Have you always wanted to be famous, but know you don’t have what it takes to become a star (i.e. a sex tape where Ray-J pees on you?) Fear not — because on April 24th, we’re all getting famous. No, this does not involve guns, put those down. STOP THAT.

Full disclosure: I’m one of the guys throwing this event. Now here’s how it works: we meet at noon in front of the WME building, where we run a winding, three-mile obstacle course through Beverly Hills. Hidden throughout the course will be packs of photographers. Your goal is to make it to the finish line without them getting a picture of your full face.

Scattered along the way will be hidden caches of “identity concealers”, i.e. low-brimmed hats and those sunglasses that put a black bar over your eyes. (We were going to offer ski masks, and then remembered ski masks + sprinting through Beverly Hills in broad daylight = “Officer, these cuffs are too tight.”)

Got a camera and the ability to be sneaky? We want you. Got a pair of running shoes and a well-developed flight sensibility? We want you. (Costumes are also encouraged.) The race starts at noon, but paparazzi are required to show up at 11 AM so we can get you vultures in your respective hiding places.

Afterward, in a stirring tribute to something that would totally happen in real life, the celebrities and the paparazzi will meet up for a beer at the Writer’s Bar in the L’Ermitage Hotel.

Be sure to RSVP for the event on Facebook.

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WHAT: Celebrities Vs. Paparazzi footrace
WHEN: April 24th, noon-1 PM (Paparazzi to meet at 11 AM)
WHERE: Starting at the WME building
$$$: Free

I’m a little late in posting this one, so I’m not gonna spend time thinking of what sentence or two to put in this little blurb. This is all you get. Sorry.

PICK OF THE WEEK
Freak folk, nu-folk, or any other name you want to give to the genre. What the hell is it really? I mean so many bands are associated with the names, but they all have different sounds. What makes the most sense to me are people like Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, or bands like Akron/Family, but then you throw in the likes of The Dodos and Animal Collective, and it all gets confusing.

Well I’m not here to tell you about the genre of music. I feel like it mainly consists of acoustically driven sounds, with some soft drums, a couple guitars, violin, maybe an occasional woodwind or two. At least that’s what the band I am here to talk about sounds like. And that band would be Bowerbirds. Consisting of a couple from North Carolina, the band recorded a wonderful debut album in Hymns for a Dark Horse, with upbeat folky/gypsy music sounding songs, all while building a cabin in the woods. They’ve come back with a second album, Upper Air, that is more basic in sound, but a lot more “grown up”, for lack of a better term. Lyrically advanced, with words and phrases you’d expect to hear in between Andrew Bird’s eerie whistles, their sophomore LP is the perfect follow up and something I’m excited to hear live at the echo on Tuesday night.

They’ll be playing with Megafaun, a band who should, and soon will be, talked about by everyone. Hell, pitchfork gave their second album an 8.1, if that’s what gets you going. A wonderful night of folk music with some friends, for $12.50 sounds like a pretty fun Tuesday night out to me. Maybe you can go, listen, and tell me what exactly you think freak folk is.

I’m only gonna give probably about two options a day for this one. I’m trying to work on a way to compile a bigger list so I can fill you guys in shows earlier in advance so they won’t sell out before I mention them. More on that later.

Again. wembley [at] boredla [dot] com. Help me out here people. Email me.

OTHER SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
8/3: Local Natives w/The Union Line, The Outline, We Barbarians at Spaceland. 8:30PM. Free. 21+. (Local Natives residency begins. The guys in The Outline are cool, you should go check em out.)
8/3:  The Growlers w/He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister, Lemon Sun, Vum at the echo. 8:30PM. Free. 21+. (The start of The Growlers residency. Nice garage-surf-folk sound.)
8/3: Lower Heaven w/The Street and Babe Shadow, Dissolver, Y at Silverlake Lounge. 8:30PM. Free. 21+ (The third residency, this time Lower Heaven.)
8/4: Lykke Li w/The Deadly Syndrome at The Wiltern. 8:00PM. $23.50. All. (Not many tickets left for this one. Hurry!)
8/4: War Tapes w/Agent Ribbons, Sister Crayon, VOICEs VOICEs, Really , very at The Smell. 9:00PM. $5. All. (A lot of what you’re used to at The Smell.)
8/5: Abe Vigoda w/The Cysts, Bipolar Bear, Man’s Assassination Man at The Smell. 9:00PM. $5. All. (Abe Vigoda. The band, not the man. Though I’d go either way.)
8/5: Luke Top at Pershing Square. 7:00PM. Free. All. (More of the Spaceland Under the Stars thing. Should be fun.)
8/5: Dawes w/Slang Chickens, Big Echo at the echo. 8:30PM. Free for 21+, $7 for other. All. (Dawes is an awesome alt country/folk band.)
8/6: Spindrift w/The Assemblehead in Sunburst Sound, Magic Mirror, All Babes Are Wolves at Spaceland. 8:30PM. $8. 21+. (Spindrift has that cool spaghetti western country sound to em.)
8/7: The Black Heart Procession w/Circus Minor, This Is Not My Life at Spaceland. 8:30PM. $15. 21+. (Kinda odd, but good, music.)
8/7: Dam-Funk at Hyperion Tavern. 8:00PM. Free?. 21+. (Some awesome funk DJ.)
8/8: The Dodos at Getty Center Courtyard. 7:00PM. Free. All. (Saturdays off the 405. Always fun. Should be packed for The Dodos. Get there early.)
8/8: Casiokids w/The Wave Pictures, Slow Club at Spaceland. 8:30PM. $10. 21+. (Fun, energetic music. Go dance.)
8/9: Warpaint w/Caroline Weeks, Corridor, Universe at Spaceland. 8:30PM. $8. 21+. (A nice manimal vinyl lineup.)
8/9: Dave Insley w/West of Texas at the echo. 5:00PM. Free. All. (Grand Ole Echo.)

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WHAT: Bowerbirds w/Megafaun
WHEN: Tuesday, August 4th @ 8:30PM
WHERE: the echo
$$$: $12
Ages: 18+

Silverlake’s flamenco institution, El Cid, is best known for nights of Spanish dancing, but the first Tuesday of every month is different.  Tomorrow night, the restaurant will host Ronnie Mack’s Barn Dance, a 20-years-running country and roots show that’s apparently pretty amazing.  This month, it’s George Highfire, Archie Francis and the Cornpop Orchestra, Steven Casper, The Ridge Route Romeos, and Michael-Ann.  Best of all?  The whole tapas menu is available during the performances.  Yum!

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WHAT: Ronnie Mack’s Barn Dance
WHERE: El Cid
WHEN: First Tuesday of every month starting @ 6
$$$:  Free to get in, but buy food or drinks