Devendra's cult of Jewelry and War

Not sure exactly what it is about Devendra - maybe the Rasputin like hair/beard combo, probably the band of merry neo hippies, definitely the multi-facted talent - but I would follow him off a cliff. He might not seem a likely candidate for Cribs but here he is nonetheless. From a pastoral Laurel Canyon abode, he makes jewelry, remembers powerful influences and generally builds his legions.

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Homeslice uber-group Everest on Conan

Everest the band, not mountain - you've heard their various members with Sebadoh, Earlimart and Slydell among others. Well a year of hard work later and what tall drink of water should show up on an even taller drink of water's late night show?

Here they are in all their eastside Cali shaggy swaggering glory.
oh and Russ - if ever things don't work out with that Watson twin...

Approved by choosy moms and stoners alike!

Maybe you've heard of Yo Gabba Gabba - the new Nickelodeon hit featuring furry monsters soft-core rapping to funky light beats. Well if you were anywhere near a Fold show in 2005-06, you might recognize our very own DJ Lance Rock ushering America's youth and jobless couch surfers into the technicolor world of such hits as "Jump Jump Jump" and "Yummy in My Tummy." If not, enjoy below.

Warning: you might want to have something crunchy and munchy near by.

Sam Sparro is hotter than you...in Europe!

Our favorite lovely diamond of an electro-funk-soul singer, Sam Sparro is currently slapping his way up the UK charts with his first single "Black and Gold". The album drops next week 4.28.08 right after Sam's first performance at Coachella. Sam will be performing "Black and Gold" along with a cover of the Smiths' track "Stop Me" this Saturday with Mark Ronson. Lucky you if you caught him at a Fold show last year before he started giving Amy Winehouse career advice.

Check out this live in studio session at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge.

Black and Gold videophied

Sam Sparro's great song "Black and Gold" got the treatment it deserves in this new video.

Ladies' Month at The Fold

As I was perusing The Fold calendar for the upcoming month, I was struck by how many kick-ass ladies are set to grace LA stages in the coming weeks. This is awesome in the best, most non-feminist way possible! Below is a sampling of various chicks scheduled to bring the rock and use it in the coming weeks:

If the term "girl power" had some actual edge and menace to it, rather than being so firmly entrenched in the cheese of the 90s pop realm, VON IVA would be its physical incarnation. These ladies will mow you down with their ultra-powerful, jagged electro-rock. And after that, if you can handle it, JESSIE EVANS follows it up with her crazy jazz/punk fusion. Check out both on 1/30 at Silverlake Lounge.

CECI BASTIDA was one of the first women to make serious inroads into the Latin rock scene. At the age of 15, she joined Tijuana NO as a lead vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter and became one of the first women to rise in the ranks of Latin rock. Tijuana NO was one of Mexico's most important bands of the 1990s. Enough said. Ceci Bastida plays at Bordello on 2/7.

In keeping with the current pro-femme vibe, the spectacular ENTRANCE BAND are playing a series of three shows at Silverlake Lounge in February. Paz Lenchantin is their bass player. For those not in the know, Paz first melted faces as a member of A Perfect Circle, and then slayed in Zwan. The Entrance Band play February 7th, 14th and 21st. As if you need further incentive to attend, WARPAINT pitch in with their utterly captivating post-rock ethearility on the 14th. Jeez is right.

THEE EMERGENCY have just announced a show at Silverlake Lounge on March 4th. By all accounts, this band's adrenaline-infused, Detroit-blues rock pummeling of a live show is quite the sight to behold.

Finally, New Zealand folk-electro/new-wave-pop genius BACHELORETTE playing a total of three shows in March: 3/5 at Bordello, 3/6 at Silverlake Lounge, and 3/7 at El Cid. Be sure to check her quirky, dream-like pop gems on her first foray to these shores...

Show availability for dudes is, what can i say, "limited" right now. Just kidding. Go check out our full calendar to see what's going on.

Shark Aid this Sunday 1/13 at Tangier

A Benefit for Aaron Finley - $10 donation
OLD TOY TRAINS 7p
PINK MOCHI 8p
PATRICK PARK 9p
CHARLIE WADHAMS 10p
BLACK BEAR 11p

In 2006, there were 61 shark attacks in the entire world. Some say being attacked may be lucky because of the rarity of shark attacks. I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that LA musician/sound engineer Aaron Finley wouldn't agree with that, though. Aaron got munched on on October 29th near Wailea Beach, in Maui. The good news is that Aaron came out of it alive, and still has all his limbs. The bad news is that he now has some pretty substantial medical costs that he cannot charge to his attacker. We're talking tens of thousands of $$$$$ here. And that, my friends, is where you come in. Pink Mochi, Patrick Park and Charlie Wadhams are all joining forces to raise money for the "Friends of Aaron Finley Fund.”

As if you need further incentive to contribute to this good cause, here's an account of what happened in Aaron's own words:
"I was thinking it's so nice to be out here in the ocean relaxing," said Finley, "Then... I felt something hit my leg really hard and then turned and saw this big gray thing swimming away and realized I'd just been bit," Finley, 32, said from his hospital bed in Wailuku, where a 6-inch, half-moon-shaped gash on his left calf served as a reminder of the encounter. "It felt like a wave knocked me into a rock."

Enough said. See you on sunday!

The Entrance Band to blow minds, speakers in February

The spectacular Entrance Band will be performing a series of three shows at Silverlake Lounge in February! Although in this case, it won't be so much a show as a public mind-altering session on a mass scale. LA Weekly explains why February 7th, 14th and 21st should be ritualistically engraved into your calendar right now:

“[Entrance] are thoroughly guns-blazing, balls-out rock n' roll. How such a full-throttle wailing voice can come out of such a slim young man is a mystery, but the ferocity with which Guy Blakeslee ripped into songs managed to get me head-banging unconsciously — I didn't realize what I was doing until I hit the guy behind me.This group is now going to be the beacon of hope I firmly point to whenever I hear a naysayer mention there's nothing really impressive these days.”



The beacon of good taste known as LA Record will be co-presenting these shows. In their infinite wisdom, they already featured The Entrance Band on their cover a while back. You can read the excellent interview in its entirety here.

To recap, the dates are February 7th, 14th and 21st. These shows will likely sell out, so best get on that immediately. Advance tickets are available at InTicketing.