Results tagged “seanwatkins”

Tonight Radiohead front man Thom Yorke will be closing out a sold-out two-night stint at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown with local experimental electronic act Lucky Dragons. Brooklyn-based shoegaze-infused electronic trio School of Seven Bells (LAist Review) are poised to take on the Troubadour with local indie rock outfit Warpaint (LAist Review, #2, #3) and NY's latest buzz band Phantogram. And, lastly, WPA, or rather Works Progress Administration—a Santa Barbara-bred supergroup formed from a prominent community of musicians who frequent the Largo, including Sean and Sara Watkins, as well as Glen Phillips—will be performing for their first time at the Largo at the Coronet. But we strongly suggest heading over to Spaceland to catch the opening night of local indie pop outfit Light FM's month-long residency. LAist favorites We Barbarians and Tigers Can Bite You are slated to kick things off. Yours truly will be DJing in between sets.

If you want to see the epitome of collaboration, you need look no further than the band Works Progress Administration (WPA). This new folk-pop supergroup, named after FDR's New Deal agency, was born out of many Largo at the Coronet shows and impromptu post-show jam sessions. Over the last year, it has evolved into an "expandable collective" of musicians who can individually and collectively make your jaw drop with their skill and improvisation.

As if Joe Cocker, Erykah Badu, Peaches and the Field weren't enough to make you salivate, LAist just got word that local Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Fiona Apple—everyone's favorite lil' brooding princess—will be making a surprise appearance this Wednesday at Largo at the Coronet for Watkins Family Hour (LAist Review). The fairly regular, familial occasion, which is hosted by former Nickel Creek fiddler Sara Watkins (LAist Interview) and her guitar-toting brother Sean (LAist Interview), will also feature prominent guest musicians like Tom Brosseau and actor John C. Reilly. To put it simply: You'll want to be there just for bragging rights, if not the music. This is not a night to be missed, so make sure you plan accordingly!

Tonight LA-based pop singer-songwriter/producer extraordinaire Ne-Yo will be performing for a sold-out crowd at Club Nokia in Downtown. Grammy Award-winning Stone Temple Pilots front man Scott Weiland is poised to rock the Henry Fonda Music Box with the Colour Turning. Fiction Family (LAist Interview), a collaborative project between Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins and Switchfoot front man Jon Foreman, will be gracing the Largo at the Coronet. Alabama-bred country singer-songwriter Charlie Louvin is slated to headline Spaceland with none other than Mike Stinson in tow. And, lastly, Charlotte's own genre-crossing singer-songwriter Benji Hughes will be performing at Home Restaurant in Silverlake. But we strongly suggest heading over the hold-and-corner Pehrspace to experience Fol Chen's record release extravaganza. Karin Tatoyan and Avi Buffalo are slated to kick off the show.

The songwriting process for Fiction Family's first record didn't follow standard procedure, and that's probably one of the reasons why it's such a fun and fascinating album. When Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot decided to write music together, they knew they'd have to do much of their songwriting while one (or both) of them was on tour. So they established something of an electronic pen pal system for writing the music and getting each other's feedback. Along with that, they established some ground rules: 1) no tuning of vocal tracks, 2) no amp simulators, 3) no shlepping of gear back and forth, 4) no pussyfooting around each others musical feelings and 5) no crap. Thus they began a collaboration that would have been technologically impossible 20 years ago, while making sure they maintained an organic sound. The result is Fiction Family's self-titled debut, which was released on Jan. 20. Last Friday, LAist spoke with Watkins to learn more about the new record, surfing, Guitar Hero and Fiction Family's gig at Largo at the Coronet this Saturday night.

Saturday night’s inaugural Greg Proops Chat Show at the new Largo at the Coronet Theater was a fun three-hour ride featuring music, storytelling and, of course, comedy.