photos by Eric Townsend

"I hope he adds a fourth too," I exclaimed when the third Jon Brion show at Le Poisson Rouge was announced. That third show was last night (10/4), and today our wish came true! Brion has added a fourth (and final?) show Le Poisson Rouge on 10/9 (four days from now). Tickets are on sale. I hope he adds a fifth! (it worked last time!)

Brion's three performances at the venue so far were with October 2nd, 3rd & 4th. On the third he was joined by female indie hip hop artist K-Flay. Pictures from that show are in this post along with videos from two of the shows and the 10/2 setlist.

Not long before Brion got to NYC to play LPR (his new NYC regular spot?), he played a show at his regular LA spot the Largo (on 9/30):

Jon picked up an acoustic guitar for the next couple of tracks: first, the Smiths, trailed by his own song. Then he asked for requests. Alas, I didn't get one in this evening -- that is, I tried, but it didn't make the cut. (Come on, there's gotta be another "Boys of Summer" fan lurking in the readership!) As for Jon's final selection, I'm going on context clues because I can proudly say I've never listened to "Freebird." But after hearing the audience shout-out and Jon's fair warning at the outset of the performance (on vibes, by the way), then seeing him flip off the requester at the end of the tune, I put the pieces together.

The next choice was Jon's, as he built up "Walking Through Walls," but this wasn't any old performance -- it brought out Grant-Lee Phillips from the shadows! Matt Chamberlain was also called to the stage, but he didn't actually show up. I would've welcomed his appearance, but honestly, Jon and Grant are all you need to know for a good time (though it never hurts if, say, Robyn Hitchcock hangs around too).

Grant's first two songs were both Bowie tracks, but only one ("Cracked Actor") was delivered in anything resembling a traditional approach. The other selection was channeled through Willie Nelson, which should be familiar to anyone who's seen Grant at Aimee Mann's Christmas shows. Grant called it Willie Stardust, aka the Thin White Red Headed Stranger, and you could barely believe your ears as he works both characters at the same time.-[easily fooled]

Continue reading "Jon Brion played 3 nights @ Le Poisson Rouge (pics, video, setlist), adds 4th show!"

Henry Rollins, whose only upcoming 2010 show is a sort of live radio-but-not-radio KCRW show at the Echoplex in LA on December 9th, is turning 50 on February 13th, 2011. And to celebrate he'll be going out on spoken word tour entitled "50". All dates aren't announced yet, but they will include a special 50th birthday event in Henry's native Washington, DC on February 13, sandwiched between multiple-night runs at Joe's Pub in New York (February 8-12) and Largo in Los Angeles (February 16-19).

$35 tickets for the five NYC shows go on sale Friday, December 3rd, at noon - online and at the box office (or at 212-967-7555). "Hipster elite" beware.

In related stuff, check out part one of our interview w/ Keith Morris & Dimitri Coats. Part two is on the way.

Largo, which will shutter its 120-seat Fairfax Avenue location after a final comedy show Monday (May 5th), will open June 2 at the Coronet Theater space on La Cienega. Aimee Mann, who will release an album June 3, will be the first performer.

The Conga Room, which presented Latin artists for 8½ years in a mid-Wilshire location before closing in May 2006, has Nov. 14 circled for its opening in the L.A. Live complex across the courtyard from the Nokia Theater. Jimmy Smits, Jennifer Lopez, Paul Rodriguez and Sheila E. are still among the co-owners of the venue, which will boast a 1,000-capacity club and a 100-seat restaurant in addition to a VIP lounge. [Variety]

ALSO: "A movie about Largo is scheduled to come out in 2008, directed by Flanagan and Andrew van Baal. It features the musicians Colin Hay, Grant Lee Phillips, David Garza, and Aimee Mann, and the stand-up comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Patton Oswalt, Zach Galifianakis, Louis C.K., Greg Proops, and Sarah Silverman.", says Wikipedia.