Westsiders with a taste for live music who dread penetrating the rock-club bottleneck of the Strip, the alt-pop lounges of Silver Lake and Echo Park, or downtown's urban hipster zone might view this almost forlorn stretch of Wilshire Boulevard as an oasis of easy access and plentiful parking.
Organized by musicians John Jones and Kim Crain via jjsongsalon.com, Monday Music Night , which they have never advertised, attracts a motley crew of wannabes, has-beens, industryites and some surprisingly compelling talent, considering there's no cover. The performers span the spectrum from goth-country siren Lynda Kay, with her towering beehive and David Lynchian theatrics, to the stark, confessional songs of Caroline Waters.
Last Monday was particularly notable, with the bands Piel and Kid Theodore seemingly ready for cameos in CW shows such as “Gossip Girl" and “90210" or any music supervisor on the lookout for punchy pop and youthful magnetism.
L.A.-based Piel -- whose lead singer, Chicago transplant Tiki Lewis, touts supermodel looks and a sinewy voice that ranges from a whisper to a scream -- recalls bands like Blondie, which it cites as an influence, and the late, great Sugarcubes, with its atmospheric, neo-new wave sonic assault.
Kid Theodore, which has appeared at SXSW and was chosen by Billboard in 2008 as the No. 1 indie band in the western U.S., has been compared to the Cold War Kids. The band's infectious, hook-laden licks had the people at Life bouncing in front of the stage.
Crain and Jones, a Grammy-winning producer who has collaborated with such artists as Celine Dion and Duran Duran, curate the weekly affair based on their extensive contacts in the biz, from in-demand guitarists such as Yogi Lonich (Buckcherry, Chris Cornell, Seal) and Brian Ray (Paul McCartney) to drummer Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty). Often they'll get tips from fellow musicians on tour about opening acts, or somebody will pass them a demo. There's no science to the booking, with the pair often flying by the seat of their pants to fill the bill at the 11th hour.
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