KYSR to spotlight local bands in free summer concerts

Rock alternative KYSR-FM (98.7) is looking to break a few good local bands this summer.

The radio station has launched a free concert series to spotlight a handful of emerging local artists, it announced Thursday. Dubbed "Close to Home" after the station's local-music show, the concerts are set for each Friday between July 15 and Aug. 12 at the newly minted 5 Towers outdoor concert arena at Universal CityWalk. Pop/psychedelic outfit Incan Abraham launches the series tonight.

"The scene in Southern California is rich, creative, and totally thriving with talent that is breaking through on a complete DIY level. We wanted to support the movement not only through airplay and exposure but through our resources and getting bands the things they need to help get off the ground," KYSR program director Julie Pilat said in a statement.

Pilat said that in addition to paying the bands to perform, the station is offering them grants "to help them succeed."

The grants includes studio time from the School of Audio Engineering, a professional photo shoot, a chance to work with Live Nation to open a show at venues such as the Wiltern or Hollywood Palladium and legal advice from entertainment lawyers.

Check out the full lineup after the jump:

Lineup announced for Also I Like to Rock weekly KCRW concert series at Hammer Muesum

 
Summer is almost here. And with that comes another season of rock shows that will definitely inspire a few trips to the museum. Starting in  July, the concert series Also I Like to Rock, in the courtyard of the Hammer Museum, delivers a new round of free weekly concerts featuring Graffiti6, the Soft Pack, Grouplove, the Henry Clay People and other favorites on the L.A. music scene.

 Presented in partnership with KCRW FM (89.9)  and curated by Buzz Bands L.A., the evenings kick off every Thursday at 7 p.m. with DJ sets by KCRW selectors followed by two band performances. The shows start at 8 p.m. and admission is free on a first-come, first-serve basis. With a healthy focus on the surging L.A. scene, the concert series is known to tap into local talent that has graced the KCRW airwaves. Past acts have included the likes of Saint Motel, Fitz and the Tantrums and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

On July 7, soulful British electropop  duo Graffiti6 take the stage with support from the the Eastern Conference Champions, whose indie rock inclinations balance between ferocious  guitar power and tender balladry. Resident KCRW crate digger Dan Wilcox will spin earlier in the night. Subsequent lineups include the Soft Pack and Hanni El Khatib on July 14, Grouplove and Milo Greene on July 21 and the Henry Clay People with Lady Danville on July 28.

-- Nate Jackson

Photo: Joey Siara of the Henry Clay People performs during Day 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival  in April. Credit: Charley Gallay /Getty Images

Getty Center announces summer concert series: Mayer Hawthorne, Les Savy Fav, Dawes, more

It's one of the most beautiful and iconic settings for a summer series in the city: at the perch of the Sepulveda Pass, overlooking Los Angeles to the east, the Pacific to the west, the traffic on the 405 to the south, and, beneath your feet, the Richard Meier-designed Getty Center.

Looking for a hip place to send your tourist friends coming in from the Midwest? Looking to impress your German foreign-exchange student? Each year the center sponsors a Saturday night concert series, and this season's schedule, booked by Spaceland productions, offers a wonderfully solid lineup of dance rock, blue-eyed soul, country rock, electro-tropicalia and whatnot.

Saturday, May 8
Les Savy Fav

June 12
Mayer Hawthorne and the Country

July 10
Dawes

July 24
Bomba Estéreo

Aug. 28
The Antlers

Sept. 18
tba

Oct. 9
tba

-- Randall Roberts