, Haiti, In The Sun, Jessy Green, Joseph Arthur, Kraig Jarret, Sibyl Buck, The Troubadour.
Free Download of Radiohead For Haiti Benefit Concert
Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles
Radiohead for Haiti
Web In Front has posted a podcast of Radiohead's recent Haiti benefit concert. You can either stream or download it here.
In the spirit of the event, Web In Front has also listed several places you can donate money to provide further relief to Haiti. Radiohead's benefit concert in Los Angeles on January 24th raised $572,754 for Oxfam's Haiti Relief Fund.
Download the concert now
Set list, HD videos, and review of the show are posted here: http://rockisagirlsbestfriend.com/2010/01/25/radiohead-for-haiti-at-the-henry-fonda/
This entry was posted in Benefit, Henry Fonda Theater, Radiohead and tagged Benefit, Colin Greenwood, Download, Ed O'Brien, Haiti, Henry Fonda Theater, Jonny Greenwood, Oxfam, Phil Selway, Radiohead, Thom Yorke.
Radiohead For Haiti at The Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles
Yes, you read that correctly – Radiohead played the Henry Fonda Theater (capacity 1,300) last night. The band announced on their website Thursday afternoon that they'd be playing this intimate show to raise funds for Oxfam, to provide additional relief to the people of Haiti. Tickets were available by auction only, with the minimum bid being $475/each when the auction closed Saturday morning. $572,754 was raised as a result of this one night event.
As you will see by the set list and videos below – you had to be there. The guys played a dream set and performed one of the best live shows I've ever seen (and that includes the numerous other phenomenal Radiohead concerts I've attended).
They had a stripped down stage. No big light show. Just arguably one of the best bands in the world, playing their songs at full throttle, while raising a significant sum of money for a country in dire need.
Ed O'Brien
While I have tremendous appreciation for the elaborate lighting and stage set up experienced at most Radiohead shows, being able to see and hear the band without the lights was spectacular. Typically at a Radiohead concert, you're immersed in a sea of light and sound, which hits you in waves and layers. Last night, it was simply an aural symphony. Without the lights, I became even more tuned in to how the band builds each song, layer by layer, sound by sound. The people standing around me mentioned multiple times that they never realized how many of the sounds are created by Ed. If you had any doubts previously, this show enabled you to see the crucial role each individual member plays in creating the music. It's one impressive thing that a band can compose and record this music; it's another thing entirely that they can play it live, with perfection.
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood
Radiohead literally ROCKED last night and they seemed to have fun doing it. At one point Thom commented, "You guys are getting all my jokes tonight. . . I've died. . ." Well, the way you played, so did we.
Here's the set list. Some videos are posted below the set list, and judging by the number of cameras in the audience, many more can be found on YouTube.
Faust Arp
Fake Plastic Trees
Karma Police
Morning Bell
How To Disappear Completely
Wolf at the Door
The Bends
Ed O'Brien and Jonny Greenwood
Dollars & Cents
Exit Music (For a Film)
Encore #1
Everything In Its Right Place
Pyramid Song
This entry was posted in Benefit, Henry Fonda Theater and tagged Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Haiti, Henry Fonda Theater, Jonny Greenwood, Oxfam, Phil Selway, Radiohead, Thom Yorke.
Joseph Arthur Donating 100% of Proceeds from Live Stage Paintings to Victims in Haiti
Photo by Danny Clinch
Joseph Arthur is coming back to Los Angeles this week for two shows at The Troubadour (January 22 and 23). I've been seeing Joseph perform live for 11 years.
One of my favorite Joseph Arthur shows took place in the small room of the Knitting Factory in Hollywood several years ago. There were technical difficulties during the show which gave Joseph some time to hang with the audience while the tech issues were resolved. I was surprised and excited when Joseph pulled a notebook out of his backpack and began an impromptu show and tell of some sketches he had done. As with his songs, he had a captivating story behind every sketch. Arthur is not just a brilliant songwriter and performer, but also a talented visual artist.
I was pleased to learn that Arthur has been inspired to bring back his live stage painting during his shows in San Francisco and Los Angeles, with 100% of the proceeds donated directly to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.
Paintings will be sold immediately after the performance at the merchandise booth in a "make an offer" system, with a minimum bid of $500. Seven paintings were recently sold in Seattle and Portland, with Joseph creating more backstage to keep up with demand.
January 19 & 20 – San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Shop
January 22 & 23 – Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Joseph's paintings will be exhibited this year at Sundance, and Peter Gabriel hails Arthur's work as exhibiting "strength and a visceral quality," connecting "Expressionism, Art Brut, Basquiat and the Graffiti movement."
www.clintonbushhaitifund.org
www.museumofmodernarthur.com
Live show review to follow.
This entry was posted in Benefit, Troubadour and tagged Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Haiti, Joseph Arthur.
Thom Yorke, Supergrass/The Hot Rats, Nigel Godrich, and Maroon 5 Haiti Benefit Concert
Haitian Relief Benefit
Thom Yorke after a solid DJ set
There are many things I love about LA. One of them the weather (although a traffic nightmare this week), the ability to surf and then ski all in the same day, and last-minute benefit concerts featuring Thom Yorke, Nigel Godrich, Gaz Coombes & Danny Goffey (Supergrass and The Hot Rats). Yes, Maroon 5 was there too, as were a slew of celebrities.
The reason for this impromptu gathering of creative sound purveyors was to raise money to provide additional relief to Haiti. The night offered the utmost gratifying experience as we simultaneously danced and generated funds for the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.
Maroon 5 played in the front room (aka the hotel lobby converted into a private space), while Yorke, Godrich, Coombes, and Goffey spun tunes in the bar. The DJ sets were a diverse blend of soulful classics, dubstep, hip hop, and hard hitting dance tracks. I spent the entire evening in the back room (aka Teddy's) dancing, while overhearing occasional reports from the front room.
Two tips for next time, and then off to bed:
1. Thom Yorke is not a wedding DJ. Don't go up and request songs – he knows music (dare I say) better than you
2. If you can't find the bar, it's time to stop drinking. Yes, toward the end of the night a woman actually walked up to the DJ booth, cash in hand, to order a drink. She was very disappointed to see her "bartender" replaced by Thom Yorke.
Only in Hollywood…
Many thanks to everybody who made the night what it was and for your contributions to providing relief in Haiti.
Danny Goffey
This entry was posted in Benefit, Radiohead and tagged Adam Levine, Danny Goffey, Gaz Coombes, Hollywood Roosevelt, Maroon 5, Nigel Godrich, Radiohead, Roosevelt Hotel, Supergras, The Hot Rats, Thom Yorke.