Music Picks: Jail Weddings, Summer Darling, Roky Erickson, Jonathan Richman

MASSIVE ATTACK AT THE WILTERN THEATRE
Massive Attack hail from a time when it was possible to call yourself things like "3D" and "Daddy G" and still be accepted by the hipsterati. It was a time when stateside hip-hop was still fresh, and European dance was mostly an underground affair — a time when something called "trip-hop" could emerge and not get ridden out on a rail. Though the group formed in 1987, its roots are in the Bristolian collective the Wild Bunch, an influential crew (and Tricky's alma mater) that borrowed its M.O. from the Jamaican DJs of yore. Its sound, however, was far more pan-global, pulling from R&B, dub, ambient, proto-house, punk and rap. The resulting soup was innovative for its time, and even if Massive Attack's early sounds — and the handles associated with them — feel outdated now, the duo has proved that its catchall approach to mellow electronica is wholly updatable. New album Heligoland fittingly includes collaborations with Gorillaz mastermind Damon Albarn, as well as TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe. (Chris Martins)

JONATHAN RICHMAN WITH TOMMY LARKINS AT THE SMELL
You know it's a big night at the Smell when the prole-friendly, all-ages downtown noise venue raises its standard five-buck fee to a whole $15. Thing is, that's quite a bargain considering what's being offered here: Legendary songsmith Jonathan Richman, he of the short-lived but excellent proto-punkers the Modern Lovers, accompanied by drummer Tommy Larkins (Giant Sand, Vic Chesnutt) in a room able to hold 250 people max. For the uninitiated, Richman has had a profound influence on outsider folksters and quirky indie rockers alike, from the original K Records clan to Violent Femmes. His sound is resolutely grounded in the offhand cool of the Velvet Underground, but almost naively unpretentious and colored by strains of country, the blues and old-school pop. His most recent and 21st album is A Que Venimos Sino a Caer?, a collection of tunes sung in Spanish, French, Italian and English. Don't forget to wish him a happy birthday — Richman turns 59 on May 16. (Chris Martins)

PHOTO BY LAUREN EVERETT

Burnt rubber soul: Jail Weddings

Location Info

Map

Walt Disney Concert Hall

111 S. Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Category: Music Venues

Region: Out of Town

Photos

1 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

Key Club

9039 W. Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Out of Town

REDCAT: Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater

631 W. Second St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Category: Bars/Clubs

Region: Downtown

Photos

Mayan Theater

1038 S. Hill St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Category: Theaters

Region: Out of Town

The Wiltern

3790 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Category: Music Venues

Region: Out of Town

Photos

Related Content

• Gustavo Santaolalla's Band Bajofondo Rocks Both Sides of the River
  March 4, 2013
• Music Picks: Charli XCX, Polica, Esperanza Spalding and More
  August 16, 2012
• Music Picks: Cedric Gervais, Van Hunt, Jonathan Richman
  June 28, 2012
• Music Picks: Kaskade, Dirty Projectors, Ondatrópica
  July 26, 2012
• Music Picks: The Weeknd, That '70s Soul, Power of the Riff
  December 13, 2012

More About

• Gustavo Santaolalla
• Bajofondo
• Mikael Wood
• Indie Rock and Indie Pop
• Punk Rock

Also playing Tuesday: 60 WATT KID, VOICES VOICES, PIZZA at The Echo; CONVERGE at El Ret; SCARLET GREY at The Troubadour; BLACK MATH HORSEMAN, GREEN & WOOD, LANTVRN, FATSO JETSON at Saceland; CONVERGE at El Rey; BIGELF at The Roxy; THE PROBE at La Cita; CAMERATA PACIFICA at Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens; STYX, FOREIGNER, KANSAS at Gibson Ampitheatre.

WEDNESDAY/MAY/19

CARIBOU, TORO Y MOI, DUBLAB DJS AT EL REY
"Dance music that sounds like it's made out of water" is how Caribou (known until a lawsuit as Manitoba) mastermind Dan Snaith refers to the music he dreamed up for his fifth album, Swim. Listening to songs like "Odessa" and "Bowls," it's surprisingly easy to hear what he means. The man has covered a lot of stylistic ground over the past decade, dipping into Kraut, shoegaze, folktronica and psych-pop, and all of those strains come into play here, infusing his newfound love of thump with infinite nuance. It makes sense that Four Tet's Kieran Hebden and Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan lend a hand here — each has proved his ability to make house-steeped songs for the discerning club-goer. Is it surprising that Snaith's name will now appear in that hallowed circle? With extended grooves like "Sun" in his arsenal, he surely is a welcome addition. South Carolina chillwave artist Toro Y Moi should make for a fitting opener, with DJ sets of progressive, beat-based tunes from Dublab tying the night together. (Chris Martins)

Also playing Wednesday: BROKEN BELLS at the Music Box; TALIB KWELI & HI-TEK at House of Blues; JACK TEMPCHIN at Crane's Hollywood Tavern; DUB CLUB at The Echo; ABUSED ROMANCE, ADRIAN VERA at The Troubadour; ROB ROY, 87 STICK UP KIDS, LEXICON DON at The Roxy; SARA RADLE, ANDREW LYNCH, CORREATOWN, C-HORSE at Spaceland; THE TENDER BOX at Viper Room; ASKING ALEXANDRIA at Whisky A Go-Go.

THURSDAY/MAY/20

MINUS THE BEAR, EVEREST AT THE MAYAN
Evidently riding high on the solid midlevel success of last year's Silversun Pickups record, local indie Dangerbird has spent the first half of 2010 snapping up bands like they're going out of style. Among their catches: Codeine Velvet Club, Hot Hot Heat, Fitz & the Tantrums and Seattle's Minus the Bear, whose label debut, Omni, hit stores earlier this month. Working with Shins/White Stripes producer Joe Chiccarelli, MTB mellow their typically busy emo-prog sound with more tuneful vocals and some smooth-sailing Steely Dan white-funk bits. Think Maroon 5 for Stella-swilling hipsters. (I really like Maroon 5.) L.A.'s rootsy-punky Everest have a new one out as well, called On Approach; it's their first for Warner Bros. but doesn't sound terribly impressed with that fact. (Mikael Wood)

GLEE LIVE! IN CONCERT! AT GIBSON AMPHITHEATRE
If you're not already a fan of Fox's brilliant show-choir series, there's no way this limited-run stage production is gonna convince you to start tuning in. In fact, the awesomest thing about Glee Live! In Concert! might actually be that it only lends credence to detractors' claims that the series breathes the same performative air as Disney on Ice and the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. (And their point is ...?) Sad to report that the adults who play Sue Sylvester and Mr. Schuester are not along for the ride. But all the principal youngsters are, including the touchingly hilarious Chris Colfer (aka Kurt Hummel) and Lea Michele (aka Rachel Berry), whose extensive background on Broadway should stand her in good stead tonight. Reportedly on the set list: "Don't Stop Believin'," "Somebody to Love," "Sweet Caroline" and "Don't Rain on My Parade." Also May 21-22. (Mikael Wood)