Spaceland’s Monday night residency has become the stuff of legends, attracting some of LA’s best, including recent stints from Helen Stellar and Saint Motel. This time it’s Angelenos-by-way-of-Pennsylvania Eastern Conference Champions who will be taking the stage for the month of September.

Eastern Conference Champions leans towards a more introspective and melancholy version of Modest Mouse, and their twist on the theme works perfectly. The band released their EP, Santa Fe, last year sans former record label Suretone/Universal and have been loving the self control ever since. Their follow-up fill length, Speak-Ahh, is slated for release this fall.

Their Monday night Spaceland shows are free, and to keep you busy with something a little different, they’re sharing their song ‘Bloody Bells (M. Zero Break Mix)’.

I had the pleasure of reviewing Baths‘ debut album Cerulean in the current print issue of the Deli and I truly have to say I’m proud of the progress that this 21-year-old San Fernando Valley native continues makes in leaps and bounds. His take on glitch electronica puts him on the level with another one of my local favorite, Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello). With that said, it’s even cooler to bring all of you his samurai death masterpiece for ‘Lovely Bloodflow’.

We do have to say goodbye to Baths for a while as he begins his fall tour. Keep an eye out, he’ll be circling back to LA on October 13th to play The Bootleg Theater.

What do acts like Beck, Gnarls Barkley, Cheap Trick, and Paul McCartney have in common? Jason Falkner, that’s what. This multi-instrumentalist has worked with all of them and still found the time to record four solo efforts. It’s no small feat that on his latest release, I’m OK, You’re OK, he recorded, produced, and mixed every note on the album.

 If you haven’t heard the his brand of infectious indie pop, tonight at Spaceland is your last chance for the rest of summer.

Shay Magro, Mike Wolpe, and Christian Jovanny Trujillo are the magic behind indie rock band Love Darling. Sultry vocals and driving guitars draw immediate comparisons to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I promise this band has more to offer. The songs stretch their wings a bit, and Shay isn’t afraid to switch from punk rock to singer/songwriter at a moment’s notice.

Their most recent album (which sits awkwarly between EP and LP at 9 tracks), Sunshine Dust, was crafted with the help of producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) and it shows; the songs on Sunshine Dust are tighter and more polished than the band’s debut EP. Choice cut off the album goes to the spacier "Close To Me" with its steady drum-machine-like beat, keyboard work, and reverb-laiden vocals but the guitar squealing on "Step Outside" earned it a close second.

If you’re a fan of The Real L Word, you may have heard Love Darling’s song "This Time". If not, you can grab it for free download here.

Gritty garage rockers with pop sensibilities, Downtown/Union just released their latest EP, Astral Turf, on 12" vinyl and digital download. They’ve been awesome enough to share two tracks for free on Sound Cloud.

The band has grown from their two-man roots in 2006 to a fully blossomed four piece reminiscent of acts like Dinosaur Jr and Piebald. Ernest and honest, their music conjures up images of suburban backyard parties with loud amps and plenty of beer. If you don’t appreciate their stripped down, straight ballsy rock ‘n’ roll style, chances are you’re deaf.

Catch Downtown/Union on Friday, August 27th @ The Echo for their record release party.

Music Festivals are as iconic to summer as popsicles and flip-flop tan lines. Those of us who are helpless music-worshippers are forced each season to succumb to our live-music addictions, needing to experience the bliss of feeling the bass thunder through our bones while we rub shoulders with sweaty strangers who are sharing these soon-to-be-made memories. Festivals satisfy our musical ADD afflictions by allowing us to capriciously cascade between several performances, in addition to the usual offering of endless other entertainment options. All of this comes at a price, however. This perfect summer scene would not be complete without forking out hard-earned wages, spending saved allowances, breaking piggy-banks, or stealing valuable coin collections. Throw in a lack of musical intimacy, cow-herding-like crowd control, and monopoly price-gouging on necessities like water, and you got yourself a typical festival!

This is why I was particularly intrigued by When You Awake’s “Free For All: A Hands-On Music Festival. Not only was admission based on “pay-what-you-can” donation, but festival patrons were encouraged to bring instruments and jam with performers! Little did I know, but I when I entered past the smiling greeter who un-obtrusively asked for donations, I was not about to write about some random music festival—I became an embedded participant observer of a musical revolution. Dramatic, I know, but after a spending a lifetime being subjected to the business models of the industry over-lords and confined to a dwindling bank-account that renders little opportunity for me to experience live-music as often I would like to, I simply can’t contain my excitement about this new model.

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Pop duo Pepper Rabbit just announced their deal with New York based Kanine Records and the release date of their forthcoming album, Beauregard, is set for October 26th.

Guitar and piano make their scheduled appearances, but these multi-instrumentalists incorporate banjos, ukuleles, trumpets, and woodwinds without blinking an eye. If Xander Singh and Luc Laurent’s previous two EPs are any indication, the new album will usher in hand crafted melodies that are expansive and personal at the same time.

Imagine jumping in a time machine Bill and Ted style to grab My Blood Valentine and New Order then zipping them to the future to jam a bit with Muse and The Panic Division. Shoegaze/new wave/indie rock outfit Standing Shadows have been working like mad since forming earlier this year. Their first full length offering Five Years of Darkness shows the band’s range, from the expansive guitar driven ‘Circus Freak’, to the mournful laments of ‘Fade Away’.

You can check the band out this Friday, 8/20, at Molly Malone’s.

Swirls of guitars, keyboards, melancholy, and sun drenched days conjure the feeling of ’70s folk rock turned new again. It’s the reason why Santa Monica’s Chief was just recently signed to London’s Domino Records. The good news is that the video for their first single ‘Night & Day’ just hit the streets, the band news is that you’ll have to wait until tomorrow before their debut album, Modern Rituals, is released.

The Crash Kings are at it again with their new video for "You Got Me", the second single off their self titled debut album. The video was directed by David Arquette – yes, don’t rub your eyes – and features the band opposite some very interesting ladies. It also doesn’t hurt that the song is #29 on the Alternative Radio charts.

Trenchtown is an interesting beast. I recently had the chance to sit down and savor their new album the Trenchtown EP. Bred out of Hermosa Beach, they wear their influences on their sleeve. I was greeted with a high energy mix of LA punk and ska that was bit Greenday, a bit Rancid, a bit Sublime and all fun.

A six song EP with punk-length songs isn’t more than a musical nibble, but I walked away wanting more. The EP starts with "Ay Oh" with a distinct oy punk feel. A little deeper in, Murderer is a standout song that’s devious fun with ominous lyrics. Later, the closer Unpaid Holiday winds the collection down, but I have confidence it’ll become a summer anthem for some.

If the band is as fun live as their abum makes them out to be, I can’t wait to see them. You can check out the EP for free at their official site here.

August 15th When You Awake presents Free For All: A Hands on Music and Arts Festival at the Echo and Echoplex.  Akron/Family, Langhorne Slim and Active Child are set to headline with 14 + bands performing throughout the course of the evening.

Dust off that acoustic guitar because festival-goers are strongly encouraged to bring their own instruments and jam between performances. If you’re feeling crafty, you can always visit one of the art stations set up by Coachella Art Studios to express your inner Picasso.

There’s no excuse for missing this one especially since admission is donation only. Come down next Sunday to see what all the fuss is about!