Subject: Cold War Kids

• Deconstructing Borat

  You've probably seen Borat, and if so you've probably seen Borat drunk, and you may actually be drunk now, and that puts you in a good state of mind to process this scene-by-scene dissection from Salon. Philosophical guy, the Borat: not many other movies this year have everybody asking questions like, "What is real?" Says Salon: With few exceptions, the real folks featured in "Borat," the movie, have been happy to talk about their experience, and outing them has turned into a mini-media craze,

  November 10, 2006

• MySpace Genre Semiotics!

  If you didn't know, bands don't like telling you what they sound like. Here's an example why: Let's say I play in a band, we're called "Stillborn Leper", and my boss asks me what we sound like, and I say "We're like a mix of Radiohead and The Velvet Underground, but our guitarist is really into The Pixies and Joy Division so sometimes we have a lot of post-punk going on, too." Stillborn Leper is, in all likeliness, a poorly executed teenage train wreck so godawfully bland it could sound like an

  December 7, 2006

• Letterman, Success!

  So I'm a little late on this, but I went to go check out Cold War Kids at Detroit after the Weekly's Christmas party (on a stationary riverboat?) this past Saturday night. It was the third time I've seen CWK at Detroit—and probably the last (I mean, really, at this rate, you kids can sell out the House of Blues... or bigger)—and, as always, it was... a good show. Energetic. Interactive. All that good stuff that's already been said about their live performance. But the tightly

  December 21, 2006

• Shins-ing the Night Away: A Sounds Eclectic Evening

  [photo by Marc Goldstein] Making a classic SoCal newcomer mistake, I only gave myself 45 minutes to drive from Costa Mesa to Universal City's Gibson Amphitheatre, where influential public radio station KCRW was holding its sixth annual Sounds Eclectic concert; this year proceeds go to help convert its vast music library into digital form. After a stressful 100 minutes in my car (last time I take Mapquest's estimates at face value), I dashed out of the monstrous parking garage and through th

  April 16, 2007

• Running with Rockers

  The Cold War Kids are playing a very special Orange County show on Sept. 24, and anyone can go. Anyone, that is, who's willing to walk five kilometers for tickets. The 24th is also the day of the Orange County Race for the Cure - namely the cure for breast cancer. The Race, held at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, is part of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation's vicious paramilitary action against malignant mammaries. The Kids are encouraging friends and fans to join them on the day,

  August 28, 2006

• Leviathan Brothers, DiPiazzas, September 13, 2007

  Photo: Suzie Ahn Leviathan Brothers' keyboardist (and occasional OC Weekly contributor) Sean O'Connell announced from the DiPiazzas stage: “This week marks the sixth year of the five-year anniversary of Tupac's death. To commemorate the occasion, we're going to play an original.” Now that's wit. He and his band mate, drummer Miles Senzaki, then commenced to forge a moving soul-jazz composition that cascaded with great beauty. Rare is the group for whom between-song banter alone is worth

  September 14, 2007

• Coachella lineup announced

  Via Coachella.com: FRIDAY, APRIL 25: Jack Johnson, The Verve, Raconteurs, The Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan and Sara, Madness, The Swell Season, The National, Animal Collective, Slightly Stoopid, Mum, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Stars, Battles, Aesop Rock, Midnight Juggernauts, Does it Offend you, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, Spank Rock, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santo Gold, Jens Lekman, John Butler Trio, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Architecture in Helsinki, Sandra Col

  January 22, 2008

• Last Night: Cold War Kids at the Samueli Theater

  Cold War Kids at Samueli Theater, March 26, 2008 A review by Andrew Youssef Better Than: Seeing the Cold War Kids open for the White Stripes at The Forum. Download: Heavy Boots from their long out of print Mulberry St. EP Cold War Kids dropped by the Samueli Theater for the third installment of the Off Center Series. The Kids hadn't played in Orange County since their December 2006 Detroit Bar gig, although their most recent performance in Southern California was a sold-out show at the Wilte

  March 28, 2008

• Last Night: The Alex Benefit at the Detroit Bar

  The Alex Benefit at the Detroit Bar, April 19, 2008 with We Barbarians, Nathan Willett, Delta Spirit, and Jonnie Russell from the Cold War Kids Better Than: Donating money to the Presidental Election Campaign Fund. Download: Delta Spirit's "Trashcan" from Ode To Sunshine Benefit concerts often reward audience members who are gracious enough to support the event's cause by providing outstanding live performances and the occasional surprise. These principals were definitely upheld at Detroit Ba

  April 20, 2008

• San Diego Street Scene lineup announced

  The two-day lineup for this year's San Diego Street Scene was just announced today, and it doesn't look half bad, in this humble ex-music editor's opinion. Headliners include Beck, the Black Crowes, X, Tegan and Sara, Justice, plus Spoon, TV on the Radio, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9), Michael Franti & Spearhead, The National, Atmosphere, Cat Power, Hot Chip, The New Pornographers, Vampire Weekend, The Hives, Cold War Kids, Ghostland Observatory, Spiritualized, Antibalas, Man Man, The Mother Hips,

  June 16, 2008

• Matt Costa Releases Second Single

  The Malloys, the brotherly director-ly duo who've worked previously with artists like the Kooks, Jimmy Eat World, Cold War Kids, Santana, the White Stripes, Will Ferrell (?) and others, have teamed up once again with Huntington Beach's Matt Costa for the video to his second single, "Cigarette Eyes," off his sophomore album, Unfamiliar Faces. The video was shot in a single take and even features a couple cameos from Costa's drummer, James Fletcher, who also plays drums for the Costa Mesa-based

  August 27, 2008

• To Do Tonight 9/23

  Cold War Kids, 7 p.m. In store performance Fingerprints Music 4612 E. Second St. Long Beach, CA 562-433-4996 It Happens, 9 p.m. Sometimes... Gallagher's Pub & Grill 300 Pacific Coast Hwy., Ste. 113 Huntington Beach, CA 714-536-2422 Patrick Henry Democratic Club, 6:30 p.m. Discuss current political issues with this progressive group. Marie Callender's 1821 N. Grand Ave. Santa Ana, CA Salsa Night, 8 p.m. Dancing builds character. Tia Juana's 14988 Sand Canyon Rd. Irvine, CA 949-551-2998

  September 23, 2008

• This Week in the OC Weekly

  October 3, 2008

• The Accidental Critic: End Roulette at The District at Tustin Legacy

  Being new in town, I'm on the lookout for music wherever I can find it. And a young band looking to make a name is in no position to turn down a gig, no matter where it may be. So it might have been kismet that I found myself listening to Los Angeles-based four piece End Roulette last night at, of all places, the stage at The District at Tustin Legacy, one of Orange County's myriad shopping centers. (Seriously, guys, how many Sunglass Huts does one county need?) I was looking for cheap furnit

  October 11, 2008

• Accidents Will Rappin'

  How Sparrow Love Crew became the indie rocker's Jurassic 5

  January 3, 2008

• 'Mexican Dogs' by Cold War Kids on 'Gossip Girl' Tonight

  It's not every day that my love for serialized teen dramas intersects with my sworn duty to cover our local music scene, but a wonderful thing occurred during tonight's Gossip Girl on The CW: Blair's fateful late-episode meeting regarding her Yale application was scored by "Mexican Dogs," a song from the latest Cold War Kids release, Loyalty to Loyalty. The show always does well its musical cues, and that song really added some extra emotional punch (honestly!) to the climactic scene, as well as

  January 19, 2009

• Even Our Sister Paper Thinks Orange County Is Lame

  I'm not naive--I knew before coming here that Orange County didn't have the best reputation among outsiders (too conservative, not hip enough, not enough to do, etc.). I didn't think it was a big deal; where I come from doesn't exactly have the most street cred, either, and I've really enjoyed my time here thus far and find the stereotypes to be largely untrue. But the negative perception persists, even among one of our Village Voice Media sister papers, the SF Weekly, who had this to say last w

  January 21, 2009

• Cold War Kids, Matt Costa to Tour with Death Cab for Cutie

  Death Cab for Cutie--led by the newly slimmed down (and engaged to Zooey Deschanel) Ben Gibbard--are going back on tour this spring in support of last year's Narrow Stairs, and they're getting help from two acts from 'round here; Long Beach-based Cold War Kids and Huntington Beach singer/songwriter Matt Costa.Cold War Kids are taking the first leg of the tour along with Syracuse's much-buzzed about Ra Ra Riot, with Matt Costa picking up CWK's slack in May for the final five dates (because the ge

  January 27, 2009

• OC/LBC Bands Head to South By Southwest

  March 12, 2009

• Slideshows: The Cold War Kids at the Orpheum, Sweet and Tender Hooligans at Detroit Bar

  If you were stuck at home with pink eye or the gout this weekend, well, you've got some problems that we can't help you with. But what we can help you with is these wonderful slideshows from some 'certs this past weekend, like Chad Sengstock taking pics of Long Beach-by-way-of-Fullerton indie rock faves Cold War Kids doing their thing at the Orpheum in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. As a bonus, Long Beach's buzz-heavy Crystal Antlers opened. Pictured up above there is Jose Maldonado of world-fa

  March 30, 2009

• Dog 'n' Butterfly: A Tribute to Heart

  March 5, 2009

• [Locals Only] Dolphin City, 'Discretion'

  December 18, 2008

• Come Together

  December 11, 2008

• [Locals Only] Cold War Kids, 'Loyalty to Loyalty' (Downtown)

  October 2, 2008

• Hold Tight

  September 4, 2008

• [Trendzilla] Musicians, Fans and Fashions

  July 24, 2008

• Bonnets Off

  July 17, 2008

• Hotter Than the Temperature at Coachella? Black Lips, Animal Collective, Duffy and 43 More

  April 17, 2008

• Passing the Hat

  March 20, 2008

• The Walkmen’s Costa Mesa Invasion

  February 21, 2008

• Not Dead Yet

  Derrick Brown lives to read another day

  November 1, 2007

• Die for Famous Country Singers Oil

  August 11, 2005

• Aural Reports

  Guided Missions: Nick Bogardus works the angles for Cold War Kids, Thrice and others

  June 28, 2007

• Sunny Psychedelia

  Lemon Sun

  May 17, 2007

• Hits!

  Music Revolution

  November 23, 2006

• No Marshall Stacks!

  October 19, 2006

• 'I Think It's Beautiful'

  September 28, 2006

• New Song

  September 28, 2006

• Live Review

  May 25, 2006

• Things You Already Knew

  May 18, 2006

• Get Out!

  May 11, 2006

• Away From My Country

  August 11, 2005

• Long Beach's Crystal Antlers Face Critics, Aren't Obliterated

  It's a surprisingly rare that a band in the Weekly's Orange County-Long Beach-Glasshouse jurisdiction has enough heft to get its debut reviewed nationally. On the strength of their 2008 self-titled EP and a few rounds of live performances at industry showcases like South by Southwest and CMJ, Crystal Antlers passed the buzz threshold, bringing their full-length debut (officially released last week) to the attention of taste-making websites and wish-they-were-taste-making magazines. The snotty lo

  April 14, 2009

• Dolphin City

  May 7, 2009

• Before it Gets Old: Cold War Kids Interactive Music Video

  Okay, so there's plenty of reasons to be a jaded Cold War Kids fan in the OC these days. Besides getting plenty of ink from hipsteratti media outlets (including this one) and praise for just about everything they do from an ever growing fan base world wide, they haven't been that "super underground band that only the in-crowd knows about" for a few years. But thank god, or else they probably wouldn't have had the resources/cash/innovatve design team to pull off their first interactive music

  May 21, 2009

• Cold War Kids to Headline Summer and Music Busker Fest

  ​For some unknown reason, the abbreviation for "Summer and Music" is officially "SAM," not "S&M." How odd!Anyway, the latest installment of the Long Beach summer music series is the Busker Fest in the East Village Arts District on Friday, August 21. It's pretty much as it sounds: bands take to the sidewalk and play busker-style, with 25-minute sets aimed to collect "wooden nickels." The list of street performers is pretty impressive for, well, street performances: Free Moral Agents, Deep

  August 10, 2009

• Busker Fest, featuring Cold War Kids

  August 20, 2009

• TONIGHT: Buskerfest in Long Beach, E-40 at Galaxy, More

  ​The next person who says "there's nothing to do around here" is officially wrong. This can be scientifically proven. Or just be clicking on the jump.

  August 21, 2009

• Reminder: Premiere of Cold War Kids Drummer Matt Aveiro's Film Tonight

  This picture looks racier than it really is.​Tonight is your chance to be among the first to watch Cold War Kids drummer Matt Aveiro's new short film, Jen in the Painting. It's premiering tonight at 9:45 p.m. at Art Theatre in Long Beach; and you can learn tons more about it through our chat with Aveiro right here. (And watch the trailer--yes, a trailer is still necessary, even if your film is only 17 minutes long. Show business!)

  October 15, 2009

• Cold War Kids Update: New EP and Shows on the Way!

  ​Mondays aren't usually known for being full of good news. But if you're a Cold War Kids fan, today is a joyous anomaly. It's come to our attention that the band announced the upcoming release of their new EP, Behave Yourself, out on Jan. 19 (Downtown Records). And they plan to celebrate with a whopping four shows in January, one of which is a sure-to-be sold out show at the Wiltern on Jan. 23. It's only been a week since we talked to CWK drummer Matt Aveiro about his recen

  October 26, 2009