What Brad Thinks, Reads and Writes

Thursday night (July 31) is rife with competing shows. I'm going to try to get over to The Scene in Glendale to see Castledoor and The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and O'Pioneers. If that fails, I can always see The Parson Red Heads with Grand Ole Party at The Echo or The Health Club at the Echo Curio or Imaad Wasif and The 2-Part Beast at The Smell. What a choice!

Actually I was hoping to figure a way to get to Costa Mesa on Thursday to see Pinback at the Samueli Theatre, but since I'm planning a trip to visit family back in Boston in October and they're playing at The Paradise on October 5th, I can coordinate my trip around that Boston Pinback show. And I haven't been inside The Paradise in thirty years, June 1978 actually, to see Laura Nyro, two months before I moved out to Los Angeles forever.

Sorry to miss Radars To The Sky at Spaceland last Friday (July 25). I was all set to leave the house when my bathroom sink sprung a leak leaving me most unhappy. Travis at Web In Front gave it a great review and since I'm not going to be able to see them open for The Airborme Toxic Event at the El Rey I wanted to catch them here. At least they'll be playing at Sunset Junction which is only a month away.

Speaking of The Airborne Toxic Event, try to catch Mouse's columns at Classical Geek Theatre on his travels with the band through the Pacific Northwest. It's terrific reading and I especially like when he and Mikel were driving together, introducing each other to music each thought the other may not have heard. I love details like that and , yes, The National is a great band. Also great is the discussion they had with a woman who was trying to minimize the L.A./Silver Lake/East Side Scene. I understand outsiders suspicions that anything that positive can happen in jaded L.A. in the jaded 21st Century. But, there you go.
I've even, occasionally, seen it in some bands that are not local, when they play Spaceland or The Echo with a chip on their shoulder. Other bands seem to enjoy it and I can't even remember how many times in the last couple of years I've heard bands say how surprised they are by how terrific the Los Angeles audience can be. And I don't believe all of them are trying to blow smoke up our collective asses. Some of it has gotta be genuine.

Finally, congratulations on more local bands breaking out. The Happy Hollows opening for Deerhoof at the Avalon on October 4 and The Parson Red Heads opening for Everest on their August West Coast tour. Great exposure for two wonderful bands.

People have asked me to post upcoming shows I'm planning on seeing, or already have tickets to see. I'll try to put that together tomorrow, but now that I have a home computer, I'm going to try to post as close to every day as I can.

whrabbit