What 2 Go 2 Special Alert: Local Natives at the Troubadour on Friday, June 4

Coachella exclusivity doesn't last forever. Local Natives' first LA show since December's uncomfortably sold out show at the Echo will be on June 4 at the Troubadour as part of their tour with labelmates Suckers. Local friends The Union Line will start the night's festivities.

Considering that the Echo show sold out, and especially considering everything thereafter (Pitchfork, Coachella, sold out shows across the country, including two at the Bowery Ballroom, etc.) this show is going to sell out fast once word gets out. As this is the last date of the tour, it's possible that a second date will be added, but there's definitely no guarantees. The next time the Troubadour is free is June 8, and LN is at Bonnaroo on June 10, which probably eliminates that possibility. Perhaps LN will pull a Passion Pit and book the Echoplex for a second show.

While I'm happy that this show is not at a larger venue, I am very surprised, since this show could definitely fill the Echoplex or El Rey. There's going to be a lot of unhappy fans getting shut out.

In December I was wrong when I wrote that the Echo show may be LN's last in a small venue in LA, but I don't see how this won't be it.

Best get your tickets now, which you can do at this link.

(Thanks to The Scenestar for the tip)

UPDATE 4/20: Troubadour show is sold out, but they've added a second show at Bootleg (21+). Tickets on sale now here.

UPDATE 4/21: Bootleg is sold out. No word on whether there will be a third show.

Tonight - Tyrone Wells at the Troubadour

I'll be at the Troubadour tonight to hear some great pop/rock. Tyrone Wells goes on at 10:15.

The Thermals @ The Troubadour (5/27/2009)

My first of two consecutive nights at the Troubadour. I got to The Troubadour at 9:55, thinking I would see the end of Shaky Hands' set. When I got there no one was playing; rather, a band was setting up. Since Shaky Hands were supposed to be on at 9:30, I guessed that the show was late. But then saw the kick drum, which had a picture of The Thermals new album. So they're early?

Kind of. The set up and sound check were complete by 10:15, and the lights went down. I was sitting in the balcony and walked downstairs when the room darkened. But The Thermals waited to go on until 1030. It was hot, I was tired, and I thought about leaving. That would have been a mistake.

The Thermals put on a great show. They're a big ball of energy and fun. The bass player was consistently bouncing, the drummer would stand up at the beginning of songs and rile up the crowd, etc. I was particularly pleased to see a three piece band; they're just aren't enough of them out there. The band played for an hour with a one song encore. After the show the bass player and drummer went out to the edge of the stage for high fives. They played like they loved it, and they finished by showing their fans their appreciation. Got to love that.

This is the "punk-rock" the kids should be listening to. Anyone who's ever considered going to the Warped Tour should be listening to this band. I highly recommend their new album.

Passion Pit, Harlem Shakes @ Troubadour (5/28/2009)

Passion Pit

Expectations exceeded.

I've always been ambivalent about the Troubadour. Wherever I've lived in LA has been within walking distance, so I've never had to drive there, and that's a nice perk. And the venue is set up wide, instead of long, so you can get close. But I think the stage is too low or something to that effect, because it seems like at the Troubadour, more than any other venue I can think of, it's really easy for someone to get in your line of sight, even for someone like me who's over 6 feet tall.

But after this show I'm ready to say that I really like the Troubadour, but probably more for the quality of bands they book to play their small venue more than anything else. Seeing Passion Pit and the Harlem Shakes at the Troubadour was a great experience; definitely one of the best shows I've seen all year. And seeing these bands in such a small venue would never happen in New York, where The Shakes are locals and Passion Pit is just up north, so score one for LA.

The Shakes were scheduled to go on at 9:15, so, thinking that the place would soon be packed and wanting to reserve a good spot for the rest of the night, I showed up at 9. The place was practically empty, which surprised me. It might have also surprised the band as well, because they didn't go on until 9:30, when the place was leaning towards half full.

I've loved The Shakes since I heard the first 30 seconds of "Niagara Falls" on their Myspace page in March; they can't do wrong in my eyes. They're even better live than recorded, and they did not disappoint this night. I thought their set was great, even if the sound was a bit off (there was an echo-y quality to it) and the vocals were a little low, so I took out my earplugs. The first time I saw them at SXSW the vocals were so low that I don't think anyone could hear them; it wasn't nearly as bad this time but I was concerned for a minute or two. I definitely appreciated that they played a track or two off their EP. They covered all the hits, with the exception of "Niagara Falls" and "Sicko." Judging from the applause at the end of their set they earned many new fans.

The Shakes' set would have been enough to make it a great show. But no. Less than half an hour later out come Passion Pit. I wasn't into it for the first minute or two, but once I adjusted I was blown away. So much fun, so much energy, and the crowd was loving it. They almost turned the Troubadour into a dance floor, albeit a dance floor where everyone is facing forward and trying not to get in each others' way. I had thought some of the tracks on Manners, their new album, were a little on the slower and on the more boring side, but live they pulsed with restraint, and made for excellent foils to the more blatantly dance-y songs. And they even made the songs sound as much as they could like they do on the album. When they played "Little Secret," for example, they played the shouting sample from the album, instead of the bandmembers just doing the shouts themselves.

If I had one criticism I'd say they played one song too many; after the first song of the encore my ears began to hurt (partially my fault because I didn't use my earplugs) and my feet started to hurt as well. I can't think of anything else. The band played like they loved it, and despite the small size of the Troubadour they acted as though they were genuinely grateful for us even being there. But after a performance like that, it was us who were grateful to them.

I can't wait to see this tour again tonight at the Echoplex. It will be different, but I know it's still going to be amazing.

Videos and Pictures:

Iron & Wine at The Troubadour (5/9/2009)

I wouldn't have called myself a fan of Iron & Wine before their show last Saturday, but I'd say I'm a fan now. I don't think I've ever listened to any of his songs by myself. But I did enjoy his set at the Greek Theatre last summer opening for The Swell Season (which was one of the more annoying sets I've ever seen). And Rona is a fan so when I got the Troubadour's weekly email that said Iron & Wine was playing I knew I had to go.

It was nice being at the Troubadour again, especially since it's just a 15 minute walk from my apartment. There's still something about the layout that makes me like Spaceland a lot more, though.

I got inside for the last two songs of the opener, The Yogoman Burning Band. I hadn't seen a ska/reggae/soul band in a while, and I wish I arrived earlier.

Iron & Wine took the stage about 15 minutes ahead of schedule, which was definitely a good start. I was very impressed by the crowd -- they were almost completely silent during his set; no people talking at the bar, etc. That definitely improved everyone's experience. I tend to like the one-guy-on-a-stage-with-a-guitar if he's engaging, because you can fix your gaze on one object and focus on the music. And Beam is engaging and has a great sense of humor. He was cracking jokes and pointing out his mistakes as he played. Him plus the quiet crowd created a particularly intimate setting -- significantly intimate that when he sang the line "fuck the man" from "Trapeze Singer" I yelled out "woooo" and he cracked a smile. That was cool.

[begin mini-rant] About 35 minutes into the set, though, my focus and concentration was broken by an unknown tall man who will be referred to as "The Swayer." The Swayer was about 3 people in front of me, and began the show to my left, out of my line of sight. But as Iron & Wine's set continued, he kept moving more and more towards the right, for reasons I don't understand. And he swayed, and swayed noticably. I looked around and didn't see anyone swaying as much as this guy (is there really much to sway to for an acoustic guitar show?). The combination of moving to his right, being over 6 feet tall, and swaying eventually meant that he was in my line of sight, but not consistently enough that I could move myself and solve the problem -- the swaying meant that sometimes I could see, and sometimes I couldn't. And being tall myself I didn't want to annoy the people behind me by dramatically changing my position. I wanted to tell The Swayer to stop but the crowd was so silent that I didn't want to make a scene. [end mini-rant]

Despite The Swayer I really enjoyed Iron & Wine's set. I'm not sure if I'll ever see him again since he typically plays larger venues, but I'd definitely consider it.