Hands

Seeing them live at pehrspace for Easter Everywhere's bimonthly event this past Friday confirmed all of my hopes and beliefs in this young Los Angeles four-piece. They will be playing on November 9th at El Cid and on the 18th at the echo with their good friends, Pepper Rabbit.

This song, aptly titled exactly where this band is heading, was held in captivity on my ipod for when i needed a rush of blood to the head.
Hands - Onward Upward by FoundTrack

FoundTrack's Weekly Events Calendar : Found in LA (October 11th - 17th)

Monday / October 11th
Wet & Reckless, White Arrows, The Franks, Practice Band @ Silverlake Lounge
Jessie Baylin, The Belle Brigade, Whispertown (Solo) @ Bootleg

Tuesday / October 12th
The Blakes, Sea of Cortez, Lord Huron @ Bootleg
Oletangy John, Silver City Dead, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, We Are Country Mice @ Silverlake Lounge

Wednesday / October 13th
El Ten Eleven, Baths, Sister Crayon @ Bootleg
Low End Theory 4 yr anniversary with Exile and all residents @ Airliner Club
PS I Love You, Red Letter Agent, We Are Country Mice, Pangolin @ Central SAPC

Thursday / October 14th
Miike Snow, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, MNDR @ Club Nokia
The Morning Benders, Twin Sister, Cults @ Henry Fonda (Music Box)
KCRW Presents Ludovico Einaudi @ Ford Ampitheater (H)it Week LA

Friday / October 15th
KCRW Presents LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Sleigh Bells @ Hollywood Bowl
Four Tet @ Henry Fonda (Music Box)
KCRW Presents Warpaint @ Mondrian (Free w/RSVP)
Jamaica, Nightwaves, Parallels, French Horn Rebellion @ Echoplex (Tilt 3 Yr Anniversary)
KCRW Presents Miike Snow, Mark Ronson & The Business Intl, MNDR @ Wiltern

Saturday / October 16th
Hesta Prynn, Kenan Bell @ Bootleg
KCRW Presents The National, Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) @ Fox Theater (Pamona)

Sunday / October 17th
Vincent Minor, Obi Best @ Bootleg
Hoodoo Gurus, Casper & The Bad Spirits, Ruby Frost @ Viper Room
KCRW Presents Jonsi @ Wiltern

Foodie Fridays: The Oaks Gourmet

The Oaks Gourmet

1915 North Bronson Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 871-8894
www.theoaksgourmet.com
Map

There is simply nothing better than a grilled cheese sandwich—its gooey insides oozing out between two slices of crispy, buttery golden-brown bread and paired with an obligatory cup of warm tomato soup.

Why is this particular combination so perfect and scrumptious? I’m guessing it’s partly due to the pairing of rich, not-so-low-fat cheeses and bountiful carbohydrates. But there’s more to it than that. Grilled cheese is all-American favorite that we all were served as kids—by mom, grandma, or even Uncle Bob. With a single bite, an American adult can be delightfully transplanted back to his or her youth. Grilled cheese is a time machine.

Recently, I visited The Oaks Gourmet on Bronson in Franklin Village, right around the corner from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater on Franklin. I should point out that this was before the god-awful heat wave, which directed my cravings more towards frozen yogurt than tomato bisque. However, on chilly fall evenings, I highly recommend any and everyone to attend The Oaks’ glorious weekly event “Grilled Cheese Night,” offered every Wednesday from 6PM to midnight.

The Oaks Gourmet is a classy neighborhood market boasting a huge selection of fine wines, cheeses, kitschy beverages, marinades, desserts, and coffee beans, in addition to its fabulous dine-in menu. Any foodie could easily spend a couple hours here merely browsing the shop, reading the labels, and trying to decide what to order.

The service is friendly, too, and unlike Whole Foods, you’ll actually feel like you’re visiting a neighborhood market where you can bounce ideas off the staff and make sure you leave with the right items.

Only on Wednesday night can you come for the special menu of grilled cheese paired with house-made tomato bisque. While these decadent sandwiches definitely have the time machine capability, they’re not for kids. We’re talking about sophisticated, complex flavors made for adults. I asked resident chef, Greg Paul, where the recipes for these delicious combinations are born.

He told me it’s not a process of taste tests and research, but rather, wherever his spontaneity and creativity lead him. He decides on the menu each Wednesday afternoon based on whatever happens to strike his taste buds at the moment. The chef certainly has an incredible palette and an endless amount of ideas up his sleeve. Every sandwich I’ve tried here has been a home run.

On the Wednesday evening we visited, Shevin and I tried four different sandwiches chosen by Chef Greg.

First up was the truffle-honey goat cheese with roasted fennel, braised onions and Danish fontina on cranberry walnut bread. This was my personal favorite. The rich, savory taste of the truffle and goat cheese complemented the sweetness of the braised onions. The cranberry and walnut bread added texture and flavor for a melt-in-your mouth type experience.

We also tried the jalapeno shrimp and avocado melt with sharp cheddar and camembert, which certainly packed a spicy punch.

The steak and taleggio with braised leeks and marinated Angus sirloin was rich and sure to leave any meat-lover content.

And last but certainly not least, The Oaks’ signature sandwich, the grilled Black Forest bacon and English Cotswold with Thousand Island dressing on sourdough. Biting into this one releases an explosion of indulgent flavors, which explains why it took home the 2010 Grilled Cheese Invitational People’s Choice Award. (What an amazing event this would be to help judge…)

Believe us, all the sandwiches were as decadent and delicious as they sound; they were all paired beautifully with the rich and creamy, oregano-infused tomato bisque; and the evening was all the perfect reason for a bunch of adults to gather round and be kids again on an otherwise ordinary Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Photos by Brain Brown/thebeeseye.com

Suggestions?
Mail to: foodiefridays at foundtrack dot com

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Weekly Events Calendar: Found in LA (October 6- 10th)

Wow...i had no idea there was so much happening this week. The Culture Collide Festival presented by Filter seems to be where the bulk of the events are happening taking over most of the music venues on the eastside of LA. Some great bands are scheduled to play but i'm looking forward to catching some of the more obscure local and international acts like Harrys Gym. Last day to get advanced wristbands are today, Wednesday October 6th, and tix are only $20 for all 4 days. Ticketweb Link

Wednesday / October 6th
- El Guincho @ La Cita (Mucho Wednesdays)
- The Futureheads, Young The Giant, The So So Glos @ Troubadour

Thursday / October 7th
- Arcade Fire @ Shrine Auditorium
- Lissie, Dylan Leblanc @ Troubadour (SOLD OUT)
- Dance Right feat. Caribou (DJ Set), Turbotito (Imarobot), resident DJ Pubes @ La Cita (FREE w/RSVP)
- The Rumble October feat. Sunset, The White White Lights and The Dead Trees @ Three of Clubs (FREE)
FILTER PRESENTS THE CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL - DAY 1
- K-X-P, Superhumanoids, Zebra and Snake, Risers @ Spaceland (Culture Collide Festival)
- Hello Saferide, Annie Stela, more @ 826LA (Culture Collide Festival)
- The Black Atlantic, Gold Lake, Nive Nielsen & the Deer Children, Laleh @ Taix Restaurant (Culture Collide Festival)
- The Black Lips, City Riots, Kamp! @ Echoplex (Culture Collide Festival)
- Casiokids, Harry's Gym, Kordan, Slang Chickens @ Echo (Culture Collide Festival)
- Theophilus London, The Black Lips (DJ Set), Kamp! (DJ Set) ; Sebastien Tellier (DJ Set), Voxhaul Broadcast, El Guincho (DJ Set) @ The Standard (Culture Collide Festival)


Friday / October 8th
- Arcade Fire @ Shrine Auditorium
- Caribou, Nite Jewel, Emeralds @ Henry Fonda
- Chapterhouse, Ulrich Schnauss, The Meeting Places, Club Violaine @ Troubadour
- Urxed, Universal Studios Florida, Back To The Future The Ride @ The Smell
- Glass Candy, Chromatics, Paul Simonetti plus guest DJ's @ Club 740 (Italians Do It Better Tour)
FILTER PRESENTS THE CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL - DAY 2
- El Guincho, Gold Lake, The Outline, Capsula, Jacuzzi Hi-Dive @ Spaceland (Culture Collide Festival)
- City Riots, Martin Clancy & the Witness Protection Programme, Battle Circus, Harry's Gym, L. Stadt @ Taix (Culture Collide Festival)
- Klaxons, Land of Talk, The Besnard Lakes, Suuns, Baby Monster @ Echoplex (Culture Collide Festival)
- The Boxer Rebellion, White Lies, Amusement Parks on Fire, The Witness Protection Program @ Echo (Cultue Collide Festival)


Saturday / October 9th
- Tom Tom Club @ The Getty (FREE)
- Klaxons, Baby Monster @ Troubadour
FILTER PRESENTS THE CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL - DAY 3
- Cass McCombs, The Black Atlantic, Laleh @ 826LA (Culture Collide Festival)
- Monotonix, Mariachi El Bronx, Pink Noise, The Franks @ Spaceland (Culture Collide Festival)
- Bambi Kino, Zebra and Snake, Capsula, Hello Saferide, Two Sheds @ Taix Restaurant (Culture Collide Festival)
- White Lies, Voxhaul Broadcast, Martin Clancy & the Witness Protection Programme, Battle Circus, L. Stadt @ The Echoplex (Culture Collide Festival)

Sunday / October 10th
- The Tom Tom Club @ Echoplex
FILTER PRESENTS THE CULTURE COLLIDE FESTIVAL - DAY 4
- Tokyo Police Club, Phantogram, The Boxer Rebellion, Sea Wolf, Monotonix, The Glaciers, Sara Lov, Josiah Wolf, Amusement Parks on Fire, The Tender Box, Fran Healy, Cass McCombs, and more! @ The Culture Collide Block Party

Italians Do It Better Tour

The Italians Do It Better Tour has just started and they are making their way through LA this Friday, October 8th at Club 740 in Downtown.

Glass Candy, Chromatics, and DJ Mike Simonetti will be premiering music from their respective upcoming albums on IDIB.

Tickets are only $10 and are available at http://italians2010la.eventbrite.com/

Twin Shadow

Twin Shadow was very impressive last night at School Night. Lead singer (pictured above) George Lewis Jr's vocals reminded me of Morrisey, Peter Gabriel, The Dears, and Elbow at times and the rest of the band were pretty on point as well. Please don't take them lightly. They are one of my favorite new bands and they appear to be coming back to LA in the near future. Their debut "Forget" is something you won't and is out now exclusively on Rough Trade.

If you haven't been, School Night is a consistent and spot-on weekly that has quickly built a great following. Please check in with their schedule if you're looking to start the week off right. They have also been nominated for Paper Magazine's Best Party in America in case you want to vote.

Dead Man's Bones - Pa Pa Power (Gospel Remake)

Some gospel from actor Ryan Gosling's band, Dead Man's Bones.
FREE Download via KCRW's Top Tune
Will be featured on IAMSOUND's The LA Collection Series