Results tagged “clubnokia”

It was a hell of a week for old post-punk college-rockers in Los Angeles, what with former Husker Du guitarist Bob Mould at the Troubadour and Mike Watt of the Minutemen/ fIREHOSE playing the Redwood in the same five-day period that saw return visits from two of the major acts from Chicago’s legendary Touch & Go label. The Jesus Lizard and Butthole Surfers were two of Independent America’s most beloved bands, renowned for their abrasive, yet oddly classicist records and consciousness-altering live shows. Both rose to alt-rock prominence, got signed to major labels in the 1990s, occupied early-afternoon slots on the Lollapalooza main stage and received major endorsements from Kurt Cobain (a split single with Nirvana for the Lizard, a tour-opening slot for the Surfers), then lost the plot around the end of the decade. And both ended up in LA for reunion tours within a few days of each other.

       

New York-based As Tall as Lions opened for Mutemath last night at Club Nokia at LA Live. After chatting with lead singer and guitarist Dan Nigro last week, it was a treat to see the band dive headlong with gusto into their 45-minute set which showcased the best of their latest full-length release, You Can't Take it With You, and one indulgence into the back catalog (the wonderfully haunting "Ghost of York" from their 2006 self-titled release).

In 2001, Dan Nigro joined up with some friends from high school and did what surely plenty of young people do in Long Island, New York: They formed a band. It would be glib to say "And the rest is history!" since As Tall as Lions is one hell of a hard-working quartet; they've just kicked off a tour in support of their August full-length release, You Can't Take it With You (Triple Crown Records), serving as support for Mutemath, and you can see them at Club Nokia this Saturday. This tour follows their summer tour with Dredg and Rx Bandits, and by late November through the end of the year they'll be touring in the US with Minus the Bear and in the UK with Frightened Rabbit and Athlete.

Starting late last year, the Downtown "destination" LA Live began to host all sorts of events, including a Grand Opening celebration, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony starring Britney Spears and the Mayor, a big screen broadcast of Obama's inaguration, and the openings of specific "on campus" spots like the Conga Room and the ESPN Zone. Touting itself firmly as LA's answer to Times Square (a promo video shown to some invited bloggers last year at the Ritz Carlton sales office declared as such), the LA Live-ers asserted that the development joining Staples Center, the Nokia Theatres, Club Nokia, and the Convention Center would be both a destination and a pit stop for locals and tourists alike.

              

An ever-increasing workload, the recession’s effect on one’s monthly Amoeba habit, a rapidly approaching membership into the “mid-thirties” club - a million and one reasons to stop seeing live music as frequently as my liver could once withstand. But last year’s SXSW/Coachella springtime juggernaut left its indelible mark and a few bands moved to the top of the “must see again and again” list, Cut Copy’s electropop/dance rock eking out the top spot. Who doesn’t love a band you can jump around to? It’s like everything good about the 90s rave scene (without the glow sticks and wide-legged pants, natch) served up with a side of early 80s nu-wave synth.

On Saturday March 28th, the six-time Grammy winner will be performing three shows in one night at L.A. Live's three music venues. Prince, who will be releasing three new albums on March 29th exclusively at Target and on his Web site, Lotusflow3r.com will be doing full length sets at The Nokia Theatre, The Conga Room, and Club Nokia.

       

A lot of self-reflection and humility go into an anniversary tour. It takes a lot to look back at your career and say, "This album was our best album." or in other words "Let's just play the songs that people want to hear and forget about our new stuff, which isn't that great." I only wish more bands would do that (I'm looking at you, Brandon Flowers. Just stick to Hot Fuss, babe.)

This Friday night, medium, clairvoyant, healer, and author Lisa Williams will be appearing live at Club Nokia, where she will be able to connect people with their loved ones who are no longer living. Williams might be a familiar face, since she has had two Lifetime Television series, Lisa Williams: Voices from the Other Side and Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead, and has made numerous appearances on TV talk and news shows here and around the country. She hails from England, but was brought to Los Angeles by the late Merv Griffin (before he became "the late") and now teaches workshops in the area in addition to making live appearances like Friday's all over the world.

              

Four words I never thought I would hear uttered at Club Nokia issued from young woman from the crowd. "I love your accordion!" she screamed. Next to me a drunken man in a plaid fedora raised his hands in double devil horns while stomping his feet. Really I thought that sort of thing was reserved for polka festivals and street fairs, but I guess I was wrong. You might well ask, who was inducing such fervor from the crowd? Ivan Milev and his band (and by band I mean buddy. He was accompanied by the violinist, Entcho Todorov) opened for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings on Sunday night. Two middle aged men in button down shirts announced that they were going to play "Bulgarian soul music," and proceeded to melt the crowd's face off with just an accordion and a violin.

                            

Ain't no party like a P-Funk party

        

Chrissie Hynde is so cool, she can get away with talking to her audience like a cranky old man without losing their affection.

          

Saturday night's marquee lineup at Club Nokia of X, New York Dolls, and Cracker was a perfect set up for a reenactment of the evolution of the clichéd rock fan: the MC5 meets Stooges and Stones 70's garage rock of the Dolls; the timeless West Coast iteration of late '70s downtown punk best repped by hometown heroes X; the '90s post-cowpunk, quasi-kitsch alt-rock of Cracker.

We haven't seen a Sunday like this since the summertime. We've got Athens-based new wave rock band the B-52's performing at Club Nokia in Downtown. Seattle's own experimental rockers Minus the Bear will be coming through the Henry Fonda Music Box with our favorite Raleigh-based indie pop group, the Annuals. LA locals Tigers Can Bite You are slated to rock at the Alterknit Lounge at the Knitting Factory. And, lastly, singer-songwriter Charlie Wadhams will be continuing his month-long Sunday Night Residency at Tangier. Word on the street is that Tangier will be closing its doors soon due to financial woes. But how could anyone turn down the Part Time Punks Festival at the Echo and Echoplex compound? Not only will some of LA's prominent fringe acts be playing (The Muslims, Mika Miko, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti), but living legends like Manchester's A Certain Ratio will be headlining the predominantly punk-tinged extravaganza. It will be the band's first performance in the US since 1985—the year I was born.

            

Sunday night Beck opened in the brand spanking new Club Nokia. Before I launch into the review of Mr. Hansen, I would like to say a few words to the owners of this new club. Firstly I would like to congratulate you on your design. You make a rather large club (housing 2,300 people) feel small and intimate. There is not a bad seat in the house. Also the sound quality is amazingly good. But in order to make the club a bastion of Los Angeles rock music you should do the following. (Club and show review continues below photo gallery)

                      

Last Thursday, Rilo Kiley frontwoman and Silver Lake "Pioneer Woman" Jenny Lewis (MySpace) returned to Southern California, headlining at The Orpheum Theatre with support from openers Pierre de Reeder (MySpace) and the recently-reunited Beachwood Sparks (MySpace). It was the second-to-last stop on Lewis' Tour, which began in mid-September at Spaceland (MySpace) -- see reviews at Web In Front and Classical Geek Theatre -- and The Echo (MySpace).

Last year L.A. LIVE opened the first phase of its massive project with the NOKIA Theatre, accommodating 7,100 people per show (The Emmys were there on Sunday). This year on November 10 Club NOKIA will open its doors for the first time to 2,300 fans of Beck (tickets go on sale Saturday). Their line-up, which includes Matisyahu, Usher and B.B. King has only been announced through February. Also in December, the GRAMMY Museum located next to Club NOKIA is expected to have its grand opening.