The Scenestar

Frightened Rabbit Embark on U.S. Tour

Following the recent release of The Midnight Organ Fight, Frightened Rabbit has planned a string of U.S. dates in support of their second album. First, the Scots will tour with the French Kicks, who also are touring for a new album. Then, right after, Frightened Rabbit will embark on their own headlining tour, which will include a show at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood on June 22. New Yorkers Oxford Collapse will open for this show. Tickets are available now (see link below) and cost $12.50.

If you aren’t familiar with Frightened Rabbit, give the band’s MySpace a listen, and also check out their video for single “Head Rolls Off.” The band offers folk, pop and intense rock all in one, with a similarity to fellow Scots, The Twilight Sad. Intrigued yet? We sure are.

The Raveonettes Play Pasadena This Summer

OK Scenestar fans, take a deep breath because there is a lot of good and bad news in the world of The Raveonettes. First off, rejoice! The Raveonettes have announced that they will be making their only U.S. summer appearance here in Pasadena. They will be playing Make Music Pasadena, presented by KCRW on June 21. It will be all ages and free for everyone. But that’s not even the biggest Raveonettes news of the week! As some of you might already know, Sharin is currently not playing with the Raves.

Darfur Now Tour Coming to UCLA

The free shows keep on coming Scenestar fans. This time it’s for a good cause. May 28-29, UCLA will be screening Darfur Now, a documentary shedding a light on the genocide occurring in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. Along with the screening, there will be a FREE concert to promote awareness and funds to help send the message to stop the atrocities now. Artists scheduled to play are OK Go, Nico Vega, Arepa, DJ Ana Dim Mak, Rhymefest and more. Tickets are free on a first come, first served basis. Entrance is guaranteed for attendees of the film screening. Donations are suggested for the show with proceeds going to Genocide Intervention Network (GI Net). For more info on the event, visit: DarfurNowTour.com.

Live: Radiohead @ Cruzan Amphitheatre

ARTICLE BY PAULA GONZALEZ
PHOTO BY BEN SAUNDERS

MAY 5 | WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.—My friend Heather couldn’t have put it a better way, “I’m going to have a titty attack!” Well, what she really meant to say was that she was beyond excited about Radiohead’s show. West Palm Beach, Fla., became the launch site for the band’s U.S. tour, and we were going to be the first in line to see one of the greatest bands of our time. As Liars played their opening set, most of us killed time wondering what song Radiohead would start with? How many encores? Will we hear “Karma Police”? And at the same time, we were ooohing and ahhhing over the stage set up, wondering what the hell Radiohead would come up with.

Check It Out: Black Kites @ Spaceland

Here at The Scenestar, our email system can suck sometimes. Of course, it doesn’t help that we drink too much; we’re half blind and squinting to look at the computer screen. But we got an email from director Michael Grodner telling us about his latest project with L.A. band Black Kites. So we followed the links, and we were immediately blown away by this band. Black Kites, where have you been? More importantly, where have we been that we have missed you?

Nick Cave, Cat Power & Spiritualized @ Bowl!

UPDATE: Wow! What a night this is going to be. On Sept. 17, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will play the Hollywood Bowl with special guest Cat Power. And guess who has just been added to this lineup? Spiritualized! So if you missed their two nights at the Vista Theatre for the “Acoustic Mainlines” tour, here’s another chance to see Spiritualized ... as well as Nick Cave and Cat Power. Tickets are available now, priced $55 to $25.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds w/Cat Power and Spiritualized @ Hollywood Bowl, Sept. 17

Stereolab to Tour SoCal This Fall

UPDATE: It’s sure going to be a busy fall! Following the announcement of such September and October tours as My Morning Jacket and Swell Season, Brits Stereolab have just announced a tour in the same time frame … and it’s an extensive one at that.

Stereolab will visit Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar Sept. 20 and the Glass House in Pomona Sept. 21, then they will revisit SoCal in October. The band will perform in Los Angeles proper Oct. 23 at the Music Box @ Fonda. They also have a show at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on Oct. 24, if you like to travel.

Tickets for the Music Box ($25) and the Detroit Bar ($15) will go on sale Monday, May 12, at 10 a.m. For the other shows, no word yet on onsales.

FREE Hot Hot Heat Show Tonight @ Grove

Canuck fever is sweeping The Grove tonight! As part of this month’s M.A.D.E. in Canada festival series, The Grove will be hosting Canadian performers each week, sponsored by the Canadian Board of Tourism. This week’s inaugural guests are none other than Vancouver indie rockers Hot Hot Heat! The performance will be in the courtyard, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Hot Hot Heat is set to go on at 8:45 p.m. The opener will be Toronto country singer Serena Ryder.

The Morning Benders Album Release Party

PHOTO BY CHRIS MOLINA

Remember when we reported last on The Morning Benders? Well, the band has just released their debut, Talking Through Tin Cans, and they will be celebrating tonight at the Echo. Tickets are $10 BUT for $15 (only $5 more), you can get entry to the show and the new album! Pretty good deal we think.

My Morning Jacket Announces U.S. Tour

My Morning Jacket is coming to town! In support of the band’s new album Evil Urges, MMJ will embark on a fairly extensive tour and will visit Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on Sept. 21. Tickets are not yet on sale, but be sure that The Scenestar will keep an eye out for that and any presales.

You also can pre-order Evil Urges on iTunes, and if you do so, you will receive a free download of My Morning Jacket’s “Smokin From Shootin” (Live from St. David’s Church in Austin, TX). The album will be released on June 10.

Los Campesinos!: Hold On Now, Youngster...

BY CHARLOTTE MOSS

Los Campesinos!
Hold On Now, Youngster...
Arts & Crafts

I first heard of Welsh band Los Campesinos! via KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic when BBC DJ Steve Lamacq was a guest on the show. Lamacq had said during the radio program that Los Campesinos! was a band to watch, and, no surprise, he was right. Following the April release of the band’s debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster..., they have been hyped by such mainstream press as Rolling Stone and the more indie outlets, such as Pitchfork, but the excitement was already growing even before then.

When EP Sticking Fingers Into Sockets was released last year, it boasted a number of catchy tunes, including the oddly titled “We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives” and the addictively fun “You! Me! Dancing!” Everything about this band showed they had a sense of humor, from their witty lyrics and song titles to their cartoonish album covers. And unlike other bands who might feel uneasy at the expectation surrounding a debut full-length, Los Campesinos! seems to have approached Hold On Now, Youngster... with the same light-heartedness and mild sense of seriousness.

The Swell Season @ Greek Theatre Presales

UPDATE: If you missed The Swell Season at Coachella this year, no worries! Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová are returning to Los Angeles, performing at the Greek Theatre in October!

The scheduled date is Oct. 4, and tickets will cost $37.50 to $50. Even better, Iron and Wine is scheduled to open! If you are eager to score a ticket, Ducat King is hosting a presale. Password: ONCE. Tickets for the presale are $45 to $50, and though Section A center and pit have sold out, there are still plenty of Section A lefts and rights. You will have to create an account with Ducat King in order to purchase tickets with them.

The Swell Season @ Greek Theatre, Oct. 4 Ducat King Presale

Live: The Heavy @ Cinespace

ARTICLE BY OSCAR RANGEL

MAY 6 | HOLLYWOOD—After the madness that ensued during last week’s Cinespace, we at The Scenestar are surprised to find it still standing. A little tired maybe, but like clockwork, it was business as usual for Dim Mak at Cinespace Tuesdays. Doing what they do best, they were back with the usual weekly DJ lineup. Instead of celebrity Coachella DJ sets, we got to experience the new bands who tend to make the night so unique. Tonight’s guest was none other than U.K. band The Heavy.

Live: The Duke Spirit on Tour With BRMC

ARTICLE BY MYCHELLE PETERSON
PHOTOS BY SCOTT SPYCHALSKI

One of the great joys of seeing a band several nights in a row is the ability to compare and contrast performances and take note of whether the band goes through the motions or whether they really live in the moment each night. I had the great pleasure of seeing The Duke Spirit five times in the last two weeks, and though the set lists didn’t greatly differ, each night’s performance was nuanced with enough flair and variety to keep me entertained every time.

Earlier this month, The Duke Spirit embarked on a month-long trek through some lesser known towns with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, giving both bands the opportunity to play to crowds who might ordinarily never know their names, let alone their music. It’s an interesting experiment, and it was met with mixed results. Some crowds seemed glad to be out of the house no matter what band was playing, and some genuinely were excited that these two bands made a stop in their town. What impressed me most was the passion and intensity that both bands gave each performance.