Photos from Jonathan Wilson’s headlining show at the Troubadour on Dec 7th. Check out more photos, taken by Jenna Bonenfant, after the jump.

Photos from the Jonathan Wilson and Dawes show, with special guest Jackson Browne, on July 19th at the Slaughtered Lamb in London. The boys are currently serving as Browne’s touring band, but stopped in London for these special shows in honor of Jonathan Wilson’s new record, Gentle Spirit (out August 8th via Bella Union). Dawes opened up the show and then were joined by Jonathan Wilson for his portion of the evening. Browne came out towards the end of Wilson’s set and performed on a couple of Wilson’s songs, before launching into some of his own, including “Take It Easy” and “These Days”.

The Slaughtered Lamb is an extremely intimate venue (everyone was sitting around on couches), and to see a legend like Browne in a space that small was absolutely astounding. Also apparent was the admiration, love and respect that these musicians had for each other. You could tell Browne adored the boys music just as much as they revered his. An incredible evening all around. Thanks to Will Rees for putting it on. More photos and a clip of the group singing “These Days” from the following evening’s show at the Borderline are after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.Jackson Browne, Jonathan Wilson and Dawes- These Days

Thanks to everyone who came out to the sold out When You Awake Present’s Akron/Family show last week at the Echo. More photos from the evening, by Hagop Kalaidjian, are after the jump.

The Satellite was abuzz last Friday night.  Having recovered (mostly) from our post-SXSW hangovers, dankovers and Texas heat exhaustion, the energy of our favorite glitter-curtained venue had us clapping, cheering and swooning from opener(s) to headliner, Sharon Van Etten. Read more after the jump.

Seattle add-ons Ivan & Aloysa provided a youthful bounce to those devoted enough to arrive early.   Propelled by songwriting reminiscent of the harmony-infused nature rock of the Pacific Northwest, the group’s heel stomps and cathartic guitar lines got even us “arms folded” Los Angeles natives to clap to the goddamn beat.

Next, Little Scream—a Montreal-based project spearheaded by magnetic frontwoman and songwriter/guitarist Laurel Sprengelmeyer—made no delay in melting our unsuspecting faces off.  The songs played out in fits and starts, like barrages of fists attacking at one moment and relenting the next.  Sprengelmeyer (in heels, no less, by necessity due to the need to quickly access buttons on her extensive pedal board) wrangled her instrument like an unbroken horse, gripping it with focused ferocity, while the accompanying two members blended violin swirls with accented drum flourishes.  Little Scream is a surrealist freakout—an indulgence for the senses.

And then the room seemed to suddenly fill in every annex as our hero for the evening, soft-spoken Sharon Van Etten took the stage.  Given to self-deprecating stage banter, Etten’s greatest strength is her willingness to be vulnerable with the audience.  She seems overcome by an internal spirit when singing, her jazz/folk toned voice bellowing in transcendent arcs, her eyes rolling in the back of her head like a transfixed healer.   And yet only moments later she can confess: “This song is dedicated to Kurt Russell.  Don’t tell my Mom I said that.”

And it’s this no-pretense presence that allows her songs to carry on repetitive chord progressions, their deliberate order somehow hypnotizing the listener deeper into the rawness of lyrics.  Supported by an air-tight rhythm section, the only elements missed were the complex vocal harmonies from the recordings. Closing out the night, our lady returned for a final Encore, taking solo guitar requests of the audience’s choosing.  The strength of her appeal—a communication of deep set personal pain as a means to overcome—was only further highlighted when the music was stripped to its naked essence.  We couldn’t help but cheer.  The woman is just too damn genuine. Note: She’ll be returning to Los Angeles in September (Sunday, September 11 to be exact) for another KCRW sponsored event—this time at the Hollywood Bowl alongside The National and Neko Case. More info about that show is here.  Photos by Jon Mackey.

Admittedly knowing little in advance about Danish band Efterklang, I was convinced by a friend and die hard fan to check out their recent sold out show in London at Scala. From the minute the event kicked off with a screening of their new documentary, a collaboration between the band and renowned filmmaker Vincent Moon called An Island, to their brilliant set that inspired numerous members of the audience to lift their hands up to the heavens, I can say those boys impressed. In fact, the night left me with such a high that when I realized I had lost my credit card, debit card, driver’s license AND oyster card, I didn’t even blink an eye. If that’s not a testament to the power of Efterklang, I don’t know what is. More photos are after the jump.

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Photos from When You Awake’s Free For All Festival that took place on Sunday night. Check out more pictures from the evening, by our lovely photographers India Brookover (IB) and Hagop Kalaidjian (HK), after the jump. For the complete set, including some sweet face painting shots, visit our Facebook page.
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Dreamcatcher (IB)

Dreamcatcher (IB)

Dreamcatcher (IB)

Roadside Graves (IB)

Roadside Graves (IB)

Bad Weather California (IB)

Bad Weather California (IB)

Don Juan Y Los Blancos (IB)

Don Juan Y Los Blancos (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Old Man Markely (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Mouse Heaven (IB)

Smart Brothers (IB)

Frank Fairfield (IB)

Frank Fairfield (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Sean Hayes (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Hi Ho Silver Oh (IB)

Hi Ho Silver Oh (IB)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family

Akron/Family (HK)

The Crowd:

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(HK)

(HK)

Festival Organizer Jody, Langhorne Slim and Zach from Dustbowl Revival

Festival Organizer Bobby and Phil (HK)

Thanks for donating! (HK)

Since I couldn’t make it up to Portland’s Pickathon this year (aka my favorite music festival in the country…seriously, it broke my heart), When You Awake reader Tim Marvin was gracious enough to share his experiences and photos from the fest with us. Check it out below. Thanks Tim!

Pendarvis Farm

What happens when you mix hippies, hipsters, hillbillies and a strong showing of cowboy boots? Apparently, Pickathon. Having sworn off festivals about seven years ago- too much money, too many people, too far from the stage, and the whole stinky shitters problem – the rumors of Pickathons past wore away at me to try one more time, but I was still skeptical.

Langhorne Slim

Just outside of Portland, Ore. on Pendarvis Farm, with camping in the woods and a lineup including some of the best indie roots music in the country-, I finally broke. Still, I swore if one dreadlocked kid with a pit bull asked me for money to bail their friend out of jail I would be out of there faster than a Frank Fairfield banjo roll. Thankfully, the closest thing I saw to a pit bull was someone from the farm riding a horse bareback – Hell Yeah.

Frank Fairfield and Blind Boy Paxton

The folks at Pickathon 2010 did it pretty right, living up to the rumors. I would have been happy just seeing Bonnie Prince Billy and Frank Fairfield playing multiple sets – I figured that anyone who was hip enough to put those two on the same bill had my musical tastes nailed to the door – but with six stages throughout the farm, Pickathon managed to hit just about every genre of roots music.

The Cardboard Songsters

Though to be honest, when folks built a stage in the woods among old growth trees, they sealed my fate as to who I would be catching. I didn’t move from my hay bale in front of the Woods Stage on Saturday where things started off quirky and whimsical with the Saturday Morning Cartoons by the Cardboard Songsters. The laid back vibe in the woods seemed to give the artists an easy feeling too as Frank Fairfield heckled Blind Boy Paxton from the audience to which Paxton responded by announcing the title of his next album, “Songs That Make White People Uncomfortable”.

Little Wings

Bonnie Prince Billie sat around watching Little Wings play a wandering magical set. Megafaun blew everyone away when they left the stage to come play a couple of acoustic ditties in the audience. During Bonnie Prince’s set, me and some new pals got communal on a watermelon and had a nice talk about the swarms of ladies that came to see Langhorne Slim. That night as we wandered through the lit trails, we came upon Frank Fairfield and the fellas from the Dust Busters (I believe) picking in the parking lot.  I also caught Michel Hurley three times, once in the woods, in the barn, and one more time in another barn- really that guy is a treasure.

The Crowd

Fact is, you could plop yourself down anywhere at Pickathon and see someone worth looking at twice. Artists walking through to catch other artists and, of course, the cavalcade of style. Seriously, I have seen fewer Wrangler shirts and pretty girls with boots on at the rodeo. People looked good, really good. As one particularly lovely lady put it “Seeing all these people dressed to the nines makes me wish I left my boyfriend at home.” The photos with my crappy digital camera don’t begin to do them justice, so just go next year and see for yourself.

Cute Kid

The downside of any good festival is that you are bound to miss out on some great bands and moments, and I was bummed to not catch These United States or a full set of Breathe Owl Breathe.
Talking to folks wandering through the woods or reclining on a hay bale, I heard the same thing from everyone: what a great vibe Pickathon brought out. Reasonably priced food, free water, composting, $4 decent beer that you had to put into a Kleen Kanteen cups instead of plastic. They even thought to put the beer line in front of the music – genius. Add all that to trails wandering through some pretty Oregon forest and Pickathon created a peaceful easy feeling – pretty fucking wonderful.

Dancers

Thanks to everyone who came out to our intimate Breathe Owl Breathe house show. First, Hi Ho Silver Oh and The Dustbowl Revival serenaded the audience in our backyard garden. Then, Breathe Owl Breathe got up close and personal with a candle-lit (and fireplace-lit) set. It was a truly magical evening filled with friends, smores and midnight pancake making (check out Micah from Breathe Owl Breathe’s masterful pancake flipping after the jump). And a special thanks must be said for not trashing the house. Seriously, I’ve never had a party where every single person picked up after themselves. Just goes to show how wonderful and considerate the LA music community truly can be. Check out more pictures, taken on my little point and shoot, after the jump.

What’s that traditional line? “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go…”

Hi Ho Silver Oh

So, we may not be having snowstorms in July in Downtown Los Angeles (sigh), but a little holiday cheer in the middle of a summer heat wave was a welcome affair on Saturday night for Summer Holidaze at the Redwood Bar and Grill. The stellar lineup featured out-of-town guests and local family all under one roof, treating the audience to some cozy holiday nostalgia served up proper with a glass of whiskey or two.

Smart Brothers

Heading up the 5 from San Diego to join in, The Smart Brothers’ infectious hybrid of folk and earnest blue-eyed soul led more than one couple in front of the stage to spin real slow under the hazy red light. And on summer holiday from New York, James Apollo—as honest a troubadour as they come—crooned his way through melancholic melodies from his latest record, inviting an imagined winter chill into the air. The members of Hi Ho Silver Oh appeared after, donning long underwear (in the case of lead singer Casey Trela—appropriately holiday striped) and Santa hats, beginning the set with a medley of Christmas traditionals, though turning to back to summer—and reality—quickly with a bass-heavy take on “Good Vibrations,” as well as the foursome’s choir of luminous harmonies.

Spinning Dancers

All in all, it was a much-needed relief from the stagnant season, and if you were foolish enough to miss out, we’ve got you covered with more photos, taken by India Brookover, after the jump. – Breanna Murphy

Smart Brothers

Smart Brothers

Smart Brothers

Smart Brothers

Smart Brothers

James Apollo

James Apollo

James Apollo

Hi Ho Silver Oh

Hi Ho Silver Oh

Hi Ho Silver Oh

Hi Ho Silver Oh

DJ Ponyboy and Jody

The dance floor getting down to “Shout!”

Photos from Dawes’ show at the Getty on Saturday night. This show was part of the Getty’s Saturdays on the 405 series where parking and entrance to the museum are free. Highly recommended for folks who enjoy seeing amazing bands and incredible art (check out the Gérôme exhibit) without spending a penny.  Just make sure that you bring along some car games because traffic was completely stopped when we attempted to leave the parking garage.  Next two Getty shows: Bomba Estéreo on July 24th and The Antlers on August 28th. More photos (and a couple of my favorite Gérôme paintings) are after the jump.