Imperial Teen 7/22/06 - The Knitting Factory, West Hollywood, CA.

(Photo: Imperial Teen Myspace)

From the archives.

Awhile back, Imperial Teen headlined at the now-closed location of the Knitting Factory in West Hollywood. This show was not only a rare opportunity to see Imperial Teen play live (they haven't been performing much in recent years) - it was also a chance to (at the time) see them preview new material (that all ended up on their last release, 2007's The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band. Imperial Teen, who has been described as having a "pop aesthetic of crunchy guitar riffs and classic boy/girl harmonies," has been around for quite some time and has quite a catalog of music to their credit (much of which was showcased within this performance)

I first heard of Imperial Teen back in 2002, when I saw a review of their latest release On. I made a mental note to check it out; however, it wasn't until browsing around in a box of cd's at my local Wherehouse Music going-out-of-business sale and seeing that album reminded me to take a listen to their music. So, I bought the album, promptly fell in love with their music, and sought after the rest of their music.

When this popped up, I of course had to go. It was quite an occasion - many fans of the band showed up for this "reunion" show of sorts (they hadn't played live for quite a while proceeding it) Along with the new songs, many old favorites from previous releases (including Seasick and What Is Not To Love) were performed as well. On the technical side, there may have some minor feedback present during the show, along with some echo/reverb in the room, but don't let that stop you from downloading and listening.

1.) Introduction FLAC MP3
2.) Ivanka FLAC MP3
3.) Our Time FLAC MP3
4.) You're One FLAC MP3
5.) One Two FLAC MP3
6.) 21st Century FLAC MP3
7.) Baby FLAC MP3
8.) Yoo Hoo FLAC MP3
9.) Room With A View FLAC MP3
10.) Sugar FLAC MP3
11.) Lipstick FLAC MP3
12.) Imperial Teen FLAC MP3
13.) Water Boy FLAC MP3
14.) E: Sweet Potato FLAC MP3
15.) E: Million $ Man FLAC MP3
16.) E: Everyone Wants To Know FLAC MP3
17.) E: Butch FLAC MP3
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Nicole Kidman 8/14/10 - Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA.

(Picture: Nicole Kidman myspace)

(Disclaimer: This post is not affiliated with the Australian actress or any other persons named "Nicole Kidman"*)

The weekend before last, Nicole Kidman played at Ema and the Ghost's birthday show, which also included Black Nile and Your Mom/Your Dad (aka The Monolators). Nicole Kidman is the moniker of Jon Barba, who has been described as a musician that "makes gritty, confessional electro-pop that sounds like he spent the last five years in his mom’s basement hunched over a keyboard, wallowing in laments of unrequited love." The 704 had a take on his music that I can concur with as well : "With his preset beats and his simple yet adept keyboard playing, he sang some of the most bluntly, nakedly confessional songs you'll ever hear, all in a high voice that sounded like it was a breath or two away from giving up and going home. From what I could tell, his songs were about exactly what they sounded like they were about--he opts for cutting truth over airy abstraction--but he'd occasionally hit on a phrase of such shattered perfection that you could only call it poetry." Like the artist said in his live performance, his "music isn't for everyone," but it's definitely worth a listen.

*The disclaimer is half-serious/half tongue-in-cheek. In today's world, one must try to keep all their bases covered.

1.) Introduction MP3
2.) Thirst For God MP3
3.) I've Got A Girlfriend MP3
4.) Southpaw MP3
5.) Chipmunk Cheeks MP3
6.) Let's Move To Tennessee MP3
7.) Snaggletooth MP3
8.) Astral Breeze MP3
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FLAC (lossless) files available by request.

Update: George Glass 5/30/10

George Glass 5/30/10 has been updated to include FLAC files (along with fingerprints and md5 checksums) here.

Your Mom/Your Dad (& The Monolators) 8/14/10 - Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photo: Your Mom/Your Dad Myspace)

Last Saturday, Your Mom/Your Dad played on part of the bill (which also included Black Nile and Nicole Kidman) for Ema and the Ghost's birthday show at Pehrspace. Your Mom/Your Dad is the newest project of The Monolators, which they describe as "us with new songs, mostly written by Mary, on casiotone keyboard, drum machine, bass, and electric autoharp." It's a departure from the traditional Monolators sound, but an interesting one.

This set was a split one, with a few songs performed as Your Mom/Your Dad and a few performed as The Monolators. The later was a smattering of tunes from their back catalog, including "Eagle Fighting Zebra" (which was recently covered by Seasons) Apologies for not having the titles to most of the Your Mom/Your Dad songs (edit: thanks to Eli for supplying the names of the new songs!) - the band is relatively new, and I believe this was only their second public live show.

On a related note, The Monolators have recently announced a fundraising event for their soon-to-be released split double E.P. Silver Cities - they are trying to raise $1600 in 30 days to help fund the vinyl mastering and pressing of the said E.P. There are a few levels of what you get for your pledge (starting at $5 for MP3's of the album to $150 for "the pillow pledge") This project is being run through Kickstarter, and more info can be found here.

Your Mom/Your Dad

1.) Introduction MP3
2.) What's Your Name MP3
3.) Hitch Hiker Song MP3
4.) French Song MP3
5.) High School Crush MP3

The Monolators

6.) Monolators intro MP3
7.) 14 Degrees MP3
8.) I Was a Captain In the Army MP3
9.) Feed Us A Live Insect MP3
10.) Eagle Fighting Zebra MP3
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FLAC (lossless) files available by request.

Ema and the Ghosts 8/14/10 - Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photo: LA-Underground via Ema and the Ghost's myspace)

Last Saturday, Ema and the Ghosts headlined at Pehrspace, a gallery/performance space near downtown Los Angeles. This show was a unique one, in that it was a party celebrating Ema's 21st birthday, and had a line-up that included Black Nile (formally The Karabal Nightlife), Nicole Kidman (who was also celebrating a birthday), and Your Mom/Your Dad (new side project from The Monolators.) We haven't seen Ema and the Ghosts for quite awhile, but in the interim she has released online a couple of E.P.s - Ema and the Ghosts and Boy In The Milkbox.

The setlist included a few new(?) songs, along with older tunes such as "Alligator", "Dandelions", and "Behemoth." We also got to hear a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Memories." Overall, very good show.

1.) Introduction MP3
2.) Ice Cream MP3
3.) ??? MP3
4.) ??? MP3
5.) Alligator MP3
6.) Dandelions MP3
7.) ??? MP3
8.) Memories (Leonard Cohen) MP3
9.) Behemoth MP3
Text File

FLAC (loseless) files available by request.

George Glass 5/30/10 - All-Star Lanes, Los Angeles, CA.

Awhile back, George Glass played as part of the line-up for "Undercovered II," (more info about the show here) which featured Seasons, Rademacher, The Hectors, and One Trick Pony at All-Star Lanes. George Glass is a relatively new band, which boasts former members of other local band Death To Anders (who were part of Undercovered's debut night last year). Currently a three piece featuring Nick Celigo on vocals/guitar, Peter DiBiasio on bass, and Nathan Kondor on drums, their live shows have been described as having "fabulous vocals and guitar, real, true bass work, and terrific drumming all tied together so well" and "erupting on into the night as they deliver the goods to us once again song after song."

This set of covers was a broad one, paying note to such local luminaries (and bill-mates that night) Rademacher ("Courtesy Call") and One Trick Pony ("Loose Talk" - which was also covered by Death To Anders last year) An interesting selection was a song by Arthur Lee's band "Love," along with a cover of local's The Primos "Cookbook." However, the most impressive feat of the evening was a melody of songs by local bands (the only one I recognized was a snippet of The Happy Hollows "DeLorean"), which was a Nick solo effort.

Update: Thanks to the band for filling in the blanks on the setlist!

1.) "East-Side Melody": Another Earthquake (The Transmissions) -> A Million Fingers (The Hectors) -> The Weight (Seasons) -> Well Rehearsed Last Words (Les Blanks) -> Killer Bees (The Henry Clay People) -> Delorean (The Happy Hollows) FLAC MP3
2.) Happiness Right Where You Are (Amnion) FLAC MP3
3.) Loose Talk (One Trick Pony) FLAC MP3
4.) Gazing (Love/Arthur Lee) FLAC MP3
5.) Courtesy Call (Rademacher) FLAC MP3
6.) Cult Of The Underground (Die Rockers Die) FLAC MP3
7.) Cookbook (The Primos) FLAC MP3
8.) Where the Wild Things Go (The Black Apples) FLAC MP3
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