Opening up a sold-out performance for The Bird and The Bee at the El Rey theater last Friday night, Juliette Commagere, the former vocalist of Hello Stranger now dropping her first solo album “Queens Die Proudly,” found herself straddling a piano stool in a coquettish red satin dress –her high cheek bones only exceeded by her higher melodies. Finding quite the balance between her lyrical laments and the sprightly brattle of percussionist Joachim Cooder, her tone somehow manages to breach poignant without being utterly hopeless, a feat many indie-rockers have yet to tame.  Click here to continue.

Wondering what to do next week when all your favorite L.A. bands pack their bags and fly the coop to Austin’s SXSW festival? Easy—Spaceland’s Monday-night residency features a palatable blend of indie grunge, experimental bubble-gum pop, and hand-clap folk. The Moonrats will play gratis in front of the sparkly curtain for the next three Mondays, joined by other L.A. notables Corridor on the 15th, He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister on the 22nd, and Pizza! and Warpaint on the 30th. So you don’t have to go through withdrawal for very long.

Everyone’s favorite pop punk quintet is poised to release it’s third full length album, "Eureka" on June 8th.  Rooney has taken control with this album, completely producing it themselves.  This control has elicited their most creative and original material to date.  A band since 1999, Rooney has expertly honed their sound to a tee.  Their infectious songs would make a perfect soundtrack to summer.  Parting ways from Geffen, "Eureka" will be released on California Dreaming Records through Warner Music Group’s Independent Label Group.  Mark June 8th on your calendars Ladies and Gentlemen, you won’t want to miss this.   

Ever feel that as an Angeleno you’re a part of a melancholy circus of queer characters in a reality that rivals the oddity of your own dreamscapes? Whether you do or not, Eliza Rickman is providing an eerie yet mysteriously playful sound for you sad clowns out there. With a classically storybook voice (think Tori Amos, Feist) and her toy piano, Rickman creates beautifully weird lullabies that will intrigue you. The ringmaster will be on stage at the Hotel Café with her band Friday March 19.

Hello legends. Are you well? Are you well within yourselves? Let the man from Down Under say your sooths and tickle your fancies. With the bravado of the Boss and the ebullience of Bjork, Andy Clockwise will make his last stand at the Troubadour this Monday March 15, before taking L.A.’s best live show to SXSW in Austin. Be there and be moved.

THE GASLAMP KILLER – MY TROUBLED MIND EP from ABCNT on Vimeo.

If you’re reading this, it goes without saying that you possess phenomenal taste in all things aural.  With that being said, anyone with good taste is bound to enjoy the musical stylings of The Gaslamp Killer.  It’s hard to dismiss music that is influenced by everything from jazz and electronica to world music.  The Gaslamp Killer is touring currently, seducing the Australian masses and converting everyone within earshot to fans. 

Grab your leather jackets and Harleys, a motorcycle gang is taking over the Echoplex this Thursday, Friday and Sunday! OK, this isn’t some Hells Angels at Altamont scenario. It’s actually a sold-out three-night stand by bluesy rock icons Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, hot off the release of their haunting new album, "Beat the Devil’s Tattoo" (Vagrant/Abstract Dragon). Expect some mesmerizing, hair-raising licks from Robert Levon Been and band mate Peter Hayes, as well as some powerful percussion from fresh drummer Leah Shapiro.

– Melissa Bobbitt

The French Semester is scheduled to woo the crowd at Spaceland this Friday, March 12. This folky five-piece rock band has been a mainstay of the L.A. indie scene for the past couple years. Reverb-heavy guitar and vocals ranging from haunting to pleasantly harmonious are accompanied by trotting drum lines, which lend a transient quality to their sound. An organ provides a little body for the lo-fi recordings, bolstering the dancing melodies.

-Bryce Pinkos

Ever worked out almost to the point of exhaustion and experienced runner’s high? Been in the presence of someone you could’ve swore was your soul mate? Lay within the gentle glow and breeze of a perfect, 75-degree day? Or baked in an 180-degree sauna for 20 minutes? Then you probably already know the feeling: “I have left this world and am floating amidst the clouds, sun, and trees.”
 
With one swift wave of his hand on Feb. 20 at NYC’s sexiest, swankiest spot Le Poisson Rouge, L.A. breakthrough beatmaker Nosaj Thing shot out electrical shock waves of meditative nirvana. Buddhists say all our suffering is caused by desire. If so, Nosaj’s set was the antigravity vacuum where desire dissipates into oodles of undulating, blissful indifference. What helped was wordlessness, an absence of reason and the cerebral. As technologically advanced as Jason Chung’s music is, his zeroes and ones are purely emotive, free-flowing and visceral.

Lemon Sun plays pure, unadulturated rock and roll.  With a voice that evokes Against Me’s Tom Gabel, Rob Kolar’s vocals are both masculine and lilting.  It’s clear upon the first listen of any of their songs that this band loves to play together.  Songs such as "Same Old Ground" and "Touch the Lightning" are sure to convert anyone to an instant fan. 

The seven piece band, Spindrift has married the grit of the wild west with the mind altering effects of psych rock. The union has proven to be a great one, as seen in their latest album The West.  They are on tour this month, stopping in Long Beach on the 11th and The Redwood Bar in LA on the 26th. 

This Thursday night at Hollywood’s 3 of Clubs, Rumspringa‘s rollicking rhythms will cause many heads to inadvertently bob and many hips to inexplicably gyrate. If you’ve never seen this L.A. duo live, then it’s about time you experience post-psychedelic, R&B-inspired rock that smacks of The Doors and Velvet Underground– only made for this generation’s 20-somethings who want to live in the moment… whatever that means. Just come. They’ll be joined by Beaters and Twin Tigers. The Deli LA will be there too– handing out mags, taking photos and soaking up the sound waves.