Black Joe Lewis And the Honeybears take the stage this Friday at . My main gig (AD) is presenting the evening and for good reason; here is how we described the live show earlier this year: "Horn players are dropping brass, picking up tambourines and banging on drum sets. A bass player climbs up to a balcony, only to jump off without missing a beat. A sinewy guitar player balloons to a 400-pound sound. The drummer loses his prescription glasses amidst flailing. And then there's Joe Lewis himself, playing with what is presumably his nose or his teeth, impossible to know behind the cover of his guitar." Yup, it's gonna be that kinda party. Openers include the Austin, TX based Dikes of Holland and The Sheepdogs.
New Jersey's Real Estate return to LA Saturday night in support of their most recent release -- the critically lauded LP, Days. Based on the (deserved) hype surrounding both the new release, and the band itself, the three-piece should have no problem filling out the Echoplex. As I mentioned earlier this week on Twitter, as a rule "pleasant" and "inoffensive" does not a good album make; Real Estate's Days is the rare exception. It's been years (literally) since I've heard a band so (seemingly) effortlessly nail the 'college rock' sound of the 80s. In short, the album sounds like a maudlin Fall semester back east wrapped up in a wool sweater. If that's your bag then you'll want to be in the house. Vanilla? Sure. Tasty? You bet. The band's Ridgewood, NJ homeboys Big Troubles support along with James Ferraro.
If you're looking for the rock Saturday night, and Real Estate sounds a little too mellow, head over to the Satellite in Silver Lake for Dead Meadow. Sludgy, psychedelic rock at its best. It's been a minute since I caught one of their shows, but never have they once failed to deliver. I've personally been listening to my old Sabbath records a lot lately (especially Vol. 4) so this is sounding really good right now. The band is the midst of a Fall tour before getting ready to release their first studio LP since 2008.
