LA WeeklyLos Angeles is a hotbed of live music, and L.A. Weekly is here to help navigate this embarrassment of riches. From the Chemical Brothers to the Strokes, here are the 12 best music shows in L.A. this week!
fri 5/10
45 Grave
WHISKY A GO GO
That deathrock pioneers 45 Grave are still together a full 38 years after forming seems to be as much of a surprise to singer Mary Sims, aka Dinah Cancer, as it is to anyone. On the surface this wasn't the sort of band meant to go the distance, and Sims has tried her damnedest over the years to let 45 Grave go. After all, until 2012 the band had only the one studio album, 1983's Sleep in Safety. There were long breaks between 1985 and '88, then again for 14 years between 1990 and 2004. But eventually the band's dark, gothic take on punk pulled Sims back in. She simply can't let it go. They rarely release new music, but the shows are still an absolute blast. For this Whisky gig, Ravens Moreland, DJ Edward Transylvania and Scurvy Kids also play. —Brett Callwood
Ohmme
THE MOROCCAN LOUNGE
Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart are a duo from Chicago who perform under the name Ohmme. Their 2018 debut album, Parts, is difficult to neatly categorize because the two musicians blend their voices together in a startlingly diverse series of unusual songs. “Icon” is a cheery slice of indie pop, but it's contrasted by less typical tracks, such as “Peach,” a jumble of grungy, funky post-punk noise that segues into more coolly restrained passages. “Hunger slowly seeps into my dreams,” they confide mysteriously on “Peach” before jagged guitars punctuate their vocals. Other songs range from the subdued and lulling “Liquor Cabinet” to “Sentient Beings,” a song that evolves from a new-music intro into a folkie ethereality before switching yet again into a shimmering alt-rock grandeur. Ohmme also recently released a rocked-up version of The B-52s' “Give Me Back My Man.” —Falling James
Tav Falco; Credit: Klaus Pichler
Tav Falco's Panther Burns
PEPPERMINT CLUB
Singer-guitarist Tav Falco has been leading varying lineups of Panther Burns since 1979, when he formed the band in Memphis and allied himself for a spell with Big Star's Alex Chilton. Over the decades, he has released a flood of musical gems that are rooted deeply in strains of garage rock, R&B, blues, rockabilly, tango and art rock, which are then overlaid with Falco's shadowy vocals. In 2015 he celebrated his Southern heritage with the publication of a photo book, Iconography of Chance: 99 Photographs of the Evanescent South, which was loaded with evocative images of a vanishing culture. Panther Burns' most recent album, Cabaret of Daggers, is a moody assortment that includes Falco's stylized remakes of “Strange Fruit,” Santo & Johnny's “Sleep Walk” and a fuzzed-out “Sally, Go Round the Roses.” —Falling James
sat 5/11
Death Valley Girls
BROUWERIJ WEST
This is an excellent bill at the Brouwerij West to kick off their Popfuji summer concert series, so those who haven't checked out a show at this venue yet have no excuses. Local heroes the Death Valley Girls say that they're less a band and more a “travelling caravan.” Their dusty, road-weary desert rock recalls The Stooges, Motorhead and ZZ Top, all of whom they cite as influences. Speaking of The Stooges, later-era bassist Mike Watt is performing with one of his many projects, the Jom & Terry Show. Finally, there's youthful rockers Starcrawler, who recently got some attention for covering the Ramones' “Pet Sematary” for the remade movie. That's a stunningly awesome way to welcome the summer. —Brett Callwood
Jenny Lewis; Credit: Autumn de Wilde
Jenny Lewis
HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM
Jenny Lewis fills the void of silence that followed the release of her 2014 album, The Voyager, with her latest recording, On the Line. The new album features a host of guest stars and collaborators including ace drummer Jim Keltner, Beck, Jason Falkner and Ringo Starr. Parts of On the Line were recorded and co-produced by Ryan Adams before allegations about him being a sexual predator surfaced, with Lewis reportedly later expressing regret about his participation. Despite multiple producers (Lewis, Beck and Shawn Everett are also credited), On the Line still feels like a unified work, and the record's best moments marry Lewis' tuneful pop melodies with her occasionally acute lyrical observations. “I dream about your baby blues and wonder why you stopped getting high,” she laments on the countrified piano ballad “Heads Gonna Roll.” —Falling James
sun 5/12
LÉON, Morgan Saint
BELASCO THEATER
Described as delicate but dominant, reserved but charismatic, pop singer-songwriter Léon exudes a magical aura that combines her European flair with modern–day ballads that audiences can't help but gravitate toward. Most recently Léon, real name Lotta Lindgren, unleashed her self-titled debut. The album's lead single “Lost Time” serves as the intro track, but every release is a testament to her ability to song write and create smooth, refreshing ballads in a dreamlike soundscape. This will be a show for the books. —Shirley Ju
mon 5/13
The Strokes
THE WILTERN
Admit it — who knew that The Strokes were even still around? They made such an impact with the Is This It? debut album at the start of the millennium that they were headlining festivals around the world before they'd really gotten started with comparisons to the Velvet Underground dialing up the unnecessary pressure. The last album was Comedown Machine in 2013, but that seemed to pass without much fanfare. Before that, Angles in 2011. Ditto. But let's face it — when The Strokes play The Wiltern, the biggest cheers will still be for “Last Night” and “Is This It?” It's fair to say that they peaked early but, hey, they've held on to an enviable fanbase and that's not for nothing. —Brett Callwood
tue 5/14
Carl Stone
ZEBULON
Carl Stone — the Japan-by-way-of-San-Francisco-by-way-of-CalArts maestro of musicality and Max/MSP — descends from on-high to deliver unto you one of the finest and most challenging musical evenings all year. He'll premiere new pieces never-before-lived-through — in this state, anyway — using instrumentation of laptop augmented by the groundbreaking Swiss sampler known as the Elektron Octatrack. He's got a new self-released record — Baroo, a subtly psychedelic album that deals with “time slicing” and is executed through the miracle of modern computers and conceptualism. Stone has deep roots that stretch back decades in Los Angeles, having worked with everyone from the late James Tenney to the late Z'EV. Also on tonight's full dance card: the danceable electronic whatsis of Kid606; L.A. violinist Zachary Paul; mystical mouthpiece Geneva Skeen; and MSC Harding, he of the deathlessly inestimable English experimental record label Touch. —David Cotner
Filthy Friends
THE ECHO
With all the attention Carrie Brownstein has received in recent years following the popularity of her TV series Portlandia, people sometimes forget that it was Corin Tucker's soulfully yearning vocals that distinguished Sleater-Kinney's sound in the first place. She makes a welcome return to the spotlight with Filthy Friends, her project with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. The duo have worked together with varying lineups over the past few years, and their latest album, Emerald Valley, is an often appealing showcase for Tucker. At times, Buck's mainstream-rock instincts create a fairly bland backdrop for Tucker's fiery vocals, although hints of Sleater-Kinney's punk-rock intensity surface briefly on “Last Chance County.” Some of the better tunes include the blues-rocking “November Man,” the jangling idyll “Angels” and the rootsy tangle of the title track. —Falling James
wed 5/15
Chemical Brothers
SHRINE EXPO HALL
Having formed in 1989, the Chemical Brothers were one of those English electronic acts, along with the likes of the Prodigy, the Utah Saints and The Shamen, that helped drag EDM into the mainstream. The 1997 sophomore album Dig Your Own Hole is the one that saw them leap into international mega-stardom, thanks to songs such as “Block Rockin' Beats” and “Setting Sun” (with Noel Gallagher). The ninth studio album, No Geography, just dropped and has been met with excellent reviews across the board proving that, while groundbreaking, Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons haven't allowed themselves to rest on any laurels and drop the quality. It's frankly awesome that they're still around putting out music as good as this. —Brett Callwood
thu 5/16
Garbage
THE SHRINE AUDITORIUM
Even without her bandmates in Garbage, Shirley Manson has still made her presence known around town over the past year. Last year she charmingly duetted with Fiona Apple at a Girlschool event at the Bootleg Theater, and in March she was one of the more charismatic performers at the Yoko Ono tribute at Disney Hall. But she returns to her full live power with Garbage's Butch Vig, Duke Erikson and Steve Marker. The group's best early songs, such as “Stupid Girl” and especially “Only Happy When It Rains,” continue to resonate today. Garbage's most recent album, 2016's Strange Little Birds, is a relatively dark and occasionally more experimental release. Such somberly lulling songs as “Even Though Our Love Is Doomed” and “Night Drive Loneliness” stand out from the record's more bombastic tracks. —Falling James
The Dandy Warhols
THEATRE AT THE ACE HOTEL
Portland alt-rock band The Dandy Warhols just released Why You So Crazy, their 10th studio album and the first since 2016's Distortland. In fact, when you scan their discography they rarely go three years without putting out a new record. So why does each one feel like they're making a comeback? Maybe it's because the 2004 documentary movie Dig!, highlighting their fractious relationship with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, made it seem like they were consistently on the edge of chaos. In fact, the band has been relatively prolific and consistent, going through the record-tour-repeat cycle with the minimum of fuss. A new Dandys album is always worth checking out and this one is no different. —Brett Callwood
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