Nu Rave Brain Wave

PRPS and Ron Herman present a special live musical performance by indie rock darlings The Dandy Warhols in celebration of Fashions Night Out Los Angeles. As a part of Vogue’s global initiative to celebrate fashion and promote retail, this highly anticipated Los Angeles shopping night will feature exciting showcases from renowned LA designers, photographers, and artists all under one roof.

Special fashion initiatives and appearances from brands such as J Brand, Levis, Monrow, PRPS, Taylor Jacobson for Kasil, Chan Luu, Oliver Peoples, Quicksilver, G Shock, Urban Ears, Ever, Spirit Hoods, Sjobeck and Lightning Bolt.
Visit the famous Magnolia Bakery Pop Up Shop upstairs at Ron Herman and drinks sponsored by Basement Tavern.

The Dandy Warhols
Taylor Jacobson from the Rachel Zoe Project
Shanna Moakler
Holly Robinson Peete
Mark Mothersbaugh
Garth Trinidad
Camryn Manheim
Members from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

I’ve been scouring the internet for real details for the past few days, but can’t seem to figure out if this is free, when the bands go on, etc but if I find anything out within the next few hours I’ll post here!

One of our all-time favorites, the Raveonettes, magically covered the Stone Roses classic ‘I Wanna Be Adored’. Colette’s darlings, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, did ‘Dirty Old Town’ which you can view here

mp3 | The Raveonettes - The Christmas Song

I’m returning from my blogging hiatus to report some very very sad news I’ve just heard. Michael Been, father of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club‘s Robert Been and also the band’s sound technician, has just passed away. He wasn’t just the man behind the scenes making our favorite band sound amazing–anybody who follows BRMC knows Michael Been as a fixture on their tour circuits. Every time I saw him (which, people, is many times) he was always smiling, chatting, hugging fans, just as friendly as can be. Truly a great loss.

Official statement from the organizer of Pukkelpop (where Michael Been took ill)

Salvator hospital in Hasselt has just notified us of the death of Michael Been, soundtechnician and father of bassplayer Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

He was taken ill in the backstage area. First aid was immediately administrated and the Red Cross and medical urgence teams were immediately at the scene. He was reanimated all the way to the Salvator hospital in Hasselt. Victim aid is at the moment standing by members of the band and their crew. Michael Been became 60 years old.

Our thoughts and sympathies go out to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, their family and friends.

Chokri Mahassine,
organisator of Pukkelpop, Belgium

Picture courtesy of Patrice Jackson.

NRBW Favorite Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, on the heels of their current UK tour, announce some more UK dates. These dudes just don’t know how to stop do they? Catch them below and talk to Colette about how great they are.

Nottingham Rock City (December 3)
Manchester Academy (5)
Glasgow Academy (6)
Birmingham Academy (7)
Norwich UEA (9)
Bristol Academy (10)
London O2 Academy Brixton (11)

mp3 | Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil’s Tattoo

I’m writing this on a train to Austin, TX while sipping on a gin and tonic (first of many, for sure) made by a very very friendly bartender, and since I have a good, oh, 38 more hours to go I figure now is as good a time as ever to write y’all a little review of my past 3 days of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club shows. Yes, 3 nights in a row! Shit, yo, this girl is obsessed! Duh! I know that. And I’m not even the worst of the lot. Oh, and no amount of “anonymous” commenters sending me negative reviews of Beat the Devil’s Tattoo will make me NOT love this band, so just give up “Bob Dylan”. We’re really supposed to trust Pitchfork, PITCHFORK? to tell us what to listen to? This is the website that gave Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space a 7.3 and the new Titus Andronicus record an 8.7. Yeah, okay.

So, nights 1 and 2 at the Echoplex. Proper BRMC shows back in the homeland! Fuck yeah! Both nights I perched myself on an amp case right in front of Peter Hayes (who must be tired of my happy little face by now) and waited eagerly to see my favorite non-Oasis band for the first time in almost a year and a half! Both shows opened with new songs War Machine and Mama Taught Me Better and then faded into Love Burns. But BRMC have never been a band to stick to a formulated, predictable set-list night after night, thank GOD because we all know how boring that can get, even with our favorite favorite bands. Sure, each night we got the old and new Black Rebel standards—we all stomped our boots along to Ain’t No Easy Way and Shuffle Your Feet, we fist-pumped and hair-shook (hair-shaked?) through Spread Your Love, were sent into a hypnotic state by the dripping sensuality of 666 Conducer, we totally enjoyed the sex noises during Berlin (COME ON LADIES SOMEBODY HAD TO SAY IT)—but aside from those predicted songs, there were a few surprises. Screaming Gun on night 2 had to be the highlight of the evening for me. No doubt at all that this started off as Brian Jonestown Massacre song (listen carefully right before they get pulled over in DiG!). White Palms and As Sure as the Sun were the crowd-pleasers on night 1 and Steal a Ride and Rifles shimmied their way back onto the setlist on night 2.

We got the individual acoustic numbers—Mercy, Sympathetic Noose, Visions of Johanna and The Toll. The Toll was debuted at shows back in the summer of 2008 and when it appeared on Beat the Devil’s Tattoo this year it had been fleshed out with some backing vocals and a shimmering intro that, in my opinion, sort of took away from the heart-wrenching simplicity and emotion of Peter’s voice. But he played it these past few nights just as it sounded two years ago, much to my delight. Big ol’ softies wrapped in black leather jackets and heavy boots.

God, this is getting long-winded. Sorry. But there is just so much to cover in 3 nights, and this is a long train ride. Saturday the 13th in San Diego at the House of Blues…well, there are two ingredients in a recipe for disaster—NOT that the show was disastrous in the slightest, but the crowd had a few too many bros and, you know, the type of people that think the House of Blues is really really cool even though it is the worst chain of concert venues in existence. During a quiet part of one song some bozo yelled out “HAVE SEX WITH MY SISTER!” um, what? Ew! Inappropriate on so many levels. Get out!

I will do you all a favor and wrap this up now, but I just want to say this—if you love a band, who cares what anybody says! See em once or twice or 3 times in a row, see em all over the damn country or the whole world if you’re so inclined. Make friends in line and bring them along for the ride. I’m sure that’s how the tight-knit BRMC fan community got started and it is a really, really wonderful thing. Good night everybody and we’ll see you at SXSW!

I would also like to add that the people at Pitchfork are (still) jerks.

March 4th @ The Record Exchange [Boise, ID]
March 10th @ Amoeba [San Francisco, CA]
March 12th @ Amoeba [Hollywood, CA]

“PLEASE REPOST THIS: The band’s personal storage locker was broken into and Michael Been’s (Robert’s dad and our sound man) had his vintage equipment stolen. Items were 1954 Fender Esquire (Yellow with Black Pick Guard), 1968 Ampeg Scrolltop Fretless Bass, 1964 Black Fender Precision Bass and a 1968 Gretsch Country Gentleman Single Cutaway. Please repost this and help spread the word – these items were extremely personal and the band, Michael, crew and management are devastated over this brazen act. Thank you.”

Hunt this bastard down, BRMC army.

What do you guys think?