Homesick Elephant | "Hold Me Close"

One of The Deli LA’s favorite folk outfits Homesick Elephant are playing a free set tonight (Thursday) at Hyperion Tavern. Their live sets are so damn fun and cute that we just want to pinch their figurative cheek, so check out the melodic-laden duo when they hit the stage at 9. Did we mention it’s free?

Sara Tan

The last thing you’d expect from a big-eyed, porcelain-faced indie-pop princess would be a curse word or a dirty joke, let alone a song about going deep (emotionally, that is) or being the "other" woman—but it was obvious from the get-go that Meiko felt right at home. Maybe that’s the reason why fans flooded the Hotel Cafe Tuesday night for her impromptu set filled with her melancholy tunes about love, heartbreak, and frustrations, complete with personal anecdotes about breaking her nose and wanting to murder Santa (kidding, of course). Meiko, fresh from her tour with Jewel, stood solo sans her band for a charming acoustic performance of old and new songs including “Reasons to Love You” and her own seductive Christmas carol “Maybe Next Year (X-mas Song).” It was a warm homecoming for the once-upon-a-time Hotel Cafe waitress whose deeply rich, yet sweet sounding voice continues to reel us in. -Sara Tan

If Nosaj Thing‘s sound chemistry weren’t hypnotic enough to your liking, then check out his video show collaboration with Fair Enough in a multimedia orgy this Sunday at Downtown Independent.  Details and additions on the bill below:

There’s a lot to say about ambient rock outfit theendisthebeginning: They’re large.  Aside from being a 6-piece outfit, their music is all about soaring vocals and big prog-rock landscapes to the likes of As Tall As Lions and Circa Survive.  Tracks from their debut LP master machine [sic] offer layers upon layers of well produced space sonics and tight performances, making their first impression a truly memorable one. But it is in the live avenue where we’ll see how far theendisthebeginning can take their tracks. We’ll be keeping tabs with them.

*Date Corrected* Just when you thought we couldn’t possibly shove enough Christmas joy down your throat, think again. The good people at L.A. Record host local natives Local Natives for a night of music, holiday gift giving and general all-ages awesomeness at The Echo on Tuesday, December 22.  Bring non-perishable cans of food for charity and Local Natives will give you a Christmas present (present TBD).  Advanced tickets are $5, at-door for $10.  Fans would probably like to know that the group are touring Europe until March just after this set, so this’ll be your last chance to see them until they come back all Europe’d out.

Downtempo singer/songwriter Meredith Meyer pens music for the lost with the execution of a silent rock star. Under her signature whisper is a confidence that puts her in the company of Lex Land and Miranda Lee Richards, all while never scaring any of us away with truly haunting (and very Kate Bush-inspired) pop tunes.  Recent weeks saw the release of Meyer’s second full-length It’s Spooky To Be Young, whose tracks she’ll be previewing Thursday night at the Garden Party. (IsGoodMusic / EVFA / Sweet Heat PR present Meredith Meyer at the Garden Party, 542 S. Alameda, LA — 9 p.m.)

For the last three years, Aimee Mann‘s annual Christmas Show has provided variety holiday entertainment with the help of A-list indie buddies from all walks of life (thespian, musical and comedic) and this year’s no different.  This Sunday at Largo, the three-night event kicks off with two nights of music with Zooey Deschanel, Ben Gibbard, Mann’s husband Michael Penn and an expected number of surprise guests.  The first two nights are completely sold out, so your only chance of getting in will be for Tuesday night’s show.  With a past guest list including Paul F. Thompkins, John C. Reilly, Patton Oswalt, Amos Lee and Jackson Browne (just to name a very few), we’d suspect just about any night is a pretty fucking good night if Aimee Mann is your host.

AM | "Christmas Time Is Here"

Today’s "rain" is about as close as we can come to feeling the winter-y side of the holiday season. Fortunately, tomorrow locals can feel a little closer to a White Christmas by heading out to the Hotel Cafe to hear singer/songwriter AM sing selections from his holiday EP Holiday Happiness & Cheer. Sara Lov joins the wintertime bill.

Historic Filipinotown’s main courtyard will get its ass severely kicked this Saturday night with the grand "opening" of FMLY‘s new venue. 60-Watt Kid will be opening the night’s festivities, and if that isn’t enough reason to go (LET’S BE HONEST, IT SHOULD BE), read what else FMLY have to offer. It’s going to be a good one.

Paper Zoo | "Paper Zoo"

It’s not every day you hear the words "self-titled track from their self-titled EP," but, alas, today’s one of those days. Just days after having finished a long string of dates with Roger freaking Daltrey, Linda Perry-mentored and local psych rockers Paper Zoo aren’t taking a day off. Check them out this Wednesday night at the Viper Room where they’ll be showcasing new material for locals who haven’t had a chance to see their live set yet.

Kissing Cousins | "Don’t Look Back"
Directed by Alexis Martin Woodall

This haunting bit of footage is all fitting to an even more haunting group like Kissing Cousins. Pick up their latest release Pillar of Salt, which includes the single "Don’t Look Back" and production by Deli LA favorite Richard Swift.

Good luck trying to pin Big Whup‘s sound down to a scene; we ended up sounding like Gene Shalit if he overdosed on Radio Free Silver Lake. ("It’s as if Win Butler teamed up with Prince’s backup vocalists, and the Talking Heads came over to their lockout and said, ‘Let’s have some ear sex or something.’ ") The group, made up of borrowed members from local bands like Pizza! and Morgan and Her Organs, are as grassroots and who-gives-a-fuck as you can get, so cheek–I mean, check them out at their Echo Curio set this Friday.  Details next to the naked bod below.