Music: Weekend Picks

Tape Deck Mountain/White Hinterland @ The Echo

Kicking off the weekend early, the Echo boasts four bands Thursday night, two of which I want to highlight here: Tape Deck Mountain and White Hinterland. 

Hailing from San Diego, Tape Deck Mountain continue to be one of my favorite local-ish bands; a sentiment bolstered earlier this year by the release of their excellent Secret Serf EP. With a stark sound that has little to nothing to do with 'the beach' or any other stereotypical so-cal trappings, TDM are creating their own take on an "Endless Summer."

White Hinterland is the songwriting and performance vehicle of Casey Dienel. Following a well received, though fairly convectional, singer-songwriter solo debut in 2005, Dienel began experimenting with the boundaries of pop music under the guise of WH. The results have been wonderfully eclectic mining everything from  warm synth textures, baroque pop and a French covers EP to slightly jazzy "Hissing of Summer Lawns" era Joni Mitchell.

Woodsman and Kissing Cousins also perform. Doors 8:30pm.

Gayngs with Dirty Beaches @ the Natural History Museum

Friday night the Echo presents Gayngs with special guest Dirty Beaches at the Natural History Museum on 900 Exposition Boulevard. Booking both bands into this space is an inspired move for the sheer juxtaposition of the music and setting alone.

Gayngs, a revolving cast of 20 or so musicians from around the country, is centered around Minneapolis musicians Ryan Olson, Zack Coulter and Adam Hurlburt. The indie collectives's smooth electro/ r&b fusion has gone on to include members of Bon Iver, The Rosebuds, Megafaun and Har Mar Superstar. 80s Nostalgia inducing, you very well may be reminded of Billy Ocean and Phil Collins, but, you know, in the very best kind of way. Opener Dirty Beaches in the nom de tune of Alex Zhang Hungtai. A one man show, Zhang Hungtai crafts a moody, surreal, take on '50s rock and roll---as if filtered through the lens of David Lynch. Washes of reverb and echo abound creating a sonic dreamscape that is sure to take on an added 'otherness' in the museum's austere surroundings.

Performances (8:00pm-10:00pm) DJs (5:30pm-10:00pm)

Amor De Dias / Damon and Naomi / Bell Gardens @ The Satellite

Down the road in Silver Lake Saturday night...  Amor De Dias is comprised of Alasdair MacLean from the Clientele and Lupe Nunez-Fernandez of Pipas. Fans of the former's pop instincts, rich and layered harmonies and Gal Costa should find much to appreciate here.  Damon and Noami is, you guessed it, Damon Krukowsi and Naoni Yang of indie legends Galxie 500. Whereas their former bandmate Dean Wareham has performed in L.A. (with Luna and otherwise) many times since Galaxie's disbandment, the prescence of Damon and Naomi is a bit of a rarity. Bell Gardens support.