Los Angeles Music Scene: Are Bands Pushing Off Their Tours Until 2022?

While doing some Internet surfing, I came across this short article from Loudwire (Apr 28). It discusses the fact that The Pretty Reckless has decided to push off their tour until 2022 due to COVID-19. The article starts off with the band's statement:

"After much thought and very careful consideration to the ongoing Covid epidemic, we have made the difficult decision to postpone all touring until 2022," the band said. "We absolutely cannot wait to come back and see you around the world in 2022… stay tuned for announcements coming this week!"

The Pretty Reckless join other in-demand rock groups — Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Rammstein — who have erred on the safe side and bumped previously rescheduled 2020 concerts up another year. Yet, some live events are already coming back this summer, though many are outdoor festivals.

Is this going to end up being a trend? If enough bands start postponing their tours until 2022, do other bands start to look reckless for wanting to tour in 2021 and feel pressure not to do so? I could see an argument for not touring. If there is a flair-up in a region of the country or world where a band was planning on going and they end up having to cancel that leg of the tour, maybe the band actually ends up losing money instead of making money. Delaying a tour could just be a risk management decision. Perhaps one might say that bands that start touring now just have more risk tolerance than those who delay.

California is looking to open venues to full capacity starting around June 15th (restrictions on super-sized events such as conventions and music festivals). One concern I've heard among the local music scene influencers is that touring bands would start taking up nights at local venues such as The Echo and Bootleg Theater that would usually go to local bands / singers. I could see the appeal of this argument for our local venues as they haven't been earning money for over a year and who knows if the Save Our Stages grant money will even be adequate to cover all their past due bills such as rents, loans, utilities, taxes. One needs to keep an eye out to see if more bands start pushing off their tour dates. I could see this being both good and bad for the local music scene in 2021. It could be good, because more nights would open up for local bands / singers versus touring bands. It could be bad, because some of the venues might go under as they just won't be able to generate the necessary income that high ticket prices / sold out shows driven by touring bands could generate that would help payback all their past due bills. Now come 2022, venues might start dedicating more nights to touring bands.

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 94

School Night this past Monday started off with Allie Buckley. I came across Allie Buckley back in 2018 during her residency at the Bootleg Theater. I recall her having those who were also on the bill with her that night join her on stage for various songs. One such person who opened was Johanna Samuels who wasn't ready when called upon and out went the call, "Johanna? Johanna?"

Her School Night set started with the sounds of an electronic organ coming out of her synth. I noticed how she loves playing chords and letting those shine. Her vocals had a combined gospel and country sound. Her eyes smiled at the camera whenever she took a looking at the virtual School Night audience that was watching the recording. One of her songs was about her boyfriend who went to Peru to take ayahuasca. 

Allie Buckley

Ai Bendr came up next. She's an Ann Harbor, Michigan native who is currently living in Los Angeles. She opened her set with the song "Runaway." For me, there was an interesting contrast going on. She wore a Snoop Dogg t-shirt while she played a ukulele for a song that had a definite beach vibe. She later switched to keys on her next song where the lights were shaded blue to keep with the moody tone of the song. I loved her after-set interview where she showed off a solid level of confidence. It wasn't an arrogant level of confidence, it was an internal level of confidence. 

Ai Bendr

Merci Mercy closed out the set from Australia. Her music had a timeless sense of poetry. Her vocals included the occasional drawl. She played her personal favorite song called "Something You Like." The song started off with a soft country folk sound and then turned into a pop sensation, "I wake up, we break up, without any make up." 

Merci Mercy

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 93

It would appear that my online quarantine sets have been largely restricted to School Night over the past month. Well, got to say the sessions are worth my time. Brooke Annibale opened this past Wednesday night by playing a set in t-shirt and jeans. I always take a look at the surroundings and for Brooke Annibale, her living room had two windows: one with curtains and the other with blinds. She had what looked like a The Beatles' poster on her wall. And candles decorated a table. Her music had folk flair. To end her set, she played a song called "Street Lights" to celebrate an album that she released a decade ago. When she finished the song, she did a camera walk off. 

Brooke Annibale

Brooke Annibale came from Rhode Island. The next band up came to us from Australia, The Sunday Estate. A full 5 member band playing in a studio. Their set had a rock pop sound to it with lyrics such as "I don't want to die." I loved those vocals that were just a touch high and at times those vocals turned into forceful preaching. Being from Australia, the discussion with the School Night host, Chris Douridas, turned to COVID-19. Interesting fact is that Australia just started allowing standing music gigs. Up to recently, they only allowed sitting shows. 

The Sunday Estate

Neil Frances closed out the night. They're a four member band from Los Angeles with some dance vibes. Their first song had me thinking of Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time" hit. They then slowed it down with a more adult contemporary, jazz vibe. 

Neil Frances

New Music Alert: Ariel Beesley's "So Baby"

Ariel Beesley has a new song out called "So Baby." 

She writes on her Instagram page: This song was a catalyst for me finishing my debut album with a bang. Meaning a bunch of songs about loving myself instead of giving my time to straight up babies. I hope you love it and dance and just feel things. Most importantly that you matter. Because you do. So much. 

Lyrics of the song: Your stupid fuckin' smile that gets me every time. You know all the lines that make my body shake.

Those lyrics represent her meticulous writing style. And the music backs it up with new wave punk rock sounds that provide sonic waves that one feels can be walked upon up towards the stars.

 

photo take at the Echoplex

Los Angeles Music Scene: Crashed Save Our Stages Website Might Re-Launch Within Days

As I've discussed, the Save Our Stages (or should I be specific and say the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant) application process was supposed to start April 8th. The site crashed and has remained shutdown since that point in time.

Variety (Apr 20) reports that Congress isn't all that pleased with the Small Business Administration:

On Monday, dozens of senators and congresspeople — including the “Save Our Stages” act’s coauthors, Senators Amy Klobuchar and John Cornyn — sent a letter to the head of the Small Business Administration, Isabella Guzman, calling on the organization to fix the portal and emphasizing the urgency of the need: “With each passing day, more independent businesses are forced to shutter permanently or file for bankruptcy. Landlords and banks are no longer permitting deferrals and are pressing for immediate payment of past due accounts; businesses are receiving eviction notices; mom-and-pop businesses are being forced to sell. The Administration’s announcement is critical to these businesses as they work to meet existing debt obligations during these unprecedented times.”

Are senators and congresspeople using hyperbole or are independent venues getting unusual pressure from landlords and banks to start paying up? I could see landlords being caught in the middle with banks demanding loan payments while venues aren't able to pay rent that would be used to pay the banks. Yet, everyone should know at this point that there is funding out there. Wouldn't a landlord or bank just want to wait so that they can get a significant chunk of their lost rent or loan payments back? Just seems to make sense to me.

As I've mentioned in a prior post, there are some conflicting reports about the requirements for getting grants. I think one point of potential confusion is in regards to the 90% loss of revenue rule -- those are the venues that get first claim on the funds. I've read that this is a 90% loss of full calendar year 2020 revenue versus 2019 and I've also read that it is a 90% loss of 2020 revenue starting in March versus the comparable period in 2019. If the 90% loss of revenue starts in March, then I would bet that 90% plus of all venues are eligible to make first claims on the funds. Of course, that open of a criteria basically makes the criteria useless. The fact that grant eligibility issues aren't resolved yet should be concerning since the website was supposed to open up on April 8th and is currently supposed to open back up in days. The letter to the SBA pushes strongly for clarification with this strongly worded sentence.   

We also respectfully request you continue outreach to potential applicants and finalize guidance that will inform applicants of the precise requirements for eligibility and grant amount.

The LA Times (Apr 21) as a California and Los Angeles spin.:

“I was joking a couple of days later that it felt like a horror film where everyone’s running to the door, getting picked off one by one,” said Kora Peterson, the concert director at the independent folk venue McCabe’s in Santa Monica. “It was salvation we were so desperately hoping for, and it just got pulled out from under us.”

To be honest, I've never been to McCabe's in Santa Monica. I'll need to head over to that venue someday once venues start to open up.  

Also, should we assume that Save Our Stages doesn't have enough funding to really save that many music venues?

. . . Last week, state Senate Democratic leaders released a budget plan, “Build Back Boldly,” that would create its own grant program for independent cultural venues. While it didn’t set a specific amount allotted for aid, NIVA California — along with the California Arts Advocates and the California Assn. of Museums — are seeking $1 billion in grants to be disbursed over the next four years. Maryland, Oregon, Illinois and Colorado have already announced similar aid packages.

It looks like California wants to add additional funding. I would say that this funding could easily dry up should California run into future budget constraints.

Los Angeles Music Scene: Local Venue Odds and Ends News

Spectrum News 1 has an article that discusses the already known fact that music venues need full capacity to start up operations. There was a quote in the article that initially had me concerned:

Likewise for the Hotel Cafe, the famously intimate singer/songwriter venue that played host to early LA performances from the likes of Adele, Damien Rice and Katy Perry among many others. It has nothing on its calendar until the fall, and that’s provided it even survives until then.

The article provided a link and so I took a deep breath as I figured it linked to another article where the owner or manager of Hotel Café was saying they were close to shutting down. The link went directly to the Hotel Café website, which had me breathing a sigh of relief. I am sure Hotel Café is struggling just like Zebulon and the Moroccan Lounge, but at least there wasn't specific new news about their situation.

I was doing my random searches for news items about the Los Angeles music scene -- that's how I came across that Spectrum News 1 article -- and for some reason decided to see if there was any news coming out of The Hi Hat. Well, there is, it appears they've allowed their website domain name registration to expire. That's not good news. That bit of info along with the fact that the property is up for sale does not add up to good news.

Though venues are allowed to open up on June 15th, The Echo / Echoplex doesn't have something on their calendar until August 20th, Surfer Blood. The Moroccan Lounge has Jadu Heart listed for May, but I am somewhat doubtful of that as the band's Instagram has a post where they mention that their first show of 2021 will be August 27th. I'm sure schedules will start filling out as we get close to June 15th.

New Music Alert: Vigil of War's "Spoon Fed"

I first came across Vigil of War in 2018. I loved their aggressive Sunset Strip style and listed them in my Top 15 Favorite New Bands that I came across that year. That aggressive style can be seen in this song "Spoon Fed." And one has to love those snarl vocals. The two guitarists go above the speed limits and the drummer sets the heart pulsating.

The video shows the masses hypnotized while watching what I assume is propaganda videos. 

Lyrics go as such, "Masses buy just what they're sold. A spoon fed crowd among us. The countless victims of the mold . . . If we can't bring the change, ignorance remains." 

So yes, the masses are hypnotized by the propaganda, but that doesn't mean we can't change all of that. 

photo taken at the Viper Room

New Music Alert: Spare Parts for Broken Hearts' "Dirty Milk"

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts has a new single out called "Dirty Milk." Any proceeds from the record and merchandise will be used to support the release of their record. The music is relentless and without mercy. The vocals are gritty and feel just as prophetic as the lyrics.

The band says the following about the new release: 

The song is about lack, it’s about recourse. It’s about being a kid whose parents are ill-equipped to handle the responsibility of a whole other human turning out secure, so we learn these attachment styles within that dynamic and it sets us up to seek out that repeated pattern in others throughout life. Now we’re adults and we’re still lost, expected to know more than we know and need less than we do. Here we are now in present time, needing more than we’ve ever needed, and the system we are to rely upon and invest in is a hoax. The nuclear family has proved itself the same, it’s all the same. You’re fending for yourself as always and for what seems like forever. “Are you anonymous, are you just like me?” is us asking, do you see me? I’m like you too and I think we’ve been fighting the same battle together for so long, from the same side, against the same thing. Now we unite, what we’re being fed isn’t, and has never been, good enough.”

photo take at The House of Machines

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 92

I got another opportunity to catch a couple artists play School Night on Twitch. Up first Caroline Kingsbury  She had an 80s new wave rock feel. I was thinking Annie Lennox and Eurythmics. Liv Slingerland was backing her up in the pre-recorded video. Her final song of the set was called "Massive Escape." She sang it from her diaphragm and punched those beats while mugging the camera. What did I notice about her stage: cowboy hat, large decorative fan and a stuff animal.

Caroline Kingsbury

Cian Ducrot was up next from the UK. He did a live interview with the host and he was just a touch sleepy. Why? It was 2 a.m. for him. One interesting fact is that his background is classical flute. Also, he is from Ireland who now resides in London. His music is classic Hotel Café singer-songwriter. His pre-recorded set started off in his garden with his guitar before he headed into his studio to play the rest of his set on his keyboard. His last song hit those discordant keys. 

Cian Ducrot

Los Angeles Music Scene: Save Our Stages has Glitches

Save Our Stages application process were supposed to start on April 8th, but is there anything better than a system glitch? Deadline (Apr 8) reports that the Small Business Administration wasn't able to get the site up and running even though it had gone through quality control. When it eventually gets up and running, it appears that there is a strong possibility that fraud will siphon off some of the money meant to support music venues (as well as other eligible entities).

Meanwhile, on the eve of the opening date of the applications, the SBA’s Inspector General issued a report raising “serious concerns” with controls put in place to “address potential misuse of federal funds,” including the lack of sufficient staff for oversight. It also raised concerns about the lack of staffing for the office.

It also appears that it could take awhile for money to start flowing once the website gets up and running.

“Currently, the program office has one designated official and its staff are on temporary detail,” the inspector general, Hannibal “Mike” Ware, wrote in the report. “At this time, SBA has not formalized a plan for staffing this office relative to the volume of applications expected. The agency has also not defined the organizational structure for administering the program.”

Potential correct from my past assumptions about how Save Our Stages works. Those first allowed to apply for these grants are those that lost 90% of their revenue. I thought that this was based on all of 2020 revenue -- that is they lost 90% of their January thru December 2020 revenue as compared to 2019. I came across an article (that I can't locate now) that indicated that the 90% was really March thru December 2020 and I'll assume compared to March thru December 2019. 

I don't think my initial assumption was totally off base as I was reading articles such as this EDM (Dec 22) article that had this: The money is earmarked for payroll, rent and other essential expenses, with funding prioritized for venues who have lost more than 90% of their revenue this year. This had me thinking it was a full year of revenue. It is highly possible that the Save Our Stages language is a bit difficult to interpret. 

For those interested, here's a checklist of documents that are required for the application process.

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 91

After taking a lengthy break from their online presence, School Night finally returned for the first time this year. They changed things up a little from their 2020 shows. Instead of just having pre-recorded shows, they included some live interviews. Also, instead of having just one show a week, they are aiming to have 2 shows a week. On Monday, their host was Bevan, a musician out in the UK. It didn't exactly go over all the smoothly due to technical glitches, but he took it all in stride. The night started off with him singing one of his songs. I noticed that he sings at a higher pitch than his talking vocals. 

Then up came Kings Elliot. She's from Switzerland who is currently based in London. Her music had a meditative feel to it. The room that she used to record her music had electric candles to help with that feel. Her keyboardist played with a light touch. Her music had that feel of watching a movie where the lead character walks down a road and slowly disappears in the distance after having learned a philosophical truth. "I'm Getting Tired of Me" was the title of one of her songs. 

Bevan

Kings Elliot

During her set, plenty of technical issues popped up. During her first pre-recorded song, Bevan's live voice could be heard. And then when he attempted to interview Kings Elliot, his Internet connection was so bad as well as the fact that this might have been his first time on Twitch that it all fell apart. For parts of the time, only one of them could be heard and Bevan actually had to message questions over. Technological issues made it all very amusing. 

Interlaced in all this was Mamas Gun, a band also from the UK. They had an 80's vibe mix of R&B and pop. I feel like they could do a perfect cover of "On My Own," Patti LaBelle's song that featured Michael McDonald. The five members of the band were playing from different locations. I am always impressed how people are able to play together from different locations. I suppose I shouldn't be due to the fact that there is something called the Internet, but I am still shocked. I mean, when I'm on Microsoft Teams or Zoom, it doesn't exactly seem like ideal situation and yet musicians are able to play music together from different locations.

Mamas Gun

On Wednesday, Chris Douridas of KCRW took over the reigns from Bevan. The glitches had been worked out. The night started off with a make good to Kings Elliot and they brought her back for a non-glitchy interview. Opening the night on the music front was New Dad from Ireland. As with Kings Elliot, they were available for an interview with Chris. When asked what time it was in Ireland, they said, "Half One." I think Chris was totally unsure what that meant so he said, "12:30 a.m." Someone in the comments said that it was 1:30 a.m. So now those of us in America know how those in Ireland give the time. This might be useful should I ever take a vacation in Ireland. Their music had a gothic rock sound, but was off-set with a stage that used vibrant colors. In the background, I noticed that they had a "The Simpsons" blanket. Nice to also know that "The Simpsons" are watched in Ireland. We got to learn that their band name was generated by using Band Name Generator. 

New Dad

Up next was VIAA. I am very familiar with this US based musician, having seen her a couple of times. Also, of the bands / musicians that I saw over the two nights, she was the only US based artist. And then, just as I was settling in to watch the set, I got a work call via Microsoft Teams. Shoot. Anyways, I missed much of music except for her final one, which was about an aversion to social media. I just love her vocals. I also caught the fact that she was doing the interview from Dayton, OH. I hope she hasn't permanently moved from Los Angeles.

VIAA

Los Angeles Music Scene: June 15th!!!

Sure, music venues in places like Texas and Florida have been allowed to open up for some time now, but it looks like California is just around the corner. 

The current target date is June 15th. Deadline (Apr 6): 

 Asked specifically about events with large crowds, [California Director of Health Services Dr. Mark Ghaly] said of concerts, “Yes, we feel comfortable at letting those limits go to full capacity.” But not so for conventions and festivals like Coachella. 

Full capacity at convention centers won’t be recognized without vaccination or testing “until October 1,” according to Ghaly. “Additionally, large multi-day events, for example, Coachella, we don’t yet have the path for those to occur.” Ghaly said restrictions on those events will be lifted “likely well after June 15…We’re still working with our partners.”

The question though for the LA music venues will be: will local bands / musicians even be allowed to play at these venues? This has been a question I've heard from various Instagram Live interviews with various people involved in the local music industry. Now, obviously, some local bands / musicians will be playing shows, but will it be at the same level as pre-COVID-19? The argument is that there are a lot of touring artists that need to make money and there won't be enough large venues out there for all of them. So small venues will fill in the gaps. Now these touring artists will need openers who could very well be LA bands, but at the same time these touring artists might bring along their own friends to help them earn some money. Of course, even if local bands open up for touring artists, will local music fans even be able to afford the ticket prices? 

So could it be possible that multiple nights a week at The Echo will be dedicated to touring acts that should really be playing at the El Rey or The Wiltern? We'll be finding out shortly. One could hardly blame music venues if they decide to book larger acts. They'll have been without revenue for well over a year and Save Our Stages just might not provide enough funding for venues to catch up with their debts.

As noted in the quote, Coachella might have to wait, but I suspect that they'd be targeting October anyways.

Mea Culpa: I've been saying that I thought music venues would open up between September and Q1'21. I guess I was off.

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 90

Haley Joelle went on Instagram Live for WFNM. She came to us just outside Portland, Oregon. It was a short 3 song set. She started off with a bit of a hum and then cheered up greatly when her friend Chris came online and then found more joy when another friend, Sam, showed up. What thrilled me about the set was that she played her set on a piano. I loved hearing her playing those keys. Her vocals had a touch of Natalie Merchant and Edie Brickell, folk merging with pop. She takes her time with her vocals, never feeling the need to rush. She just lets the story come out as intended.

Her first song was about a break-up and how the other individual in the now finished relationship quickly starts dating someone else. Her second song was about a young person who died and meanwhile she continues to live and every year she gets older. Yes, a couple sad songs. Her last song was called "Emergency Contact" which was inspired by The Bachelor -- might sound cliché, but was brilliant.

Online Quarantine Sets: Version 89

Kat Hamilton hit The Satellite's Instagram Live for the always enjoyable 6 songs at 6 p.m. sets. She brought an enthusiastic personality. As the set started, I think I heard the sounds of a police helicopter flying over. Her music had a touch of country to it. One of her songs was called "Plastic Folding Chairs." Hey, got to love that song title and it does seem like a song that would align with country music. Vocals were tuneful and thoughtful until just that right moment when she blew out her vocals. Her guitar plucking highlighted her vocal talents. 

I loved how during the day's golden hour that reflections and shadows could be seen bouncing off her backup guitar. 

Of note: one of her songs made it on the TV series called "Almost Family." I never saw it, but I looked it up. It was about a daughter who finds out that her dad was a sperm donor and now she finds out she has a lot of half brothers and sisters.

 

Quick Hit Band Interview: The Night Times

Photo taken at The Teragram Ballroom for Buzzbands

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

Ben (Organist) 

What is currently inspiring you? Currently been listening to a lot of CCR, Mazzy Star, Metallica. Four Horsemen is my all-time jam and can't let go of it 

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? Rock n roll and keep the partyin' going is all I gotta say. 

Tanya (Drummer) 

What is currently inspiring you? I've been inspired by a whole lot of Bad Brains and X-ray Spex. 

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? Just have a blast and enjoy themselves. 

Magoo (Guitarist) 

What is currently inspiring you? Lately been listening to a lot of early AC/DC, Flamin' Groovies, The Seeds, Tommy and the Commies and other stuff. 

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? I'd like for people to have a great time!! keep rock n roll alive!! 

Squints (Guitarist) 

What is currently inspiring you? Some of my influences right now range quite a bit! From listening and helping my buddy learn some traditional country to jamming out to some 77's. It’s hard to pin point exactly, anything really that moves me! 

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? I’d like for the audience to feel what we all individually bring to the stage, each one of us is a different musician! And I hope they like it! 

Is there a Q&A you’ve always wanted to answer: We can’t really think of a question that we’ve always wanted to be asked. If you have any questions or just curious, just ask us! We are everyday people. We talk to everyone who talks to us! 

Chris (Singer) 

What is currently inspiring you? Currently, the band is driven off of high energy and pure adrenalin . . . I’d like to say we feed off of each other and other local musical groups of past present and future . . . 

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? Like to see the crowd engage the feeling of moving and being a part of the performance . . . dancing, moshing, or even tapping their toes . . .