You know The Great 2013 U.S. East Coast Cicada Invasion is in full effect when local restaurants begin to tout cicada-centric menu items with hearty "if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em" gusto. For those unfamilar with the phenomenon, the Cicadageddon that emerges from the ground every seventeen years, North Carolina to New England, is a fleeting affair that has everything to do with sound and vision -- the pulsating reverberations of their billions-stong buzzworthy mating calls drowning out the din of daily life, outdoor concerts and all. But you don't have to live inside the E.C.C.S.Z. (East Coast Cicada Sex Zone) to get in on the sonic action as this sort of thing happens in other parts of the world and the well-traveled field recording gurus down at Sublime Frequencies want you to indulge your senses with their oh-so-timely vinyl release of Brokenhearted Dragonflies: Insect Electronica from Southeast Asia.


This limited edition LP pressing of the long out-of-print CD from 2004 presents for your listening pleasure the sounds of swarms of male dragonflies gathered together to join in choruses of high-pitched tones for one purpose: they're looking for sex. The ones that don't succeed in wooing and winning their mates eventually scream so loud that their chests explode and they drop dead to the ground, or so the legend goes. These recordings are a tribute to this legend.

Droning cicadas, dragonflies, and other insects display their charm as masters of the high frequency airwaves, recorded live and unprocessed by Tucker Martine in the lush settings of Laos, Thailand, and Burma -- the occasional thunderstorm included. Enter the supernatural world where entomology and electronica converge in a tropical hallucination of alien sound. Anyone who has ever wondered if these strange symphonies could be recorded or preserved as precisely as they sound in the field need look no further. Martine has done it and you will be transported to the exact experience one would encounter in these mysterious lowlands.

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The cat comes out of the bag with an in-store performance tonight at 7pm from Cats Who Will Eat Planets (try saying that 3 times fast).

This husband and wife duo are up and comers in the Los Angeles music scene with their awesome breed of goth/darkwave/industrial style music. They describe their musical endeavor as "...a frequency and a heartbeat of love and love's by product... hate. It is all of the above, forever evolving, and a roll off the tongue."

Take a listen to "Move On" from their album "The Macabre At Black Lake," and we'll see you at the shop at 7!

Knack.be
Third Man Records brengt legendarische platen van Sun Records opnieuw uit
Knack.be
Third Man Records, het platenlabel van muzikant Jack White (The White Stripes), werkt nu samen met Sun Records, en zal een reeks iconische platen uit de jaren 1950 van artiesten zoals Johnny Cash en Rufus Thomas, opnieuw releasen. In 1952 werd in ...

This Sunday (May 26th) Trannyshack, San Francisco's biggest drag club night, celebrates Memorial Day Weekend at the DNA Lounge with the biggest tribute night of all!

Yes, it will all be about the Material Girl with Madonna-inspired performances from Heklina, Exhibit Q., Raya Light, Cookie Dough, Becky Motorlodge, Lindsay Slowhands, Miss Rahni, and more!

Doors open at 9:30pm and the show starts at 11pm. Get advance tickets HERE!

 

Well look at that! This doesn't happen too often! We actually have a small part-time position available here at OV!
Are you interested in becoming part of our family? We are looking for someone that is excited, motivated, likes to have fun at work, and can handle doing 80 things at the same time without becoming a stress monster. Is that you? If you are reading this then you probably know a little bit about us, but really quickly here are the bullet points: - We started as a small LA focused record label in 2007 - The Origami Vinyl shop in Echo Park opened in 2009 - Our shop dog, Ali, loves giving guests hugs - We have 5 people that work at OV and are like family. We buy each other coffee and give each other so many high fives our hands are calloused. - We host a weekly Record Club night at El Prado on Tuesdays - We present many shows across town with our good buddies FYF, The Echo/Echoplex, Goldenvoice and others. - Our favorite snack attacks are Lays Limon potato chips, gelato, chocolate chip cookies, and trail mix.
The position we are looking to fill will be a small part-time position. You will be guaranteed one weekly 3 hour shift on Sunday evenings. You will also get first dibs on all shifts that need to be covered if an employee goes on tour, gets food poisoning from a danger dog, or cannot stand to miss the upcoming Wang Chung reunion tour. We will also require you to work at events like Echo Park Rising, FYF Fest, Record Store Day, and our favorite, inventory day. You may also be asked to DJ with us at Record Club or out on the town. Yeah, pretty rough so far right?
Here's the skill set you need: - Knowledge of music. You don't need to be an encyclopedia but you gotta know what's up, have an opinion and be willing to share, and have a good foothold on our local music scene. - Retail experience. It's not a deal-breaker, but it sure is a plus if you've worked a cash register before - Outgoing. Fun to be around. Positive. Not a stress monger. Get it? We like to have fun times, not drama times. - Multi-tasker. We do a lot of different things. It's not just ringing up a customer. You may have a line of peeps buying tickets, the phone ringing like crazy. A customer asking for your recommendations. A band loading in for an in-store. And some contest you need to post on twitter. Can you handle that? Because it happens...a lot. - Motivated. We want someone that is excited to be here. That has ideas. That does more than we ask. We have our fingers in lots of different things so we need someone that gets stoked to work on projects and brings creativity to OV. - Not in a band. Sorry we love you guys, but we already have 2 of these types of people in the shop and they can be divas with their schedules (just kidding Sean and Angel!) So yea, this position will be counted on to cover shifts for them and to have another person with a band schedule to work around would be too hard to cope with. 
So yea that's about it. We know it is only one day a week. But if you kick butt, there is a greater opportunity here. We have big ideas and we need good people to help us build them. Its rare that an opening is available at OV because we love working here. 
If this sounds like something you are down to be a part of please submit your resume to neil@origamiorigami.com  We will review all resumes and schedule interviews for next week.
Good luck and thanks for your interest in being a part of OV!
Neil, Sean, Emily, Angel, and Christine

Amoeba Music has an array of collectibles available, from rare LPs lining the walls of all three stores to Amoeba Hollywood's display cases by the stairs, by the registers and at the back of the store, and Amoeba SF's brand new display cases, located by the books section.

Our collectibles range from discontinued toys and hard-to-find promo items to signed books and merchandise. At Amoeba Hollywood you'll find rarities such as an Elvis trivia game ($15); Beach Boys paraphernalia, including a Brian Wilson promo pennant ($25) and Beach Boys Mojo magazine ($20); a book of Led Zeppelin guitar tablature ($60); a Smiths Tapes limited edition box set ($280); Ravi Shankar’s autobiography Raga Mala, signed by Shankar ($200); and Beatles goods galore.

If you can’t make it into the store, there’s always our online Merchandise section, with Amoeba swag, rare posters and books, and more. See our currently featured items here. And if you need extra cash or credit for those rare items, don't forget we're always looking for your used CDs and LPs, and you'll get 30% more value if you trade in for credit.

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Exclaim! (blog)
Third Man Records to Release Posthumous RockFire Funk Express 7-Inch and ...
Nashville Scene (blog)
Rock star renaissance man Jack White is good at great many things. Using his cultural-icon currency and extending his coattails to give lesser-known artists of note — from up-and-coming locals to tragically under-exposed underground legends — is ...
Third Man Records Digs Up Unreleased Material from Pre-Death Band RockFire ...Exclaim! (blog)

all 2 news articles »

Laura Marling visited Amoeba Hollywood May 20, on the eve of releasing her latest album, Once I Was an Eagle. Appearing solo, she demonstrated the range and power of her deep, droning strum and her voice, which she wields magnificently, going from a high, quavering coo to deeply intoned phrases that land like a dull arrow to the heart. "Damn all those people who don't lose control" she sang in passionate monotone on her extended opening track, "You Know," immediately drawing in the sizable crowd gathered to see her. She pulled out bluesy riffs for "Master Hunter," which spurns a would-be lover by turning around a key Dylan phrase — "if you want a woman who can call your name, it ain’t me, babe."

Her next song belied its sweet melody and charming country arrangement with dark lyrics about depression and loneliness ("I couldn't get out of bed, I was all in my head" she sings before warning her paramour, "just don't go bleedin' me dry"). Marling expressed her excitement about playing Amoeba, saying it even surpassed playing L.A. for the first time, at acoustic music haven Hotel Cafe, and said she'd bought a psychobilly comp at the store. Her next song, a languid, prairie ballad saw her calling to mind Emmylou Harris-style heartbreak. On her closing track, Marling took listeners on a more serene journey, chanting "pray for me" over a steady jangle, channeling quiet pain into exquisitely lovely music.

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Exclaim! (blog)
Third Man Records Digs Up Unreleased Material from Pre-Death Band RockFire ...
Exclaim! (blog)
By Alex HudsonThird Man Records has gotten into the reissue game as of late, having recently released archival recordings from Sun Records, the early blues era, and Public Nuisance. Now, Jack White's label is looking to the past once again and dropping ...
Third Man Records to Release Posthumous RockFire Funk Express 7-Inch and ...Nashville Scene (blog)

all 2 news articles »

Crocodiles Announce New Album, Premiere ‘Cockroach’

Though they just released their last album, the fine Endless Flowers, last year, San Diego-bred rockers Crocodiles are already back with a new album. Fans of loud, creeping, melodic rock rejoice! “Cockroach” is already up for streaming via Stereogum. The Raveonettes’ Sune Rose Wagner adds extra noisy strut as producer. It’s from Crimes of Passion, due Aug. 20 on French Kiss.

 

 

 

 

Sonny & the Sunsets – “Palmreader”

Sonny & the Sunsets have premiered the third single from their upcoming Antenna to the Afterworld (due June 11 on Polyvinyl) and it’s another winner, full of gleaming synthesizers, grimy guitars and a beachside attitude. It’s like a perfect California afternoon captured in a song, with a shivers-inducing chorus. Sounds like Antenna to the Afterworld is gonna be one of the albums of the summer.

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Lalo Alcaraz is a Mexican-American award-winning editorial cartoonist and the creator and author of the first nationally syndicated politically themed Latino comic strip, La Cucaracha. A leading figure in the Chicano community, Alcaraz contributes political cartoons for the LA Weekly publication and hosts the Pocho Hour of Power radio program for KPFK 90.7fm in Los Angeles. 

Lalo Alcaraz's work has appeared in the New York Times, Village Voice,  Los Angeles Times, Variety, Hispanic Magazine, Latina Magazine, Mexico’s La Jornada, Germany’s BUNTE and many other publications. He and his work have been featured on CNN, the CBS Evening News, ABC, NBC, Univision, Telemundo, PBS, Al-Jazeera TV, NPR, and on Spain’s Radio Nacional de España. Alcaraz has also been featured by Rolling Stone Magazine, Los Angeles Magazine, Associated Press, Editor & Publisher and profiled extensively in the Comics Journal.

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Hip-hop folkie McKenzie Eddy opens new music venue, gallery
Charleston City Paper (blog)
Eddy hopes to release the collection this summer. As for King Dusko, Eddy hopes to begin pressing vinyl at the venue and releasing records to the public, much like Jack White's Third Man Records shop in Nashville. Tags: McKenzie Eddy, King Dusko, Angie ...

It's that time of year — spring cleaning! Time to get rid of the old and usher in the new.

Amoeba Music is gonna help you out by taking those dusty CDs and LPs off your hands. Bring in your old stuff and get cash or 30% more value in a credit slip that you can use to shop whenever you like. Right now we're especially looking for those used CDs, so bring them in and trade up to vinyl, MP3 or whatever your preferred format. See our price breakdown here; we pay anywhere from 10 cents to $5 for used CDs, depending on condition and desirability.

Come to the buy counter in the front of the store and see what our expert appraisers have in store for your collection. And if you're looking for something other than media to use that credit on, Amoeba Music has a bevy of books, T-shirts, posters, collectibles and other goodies on hand throughout the store.

Check here for more information about Amoeba's buy counters, including hours per location.

 

  Midtown Bike Rack This Week Before Been Loaded For New NYC Bike-Share Program

The good news from New York City this week is that, following a few false starts of promising good weather following an elongated winter that cut into spring weather, the warm weather has finally arrived and looks set to stay. The bad news of the past week is that, despite all of the advances in human rights especially in this incredibly diverse heavily populated city, that hate crimes are reportedly on the rise - a sad reality that was brought to light over the weekend when a gay man was shot and killed in Greenwich Village in an apparent hate crime. The tragic irony of this unprovoked cold blooded murder was that it occurred just a few short blocks from the Stonewall Inn - the landmark of the beginning of gay rights revolution - when, according to NYPD, 32 year old Harlem born Brooklyn resident Mark Carson was fatally shot in the face with a .38 caliber revolver by homophobic slur throwing 33 year old Manhattan ex-con Elliot Morales who has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime. This hate crime, according to NYPD records, is the 29th (reported) anti-gay bias attack this year in the city - a startling statistic since that is over double the number for the same period in 2012. In reaction to this fact, and following this latest hate crime, on Monday (May 20th) thousands of New Yorkers, including some Pols, took to the streets to march in protest. The rally was organized by openly gay City Council Speaker/mayoral candidate Christine Quinn who promised both a new anti-hate initiative in NYC public schools and increased NYPD presence in both the heavily gay populated Greenwich Village and Chelsea districts.

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  Midtown Bike Rack This Week Before Been Loaded For New NYC Bike-Share Program

The good news from New York City this week is that, following a few false starts of promising good weather following an elongated winter that cut into spring weather, the warm weather has finally arrived and looks set to stay. The bad news of the past week is that, despite all of the advances in human rights especially in this incredibly diverse heavily populated city, that hate crimes are reportedly on the rise - a sad reality that was brought to light over the weekend when a gay man was shot and killed in Greenwich Village in an apparent hate crime. The tragic irony of this unprovoked cold blooded murder was that it occurred just a few short blocks from the Stonewall Inn - the landmark of the beginning of gay rights revolution - when, according to NYPD, 32 year old Harlem born Brooklyn resident Mark Carson was fatally shot in the face with a .38 caliber revolver by homophobic slur throwing 33 year old Manhattan ex-con Elliot Morales who has been charged with second-degree murder as a hate crime. This hate crime, according to NYPD records, is the 24th (reported) anti-gay bias attack this year in the city - a startling statistic since that is almost double the number for the same period in 2012. In reaction to this fact, and following this latest hate crime, on Monday (May 20th) thousands of New Yorkers, including some Pols, took to the streets to march in protest. The rally was organized by openly gay City Council Speaker/mayoral candidate Christine Quinn who promised both a new anti-hate initiative in NYC public schools and increased NYPD presence in both the heavily gay populated Greenwich Village and Chelsea districts.

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Stellar Om Source

Elite Excel

RVNG Intl.

Teaser 12-inch for Christine Gualdi's upcoming LP on New York institution RVNG Intl (Max D, Blondes, Sun Araw/Congos). Stellar Om Source's recent Image over Image 12" saw her integrating tough beats into her synth vistas -  on Elite Excel, Gualdi combines raw, adroit drum programming with the time-warp qualities of her earlier work. Everything is in its right place - at 2:30 a pristine C2-esque synth vamp emerges over the hazy acid. The momentum picks up as the track spans on, Gualdi continuing to strike the balance between rough acid techno and synthetic mind-music. The remix finds Kassem Mosse  exploring the cubist funk he pulled off so well on 2D. Buy Elite Excel

Kyle Hall

The Boat Party

Wild Oats

Assured full-length debut from the producer whom many expect to carry Detroit's legacy forwards. What's on display here is not a producer buckling under decades of dance music history, rather, a singular talent who began his career taking risks and continues to double-down. KMFH's use of isolators is unparalleled. The first half of this album holds skittering drum tracks, yet remains compelling due to Hall's nuanced filtering and effects work. "Flemmenup" welds the recent footwork fixation onto classic Detroit electro-styles, while "Crushed" shows the producer can cut a sample alongside legends like KDJ and Terrence Parker. "Finnapop" is a Dancemania tribute which ends in a solid 2:30 minutes of spooling noise, emphasizing the experimental nature of Hall's production and listening (Hall enjoys shopping for outre records at Windy and Carl's "Stormy" records). The final track, "Measure 2 Measure" shows Hall effortless skating around a pair of soul samples, juggling insane hi-hats and morphing the soaring female vocal into an endless, abstract delay trail. There is a perfect sloppiness to what Hall does on the record, light years away from marathon Ableton sculpting sessions.

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Since news first broke yesterday of the passing of legendary rock keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who co-founded The Doors in 1965 with Jim Morrison, people have been playing Doors music and sending out tributes. I never realized just how many people loved the Doors so much but such is the sign of a truly great band. Some people, upon hearing the news at first, didn't believe it and questioned if it was a hoax. Such is the ere we live in. But soon everyone found out that sadly the news was no hoax and that the greatly admired musician/author/film director, who maintained a consistent passion for his art throughout his life, had left this earth. Yesterday, Monday May 20th, the South Chicago born Manzarek died at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany following a battle with bile-duct cancer. Manzarek was 74.

While Jim Morrison - the late great vocalist and front man of The Doors - might be the first one to come to mind when the average person thinks of the Doors it was the blues rooted keyboard playing of Manzarek and his signature hooks, that also doubled as the bass backbone of the group's sound, that helped distinguish the Doors' warm sound. And the fact that the Doors even came about in the first place is thanks to Manzarek's intuition and foresight. As the story goes; following a chance encounter on Venice Beach with Morrison, who he first met at UCLA before the two film students had graduated, Manzarek convinced the future Doors front man, who considered himself a poet and not a musician, that his poems/songs would be best presented with the backing of a blues-based rock band. And the rest as they say is rock n roll history. Manzarek's soulful musicianship was instrumental in defining such Doors classics as “Light My Fire,” “Riders on the Storm,” “Love Her Madly,” and (my personal favorite) “Roadhouse Blues.”

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Wah Chang was a Chinese-American artist and prop designer. Today he’s most recognized for his iconic designs on the television series Star Trek. He was born on this day in 1917 and with that in mind, it being Asian-Pacific Heritage Month, me planning on going to see the Star Trek Into Darkness tonight, and The Wrath of Khan on in the background, now seems like a good time to reflect on his genius.


EARLY LIFE

Wah Ming Chang (鄭華明) was born 2 August, 1917 in Honolulu, when Hawai’i was still a territory. His father, Dai Song Chang, owned an art store and framing gallery. The Chang family moved to San Francisco in 1919 and the parents opened Ho Ho Tea Room on 315 Sutter Street, which quickly became a popular hangout for artists and bohemians. Wah’s mother, Fai Sue, was an artist and graduate of the California School of Arts and Crafts. As a young child, Wah also displayed a talent for art and at seven, he began a tutelage under artist Blanding Sloan. Wah had his first solo gallery show when he was just nine years old. His mother passed away when he was eleven and his father moved to Europe, leaving the child with Sloan and his wife, Mildred Taylor. Taylor, was a feminist writer, organizer and lecturer who in the 1920s displayed a strikingly non-stereotypical interest in East Asian cultures. Taylor introduced Wah to puppet-making, a skill which he would employ when he eventually began working in film.

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The UK pop leaning garage duo Disclosure, made up of multi-instrumentalist brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, are bringing their infectious UK garage and 2-step sound stateside! See them play an intimate show in the courtyard at Space15Twenty (across from Amoeba Hollywood) to celebrate their new album Settle (Cherrytree/Interscope; out June 11th on CD, June 18th on LP). 

Get a free ticket to this intimate, all-ages show by pre-ordering Settle in-store at Amoeba Hollywood beginning Thursday, May 23. Limit 2 purchases / 2 tickets per person. No phone or online orders available for this show - you've gotta come into Amoeba Hollywood to snag a ticket. But don't hesitate because quantities are limited.

What:  Disclosure live at Space 15Twenty

When: Thursday, May 30 at 8pm

Where: Space 15Twenty (1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd, LA, CA 90028)

How: Pre-order new album Settle on CD ($12.98) or LP ($29.98) in-store at Amoeba Hollywood starting Thursday, May 23. Limit 2 purchases / 2 tickets per person. Quantities are limited. No phone orders or online orders for this event.

CDs and LPs pre-purchased will be available for pick up at Amoeba Hollywood beginning June 11th (CD pre-orders) and June 18th (LP pre-orders). Retain your receipt and numbered ticket to pick up yours. No replacement for lost/stolen tickets.

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