SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Pilar Diaz at the Echo
Tim Roper
Suzy Williams: The Queen of Kinetic
Craig Sherod
New traditionalists: Los Cenzontles
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It was just two years ago that the local band Los Abandoned seemed poised to break into the big time. In 2006, they released a fantastic debut album, Mixtape, on Vapor Records that encompassed energetically silly new-wave anthems like “Stalk U” and “Van Nuys (Es Very Nice)” and such contrastingly gorgeous pop songs as “Nada Mío Es Fake” and “State of Affairs.” Just as suddenly, the band broke up with little explanation. Tonight, the supremely talented Pilar Diaz (a.k.a. Lady P.) re-emerges to unveil her new, self-titled solo CD, which is worlds away from the punky spirit of Los Abandoned. The ethereal pop song “Tu y Yo” unfolds with a lonely trumpet and spacy steel-drum sounds as the Chilean singer keens with a pure, newfound melodicism that was sometimes buried by her old band’s frenetic high jinks. She’s equally enchanting on “Novia de Soldado,” and she spins a dreamy mood on “Perdido” amid the lowing of accordion, the bobbing & weaving of violin and the soft strumming of tiny acoustic guitars. The rapid-fire, rhyming delivery of “Pinata” hints at Los Abandoned’s lightness even as Diaz experiments with an electropop backing. (Falling James)
She & Him, Lavender Diamond at the Wiltern
Considering that the “she” in She & Him is actor Zooey Deschanel, you might assume that the band is just another example of a Hollywood dilettante foolishly trying to pass herself off as a real musician. The pleasant surprise is that Deschanel writes genuinely charming pop songs and has a lovely voice on the duo’s ambitiously/playfully titled debut album, Volume One (Merge Records). It doesn’t hurt that the “him” in She & Him is the noted Portland guitarist M. Ward, who’s played with My Morning Jacket, Bright Eyes and Jenny Lewis. Singing mostly gentle love songs with simple, straightforward lyrics, Deschanel is surprisingly convincing as she slips easily into a variety of musical roles, including ’60s girl-group diva (“I Was Made for You”), yearning pop folkie (“This Is Not a Test”), sultry piano-jazz chanteuse (“I Thought I Saw Your Face Today”) and weepy country thrush (“Got Me”). Paul Brainerd surrounds her with Hawaiian-style steel guitar on a languidly enchanting version of the Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better,” while Ward duets with her on a hauntingly spare acoustic take on Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me.” She & Him are perfectly matched by openers Lavender Diamond, whose 2007 CD, Imagine Our Love (Matador), is highlighted by Becky Stark’s similarly beautiful, delicate pop ballads, especially the softly lulling groove of “Like an Arrow.” (Falling James)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2
Suzy Williams & Her Solid Senders at the Derby
Now that every yuppie with chin spinach is called a hipster, what does “hip” mean anymore? The definition of hip is a lot like the definition of art, and Suzy Williams remains the hippest dame on any block she’s struttin’. Steeped in swing and jump blues, she’s got pipes that blow straight from her heart — and elsewhere when she’s feelin’ randy (and I bet Randy don’t mind!). The Queen of Kinetic onstage, it appears as if she’s going to spontaneously combust in infinite directions at any moment. Her Solid Senders — tonight an octet including four horns — consist of L.A.’s finest, not of the oink-oink variety, but musicians with chops and edge. Special nods go to bandleader and vibraphonist Kahlil Sabbagh and Brad Kay on the 88s. Remember that the Derby has a dance floor, so if you’re in the mood to jitterbug out George and bump-bounce boogie in Barack, don’t forget your feet. (Michael Simmons)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Los Cenzontles & David Hidalgo at the Knitting Factory
The touring-band outgrowth of a same-named Bay Area community center, Los Cenzontles (known in English and on MySpace as the Mockingbirds) just released a wonderful new collaboration with David Hidalgo of Los Lobos called Songs of Wood & Steel that offers precisely that: traditionally minded Mexican-American folk music spiked with Lobos’ adventurous brand of modern rock. (The CD features a handful of other guests, including Linda Ronstadt and the Latin-jazzy Estrada Brothers, from Camarillo.) This week, Los Cenzontles are heading out on a mini-tour of California in support of the new album; you can also catch them Saturday night at Dia de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever, and Tuesday afternoon in a performance/discussion at UCLA’s Kaufman Hall. But tonight at the Knit, they’ll be joined by Hidalgo, who might convince them to stretch beyond the Wood & Steel material and pull out something from the Lobos catalog. Dare to dream. (Mikael Wood)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Linda Ronstadt & Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano at Royce Hall
