Go See Hear: For Feb. 8-14 in L.A.

This week makes an unusually strong week of singer-songwriters in L.A. Starting this week off is the inimitable Loudon Wainwright, who has a show at one of his favorite L.A. spots, the Largo at the Coronet on Tuesday the 9th. He got a Grammy win this year for his Charlie Poole tribute.
Findlay Brown might not qualify in the singer-songwriter category but I have been enamored with his new album Love Will Find You, on which the young crooner makes a cross between Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison on suave set of retro sounding romantic songs. He is opening for Nouvelle Vague at the Henry Fonda Theater and also has a show at the Echo on 2/10/
On the 10th, the legendary Sixties folkie and political activist Buffy Sainte Marie has a rare show at the Bootleg Theatre.
Thursday the 11th offer a high number of recommendable shows. Justin Townes Earle and Joe Pug – two talented Nashville-based singer-songwriters have a show at the Echo. Yes, Earle is the son of Steve but he has really staked out his own turf with his two albums on Bloodshot Records.
Richard Thompson, who not that long ago shared a bill at UCLA with Loudon Wainwright has his own show at Largo on the 11th (will his pal Loudon hang around for this gig?). While Thompson’s guitar playing and songwriting skills are well known, it’s a treat to see him in a small, casual venue where he has chance to air out his British sense of humor.
Over at the Mint, James McMurtry will be performing his fiery tunes. Another son of a famous father (his dad’s is the author Larry McMurtry), James has garnered a lot of attention in recent years with his politically charged songs. He also has a show at McCabe’s on Friday.
Meanwhile, the Hotel Café hosts the Guggenheim Grotto on Thursday night; this Irish folky-poppy outfit has been a KCRW fave and their tune “Her Beautiful Ideas” is just a beautiful pop tune.
Valentine’s Day Sunday holds an interesting show at McCabe’s. Clare and the Reason come to town and share a show with Van Dyke Parks. This twosome should make for a night of artful pop. Clare and the Reason’s last offering is stocked with Euro-flavored sounds while Parks has long been known for his sophisticated pop music.
The 14th also signals the first of several local shows for the Acoustic Brotherhood Tour, which features Los Lonely Boys, Alejandro Escovedo and Carrie Rodriguez. More than just a showcase of Latino musicians, this tour boasts three acts who can play an impressive range of music, acoustic or otherwise. On the 14th, they have a show at the Grove of Anaheim, followed by the Wiltern on the 16th and Agoura Hills’ Canyon Club on the 18th.

This Week’s “Shows To See” - Nov. 9-14 Edition

L.A. has seen some very impressive double bills of late. I have written about last week’s Over The Rhine/Katie Herzig pairing. Before that, there was the Blind Pilot/Low Anthem show and Hoot and Hellmouth/William Elliott Whitmore gig.

This week again offers some recommended musical pairings. On Monday night, Chuck Prophet and Jason Isbell share the bill at the Echoplex. Prophet first made a name for himself in the Paisley Underground with Green on Red. While he has become an in-demand guitar slinger/songwriter/producer, Prophet also has put out a series of captivating solo discs this past decade that offer his own unique take on soulful roots rock. Isbell, meanwhile, earned his stripes in the Drive-By Truckers before venturing off on his own a few years back. With his own band, The 400 Unit, Isbell serves up his own inspired Americana rock that is dipped in Dixie without being smothered in the South.

On Wednesday the 11th, Via Tania (Chicago-based Australian expat Tania Bowers) brings her ethereal electro-pop to the Bootleg Theater (she's also plays the Bordello on Tuesday). There’s a bewitching quality to this often spare, typically haunting tunes from her album Moon Sweet Moon, with tracks like “the Beginning,” “How Come” and “Light Years.” Also on the bill is the local alt. a cappella ensemble, Sonos. This inventive vocal outfit modernizes the old fashion a cappella style by covering songs by acts like the Fleet Foxes, Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright. They will provide a lightness to balance out Via Tania’s darker musical hues.

Rufus’ dad Loudon appears at UCLA on Friday matched up with Richard Thompson. Billed as “Loud & Rich,” these two esteemed old folkies not only boast lengthy, and impressive musical resumes, but both men share a deep interest in the history of music. A few years back, Thompson released the disc 1000 Years of Popular Music, which covered tunes spanning 1068 AD to 2000 (the latter being Britney Spears’ “Oops I Did It Again.”). Wainwright, meanwhile, has just released a tribute to country music pioneer, Charlie Poole, whose name isn’t as well known today as it should be. Whether they will be performing their own tunes or others’, it all should make for a night of expert songcraft, witty repartee and nimble guitar picking (particularly by Thompson).