division day

reverb: music from los angeles & beyond

Monday, October 8th, 2007

division day - beartrap island record release

I caught a great show on Tuesday night at the Echo. First off, I’ve got to say that the Echo has become one of my favorite places in Los Angeles to see a show. Not only do they consistently book some of the best local and touring artists, their sound system is quite good for a small(ish) venue, their staff is usually pretty friendly, and their patio is a spot where I’ve run into some of the most interesting and creative people Los Angeles has to offer. Sure, there’s plenty of Eastside hipsters abounding, but largely everyone’s there to see a good show and have a good time. Stop by and you’re almost always guaranteed to see at least one good band on any given night.

Tuesday night was the record release party for locals Division Day. I mentioned back in June that they were releasing Bear Trap Island on Eenie Meenie Records. Well, the poor guys ran into a whole host of setbacks, but the record’s finally out. I hadn’t seen Division Day play in a while and I forgot how enjoyable they are. They’ve got some new tunes in their set, many of which have been added to the official release of their album, and I really like where they’re headed. As a band, they’re writing is only getting better and as performers, they’ve definitely got the audience rocking out. They’re at their best when they loosen up and just rock, particularly vocalist Rohner, and the show had plenty of good moments like that. By the time you read this, the guys should be on tour, so check ‘em out if they stop into your town. In the meantime, enjoy a great Depeche Mode cover they recently did.

The Mae Shi, who went on before Div Day, are a local band I’ve been meaning to mention for a while now. This four-piece defies description, which is often the pedigree of a band worth listening to. At their core they are a punk rock band, but to classify them as punk rock is to do them such a disservice. The Mae Shi don’t just play music, they play with music. Listen to these guys and you realize that they seem to have unlocked a mystery that eludes most musicians their whole lives. The key to writing music is to keep it simple, keep it short, and have a good time doing it. Not that this is a joke band…far from it. But just because you should take it seriously doesn’t mean they have to. Guitarist Jeff Byron will disappear from the stage and then you realize he’s standing next to you in the audience, playing his guitar wirelessly… live, few bands are more fun to watch. And on record, their albums are the sum of a million brilliant ideas crammed into minute-and-a-half songs. Their new album HLLLYH should be out soon, and I’m eager to hear it.

The Eulogies
opened the show, but I had to be fashionably late and missed them. People were saying good things about them, so I’ll have to take them at their word. I promise to show up on time next time, fellas.

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If you enjoy these tunes, tune into my radio show on kxlu 88.9fm 10a-2p every monday. we’re also streaming live at www.kxlu.com.

reverb: music from los angeles & beyond

Monday, June 18th, 2007

sea level crash

There’s something of an epidemic afflicting record stores across Los Angeles. They are dying off at an alarming rate, and it’s really starting to bum me out. Obviously, no one really knows why, but everyone seems to have a viable reason that it can be attributed to. The catch-all being our poor economy. Others prefer to blame the fucking… er, fluxing music industry. There are those who believe that with the rise of digital technology, The Record Store is becoming a thing of the past. Personally, I like to blame the overpriced juggernaut that is Amoeba Music in Hollywood. When Amoeba arrived in 2001 at the corner of Sunset & Cahuenga, Los Angeles was dazzled with its vast selection and uber-hip staff. So dazzled, that every small shop in a 50-mile radius immediately began to feel the burn. Rhino, Aron’s, House of Records, Vinyl Fetish… all shrank or disappeared. And frankly, I miss them.

The latest casualty, however, is personally a little more sad. Not only because I play poker every Tuesday night with its proprietor. Sea Level Records in Echo Park was truly one of the last honest “Record Stores,” a place where you could chat about music, catch live bands in-store that you’ve never heard of, find records from great local acts, and generally feel like your business actually mattered. The store was always scrappy… new releases didn’t always come in on time, and yeah, the couch smelled like barf. But it was perfect and largely a reflection of its owner, a man who has become a true friend in music and in life. Mr. Todd Clifford.

Imagine throwing a party that no one comes to. Then imagine doing that every single day since November 2001. That’s why Todd is closing the store. At best, Sea Level only ever broken even. It has endured shoplifters, fist fights in the alley, and most recently, a driver come through the front window (see above). Even when the store was packed for in-store performances, business was just never consistently booming enough to sustain positive morale. So with the end of June, we say goodbye to Sea Level Records.

But! The store is going out with a bang!

This Friday at Safari Sam’s, Sea Level’s having a giant farewell gala. Featuring performances from a couple of great local bands, Division Day and The Switch, several great DJs from around the city, and lots of L.A.’s most interesting folks stopping by to bid farewell to a store we all loved. If you’re going to be in Los Angeles this Friday (6.22), you know where to go.

The Switch was founded by the tall, lanky, and talented Aaron Kyle. He’s a charismatic and entertaining frontman and a wonderful songwriter. To see this band perform over the last year is to see a band hitting its stride, and doing it in tremendous strides. It’s such a marvelous thing to watch a band’s members coalesce into a single, rocking unit with every show they play and every song they write. Check out their self-titled e.p. that came out earlier this year, available on their website.

Division Day is also a band you may have begun to hear about. They released a full-length in March called “Bear-Trap Island” on Eenie Meenie Records. The record is heavy with great pop songs swathed in moody, compelling sonics. But, as great as their record is, it almost seems subdued compared to the spring-loaded intensity these guys bring live. Definitely check them out.

Everything is on sale at Sea Level until the end of the month. Lots of great deals are still sitting on those shelves. Stop by and pick something up. And remember to support your independent local music stores/bands/venues/etc. You just don’t realize what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Adios Sea Level.

Sea Level Records
1716 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.989.0146.

Safari Sam’s
5214 W. Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90027
323.666.7267

New Releases 6.19.07: Lots of good stuff! I’m most excited about Maserati, but there’s something for everyone this Tuesday. On the electronic side: Boom Bip, Maps, and Tied & Tickled Trio. Also new stuff from Jennifer Gentle, Straylight Run, local band The Silver Daggers, and one more of Mike Patton’s 3,000 side projects Tomahawk. Oh, and for all you George Thoroughgood fans… there’s a new White Stripes album out on Tuesday as well.

Reverb: aurevoir sea level

Friday, May 25th, 2007

sea level crash

There’s something of an epidemic afflicting record stores across Los Angeles. They are dying off at an alarming rate, and it’s really starting to bum me out. Obviously, no one really knows why, but everyone seems to have a viable reason that it can be attributed to. The catch-all being our poor economy. Others prefer to blame the fucking… er, fluxing music industry. There are those who believe that with the rise of digital technology, The Record Store is becoming a thing of the past. Personally, I like to blame the overpriced juggernaut that is Amoeba Music in Hollywood. When Amoeba arrived in 2001 at the corner of Sunset & Cahuenga, Los Angeles was dazzled with its vast selection and uber-hip staff. So dazzled, that every small shop in a 50-mile radius immediately began to feel the burn. Rhino, Aron’s, House of Records, Vinyl Fetish… all shrank or disappeared. And frankly, I miss them.

The latest casualty, however, is personally a little more sad. Not only because I play poker every Tuesday night with its proprietor. Sea Level Records in Echo Park was truly one of the last honest “Record Stores,” a place where you could chat about music, catch live bands in-store that you’ve never heard of, find records from great local acts, and generally feel like your business actually mattered. The store was always scrappy… new releases didn’t always come in on time, and yeah, the couch smelled like barf. But it was perfect and largely a reflection of its owner, a man who has become a true friend in music and in life. Mr. Todd Clifford.

Imagine throwing a party that no one comes to. Then imagine doing that every single day since November 2001. That’s why Todd is closing the store. At best, Sea Level only ever broken even. It has endured shoplifters, fist fights in the alley, and most recently, a driver come through the front window (see above). Even when the store was packed for in-store performances, business was just never consistently booming enough to sustain positive morale. So with the end of June, we say goodbye to Sea Level Records.

But! The store is going out with a bang!

This Friday at Safari Sam’s, Sea Level’s having a giant farewell gala. Featuring performances from a couple of great local bands, Division Day and The Switch, several great DJs from around the city, and lots of L.A.’s most interesting folks stopping by to bid farewell to a store we all loved. If you’re going to be in Los Angeles this Friday (6.22), you know where to go.

The Switch was founded by the tall, lanky, and talented Aaron Kyle. He’s a charismatic and entertaining frontman and a wonderful songwriter. To see this band perform over the last year is to see a band hitting its stride, and doing it in tremendous strides. It’s such a marvelous thing to watch a band’s members coalesce into a single, rocking unit with every show they play and every song they write. Check out their self-titled e.p. that came out earlier this year, available on their website.

Division Day is also a band you may have begun to hear about. They released a full-length in March called “Bear-Trap Island” on Eenie Meenie Records. The record is heavy with great pop songs swathed in moody, compelling sonics. But, as great as their record is, it almost seems subdued compared to the spring-loaded intensity these guys bring live. Definitely check them out.

Everything is on sale at Sea Level until the end of the month. Lots of great deals are still sitting on those shelves. Stop by and pick something up. And remember to support your independent local music stores/bands/venues/etc. You just don’t realize what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Adios Sea Level.

Sea Level Records
1716 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
213.989.0146.

Safari Sam’s
5214 W. Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90027
323.666.7267

New Releases 6.19.07: Lots of good stuff! I’m most excited about Maserati, but there’s something for everyone this Tuesday. On the electronic side: Boom Bip, Maps, and Tied & Tickled Trio. Also new stuff from Jennifer Gentle, Straylight Run

download honeydripper dvd

, local band The Silver Daggers, and one more of Mike Patton’s 3,000 side projects Tomahawk. Oh, and for all you George Thoroughgood fans… there’s a new White Stripes album out on Tuesday as well.

Note: Help yourself to the yummy samples

of Division Day and The Switch that appeared with the orginal post.