L.A. WeeklyLos Angeles is a hotbed of live music, and L.A. Weekly is here to help navigate this embarrassment of riches. From a tribute to the great Chris Cornell featuring musical giants to a boisterous barbershop show, on-the-rise fringe rockers from the Valley and half of the Insane Clown Posse, here are the 12 best music shows in L.A. this week.
fri 1/11
Broken Baby, ModPods
THE SATELLITE
ModPods lay down a heavy, unpredictable sound that always changes, in part because Mindee Jorgensen and Daniel Guzman frequently alternate on drums, bass and guitar. Their network of aggressive, interlocking post-punk riffs provides a primally throttling foundation for vocalist Myriad Slits' bold, fearless declamations on the L.A. trio's 2017 album, No Strut. “A mission/No statement,” Slits announces blankly at the outset of “Imaginary Duet,” which lurches forward to a cracked music box–type melody. ModPods are matched with headliners Broken Baby, another local band who take post-punk ideas in different directions. “My heart attack is a freak show. … You only showed up for the feeding/I'll always show up for the full-time basket case,” Amber Bollinger raps as Alex Dezen cranks up a funky backing on “Personality Party.” —Falling James
Haley Fohr; Credit: Michael Vallera
Haley Fohr, Sun Araw
BOOTLEG THEATER
As Circuit des Yeux, Haley Fohr has conjured an unusual series of sounds and moods. Circuit des Yeux's 2017 album, Reaching for Indigo, ranges from such austere incantations as “Brainshift,” which is delivered by Fohr in a low voice with a solemn intensity, to circular keyboard reveries like “Philo.” She intones majestically on the acoustic-guitar idyll “Black Fly” before switching gears into the thundering euphoria of “A Story of This World Part II.” Fohr ventures into new-music experimentation with such trance-y tracks as “Call Sign E8” before returning to funereal balladry with “Geyser” and “Falling Blonde.” Tonight's she's presenting “Wordless Music” on a bill with Sun Araw, whose 2017 record, The Saddle of the Increate, jumbles together cowboy-themed experimental oddness and fractured bits of psychedelia. —Falling James
Iress; Credit: Ammo Bankoff
sat 1/12
Iress, Ramonda Hammer
AMERICAN BARBERSHOP
Several of this town's brightest underground groups cram their expansive sounds into this relatively large Echo Park barber shop for a free, all-ages show billed, appropriately enough, as “Bands in a Barber Shop.” Foremost among them are Iress and Ramonda Hammer, two local bands who twist together raw emotions into thunderous, stormy songs. On Iress' new EP, Soaked, dark, momentous guitar chords pull back slowly like velvet curtains, giving way to Michelle Malley's shadowy vocals. Such heavy tracks as “Breather” and “Crown of Losers” are highlighted by the flickering candlelight of Malley's singing before her and Alex Moreno's guitars rush back into the void like crushing tidal waves. Ramonda Hammer also whip up a hard, grungy and remorselessly driving attack that's contrasted by Devin Davis' expressively yearning vocal wailing. Plus, Melted Bodies, Speed of Light and The Holy Cuts. —Falling James
Hackedepicciotto; Credit: ModPods
sun 1/13
Hackedepicciotto
THE ECHO
Hackedepicciotto are an intriguing German duo with guitarist-bassist Alexander Hacke and artist-musician Danielle de Picciotto. The married couple are both members of Crime & the City Solution, and Hacke is the founding bassist of Einstürzende Neubauten, while de Picciotto used to sing with Space Cowboys. As Hackedepicciotto, the two create strangely engrossing passages on their latest album, Menetekel. The record is a series of soundscapes and sound collages, such as “Nosce te ipsum,” in which de Picciotto's narration rides above a torrid wash of noise. The pair blend their ethereal voices together on “All Are Welcome” before unwinding the slow-building seven-minute tone poem “Dreamcatcher,” which is edged with Hacke's eerie throat singing. Other epic selections include “Prophecy” and “The Long Way Home.” Also at the Love Song on Saturday, Jan. 12. —Falling James
Rock 4 Relief
THEATRE AT THE ACE HOTEL
The wildfires that engulfed Southern California in 2018 took a hefty toll: dozens of tragic deaths across the state, and countless homes lost and lives destroyed. That said, it would have been a lot worse had it not been for the incredible efforts of L.A. firefighters. They, and the victims, absolutely deserve a benefit show, and hopefully this one at the Ace Hotel's magnificent theater will raise a huge amount of bucks. Performers include Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Stephen Perkins (Jane's Addiction), Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Michael Devin (Whitesnake), David Ryan Harris, Philip Sayce, Billy Morrison (Billy Idol), Chris Stills, Peter Beckett (Player), Elliot Lurie (Looking Glass), Miles Schon, Pullman Porters, Greg Holden and more. This one feels personal. —Brett Callwood
Third Eye Blind; Credit: Stephen Albanese
mon 1/14
Third Eye Blind
THE ROXY
Fresh from performing at the Forum on the bill for KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas in December, '90s pop-rockers/post-grungers Third Eye Blind play this intimate gig on the Sunset Strip and, based on their display at the aforementioned KROQ show, it should be a special night. Tracks from 2015's Dopamine sounded great at the Forum, but of course everybody was holding out for alt-radio faves such as “Semi-Charmed Life,” because those hits are bags of fun. It's admirable, the way that they've managed to retain their '90s audience while also collecting new, younger fans. There were certainly tons of teens screaming for them at the Forum. Hopefully, new material will be forthcoming as we kick off this new year. But for now, they have an enviable back catalog to dip into. —Brett Callwood
tue 1/15
Liily
THE ECHO
Usher in your new year with the very new and now sounds of Liily, the best thing to come out of the San Fernando Valley since Boogie Nights or maybe that velodrome out in Encino. The quintet — bassist Charlie Anastasis, guitarists Sam De La Torre and Aaron Reeves, drummer Maxx Morando and lead sneerer Dylan Nash — bring the latest variation on their venerable Brekfest to town every Tuesday in January. Brekfest — which this evening includes Skating Polly, King Shelter and an unannounced headliner — is a helter-skelter mish-mash of some of the finest young fringe rockers to storm concert stages in Los Angeles, and the festivals' enigmatic lineups are second only to the mysteries inside of you generated from witnessing this confluence of rock's great promise and potential. —David Cotner
Violent J, Esham
WHISKY A GO GO
One half of Detroit's Insane Clown Posse as well as one of the masterminds behind the juggalo-adored Psychopathic Records (in both cases alongside Shaggy 2 Dope, who also plays the Whisky soon), Violent J has been painted in some quarters as a big goon, catering to the dumbest of the dumb. But that's not completely fair. The guy has a business brain that matches Gene Simmons', albeit on a smaller scale. Not only that, a recent battle with the FBI over the designation of the juggalos as a criminal gang is proof that he really cares about his fans. J's new solo album, American Life/Lives, comes out this year, and that'll be interesting. Horrorcore pioneer Esham completes a double bill that will see the clowns take over the Strip. —Brett Callwood
wed 1/16
Vicki Ray & Carole Kim
REDCAT
Allow your mind to be melted so that it may create greater rivers of inspiration and illumination when Vicki Ray and Carole Kim perform Rivers of Time. A searing and timely audiovisual collaboration between pianist Ray and visual artist Kim, some of tonight's wonders include the world premiere of Ben Phelps' emotionally shattering Sometimes I feel like my time ain't long, itself based on the Alan Lomax wax cylinder recording of the titular tune, and Daniel Lentz's River of 1000 Streams, a piece inspired by Yellowstone National Park that recently got Alex Ross all atwitter. The Phelps piece was written especially for Vicki Ray, stretching a 20-second phrase into a half-hour rapture the power of which might surprise even God Hisself with its spiritual splendor and special effects sorcery. —David Cotner
I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell
THE FORUM
It still seems barely real that we lost Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell in May 2017, but we unfortunately did. The music community and fans have needed a bit of time to grieve, and now we have this phenomenal-looking concert to help us all remember the brilliance that was Cornell. Foo Fighters, Metallica and Ryan Adams will perform, as will members of Cornell's bands Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog and Audioslave, with Jimmy Kimmel as host. It promises to be an emotional event; there will be few opportunities to see the members of Soundgarden (in particular) together performing those great Soundgarden songs again, so this chance should be grasped as we pay tribute to one of rock & roll's all-time greats. —Brett Callwood
Manda Mosher; Credit: John Halpern
thu 1/17
Manda Mosher
THE LOVE SONG
Manda Mosher is a longtime Angeleno who has released several solo pop and country-rock albums, including Everything You Need and City of Clowns. “Welcome to the city of clowns,” she sings on the title track of the latter record, an ambivalent look at life in Los Angeles. Mosher also has been a member of Calico the Band with Kirsten Proffit, who last year released Under Blue Skies, an assortment of country-flavored tunes mixed with harder-rocking power-pop songs. The record ranges from L.A.-centric country-pop odes such as “The 405” to a sweetly honeyed and glittery version of The Mamas & the Papas' “California Dreamin.' ” At tonight's free set at the Love Song, Mosher is billed with Shane Alexander. —Falling James
Reagan Youth, Luicidal
ALEX'S BAR
Part of New York's '80s anarcho-punk scene, Reagan Youth were always outspoken, angry and boisterous. Like many punk bands from back in the day, they've split up and re-formed, and gone through band members at an alarming rate. Sadly, singer Dave Rubinstein killed himself in 1993, and nowadays the band is led by longtime guitarist Paul Bakija. Meanwhile, Luicidal are the band formed by original Suicidal Tendencies bassist Louiche Mayorga to perform material from the first three ST albums (Suicidal Tendencies, Join the Army and How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today), though they now have two albums of original material — 2014's Luicidal and last year's Born in Venice. Between the two of them, that's quite a double bill, and The Fiends and Upper Downer also play. —Brett Callwood
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