Week of Music: The Goldfish, Little Joy, The Cinema Bar, Highland Park Bowl, Harvard & Stone, Bar Lubitsch

It was another week of music where I went out on multiple days. It was first to The Goldfish where I saw Dayton Swim Club, Agriculture and Thief. Dayton Swim Club is fronted by Nick Flessa. The final part of the set was particularly awesome where a horn section was brought out to jam with the band. The final two bands were hard industrial sounding. Agriculture came out dressed as monks that perhaps had evil intentions under the red lights. Thief had the floor lights flashing.  

Theif

Next up was Little Joy where I caught Vicious 3 and Body House. Both bands shook Little Joy up. 

Body House

I got asked to shoot The Hot Club of Los Angeles at The Cinema Bar. It was my first time at The Cinema Bar -- a long drive out to Culver City. I didn't regret it. 

The Hot Club of Los Angeles

Then I went out to support Wonder & Awe under the curation of Brenda Carsey over at Highland Park Bowl. It was my first time ever supporting Wonder & Awe though I've seen Brenda Carsey a number of times. Each musician got one song to sing during the night other than the featured artist, Phoebe Silva.

Phoebe Silva

Next up was Harvard & Stone where there was a Christmas celebration with Lasers Lasers, Nocona and West of Texas. It was a Western Americana type of night. I later learned while writing this up that the lead singer of West of Texas tested positive for COVID-19. I was wearing a mask and I believe I am currently outside the window for possible infection so I guess I dodged a bullet there.

Lasers Lasers

My final run was to Bar Lubitsch for a WFNM line-up. Cody Randall opened things up with a solo acoustic set. DYLN was dressed in red and had a couple dancers helping out with the sexy set. Ally Nicholas had her friends cheering on her pop-RnB sounds. Alex Rzyan had the vocals of the night. Neriah closed it out by making sure her set was as professional as possible. She had her own make-up artist to put on some final thoughts before the set started. And then in front of a full crowd, she put on a set that required an encore. Also, it just so happens that her mother is Brooke Burke, who won Dancing With The Stars.

Neriah

The Silverlake Lounge: Andy Clockwise with Jagged Baptist Club and EW Martin

The last time I saw Andy Clockwise was back in 2019 at the Lodge Room. I've followed him since 2010. He puts on an excellent show. This time was no different with him jumping up on the Silverlake Lounge bar's counter top along with Blake Stokes from Jagged Baptist Club for one song. Is there any one who gives the old man cranky attitude than Andy Clockwise? The show was part two of his December residency. Unfortunately, it was his last residency as the spike in COVID-19 cut short his 4 show residency. 

Any Clockwise

 

Jagged Baptist Club and EW Martin opened the night for Andy Clockwise. EW Martin did a solo guitar set doing mostly covers. This was my fifth time seeing Jagged Baptist Club this year. They rank as the band I've seen the most this year. Not a bad band to see more than any other. They know how to put on a show. And they also claimed (in jest) that this show should be known as the final show of 2021, because it was actually New Year's Eve and we just didn't know it.

Jagged Baptist Club

EW Martin

New Video Alert: Death Valley Girls' "Hold My Hand"

"Love Is Like The Ocean . . . Love Is Like Outer Space." Love is vast and deep and unlimited, that's my interpretation of Death Valley Girls' new song "Hold My Hand" that drives forward with relentless force. The song opens up with an electric organ. Throughout the drum keeps the unwavering beat. Then the guitar speeds you towards the end. On top of that garage rock sound are the 70s vocals that make you flashback to The Doors.

The video throws everything at you with images of hearts, whales, exclamation marks, bats, rainbows, the rings of Saturn and a solar eclipse. Some of those interpreted images are debatable and one might easily see something else, but that is how love is. 

Shot for Buzzbands at the Lodge Room

New Music Alert: Kitten's "Do U Still Love Me?"

Kitten has a new song out called "Do U Still Love Me?"

She writes on an Instagram post:

We all know the feeling : got super drunk, pissed your friends off, and made a fool of yourself. This happened to me one night in NYC summer of 2018, and I couldn’t cope with the feeling so I wrote this song. What started as hang-over therapy turned into an opus to everybody who’s ever known me. Hopefully you can relate. 

The song starts out with Madonna pop vibe to it with a breathless apologetic panic tone. This song would fit perfectly in a playlist of 1980s pop stars like Madonna and Cindy Lauper. That should be considered a compliment.  

 

Photo taken at The Smell

New Music Alert: Slugs' "Super Sane"

Slugs has a new song out called "Super Sane." The vocals and music just has one wanting to run with arms outstretched. Maybe twirling in circles every so often. There is just a smoothness to this rock song that makes you reminisce. 

The music video has the two members of the band cycling through the streets of Los Angeles. It is a song about a weird year. The band reads "A Brief History of Time" and "Elle" magazine. Science and fashion. T-shirts with words written across the front that say "I feel fine" to "Show me the rules" are worn. At one moment they're dressed like they're in a motorcycle gang and the next they're 80's pop stars and then denim wearing rockers. Is it a weird year or a year of exploration?  

Lyrics: I've got reasons to be happy and I've got reasons to cry.

Photo taken at the Moroccan Lounge for Buzzbands

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Heyboy

Heyboy at Bar Lubitsch

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

What do you currently find inspiring (in terms of music)? I’ve always been super inspired by Brit Rock/Pop greats such as Coldplay/U2/Oasis and Elton John. Other recent acts I look to are The 1975, Holly Humberstone and Frank Ocean.

Your set was very high energy, what thrills you about performing live? Performing live is honestly my favorite thing in the world. It’s where the rubber meets the road for me. You make these records in the studio, which is awesome, but you don’t get to experience the music with people listening. Live shows are special because it’s where you get to share that experience with people who have made the songs their own. It’s euphoric.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Haiden

 

Haiden at Bar Lubitsch

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

Is there a story behind when you decided that you wanted to start performing your music live? I always knew that playing live would help me grow my audience and more importantly would give me a chance to connect with them so I was just waiting to have enough songs to fill a set list hahaha. It’s important to me that people aren’t just stats on my phone screen, and the music I make is grounded and human.

Do you have a message or objective behind your music? As of now, I feel like I just have a lot of stories to tell and a perspective on those stories that I haven’t heard fully represented by other artists. I can’t imagine anyone else singing my songs because of how directly they tie into how I see the world and my place in it. At the end of the day though, I think I just wanna feel related to so that I know, and the fans know, that we aren’t alone in feeling this way.

Final thoughts: I think the most unique thing about me is how rooted my personal life is in a logical and analytical state of mind. I’m not a super emotional person so music is the way I let that out. I studied aerospace engineering in school and I think that informed my narrative voice a bit. My lyrics have to be concise, efficient, and really honest otherwise I’m not convinced by the story I’m tryna tell.

Zebulon: Gretchen Lieberum

I'm always up to just randomly going out to catch a new band or artist. Gretchen Lieberum fit the bill earlier this month. She's a jazz singer who was celebrating the release of her new album "This May Only Be a Dream." It is a album filled with jazz standards. Her set list had her singing the new release from start to back though she left off the last two songs -- which I found interesting. She also sang a song called "Key Largo," which is not on the album. 

My standard outings in the Los Angeles music scene ranges from Americana / folk to pop to punk to the occasional metal, but how was it seeing a jazz performer? One thing I noticed was the very careful manner in which the music was sung. For the song "Lonely Sea," her daughter came up to join in a duo. They spent the song watching each other and making sure their singing aligned as perfectly as possible. For the final song which featured another guest on piano, the pianist carefully counted out the beat before starting the song. Precision in the improvisation of jazz. 

The backing band had a horn section, guitarist, drummer and keyboardist.

It was a great night at Zebulon with chairs set out in front of the stage, but that was hardly enough as there were plenty of folks standing behind those chairs. 

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Kilo Tango

 

Kilo Tango at Little Joy

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

When did you make the decision to start performing music? I made the decision to start performing music when I dropped out of college. I had a strong desire to write and play music and no interest in school. I felt like my true calling was in music so that’s when I really started to go for it.

What band/artist (past or present) would you most like to open for and why the choice? Mazzy Star. They are one of my all-time favorites and they heavily influenced me in their sound and lyrics. Hope's vocals are soft and vulnerable yet so captivating. It made me more confident in my voice in that I felt mine was similar to hers. Their songs were just so easy for me to relate to and they have that feeling of nostalgia and melancholy that I adore.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Buckets

Buckets at Big Top DIY Fest

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

What’s the story behind how your band started? A combination of Tinder, Craigslist, drunken house parties led us to one another. Props to dating apps for helping to form punk bands.

What are some of your favorite spots, locations, areas in Los Angeles? What make them your favorites? Most of us live and spend a majority of our time on the Northeast side of the city. Some of our favorite places over here are spots like All Star Lanes (Eagle Rock), Elysian Park, Club Tee Gee (Atwater Village), Little Joy (Echo Park), and Bootleg Theatre (Historic Filipinotown, RIP). We’ve all been going to these places since we moved to LA and they just feel like home, no matter what.

Wild Riot: The Tracks with Kid Congo Powers and The Pink Monkey Birds / Ritchie White Orchestra

Wild Riot held their second event of 2021. This event was held at a small local movie studio called Open The Portal. They have a large outdoor area that Wild Riot was able to use to host The Tracks, Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, and Ritchie White Orchestra. 

It was held on a Saturday night and I'm not going to lie, I was chilled to the bone. But there were a number of people wearing t-shirts and skirts and they didn't seem all that cold so maybe it was just me. 

Ritchie White Orchestra opened the night with a number of cover songs that got the crowd in a good mood.

Ritchie White Orchestra

The Tracks then came on stage in support of their new single, "Glance." Their music has that garage rock sound that sort of reminds you of early U2 and REM. They have an upcoming album called “Paredón Blanco.” Not only is that the album title, but it is also the original name of Boyle Heights. 

The Tracks

Closing out the night was Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds -- that is a long band name. The band opened up with the amusing and catchy tune called Shitty Dreamhouse.  The music reminds one of the The Rolling Stones. 

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds

Descanso Gardens: Enchanted Forest of Light

Due to someone dropping out, I got an invite to tag along with some friends and head out to Descanso Gardens' Enchanted Forest of Light. Was it enchanting? Well, yes. I'd never gone to this event before. In fact, I think I've only been to Descanso Gardens once before. We hung out for over an hour walking through the gardens starting at around 8 p.m. Luckily, the weather was nice so I was comfortable -- though I did wear a cap that helped keep me warm.

There were plenty of lights. In fact, there were so many lights that in some cases one could take photos of friends without flash. There were spots where kids could have some fun playing with globes and a spot where one could step on lights that would result in a change of color. There were other spots where the lights were kept low and provided a feeling of mystery.

My recommendation: there is one spot where I felt it would be totally awesome if they had dry ice that covered the path with fog. Perhaps that wouldn't pass safety measures. 

I do wonder if Descanso Gardens looks a bit tacky during the daytime: what looks brilliant at night may not look so during the daytime. 

Zebulon: All Things Blue, SLUGS, Slut Island

I know this night was headlined by All Things Blue, but one has to give it up for Slut Island. They stole the night as the opener. India Coombs, lead singer of All things Blue, had to admit at the start of her set that she included some really funny bands (not to forget about SLUGS) to open the night. Slut Island started the set like any other band would, starting with their first song . . . duh. After finishing it, they stopped. "There's something wrong with our sound," they said. From there they demanded that the sound guy come up and see how bad the sound was. The sound guy (I believe was a friend) went up to the stage and started to make these mimicking sounds into the microphone, playing with the pedal boards, and hitting the drum set with the sticks. "Nothings wrong," he said. The band wasn't happy with that reply so they jumped him and started to choke him. As they continued on their set, they did a song about how smart artists are. They looked out into the audience and said, "If you're not an artist, leave the venue." They then asked that folks who weren't artists should raise their hands. I raised my hand and got the response, "You have a camera." They went to another person and came up with an excuse on why he could stay. Of course, my raising my hand got me in trouble. For the last song, they asked to know who had a birthday and if that person would come up on stage. One person did have a birthday and was more than eager to jump on  stage. That was the only person; however, that had a birthday or was willing to admit it. They wanted another person on stage and started to look around for a forced volunteer. That person just so happened to be me. Maybe if I had stayed quiet about the artist question, I would have drawn their attention or maybe I would have anyways. Either way, my first impulse was to decline, but then no one else was willing to go on stage and so I also felt compelled to help them out. Anyways, on the stage I went. The two of us were asked to sit in front of the drum kit and hold hands while they played their final song. There was some butt shaking going on by the lead singer during that song. And when all was said and done, the person celebrating her birthday got to sit behind the drums while I was handed the guitar. A very comedic and memorable set.

Slut Island

What else can be said about the night other than that long write-up.

SLUGS

SLUGS gives the best side eyes in Los Angeles. If someone is at the other end of that look, one would have to think that she is either amused or bemused. The duo that makes up the core of SLUGS also backed up All Things Blue for the final song of her set. Got to say that All Things Blues definitely loves her guitar, giving it a long tight hug at one point.

All Things Blue

 

Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church: Gracie Gray, Ryan Pollie and The Berries

While hanging out at Zebulon one night, I got an invitation to check out some bands at the Eagle Rock Presbyterian Church. Gracie Gray was on the bill so I was definitely there. She did not disappoint. And when she finished her favorite cover "Over the Rainbow" the crowd was in awe as they often are. 

Gracie Gray

Ryan Pollie is hosting the shows at the Presbyterian church. There are a total of four. This particular night was the second of the series. His set included the use of the F-word. There was a look up to the heavens, asking for an apology. I saw him previously at Junior High doing a solo set just as venues were opening up. This set was with a full band, including a horn player on crutches. It was a real blast.    

Ryan Pollie

Opening up the night was The Berries. It was a solo set with a singer-songwriter bent.

The Berries

There is some nice effort that is put into this series. Across the front of the podium, there was a sign that read out "Rock N Roll Church" put together with construction paper. Inside the words were white Christmas lights. It made for some cool photos when I took out my 20MM lens. I suspect the church is used to the sounds of rock music. Along the main podium were two other smaller podiums. One podium had a drum kit. The other was used by the other musicians. 

Lunar Bloom Music Festival

I got an invitation to check out the inaugural Lunar Bloom music festival a couple Saturdays ago. The festival was put on by Coconut Spaceship and was held at Oracle Tavern. I was intrigued for a few reasons and accepted the invite. First, I recognized a number of the bands / musicians that were on the schedule: Boy Deluxe, Fox Violet, Harry Katz & the Pistachios, Kat Hamilton, Kate Faust, Little Galaxies, Lucy Clearwater and Niantic. So of the 25 band / musician line-up, I had seen 8 of the bands so nearly a third. That was a positive sign. Also, I had heard of Miss Jupiter and had long wanted to catch a set. Second, I'm a real sucker for music festivals that focus on local bands. Third, this was the inaugural festival and there was intrigue in getting to go to the first festival ever put on by Coconut Spaceship. Fourth, I'd never been to Oracle Tavern and figured why not check it out.

The biggest thrill of the festival for me was catching Boy Deluxe. It was quickly moving towards two years since I last saw this band. I was so excited when they hit the stage. I had my arms raised in celebration. 

Boy Deluxe

It was super fun to end the night with Miss Jupiter. I'll be honest, I was exhausted, but it was also a thrill to catch this art based musician. As mentioned, I've wanted to catch a set for a number of years. 

Miss Jupiter

I also enjoyed catching V Torres for the first time. The band put on an awesome set and put the cowboy hat briefly on the microphone.

V Torres

As for Kat Hamilton, I came across her for the first time via an online set. It was nice to finally catch her in-person and notice that she gives some quirky looks. 

Kat Hamilton

For a November festival, the weather was perfect. It did start to cool down as the clock headed towards midnight, but it wasn't too chilly. There were a couple delays that can be expected from an initial festival run. The indoor Lunar Oasis stage fell behind by an hour. That meant the final band (which I didn't stay for, but luckily was able to catch at a venue a week later -- got to love the Los Angeles music scene) went on near 1 a.m. As for the Bloom Station stage, there was a technical problem that delayed things on that end. 

Here's a list of the 15 bands / musicians that I saw:

Greg in Good Company

Kate Faust

Future Author

Kat Hamilton

The Cabbys

Lucy Clearwater

Harry Katz & the Pistachios

Fox Violet

V Torres

Astrina

Niantic

Boy Deluxe

Little Galaxies

Small Calamities

Miss Jupiter

The Silverlake Lounge: The Little Miss with Cassandra Violet and Sven Fleming

Checking out The Little Miss and her The Silverlake Lounge set represented my second straight night of record release parties. On Monday, I went to Honey Child's release party. And then on Tuesday, it was off to The Little Miss to catch her "Best Self" release party. Hayley Johnson's set was filled with folk sounds layered in with random humorous takes on life. How much money did you spend on Amazon buying useless things that you thought would help improve your life? Did you consider moving to Idaho to save money? There was more than just an album release party. It was also her birthday. Both her parents were their to celebrate with a cake and candles. Also, her dad joined in on guitar for a song. It was mentioned that he had bought her a guitar for her 21st birthday and that she initially had no real use for it, because she didn't even know how to play guitar. Then a couple years passed and all is history.  

The Little Miss

Cassandra Violet started out her set with the most perfect whistling. Sven Fleming opened up the night with some longing tunes. Interesting note for the night is that his drummer then went on to play guitar for The Little Miss. 

Cassandra Violet

Sven Fleming

Zebulon: Honey Child with Crook and Dove Armitage

Honey Child was celebrating the release of their "Starving Hearts" album. Claire McKeown fronts the band. I've followed her career since 2011 when I was covering the New Los Angeles Folk Festival and came across this band called Dirt Bird. I was just mesmerized by her operatic vocals. I also came across her in a band called Afternoons where she did the backing vocals. I came across that band in 2014. I then came across Honey Child back around 2016. 

With a 6 member choir and Claire McKeown wearing a black wig, the choir soothed the audience with tenderly sung tunes. There were two music stands on the stage, which I always love seeing. To me, it just indicates a music composition training. A variety of musical instruments were used during various parts of the set: flute, guitars, mini-piano and I believe a French horn (maybe I've got my horn instruments messed up there). 

Honey Child

Opening up the night was Crook. Now the band Crook is pulsating and ear popping. But when Daniel Crook does his solo sets, the music is soft and emotion. It can bring a tear to the eyes. Dove Armitage closed out the night. I don't know how many people in the audience were aware of who Dove Armitage is. Crook opened with his emotional take on life. Honey Child had the opera influence. And then Dove Armitage came out with her death goth look and bondage style. I loved it. I've followed Quincy for a number of years via Cat Scan and then Kevin. To me, it was a nice surprise end to the night, shake things up and send you home.

Dove Armitage

Crook

I'm Up On Buzzbands: Mating Ritual at Zebulon

I'm up on Buzzbands with a photo gallery and write-up of the amazingly fun Mating Ritual set at Zebulon. If you're a Lakers fan, you'll really enjoy the post.

I'm Up on Buzzbands: Rosie Tucker at The Echo

This actually happened a little over a month ago, but I have a photo gallery and write-up on Buzzbands for Rosie Tucker's set at The Echo. The night was in support of her "Sucker Supreme" album. I know, maybe ridiculous to post about this a month later, but I'm a Rosie Tucker fan and I just forgot to do my usual promotion for my Buzzbands posts.

New Music Alert: Spelles' "Machete"

I first came across Spelles in 2017 at Echo Park Rising. I remember how lead singer Kathryn used her arms to tell her story. 

In their song "Machete," the lyrics take the lead, "Spilling rivers of blood where light used to be . . . Seven years swimming in the belly of the beast." Against those lyrics, background vocals chant while Kathryn preaches in the desert like Jonah no doubt did after being spit out by the whale. Unlike Jonah who spent a few days in the belly of the beast, Spelles is dealing with seven years of drought. During those seven years, one must definitely steel themselves to deal with that length of adversity. Is there hope even when you steel yourself? Seven years is a long time, but seven years does end.

photo taken at Gold-Diggers

New Music Alert: Lucy & La Mer's "Better Than I Was Before"

A favorite of mine, Lucy & La Mer has a new song out called "Better Than I Was Before." The opening lyrics key you in to the theme of the song, "I could've made it work. But tell me what's the worth. When your foot's in the door." And the title of the song gives you a strong indication of the outcome. A song about a relationship that doesn't go in the direction one would have thought; however, you realize that you're better off moving on. 

The song has the band's pop-folk smoothness that provides that glimmer of joy through the disappointments of a break-up and the eventually realization of self-improvement. Watch the video and  you get to catch Lucy doing some jump roping and boxing.

Photo taken at The Echo

Bar Lubitsch: King Mala, Halo Kitsch, Carter Benjamin, YVR, Timmy Skelly

I first came across King Mala via an online WFNM set back in November 2020. I was just blown away by her Amy Weinstein vocals and her snappy beats. When I noticed the fact that she was playing live at Bar Lubitsch for a WFNM night, I was definitely heading over. I was not disappointed. She had the goth look going strong that added intrigue to her deep vocals. 

King Mala

Halo Kitsch

Halo Kitsch closed out the night. She mentioned that she came across Grant Owens a couple years back and had worked hard on her music since that meeting and was now getting the opportunity to play WFNM. Her friends were pressed up against the stage to show their support. I was thanked when I took a knee to take photos, because I was blocking the view of one or two individuals. Another friend danced the whole set. They were all there to celebrate with her. Her enthusiasm was very catchy. 

Carter Benjamin

YVR

Opening up the night was Carter Benjamin. He gave a shot out to his wife who was home with their child. YVR is a staple for WFNM. The two piece band always puts on the pop beats. Timmy Skelly had a full band in place. So big a band that two members of the band had to play next to the couches. It makes one believe that big band jazz is going to make a comeback.

Timmy Skelly