The L.A. music scene keeps the party people pumped
(Credit: Lawrence K. Ho)
Jonesing for a music fix
A dozen people, places and things that make L.A. the most vital sonic scene in America
By Scott T. Sterling
October 11, 2007Amoeba Records
6400 W Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles323-245-6400
Even as the concept of record stores is rapidly going the way of 8-track tapes and Michael Vick endorsement deals, this indie giant stands as a monument to music nerds and sonic obsessives everywhere. Its awesome collection can be exhaustingly comprehensive. The New Young Pony Club remix of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry on their Own” on clear 7-inch vinyl? Check. A mint copy of “The Association’s Greatest Hits” on wax? Check and mate. There’s the added bonus of a buy-back counter, where you can trade in your stash of trance mix CDs for store credit or cold, hard cash. Best of all, you never know who you’ll run in to digging through the crates, with everyone from voice of “The Simpsons” Harry Shearer to Depeche Mode mastermind Martin Gore spotted roaming the aisles.
The Echo
1822 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles213-413-8200
The Echo is a long-standing institution of Eastside sonic cool. This unassuming spot on Sunset, situated somewhere between two of our favorite eateries on that side of town—Masa for pizza, The Brite Spot to drink off that post-show drunkenness—has hosted a veritable cavalcade of new music sensations, from TV on the Radio to Deerhunter to M.I.A. They’ll also surprise you with some down-home country bands or a freaky dance party like Bootie LA. Now that they’ve converted the basement into the awesome Echoplex, it’s two floors of fun. The Echoplex boasts a dark, sprawling layout that recalls those sketchy raves you used to go to back in the day. And we miss those days!
The El Rey
5515 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles323-936-6400
Now that "Mid-City" has slowly evolved into one of the coolest and most coveted areas to live in L.A., the already stellar El Rey takes on a whole new allure for locals who can walk to it from their dwellings. This gorgeous Art Deco space consistently hosts the cream of the touring crop, with the likes of Mark Ronson, Jose Gonzalez and LCD Soundsystem playing sold-out shows there this year. There are a bevy of bars and restaurants within walking distance, like the unpretentious watering hole Little Bar—if you’re a fan of Boston sports teams, this joint is for you—and the down-home Southern goodness of NY BBQ, just down La Brea. Music, food and booze—what more can you ask for?
Spaceland
1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles323-661-4380
This divey bar is one of the most important live music clubs in LA. The launching pad for local heroes like Silversun Pickups, Spaceland is where to catch everything from the latest UK sensation (although Amy Winehouse did notoriously cancel a date here at the last minute) to indie upstarts like the Ponys and Les Savy Fav. Smokers will rejoice for the fully enclosed smoker's lounge at the back of the club, which somehow exists despite California's strict indoor-smoking laws. Non-smokers will want to avoid it like the plague. One of the cornerstones of the Silverlake scene, Spaceland continues to book the next big thing before they reach that status. Mondays are generally free and feature monthly residencies by cool bands like Eskimo Hunter and Bodies of Water.
Cobrasnake
Now that L.A. has emerged as the style capital of young America, it’s easy to take the seemingly ubiquitous photography of Mark Hunter and his Cobrasnake empire for granted. But it was Hunter’s bold, slice-of-surreal-life images of the city’s consistent cavalcade of scene-makers and booty-shakers which helped shape and define the new Los Angeles style profile. Now that a slew of scene photographers have emerged in his wake, Hunter's influence looms larger than ever. The fact that he’s one of the nicest and most genuine people around only makes it better.
DJ AM
OK, so maybe you first heard about AM via his brief foray into the tabloid world as Nicole Richie’s (now ex-)fiancé. But once you see him shred a pair of turntables at a nightclub or party, it’s his talent on the wheels of steel that you’ll remember. Mixing up a crowd-pleasing blend of popular hits and brutal beats, DJ AM can “turntablize” with the best of them, but he keeps the trickery to a minimum for the sake of the dance floor. Catch him at his craziest as one of the residents at the weekly “Banana Split Sundaes” party every Sunday at his club, LAX, alongside Steve Aoki.
Foreign Born
Yes, the L.A. music scene got tired of the hair-metal jokes and reinvented itself as the hottest circle of bands in the country. Of the current crop of new sonic heroes, epic rockers Foreign Born have emerged as true contenders, and the most likely to blow up nationally like Silversun Pickups. Their new album “On The Wing Now” exudes with the grandiosity of classic U2 and Echo & the Bunnymen. It’s out on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak record label, giving it a double shot of L.A. cool.
Hot dog carts (outside of live venues all over the city)
As you stumble out of most any L.A. concert spot in town, it’s nearly impossible to escape the overwhelming aroma of sizzling meat and peppers wafting from the countless hot dog carts lurking just outside. Taking advantage of drunken concert-goers in search of their post-show munchie fix, these friendly food-vendors peddle late-night nirvana for about $3, in the form of bacon-wrapped hot dogs loaded with grilled onions and a bevy of delectable condiments.
Indie 103.1
The general consensus is that commercial radio sucks. But not in L.A. Thanks to ex–Sex Pistol Steve Jones, Henry Rollins, Danny Masterson and the rest of the Indie 103 team, Los Angelenos can hear the latest and greatest in emerging music in regular rotation. That’s why we get to enjoy good stuff like Spoon, the Clash and Justice while tooling around town instead of the usual formulaic crap being force-fed to the public most places on the FM dial. Indie 103 also knows how to throw a good party, which never hurts.
KCRW
Only in Los Angeles would the most influential radio station also be an NPR affiliate. KCRW is an undeniable powerhouse of social and cultural relevance, with DJs like Nic Harcourt, Garth Trinidad and Raul Campos (pictured here at the studio chilling with James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem) regularly breaking new music not just locally but on a national scale. You can’t forget Jason Bentley, whose “Metropolis” show has championed the dance and electronic underground on weeknights for years. All jokes about the “NPR Nation” aside—you know, entertainment/arts industry types who drive Priuses, shop Whole Foods and subscribe to Utne Reader—we thank our lucky stars for KCRW.
Stones Throw record label
This L.A. hip-hop institution has always boasted a panoramic array of musical magnificence, from the blunted genius of producer Madlib to the psycho-shocked anti-pop of Gary Wilson to the no-holds-barred experimentation of Baron Zen. Led by the irrepressible Peanut Butter Wolf (center), affiliate labels like Now-Again (overseen by funk master Egon, left) only increase their cachet. Stones Throw also anchors the ongoing commemorations and benefits around the late production genius Jay Dilla. Kicking out projects for “Adult Swim” and 2K Sports, Stones Throw is an indie that’s as major as they get.
Steve Aoki
There is no bigger, higher-profile or more divisive individual on the L.A. music scene right now than indie impresario Steve Aoki. From his globe-trotting superstar DJ gigs as Kid Millionaire to his long-running Tuesday-night parties at Cinespace to his more recent “Banana Split Sundaes” weekly with DJ AM to his Dim Mak record label, Aoki has his fingers in more pies than Marie Callender. He’s also one of the main reasons L.A. is the current center of American cool. Of course, such success brings the inevitable backlash, and a certain faction of L.A. hipsters love nothing more than to hate on Aoki’s aggressive career opportunism. Love or loathe him, you have to respect Aoki’s hustle. The man sprints around the globe like the Energizer Bunny with headphones and a laptop. Most importantly, he makes things happen.
Of course, this is far from a comprehensive list. Los Angeles boasts so many amazing musical people, places and things that it would take far more time than any of us have to even scratch the surface. So please feel free to inform us about the bands, venues, stores and events that define L.A. for you. Well, we're waiting...
Scott T. Sterling is Music Editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
Scott T. Sterling is Music Editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
