Feed Us A Live Insect

Echo pix

Some epic photos from our Echo show on the 17th by chinapixie--thanks Olivia!

posted by Eli Monolator @ 6:51 PM 0 comments

This Saturday with 8-Bit!

Although we try hard to stick to our one-show-a-month regimen, here is one we could not possibly say no to--we play a show this very Saturday with our glorious Mr. T's bretheren 8-Bit! As you may know, 8-Bit shows are as rare as hens' teeth these days, and Andy/Anti-Log was once a Monolator himself, so we are honored and grateful that they asked us to play too. The only thing that would be better about this show would be if it were actually at Mr. T's Bowl itself, which it isn't--it's at Señor Fish in Little Tokyo. I didn't actually know they had shows at Señor Fish, but there you are. Odd Modern and Rough Kids playing too!

We play at 10 pm--it's 8 bucks if you arrive before 11 pm, which I hope will be the case, otherwise you won't see us play.

Facebook event linky.

posted by Eli Monolator @ 11:48 AM 0 comments

Oh my!

I just saw this, although it was posted weeks ago--the very kind and dapper Brad Roberts of Feed Your Head and Radio Free Silverlake named the monolators as his band of the year for 2009. I feel awful because I just saw Brad last night at the Idaho Falls record release show and didn't thank him--so I'm thanking him now! Brad's been very kind to us and we're very, very grateful to him for this honor.

My goal for 2010: Marsupial of the Year! We can totally take the numbat.

posted by Eli Monolator @ 9:23 AM 0 comments

Where has this movie been all my life?

posted by Eli Monolator @ 10:08 AM 0 comments

The best thing I've seen so far this decade

Speaking of ABBA...

Thanks to Doug of Birth! for finding this.

posted by Eli Monolator @ 9:01 PM 2 comments

Food notes from the South, plus tonight's show

Mary and I just got back from Alabama--a quick trip, family stuff, but there were some interesting tidbits of note. IE places to eat. Jillinda would be happy there because there appears to be a Sonic Burger approximately every fifteen feet, but we didn't partake this time. This is what we found:

Should one find one's self in Iron City, Tennessee, just across the state line from Alabama, I very very much recommend Mama D's. I think it's the only restaurant in Iron City itself, possibly (correct me if I'm wrong). I didn't have a camera on me, so no pictures, but it's a little tiny place with a gravel parking lot--lots of wood paneling on the inside--and a sort of deli counter thing where you can pick out your food. Lunch special was MEAT AND TWO SIDES. I got fried pork, collard greens (fried in bacon fat, of course), and mashed potatoes. Mary and I can't decide if the potatoes were instant cooked with half a pound of butter, or merely real potatoes whipped into oblivion with about half a pound of butter, but no matter. TASTY. I have a history of heart disease in my family, so it's probably a good thing that I don't live in the South where everything, EVERYTHING appears to be fried. The other patron at Mama D's was a guy from Iron City who spent 25 years in my hometown, Lansing, Michigan, working at the Oldsmobile plant. Says his cousin, also from Iron City, now lives in Santa Monica. Total cost for feeding 6 people=$22.

In downtown Florence, Alabama (home of WC Handy!) I doubt you can do much better than Trowbridge's, an old-fashioned soda fountain/ice cream place that also sells breakfast and lunch stuff. The non-ice cream fare is pretty straightforward--sandwiches, soups, chili, etc. The beauty of Trowbridge's, unlike almost every other restaurant in the United States, is that it serves moderately-sized portions of everything. IE, not fifteen pounds of food on every plate, as most Americans seem to prefer (or as chain restaurants think we prefer). You leave fed, but not gorged. I cannot tell you how refreshing this is--and the bill is cheap, too, less food involved. I think ours was something like $16 for 5 people. I had a bowl of soup (not loaded down with salt, either, thank god) and a strawberry malt (strange combination, but it appealed). Every ice cream place in Los Angeles that makes malts/shakes gives you a tall glassful of malt, plus the metal shaker thing with another glassful left over--so two servings of ice cream. At Trowbridge's they gave me one glassful of strawberry malt, and that was it--that was all I wanted. For god's sake, why don't more places do this? The malt was good, too--I think they might have put marshmellows in it or something, it had that extra lil' something.

One more thing to mention about Florence Alabama--found a thrift store with a bunch of neato old dresses for Mary, a jacket for me, and a couple of old 45's. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. "Downtown" by Dolly Parton. A weird public service announcement record called "Save The Children" with clips from Sheena Easton, David Bowie, and Harrison Ford. A strange little time capsule there.

AND A REMINDER: we play our only show for January TONIGHT at the Echo at the 10:00 spot as part of the French Semester residency. Manhattan Murder Mystery is also on the bill (at midnight). FREE.

Hello, Dolly!

posted by Eli Monolator @ 10:58 AM 0 comments

Nice review of the New Years show from Web In Front

Boyyyy, that's an unflattering picture of me in there, but I'll take a Nick Cave comparison ANY TIME.

Following the strangely hypnotic and always-entertaining Balloon Bass, the Monolators attacked their opening set with a vicious, limb-flailed frenzy, with frontman Eli Chartkoff riding the nimble, marrow-smashing rhythms of bassist Ashley Jex and wife Mary Chartkoff like Nick Cave’s skinny younger brother, all throat-peeling howls and mad-preacher abandon, while guitarist Ray Gurrola sent off one spiky and nerve-tangled riff after another. When the band erupted with the melodic sneer of “Ruby, I’m Changing My Number,” complete with Eli running through the crowd, his wire-tangled mic stand dragging behind him like lashing metal tail, it was a shot of punkish bliss that cemented the Monolators’ status as one of L.A. indie’s most reliably anarchic and underrated acts.

Thanks Travis! LINK.

posted by Eli Monolator @ 12:44 PM 2 comments

At the Echo this monday--first show of the decade-i-o

First of all, thank you to everyone who came out on New Years' to the Henry Clay People show--we had a wonderful show and it was a lovely way to ring in 2010 with all of our friends. I understand there are pictures out there...

French Semester has the monday night residency at the Echo in January, and we are playing this coming week...although Mary and I are currently down in Alabama (temperature is 20 degrees. YES. 20 DEGREES. FARENHEIT. I AM COLD) until Wednesday, we will be back on Monday the 11th to play our first show of 2010.

We play at 10:00. YES 10:00. NOT MIDNIGHT. If you come at midnight you will see Manhattan Murder Mystery instead, which is always a good thing, but we play at 10:00. Free! There may possibly be a cameo from Mike, our original guitar player. We hope to see you there!

posted by Eli Monolator @ 6:21 PM 1 comments