As we roll into September, it’s sort of a sleepy week for Los Angeles concert-wise. Still, there are a number of solid shows we’ve listed as our Best Shows This Week, including singer-songwriter Barns Courtney at the Troubadour and Ray LaMontagne closing the weekend out at the Greek Theatre.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
The Buttertones, The Echo, FREE
Five-piece LA rockers The Buttertones kick off their September residency at the Echo on Labor Day. There’s similarities to the vocals of Interpol’s Paul Banks in the lead singer of The Buttertones. There’s a vintage sound to them, sorta a surfer rock vibe.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
Weezer, The GRAMMY Museum, $25.00
Tickets to this will be hard to come by but count yourself as lucky if you’re in attendance for this. The performances themselves don’t usually last very long but there’s always an interesting Q&A segment involved if my experience seeing HAIM last year at The GRAMMY Museum was any indication. The White Album was one of their better recent releases and they’ll surely play some of that with old favorites.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
Work Drugs with Satchmode, The Roxy, $15.00, 8 PM
Philly band Work Drugs say their music is made “specifically for sexting and yachting.” You definitely get that vibe from their dream pop sound. I’ve never been on a yacht but if I did, I’d definitely throw this band on a playlist to accompany the experience. The song “Boogie Lights” feels like it would’ve fit in perfectly to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with its vintage 80s sound. Opening act Satchmode should get things popping straight away with their brand of electro-pop. Listen to their remix of Gallant’s “Weigh in Gold,” turning the song from a tune you’d dick someone down to into one you’d grind to on the dancefloor.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
Barns Courtney with Donna Missal, Troubadour, $13.00, 8 PM
I had the pleasure of stumbling into a Barns Courtney set at SXSW with no prior knowledge of his material. His style of crooning fit the tiny Austin bar that I saw him at perfectly. I was even more impressed after seeing him at Shaky Knees in Atlanta back in May as he brought the same kind of firepower to an outdoor stage early in the day and had the crowd in the palm of his hand. He seems like a good match for the Troubadour, a venue which often showcases singer-songwriters at their absolute best. The song “Fire” began to earn Courtney some radio traction and opening for Ed Sheeran certainly didn’t hurt.
Also on the bill is Jersey singer Donna Missal, who is definitely on the rise. She performed at Bardot’s School Night back in February, so if you missed her then now is your chance. Check out her song “Keep Lying.” At some points, she sounds a little bit like Brittany Howard of the Alabama Shakes.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Asteroid #4, The Flash Hits, The Blind Spot (601 S. Clarence St.), $10.00, 21+, 8:30 PM
Veteran psych-rockers The Asteroid #4 are in LA for an intimate date. They’ve got a psych-shoegaze sound, think Spacemen 3 meets the Brian Jonestown Massacre. On the bill as chief support is LA-based rockers The Flash Hits. The self-proclaimed fuzz pop group will have you feeling like you’re tripping even when you’re stone-cold sober. This show is happening at The Blind Spot — a venue I’ve never been to but it boasts an intricate light show. It’s called “a live liquid light show” and should be a great companion to the type of bands playing that night.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Dance Yourself Clean, The Satellite, FREE before 10:30 PM, $5 after
Saturday is a particularly slow concert day remiss of anything major worth checking out. It doesn’t happen often in LA, but when there’s nothing I want to see on a Saturday night, Dance Yourself Clean remains my go-to fall back option. It’s an epic dance party with a DJ spinning awesome indie pop and rock acts like HAIM, MO, Tame Impala and of course LCD Soundsystem. The Satellite is one of my favorite venues and not just because it’s packed to the gills with cute Silverlake hipster girls. But that’s certainly a plus.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Ray LaMontagne, Greek Theatre, $39.50 – $79.50, 8 PM
Ray LaMontagne and the Greek Theatre were sort-of made for each other. The folk singer’s smoky and mesmerizing vocals will drift nicely out into the Los Feliz open air venue. LaMontagne is touring in support of his 2016 record Ouroboros, which features production from My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James. James also appears on the record so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him showing up.
