Crystal Castles vocalist Alice Glass at Coachella 2011. Photo: Frazer Harrison, Getty Images
• Crystal Castles: Bolstered by another round of acclaim, this time for their logically titled third album (III), this sonically fractious Toronto electro-noise duo has risen to the upper echelon of intelligent experimentalists uncovering fresh wrinkles, as opposed to just droning on atmospherically. They’re something altogether fiercer live, however. Find out at a pair of gigs — April 25 at the Fox Theater in Pomona, $27.50, and April 26 at the Hollywood Palladium, $39.50 — that seem to both confirm and confound the idea of seeing CC at Coachella.
• Cold War Kids: Nearly two years to the day of issuing their third album (Mine Is Yours) the O.C.-spawned group that now makes San Pedro its recording home has delivered a catchy, piano-pounding new ditty, “Miracle Mile” (KROQ has a stream of it), the first bit from their next disc, Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, due April 2.
In this case that drop date does not suggest they’ll turn up in Indio; they’re on the East Coast during Coachella, well into a tour coinciding with the album’s release. We get a gig from them early in the trek, Feb. 21 at the Observatory in Santa Ana ($20, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.), between stops in San Luis Obispo and then Visalia and Santa Barbara. They’ll wrap up this leg with two more Southern California shows, May 24 at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood ($25, also on sale Friday) and May 25 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach (on sale soon).
Also at the Fonda: a DJ set from Amon Tobin on Feb. 28, $22.50, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.; and Shlohmo Live AV Set, April 6, $20, on sale today at 10 a.m.
• More at the Observatory: DJ Hype, Feb. 18, $20; a fairly rare sighting of Del the Funky Homosapien, Feb. 21, $20; rapper YG, March 29, $20; an evening with Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld, billed as “An Open Book,” April 5, $32.50, on sale Jan. 25; and the Revival Tour featuring Chuck Ragan of Hot Water Music, Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath and Dave Hause of the Loved Ones, April 22, $18, on sale Jan. 24.
Meanwhile, in the venue’s smaller Constellation Room: local singer-songwriter Micah Brown, Feb. 9, $10; Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Feb. 14, $15; Turisas with Firewind, Feb. 23, $15; and Hawaiian newcomer Anuhea returns on April 5, $15.
• Alicia Keys: Just a reminder that tickets for her Set the World on Fire Tour stops go on sale Friday at 10 a.m., including Staples Center on March 12, $39.50-$125; Valley View Casino Center in San Diego on March 13, $39.50-$105; and Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas on March 15, $50-$130.
• Bad Religion: Now you’ve got two chances to see the veteran punk band that’s about to release its 16th album True North (on Jan. 22). In addition to opening the sixth annual Musink Fest in Costa Mesa on March 8, Greg Graffin and the group will have a homecoming gig April 18 at the Hollywood Palladium, $28.50. Against Me! and Polar Bear Club will open, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
• The Sound of St. Patrick’s Day: Back in November we learned Flogging Molly’s local plans for the holiday, the group having slated a show at the Fox Theater in Pomona for March 8, $32.50-$42.50. Now add to that two other perennial fixtures. The Fenians will play the holiday itself, March 17, at City National Grove of Anaheim, $22.50-$25, on sale Friday at noon. Young Dubliners, however, won’t hit town until a month after St. Pat’s, headlining April 26 at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, $15.
Also at the Grove: Canadian songwriting legend Gordon Lightfoot, 74, who performs March 22, $37.50-$57.50, also on sale Friday at noon. And one more at the Coach House: Adler, May 16, $15.
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Great California fuzz-rockers Peter Hayes and Robert Levon Been have readied their seventh album and first in three years, Specter at the Feast, arriving March 19. See them live at one of their swankier gigs in years, June 1 at the Wiltern, $30, on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Also: April 23 at House of Blues San Diego, $25-$35, on sale at the same time. Looks like Bass Drum of Death is opening.
• Repeat Mouse House Visitors: House of Blues Anaheim will once more host those wonderful NYC eccentrics They Might Be Giants on June 15, $22.50-$52.50, as well as Britpunk forebears the Damned on May 23, $25-$52.50. Oscar-winning singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham appears at the venue on March 2, $22.50-$42.50, while Latin star Ramon Ayala has added a second Noche Romantica show on Feb. 15, $47.50-$87.50. Also headed there: Ryan Beatty, Feb. 9, $15-$42.50; and Senses Fail, April 20, $14-$42.50. All of those are on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
• Christopher Owens: The more prominent half of the short-lived but brilliant S.F. group Girls just issued his own sparkling soft-rock solo debut, Lysandre. He’ll play selections from it (and some Girls stuff?) March 22 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, $25, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.
• Kip Moore: Fresh from months of opening shows for Eric Church, the country newcomer returns April 9 to play L.A.’s El Rey Theatre, $25, on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Also headed there: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Feb. 9, $27, on sale Saturday as well; James Hunter, March 7, $22, on sale now; Hoodie Allen with Aer and Jared Evan, March 24, $23.50, on sale now; Black Lips with Night Beats, March 21, $22, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.; and Shuggie Otis, April 27, $32, also on sale Friday at that time.
• Coal Chamber: The L.A. metal band is returning to stateside stages for the first time in a decade with a new tour co-headlined by Sevendust, plus opening sets from Lacuna Coil and Candlelight Red. The outing lands March 29 at Club Nokia, $30-$40, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
Also at the L.A. Live venue: Justin William: Tricked Out, April 6, $15-$28, also on sale Friday at 10 a.m.; and Flosstradamus with AraabMuzik, GLAdiator anre more, Feb. 27, $25-$45, on sale now.
• The Wave’s Smooth Night Out: Saxophonists Boney James, Mindi Abair and Kirk Whalum (performing with guitarist Norman Brown) top the list of smooth jazz stars slated for this Feb. 23 event at Nokia Theatre. Also with Spencer Day and Vincent Ingala, $45-$89.50, on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
• House of Blues Sunset Strip: Steel Panther continues its longstanding residency with a slew of dates, Feb. 4, 18 and 25, then March 4, 11, 18 and 25, $15 each, on sale now. Also: Parkway Drive, March 30, $17.50.
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New shows: Crystal Castles, Cold War Kids, BRMC is a post from: Soundcheck