Silverlake Lounge is a music venue in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.
Located in the heart of Los Angeles's Silver Lake neighborhood, at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Silver Lake, Silverlake Lounge is one of the most storied venues in the area. The bar, originally noted for its drag and burlesque shows (which continue to this day) and divey atmosphere, gained notoriety in the early 2000s, as one of the central hubs for the neighborhood's blossoming arts scene. Silver Lake became the cynosure of the LA music scene after Rilo Kiley's first album, and Silverlake Lounge was the home to many of the era's most well recognized acts, thanks to booking company The Fold. Of all the Silver Lake music venues that existed during this early period, Silverlake Lounge remains the longest standing (although Spaceland, just down the street, did close, remodel and rebrand itself The Satellite and continues to showcase local music to this day).
The band Silversun Pickups famously took their name from the liquor store across the street from Silverlake Lounge. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played there regularly (often with bands such as Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Warlocks), including a three night weekend stint, just before they were signed to their record contract. Later, bands such as Local Natives, Lord Huron, King Washington, Nacosta, [1] and Silver Snakes [2] played weekly Monday night residencies at the venue.
Silverlake Lounge was often the setting for wild antics and other happenings that have become part of local folklore. Booker Scott Sterling once threatened Black Lips that he would "kick their amps in if they pissed on the stage. They did, and I did." Just before a show by Metric, the club installed a new subwoofer system without time to adequately test it. When the band began playing, the excessive bass knocked the liquor bottles off the shelf behind the bar. The lounge was known for its dark, low stage and its "Salvation" sign, first used for a show by hardcore band 400 Blows. LA band The Movies once were so upset with Sterling that they threatened to smash the sign to bits, but they were prevented in doing so. [3] When Sterling left Silverlake Lounge, he took the iconic Salvation sign with him; it has been replaced by a new, arched sign reading "Silverlake".
Silver Lake is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the east-central region of Los Angeles, California originally home to a small community called Ivanhoe, so named in honor of the novel by Sir Walter Scott. In 1907, the Los Angeles Water Department built the Silver Lake Reservoir, named for LA Water Commissioner Herman Silver, giving the neighborhood its name. The area is now known for its architecturally significant homes, independently owned businesses, diverse restaurants, painted staircases, and creative environment.
Spaceland was an alternative rock/indie rock nightclub in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, that existed between 1995 and 2011. The club was formerly a popular disco to young locals called Dreams of LA. Spaceland's owner announced the end of the venue in late 2010, with the space continuing to operate under the new name The Satellite.
The Sunset Junction Street Fair was an event held annually in the Sunset Junction neighborhood of the Silver Lake community in Los Angeles, California. Occurring annually in late August, the two-day neighborhood festival was first held in 1980, as a way to quell tensions between the neighborhood's long-time Latino residents and the newer gay residents, who some felt were causing the neighborhood to become gentrified. It also served as an alternative to the Christopher Street West Festival in nearby West Hollywood.
The Nervous Return is an American new wave/post-punk band from Los Angeles. Noted for their electrifying and unpredictable live shows, the band has toured Europe and North America headlining their own club tours as well as supporting arena tours with well-known acts such as No Doubt and Blink 182. They are also known for the diverse and eclectic bands they shared the stage with including Autolux, Hella, Imperial Teen, Har Mar Superstar, Electric Six, xbxrx, 400 Blows, The 88, The Make-Up, Trans Am, The Used, and Enon. They have released two EPs and one studio album. Their self-proclaimed best effort was their last recording that was unreleased until December 28, 2018, when the band finally released it themselves. The band broke up in April 2006 and reformed in 2018.
Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. The band is composed of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester.
Death Wish is a 1974 American vigilante action film directed by Michael Winner. The film, loosely based on the 1972 novel of the same title by Brian Garfield and the first film in the Death Wish film series, stars Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, alongside Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, William Redfield, Kathleen Tolan and Christopher Guest. In the film, Paul Kersey, an architect leading a peaceful life, resorts to vigilantism after his wife is murdered and daughter raped during a home invasion.
Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is home to artists from around the world and part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. The label has had international success from its small roster of artists including Silversun Pickups, Fitz and the Tantrums, Sebadoh, Minus the Bear, and The Frights
KAV is a British musician from Leicester, England, now based in Los Angeles. Sandhu played guitar with British band Happy Mondays for four years after helping reform the band with frontman Shaun Ryder in 2004. He launched his solo project under moniker "KAV" in 2008 with long-time friend and drummer Jim (James) Portas. His solo material has been compared by the media to Iggy and the Stooges, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Primal Scream, Kasabian, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. He uses a full band for live performances, which sometimes features guest musicians from various bands.
Useless Keys are an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, composed of Michael Regilio and Michael Bauer.
400 Blows is a Los Angeles–based band, formed in 1997, and signed to Gold Standard Laboratories. The group's sound incorporates elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, and their live shows have been noted for their ferocity. After 3.19.98 in 1999, in 2000 the band released Black Rainbow, and their third LP was 2006's Angel's Trumpets and Devil's Trombones. The band famously designed the iconic "Salvation" sign at Silverlake Lounge.
The Brook Lee Catastrophe is an American folk-rock band from Long Beach, California. Founded in 2005 by Brook Lee and Paul Mitchell, their sound is described as reminiscent of Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, and Wilco.
Ty Garrett Segall is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his solo career, during which he has released fifteen studio albums alongside various EPs, singles, and collaborative albums. Segall is also a member of the bands Fuzz, Broken Bat, the CIA, GØGGS, and Wasted Shirt. He is a former member of the Traditional Fools, Epsilons, Party Fowl, Sic Alps, and the Perverts.
Emmett Kelly is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is the primary songwriter and recording artist of The Cairo Gang, one half of The Double alongside drummer Jim White, one third of The CIA and a founding member of Clinamen. He has contributed vocal and instrumental work to a variety of international musical projects, appearing on recordings by the likes of Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ty Segall, Angel Olsen, Azita, Joan of Arc, Edith Frost, Women and Children, John Webster Johns, Jeff Harms, Chicago poet/singer Marvin Tate, Matteah Baim, Japanese musician Takuma Watanabe, Earth Girl Helen Brown, Joshua Abrams and Rob Mazurek. Kelly has toured in several of the aforementioned acts in addition to with Baby Dee, CFM, Mikal Cronin, Sonny Smith, Beth Orton, and Terry Reid; and in other instances, performed live with Chan Marshall, Scott Tuma, Joan of Arc, and Pillars and Tongues. He is also one half of the band The Surf, The Sundried, and a founding member of Chicago's Psychojail.
The Active Set is an indie/alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 2007. The band consists of Matthew Stolarz, Alen Racedo (bass) and Jason Friday (guitar).
The 2013 Bonnaroo Music Festival was held June 13–16, 2013 in Manchester, Tennessee and marked the 12th time the festival has been held since its inception in 2002.
Levitation and Austin Psych Fest are two annual multi-day music festivals developed and produced by The Reverberation Appreciation Society. Starting out under the name Austin Psych Fest as a single-location, three-day festival, the festival was renamed Levitation in its eighth year to celebrate Austin’s psychedelic rock pioneers The 13th Floor Elevators. For many of its earlier iterations, the festival was held at Carson Creek Ranch in Austin, Texas. Under the Levitation moniker, the festival eventually transitioned to a four-day festival spread out across many traditional venues in the city of Austin. Starting in 2024, the organizers now run both festivals every year under their respective monikers, with Austin Psych Fest held in the spring at a single location and Levitation held in the fall as a multi-venue festival.
Ty Segall is the ninth studio album by American garage rock musician Ty Segall, released on January 27, 2017, on Drag City Records. Recorded with engineer Steve Albini, it is Segall's second self-titled studio album, following the release of his debut in 2008.
The Marías is an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, California. They are known for performing songs in both English and Spanish, as well as infusing their music with elements like jazz percussion, guitar riffs, smoke-velvet vocals, and horn solos. Their core lineup consists of lead vocalist María Zardoya and drummer/producer Josh Conway, guitarist Jesse Perlman, and keyboardist Edward James.
Moaning is an American, Los Angeles–based alternative rock band, formed by musicians Sean Solomon, Pascal Stevenson and Andrew MacKelvie in 2014. After self-releasing a self-titled EP, the band was signed to Sub Pop Records and has subsequently released two full-length albums.
Reynaldo Rivera is a photographer known for capturing historic queer, transgender, and predominantly Latinx scenes, such as clubs and house parties in late 20th-century Los Angeles. He photographed clubs including La Plaza, the Silverlake Lounge, Mugy’s, and Little Joy. Rivera’s black and white photographs are known for their intimate documentation and focus on the everyday life and private moments of Latinx women, artists, and drag performers of the time. Rivera considers this a type of activism against the forms cultural erasure that continuously inflicts these communities. Citing gentrification, violence, and a lack of public record-keeping as reasons that have led to their marginalization and erasure. In this way, Rivera is known for bringing visibility to queer, Latinx-Angeleno history.