Win Will Bernard’s “Blue Plate Special”

Thursday, 6/24, Wagatail Presents: Will Bernard with Robert Walter and Simon Lott. FIVE advance ticket buyers will win Will’s album Blue Plate Special, autographed by Will Bernard! You are automatically entered when you purchase your tickets through our website.

• Buy Your Advance Tickets Now to Enter

Blue Plate Special features a powerhouse quartet composed of Will, John Medeski, Andy Hess, and Stanton Moore. Autographed CD winners will be selected by a random drawing and their prizes will be available at the door on the night of the show.

About Thursday’s Show at The Mint:

Will Bernard, Robert Walter, and Simon Lott have been working together in various projects for years but this is the first time you can hear the tight intuitive chemistry of this particular trio.

Robert Walter (Greyboy Allstars) and Will Bernard are known to the world from Robert Walter’s 20th Congress and the Stanton Moore Trio, Simon Lott from Charlie Hunter Trio and Skerik’s Maelstrom Trio.

Will and Simon have been touring the US, Europe and the Caribbean with Will’s various projects.

More About Blue Plate Special (except from Troy Collins review on AllAboutJazz.com):

“Accompanied by a stellar band, Bernard’s quartet features three of today’s most impressive jazz-funk virtuosos. Gov’t Mule bassist Andy Hess and renowned Galactic drummer Stanton Moore are a tight and formidable rhythm section, able to navigate an endless variety of pneumatic beats and quick turnarounds with ease. A perfect foil for the leader, Medeski extracts a pungent vein of textures from his usual assortment of analog keyboards, conjuring distorted sheets of sound on the menacing ’571′ and scintillating tones on the surf-influenced ‘Gen Pop.’ …

…A refreshing example of intelligent party music, Blue Plate Special is another document that reinforces Bernard’s reputation as a talent deserving wider recognition. Fans of old school funksters like Medeski, Martin & Wood, Galactic and Zony Mash would be well advised to check this out.”

[Read Full Review]

Will Bernard – Blue Plate Special – “571″

FREE ENTRY OFFERS: 90035 & College Students

Do you live in the 90035 zip code (howdy neighbor!), or are you a student at a Los Angeles college or university (USC, UCLA, West LA College, Santa Monica College, Everest College, Loyola Marymount, etc)?

If so, you now get FREE ENTRY on select nights with ID reflecting your zip code or school affiliation. Ace!

How do you know what nights free entry is offered? Just stalk us on Twitter and/or Facebook and we’ll keep you in the know. Here are some dates already slated in June for you to take advantage of:

Friday, 6/4

Wednesday, 6/9

Monday, 6/21

Come for the live music, come for the bar, or just come for dinner. We offer a killer menu!

And as always, check in on Foursquare for additional special offers, including a 2-for-1 beer or wine on your first check-in!

Win Alex*Cuba’s Album!!

Purchase your tickets in advance for the Sat, 06/12, Alex*Cuba show, and you will be automatically entered to win his full self-titled album!!! There will be 5 lucky winners.

Tickets are $14.00 in advance & $18.00 at the door. This is a 21+ show.

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE: http://gigbot.me/5A

Alex*Cuba’s Official Website: http://www.alexcuba.com

Singer-songwriter Alex*Cuba hails from Artemisa, Cuba (1 hour west of Havana) and resides in Smithers, B.C. (14 hours north of Vancouver). Musically, he lives everywhere in between. His trademark sugarcane-sweet melodies, pop-soul hooks and rock chords subtly subvert commonly held notions of what Cuban music is. Alex is on the vanguard, crafting a cross-cultural sound that mirrors his geographical journey. Not tied to tradition, this Cuban-Canadian prefers his vintage Gibson over el sencerro (cowbell) anytime. Alex*Cuba’s Full Bio

Alex*Cuba – Directo

(Minty) Freshest Promos Off The Presses

We are always looking for ways to show love to our peeps and enrich your experience with us. We are happy to announce two new promos to add motion to this ocean:

SUPER NEIGHBOR SUPER DEAL. 90035 Unite!

Do you live in the 90035 zip code? We do, and we’re rewarding our neighbors who share this border, so band together with us brothers and sisters. Like Arizona, if you’re in said boundary, you will need to show ID reflecting your 90035 citizenship. If you have the proper documentation (anything really: ID, mail, etc), though, you will be rewarded with FREE ENTRY ON SELECT DATES.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on when your neighbor bonus will be offered. (On Twitter, we’ll hashtag announcements with #90035, so you can search for them easily).

To kick off this zip code alliance, here are the first four dates for you to take advantage of:

• Friday, 5/21 (Tomorrow!). Click For Lineup
• Tuesday, 5/25.  Click For Lineup
• Friday, 5/28 (Memorial Day Weekend). Click For Lineup
• Saturday, 5/29 (Memorial Day Weekend). Click For Lineup

We have excellent noms, too, so if you just want a bite, treat yourself with dinner & music. This isn’t your average bar food, either. Our fare sets a new bar! Check our our menu.

Oh, and while you’re here, why not take advantage of our Foursquare offers, including a two-for-one beer or wine on your very first check-in?!

Note: The Foursquare offer is open to everyone. You do not have to live in the 90035 zip to participate.

~~~

The Mint & Ledbetter Syrah Present: CHRIS PIERCE  WINE & DINNER SHOW, TUESDAY JUNE 1, 2010, 8PM:

We have paired up with the fine folks at Ledbetter Wines for an offer with class. Exclusively on this night, Ledbetter Syrah by Chris Pierce will be available at $10 glass!

The first two guests to make a table reservation for this show and mention the “Ledbetter Offer,” will receive a bottle of Ledbetter Syrah for a mere $20 (normally $45)!

Check out Chris Pierce live at The Mint in June of ’09:

If that’s not enough, it’s also “stunning” singer-songwriter (says Performing Songwriter Magazine) Shane Alexander‘s CD Release party!

As you can see, this will be a special night, so be a go-getter and call soon to reserve a table and get your Ledbetter.

Full show details and advance ticket purchases HERE.

Cheers to you, friends!

Live at The Mint: Peter Himmelman’s Furious World

Tuesday, 5/25, Peter Himmelman’s Furious World will be streaming live from The Mint! (watch online here)

Furious World is a hilarious, thought provoking, dynamic, irreverent, smart musical experience pulsing with life, which you should not miss. The one-hour show blends rock and roll, ideas, and passionately ordered chaos borne from interactions with talented guests and the Ustream community, who are watching the show live.

Silverlake Conservatory of Music :: Scholarship Program

The Mint is proud to announce that we are now sponsors of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music‘s Scholarship Program!

One of the primary missions of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music is to provide scholarships to children whose families would otherwise be unable to afford lessons.

Through a variety of sources – including personal contributions, corporate contributions, musical instrument donation, and in-house fundraising activities – the Conservatory has maintained a strong roster of talented and committed future musicians.

The Conservatory strives to address the decrease in arts education in schools, while providing cultural enrichment to our community at large, and was founded by Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea in 2001.

Please band with the Mint in helping this cause and donate today to keep instruments in the hands of children and ensure music’s future in our community. $2000 funds one child’s music education for one year. All donation amounts rock, though!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A DONATION

Official Website: www.silverlakeconservatory.com

Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/silverlake.conservatory

NOLA-to-LA May

The Mint has been bringing the finest Crescent City sounds for some time now, including Zigaboo Modeliste (master funk drummer of The Meters) on February 5, an outstanding Dirty Dozen Brass Band show on February 13 that almost wasn’t (read the Jambase review) and most recently the Big Easy was brought by Big Sam’s Funky Nation on March 26 to celebrate their new CD, King of the Party.

May, too, will deliver.. twice, and on back-to-back Thursdays.

Thursday, 5/6, Wagatail Presents Stanton Moore Trio + Anders Osborne, DJ Quickie Mart:

Stanton Moore recently appeared on an episode of the hit HBO series Treme, which takes its name from one of the oldest New Orleans enclaves, an epicenter of Creole culture and music.

While it was cool to see the acting cameo, Moore’s true brilliance comes from behind a drum set. He is a NOLA percussion powerhouse, known by most as a founding member of funk and jazz jam band, Galactic.

In April 2010, Moore released Groove Alchemy. The 12-track set is the culmination of Moore’s multimedia project that also includes an instructional book and DVD of the same name. All three facets of the project are designed to explore the roots of funk drumming by examining the work of pioneers like Jabo Starks, Clyde Stubblefield, and Zigaboo Modeliste. Recorded at Levon Helm’s studio in Woodstock, NY, this project is the follow up to the widely acclaimed Take it to the Street DVD and book that focused specifically on New Orleans drumming styles.

The Stanton Moore Trio on tour features Stanton with Robert Walter (Hammond B3 Organ, Piano; Greyboy Allstars) and Will Bernard (Guitar; Motherbug).

But wait, there’s more. In addition to the Trio, we are to be especially spoiled, as Grammy-winning, Swedish-born, singer & songwriter Anders Osborne will be joining them on guitar to create a truly rich aural gumbo.

For tickets and additional artist and show details, click here.

Thursday, 5/13, Rotary Downs:

On another note, Rotary Downs brings an us the indie rock flavor of New Orleans. The group also recently released a new album, Cracked Maps & Blue Reports.

Prior to this album, the band released four others: Chained to the Chariot, Quitters EP, Long After the Thrill, and Rotary Downs. NPR described Rotary Downs’ last album, Chained to the Chariot , as “a stunning collection of psychedelic art pop songs that plays like a brilliant mash up of Neutral Milk Hotel and Odelay-era Beck.”

When one imagines music from New Orleans, brass bands, R&B singers, and jazz pianists may come to mind, but Rotary Downs delivers an unlikely sound of noisy, fuzzy, psychedelic song-craft that is simultaneously original and intrinsically New Orleans.

Two fantastic bands from San Francisco are also slated for the night. It is highly recommended you get here early for Big Light (8:45) and keep gettin’ down post-Rotary Downs (10:00) with Wendy Darling (11:15). This is a very strong bill!

For tickets and additional artist and show details, click here.

The Mint on Foursquare – Battle for Mayor!

Do you use Foursquare? Foursquare is the hottest game/app/social game going nowadays and for playing, The Mint will reward you well!

In a nutshell, just download the app to your phone and “checkin” at The Mint when you’re here to start earning your rewards. Here is what we are offering:

• 1st checkin = One round of 2-for-1 Draft Beer/Wine
• Every 10th checkin = One round of 2-for-1 Draft Beer/Wine, 1/2-off one Appetizer
• Mayor* = Each mayor visit get free entry, VIP table (seats 2-6), one 1/2-priced appetizer, a 2-for-1 Draft Beer/Wine

*There can only be ONE Mayor. The Mayor is he/she who has the most checkins at The Mint. For being the Mayor, you receive VIP treatment and are rewarded handsomely each time you visit and checkin.

For further information, including how to download the app to your phone, visit the Foursquare Help Page.

As you earn rewards, just show your phone’s screen, with the offer you’ve unlocked, to the bartender or cocktailer assisting you to collect.

If you have any questions, email nathan@themintla.com.

GAME ON!

Follow The Mint on Twitter: @MintLA

Show Calendar: http://themintla.com

4/21 Sashamon Brings the Island Breeze

Sashamon (sa-sha’-mon) – Maybe because he grew up on Molokai, Sashamon’s music brings a unique peaceful vibe to the island music scene. The public first heard Sashamon’s blend of Reggae and Hawaiian music on a homemade demo, which spread worldwide with the support of top Kauai professional surfers. The popular underground CD ‘One Day Maybe’ found its way to KWHI 92.7 Hawaiian Rhythms on the Big Island of Hawaii. With no press kit or label support, “Japanese Squeeze” amazingly became the station’s most requested song and stayed on top for one month. “Japanese Squeeze” was replaced by another Sashamon song “Necta”(Butterfly) and it’s popularity caused Big Island’s KAPA 100.3 and KWXX 94.7 to give airplay as well. Soon “Necta” hit the top of the charts and most requested at Oahu stations including KCCN FM 100, KINE 105.1, KDNN 98.5, as well as the top stations on Maui and Kauai where it continues in heavy rotation to this day! Visit Hawaii and you will surely hear Sashamon on the radio. And like the love for Hawaii that is everywhere in the world so too is Sashamon’s music, which is now getting airplay all over the U.S. Japan, Brazil, Australia, Germany, France, China, Tahiti, Guam & more..

Sashamon’s music has been featured on television as well, including the FUEL network’s Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and ’808′, and Hawaiian shows such as Hot Hawaiian Nights and Overdrive Live on OC 16 where “Necta” was the 1 most requested video. The music is in countless surf/extreme sports movies including: Jaime O’s ‘Freak Show’ and ‘Freak Show 2,’ legendary film maker Jack McCoy’s ‘Iorana’ about the Tahitian culture and Billabong Pro (which was featured on Air Tahiti Nui in-flight and Australian TV), Rochelle Ballard’s Sacre Bleu,‘Eastside Theory,’ Canadian surf film ‘Shrink,’ ‘Budiasa’ (Japan) and the snowboarding movie ‘Perspective.’ Sasha was also commissioned to do a song for the ‘Everybody Loves Bob’ compilation tribute to Bob Marley, and the “Necta” video is featured on the new ‘Overdrive Live’ 4 DVD alongside Rebel Souljahz, Katchafire & more.

In 2009 Sashamon & his ripping band featuring Isaac Kamaile jr. a phenomenal virtuoso guitarist (who plays the guitar upside down and backwards) toured the West Coast extensively. Sashamon and the band, headlined the opening day of the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach sponsored by Hurley. In September Sasha had the opportunity to play for 14,000 people at the WEST BEACH festival in Santa Barbara. Also in September, Sasha and the band went to Florida for the first time. It was obvious and amazing that Sasha’s music has already created a buzz there because he was received by hundreds of dancing and singing fans! His live performances have included dates with; Alpha Blondy, Katchafire, Israel Vibration, Pato Banton, Slightly Stoopid, Groundation, Maxi Priest, Rebelution, Iration, The Expendables, Niyorah, Natural Vibrations, Ooklah the Moc, Humble Soul, & more…

* Tix & More Info: http://www.themintla.com/show/detail/27796

* Official Website: http://www.sashamon.com

Two hot offers from two Midwestern bands-on-the-rise, Backyard Tire Fire & 17Candle

Who doesn’t love great free music? Check out the offers below from these artists, who are soon to play the Mint on various nights. Rock ‘em in your headphones, then come see them live.

Spread the BACKYARD TIRE FIRE free music giveaway:

Backyard Tire Fire will rock The Mint on Tuesday, 3/2 (Tix+Info).

BTF’s play here is the first of their first West Coast tour in over two years in support of their new record, Good to Be.  The album was produced by Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin, who also played on every track.

The Offer: Backyard Tire Fire is offering a free mp3 of both the single “Good to Be” as well as an exclusive original demo recording of the song to help spread the word about the tour.

• In order to receive the mp3s you’ll need to tell 5 friends who you know will most likely dig hearing about the band and live in these markets about the tour.  Don’t piss anyone off!
• Spread the word via email, Facebook, Myspace or any other social networking medium.
• Once you’ve informed 5 friends about the shows just email spreadthetirefire@gmail.com with info on who you told (names and cities) and you’ll be emailed a download link for the mp3s.

- Listen to tracks from Good to Be
- Watch the video for “Good to Be”
- Watch Steve Berlin talk about the making of the record and BTF

“Brandishing a raucous live show and inventive studio albums, these Midwesterners sound like a drunkenly angry Tom Petty crawling out of a Florida swamp.” – Paste Magazine

“Backyard Tire Fire represent the absolute best in American music. Their songs are a remarkable combination of timelessness and modernity.” – Steve Berlin, Los Lobos

Light it up with free tunes from 17Candle:

17Candle plays the mint on Thursday, 3/11, 7pm (Tix+Info).

A bit about ‘em:

• The 5-piece rock/pop band from the Midwest was the featured HALFTIME SHOW for the 2010 Capital One Bowl on ABC January 1st in Orlando, Florida.
• Last month, 17Candle was a featured headline on Rick Dees Top 40 at www.rick.com and will be on his morning show during their trip to LA.
• 17Candle’s “Follow Me Down” will be preloaded on the new “Google Nexus” phone. An expected 1,000,000–3,000,000 phones will be launched initially.

The Offer: The first 150 paid guests at 17Candle’s Mint show on 3/11, at 7pm, will receive a copy of 17 Candle’s new album “Californ-IA,” plus a free digital download of their 2003 EP “Last Call”.