August 26, 2010

Leslie Stevens & the Badgers -- FREE INSTORE

Leslie Stevens & the Badgers
This Thursday, August 26th - POSTPONED!

** POSTPONED **

Please check back for rescheduling details.

Leslie Stevens is the latest roots-rocks sensation from the good folks at 30 Tigers Records (Avett Brothers, to name just one of their associations). Leslie and the Badgers, to their old fans, combine the right elements of retro country, California Canyons, and jangly jamboree (more street-party than the country bear variety). It's powerful, sultry, and just enough fun at the right time to make classic influences seem fresh and fun.

Here's a juicy quote from the Portland Tribune:
"Americana country-pop quintet Leslie and The Badgers hail from Los Angeles, but sound like they'd be just as comfortable, even more so, jamming on a back porch in Appalachia as a hip club on the Sunset Strip. Frontwoman Leslie Stevens is gifted with a lovely soprano voice."

Sample yourself silly at her myspace page. Leslie Stevens & the Badgers debut release, Roomful of Smoke, is out this coming Tuesday. Pre-ordr in advance, or purchase in front of the in-store gets you priority entry and a poster from the event.

Buskefest 2010 -- FREE SHOWS

Buskerfest 2010
Saturday, August 28th - 5:00pm - Corner of 1st / Linden Downtown

I can hardly believe we're on the verge of Buskerfest, last year's fest was one of my favorite nights ever, so this year has a high mark to hit... and I'm not even worried about it. This year is feeling so spectacularly good already that it's like there is no pressure at all.

All we need for it to succeed is you, so please round up your friends and let's call it a date. This year's buskers are off the hook! How about Michael Silversmith, Korey Dane, Boris Smile, OO Soul, So Many Wizards, Sam Outlaw, 60 Watt Kid, New Fidelity, Chicano Batman, Fort Wife, We Barbarians, Jenny Stockdale, and Alicia Murphy? How about we add in a main stage featuring Jay Buchanan, Crystal Antlers, and a very triumphant return by Delta Spirit, who tore up the waterfront a few weeks ago?

It's like a sampler platter of all the sounds that make Long Beach great.

Buskerfest is another, and actually it's the final, free show of Summer and Music 2010.

We will begin distributing wooden nickels to attendees at 4:30 and the band who receives the most this year will receive a 5 day recording session at Long Beach's own Compound Recording Studio, which is something like a $5000 value. If they play their cards right, it's also enough time that we could be seeing a new album from any one of these bands in the very near-future.

If you're on facebook check out our event page for more info (and to let us know you're coming, which isn't required, but would be nice).

May 20, 2010

Everest -- FREE INSTORE

Everest - Free In-Store Performance
Saturday, May 22nd - Noon (List open now)

It's awfully tough to imagine a better way to spend a day than rocking ourselves silly with the canyon meets cosmic goodness of Everest. You may have caught them last year when they took the country by storm as Neil Young's opening band on his US tour (with Death Cab on the West Coast and Wilco on the East Coast). It was magical, and as good as this band has been for their run so far, playing big rooms and having to win them over every night has really brought it all together. This past week, the boys released their new album, On Approach, and the flurry of adjectives includes: bold, stratospheric, gorgeous, thumping, haunting, spacious, and rustic - and all of them are apparent on the first listen.

Currently on tour with Minus the Bear, Everest has generously agreed to come in for round two on our humble little stage. We've opened the guest list first come, first served. Purchase of On Approach gets you a poster and priority entry, but if you RSVP, we'll make sure you get into the event.

Please call or visit to RSVP - 562-433-4996

You can check out some samples at their myspace page.

Summer and Music

Summer and Music - Press Kick off
Thursday, May 27th 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Are you ready for the return of Summer and Music? We're prepping our media kick-off at Gladstones for this coming Thursday (5/27) beginning at 4:00pm. It's going to be an early-evening version of Derek Brown's Light Bulb Mouth Radio Hour starring last year's Buskerfest participant, Marika Dahlin and our latest local find, Korey Dane (see last week's emailer for a feature). Derek Brown will be the MC and Eitan Kadosh will be the Author/Poet (that's just changed). It's gonna be a swift kick of a cool party and we'd love to see you there. Space is limited, so if you'd like to join us please click over to SAM2010's facebook event page to RSVP.

Besides the great free entertainment, one of the things you'll hear about at this kick-off is our first event - Future Heroes. It hasn't been announced yet, but we'll tell you, because we know you'll help us get the word out. On Saturday, June 12, we (SAM) are super excited to report that we're going to officially kick-off the year with a show we're calling "Future Heroes" and it's gonna focus on a heaping helping of Local greatness. The bands for this little shindig are Deep Sea Diver (aka Jessica Dobson who plays with Beck, The Mystic Valley Band, and Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs), Jay Buchanan (of the honeyed pipes and aching soul, and the band Rival Sons), Korey Dane (who is an amazing local find), So Many Wizards (who've just release a stunning bound book of an ep, which is currently only available here at Fingerprints), and finally Boris Smile (featuring Avi Zahner-Isenberg of Avi Buffalo).

Both of these events are going to be fun (and free) evenings of music happening right here in our little corner of the Southern Cali landscape and they will both be better if you're there with us.