Timbre Tantrum

Brooklyn-based trio, Vivian Girls, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Cassie Ramone, bassist/vocalist Kickball Katy and new drummer Fiona Campbell, are hitting the road in support of their forthcoming third LP and Polyvinyl debut, Share the Joy. Tonight, Vivian Girls kick off their North American tour at Downtown L.A.’s famed D.I.Y. venue, The Smell.

The tour gives these Girls a chance to test drive new material from Share the Joy, whose ten tracks were recorded at Rear House, a home studio run by Jarvis Taveniere (of Brooklyn’s Woods).  “It’s cleaner and more hi-fi than the previous records,” shares Cassie.  “The sound is more open, more free.  I think that this album really shows our strengths as musicians, and shows us melding together musically.  It’s more psychedelic and less shoegaze.  There’s also a lot of organ on it, which is new for us.”

Vivian Girls at The Smell, presented by FYF Fest, also includes performances by Catwalk, Cold Showers, and DJ Nico.  Tonight’s show at The Smell is all ages, doors at 8:30 PM.  Tickets are $8, and available for pre-sale from Ticket Web.

Get a taste of Vivian Girls’ new material by watching the video for their first single, “I Heard You Say,” plus download the track for FREE, direct from Polyvinyl Records.

Vivian Girls’ third full-length album, Share the Joy, releases April 12^th from Polyvinyl Records.

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Next week, Arcade Fire head to Los Angeles for The 53^rd Annual Grammy Awards, where they are in the running for several races including Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance, and Best Alternative Album, as well as performing live for the televised broadcast.  But as a pre-award show teaser, the (mostly) Canadian collective are quietly laying the groundwork for an intimate secret show in the L.A. area.

Arcade Fire’s manager, Scott Rodger, started rumors flying Thursday morning when he polled Twitter users for possible performance locations, by tweeting, “Where would be the best small venue in LA to do a really great show for Arcade Fire? Any ideas?”  He further specified that he was seeking a 500-600 capacity venue where the stage could accommodate 2 drum kits and 9 people.  Exciting stuff!

As of this afternoon, Mission: Arcade Fire Secret Show Venue Search is now complete, according to this tweet from Rodger, who later implied that he enlisted the help of FYF Fest founder/promoter Sean Carlson to secure the digs.  Now, we just have to hold out for the specifics (Nail biting!  Worry!  Fret!).

UPDATE as of 2/7/11: As of Monday morning, Arcade Fire manager, Scott Rodger tweeted that full details for the secret show will be announced within the next 48 hours, and that the show will be all ages with cheap tickets.  Measures are being put in place to ensure that fans receive all of the tickets – not scalpers.  Good news!

UPDATE as of 2/8/11: As of Tuesday evening, Arcade Fire manager, Scott Rodger informed followers that ticket purchase information will “hopefully” be available tomorrow (2/9/11) afternoon, tweeting that full details would come directly from Arcade Fire themselves.  I might start following Arcade Fire on Twitter if I were you!

UPDATE as of 2/9/11 5 PM PST: Arcade Fire manager, Scott Rodger just tweeted that show details will be announced today, hopefully within the next couple of hours.  The suspense is KILLING us!

UPDATE as of 2/9/11 7:30 PST: Arcade Fire tweeted that tickets for the L.A. show will go on sale Friday at noon, from only 3 locations.  No online ticket sales.  And to avoid people sleeping outside, information will be staggered.

Additional info tweeted by Scott Rodger: Tickets are limited 2 per person and both names must be given at the point of purchase.  IDs must be shown at the venue to collect your wristband.

Check back here at TimbreTantrum.com for the latest (Where?/When?/How do I get tickets?) in this evolving story.

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Tomorrow’s L.A. Scavenger Hunt, presented by the Fuck Yeah Fest promises to be, “An event that has nothing to do with music but everything to do with being with your friends outdoors, all day, doing something for a good cause and having a good time.”

So gather 1 to 4 of your best friends together to traipse the City of Angels for 100 mundane to slightly insane scavenger hunt items to benefit the Union Rescue Mission, the L.A. Food Bank, and the L.A. Burrito Project .  Past list items included: a dreadlock,  a cassette tape of Boyz II Men, Jodeci, or Salt N Pepa, a tooth – human or animal!, and a life-sized cut out of Freddie Mercury among a plethora of other zany finds.  Teams are also encouraged to dress up, or as FYF founder Sean Carlson clarifies, “think of the gangs in the classic movie The Warriors.”

If that’s not enough, FYF have also just announced Brazilian beat-bangers Bonde Do Role will headline the Official L.A. Scavenger Hunt After Party, held at The Sex, Downtown.  Admission to the after party is free to L.A. Scavenger Hunt participants, and is $5 for all others 18+.  So part of tomorrow’s event has something to do with music after all!

The L.A. Scavenger Hunt kicks off tomorrow at the Dodger Stadium Parking lot. The cost is $10 per person and you can sign up on at the L.A. Scavenger Hunt Website until 10:00pm tonight or you can sign up tomorrow on site beginning at 12:00pm. The Hunt starts at 2:00pm sharp but sign ups will continue to 2:30pm for those that are late.

For more details about the L.A. Scavenger Hunt including FAQs and Prize Information, check out their official website, HERE.

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Local Natives are wrapping up an unprecedented year that saw the U.S. release of their debut full-length album, Gorilla Manor, and the conclusion of eighteen months of straight touring that had the band crisscrossing Europe and North America.  Timbre Tantrum caught up with Local Natives’ drummer Matt Frazier to discuss the band’s whirlwind year, and what’s on the horizon for 2011.  Check out the interview after the jump! Read the rest of this entry →

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Local Natives @ FYF Fest 2010; Photos by Christina Ung

Reasonable ticket prices, and an amazing line-up including Timbre Tantrum favorites Panda Bear (of Animal Collective), !!!, Wavves, Local Natives, and Best Coast, among others, persuaded thousands of Los Angeles residents to forego BBQ, and spend Labor Day weekend communing at FYF Fest with their music-loving brethren.

The sun was unforgiving, shade was sparse, and many of FYF Fest’s concertgoers spent a better part of their afternoon waiting in sprawling lines just to get in the door.  Once through security, fans were greeted with even more lines.  Lines for food, restrooms, and even the VIP area, stretched on for blocks.  (Leave it to an L.A. fest to overbook their VIP section)

But what FYF Fest lacked in organization and crowd control, they made up for in a diverse and buzz-worthy lineup.  Under the cloudless California sky, many bands used their opportunity in the sun to rock the stage with wild abandon, winning over new fans one hipster heart at a time.  Standout performances included the harmony-laced vocals of Local Natives, and the boisterous crowd-pleasing dance party antics of !!!.  View Timbre Tantrum’s photos from the Fest, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry →

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