Go See Hear In L.A.: Nov. 8-14 - Sheepdogs, Mojo Monkeys, Or, The Whale

I’ve been really taken with the Canadian band the Sheepdogs, who have a wonderful Southern rock/UK pub rock thing going on. Loose, rockin', tuneful - all the things you can ask of a rootsy bar band. They come to the Cat Club on Tuesday, and they stand out as my "must-see" band of the week.

I did a Q&A with Over The Rhine (http://www.citysbest.com/los-angeles/news/2010/11/04/over-the-rhine-to-serenade-l-a-but-first-thai-food), they play the Troubadour on 11/12 in advance of their upcoming Joe Henry-produced disc.

On Monday, you can learn about the legendary Elektra Records from founder Jac Holzman and other guests at the Grammy Museum.

Besides the Sheepdogs on Tuesday, you can head back down to the Grammy Museum for an appearance by Jimmie Vaughan. Not much on the radar for Wednesday, but Thursday offers a trio of talented singer/songwriters around town: Erin McKeown at Largo, Kris Gruen at Molly Malone’s and Darren Hanlon at the Bootleg.

On Friday, the Bootleg hosts Teitur, while the Mother Hips have an acoustic show at McCabe’s and Dengue Fever will be performing the soundtrack for the silent film The Lost World at UCLA’s Royce Hall (which sounds like a particularly intriguing concept). And, of course, Over The Rhine at the Troub.


The Mojo Monkeys have a record release show downtown at Syrup on Saturday. Andrew Belle shares his songs at the Hotel Café on Saturday while Or, The Whale surface at Spaceland. Best Coast will be enlivening the Troubadour both Saturday and Sunday, and the Echoplex gets Margot And The Nuclear So and So’s on Sunday.

Go See Hear: For March 1-7 in L.A.

The top recommended show of the week takes place at the Mint on March 2. The headliner is Backyard Tire Fire, hot off the release of their disc, the Steve Berlin-produced Good To Be - and quite good it turns out to be. Which isn’t a surprise. BTF has been one of my favorite rootsy rock groups for the last few years. They fall in with fellow hoist-a-beer-to bands like the Hold Steady, Marah and Lucero – guys who create gritty music with a dose of twang and a big serving of rock ‘n’ roll. Frontman Ed Anderson evokes Tom Petty vocally, but he’s reared less on the Beatles and Byrds than the Replacements and early Wilco. Backyard Tire Fire is one of those bands percolating just under the mainstream but poised to become better known.
Preceding BTF is the fine local outfit, Old Californio, another band that looking to blossom to bigger things. Haling from the San Gabriel area, this group mines the golden SoCal country-rock sound, but make their music feel new and fresh. Last year, they produced their debut, the thoroughly wonderful Westering Again, a disc you should get to know if you haven’t already.

Other shows worth checking out include:
Andrew Belle, part of the Ten From Tenn singer/songwriter collective, plays the Hotel Café March 3
The quirky Brit pop/rock group the Clientele comes to Spaceland on March 5.
The Experience Hendrix Tour brings a galaxy of guitar wizards (Joe Satriani, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, David Hidalgo, Ernie Isley and more) to the Gibson March 5.
March 6 finds the critically acclaimed performer/producer Joe Henry appearing at Largo.
While across town at UCLA’s Royce Hall that night, two iconic acts from the American South – The Blind Boys of Alabama and Allen Toussaint - will perform. Coincidentally, Joe Henry produced Toussaint’s last disc..hmm.