Friday, November 15
Group Love
The Observatory
When Hannah Hooper invited her friend Christian Zucconi to join her at an artist colony on the Greek island of Crete, neither of them expected to meet three like-minded, fellow Americans–let alone musicians. But that's what happened when the duo met Andrew Wessen, Ryan Rabin and Sean Gadd during the summer of 2009. They became fast friends, and when the summer ended and everyone went their separate ways, there was a feeling that the bond forged could survive both distance and time apart. A year later, the quintet finally came together in Los Angeles, recorded an album and became the infectious, roaring force known as Grouplove. Their second single, “Tongue Tied,” propelled the band to heights that seemed far-fetched during that first jam session. Its fusion of indie rock and dance pop caught on with music listeners, landing the group a coveted spot on an iPod Touch commercial. The tune eventually reached the pinnacle on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.–Daniel Kohn
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Saturday, November 16
Rush
Honda Center
Despite having few female fans, famed Canuck
band Rush was an inspiration to countless artists and other assorted
creative types. Be sure to check out Yo La Tengo's video for the song
“Sugar Cube,” in which the characters, forced to attend rock school,
listen to a professor with a face painted like Ace Freely reading the
lyrics from “Closer to the Heart” as if it were Tolkien. Rush inspires
us, too. Without getting into too much detail, we can tell you that many
afternoons were spent with friends listening to songs like “YYZ” and
engaging in epic jam sessions with air guitar, bass and drums. The
instruments weren't real, but the bong was. –Brandon Ferguson
Manic Hispanic
The Observatory
There
are two things Orange County residents can expect when Cinco de Mayo
comes around: a moratorium on Mexican-hating– all in the name of a
goodwill drink fest– and a Manic Hispanic concert. This Orange County
band that started in 1992 has made their mark in the music scene by
taking punk classics, such as The Descendents' “Milo Goes to College”
and “Group Sex” by the Circle Jerks and Chicanofying them into satirical
covers such as “Mijo Goes to Jr. College” and “Grupo Sexo.” The band
itself is a conglomerate of O.C. punk history, their members summoned
from the likes of The Cadillac Tramps, Agent Orange and The Adolescents.
Without a doubt, no other band better represents the cultural mosh pit
that is Orange County: the classic white majority meshing with the
Hispanic soon-to-be majority This weekend they play with fellow punk
legends Swingin' Utters and Union 13 along with Anarchy Taco.–Elena de la Cuz
Sean Wheeler and
Zander Schloss
Detroit Bar
Put the punk rock in the cowboy hat–or maybe just
boots and a bandolier–and you got the revved-up Americana of the
Hillgrass Bluebilly organization, who take two genres, three chords and
the truth and end up with a bunch of bands bouncing around between the
Gun Club and Hasil Adkins. Tonight, it's headliners Sean Wheeler (of the
much-loved Throwrag) and Zander Schloss (of basically every band and
also from Repo Man) doing Tom Waits-meets-Roky Erickson doom roots along
with guy-girl duo Crushed Out doing '56 rock 'n' roll with '76 style.
(So if you ever thought a New York Dolls song romantic, you best believe
you'll be in L-U-V.) Also on deck are fearsome twosome Restavrant, who
play homebuilt drums with backwoods aplomb. A night for people who like
to double-fist their music and their drinks both. –Chris Ziegler
Sunday, November 17
David Scott Stone (of LCD Soundsystem)
Commonwealth Lounge
Producer/DJ/composer
David Scott Stone (that's Sir DSS to you) has had his share of
supporting gigs in legendary projects. Best known for his work as a
multi-instrumalist force with disbanded dance rockers LCD Soundsystem
and the sludge kings the Melvins, he's also been a regular solo
performer at strongholds like the Smell. Displaying his technical
wizardry on the ethereal, slow-building soundscapes of the modular
synthesizer, he rolls into Commonwealth Lounge for a solo show with
support from art house experimentalist act Kalva Won, hip-hop crew the
Natives and Mark Sells and the Brother in Blues.–Nate Jackson
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