Who doesn’t love music? And who doesn’t love stories about band camp? Well, the fine folks over at the GRAMMY Foundation are offering a couple band camp options right here in Los Angeles in the coming year for high school students interested in learning more about having a career in the music industry. (You know, for students who aren’t able to find drugs in their own high schools.) Read the rest of this entry →

Yes!!
This is the Real Deal!

Morris Day, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Benton, Jellybean Johnson, and Monte Moir.
That’s right, the Original Seven Members of The Time. (Hence the name.)

But I need names, NOW!! Show is tomorrow, Wed. Oct 19th. Wanna go?

Send an email with your Full Legal Name as it appears on your Legal ID*, and I’ll pick Winners at Random. I need them by Right Away! So send me an email and then watch your Inbox!

Send Email To BLACONTESTS@GMAIL.COM

*See, you show this ID at Will Call when you Pick up your Tickets. Makes sense, huh?

The Original 7ven:
The Band Formerly Known as The Time
Wed October 19th
Club Nokia
800 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Doors at 7:30

Just to give you a little peek behind the b.la curtain, the nice people at Goldenvoice often grace us with delicious bundles of free tickets to their events, in hopes that we will write about them and increase attendance.

We love this – and I have to say that I love it in particular because

a. I’m too cheap to buy tickets to things, and
b. I like to feel like a bigshot.

Most of the time there are tickets a-plenty, which means the person who blogs the story gets two, and everyone who wins the contests we run gets the rest. Nice deal.

Except now. When we only get ONE PAIR of Foo Fighters tickets!

That means I have to be generous and groovy and give YOU these tickets, without even getting to go myself! Think of it! The horror!

So….

The contest is this: You tell me why YOU deserve to go more than I do, and you get a pair of tickets to FOO FIGHTERS AT THE FORUM ON THE FOURTEENTH.

Simple, right?

So get creative. Because I REALLY dig this band.

Update: Winners have been notified! Congratulations!

I’ve got a secret that I can’t explain…actually, it’s not a secret now. We’re giving away TWO PAIRS of tickets to see OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) this coming Friday, October 7th at Club Nokia. I was excited when I learned earlier this year that OMD was still performing. I admittedly hadn’t thought of them in a good while, but I do have fond memories of their music I had some nice emo times listening to them and pining for a certain young man, before emo was even a thing.

If you are also nostalgic for some great 80s synth-pop and would like to see OMD live, leave a comment below (be sure to sign in with a legit email address) no later than Noon on Tuesday, 10/4.

More details on the show here.

We’ve been on a concert tear lately at Blogging LA with our ticket contests to see Jane Lynch, Blondie — and now Peter, Bjorn & John.  They are, of course, known for that whistling song, but they’ve done so much more that is just as great.  The band is on their “All You Can Eat” tour now, and we have tickets to give away for their October 5th show at the El Rey.  To enter, simply leave a comment with your favorite Peter Bjorn & John song other than “Young Folks“ and I’ll pick a winner by Friday at noon.

I’ll try to avoid the cliche’s any further.  I am totally amped I to give away not one, but TWO pairs of Tickets to see Blondie at the Nokia on 10/5.  Yup, that punk/new wave songstress that I have admired since college is coming to town.  Her current tour promises a great mix of the early works as well as some of the newer stuff that drifts into experimental jazz.  I think I have every album she ever made and could ramble on about her, but if you want more on her discography and bio check out her official page HERE.

What to do to win?  Sign on in the comments with a legit email addy and tell me why you want to see Blondie. I’ll pick the winners at random Friday morning and make the announcement by noon.

For those of you who don’t win you can always go to Nokia directly HERE and order your tix.

One of the reasons why blogging is so great is that you find out stuff you wouldn’t have otherwise known about. (Another reason is that you can end sentences with prepositions with impunity.) So while I was grabbing the URL for No Age’s site for the post below about the Eagle Rock Music Fest, I noticed that they are DJing for a Zounds gig at the Echo this Sunday.

Let me say it again: A ZOUNDS GIG AT THE ECHO THIS SUNDAY.

I am so freaking excited. I didn’t even know Zounds was touring the US. I refer you back to my parenthetical disclaimer below that my favorite music came out between 1977 & 1983. Zounds is a sort of punk inspired anarcho-pop band. Here’s one of my favorite Zounds songs (admittedly one of their least political):

You can give a listen to a lot more of their music here. They are one of the best relatively forgotten bands of the late-70s early 80s, and they’re playing LA in three days! If you like Wire or The Fall or Gang of Four and you don’t know Zounds give them a listen. I’ll bet you’ll love them. A big shout out to the Echo for hosting the show.

Many of us abandoned Sunset Junction long before they were forced to cancel this year because of a dispute over city fees. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve had a good time there in the past and they do get hella good bands to play. But there are so many freaking people there that–for me–the event is on the ever-increasing list of places I personally consider a victim of their own success. I’m just too much of a misanthrope to enjoy downtown art walk, Dia de los Muertos in Hollywood Forever, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Sunset Junction as much as I might were I not forced to share space with a teaming mass of humanity. I don’t want to have to brush up against a bunch of sweaty arms even if they are all sporting amazing sleeves. I don’t know if Sunset Junction is “the largest celebration of diversity in Los Angeles and in California” as they bill themselves on their website (in fact, I find that hard to believe), but I do know there are too many damn people there for my tastes.

Enter the Eagle Rock Music Festival. I went two years ago because I wanted to see No Age and Peanut Butter Wolf. It was free then–now they’re asking for a $5 donation–and it was just crowded enough but not too crowded. I admit I don’t know most of the bands listed this year (not that that’s any indicator–most of my favorite albums were released between 1977 and 1983), but in 2009 two of my favorites were bands I’d never heard before: Nico Stai and The Mormons. The latter cycled up, handed out pamphlets, and did a renegade performance on instruments they had ported on their bikes including a strap-on drum set and an amp with a shoulder strap–tres punk rock. Kudos, Mormons. This year, I’m sure there will be other musical surprises. It’s easy enough to stroll Colorado Boulevard from one end of the festival to the other and stop when you hear something interesting. Really, how can you go wrong in a festival where the line-up at the family stage concludes with The Ukulele Orchestra of the Western Hemisphere followed by a Neil Diamond Tribute Band? Anyway, I’m super sad I’ll be out of town and will miss it this year, but you b.la readers should go and let me know how it is.

[An aside: Please someone over at the Sunset Junction website learn the difference between "it's" and "its." Thank you.]

Chris Yarzab's photo used through Creative Commons license

What do you do to promote an album called Valleyheart? You play a free show in the Juniors department of Macy’s at Northridge Mall, that’s what. According to Racked (to whom my metaphorical cliched hat is tipped), She Wants Revenge is playing the Northridge Macy’s this Saturday at 2:00 and Skylar Gray will be opening. To the parents brave enough to take their tweens, I salute you. You are good people. The first 300 people to buy at least $35 of select merchandise will get a free autographed picture. The rest will just get the memories.

In anticipation of their upcoming exhibit Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981, MOCA has this gem posted on their blog:

Ruscha’s Back of Hollywood will be part of the exhibit, which opens 1 October at MoCA’s Geffen Contemporary, along with 500-some other pieces “including documentary, staged, and conceptual photographs; abstract and representational paintings; freestanding sculptures, installations, and environments; performances and public demonstrations; narrative and documentary films and videos; zines and posters; ceramics and models; works on paper; decorative crafts and design objects; and ephemera.” Well okay then! I guess the last sensory overload at the Geffen, the street art exhibit, was so successful why not overstimulate us again, right?

If October 1 seems too long to wait, you can whet your appetite with the Ruscha exhibit at the Hammer. I haven’t been yet, but it’s on my short list. It a small show with just six large Ruscha canvases that all use text from Kerouac’s On the Road in front of snow capped mountains.

“This town is magic to me and it hasn’t grown old, and I love the colors and the layout and the mountains and the ocean and desert,” says Anthony Kiedis to Edward Ruscha as they drive down Sunset Boulevard.

Amen to that, say I.

Rafael Tovar's photo used through Creative Commons license

It’s hard to believe it’s been more than 30 years since Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980) were released. For those of us whose formative years were the 80s, Joy Division was emblematic of a dark, introspective aesthetic that was, at the time, almost self-parodic. Even now, the quality of the music itself can be eclipsed by the specter of hipster couples with matching skinny jeans and “Love Will Tear Us Apart” tattoos in script on their forearms. Nonetheless, if you can look past the silliest of the fans, and give them a fair listen, it’s hard to argue with the fact that Joy Division’s music is just damn good. Closer and Unknown Pleasures are among the very best post-punk albums ever.

And guess what, kids? You have the chance to hear Peter Hook, who once upon a time was Joy Division’s bassist and backing vocalist, and the Light perform either Closer at the Music Box on Wednesday the 14th or Unknown Pleasures at the El Rey on Friday the 16th. And, to make it even more special, Moby will be singing a couple of Joy Division songs at both shows. I have a free pair of tickets to the show of your choice to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me which show you’d prefer to see. A winner will be chosen randomly by the end of the day Monday. Please be sure to leave a current email address when you comment and watch your email Monday night/Tuesday morning. Enjoy (or something).

Arthur Adams at Sunset Junction '08. Courtesy our own Burns!

In the end, even Live Nation couldn’t use its deep pockets to bail a lil’ ol’ community-oriented street festival out: an apparent $100,000 loan from the conglomerate notwithstanding and a ridiculous attempt to raise more money from the community – on top of the $25 it already charges for entry – it looks like Sunset Junction is cancelled.  The organizers apparently failed to solidify their permitting situation before selling tickets to the public, renting space out to the vendors, and booking the bands:  according to the city, some $141,000 in fees were past due, and have been for the past year.  Like that time your parents forgot one too many times to pay the electricity bill, the Board of Public Works finally just turned off the festival’s lights this morning.

But, as this is the Festival That Just Won’t Die Gracefully, the organizer’s attorney told LA Weekly soon after the Board’s decision: “Were gonna go back and review our options.”  That said, the organizers have indicated that there will be refunds (a recent tweet: “Lets not lose our faith, web site is down & Tickets $ will be re inverse to all of fans who supported, please do not panic (vendors,fans etc)”), but still are decrying the injustice of it all on their Facebook page and in a press release.

In spite of the cancellation, there may be a few performances this weekend yet.  LA Weekly also reports that El Cid’s stage will remain open “because they never received – and thus never signed – official contracts from the festival.  They’re also opening another free stage for displaced bands at nearby sister club Los Globos.”

Click for Attribution

It’s the 2nd Annual Health Awareness Benefit Concert
Featuring live performances by Snoop Dogg with Tank, New Boyz, Uneek Music All Stars and special guest DJ Greg Streets

Want Tickets?
Send an email to blacontests@gmail.com and winners will be picked at random. Email must contain your full, legal name as it appears on the ID you will show at the Will Call Booth when you win!

Hurry! I need winners by tonight!

Oh, you know the Eels.  Well, unless you somehow missed the last decade of television and movies, you know them.  They’ve popped up when angst required background music (Chuck, Shrek, probably too many Grey’s Anatomy episodes to count).  It’s angst with a beat, though, and Mr. E’s wonderfully gritty, woeful voice.

The Eels are playing a show next Friday, August 12, at the El Rey, and we’ve got some tickets to give away.  The Submarines - a local band that you may recognize from their many residences at The Echo, or maybe from their anti-capitalist anthem that made it unironically into a few iPhone commercials – will open.   To win tickets to this great show, leave a comment with your favorite Eels song.  Major bonus points if you can name your favorite Eels song used in a movie or television show.  Good luck!

You would not believe your eyes, if ten million fireflies, lit up the world as I fell asleep…

Addictingly catchy, Owl City is a great band to see in concert & they’re on tour with their new CD “All Things Bright and Beautiful.” Adam Young tells us that…

The music and lyrics conspire to make listeners feel as if they were stepping into another world — a verdant musical dreamland where “reality is a lovely place, but I wouldn’t want to live there,” as [he] sings on the opening track “The Real World.” Images of abundance, like a backyard of butterflies (“Honey and the Bee”), blossoms filling a room (“Hospital Flowers”), and “sunsets that dazzle in the dusk” (“Dreams Don’t Turn To Dust”) unfold alongside starry-eyed imaginings of cherry bombs staining blackbirds red (“Kamikaze”) and dipping one’s toes in the galaxy (“Alligator Sky”).

They’re playing two shows!!
7/21 || Owl City with Mat Kearney, Breanne Duren @ Club Nokia
7/23 || Owl City with Unwed Sailor @ Fox Theater Pomona

Thanks to our friends at Goldenvoice, I have a bunch of tickets to give away to lucky Blogging.LA Readers! Please leave your comments below (and specify which concert you’d like to attend) and I will pick some lucky winners Tuesday July 19th @ 12PM PST. **Update** Winners picked.  Still have a pair for FOX Pomona, if anyone still wants!

You can also buy tickets here: http://www.goldenvoice.com/shows/details/?id=31090