Buxx bands

Mt. Egypt: honestly, he’s lucky

He’s lived in his van for the better part of this year. His preferred mode of transportation is his skateboard. And his debut album, “Battening the Hatches,” which he concedes sounds more like a demo, was recorded in myriad “bedrooms, basements and living rooms.” So what is 25-year-old skater kid (and a former pro boarder at that) Travis Graves doing opening for the Flaming Lips? “Shaking with fear,” says Graves, who performs under the name Mt. Egypt. “And my guitar was shaking with me.” Of course, a kind word here and an introduction there from the Lips’ Wayne Coyne helped calm the jitters of the newbie whose forthright folk songs sound so brittle, they might break at the clap of a hand. The unpolished “Battening” unfolds like a troubadour’s living room show, recalling a stripped-down Neil Young on “NYC ...,” a song that calls out poseurs who “act so punk-rock and so ghetto and yet they have trust funds.” Honesty is Graves’ recurring theme -- not surprising from a guy who recorded one of his father’s songs from a long-defunct ‘70s band. “In some ways I feel like I’m carrying the torch,” says Graves, whose homemade CDs earned him a contract with Record Collection last fall. “It’s only by luck and by chance that this happened to me.” Mt. Egypt’s improbable roll continues, with four October dates opening for label mates the Walkmen and three (including Nov. 30 in Thousand Oaks) opening for Willie Nelson.

Beating the jitters

As one of L.A.’s most popular DJs, DJ Dan has spun before tens of thousands of fans at such events as Nocturnal Wonderland. But the hometown favorite admits to still suffering occasional pre-set jitters. That was the case recently when he got behind the decks at San Francisco’s Ruby Skye to record his first live album, “Mixed Live.” “It was very nerve-racking,” he says. “A minute before I went on, I was still deciding between three tracks to open the set with.” A gig being recorded for posterity is also probably not the best time to begin experimenting with new techniques, but Dan took the occasion to begin mixing more CDs into his set. “If I don’t see vinyl for a bit, I get very nervous,” he says. Despite the butterflies, he is thrilled with the way the disc came out. Dan returns to his element with local appearances at Spundae on Saturday night and Audiotistic on Oct. 18. Since the Spundae set is the week of the album’s release, he’s viewing the show as an “unofficial record release party.” Does that mean fans can expect some surprises? “I’ll be mixing in a lot of CDs,” he says.

Fast forward

Brothers Francisco and Sergio Gomez, who as the duo Akwid rap en espanol to the beats of regional Mexican music -- and whose album “Proyecto Akwid” is No. 12 on the Latin charts -- will play the L.A. date of the McDonald’s-sponsored McXimo Tour at the Universal Amphitheatre on Nov. 22. Proceeds from part of the ticket sales for the five-city Latin rock tour benefit the Latino scholarship fund Hacer.... Hungry for a little hip-hop, Styles of Beyond style? The ever-so-clever rapping duo of Tak and Ryu are releasing their first album in three years, “Megadef,” and performing tonight at the Fonda Theatre....It’s YCTIWY for the DIY set: Indie musicians Daniel Mackenzie, Gar Robertson and Amy Raasch will play a novel show Oct. 4 at Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica. At “You Can Take It With You,” their live sets will be recorded, copied onto CDs on-site and given to attendees as they exit (the $10 ticket price includes any one of the evening’s three CDs; the other two are available at $5 apiece). Info: www.yctiwy.com.... TV Eyes, which includes “Lost in Translation” music producer Brian Reitzell, performs Wednesday at the Troubadour.... A side order of sweet melody, please: Beth Thornley performs Sunday night at Tangier, the Los Feliz restaurant.... Last chance to catch the Spaceland-rockin’ Dance Disaster Movement; the band’s September residency ends with Monday night’s show.... Hard-workin’, sharp-dressin’ five-piece The 88 headline at the Roxy on Tuesday night.... With its new EP “Kill Switch” just out, rock sextet Hypnogaja is playing a string of local dates, starting Friday at the Viper Room and then Monday at Goldfinger’s.... And happy birthday, Sam Rivers. The saxophonist turns 80 today and continues his run at the Jazz Bakery tonight.

-- Kevin Bronson, with Steve Baltin

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