2024 List of Favorite New Bands and Singers (new to me, but maybe not to you)

My annual list of favorite new bands and singers: new to me, but maybe not to you. The Top 20 in alphabetical order.

1: Local music festivals: Americana West Music Fest, Echo Park Rising, Happy Sundays Long Beach, No Earbuds Fest.

To me, there’s nothing better than a DIY music scene festival. The Americana West Music Fest was all Americana and country with Los Rock Angels and Tristan Lake Leabu catching my “new to me” fancy. I only saw two or three songs of Fangbanger, but their stage show had me the moment I found myself having to squeeze through a packed Echo Park Rising venue. Though technically not part of Echo Park Rising, the Sunday lineup at Sticky Rice had Deathchant blasting the ear drums. NÜTT, I’m surprised I didn’t leave Happy Sundays Long Beach with a broken back due to all the mosh pit pounding I took. No Earbuds had the unexpected energy from Perennial and the vibes of Queen of Jeans.

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Dec 29th - Jan 4th

 A Handful of Show Alerts 

Sunday Dec 29th: El Colmo at Zebulon. Doors at 6 p.m.
You can read my review of their set on US Rocker Music here.

Sunday Dec 29th: Soft Palms at Club Tee Gee. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my US Rocker Music review of their Happy Sundays Long Beach set here.

Tuesday Dec 31st: Blaze Franscisco at The Redwood Bar. Doors at 4 p.m.
One of the band members is Liza Light. You can read my review of her song "To the Dream" here.

Friday January 3rd: Shane Alexander at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

Shane Alexander played the Americana West Fest in 2024. You can read my review of that festival on US Rocker Music here.

Saturday January 4th: Primer at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my review of Primer's release party for US Rocker Music here.

Thursday, January 2nd to Saturday January 4th: The Smell's 27th anniversary. Doors at 8 p.m. each night. 

NFV Song Spotlight: Jordan Gruver's Without Loving You

 

I wrote this about how I first came across Jordan Gruver on Instagram back in early September:

"I thought I first came across Jordan Gruver back in July at Club Tee Gee. That turned out not to be accurate. I was scanning through my list of bands / artists that I saw in 2023 to do some quick research about when I last saw another band. As I was scanning through, Gruver’s name popped up. I was a bit surprised. And then I remembered the night. I was invited to photograph a trio of bands at Hotel Cafe. I got there a touch early and caught a song or maybe just half a song by Gruver. At the time, I remember thinking that I really needed to catch a full set as I loved the song and so I added the name to my list of bands / artists I’d seen. Well, I obviously forgot about my desire to catch a full set – in my defense, I see way too many bands / artists. Flash forward a few months and it happened by random and I totally didn’t recall that moment back in 2023 until a couple days ago." 

Jordan Gruver at Hotel Ziggy

NFV Song Spotlight: Houston In The Blind's On a Wire

I arrived about ten minutes too late to catch Houston In The Blind's full set at Harvard & Stone (a Swyndle night). I walked into the venue and was immediately blown away and regretted not showing up just a few minutes earlier. The music was sonic bliss with a shoegaze touch. 

Houston In The Blind at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Beeson's everybody's baby

Jane Beeson who performs / releases music under her last name played the WFNM night at Hotel Ziggy the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving. This was my second time catching a set. My first time catching one of her sets was at the same location back in July. I was hesitant to head out on Wednesday night as I knew I had to wake up early on Thanksgiving to do some food preparation, but getting a second chance to catch Beeson won out.

Beeson at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Dec 22nd - Dec 28th

 A Handful of Show Alerts 

Monday Dec 23rd: Bee Appleseed at Club Tee Gee. Doors at 8 p.m.

I don't believe I've seen Bee Appleseed perform, but he is part of the uniquely interesting Elf Freedom. I took a photo of the band at Echo Park Rising 2023 and you can find the photo on Buzzbands if you scroll through the gallery.

Monday Dec 23rd: Dutch East Indians at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.
I saw the band when they played with Autogramm at Zebulon a few weeks back.

Friday Dec 27th: Rocco DeLuca at Zebulon. Doors at 7 p.m.

I've been catching Rocco DeLuca off and on since 2009. 

Saturday Dec 28th: Pegzilla and Moonfuzz at Galaxy Peak. Doors at 7 p.m.

The lead singer, Olivia Naperstein, of Pegzilla is in a band called Egg Drop Soup that I wrote about for US Rocker Music when they played the 2024 edition of Happy Sundays Long Beach.

Review: Young Lovers and Zeinapur Inspire the Soul at Final "Alphabet Soup" 2024 Series

Safe Travels Presents and The Witching Hours recently finished up their 2024 series: Alphabet Soup. It started off at the Resident and shifted to Non Plus Ultra for the last handful of shows. From my count, I went to a total of 11 of the 23 shows - specifically A, F, G, J, L, M, P, R, S, T, Y/Z. (There are 26 alphabets, but the later alphabets got combined.) There were shows where I came across a new favorite like Madeleine Mayi. There were shows where it felt like I knew most of the people in the crowd: nights featuring Fuss and Julez and the Rollerz. There were other times where I caught up with a band that I had not seen in a few years such as Le Pain. I even feel like I had input on one night. An Instagram stories went out asking for any band names that started with a Q and I tossed out Qyburn. The band got booked. Unfortunately, I was unable to make that night. And there were definitely a couple nights where I wanted to support the bands I love, but had conflicting priorities.

Zeinapur at Non Plus Ultra

Zheani at the Fonda Theatre brings intense DIY Chants

Back in early September, I was able to attend Zheani's set at the Fonda Theatre. I was covering the night for US Rocker Music. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, we were unable to put the review up on US Rocker Music. It was such a fun set and I've decided to post the set here on my personal blog site. Why am I posting my review here and not on the site? Like somethings in life, it is a complicated situation.

NFV Song Spotlight: TwoLips' MFKN Free

I first came across Kianah LongChase of TwoLips in 2018 -- twice, in fact. What is an interesting point about the two encounters is that the sets were held at a couple favorite venues that have since closed: The Satellite and The Hi Hat. I then caught TwoLips twice more in 2019. This time those venues and events had better luck surviving: The Echo and Echo Park Rising. Unfortunately, though, I had to wait until 2023 to catch another set and only one set that year. That set was also at Echo Park Rising. And in 2024, I'm back to two sets a year. Once at The Echo and just recently at Non Plus Ultra. Yes, the number two is a trend here.  

TwoLips at Non Plus Ultra

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Dec 15th - Dec 21st

A Handful of Show Alerts 

Sunday Dec 15th: Strawberry Fuzz at The Roxy Theatre. Doors at 7 p.m.

Monday Dec 16th: Sarah Once Was at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my post on their song "Thumbnail Moon" here.

Monday Dec 16th: Safe Travels Presents and The Witching Hours close out their Alphabet Soup Series with Young Lovers and Zeinapur. Doors at 8 p.m.

Tuesday Dec 17th: Salem's Bend at The Redwood Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

Wednesday Dec 18th: Nightjacket at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can see some photos I took of the band for Buzzbands here.

Thursday Dec 19th: Jett Kwong at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my US Rocker Music review of her 2022 performance here.

Thursday Dec 19th: MACKandgold (jazz edition) at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

Thursday Dec 19th: Meth Math at The Roxy Theatre. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my US Rocker Music review of their April 2024 Zebulon set here.

Friday Dec 20th: Faetooth at The Echo. Doors at 7 p.m.

Saturday Dec 21st: Boy Deluxe at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my post on their song "Bait" here.

NFV Song Spotlight: Scout LaRue Willis' Mysterious Ways

I wrote the following back during the summer on Instagram, "This is my third time catching Scout LaRue Willis. The first two times were in 2016 at the Bootleg Theater. It only took 8 years to catch another set. I did try to catch a set in 2023. I was at an early show at the Moroccan Lounge and decided to make a dash to Zebulon. I got to the Zebulon and the set times had been moved up by 30 minutes. Usually Zebulon has a 15 minute buffer going in the other direction. Oh well, I waited a few months and got to finally catch a set at Zebulon."

Scout LaRue Willis at Zebulon

NFV Songs Spotlight: Austin Stambaugh's Nightwalk (Less or More) and Ain't That Like It Is

Nashville based musician Austin Stambaugh dropped on by Club Tee Gee for a Back in the Garage night. He was at the end of a tour that took him from Texas to New Mexico to Arizona with two stops in California via San Diego and Los Angeles. The tour was to promoted his just released  Speechmythology: The Musical Short Stories of Austin Stambaugh album. I will admit that my going out to Club Tee Gee was not due to knowing anything about Stambaugh. I noticed that Rosy Nolan was on the bill and the last time I saw a full set was back in September 2023. It sounded like a good time to head out and catch another set. 

Austin Stambaugh at Club Tee Gee

NFV Song Spotlight: Liza Light's To the Dream

While hanging out at WFNM, I've seen Liza Light playing back-up for Megan Winsor and perhaps another singer or two. What I've noticed is the enthusiasm and joy that she has playing in a band. Looking at the WFNM schedule recently, I saw that she was playing a set as the front woman. I decided I had to circle the date. I was curious about what her sound was when she was in front of the microphone.

Liza Light at Bar Lubitsch

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts: Dec 8th - Dec 14th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Monday Dec 9th: Alexandra John at 7 p.m. at Hotel Cafe

Wednesday Dec 11th: Lovecolor at 9:30 p.m. at Hotel Cafe

Wednesday Dec 11th: Circle The Earth at Hotel Ziggy 

(You can read and listen to my song spotlight of their song "Sweetest Pain" here.)

Thursday Dec 12th: ELKE at El Cid. Doors at 6 p.m.

Thursday Dec 12th: Hooveriii at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

(I previously covered the side project Primitive Ring.) 

NFV Song Spotlight: Night Party's All That Fades

It is probably due to my desire to catch local bands before they gain a following that explains why I like to catch opening bands. I've occasionally shown up at venues an hour early (because I simply can't judge when the first band hits the stage) just so that I can catch the opener. And by desire to catch local bands, I mean being one of the first photographers to snap some concert photos.

Side note: that theory of being one of the first photographers to snap photos could also apply to the last band of the night, but depending on when that band hits the stage, there is something called needing to wake up the next morning to go to work. Trade-offs in life.   

Night Party at Zebulon

NFV Song Spotlight: Autogramm's Born Losers

Zebulon more often than not introduces me to bands that are new to me, but maybe not to others. This was the case on a recent Saturday night when Autogramm hit the stage just before 8:30 p.m. The band joked that there was a large contingent of Canadians in the audience. The band comes from Vancouver, British Columbia though their Instagram account also mentions Chicago and Seattle. I'm not sure if they all currently live in Vancouver or if they all grew up in Vancouver and now some of them live in the United States. Whatever to that wondering on my part, the band had their Canadian support crew in the audience. 

Autogramm at Zebulon

NFV Song Spotlight: Bruvvy's Concealer

I first crossed paths with Bruvvy at a WFNM night at Bar Lubitsch. At the time, they were recent arrivals from Miami. One of their Miami photographers was joining in on the fun. I saw them again a month later at another WFNM night, this one at Hotel Ziggy. In between those two dates, lead singer and guitarist Liz Varum broke her foot. She had to spend that second set sitting on a barstool, but the band still had their classic set. After only seeing the band twice, what would I call a classic set? A blow away set filled with head bangs, jumps, back to back stances, guitar and bass swung in wild fashion, and basically non-stop energy. Does this band even have any slow songs? Maybe they do, but I'm so into the set that I don't even notice that they've slowed it down. Their music is an electronic amalgamation of pop-rock intensity and attitude. 

Bruvvy at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Matt Axton's Golden Times

I first came across Matt Axton in Glendale. In 2023, The ALEX Theatre was holding a short music series called Country In The Courtyard. I don't recall how I noticed that this was occurring, but the reason I went on that particular night was because Rosy Nolan was playing. I had previous seen Nolan playing the Americana West Fest at Hotel Cafe. Since I live in Glendale, I walked over to The ALEX Theatre, which took about 30 minutes or so. 

Matt Axton at the Bigfoot Lodge

Review: Earlimart reflects on the past with help from Jason Lytle and Tenlons Fort

It has been around 11 months since I was last at Scribble. That night was also my first time at the venue and I was hyped to see Fuss (former members of The Gooms) playing their debut show. Fast forward to 2024 and I went back to the venue thanks to In Sonic Dreams Presents who invited me to catch the 20th anniversary of Earlimart's album Treble & Tremble. I'll be honest, I had never heard of Earlimart before. I say some interesting symmetry there -- in a way, going to the venue to see bands for the first time.

Earlimart at Scribble

NFV Song Spotlight: George Ducas' Drifter

Matt Axton was celebrating his birthday at Bigfoot Lodge during the monthly Americana Joy music showcase. Coming in for the festivities was Grammy nominated George Ducas. His nomination came for co-writing the song "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)" for Garth Brooks and George Jones that got nominated for the Best Country Collaboration with Vocals category. 

George Ducas at Bigfoot Lodge

Review: Gold Star aligns the celestial bodies with Mercedes Kilmer

I admit I was a late convert to Gold Star. Gold Star, singer-songwriter Marlon Rabenreither, has been releasing music since 2012. That probably means he's been playing music since at least 2011? When did I finally come across Gold Star? In 2023. I went to Club Tee Gee to catch Mara Connor and came away with another favorite musician. I saw the band three times in 2023 and each time the venue played at was packed. The highlight of that year was the set at The Echo during Echo Park Rising. The venue was so packed that I had to squeeze and forced my way to the side of the stage in order to get some photos. As a friend said to me during one of those 2023 sets, “People show up for Gold Star, baby.” 

Gold Star at El Cid

NFV Song Spotlight: Funds for Jimmy's unclean.

I first came across Funds for Jimmy back in early 2022. They were playing at Harvard & Stone. I remember the sound guy was so amazed by their performance that he personally asked for an encore. I recently caught a set at the same venue. 

Funds for Jimmy at Harvard & Stone

Review: The Spyrals bring their album 'Retrograde' to life with help from Devon Ross and Primitive Ring

On a chilly night in Los Angeles, The Spyrals had their record release party at Gold-Diggers for their fifth studio album "Retrograde." I actually crossed paths with this band back in 2013. How do I know I saw the band? Considering that the band's first album came out in 2012, I decided to look through my archives. The name popped up in a 2013 draft blog post that simply has four Facebook links to the bands that were playing the Bootleg Theater on that specific July night. I obviously never got around to finishing up the blog post. 

The Spyrals at Gold-Diggers

NFV Song Spotlight: Hailey Wild's Wake Up

The USC Thornton School of Music senior Hailey Wild had the WFNM night at Hotel Ziggy rocking. It was a perfect blend of hard rock anthems and the Sunset Strip. She opened up the set with Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" that solidified her rocker bona fides from the start. 

Hailey Wild at Hotel Ziggy

NFV Song Spotlight: Wayne Redfern's Without Saying

I do enjoy going to Club Tee Gee on occasion. Why? I often don't know anything about the bands or singers on the bill. It is an exploration of the unknown. I seldom even do any preliminary research on who is playing on the bill other than a cursorily look at Instagram pages. And honestly, sometimes the fewer Instagram followers the better, because I'm looking to be one of the first photographers to capture some photos of a band or musician. 

Wayne Redfern at Club Tee Gee

NFV Song Spotlight: Pom Poms' I Think You're Right

I've seen Pom Poms at least 6 times throughout the years. The band has played alongside some of my favorite local bands each of those 6 times. I first came across Pom Poms when they played with The Controversy at one of my previous favorite stomping grounds, The Satellite. It was a shared residency and I saw the pair team-up twice. In regards to The Controversy, it appears that the band is on hiatus though I do know that lead singer Laura Vall and husband / bandmate Thomas Hjorth are still involved in music. 

Pom Poms at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Together Pangea's Misery

The band Together Pangea was the special guest headliner for Kills Birds' performance at Gold-Diggers. The Los Angeles based band has been around for north of 10 years. How many times have I seen Together Pangea? Zero times. For as much time as I've spent catching bands across Los Angeles, there are still bands out there that I've never seen. I had to admit this at the venue. A person who knows how long I've hung out in the scene joked that I must have seen the band when they first started out. I responded honestly that I knew of the band, but had never seen them. 

Together Pangea at Gold-Diggers

NFV Song Spotlight: Warm Human's Maybe

How did I cross paths with Warm Human (Meredith Johnson)? If you've come across my Instagram page or even this blogsite, you know that I enjoy a good Janelane set. Just a few months back, Janelane had a record release party at Zebulon for the album Love Letters. Scanning through Zebulon's website, as I so often do, I noticed that Janelane was once again playing at the venue on November 10th. The band was opening for Warm Human who I had never heard of, but was also having a record release party that night for Hamartia. That was a double reason to head on out. 

Warm Human at Zebulon

NFV Song Spotlight: Moonily's Evil Eye

I came across Moonily while covering one of my favorite Los Angeles based punk bands, The Paranoyds, for Buzzbands. Venues had just started to reopen in mid-2021 and The Paranoyds were playing The Echo. To me, it was one of the first big local nights and the place was packed. I recall during The Paranoyds set fans were having fun crowd surfing. It was such a joyous time to be back listening to live music. The three members of Moonily also joined in the crowd surfing craze of the night, coming to the stage together. Their set had already put them on my list of new favorite bands and their fun stage dives cemented that opinion all the more. 

Moonily at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Kills Birds' Glisten

I was introduced to Kills Birds via Buzzbands. Back in 2019, Kevin Bronson sent out a monthly list of bands that he wanted his various photographers to cover. He had Kills Birds highlighted as a band he really wanted a photographer to cover. At the time, I'd never heard of them, which is amusing as just a month earlier I had covered Echo Park Day 2 for the site and in the compilation post for the day (that included photos from various photographers) Kills Birds was the highlighted band in both the title and lead photo. I also noticed that the band was playing at the Bootleg Theater, which was one of my favorite venues (since shut down due during the COVID shutdown). That convinced me to do a little research on the band by checking out their music on Youtube. My memory isn't perfect about things that happened five years ago, but I'm pretty sure that their video for "Ow" was the song that got me to put my hat in the ring to shoot the band. 

Kills Birds at Gold-Diggers

NFV Song Spotlight: Sarah Once Was' Thumbnail Moon

About every other Monday, The Witching Hours and Safe Travels Presents presents their Alphabet Soup music series. As can be derived from the name, each night is dedicated to an alphabet and the bands / musicians names start with that alphabet. Recently, they got to the letter S. That leaves 7 more letters to go, which will take them into early 2025. Will they re-start the whole series again come 2025? One can only hope. The series used to take place at the Resident, but as the Resident has shifted away from live bands they had to move on to Non Plus Ultra. They mentioned on Instagram that this resulted in their funding getting cut. I'm sure that will play a role in how things go in 2025. Hopefully, the music community comes out to support this labor of love music series. 

Sarah Once Was at Non Plus Ultra

NFV Song Spotlight: Halo Kitsch's i was a virgin (on drugs)

I first came across Halo Kitsch at a WFNM in November 2021. I was blown away by the set. Since that time, I've tried to catch a set as often as possible. I've learned that she loves to use parentheses in her song titles such as "i was a virgin (on drugs)" or her current biggest hit on Spotify "All (Your) Fault" and many others. I also learned that she got fascinated with the word daisy cutter and finally was able to include it in her song "i was a virgin (on drugs)."  

Halo Kitsch at Broadway Night Lights

NFV Song Spotlight: Kat French's Casket

You never know what hidden gems you'll discover when you go to a WFNM night at Hotel Ziggy or Bar Lubitsch. Some of my favorite bands and singers were discovered at a WFNM night such as coming across King Mala and Halo Kitsch on the same night at Bar Lubitsch. 

Kat French at Hotel Ziggy

NFV Song Spotlight: Jesika Von Rabbit's Psychic Spice

I don't get to catch Jesika Von Rabbit all that often. I first came across her in the band Gram Rabbit in 2011. One has to jump to 2019 before I caught her again, now performing under the name Jesika Von Rabbit. That is very infrequent, but throughout my years in the Los Angeles music scene, I've often wondered when I'd get to catch another set. Jump to 2024 and I happened to notice that she was doing a Saturday night residency at  Harvard & Stone for the month of October. I knew I had to make it to at least one night of that residency.

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Essenger's After Dark

Jesika Von Rabbit has a Saturday night residency for the month of October 2024 at Harvard & Stone. I was aiming to go to the October 12th residency, but I happened to notice that Halo Kitsch was playing an outdoor street festival and I decided to catch that set instead and switch to seeing Jesika Von Rabbit on the 19th. That was a good trade off, because I got to catch Essenger. I'm doing a round about way to get to Essenger, but when I first saw the night's line-up, I thought Jesika Von Rabbit was playing with the Los Angeles band Essencer. I took a closer look at the name and realized there was a "g" versus a "c."

Essenger at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Boy Deluxe's Bait

I've followed Boy Deluxe since 2017. At the time, the band was called Ever So Android and they'd just relocated from Seattle. I was perhaps the first Los Angeles based photographer to catch one of their sets. I was an immediate fan of Hope S and True Murra and have seen them numerous times over the years. This year, I've seen them 3 times. And, hey, those who have a somewhat deep history of the Los Angeles music scene remember the jokes that Hope S and Kimi Recor (Black Flamingo, Draemings, Kevin, etc) were sisters.

Boy Deluxe at the Regent Theater

NFV Song Spotlight: March Adstrum's Relics from Phantoms

March Adstrum recently played the Harvard & Stone stage. I came across her in 2023 at The Smell. She started to play in other bands that I enjoy such as Magnolia and Valley Porno People. She's also in a band called Optometry that I've yet to see.  

March Adstrum at Harvard & Stone

NFV Song Spotlight: Ouch!'s Bitter Host

In early September, Ouch! hit the stage first at The Fable on the same night that Janelane played. It was a more than appropriate line-up as Ouch! reminded me of early Janelane. The band hails from Oakland and is fronted by Ryann Gonsalves. Based on her Instagram page, Ouch! is just one of the four bands that she is in. 

Ouch! at The Fable

NFV Song Spotlight: The Doohickeys' This Town Sucks

I've followed The Doohickeys for a bit over a year now. The band duo includes Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett. I first came across the band at Americana West Music Festival in 2023 and I got addicted immediately. What got me addicted to this band? Well, as per the title of this blog post, it would be their song "This Town Sucks." I just couldn't help but laugh back in 2023. I also grew up in a small town. The song is about Liberty, Missouri which currently has a population of around 31,000 and is where Brown grew up. The city I grew up in also had a population of around that size. 

The Doohickeys at the Big Foot Lodge

NFV Song Spotlight: Jessy Fury and The Sound's Heaven

Jessy Fury and The Sound is the project of Jesse Robitaille and they recently played Hotel Ziggy. Robitaille's vocals bring his pop tunes to life. He projects an Elvis Presley reincarnation, but mixed in with pop sounds of the late 80s / early 90s. On this night, the band did toss in a Presley cover song. His backing band is selected to create energy. Emily Dickinson on the keytar and Aubrey Harris on bass amplified and synergized perfectly with Robitaille. Let's not forget the beats and tracks of Declan O'Raidy. The packed house ate it up. 

Jessy Fury and The Sound at Hotel Ziggy

NFV Song Spotlight: Janelane's Killing Time

Janelane recently played The Fable during a Ryan Pollie night. I first came across Janelane in 2017 at Echo Park Rising. I was shooting the festival for Buzzbands. I technically wasn't suppose to shoot Janelane. I had been assigned the venues east of The Echo. Yet, I decided to check out Janelane over at Spacedust (the store closed at the end of 2023), which was a store west of The Echo. I've been a fan ever since. The band is fronted by Sophie Negrini with a rotating cast of musicians. 

Janelane at The Fable

NFV Song Spotlight: Circle the Earth's Sweetest Pain

I saw Circle the Earth play a spirited set at Hotel Ziggy (a WFNM night) on August 27th, 2024. Of note, the band name is so appropriate as the members hail from across the globe. You have Brazilian drummer Sandro Feliciano, Japanese guitarist Kazuki Tokaji, and Taiwanese keyboardist Sandy Chao Wang. The five piece band is rounded out by Michael McBay on bass and Aviva Scott on vocals. The band's set was filled with the power pop ballads that highlighted Scott's crystal vocals. 

Circle the Earth at Hotel Ziggy

Desert Daze 2024 Cancelled and the Hardship of being Independent

 

SASAMI was to play on Saturday

Desert Daze announced on August 30th that their four day festival that was to be held from October 10th - 13th was being cancelled "due to rising production costs and the current volatile festival market." There was also an emphasis in their announcement that Desert Daze is one of the few independent festivals.

PAGOTO Celebrates Record '7989' by Blasting Ear Drums at Licorice Pizza Records

PAGOTO, a project of L.A. Witch drummer Ellie English, had their record release at Licorice Pizza Records. Knowing that connection, one might expect a sound somewhat similar to L.A. Witch, a bit psychedelic mixed in with blues and rock. That would be totally incorrect. This band is a hard core industrial band. Vocals are screamed at jet engine levels and drums are slammed with the intensity of the flames coming from a rocket booster engine. Their 8 song album, 7989, is 7 songs of industrial with the final song “Ancestor” taking one on a meanderingly chill drug trip – got to let the listener take a breather. The band played the album in full at Licorice Pizza in front of friends as many a long conversation was had prior to the band hitting the stage. Members of L.A. Witch also arrived to show their support for their band mate. 

PAGOTO at Licorice Pizza Records