The Set List

Roxy Forms Band Bond With Live Nation

The Roxy, which has been mostly booked inhouse for 34 years, has created an alliance with Live Nation, giving the promoter two homes on the Sunset Strip.
Live Nation will be the exclusive third party promoter of the West Hollywood venue, booking, producing and marketing numerous shows through-out the year.
Roxy owner Nic Adler said, "As we enter into our 35th anniversary, we feel that having a powerhouse like Live Nation in our room gives music fans the best of all worlds."
Megan Jacobs and Scott Reifman are the Roxy's  talent buyers.
Live Nation also owns the House of Blues in  West Hollywood giving it a 500-capacity and a 1,000-capacity venue within a mile of each other.

CMJ After the Rain: It's Good to Be Home With Band of Horses Ringing In Your Ears

Upon returning to Los Angeles from the alternating sunshine and heavy rain of New York, most music pontificators had had enough of CMJ, others were as impressed by an act we both happened to stumble upon and, not surprisingly,  hyped bands secured more hype from reviewers who just can't get enough of shows that start after 1 a.m.
As the Internet wars or words raged over a (misguided?) piece about indie rock and race in the New Yorker, I was struck both by how impossible it is to assemble a true hierarchy for 21st century rock music and how CMJ plays into reinforcing that model; this was generally bill after bill of unfamiliar names with the occasional budding star thrown in. It lacks the communal spirit of any other festival, whether it be SXSW or Coachella. This was a scene made up of young people  finding an identity with people of a  similar stripe; music is not necessarily the bonding factor. For those of us who using the memories of the past, whether they be L.A. folk rock in the early '70s, New York punk in the '70s or Seattle, North Carolina   or Omaha, Neb., after that, there's a void at the center.
Blame the democracy on the Internet: indie rock is now a generally insular world that resonates with people who prefer to learn about music through personal recommendations and via MP3-filled websites. Seeing shows at venues  ill-equipped to present shows is no big deal.
And the acts on the verge of something bigger came and did their jobs: M.I.A., the Black Kids, Band  of Horses and St. Vincent  earned a big  thumbs up from the reviewers and bloggers; the challenge now is monetizing buzz.
My favorite moment, though, was one in which about 30 people were held in rapture by a man in his 60s appearing at a party outside the CMJ official lineup. Ed Askew made an off-the-wall folk album in 1968 album for the avant-garde jazz label ESP.    He is accompanied by a lute-like instrument called the tiple. A couple of years later, he made another series of recordings that were not released until 2003 and a few more were discovered and released this year; the man basically fell of the face of the earth.
He made it to his 7 p.m. show but his accompanist did not. He took it in stride and performed a capella, playing harmonica in between verses. His voice has a lovely calmness to it, no ragged edges here, and a poet's flair for combing the direct and the ethereal. It was the rare show that had obvious weight. He deserves a return visit to the recording studio.      

Westerberg Unveils New Songs

Paul Westerberg performed 10 songs in Minneapolis on Sunday night and discussed the craft of songwriting, his love for "Tumbling Dice" and his disappointment in the Twins for not re-signing Tori Hunter.

L.A. Concert On Sales

Concerts go in sale this week in Los Angeles:

ON SALE THURSDAY
Brand New / Thrice,  Wiltern, Nov. 3, 4 And 5

ON SALE FRIDAY

Of Montreal / Grand Buffet Management, Avalon, Nov. 8

ON SALE  SATURDAY

Mandy Moore & Paula Cole, House of Blues,  Aug. 23

Screamfest 2007 Featuring T.I., Yung Joc, T-Pain And Lloyd, Sept. 1 & 2

Common, Wiltern, Sept. 7

Scorpions, Gibson Amphitheatre, Sept. 15

Peter Bjorn & John /  The Clientele, The Wiltern, Sept. 17

Michael McDonald / Patti Austin / Marc Antoine / Poncho Sanchez, Greek Theatre, Sept. 28

India.Arie / Ottmar Liebert / Philippe Saisse Trio, Greek Theatre, Sept. 29

They Might Be Giants,  Avalon, Oct. 3

Zucchero, House of Blues,  Oct. 15

The Cure, Santa Barbara Bowl, Oct. 11

Maroon 5 / The Hives / Phantom Planet, Staples Center Nov. 8

supper club shuttered

Gotham's Supper Club, where Bob Dylan recorded his edition of "Unplugged," has apparently closed its doors.

Interestingly, the folks at Bowery Presents, which announced their Brooklyn plans on Tuesday, plan to renovate a club in that same Westside midtown neighborhood, the former Exit, where they will present shows.