ARE YOU CURIOUS SEPT 2009

Alright, September is here!!!  That means time for our special friend-curated exhibition, TAKE US THERE along with the group show MAPPING MEMORIES, designed to really look at how space and place are defined by our memories of it or objects within it.  September also means another killer set of events, from stunning rock-n-roll on our little carpet to truly innovative adventures like the TAKE US THERE sleepover or bikeride, or our little participation in PARK(ING) DAY with the lovely folks at ECHO PARK TIME BANK (with whom we did the swap meet last month that you all missed)



Fri, Sept 4th - TAKE US THERE / MAPPING MEMORIES opens, with music from DJ MY LITTLE PONY and special performances.
8p to midnight

There’s no other space, like this space, anywhere near this space, so this must be the space.

Echo Curio is pleased to present a collaborative group show featuring works by Alys Kenny, Ben Fino-radin, Brady Gunnell, Bryan Fahrbach, Claire Cronin, Deborah Abramson, Devon Paulson, Evan Everest, Erin Curtis, Jack Lovell, Jason Tovar, Jeffrey De Chausse, Jessica Laser, Jose Luis Hernandez, Lawrence Lewis, Margaret Towner, Michael Hsiung, Neil Freeman, Noah Thomas, Rachel Pitler, Rachel Wood-Rome, Sarah Poole, Taylor Leigh Brittenham, Vicki Dye, and more.

MAPPING MEMORIES
A group exhibition that asks us to consider how memories help define space. A site alone has no memory; it is those who interact with it that create meaning. Like lines and points on a keyless map, the contours of a given space have no relevance without the people who bring it to life. Using a variety of media and found objects, artists with varying perspectives examine intersecting layers of space and memory.

TAKE US THERE
A cross-country journey that explores the relationship between meaningful spaces, and the people and memories connected to them.

Curated by Christopher Daniels and Nara Hernandez

http://takeusthere.tumblr.com/
http://www.flickr.com/takeusthere


Sat, Sept 5th - THE RHONE OCCUPATION + ONE TRICK PONY + THE SURRENDERS

Consider this our F U F Y F Fest Fest Fest!  THE RHONE OCCUPATION has consistently wowed audiences in our little room, combining the simple songwriting charms of Wilco and the grand guitars of old school Radiohead, and delivered with an uncommon amount of humility and friendliness.  This is a band you can bring home to meet Mom, but then they might stay up all night and drink with her, so be careful.  ONE TRICK PONY shares many of these same qualities, but replacing the shoe-gazing with drunken Waits-ian dirges and a tinge of darkness that might not go so well with your mom, unless she's Lydia Lunch.  THE SURRENDERS have some seriously tropical bones in their funky little bodies, exploring TORTOISE-y waves but adding a deep soulful voice to the mix.  You can spend twenty hours standing in the f' u'in sun if you want, but you only need to spend two hours in our sweltering shop and you'll hear just as much killer music, for a quarter of the price.

www.myspace.com/therhoneoccupation
www.myspace.com/thesurrendersmusic
www.myspace.com/onetrickpony


Sun, Sept 6th - REFRIGERATOR + WCKR SPGT + ADAM LIPMAN + NEAL MORGAN

REFRIGERATOR leaves me speechless.  I cannot consider myself as avid of a fan as Jorgen or Justin, but the last time they played here, the night veered from comedy to tragedy back to comedy, and never missed a beat.  The brothers, plus the other band members kept this clattering acoustic guitar guided freight train running on between sad lost-love songs, and loud middle-finger raising jams.  ADAM LIPMAN also brought his strange mournful charms and deep-as-the-core-of-the-earth voice to the mix.  WCKR SPGT gives us a local look at fun-punk, called by some fun-nk (ok, no one calls it that, but they should).  Imagine Ween meeting  the Descendents, getting smoked out and being fueled by crappy distorted guitars.  NEAL MORGAN is joining the bill and opening the night with his totally unique drum and voice alchemy.  Imagine Hella with voices instead of guitars, but with the same sick drums, and then make those voices a chorus of smooth soul, just to confuse your brainbox even more.

www.myspace.com/lonesomesurprise
www.myspace.com/wckrspgt
www.myspace.com/nealmorganmusic
www.myspace.com/adamlipman


Wed, Sept 9th - CURIOSITY KILLS NIGHT with NOT THE GOVERNMENT + STAB CITY + NARWAHL PARTY + BASTIDAS

Our good friend(s) at Catalyst Magazine are curating this night of SoCal flavored punk and punk-influenced tomfoolery.  From the Brit-inspired, keyboard driven romp of NTG, to the bombastic psych of the threesome BASTIDAS.  STAB CITY finally gets the chance to bloody the floor, while newly added NARWAHL PARTY better not poke any holes in the place with their mythical horns, though their heavy Rapture-esque on speed jams will probably do some much needed deconstruction on your hardened heart.  Young or old, this night will rekindle the fire in your heart, right before it jabs a big pointy knife into it and slushes it all around.

www.myspace.com/notthegovernment
www.myspace.com/stabcitystabcity
www.myspace.com/lamicaelabastidas
www.myspace.com/narwahlparty666


Thurs, Sept 10th - TAKE US THERE SLUMBER PARTY, co-hosted by DUBLAB

The exhibit currently up explores the travels of our friends across America, and on those travels, they crashed on a lot of couches, floors and strange but welcoming beds.  They also had to contend with a myriad of work schedules, house rules, and possible all-night parties.  Think of this as your little stay-cation.  Come and visit the Curio and stay overnight.  There will be various moments of entertainment, maybe some pillowfights, some ghost stories, and definitely a lot of fun reactions from the late night party-ers or the early morning workers walking by. 

Here is the gist from the curators themselves...  Bring your sleeping bags and pajamas for an overnighter in the gallery space.  Assistant curator of MOCA, Christine Robinson, will curate a series of videos; poet Jessica Laser will perform a sleepy time reading; and members of Dub Lab will play a nighttime set, along with other slumber party activities.  The evening begins at 9p and will end the next morning with breakfast and coffee from the neighborhood.


Fri, Sept 11th - BATTLEHOOCH + WHQLES + 60 WATT KID + JEFFREY JERUSALEM (opening at 9p)

Tonight is a sort of take-back the PARR-TAAY kind of night.  BATTLEHOOCH is joining us from the Bay Area, practically marching into LA with trumpets blaring and funk a-funking.  Having fortified their position as the best live act in SF, the HOOCH is moving out in carefully selected concentric circles, like an evangelist with a hunger.  Only this evangelist espouses drunken prophecies of sex and hellfire and degenerate jazz.  WHQLES (you can call them Whales to their face, this is easier to search online) have been ripping it up here for quite a while, and tonight should be no different.  I mean, they zing off STAR TREK IV samples while tearing through the tightest of two man rock-n-roll.  And then there is 60 WATT KID.  Kevin, Derek, and now young Dylan are pretty much the most crucial and underrated band in Los Angeles at this point.  Tireless in their pursuit of the perfect floating moment, endlessly circling the same vocal lines as if calling up ancient dreams and cellular memory.  Not to be missed, especially now that we added a short opening performance by the foremost tropical 21st century bar-mitzva electronic artist on the planet.

www.battlehooch.com
www.myspace.com/60wattkid
www.myspace.com/whqles
www.myspace.com/jeffreyjerusalem


Sat, Sept 12th - DEREK SCHMIDT + WORRIED MINDS + COSIO + ANITA COATS

DEREK SCHMIDT wowed us when he visited with his massive folk act ALL MY PRETTY ONES, and now he is returning on his own.  Well, not really on his own, but with two other super talented folksy folks.  ANITA COATS wrings every last bit of heartache and every last breath of hope out of her acoustic guitar and simple but elegant vocal delivery, a modern day Joni Mitchell.  COSIO brings together many influences, all under the healing power of the banjo and other Americana instruments, but with a decidely European dramatic style of delivery.  Think if Tom Waits got himself a soulful lady singer, who was also in a heavy rock band, and then let her loose.  WORRIED MINDS joins us from Claremont, and by the look of 'em, they took the train, in the empty grain car at the back.  These two dudes are reformists in all things, even in folk music, drawing not only from the old, but borrowing from the new and even inventing some new tricks in between.

www.myspace.com/myprettyones
www.myspace.com/anitacoats
www.cosiomusic.com
www.myspace.com/worriedminds


Mon, Sept 14th - GOLDEN HITS + SWEATSON KLANK and AS IS + WARRIOR LINE

GOLDEN HITS is a sort of electronically charged super-group in Los Angeles, made up of deejays and musicians renowned for their collaborative abilities.  When these folks (including Mitchell Brown, James Tamborello, Frosty of Dublab, and many others) get together, it is a true meeting of the mind, a droney drifting expansive meeting to say the least.  We are beyond psyched for this night, and not only are they going to bring it, but they have two other amazing performances in mind to blow your brain pan. 

Here is a little blurb about SWEATSON KLANK, straight from the horse's mouth - "So for those of you wondering, who the f$ck is Sweatson Klank, here's the scoop. When i first started making beats and such in 1996.. I called myself Take One. As a matter of fact, my first 2 releases were under that name (see discography section). Soon enough , I dropped the One, and was just TAKE. Now have you ever tried searching for TAKE in Itunes or on Google? The results aren't pretty, and unless you know the name of a song or album, you're likely to find 3 million results with the word Take in it.. and none of them will be me. That's some Bull$hit when your trying to get heard!!  So, in comes SWEATSON KLANK, a name so strange, that there is no trouble finding him. Google that and you're gonna find me. From here on its SWEATSON baby!!! Look out for new releases under that moniker. Till then we'll ease it in with TAKE aka SWEATSON KLANK!! "

Here's a little bit about WARRIOR LINE, just so you know the lineage "Greg from the amazing Oakland band Clip'd Beaks and DJ OonceOonce, who runs Tigerbeat6, have a new project...and it's good. Real Good. Its called Warrior Line. You can check the new track The Long Loop, here. I love the synth drums rolls in this tune. They live in Los Angeles so hopefully they'll do some live gigs at some point. Check um out. " (from http://potionlords.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-music-alert-warrior-line.html)

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www.sweatsonklank.com ..
www.poobah.com ..
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Tues, Sept 15th - SPACEWAVES + MOLINO + HEAVY WATER EXPERIMENTS

SPACE WAVES is a husband and wife downtempo/psychedelic/shoegaze duo from Portland, influenced by music like Mazzy Star, Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, Luna, Galaxie 500, and the Cure, but with a style all their own.  MOLINO are hometown heroes in the realm of shoe-gaze, combining a deep love of the guitar fuzz and bass rumble with a strong stern relationship with songwriting.  HEAVY WATER EXPERIMENTS is another group of LA buzzheads who play about once every three days, so if you haven’t caught them elsewhere, check em out here.  Their heady brew of bass on bass will jar something loose in your soul’s gut.

http://www.myspace.com/spacewavesmyspace
www.heavywaterexperiments.com
 www.myspace.com/thatbandmolino


Wed, Sept 16th - TAKE US THERE POTLUCK and BEER SHOW-N-TELL

Where are you from?  What do they eat there?  What kind of beer do they drink?  Tell us about it.  Meet people and find out where they are from. We invite you bring a memorable dish paired with a beer from where you’re from for a potluck and beer-tasting evening.  In addition, we ask that you bring a meaningful object for show-and-tell. The evening will conclude with a special performance by artist Claire Cronin.  The dinner will begin at 8p.


Fri, Sept 18th - PARK(ING) DAY with ECHO PARK TIME BANK 10a to 1p
Location: 1525 Sunset Blvd (in front of Echo Curio & Nuvia's)

Originally created by Rebar, San Francisco art and design collective, PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day, global event where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

Echo Park Time Bank members will install plants, comfortable seating and a mini pool. Come drink an horchata from Nuvia's and listen to a live musical performance from Echo Curio!

 http://www.echoparktimebank.com


Fri, Sept 18th - THE ABSYNTHS + NAIMA EARTH + FAMILY TREE ANALOG

More music from the locals, featuring the post-post-post-progressively post-rock sounds of THE ABSYNTHS, fully engulfed in velvety darkness and thorny distortions.  Speaking of distortion, we got the kings of it with FAMILY TREE ANALOG, channeling all of our favorite fuzzed out modern rock sounds into one chunky soup.  NAIMA EARTH handles it a little more stripped down, but once you start catching their future tales and cryptic lyrics, you'll be hooked.

www.myspace.com/theabsynths
www.myspace.com/naimaearth
www.myspace.com/familytreeanalog


Sat, Sept 19th - ROCK AND ROLL PERFORMANCE COACHING with TAMMY TOMAHAWK

People leave their homes to come see you – to laugh, to relate, to escape.

It is quite possible you think of yourself as purely a ‘ singer/songwriter [or] musician’ , but let’s face it - at the end of the day---- you are an ENTERTAINER – no matter what your genre may be ---- post-punk, folk, gypsy, hard-core, rap, shoegaze, and on.  But what are you really saying with your lyrics, your vocal tone, your melodies, your stage presence, your stance, the way you hold your instrument or mic, your looks at the audience, your conversation with the audience or not , your stagewear, who are you actually talking to in your song.....?

Ultimately, how is your thru-line being communicated to these people that watch and listen to you?

These are just some of the questions that will be tackled in this eye-opening workshop with local musician/singer/entertainer , Tammy Tomahawk. Through a series of exercises, we will explore how to approach your live show with clarity, freshness, and dynamics .  We’re not saying all of you have to be like Judy Tenuta – just in your own special way!

Tammy grew up in the theater and ended up in NYU’s Experimental Theatre Wing at 17. Since then she has lived all over the country and Europe, traveled extensively, taught music/theater to developing country youth, written an award-winning rock opera, created and performed both solo and ensemble theatrical works, found herself under stand-up comedy flashlights, done the TV/Film thing, played in and led multiple bands and makes really good salsa. She’s originally from Austin, Texas and currently has two babies—eh, em Bands -  Cinderella MOTEL and PomPOM!.

 Email Tammy w/ any inquires: tammytomahawk@gmail.com

Class Max: 12

Suggested Donation: $10


Sat, Sept 19th - GABBY LA LA + THE UKULADY + KIT'N TENDERS + JAVARNANDA + MEGAN JACOBS

Last time Gabby and the Ukulady came through, the ozone layer replenished itself, murder rates dropped to zero and parking control officers actually tore up their tickets.  No telling what the wellspring of positivity will do this time around for the people of Southern California.  But if you like amazingly cute and concise songs on  ukelele, sitar and twisting, twirling voices in harmony, this is your night.  Joining the two wondrous ladies will be their good friend JAVARNANDA on earth-shattering guitar and the simply beautiful songwriting of MEGAN JACOBS.  (PS. KIT'N TENDERS is the super group of GABBY and THE UKULADY, so hold onto your cats)

www.gabbylala.com ..
www.theukulady.com ..
www.javarnanda.com ..
www.myspace.com/meganjacobs ..


Sun, Sept 20th - VERONIQUE CHEVALIER RED VELVET VAUDEVILLE CABARET

Join MADcap Mistress of Ceremonies MADemoiselle Veronique <..> as she presents another evening of guerrilla vaudeville at Echo Curio. Tonight's theme is Steampunk and is co-sponsored by Sepiachord.com- "Promoting the Musical Arts of a Past that Never Was"

Guests artists include:
* Seth Bedford (of New York City) - Composer/Accordionist/Vocalist & Veronique's Official Accompanist  <..>
* Unextraordinary Gentlement (UXG) - Los Angeles-based Purveyors of Otherworldly Sonic Excellence- <..>
* Eli August (of Madison, WI) - Droll Outsider Folk Trio featuring Uke, Standup Bass & Percussion <..>
* April Hava Shenkan - Presenting the World Premiere of her new performance piece set to "Blank Face Goblins" (a track from Veronique's Polka Haunt Us: A Spook-tacular Compilation CD)- <..>


Tues, Sept 22nd - THE ROPES + HAPPY BIRTHDAY SECRET WEAPON + YOUNG HUNTING + BLACKBIRD AND THE FEATHERED PEOPLE

A bit of a hodge podge tonight, but rock-n-roll is always a challenge, especially with all the names.  Hell, I was just walking down the street and overheard someone on their phone, saying "No, Smokey is the cop...  I think... no, Smokey is the crook and Bandit is the ... no, wait, Smokey is cop and Bandit is the thief!"  But what is really in a name when it is a great movie, or a great band.  So, come and check out the touring electronic duo THE ROPES, or the touring Seattle psych-out rock exploits of HBSW, or the hometown downer rock of YOUNG HUNTING or the exuberantly heavy glam rock of BLACKBIRD AND THE FEATHERED PEOPLE.  Any way you slice it, it is rock-n-roll.

www.myspace.com/theropes
www.myspace.com/happybirthdaysecretweapon
www.myspace.com/younghunting
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=328465399


Wed, Sept 23rd - TAKE US THERE BIKERIDE

Exploring the memories of Los Angeles by bike-back, the group will traverse the city that is our home and the birthplace of our little gallery. In conjunction with the interactive Los Angeles map in the Take Us There exhibit space, we will set out on a bike ride tracing meaningful spaces in the surrounding neighborhoods. Join us for the bike ride at Echo Curio at 9p.


Thurs, Sept 24th - THE GRIZZLY OWLS + CORREATOWN + MAP

THE GRIZZLY OWLS, from up north in dusty ol' Bakersfield or Fresno or whatever, come across like a musical reimagining of the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl years, as reimagined as a spaghetti western.  They return tonight with the lovely and talented Angela Correa, whose ability to spin a yard and wrap our hearts in the weave knows no equal.  MAP, despite it's name, is a hard band to track down... so you gotta find out for yourself along with us... so get here early.

www.myspace.com/thegrizzlyowls
www.angelacorrea.com
(you find a band named Map online, let us know)


Sat, Sept 26th - THE KARABAL NIGHTLIFE + THE HARD TO GET + SHIRLEY ROLLS + guests

THE KARABAL NIGHTLIFE returns to the Echo Park nightlife with a bang, readying to release a new record, and assembling a never-seen-before (here) bill of amazing artists for you and us.  THE HARD TO GET have been tearing up the east side for years and we finally get to see their Pixie-esque charms here (though mixed with a little bit of accordion, evidently).  SHIRLEY ROLLS seem to have leapt onto the scene very recently, but with a ferocity unmatched.  They got a big 21 and over show at Spaceland this week, but if you ain't got that ID, or if you like what you saw, you should come check them out at a space half as big (ok, a quarter as big).

www.myspace.com/thekarabalnightlife
www.myspace.com/shirleyrolls
www.myspace.com/thehardtoget


Sun, Sept 27th - CLOSING CEREMONIES for TAKE US THERE 8p

In the closing ceremony participants will take down the roadside memorial.  Additional happenings to be announced.


Tues, Sept 29th - MATT VALENTINE and ERIKA ELDER night one with M. GEDDES GENGRAS

Wed,. Sept 30th - MATT VALENTINE and ERIKA ELDER night two with M. GEDDES GENGRAS

Once again, the really really awesome part about this whole “working almost every night at a gallery that barely pays the bills” is the ability to host shows for amazing artists.  And once and awhile, we get to host them in conjunction with our good friends performing.  Tonight and tomorrow, the Echo Curio will be hosting the finest psych-folk duo of our time, the amazing MV & EE.  Having released countless stunning works on their own label as well as Ecstatic Peace, Time Lag and many other labels, MV & EE always move forward with their strange and beguiling mix of noise, Americana, psych and blues.

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www.myspace.com/gedisego