62 posts from October 2009

KCRW volunteer Shawniece Swain is a food truck pro so we asked for her take on tomorrow night’s event:

On Saturday,  KCRW celebrates Halloween with our first ever Costume Ball and Dance Party, Masquerade, at the legendary Park Plaza Hotel. The phenomenal line up of station DJs and live acts is more than enough reason to be excited, but the line up food trucks is proving to be just as exciting!
 
Providing yummy treats to hungry revelers will be trucks from KOGI BBQ, Border Grill, Coolhaus Ice Cream Sandwiches, Sprinkles Cupcakes and a new entry from the Grilled Cheese Truck!

KOGI, a longtime station favorite, will be there with their amazing Korean BBQ and Border Grill will throw in a splash of Southwest. I'm ready for the all the TACO LOVE! Comfort food is now on the menu with the addition of the Grilled Cheese Truck. We are so excited to have them during their inaugural week and can't wait to try them out. To round out the dinning options Sprinkles will grace us with cupcakes while Coolhaus serves up the ice cream. I am going to be so full I don't know how I am going to dance…. But I will find a way!
 

KCRW’s online music channel Eclectic24 will be featuring a heavy dose of music for Halloween tomorrow so feel free to make it your party soundtrack. Also, our Music Librarian Eric J Lawrence got the party started with his show late Sunday night (midnight to 3a, technically Monday AM)

From Eric:

I’ve been doing a special Halloween edition of my show for over 10 years now, and it’s still lots of fun tracking down both the spooky and the kooky songs for the holiday.  They can range from the explicitly creepy (The Essex’s “Cemetery Stomp”) to the seasonally goofy (the late Soupy Sales’ “My Baby’s Got a Crush on Frankenstein”), and from the old school (Louis Armstrong’s “The Skeleton in the Closet”) to the contemporary (The Starlight Mints’ “Coffins ‘R’ Us”).  It’s an annual full-on spook-tacular!!!

Hear is in the archives here until the next show airs.

RR

Upcoming Live Performances on MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC with host JASON BENTLEY

Monday, November 2, Pete Tong is one of the world's most recognized electronica DJs and a host on BBC Radio 1. We'll catch up on his favorite new tracks when he joins Jason Bentley to spin a song or two on Morning Becomes Eclectic in the 10 o'clock hour.

Monday, November 2, Port O'Brien earned their seafaring references the old fashioned way-- by spending summers in Alaskan canneries. The band played our SXSW showcase last year and we’re happy to welcome their on air debut on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Tuesday, November 3, Gothenberg's Little Dragon make their highly anticipated return to Los Angeles to perform at KCRW's first-ever Masquerade & Halloween Ball. They join us to play songs from their new album on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Friday, November 6, Fun and funky soul music from Fitz & The Tantrums makes breaking up sound good! The LA band will deliver a catchy set of songs for Morning Becomes Eclectic listeners at 11:15am.

Monday, November 9, If what we heard at KCRW’s free music series "Sounds Around Town" is any indication, Orgone will deliver a high energy, heavy hitting dance party to Morning Becomes Eclectic listeners at 11:15am.

Tuesday, November 10, Multi-platinum selling artist David Gray loves KCRW so much, he even dropped by for a performance on his wedding day years ago. We've had him back many times since and he joins Morning Becomes Eclectic for an intimate performance of songs from his latest release at 11:15am.

Friday, November 13, Columbian artists Bomba Estereo made a splash at this year’s Latin Alternative Music Conference. They combine Afro-Caribbean rhythms with electro, dub, hip hop and more for a sound they call "electro-tropical." Hear it live on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

KCRW.COM PRESENTS

Fri, October 30, ART BRUT with PRINCETON AT CAFÉ DU NORD IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Wed, November 4, LITTLE DRAGON at THE INDEPENDENT in SAN FRANCISCO.
Tues, November 24, ROYKSOPP at WEBSTER HALL in NEW YORK.
Fri, December 11, FIERY FURNACES at THE MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG in NEW YORK CITY.

KCRW PRESENTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Sat, October 31, KCRW's MASQUERADE: A HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL AND DANCE featuring Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Little Dragon, Sea Wolf, and KCRW DJ's spinning at LEGENDARY PARK PLAZA in DOWNTOWN, LA.
Thurs, November 5, MILTON NASCIMENTO AT THE CONGA ROOM.
Fri, November 6, FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS AT THE ECHO.
Tues, November 10, INARA GEORGE, ELENI MANDELL, FERRABY LIONHEART AT THE BOOTLEG THEATRE.
Thurs, November 12, ORGONE AT ZANZIBAR.
Thurs, November 12, BURAKA SOM SISTEMA AT THE MAYAN.
Sat, November 14, JENNY LEWIS & FRIENDS AT THE ACTOR’S GANG.
Wed, November 18, SWELL SEASON AT THE WILTERN.
Wed, November 18, ROYKSOPP AT CLUB NOKIA.
Wed, November 18, FORRO IN THE DARK at THE SOHO in Santa Barbara.
Thurs, November 19, FORRO IN THE DARK AT THE MINT.
Sat, November 21, FRIENDLY FIRES WITH THE XX AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.
Fri, November 20, FAT FREDDY’S DROP AT THE ROXY.
Sat, November 21, BEN GIBBARD & FRIENDS AT THE ACTOR’S GANG.
Sat, November 21, PETER BJORN AND JOHN with FOOL'S GOLD AND EL PERRO DEL MAR AT CLUB NOKIA.
Mon, November 23, EL PERRO DEL MAR  AT THE HOTEL CAFÉ.
Fri, November 27, JULIAN CASABLANCAS AT THE PALACE THEATRE.
Sat, December 5, SARA WATKINS AND TOM BROSSEAU AT LARGO AT THE CORONET.
Sat, December 12, BRETT DENNEN AT THE WILTERN.
Sat, December 12, JOHN DOE with JILL SOBULE AT THE ACTOR’S GANG.
Wed, December 16, ZERO 7 AT THE ORPHEUM.
Fri, January 8, SONIC YOUTH AT THE FOX THEATRE IN POMONA.
Sat, January 9, SONIC YOUTH AT THE WILTERN.

KCRW started spinning South London crooner Florence & The Machine well before the release of her critically lauded full length album “Lungs.” I remember when Nic Harcourt first played “Dog Days Are Over” and I couldn’t get it out of my head for weeks. I must have listened to it dozens of times – a pop anthem that was strong and feisty, with a great beat. This morning, Jason Bentley called Florence’s voice a “force of nature” and we were all pretty much floored by her “instrument,” especially that early in the morning. She stood still for most of the set, breaking out some wild dance moves only for the last two songs – “You've Got The Love” and “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)”.  Florence hasn’t toured the U.S. much and is most definitely one to watch. Since her show tonight in LA is sold out, I highly recommend checking out this live set.

RR

I first saw Fool’s Gold in 2006 at a Hanukah event at Three Clubs in Hollywood. Since it’s primarily a bar, not a venue, I didn’t have high expectations. But before I knew it, I was standing right up in front and staying way longer than I planned. This morning, they proved why they’ve been media darlings lately – not just here in LA where they are based, but in NYC where they conquered CMJ and elsewhere. The band’s music is best described at joyous and it certainly is danceable, combining African melodies and beats with lyrics sung in Hebrew. It’s a cultural mish mash that works on every level and they are about to launch their first major U.S. tour. Be on the lookout!  

Check it out.

RR

For those of you who have not yet grabbed tickets to KCRW’s big Halloween benefit bash you are in luck! There are still some advance tickets available and we expect to have some for sale on Halloween night for all those procrastinators. Details are below.

The party will feature KCRW DJs on the decks alongside world-renowned turntabalist DJ Shadow, as well as live performances by buzz band Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Sweden’s Little Dragon and LA’s own Sea Wolf. Masquerade will be held on Saturday, October 31 from 9p to 2am at the Legendary Park Plaza in five-uniquely themed rooms.

Find out more about Masquerade here. Tickets will be available for purchase on that site until Saturday, October 31 at 4pm. KCRW’s box office will open at the front entrance of the Park Plaza at 7pm that night and will be CASH ONLY, first come-first served.

RR

Below are some “best of” shots from our live music series at Westfield Century City. Many thanks to Cary Sullivan who assisted in booking the series and taking photos, as well as photographer Jonathan Kalan, who volunteered his services.

 

KCRW’s free music series ends tonight with a performance by LA’s own Fool’s Gold, who recently made a splash at the CMJ Music Conference in New York.  The local musical collective weaves together Western pop aesthetics with African melodies and beats and Hebrew lyrics. The band will make their Morning Becomes Eclectic debut TODAY at 11:15 am and perform tonight at Westfield Century City under the stars. Bundle up and come out for a DJ set by Jeremy Sole at 7pm followed by the live set. More details here.

RR

Surfer Blood has been one of the most talked about bands since last week’s CMJ Music Conference in New York City so I solicited our Music Librarian and DJ Eric J Lawrence to tell us a bit about them since he’s been giving them some spins.

From EJL:

To be honest,  I don’t know much about Surfer Blood myself (besides their being from West Palm Beach, Florida), but after first hearing their track “Swim (To Reach the End)” a couple of months back, they quickly jumped onto my “favorite songs of the year” list.

The sound is big & epic, kind of like former Floridians Lansing-Dreiden or a decidedly American version of Doves, with a triumphant guitar riff, pounding drums, and heavily-reverbed vocals that sound like they were shouted from atop some wind-blown cliff overlooking the ocean at sunset.  Between the throbbing verses & choruses, there’s an Afropop guitar break that fits right in with the current predilection for indie rockers to throw a little juju rhythms into the mix.  It’s a savvy and uber-catchy combination that makes me excited to hear more from this now-hotly-tipped band.

While CMJers had what seemed like dozens of opportunities to witness Surfer Blood’s live set over the course of the fest, Angelenos such as myself will have to wait until after Thanksgiving (November 27, to be exact), when they will perform at the Echo.  Their debut album, Astro Coast, comes out via Kanine Records on January 19, 2010.

Eric J. Lawrence
 

Norman Lear is a legend for revolutionizing TV with comedy hits like “All in The Family,” “The Jeffersons,” “Good Times,” and many more. Norman has always been a passionate music lover, as you can tell from his selections which cover love, family, friendship, and even war.  But recently, he’s been overcome by the power of music thanks to a project called Playing For Change. Playing for Change is the brainchild of Grammy winning producer/engineer Mark Johnson, who brought together diverse musicians across the world in an effort to inspire peace through music. You can find out more about it here, but its pretty much given Lear a new way of looking at music and “how much it can work for good.”  It’s an inspirational project and his stories from throughout his life and career are classics.

RR