In 2007, the late Mike Conley—former owner of the Avalon, frontman of iconic punk band M.I.A., general all-around badass—described the Japanese Motors to the Weekly as “early Richard Hell meets Wire, with a hint of the Rolling Stones.” We’d say that’s pretty dead-on, but if you’d like, you can throw in a little Lou Reed, Television (see: Japanese Motors’ singer Alex Knost’s sloooow, deliberate drawl), the Ventures (see: the band’s collective love for the water reflected in their surf garage sound—Knost is also a pro-surfer) and a pinch of the Strokes (jangly!) in there, too. The Costa Mesa-based four-piece has recently signed to Vice, opened up for acts like the Black Lips and has easily crept their way into the hearts of many a local with their first self-titled full-length—but trust us when we say it’s more Marquee Moon than Is This It?.
Thu., Feb. 19, 9 p.m., 2009
