As many LA Bloggers have told you, the Airborne Toxic Event has the Monday residency in March at the Echo. Coming off of the strength of Rolling Stone's top MySpace Bands, this band has been on a tear. They have had a great review at Kevin Bronson's Buzz Bands Blog as well as love from the usual hipster crew of tastemakers.
And rightfully so, these guys (and gal) are great. Their three song EP is way too short and the complaint that one can have is that you want more. They delivered more Monday night and they delivered it in full force.
On the surface, the band reminds me of the Arcade Fire: They have five members, one of which is an adorable girl who plays the violin. They all play each others instruments and jump around and leave everything they have on stage, but they are a very different band. They have a very diverse sound and explore their instruments in wonderful ways. How many violin/electric bass duets do you hear in indie bands these days? As you can see above, both were played with a bow.
Next Monday, the band will be playing an all acoustic set brought to you by Radio Free Silverlake. I am very curious to see what these guys can do without all their accouterments. So, I might be back to these guys again.
Here are a couple of tracks from their EP. Last time I checked, Sea Level had a handful in there.
MP3: Does This Mean You're Moving On - The Airborne Toxic Event
MP3: Wishing Well - The Airborne Toxic Event
Also, my apologies to Radars to The Sky. I got there late and missed their set.
i can't believe people actually like this band. i call poseur.
Posted by: jonah | March 08, 2007 at 05:41 PM
Hey music fans, I am the former managing editor of Filter Magazine. I've just about had it with my day job. I've decided that instead of writing about bands I'd like to start a band myself! My favorite bands are The Smiths and The Arcade Fire. I want this band to sound exactly like those bands. The problem is that I want to get really famous really quick, so we are going to have to throw a little Killers in there too. How does that strike your fancy?
Next thing is, we have to be *literary* so the indie kids will dig us and so the snooby SOB's at Pitchfork will write us a good review. Now, you and I both know that indie kids don't really read books (and neither do the wanna be Arthur Magazine hacks at Pitchfork), but they do know the titles and authors because they passed English 101 at Vassar and both are referenced in their favorite songs. So here's what we are going to do. We're going to name our band after a key event in a famous book, "White Noise", by renowned po-mo author, Don DeLillo. That should give us some instant hipster cred with LA Times writer Kevin Bronson. Don't you think? If it doesn't I'll just sleep with him to make sure we get a great review.
Next thing is we need the bloggers and writers on our side, right? So I am going to use my connections at Filter Magazine (who bands pay to get reviews by the way) to get on the good side of some gatekeepers.
Last but not least, we are going to have to have have a kickass live show. I've already enlisted the help of some attractive people who have some talent and make funny faces while they play. Also our drummer is great at 4 to the floor kick drum solos!
I am thinking of having our first show at 14 Below and not inviting anyone except a few fashion consultants. After each song we will stop playing and ask the consultants what they thought of our moves on stage. (I really really did this....uh, I mean plan to do this). Also, we choreograph our dances on stage. Like boy bands. Is that cool with you?
Oh yeah last thing, really, although I'm from the United States I sing with a British accent. I listened to too much Morrisey growing up. Also, all my songs are about teenage girls in their summer dresses even though I'm a 34 year old man. Is that a problem?
Posted by: Homer | March 23, 2007 at 09:11 PM
this comment is pretty funny, but so true. actually the show at 14 below wasn't their first show, it was their second show. their first show was at the lava lounge and they video taped it and then had some management people that the lead singer knew critique it before they played for the public. bands like this are so the OPPOSITE of organic.
Posted by: Homer Jr. | April 24, 2007 at 03:21 PM
Dear Homer, Homer Jr., whoever "YOU" are who's favorite word is poseur,
Okay dude this is just getting sad. Is this your favorite pasttime or something? Following around the Airborne Toxic Event, talking shit and pretending to be different people?
As attempted once before, let’s go over it again and get a few things straight:
1. The two "secret" shows were to practice for their first big show at the Echo. The guy who came and watched was Mikel's friend Julian, not a "manager" or whatever, just a friend, also a musician, and a nice guy too. His comments were: 'you sweat alot' and 'you guys are kind of like Belle and Sebastian'.
2. This show was after Mikel and his drummer spent six months practicing together, which was after Mikel spent a year writing music after his life changed when he got a disease which made him lose his hair and skin pigment, and found out his Mom had cancer, which is what half of his songs are about. He decided he didn't want to be a writer anymore.
3. Um, Mikel is 32, not 34. And anyway, what small minded world do you come from where people have to be 22 to be in a rock band? Should everyone be the fucking Strokes?
4. No, he did not sleep with Kevin Bronson from the L.A. Times to get a good review. That man is 45 and married. He saw Airborne play randomly because he was at the Echo to see another band. He wrote a good review because they're fucking good; he had never met Mikel before.
5. Mikel was the best writer at Filter, not to mention one of the best writers in the country. He left Filter due to conflicts of interest. By the way, he made $18,000 a year working there.
6. When he started the band he never once mentioned to anyone that he had ever been a music writer or worked at Filter. He just didn't think it was important. He started from scratch like anyone else, trying to get shows and find people to play with. Everyone in the band is either a friend or a friend's friend.
7. I’ve known Mikel for years, he is my friend and everyone I know looks up to him... he has more talent and integrity than any person I know... and he was the first guy in his family to go to college, at Stanford no less. His Dad is an ex--con (an amazing man, truly) and his Mom was a hippy (he's written a lot about this, as you may have found in your relentless researching). He spent four years teaching in the inner city after college, bummed around, and then started writing. The band started (and this is not his first, mind you) when his life fell apart and he thought both his parents were dying...
So, yeah, this is all very unorganic and fake.
The problem with people like you is that you hate yourself and you disguise it as hatred for others. That hatred is blinding. Not only does it make you a poor judge of music, but a poor judge of character as well.
I hope you find it in your heart to search for something meaningful in life, instead of stalking my friend Mikel all over the internet; it's getting a little freaky. And, anyway, you're wasting your time looking for negatives because these are good people.
P.S. My name is Emily Wilson. What is yours, Homer, Homer Jr., whoever "YOU" are who's favorite word is poseur?
Posted by: Emily Wilson | May 02, 2007 at 06:12 PM
The worst thing about this band is that they are trying to be the next Killers or Bravery. Can't wait till Pitchfork gets their chops into these guys. Shame on the LA blogs for hyping them so much.
Posted by: Justin Felder | June 01, 2007 at 07:50 PM
Who cares who hyped up the band?
Who cares were they play, as long as they play?
Who cares if they are literary, rich, or 'posers'?!
If the Beatles had blogs, and all the rest when they started, would it make them any less than stellar?
This band is it's own. They are talented and no one can take that away. They are themselves, not trying to be anything but a good group of musicians trying to make a living doing what they love.
Please. Blogs? Who's got the time!? Get off the #@*#ing computer and live a little.
Play on!
Posted by: Eva | June 12, 2007 at 09:13 AM
Homer:
Great comment. When not getting cozy with the dozens of bands I cover, I too agonize over suspicions that two-thirds of them are contrivances. I didn't sense that with the Airborne Toxic Event, but maybe I've just read too many books and not enough blogs. I will leave the weighty judgments to you and go back to listening to aging artists who affect British accents. Like Robert Pollard.
Posted by: Bronson | June 14, 2007 at 12:09 PM
I love this band...I don't care if they are "indie" or not...Big label..small label...sheesh.
I just like the way they sound and especially how they perform.
To hell with pitchfork...
tom from New Mexico. 505 keeping it live.
Posted by: Thomas | April 26, 2010 at 03:09 AM
sound and explore their instruments in wonderful ways. How many violin/electric bass duets do you hear in indie bands these days? As you can see above, both were played with a bow.
Next Monday, the band will be playing an
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