The week ahead in music: July 23 - July 29
Here's our look at some of the most noteworthy music events scheduled for the coming week.
July 23 Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles
Lovett is emphasizing the songs of Texas troubadour friends on his current summer trek that runs through the end of August, a rare indoor summertime show for the reliably quirky singer. His last album, "Natural Forces," was not one of his strongest efforts, but it seems that no matter what sort or record Lovett tours behind, his shows never suffer; he has a knack for emphasizing the good material, regardless of its age or provenance. Reports from the road say his shows still last more than two hours.
Classic Rock Night, Los Angeles Zoo
It would seem obvious that a band should be playing the music of the Animals, Rhinoceros and the Turtles to benefit the Los Angeles Zoo Assn., but this is not such an obvious affair. Instead, to raise money for the zoo, the tribute bands Cubensis, the Heist, We Are The Eggmen, Heartache Tonight, On the Rocks, Bad Animals and David Vito Gregoli & the Moulin Bros. will play the music of the Grateful Dead, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Heart, Jimi Hendrix, the Eagles and others between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. The next Music in the Zoo night, Aug. 6, will feature all local acts -- the Happy Hollows, Voxhaul Broadcast, Useless Keys, The Lonely Wild, Walking Sleep and Slang Chickens.
July 24
Warpaint , the Deadly Syndrome, LA Street Food Festival, Pasadena, CA
The Rose Bowl will be the site of a food fest involving 60 vendors from food trucks, carts, stands and restaurants, booze from bars and beer gardens, and music from the Silver Lake-based band Warpaint, which the U.K. newspaper The Observer recently pegged as an act to watch. The quartet of women, whose lengthy songs take listeners on mind-bending psychedelic journeys, have an August tour with Javelin planned, followed by an opening slot on the xx tour. and an October-November run through Europe. Signed to Rough Trade, their debut album has yet to be released.
July 25
Jimmy Cliff , Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles
Jimmy Cliff introduced much of America to reggae music through "The Harder They Come," and for that alone it makes his recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame worthy. His message at home in Jamaica is one of unity and positivity, getting a country back on its feet economically and creating jobs for its citizens. Sounds like a message that could work in America. On the bill with him at the Bowl's annual reggae night as part of KCRW's World Festival are Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, and budding star Tarrus Riley. Cliff's U.S. tour has another 13 dates before ending Aug. 15 in Denver.
July 26
Phosphorescent , Plush, Tucson, AZ
Brooklyn's Phosphorescent, the recording and performing project of Matthew Houck, has made one of the strongest albums of 2010, "Here's to Taking it Easy," a collection of music that lives up to its title. It's free and easy country-tinged folk-rock taken at a graceful pace by the band that is now up to a -piece for the current tour that runs through Aug. 19 in Brooklyn. They had a hiccup when their gear was stolen at the start of the trek, but all was recovered and the band has been able to keep their schedule on track. Phosphorescent plays the next night at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA, with J Tillman of the Fleet Foxes joining the tour as the opening act.
July 27
Laura Marling, Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
British folk singer Laura Marling comes to the U.S. for two dates fresh off the news that her album "I Speak Because I Can" was nominated for Mercury Prize in the U.K. This month she also released in the U.K. an EP of music recorded in India, where she participated in a British Music Council-sponsored project that brought together Marling, Mumford & Sons and traditional Rajasthani folk collective Dharohar Project. Marling's brief stop in the U.S. -- she plays the El Rey in L.A. on the 28th -- precedes a seven-date tour of Australia and a handful of shows in Europe at the end of August.
Eric Clapton, Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010, Local movie theaters
A two-hour film of the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010, which took place in Chicago’s Toyota Park on June 26, will be shown in HD at 7:30 p.m. in cinemas across the country. The day-long festival featured Clapton, ZZ Top, Steve Winwood, BB King, Jeff Beck, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, John Mayer and others; the film will also show behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. A list of participating theater locations can be found at this link.
July 28Natacha Atlas, Old Folk Town Hall, Chicago
Natacha Atlas, who came to prominence as a member of Transglobal Underground and has balanced a career straddling the "world music" and electronica lines, will conduct a short tour prior to the release of her next album, "Mounqaliba (In A State of Reversal)," on Sept. 21. The project is a collaboration with violinist Samy Bishai and includes originals as well as covers of Nick Drake's "River Man," Françoise Hardy's "La nuit est sur la ville" and a traditional Arabic tune. She performs July 29 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, and closes the tour at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival on Aug. 7.
July 29
Joanna Newsom, Woman's Club, San Diego
Singer and harpist Joanna Newsom starts an eight-date West Coast tour at the Woman's Club in San Diego, playing the Orpheum in Los Angeles on July 31. In the spring, her album "Have One on Me" created waves because it was the rare three-CD release, which she told Time magazine "I tried to sequence it so that it could be listened to in its entirety and had a progression that felt thematically logical and natural. In a way, the three records are like chapters in a book." Of late, her songs have been getting covered by a wide variety of artists. Billy Bragg has recorded "On A Good Day" and the Morning Benders made an oddball mix of "Have One On Me" with J-Dilla's "U-Love." Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, who opened shows for Newsom in the spring, also has a lovely version of "On A Good Day."
