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Getty Museum’s “˜Saturdays Off the 405′ concert series to kick off with the Dum Dum Girls

The Getty Museum’s “Saturday Off the 405″ concert series returns with a performance by the Dum Dum Girls.

Saturday, 6 p.m.
J. Paul Getty Museum, FREE

By Jessica McQueen

May 16, 2012 11:33 p.m.

Los Angeles-based noise pop band Dum Dum Girls has toured everywhere from Paris and London to Berlin, Rome and Madrid. But lead singer Kristin Gundred, who also goes by her stage name Dee Dee, cannot wait to return to Los Angeles.

On Saturday, Gundred’s wish will come true as she performs with the Dum Dum Girls at the J. Paul Getty Museum as part of the year’s first installment of the annual “Saturdays Off the 405″ summer concert series.

“I’m the kind of person who appreciates many formats of art. A couple of friends played the Guggenheim (Museum), and I’m so jealous and excited that they had that opportunity, and then I remind myself, “˜This is cool, we’re doing this at the Getty,'” Gundred said.

Dum Dum Girls and DJ Neil Schield, who will open the set, will perform on an outdoor stage in the museum courtyard. Museum docents will also conduct special gallery tours throughout the night.

According to Gundred, Dum Dum Girls will play a selection of songs from its entire repertoire, including songs from its currently untitled upcoming album, which is due for release in late summer or early fall.

Gundred said Dum Dum Girls will play its set list in chronological order, from the oldest to newest songs, in order to capture how its sound has developed over the years. The band’s debut album “I Will Be” is a lo-fi collection of some of the first songs Gundred ever wrote and recorded. By contrast, the follow-up album “Only in Dreams” has deeper, more personal songs and better sound quality. It is also the first album on which all four band members provide vocals.

“I never want to put out an endless supply of what the first record sounded like. I’m the kind of songwriter that coasts along with time and with change,” Gundred said.

Schield, the owner of Origami Vinyl Record Shop in Los Angeles, will open for the band with a set of a selection of songs from his personal collection of vinyl records, which he began to collect when he was 11 years old.

Schield said he selects music that complements the bands that are playing after him and the audience that will attend. For the Dum Dum Girls performance, he will delve into his post-punk and New Wave collection and feature artists such as Bauhaus, Magazine and Kraftwerk.

“The analog medium has superior sound quality. There’s a warmth to it that you can’t get with MP3s, and spinning vinyl is a more fun experience than sitting behind a laptop and playing iTunes,” Schield said.

Sarah McCarthy, the project coordinator for performing arts at the Getty Museum, said the “Saturdays Off the 405″ series is successful because of its collaboration with Spaceland Productions, which is responsible for booking artists for the Getty Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Echo and Echoplex venues.

She said Spaceland often works to book artists who are gaining a following after touring or playing sets at South by Southwest or Coachella. Artists who have played in the series in previous years include Surfer Blood, Best Coast and Chairlift.

According to McCarthy, the event will also include special Spotlight After Dark Tours. They offer attendees the chance to take a short, 20-minute guided tour to see a few pieces in-depth before returning to the music.

She also said the Getty Museum will have food and a cash bar, and will encourage attendees to mingle and celebrate the museum at night.

“You can hear the music from all over the museum in the outside spaces. People are standing in the courtyard, eating, mingling and talking. The Getty is such a beautiful place, and the venue really comes alive at night,” McCarthy said.

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Jessica McQueen
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