2010 Lobster Festival Music Schedule
Friday, Sept. 17th, 2010
| 9:00pm | Saint Motel |
| 8:00pm | Venus Infers |
| 7:00pm | Spider Problem |
Saturday, Sept. 18th, 2010
| 9:00pm | Dengue Fever |
| 8:00pm | Fitz & The Tantrums |
| 7:00pm | Gram Rabbit |
| 6:00pm | The Growlers |
| 5:00pm | AWOLNATION |
| 4:00pm | We Barbarians |
| 3:00pm | The Country |
| 2:00pm | Leslie Stevens & The Badgers |
| 1:00pm | Judson & Mary |
Sunday, Sept. 19th, 2010
| 5:15pm | See How We Are: John Doe & Exene Cervenka of X |
| 4:15pm | The Section Quartet |
| 3:15pm | Miss Derringer |
| 2:15pm | Walking Sleep |
| 1:15pm | Tijuana Panthers |
| 12:30pm | Devon Eisenbarger |
Friday, September 17th, 2010
What do you do with a band that the Wall Street Journal likes? In our case we book them as our Friday night headliner at the Lobster Festival.
Saint Motel has been described as David Bowie meets T-Rex and Supertramp depending on the song you are listening to. Where the WSJ describes them as “garage-glam” we think Saint Motel’s music deserves higher praise. Quite simply put, they are just about the most imaginative band on the LA scene, full of visual surprises that match their sometimes haunting and always energetic sound. Come and enjoy them Friday at the Lobster Festival.
Venus Infers, a band we’ve been singing the praises of for a while, were the big winners at the 2009 OC Music Awards, picking up the victory in three categories–best indie, best alternative and best album for “The Truth About Venus Infers.”
Imagine the Clash meets Kings of Leon meets the Strokes, with songs delivered with the passion and energy aimed at fans in the nosebleeds seats. You’ve heard them rock the soundtracks of MTV’s “The Real World” and “Road Rules” this is your chance to put down the remote, get off the couch, drive to the Lobster Festival, and hear them up close and personal.
We aren’t holding back one bit this weekend, we’re kicking out the jams and launching our “Rock the Docks” weekend with Spider Problem. We’re talking Saturn 5 Moon Rocket Launch rock and roll. They spun their web around the state all summer, and this Friday they are bringing it to the docks like a blast of hot summer heat. Find out what we mean by “Rock the Docks” starting at 7 pm Friday night with Spider Problem. No bug spray permitted, they are delivering an overdose of arachnorocknroll.
Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Someone once said the Los Angeles is the greatest social experiment in human history. So why should we be surprised in the middle of a song to find out that we’ve been rocking out to lyrics sung in Cambodian? Dengue Fever’s music so good and Chhom Nimol’s vocal range is so spectacular that you won’t care what language the lyrics are in. They’ll be coming to the Lobster Festival after touring Asia including gigs on behalf of the US Embassy in Phnom Penh and in Ho Chi Minh City. So welcome to the melting pot, this is going to be one terrific show.
Fitz & The Tantrums are as original as AM Radio in the late 60′s, as melodic as Motown or young Hall & Oates, soul music for the iPod generation. Born in France and raised in LA, Fitz is leading the new wave retro-revival movement. When you buy your parents an iPod make sure it’s loaded with Fitz & The Tantrums’ latest album “Picking Up The Pieces”. They’ll love you as much as you’ll love Fitz & The Tantrums at the Lobster Festival.
Back again for a second year by popular request, winner of The LA WEEKLY’s annual “Best New Artist” Award, and graduates of Coachella, San Diego Street Scene, and The Troubador, Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times describes Gram Rabbit’s music: “This up-and-coming group out of Joshua Tree is a weird – and promising – amalgam. They appear ready to claim a place in the line of self-reliant, independent-minded artists who germinated in Southern California’s deserts, from Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart in the 1960′s to Queens of the Stone Age in the ’90s.” Their newly released album, “Miracles and Metaphors” moves them up a notch on the music scene, their show at the Lobster Festival is not to be missed.
Our first Growler concert was a memorable one. No, it wasn’t when they hit the stage looking slicker than a posse of used car salesmen in matching shiny blue suits. It was the chimpanzee in the pink afro wig. At that point we knew this wasn’t going to be your average surf band. They plan to surprise us at the Lobster Festival, but one thing is certain – count on enjoying some of the best of the new wave in surf sounds with amazing vocal harmonies.
We were introduced to AWOLNATION’s new music in their video… On first listen we were impressed with Aaron Bruno’s blitzy punk rock style, but later realized he was more like a modern Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis. AWOLNATION’s completely unique sound kicks off Saturday evening’s entertainment, so don’t miss your chance to get blasted with some completely original music.
We reached across the Vincent Thomas Bridge to bring you We Barbarians. Their anthemic drum beats remind us of Coldplay or U2, their echoey lyrics don’t step back from asking poignant questions about the world. These Barbarians are remarkably civilized. So step up, be counted among the converted late Sunday afternoon at the Lobster Festival.
Here at the San Pedro Lobster Ranch we are dedicated to bringing you everything from the traditional to the cutting edge of country music with Gram Rabbit’s new incarnation as The Country. Their 5 piece band with accordion, washboard and a lot of luscious 4-part harmonies will liven up the old lobster corral with quirky country covers and their original songs.
“Canyon Country Bands are as common as brush fires in LA but the thing that separates this combo apart is the voice of the titular Leslie…a rounded shining thing that evokes Patsy Cline’s sass and sorrow in one swoop.” – LA Times
“Leslie and The Badgers are quietly turning into one of the city’s best…what makes the songs magical is the way Stevens spruces up the retro country-pop settings with clear-eyed and thoughtfully incisive lyrics.” – LA Weekly
Need we say more?
We see a lot of young bands when booking music for the Lobster Festival. But we see few who want to play as much as the husband and wife duo of Judson & Mary. We didn’t know much about them when they handed us a homemade three song sampler outside a club in LA, but the music was pretty good and they were so darned earnest that we have decided to bring them to the Lobster Festival to kick-off Saturday’s music lineup. You’ll be surprised…Judson & Mary will rock the docks with the best of them.
Sunday, September 19th, 2010
John Doe and Exene Cervenka met in 1976 at the renowned Venice Poetry Workshop. Their meeting spawned a marriage, a creative partnership that lasts to this day, the rise and demise and resurrection of one of punk’s most influential bands ever and about 24 records between them. Tonight’s concert is a rare opportunity for John and Exene, with no additional musicians, to showcase their lifelong songwriting and singing collaboration stripped down to their emotional core utilizing only acoustic guitars and voices, They will be performing material from their vast catalogue of respective solo projects as well as from the bands The Knitters and X.
What could be better than a hot lobster meal and a string quartet? Although The Section Quartet is not your typical string quartet. They use electric instruments, have performed at rock festivals like Coachella (twice), and boast collaborations with artists as diverse as Devendra Banhart and Maroon 5. if you listen carefully you’ll hear them on one of Christina Aquilera’s albums. They are unique, they specialize in turning popular rock songs into classical quartet pieces. They cover everyone from Soudgarden, to Queens of the Stone Age, to David Bowie, to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and X.
There’s a new sheriff in town and she’s coming to the Lobster Festival…Miss Derringer takes us into the evening with a spicy blend of the Shangri-Las and the Ronettes, with a dash of Clash and X. Blend on high, serve it up, and call it spunky punkabilly. “Click Click (Bang Bang)” she’s busted you between the ears. And you won’t believe your eyes…Sorry guys, the jail is full…
And now for something completely different – Walking Sleep. Soaring boy-girl harmonies, keys sparkling in excellent measures, just the right guitar riffs driving sweet melodies and rhythms. In the sea of noise of LA’s indie pop-scene Walking Sleep stands out as both quirky and refreshingly traditional. Whether covering Elvis or one of their many original songs, Walking Sleep will wake you up and make you dance.
Remember when your parents called the police about the band down the block? That surfy, beach house party sound that kept you up all night? Well, slap on the shades and sunscreen the good news is that that band was the Tijuana Panthers and they are kicking off our Saturday party with 45 minutes of their patented barbershop surfpop music.
Devon Eisenbarger
Teenage blues prodigy Devon Eisenbarger grew up in Temecula, honing her talent by working festivals from the Salton Sea to San Diego, and gigging with her father whenever she could. While playing in a blues band at the NAMM Show she caught the ear of a music insider who encouraged her to sharpen her talents at USC. Devon applied for and won the coveted Ella Fitzgerald Scholarship to the Grammy Camp (as in the music award Grammy) and is now performing at various benefits on behalf of that organization. If there ever was a rising star, it’s Devon. Come early and see her kick off Sunday’s Lobster Festival.
