Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Oct 18th - Oct 24th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Oct 18th: Anna Ash at Zebulon. Doors at 7 p.m.
In 2025, I wrote a review of the Murder Ballads & Dark Songs event that she took part in, which you can read here.

Sunday, Oct 18th: Agender and Dagger Polyester at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Agender's "Damaged Girls" back in 2025, which you can read here. 

In 2023, I covered Dagger Polyesterday for Buzzbands, which you can read here.

Monday, Oct 19th: Small Shake and Sugarmill Slim at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Small Shake's "Toxic" back in August, which you can read here.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Sugarmill Slim's "Family Affair" back in August, which you can read here. 

Thursday, Oct 22nd: Addie Addie Addie, Cuffed Up and Family Cash at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Addie Addie Addie's "Industry" back in 2025, which you can read here.

In 2022, I covered Cuffed Up for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Family Cash's "Funny" back in September, which you can read here.

Thursday, Oct 22nd: Neta at Bar Lubtisch. Doors at 7 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for his song "Blood and Ink" back in September, which you can read here.

Thursday, Oct 22nd: The Sleeperz at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

In 2024, I listed the band as one of my favorite new finds of the year, which you can read about here.

Friday, Oct 23rd: The Anti Groupies at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Nice is Not an Invite" back in April, which you can read here.

Friday, Oct 23rd: Grace Kay at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for her song "When You Wanted" back in 2025, which you can read here.

Friday, Oct 23rd: Fartbarf and Jesika Von Rabbit at The Redwood Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

In 2013, I wrote a review of Fartbarf, which you can read here.

I wrote a Song Spotlight for Jesika Von Rabbit's "Psychic Spcie" back in 2024, which you can read here. 

Friday, Oct 23rd: Starling at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.

Earlier this year, I wrote a review of their set, which you can read here.

Saturday, Oct 24th: Bardo at The Haven. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2025, I wrote a review of his set, which you can read here.

Song Spotlight: Dylan Andrews' One Beer (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Trucker country stole the show at the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. Dylan Andrews was playing his third WFNM showcase night. If I understood correctly, this was the first of those three sets where the majority of the songs were his own. No matter if I heard correctly or not, I was caught up in his country charm from the start. He's putting together a catalog of songs that are just waiting to get released in a debut EP or album.

Dylan Andrews at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Walter the Producer's Memphis (a night at Zebulon)

Walter the Producer (moniker for Reid Hosp) opened up a recent night at Zebulon. With vocals that hinted of Bob Dylan, he took command of the venue. Or maybe not. While up on stage suggesting that people should feel free to dance during his set (though he admitted that he himself did not dance when he went out), he heard some people off on the step seats talking, "Who's talking? What the hell. I thought I commanded request."

Walter the Producer at Zebulon

Review: Blood is Spilled at Murder Ballads & Dark Songs Event

October kicks off three months of holiday celebrations. And for those in the know, Explorsion (aka Daiana Feuer) and Stepping Stone Presents (aka Liz Garo) put on their annual Murder Ballads & Dark Songs event. Last year, the event occurred at 2220 Arts. This year, they shifted locations to Zebulon. 

Sugarmill Slim at Zebulon

To bring along the Halloween spirit, there were bowls of candy throughout the venue. Did I have some candy? Of course, I did. The Halloween theme did not stop there. As one entered, spooky sounds could be heard. The stage was decorated with skeletons, a severed arm, eye ball floor lights, and synthetic spider webs. Those spider webs did do their job as I saw them clinging to people throughout the night.

What were some of the highlights of a night that included 16 acts? 

The scene-stealer belongs to Sugarmill Slim (Anders LaSource). "Have you seen my daughter?" LaSource said, rushing around the venue before getting back up on stage to sing PJ Harvey's "Down By The Water." It ended with fake blood being splattered across a white dress and a death scene. Add to it all: Easy Love on drums -- do I have to go back to Summer Twins days when I last saw her behind the drum kit? Maybe. "I bet you never saw that episode of SpongeBob SquarePants."

Main squeezes, Borrowed Lips and Swimming Bell, sang tales from two perspectives. It was Borrowed Lips first performance ever. Swimming Bell (Katie Schottland) mentioned that "Murder Ballads were the very first form of storytelling. That's how news got around. People would write songs and tell the story of the news." 

Borrowed Lips and Swimming Bell at Zebulon

Ravens Moreland took Bob Dylan's folk tune "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and turned it into a "nocturnal industrial death rock" cover. Does one dare say that Ravens Moreland's version is superior to Bob Dylan's. It can't be. It must have been the Halloween ghosts having too much influence. 

Ravens Moreland at Zebulon

Los Angeles punk royalty, Alice Bag, performed a song before a peak audience crowd. Backing her up were the Bloody Death Skull band members. You could tell it was a moment to remember for them. Alice Bag's right hand was telling the story. "I love Alice Bag, that's all I've got to say," was Taleen Kali's reaction.  

Alice Bag at Zebulon

Four favorites went back-to-back starting with Taleen Kali. I've seen her a number of times throughout the years. There was a moment where I was just stunned by her vocals. I was thinking, I don't believe I've ever heard her hit those high notes before. Anyways, the band has a Kickstarter going to raise funds for their sophomore album (link can be found on their Instagram page). 

Taleen Kali at Zebulon

Covers of the Williams country family were a favorite for Harry Katz and the Pistachios and Emily Rose. Harry Katz sang "Endless Sleep" by Hank Williams Jr. while Emily Rose sang "The Angel of Death" by Hank Williams. 

Harry Katz and the Pistachios at Zebulon

Between Harry Katz and Emily Rose was Bart Davenport with Emily Rose doing backing vocals. 

Emily Rose and Bart Devonport at Zebulon

I had seen over half of the 16 acts before, many multiple times. So who was new to me (in a way) and will need to catch in the future? Crowjane. She's a member of Egrets On Ergot (I don't know how active they are at the moment). Oh mercy, it was a blast from the past. That band made my list of favorite new finds of 2018. 

Crowjane at Zebulon

The night ended at "10 o'clock on the dot." 

Song Spotlight: Sylvia Fae's Wolves (a night at Harvard & Stone)

Sylvia Fae (aka Sylvia Fae Massey) set at Harvard & Stone (a Swyndle showcase night) was a stylish goth performance. She mentioned with a deserved sense of pride that she "produced all the tracks [of the set] in her bedroom." She is a multimedia artist. In 2024, she released a book titled I Could Be a Maggot's Feast which is a collection of "poetry, photography, and drawings from 2017-2023." The inspiration behind the book is the fact that she moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles in 2022. Not only was it a coastal move, but it was also her first time living outside of Carolina. 

Sylvia Foe at Harvard & Stone

Song Spotlight: Tele's Salvation Mountain (a night at Zebulon)

Tele (moniker for Sophie Telegadis) brought her vibrant personality to Zebulon. Before starting her set, she jumped excitedly on stage, she was almost giggly. Yet, when the music started she went for a cool nonchalant attitude that worked perfectly for her desert-psychedelic rock. One could see influences of Jesse Jo Stark in both her music and performance style. 

Tele at Zebulon

Band Interview: Someday (a night at Zebulon)

Someday's passion came through during their set at Zebulon. The vocals screamed emotion and their music rocked the night. One could tell that the crowd was getting into their sound -- and not just their cover songs. For their soon to be released tune "Falling," the crowd could be heard yelling their approval as the band stretched those guitar strings to the limit. I conducted an interview with the band, which you can read pass the jump.

Someday at Zebulon