Fall '08 Concert Guide

Here's a list of some concerts in LA this fall that I'm interested in, and a bit of a description about each of them. It looks like it'll be a fun semester!

Kicking off the school year with a good ole' street fair: Sunset Junction! Headliners are Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, !!!, and The Black Keys. It's the weekend of August 23rd, right before school starts, and it's in Silver Lake, so it's bound to be an indie-hip good time!

In a very different vein, Radiohead is going to be in Los Angeles, at the Hollywood Bowl, part of that same weekend, Sunday night and Monday night. It could be a once in a lifetime experience. It should be a really great concert, and the setting is idyllic. It pretty much doesn't get better than the Hollywood Bowl on a warm summer night, with a picnic and a bottle of wine.

Ratatat, one of my favorite groups, will be performing at the Henry Fonda September 9th and 10th. Putting on their peppy instrumental/electronic music always lifts my spirits. And they'll probably have a lot of material from their new CD, which is a bit of a slower, more subtle sound than their previous stuff, but still great.

If you're more into indie hip hop, Aesop Rock is going to be at the Troubador from Sept 13th to 15th. Known for his unorthodox rap style, he'll definitely put on a fun show!

Even though he's a Scientologist, I can't help loving Beck. He has so many good albums, and keeps putting out good work! He's going to be at the Hollywood Bowl on September 20th, with Spoon.

Hot Chip, another electronic group, is going to be performing at the Wiltern September 21st and 22nd. I'm not a huge fan of concerts indoors at big venues like the Wiltern, but I'd make an exception for Hot Chip.

The Hollywood Bowl is really doing a good job of booking fun concerts this summer. They'll continue their streak with Ozomatli and several others, including Michael Franti, September 21st and 22nd.

Silver Jews are a really fun group (started by the people who went on to form Pavement), and they're going to be at the Echoplex September 26th.

Stars, the indie-pop sensations, are going to be at The Avalon on October 1st. I'm not a their most rabid fan, but they are pretty catchy!

The Greek Theatre is another fantastic outdoor venue in Los Angeles, and on October 4th, The Swell Season and Iron & Wine will be playing there.

The crown jewel of this list, Girl Talk, is going to be in Los Angeles again in late October. I missed them the last time they were in town, but it's not going to happen again! They're at the Henry Fonda, the 24th and 25th, and I will be there.

Finally, something in our 'hood, we have VHS or Beta. I think they're pretty good, and I do really like the name! They'll be playing at the Shrine, November 22nd.

So that's that. It all looks good to me! See you there? For more info, check out last.fm.