Photo courtesy of Greg Lawler

We were taken aback Saturday when The National’s Matt Berninger announced at the Greek Theater that he (and his family) had moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles (Venice actually, as revealed on KCRW) and loved his new city.  And then we recalled all the mentions of Los Angeles in The National’s songs, and it made a bit more sense.  Like legions of artists before Berninger, there is a fascination with the city that never sleeps.  Following the two shows in LA over the weekend at the Greek Theater and the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, The National piled it on in LA with visits to KCRW yesterday and the Jimmy Kimmel Show on Monday.  With Berninger in residence, even we might eventually like that damned town.

Watch below as The National performs I Should Live in Salt (with superb instrument-isolation audio) and Pink Rabbits.  Then listen to the entire KCRW session HERE (particularly worthy for the stripped down sound resulting from Bryan Devenford’s back-induced absence).  After, check out the band performing This Is The Last Time and Graceless on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

“Now I only think about Los Angeles when the sound kicks out.“