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

On October 12, 2024, another opportunity to catch her set popped up via Broadway Night Lights street festival. Five blocks of Broadway in DTLA were closed down for the festival. I obviously went there to catch Halo Kitsch, but another draw was exploring the historic downtown theaters. The Million Dollar, Palace, and Los Angeles Theaters were open to the public. The places were filled with people exploring every corner of the theaters. I noticed some opening up doors that probably were not meant to be open. A too much info fact is that those theaters had functioning bathrooms, which meant that you didn't need to use the portable toilets -- a fact I figured out later. The theaters are fascinating. I can't believe I've lived in Los Angeles for all these years and never taken the time to explore these theaters.

Halo Kitsch at Broadway Night Lights

Halo Kitsch was playing the LA Stage run by NextFest. She came out on stage wearing glasses that gave her a college student look. She soon ditched the glasses that turned her into a rock star as she danced and kicked her way across the stage. "For now I've got your attention," she told the enthusiastic crowd. It didn't take long for someone to approach me and ask who was up on stage. That's the nice thing about street festivals, people walking up and down the street and coming across a band or singer who catches their attention. She put on a set that lasted just under 45 minutes. It was a joy seeing her take total command of the stage over a 12 song set -- normally I've seen 30 minute sets. With a street festival where people can easily just move along, the crowd only grew larger as the set continued. The energy during those 45 minutes did not subside, but continued at a high level.  

Halo Kitsch at Broadway Night Lights

What's my one complaint about the set? LOL, as a photographer, I love it when there are bright lights on stage. Whenever someone working the lights asks me my opinion on how bright the lights should go, I say the brighter the better. At some point, there is too much of a good thing. I swear the lights on this stage was like the sun was blasting and if someone had asked for my opinion I would have said for perhaps the first time ever, "Please hit the dim switch."   

Halo Kitsch at Broadway Night Lights

What's my favorite Halo Kitsch song? "i was a virgin (on drugs)." I love the dance rock beats that open up the song that then explode with heavy drum beats and her rapid fire beat poetry singing. Those lyrics and vocals show a level of distain for someone who took advantage of a young girl, "Cause nobody noticed me in junior high."  

I was a virgin on drugs
Didn’t know what they were, didn’t know who I was
I would’ve done a lot for your love, your love
Your love is so corrupt

Inside a Historic DTLA Theater

Setlist: (Un)even, I Am in an Emotional Coma, I Knew Not To (Fall for You), (momma said) not the rockstar, hollywood*starlette, Gross! (I think I'm in Love), i was a virgin (on drugs), Daddy's Girl, Arsenic, All (Your) Fault, Shit B/W Ur Teeth, (Wasted) on the Moon.

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

This is what happened recently when I went to Hotel Ziggy to catch a 5 band and singers lineup. I had previously seen the band Alexandra John, but I was unfamiliar with the four singers in the lineup. The hidden gem of the night was Kat French. The first thing I noticed even before she hit the stage was how enthusiastically she supported the other acts. I also noticed her singing the lyrics to their songs. That's a person who believes in community.

Kat French at Hotel Ziggy

Side note: what I didn't know about the night was that the lineup was curated by Laamp Music. I've never heard of Laamp Music. Did not even know they were involved with the night when I arrived. Every act kept mentioning Laamp Music so I decided to look them up. It is a 1 year music academy, which means that everyone in the lineup were classmates (maybe former classmates as I noticed that Kat French was in the 2023-2024 program). 

When it was her turn to take the stage, she let the music ring out with her guitarist playing a cool rift. With head nodding and finger snapping, she got the rhythm down and approached the microphone. Her vocals rocked out the venue with tender aggression. It blew me back a step or two. It had me dancing while taking photos. When she went to the acoustic guitar for a couple songs, she didn't go into singer-songwriter mode. The rocking continued and the acoustic guitar freed her up to kick and dance her way through those songs. Her mother was in the audience and was obviously her most enthusiastic fan. 

Kat French at Hotel Ziggy

Currently, French only has two songs up on Spotify (I'm sure that will change soon enough). I'll highlight her initial 2021 single "Casket." Why? It has those cool opening guitar rifts. Got to say, that might become her signature as her career progresses. Also, I'm currently re-watching Season 1 of True Blood. When the series was on HBO, I didn't get to catch all the seasons so I figured I may as well watch from the beginning. And well, caskets and vampires seem like such a good connection.

I don't know the inspiration for the song, but maybe vampires (or zombies) played a role in the lyrics:

Now I′m trying to escape the ground with limbs that cannot crawl

There may also be some inspiration from the Dante's Inferno in a song about a terrible relationship:

Who knew the reaper lived across my wall
Thought you were an angel, guess I took your fall

Kat French at Hotel Ziggy

If you find this intriguing, you can catch Kat French at U Saw Them First on November 16th and I was informed that she'll be back at Hotel Ziggy and WFNM on January 8th, 2025.

 

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

As a side note: for the years 2022 and 2023, I would keep a mental list of bands / singers (that I enjoy seeing prior to COVID) that I saw for the first time since venues reopened in mid-2021. It took 5 years to finally catch a Jesika Von Rabbit set, but I can finally say a caught a post-COVID set.

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

One thrill in catching a Jesika Von Rabbit set is the effort put into the stage show. On her Instagram page, she described her costume for the night as being the "Black Rabbit Witch." There were two dancers on stage throughout much of the set. Both went through multiple costume changes. They started off as skeletons. They then scurried up the Harvard and Stone stairs to the green room for a costume change. They did this a handful of times. After dancing as skeletons, they came down as aliens, sex performers, and pink dogs. 

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

The costumes were not the only details on stage. There was a specific set list set aside for a friend who worked the fog machine. The setlist had the header "fog" and there were checkmarks next to specific songs. Atop the key board was a globe light bulb prop. For one song, the dancers brought out bubble Sci-Fi guns. 

Another thrill is, of course, the music which has an Internet described of "avante-garde eletro pop" that I say has a desert rock undertone.  

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

What's a song to highlight? Let's go with "Psychic Spice." One could argue this has a Dune inspired topic. This was the second song played on the night I went. She and her two dancers had the opening choreographed where they spun in circles and then went with a pose while lifting their arms in a sort of genie belly dance. All this against some spooky synths, tracks, and guitar. The crowd loved it. 

Do these lyrics tie together into any semblance of storytelling? 

I'm psychic, I read you, my third eye will lead you

I'll make you, I'll show you, I'll feed you, I'll grow you

Nah, it is stream of consciousness songwriting. You can find the song on the 2015 album Journey Mitchell. 

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

I missed perhaps the first 10 minutes of his set. That's what I get for trying to target getting to a venue just as the set is about to begin. My reasoning was that Jesika Von Rabbit was saying she was going on at 10 p.m., which to me really meant 10:15 p.m. at the earliest. I figured Essenger would get on stage at 9:15 p.m. -- perhaps even 9:30 p.m. I got there at around 9:10 p.m. and said my greetings to the manager of the venue who told me that Essenger was already on stage. 

Essenger at Harvard & Stone

I walked in and the first thing I noticed was that the crowd was pressed close to the stage. This wasn't a crowd that was hanging out towards the middle of the venue, which is often the case at Harvard & Stone (as well as other Los Angeles venues). Then the music hit me. It was definitely in the vain of the electronic genre. The vocals have an occasional techno distortion, but also ring true at other times. He is definitely not hiding his vocals behind computerized adjustments. When he moves away from those distortions, his vocals carry melodies in a wonderful manner. The music's electronic beats pulsate and layer in with either soothing melodies or aggressive basslines. I could easily imagine many of his songs fitting in perfectly in the soundtracks of either video games or anime movies. The crowd definitely enjoyed the 35 minute set.

Essenger at Harvard & Stone

One of the songs I appreciate is "After Dark," which is the title track from his 2020 album After Dark. 

Disconnected, don’t know why we fell apart.
The feeling sets in only after dark.

Only "after dark" does he think about his ex and why the relationship ended. Is that another way to say that his morning hours are spent thinking about the recent break-up? To some degree, those thoughts occur, because his ex tries to reconnect, but is his ex attempting to rekindle the relationship or just checking in to see about his mental health?

Saw you called, wonder why you try, I’m still alone.

You're on your own.

Either way, it is a music of heartbreak.  

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

My third time catching the band this year was at the Regent Theater in DTLA. The band has developed a dedicated following. There were people in the audience that I recognized from previous shows. And they don't just hang out in the back. They came forward to the front of the stage and stayed there -- ha ha, though I suppose Hope S had to give them a little push as she said before the start of the set, "Don't do me dirty." The bands dark-pop electro sound is catchy. Hope S always puts on a solid stage show. This time around, True Murra put on some dance moves -- something he doesn't always do. 

Boy Deluxe at the Regent Theater

The band was opening for Fartbart and it was a free night to celebrate Oktoberfest. The Regent Theater is connected to Spaceland Presents. I'm not exactly sure of all the ins and outs of how that all works out, but lets go back to some history here. Spaceland Presents used to book bands at The Satellite / Spaceland (a venue that no longer exists) and The Echo (not sure if Spaceland Presents has any current role in the booking of The Echo or if that is all done via Live Nation now). Anyways, while watching Boy Deluxe and Fartbart on stage, I got a flash back to those pre-Live Nation days and how the Los Angeles music scene had a serious buzz to it and Spaceland Presents had the pulse of the scene.

Boy Deluxe at the Regent Theater

I admit that the Regent Theater wasn't at sold out capacity for Farbart and Boy Deluxe as the venue is way too big to be fully dedicated to local bands playing (1000 + capacity); however, it was a crowd size that would have filled up The Satellite or The Echo (350 capacity) to near capacity if not sold out status. It was really nice to see.  

Boy Deluxe at the Regent Theater

What song do I want to highlight here? I know they recently released their Sanctuary EP and their title song "Sanctuary" is definitely excellent, but what is my favorite song of theirs? I'd have to say "Bait." It opens with a blasting buzzy techno blast before Hope S sings out repeatedly "Your body is a tomb." The music drives relentlessly forward and has you wanting to dance off the walls. 

The below is a Spotify link to "Bait," but be sure to go through the necessary clicks to listen to their Sanctuary EP.  You won't regret it. 

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

What can I say about Adstrum. First, she has good taste in music, playing in the most excellent Los Angeles bands. Second, she is a genre defying musician. March Adstrum on her own has an electric sound that mixes in elements of jazz and artsy pop. Magnolia is as punk as you can get. Valley Porno People has a post-punk feel. 

March Adstrum at Harvard & Stone

She recently released the EP Relics from Phantoms this year. A beautifully crafted EP that leaves you wanting that full record. I personally have to say my favorite from the 6 songs is the title track -- though I've got to say that "Secret Hero" is also in a virtual tie, but this post is about focusing in on one song. 

March Adstrum at Harvard & Stone

To me, this song is about two people who were previously very good friends. They were even in a band together. Looking through a box of memories, we have this from the first verse:

Rings and a clay heart from the past
Postcards, Letters
Fingerprints on the lenses of my plastic glasses 

In the second verse, we have this: 

From some band that's dead and gone

An undefined change in the relationship occurred that caused the two to drift apart. The chorus has the hurt filled singing of "Two Strangers" in repetition.

March Adstrum (backing band) at Harvard &Stone

The lyrics are sung with plaintive feelings, emphasized by the music that is wistful with a slow beat. Often, I'll hear a musician say that we shouldn't confused the upbeat nature of a song with the painful memories in the lyrics. In "Relics from Phantoms," March Adstrum isn't hiding her feelings.   

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

Ouch! has a lo-fi sound with vocals that fit with a rustling mood. The lyrics lay bare Gonsalves' soul, which reminds me of those early Sophie Negrini (Janelane) breakup lyrics. 

The song "Bitter Host" is a solid example of this. The song opens up with the lyrics: 

Tossed me out when you're sick of me
A chord progression overdone mostly
To keep me at arms length when I need you most
You're off to find a serotonin boost.

A song filled with relationship pain. A significant other just ending the relationship (tossed me out) after some undefined difficulty (when I need you most). Why? She believes the significant other was just in the relationship for the short-term emotional rush and not for the ups and downs of life. And yet, Gonsalves seems to place the blame on herself as much as her former lover as she sings "all my fault." And one has to love those erudite lyrics. 

Ouch! at The Fable

The song is part of a 2024 debut album that includes 12 songs. Those emotional explorations are squeezed into brief songs that range from songs as short as 37 seconds and a still quick 2 minutes and 35 seconds. The album is just 18 minutes and 20 seconds.

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

The band recently played Big Foot Lodge and the duo brought on a banjo player. For a song, they also had a guest play the steel guitar. This band adds comedy into country music that includes Brown wearing a blue Stetson Western cowboy hat. Not only is "This Town Sucks" lyrically hysterical, but the band also had some fun at the start. The band asked who grew up in a small town. Someone yelled out that they grew up in Elk River, Idaho. Doing some research, that town has a population of only 125 and it is no where near the large cities of Idaho such as Boise. It is also 100 plus miles from Spokane, Washington. Liberty, Missouri is at least just 15 miles from Kansas City, basically a suburb. I'm guessing the audience member wins out on which town sucks more -- unless they were just joking and actually grew up in Boise, but Elk River gives a better story. 

The Doohickeys at the Big Foot Lodge

This being a song about Brown's hometown, she takes the lead on vocals while Hackett joins on the chorus of "This Town Sucks." The two fingerpicking on their guitars.

Now how about those lyrics.

Why does the town suck:

All the shops close up at six
Except the Dollar General
We got more cows than people here
And baby we got several

The Doohickeys at the Big Foot Lodge

But, of course, this is a situation where people who live in the town can say it sucks, but it is fighting words if others say it sucks:

I know I say I hate it here

But it made me who I am

So I can say it's crap

But don't think you also can