L.A. RECORD » Ward Robinson http://larecord.com Los Angeles' Biggest Music Publication Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:03:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 TWIN SHADOW @ TROUBADOUR http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/twin-shadow-troubadour http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/twin-shadow-troubadour#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:39:39 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=59743 Twin Shadow came to the Troubadour in his first appearance in L.A. in about a year. He is slimmer, more handsome, more confident. he is stepping into his destined role as the future Prince. The band is absolutely on fire. He has managed to achieve what was only an attempt before: to raise the songs to the level of overwhelming intensity needed to enrapture a crowd without losing the gentle detail which makes the album so moving in the first place. I already am missing Wednesday night with George. Photos by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/twin-shadow-troubadour/feed 0 HORRORS @ DETROIT BAR http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/horrors-detroit-bar http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/horrors-detroit-bar#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:04:39 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=59739 The Detroit Bar has a capacity of 250, but the main room is at most half of that. That’s a tiny sardine can for a band with as much depth, power, fame and great material as the Horrors. They blew the roof off the place. Photos by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/09/29/horrors-detroit-bar/feed 0 CULTS @ EAGLE ROCK CENTER FOR THE ARTS http://larecord.com/photos/2011/08/02/cults-eagle-rock-center-for-the-arts http://larecord.com/photos/2011/08/02/cults-eagle-rock-center-for-the-arts#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:49:51 +0000 Intern http://larecord.com/?p=58243

Cults’ full length came out this year, filling out the stage set by the brilliant 3 song EP they released in 2010. Their set at the cavernous Eagle Rock Performing Arts Center was gorgeous and energetic. The new material features a lot more Ronettes-styled grooves, and some doo-wop call and response. Gorgeous vocals and a fantastic band make the songs really feel great live. Photos from July 28, 2011 by Ward Robinson.

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]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/08/02/cults-eagle-rock-center-for-the-arts/feed 0 AUTOLUX @ SKIRBALL CENTER http://larecord.com/photos/2011/07/29/autolux-skirball-center http://larecord.com/photos/2011/07/29/autolux-skirball-center#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:17:59 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=58166 Autolux played in the courtyard of the Skirball Center as a part of the Night of Magic for the Houdini exhibit. Photos by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/07/29/autolux-skirball-center/feed 0 …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD @ ECHOPLEX http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/20/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-echoplex http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/20/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-echoplex#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:41:14 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=57001 Austin band …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead have lost some members, 3 of 5 to be exact, and are down to one (new) drummer. The replacement players are slicker and more facile than the departed members, and everyone certainly played with plenty of passion, but the change left the band feeling more like just another emo project among the anonymous masses at a Warped Tour stop than the scintillating, cohesive and original powerhouse that produced Source Tags and Codes in 2002 and Worlds Apart in 2005. Photos by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/20/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-echoplex/feed 0 GIANT DRAG @ THE ECHOPLEX http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/giant-drag-the-echoplex http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/giant-drag-the-echoplex#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:05:50 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=56593

Giant Drag played to adoring fans at the Echoplex Tuesday 5.31. Annie was absolutely on fire. —Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/giant-drag-the-echoplex/feed 1 THE ICARUS LINE @ THE ECHO http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/the-icarus-line-the-echo http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/the-icarus-line-the-echo#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:03:44 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=56589 Try to think of terms that say rock and roll band: danger, sleeze, sex, charisma, Ike Turner, Stooges, hipshake…knife fight? The Icarus Line has it all in spades. Having them pop up every few months on the live radar is like a big game of duck duck goose: band, band, band, band, BAND, band, band. Their sets are invariably thrilling, their songs original and, after over a decade, they continue to produce fresh and vital material: their set at the Echo to close out The Bixby Knolls’ residency included a couple old gems mixed in with material from the TWO albums they are releasing later this year-one in August on Roarscratch and one in the fall with their partners of legend, Buddyhead.  I have said it for years and it remains true, The Icarus Line is the best rock and roll band in this city. —Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/06/08/the-icarus-line-the-echo/feed 0 YUCK @ DETROIT BAR http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/27/yuck-detroit-bar http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/27/yuck-detroit-bar#comments Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:13:27 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=55396 “What to say about Yuck? Songs! Like with the G chord and all that. Something about Yuck’s “aw shucks” approach to recording and playing live is so disarming that all the “but wait, doesn’t this just sound like Teenage Fanclub and Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr.” feeling goes right out the window.” —Billy Gil (read Billy’s review of the Echo show here)

Photos of the Detroit Bar show by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/27/yuck-detroit-bar/feed 0 SALEM @ THE ECHOPLEX http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/04/salem-the-echoplex http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/04/salem-the-echoplex#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:13:24 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=54592 There was a lot written about Salem being booed off the stage at SXSW, a lot of speculation that they were not the dark wizards of mystery they play in magazine articles, but just a few regular folks trying to get their time in the limelight. Well whatever happened in Texas, here in Los Angeles Salem brought their creepy fairy dust with them and transfixed the crowd. My theory is that for liftoff you need all the elements in place: darkness, lights that feel like a satanic church organ’s pipes, plenty of fog and a proper sound system. Salem used each and every element to their full advantage and took the whole club on the exact journey they wanted to take us on and for about an hour they were indeed some powerfully sexy backwoodsy wizards. Photos by Ward Robinson

]]> http://larecord.com/photos/2011/04/04/salem-the-echoplex/feed 0 DEATH + RTX @ THE ECHOPLEX http://larecord.com/photos/2011/03/21/death-rtx-the-echoplex http://larecord.com/photos/2011/03/21/death-rtx-the-echoplex#comments Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:31:24 +0000 Daiana Feuer http://larecord.com/?p=53883 Death

Alison Mosshart may still be running around with Jennifer Herrema’s DNA, but when RTX rolls onto the stage you know who has been living the real deal forever. Unfortunately, the years of abuse have taken their toll and the fog that has settled over Jennifer’s gorgeous face and laserthinkingmusicalgenius pretty much makes impossible any real connection between band and audience. Their sets are wildly disappointing in general, not quite rock enough or soul enough, but you cannot take your eyes away from the stage because you know there are ACTUAL WILD ANIMALS there. And they just might attack someone.

Death was musically pretty great. For the most part they played the hell out of their Detroit speed riffs (with the exception of the drummer, who seemed to be having a tough time playing the fast eighth notes from his youth and dragged behind the beat pretty regularly).  Visually, on the otherhand, they were kinda disappointing. Death, in tuxedos and leather vests, looked a little more like the soul band the Busboys than their tight t-shirt-wearing badass former selves from 1975. Photos by Ward Robinson.

DEATH

RTX

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