Amoeba’s ongoing sponsorship of First Fridays at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles continues March 1 with Allah-Las and The Babies. We’ll be at a table near the entrance selling Amoeba swag, $20-for-$10 Amoeba gift certificates (limit two per person) and more. There's also a tour of the museum and discussion with Dr. Lucy Jones starting at 5 p.m., discussing the history of seismology in LA and what might be in its future — yikes! The band performances run from 8 to 10 p.m., with KCRW DJs Anthony Valadez and Travis Holcombe spinning from 5:30 to 10 p.m. in the DJ lounge, where you can buy drinks as well. For $18 you get a presale ticket and museum admission (with a guaranteed spot in the concert hall), or museum admission with access to the discussions and DJ lounge but not the concert hall for $12. The event starts at 5 p.m. Get tickets for the show here.

This show is extra special because it features Allah-Las, who met while the members were working at Amoeba. Since forming, the band, which filters surf rock, ’60s garage rock nuggets and ’80s jangly paisley underground rock into a cool, collected whole, has become one of the biggest young bands in Los Angeles. Produced by another local favorite, ’50s-flavored songsmith Nick Waterhouse, their self-titled debut record, released in 2012 on Innovative Leisure, was one of the most buzzed-about L.A. records of the year and has helped launch the band globally. We’re proud of our boys and we hope you check them out March 1! Read my interview with the band here.

Amoeba Music presents Adam Green & Binki Shapiro and La Sera performing live on Tuesday, January 29th at the Bootleg Theater in downtown LA.

Adam Green has been recording and releasing music since the age of 18. He has enjoyed critical and commercial success around the world, both as a member of the influential New York folk duo The Moldy Peaches and as a solo performer. Green gave away his experimental movie “The Wrong Ferrari” (his directorial debut starring Macaulay Culkin and filmed solely on iPhone) as a free download on his website in 2011. It was downloaded over 300,000 times. Adam will be releasing a new album in the Fall of 2012 with Binki Shapiro (Little Joy) entitled Binki Shapiro & Adam Green.

La Sera is also known as Katy Goodman (Vivian Girls, All Saints Day). She has released two full-length lps, the second being 2012's Sees The Light , which features ten new tracks of peppy break-up pop brimming with defiance and bitter sweetness. 

Get your tickets at Amoeba Hollywood! And come on down and look for us at the show. Event is 21+. More info HERE!

At some point in the past few weeks, Pussy Riot became the most important band in the world. They’re not “important” in the 9.0 review on Pitchfork kind of way. Rather, Pussy Riot is a band that reminds us that music can, and does, have a very real worldwide impact.
 
I won’t attempt to re-report the tons of great coverage the Russian feminist punk band has received since reaching international attention, but here’s a summation: the Moscow-based band has held public performances wearing colorful masks and clothing while playing songs that directly criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as the politics of the Russian Orthodox Church. These quick concerts are filmed and then put online, having appeared in places like the band’s livejournal page. One such performance, at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour of the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow, on Feb. 21, 2012, landed three of the collective’s members in jail, and after a widely publicized trial, they were found guilty of hooliganism and inciting religious hatred against the church. 
 
The verdict has been widely criticized as overly harsh. The United States State Department, The U.S. Embassy in Russia, U.S. President Barack Obama, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, among others, have expressed disappointment or disgust with the decision. Artists including Bjork, Madonna, Tim Minchin, Zola Jesus, Patti Smith, Paul McCartney and others have expressed public indignation over the decision, while on Aug. 16 a demonstration was held in New York, where actress Chloë Sevigny, writer Eileen Myles and others read writings and court statements from the detained members of the band — Maria Alekhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samucevich. Vice Magazine editors got tattoos of the word “hooligan” in Russian to show their support. The Guaridan (U.K.) edited together a montage of Pussy Riot supporters with their song “Putin Lights Up the Fires.” Marches and protests have been held around the globe, with supporters donning similar attire to that worn by the band during its performances.

The new album by Grimes was finally released last week. I was seriously counting down the weeks for this and the new album by Trust out this week.  They are sort of like my Zola Jesus and Cold Cave of this year. Those albums were two of my favorites from 2011. And I can tell you for sure that Grimes and Trust will both be in heavy rotation in my life this year. Grimes is Claire Boucher from Montreal. She is fantastic and you should get to know this album. She has a bit of the baby voice. Which can be annoying in person. But it works for me on this album. Reminds me at times of The Cranes. Visions is her third album and her first on 4AD. Her first two albums have just been reissued as well. But they really are not as great as this new album. It falls on the dark side of things for sure. And is just a lovely little album. Check it out for yourself.

Listen to "Oblivion" from the new album Visions by Grimes...



The debut album from Trust has one of the most interesting album covers of the year so far. This is not the French metal band from the 70's with the same band name. This is the Trust from Canada who just released their synth pop dark wave album on Arts & Crafts. Trust is Robert Alfons and Maya Postepski from the band Austra. This dudes voice is amazing. I can't get over it. Like a mix of Clan of Xymox and Bronski Beat. Maybe with some Kermit the Frog mixed in there. It is that good. I have been really anticipating this album after hearing a couple of the singles. And it does not disappoint. Like albums from The Knife and Cold Cave it is a solid dark wave synth album. There are stand out tracks on this album for sure. But it really holds together as a complete fantastic debut album. I still can't figure out that cover art. I can't stop staring at it. It is dark and mysterious and spooky. Just like the music. It is entirely unique and I have not seen anything quite like it. Just like the album. I am loving it. Whatever it is.