As the summer draws to an end (and hopefully along with it the weather) you can end it with bang. The last concert of the Twilight Concert series is a soulful funky amazing treat. The kids might be back in school now, so hopefully that will lower the crowds. Still, you'd probably want to get their early to find parking or Uber. It's going to be a great show and a great way to end this season.
Man oh man do I love this monthly sale. Over 5000+ LPs and 12" from all genres will be out Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Plus a bunch of vintage gear like amps, speakers, and turntables from the 1960's - 90s. And like before, you'll receive a $20 Guitar Center gift card with a purchase of $20 or more (while supplies last). If you haven't been before, it's pretty amazing and you'll find rare finds and great records for only $1. Worth the drive! Don't miss out.
Sorry for all the radio silence. Hope everyone had fun at the different events going on. Maybe you were lucky/savvy enough to check out the Record Parlour's super 1 year anniversary sale. I know I had a pretty good time at FYF Fest, despite all the technical difficulties. Highlights included Darkside, Slowdive, Presidents of the USA, and the Blood Brothers. Or maybe you went the free route and did Echo Park Rising or saw the Zombies. Either way, we are winding down to the last few days of summer and I am getting back into the groove of things. Right now I am typing from Virginia for a wedding, but when I get back, I'll have new vinyl reviews (including $1 bin finds, my first Vinyl Me Please, and tons of swag from FYF), tons of sales and free shows to look out for, and will start doing monthly contests for followers! So be sure to check in. Sept 4th. And, my posts will have a new, more streamed lined format, so you can get to the good stuff quick!
In the meantime, why not wind your summer down with my favorite vinyl spot in LA, The Record Parlour! This labor day weekend they have another mega awesome sale:
When: Sat and Sun (Aug 30-1)
The Deal:
LPs ranging from 2.98 - 15.98 now priced at 1.98
20% - 50% off Clearance Posters
Vintage Rock Pics and Magazines are 50%
Spend $30+ and get a $20 Guitar Center Gift Card! (while supplies last)
WHAT A DEAL! I am jealous I'll be out of town for this, so get down and get that gift card!
As part of the Twilight Concert Series put on by KCRW, Jagwar Ma will be playing a free show at the Santa Monica Pier. Dance the night away to the Australian trio play psychedelic music. Like the last show, it starts at 7:00 but your going to want to bike, bus, or get their early to find a parking spot. Opening is Fascinator, an electronic side project from Jonny Mackay of Children Collide.
Now this isn't the first release of J. Tillman. Aside from his work as the drummer of Fleet Foxes (be sure to listen to their self-titled if you haven't before) and Saxon Shore, he also has several solo albums under his name. But it really is Fear Fun that takes the cake.
The album is engineered by Jonathan Wilson, who brought us Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst Upside Down Mountain and played on albums like Jenny Lewis' Acid Tongue. The album features guest appearances from Keefus Ciancia, T-BoneBurnett collaborator, on the Piano and Sara Watkins (who's great, but what isn't she on) on the Fiddle. Also ex-band mate Casey Wescott of Fleet Foxes on bass and harpsichord. And I rarely talk about this, but another reason collectors love vinyl is for the album art, and this album really delivers (almost as good as his sweater). This really was one of my favorite albums of 2012.
Opening the album is slow but moving Funtimes in Babylon, which is about moving to Los Angeles, a great start to the album. The album itself is pretty LA-sentric, possibly about him leaving Seattle and to come down south. Hollywood Forever Sings is the haunting single, which to me, is very different then every other song on the album (in a good way). I don't know if he ever played Hollywood Forever as Father John Misty as that may be too on the nose, but it would be pretty epic non-the-less. Things get more playful with I'm Writing a Novel in both the tone and the lyrics. This is a great song to see live (and if you're lucky acoustic) as he is completely loose and free flowing with it. Flipping to the B-Side you start off with the beautiful ballad Only Son of the Ladiesman. Now I'm Learning to Love the War is a great song about how you really can't win when it comes to being a saint. He gets super loose again with Tee Pees 1-2, a great rag time jam. Ending the album is the solum Everyman Needs a Companion, an testament to the loneliness that comes with LA after all the fun subsides.
If you like soulful folk pop, or live in LA this album is a must for your collection. You can get it on Amazon for $20 or ebay used for around $15. But this one should definitely be at your local record stores, so I would just pick it up there.
BONUS: A GOOD PAIRING (LOCALS ONLY)
A good pairing to buying this album would be seeing a movie and Father John Misty live and acoustic!
Friday Aug 8th at the Ace Theater in Downtown LA, Sundance Next Festival is showing Life After Beth, the zombie themed love story starting Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and Anna Kendrick. After the show, FJM will be doing a solo acoustic performance. I've seen FJM live 4 times now, twice with a band and twice solo, and I have to say that I loved him solo much better. He seems more loose and natural. But my friend who I went with to see him solo said he liked him better with his band. Regardless, he is an act you should definitely check out if you can!
Also apart of this festival are Kumiko The Treasure Hunter and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night with a post show performance from Warpaint! Don't miss out.
Spend $40 – Includes a FREE $20 Record Parlour 2014 Club Card
Spend $60 – Includes a FREE $30 Record ParlourT-Shirt
Spend $80 – Includes a FREE $40 Record Parlour LP Crate
3. FREE Concert Ticket Giveaways for Lucent Dossier on Saturday and Foxy Shazam next Thursday presented by Goldenvoice – Find them in our New Arrivals Section
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They're great place to get awesome deals on used LPs. Super friendly staff and lots of great hidden gems (got a used ATLiens for $8!). I always go here after I get my haircut next door at Rudy's Barbershop. Their $1 bins have some really great finds!
Don't have anything to do tonight? Why not check out The Internet (aka Syd tha Kyd of Odd Future) play apart of FIGat7th Downtown Festival. Details Here.
Nothing like free live music on a Friday night! See you there.
Being an LA guy, I wanted to share a few sales going on this up coming weekend that you might want to try and jump on.
The first big one is the store wide sale at Origami Vinyl this Friday Saturday and Sunday (ignore the dates on the picture). 10% off the whole store and online store if you're not from LA. I know I'll be there checking to see what I can get my hands on. Origami Vinyl is one of my favorite record stores in LA (and my go to first store for Record Store Day). Friendly staff and great deals. Mostly filled with new pressings, they do have a great corner in the back from some older cheap vinyls to dig through. Also, KCRW members receive 10% off every purchase (though I don't know if that would be in addition to this sale). A must check out if you are in the area!
Also, this Sunday, as apart of Amoeba's on-going summer sale, you can get turntables for 20% off! If you need to update your small portable Crosby player, or want to even start collecting vinyl, you should definitely check this sale out and try and snag a great price on a turntable. This sale applies to all stores!
Number 1 Record. That was my first vinyl. I bought it at Amoeba in Hollywood. From there, it's been a slow building addiction. From digging through $1 bins, to standing in record store day lines, to surfing ebay, to finding surprisingly cheap deals on Amazon.com, I've been building up my collection (which, after 2 years, is currently at 544 12" 2 10" and 14 7").
I love music, both live and recorded. Although it really didn't become a large part of my life until middle school. I would just listen to top 40 hits on radio (whatever Rick Dees was spinning) and it wasn't until middle school that I started to actively go out and search for new music. My first CD that I bought was blink 182's live album The Mark Tom and Travis Show. It was a combination of dirty lyrics and raunchy jokes that caused my 11-year-old self to barely listen to it all the way through without the fear of getting in trouble. Oddly enough, it was that feeling of "I shouldn't be doing this" that sparked my interest in music discovery.
I spent my adolescents in the era of the Emo/Softcore boom. Some of my favorite bands included, but weren't limited too, Brand New, Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, Mae, and Death Cab for Cutie. Along with this new genre came going to live shows, a place where my music library exploded to bands that I still enjoy today. Be it Frightened Rabbit opening for Pinback, Mates of State opening for Taking Back Sunday, Stars opening for Death Cab for Cutie, or Brand New covering Neutral Milk Hotel, I gained a more eclectic ear for music.
Fast forward to today. Living in LA, going to at least one show a month, big or small. Reading various blogs, attending free shows, and running around festivals to see as many acts as possible have given me my music knowledge today.
And so, not to take up anymore of your time, I wanted to share what I know and what I recommend, so that you can also build up your vinyl collection with albums you may or may not know. I am not claiming to be an Audiophile, I can't tell the difference between listening to a 180 Gram vs and a clean normal vinyl. I'm not a DJ, I don't have any special speakers, no pre-amp, no fancy head phones, but I do know what I like listening to. I just consider myself a fan of music, and a casual listener. Though I don't think you should take my opinions unbiasedly and hope that you discover something new and interesting, refine your musical taste, and that some of my recommendations help build up your collection.
