Music Picks: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Bridget St. John, Bad Astronaut, Kings of Leon

SWAHILI BLONDE, WE ARE THE WORLD AT THE ECHOPLEX
Swahili Blonde's Nicole Turley used to whack the tubs and warble with Weave. But one day, Turley felt an itch to expand her horizons, to try something genuinely new, so she got her hands on a load of instruments and recording equipment that she didn't entirely know how to use, and, after much fiddling about in the realm of happy accidents, she woke up with a batch of songs that sound ... truly different. This difference — odd pastiches of skewed rhythms and head-turningly unfamiliar melodic patterns, basically — has a peculiar frisson, as you might say, conceivably similar to a form of popular music in another galaxy many light years away, in the year 2410. All that's now available for your scrutiny on Swahili Blonde's new album, Man Meat, on the intrepid Manimal Vinyl label. Turley's odd visions are aided immeasurably by her inspired band, which includes violinist Laena Myers-Ionita, guitarist John Frusciante, bassist John Taylor and multi-instrumentalists Stella Mozgawa and Michael Quinn. Also, the electronicized theatrical spectacle/dance-pop explosion known as We Are the World. (John Payne)

Also playing Saturday: TAYLOR MADE, HEART LOVE ALIVE at Canyon Club; TODD MURRAY at Catalina Jazz Club; HONK, BLUES ROCKET BAND, WORDSMYTH at Coach House; SKEE-LO at Dakota Lounge; ADLER'S APPETITE, ELVISS SIMMONS AND THE MEMPHIS STRUTTERS, PROWLER, EDEN at Galaxy Concert Theatre; TAIKOPROJECT at Ford Amphitheatre; DAWES at the Getty Center; CHRIS BOTTI, KATHARINE MCPHEE at the Greek Theatre; A BEATLES CELEBRATION: HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA WITH THOMAS WILKINS, PATTI AUSTIN, ROB LAUFER, BETTYE LAVETTE, BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, TODD RUNDGREN at the Hollywood Bowl; SELENA GARCIA at the Hotel Café; DON CARLOS, TRUE PRESS at the Key Club; ALEJO APONTE Y LATONERA at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena; MARY GAUTHIER at McCabe's; ACES HIGH, PERMANENT ABILITY at Mr. T's Bowl; KORN, ROB ZOMBIE, LAMB OF GOD, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ATREYU, HATEBREED, NORMA JEAN, CHIMAIRA at San Manuel Amphitheatre; STEVE MILLER BAND, LOS LOBOS at Santa Barbara Bowl; LUKAS ROSSI at the Viper Room.

PHOTO BY WILLIAM RICHARDS

Still wailin': the Wailers (minus, obviously, Marley, Tosh, etc.)

Bulletproof bouillabaisse: Antibalas. See Thursday.

Location Info

Map

The Echoplex

1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Category: Bars and Clubs

Region: Out of Town

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Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

8800 Irvine Center Dr
Irvine, CA 92603

Category: Music Venues

Region: Out of Town

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SUNDAY/JULY/11

DM STITH AT SPACELAND
It's somewhat baffling that DM Stith hasn't received a full-on embrace from fans and critics alike for his 2009 Asthmatic Kitty debut, Heavy Ghost. Chalk it up to timelessness, a quality that his densely orchestral, beguilingly experimental and actually quite listenable compositions have in spades. He's something of an unhinged one-man Grizzly Bear or, as has been suggested elsewhere, the black shadow of his label mate Sufjan Stevens. Stith is a gifted arranger and multi-instrumentalist with a delicate-yet-rich voice that sounds not unlike Nina Simone's. And whether or not the specter of that particular singer haunts these songs (she'd probably want to stick around to hear this), tracks like the modern spiritual "Creekmouth" and the voodoo-conjuring "Spirit Parade" are jam-packed with phantoms. They come in cold, choral blasts and rattle around inside of cavernous piano notes. They rise as bows cross strings, and quaver as Stith lithely plucks his guitar. They give Stith whatever strange powers he clearly employs to make his otherworldly music, and you can be damn sure they'll turn out for this gig. (Chris Martins)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA WITH LIVE SCORE BY STEPHIN MERRITT AT CINEFAMILY AT THE SILENT THEATRE
Captain Nemo and his extraordinary undersea kingdom come to uncanny life in director Stuart Paton's 1916 version of the Jules Verne classic, screened tonight with a live score composed and performed by Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. This rarely screened 35 mm print of the silent version is a fascinating early vision of filmic possibilities, a rococo alterna-world loaded with exotic locales, the most curious underwater photographic effects and thrillingly inspired (and relatively lo-budge) production design — which included the construction of a full-scale Nautilus ship set. A man eminently qualified to musicalize the methodology in Nemo's madness, Merritt has created a seesawingly rustic score that was originally commissioned by the San Francisco Film Society; it'll be performed by Merritt along with Daniel Handler on accordion, Johnny Blood on tuba and David Hegarty on organ. Screens at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m. (John Payne)

STEVE MILLER BAND, LOS LOBOS AT THE GREEK THEATRE
Los Lobos' many strengths include their ability to nail the blue sob that connects the dots twixt old Southern song craft and Mexican traditionals, while never forgetting they're a dance band from the hood. And like the wolves they're named after, Los Lobos have an uncanny sensitivity to their surroundings. Tin Can Trust(Shout! Factory), their first album of originals in four years, has a minor-key weariness — a cognizance of the widespread despair of the early 21st century. In songs like the title track and "All My Bridges Burning" (co-written with the Dead's Robert Hunter), loss of trust and the need to escape are ubiquitous, but the band's never-stop-rockin' ethos symbolizes their tenacious survival instinct. That they're coupled tonight with classic rocker Steve Miller makes absolute sense. Los Lobos' simplicity and energy got them lumped in with first-generation punk, but they're closer to the guitar-based blues-rock that Miller perfected 40 years ago. (Michael Simmons)

Also playing Sunday: ADLER'S APPETITE at Canyon Club; TAIKOPROJECT at Ford Amphitheatre; A BEATLES CELEBRATION: HOLLYWOOD BOWL ORCHESTRA WITH THOMAS WILKINS, PATTI AUSTIN, ROB LAUFER, BETTYE LAVETTE, BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, TODD RUNDGREN at Hollywood Bowl; PARKER AINSWORTH at Hotel Café; THE SPAZMATICS at Key Club; CRYSTAL MONEE HALL at Levitt Pavilion Pasadena; TOM FREUND, PIERRE BENSUSAN at McCabe's; CJ RAMONE at Whisky A Go-Go; CABO VERDE CRETCHEU at the Waterfront.