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.

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

Bar Lubitsch: Halle Abadi, Haiden, Jake Hays, Luna Aura, Natalie Claro

What a night at Bar Lubitsch, hosted by WFNM. Luna Aura put on the set of the night -- personal opinion. Her set was full of volcanic energy that included body contortions, hair flings, guest performers and songs that were just a bit naughty. Her music matched up with the performance, a mix of dance beats and rock triumph. It was a performance to remember.

Lune Aura

Halle Abadi opened up the night with a cover of Hey Violet's "Guys My Age." She then went with her own songs that highlighted her wonderful vocals. She has pop sensibilities that include RnB influences. She also had a great stage performance. She uses her arms and fingers to further express the emotions of her songs. It had someone screaming out, "Why isn't she famous?" I think she could be a hit on American Idol.

Halle Abadi

Natalie Claro closed out the night with the required high energy to send everyone off for the night. She performed her set playing a guitar, but that didn't prevent her from taking on percussion duties. She twice jumped on the drum set. She just pounded away in a way that reminded me of how Eastern Conference Champions would just hit those drums. Not only did she jump on those drums, but she also used the stage as her trampoline. She had the amusing moment of the night where she called up her boyfriend to take a group shot using an iPhone. Problem, he couldn't figure out how to get the flash working. Hey, I have the same problem as I don't use Apple product and don't take photos with my Android phone anyways.

Natalie Claro

Jake Hays set was filled with jazzy pop vibes. His vocals were as sweet as honey. His vocals better have been as sweet as honey as he was consuming a lot of honey during the set. In a move I'm not sure I've seen before, he bought a bottle of honey and kept chugging from it -- three times. He also had a water bottle where he mixed the honey into the water. He joked to the audience, "If you're wondering, I'm not drinking urine. That's honey inside."  

Jake Hays

I put Haiden at the bottom here just because I previous caught him a couple weeks back at another WFNM night. So in this short period of the return of music, this was my second time catching a set of his. He mentioned last time that he was doing his debut set. So this would be, duh, his second time on stage. His swooning vocals were the same, but those first time jitters had disappeared. I've got to say, there was a much improved level of confidence in his stage performance. He's a fast learner. Can't wait to see where his skill levels go come two years from now.

Haiden

Bar Lubitsch: Zee Machine, Courtney Paige Nelson, YVR, Goodboy Noah, Joe Daccache

It was a diverse night of WFNM curated music at Bar Lubitsch on a recent Thursday night. Zee Machine started it off by putting on some dance moves for the crowd. His fashion sense was very snazzy with a jacket that stole the show with its black and white graphical designs. He was impressed with seeing five photographers show up for his set.

Zee Machine

Courtney Paige Nelson brought along a stuffed animal along to calm her nerves. She is a former contestant in America's Next Top Model (2016-2017) so she definitely knows what to do when it comes to lowering stress levels. Dealing with stress came in handy when the WFNM staff rushed on stage to deal with some equipment malfunction. Her set was her with a microphone and a friend on guitar. They played the set with backing tracks for some songs and going acoustic on others. I've gotten to see a lot of former American Idol alumni playing across Los Angeles and so it was rather cool to catch someone who was a contestant for America's Next Top Model.

Courtney Paige Nelson

YVR is a band I've seen a couple times before -- at WFNM events. This band is a husband and wife duo with the husband hitting the synths / guitar and the wife singing the music. I'll say this band stole the show on this particular night. The crowd responded with loud cheers throughout their pop set. They definitely showed a high level of confidence in their skills as tune makers.

YRV

Goodboy Noah really had a creative way at building his Instagram fanbase. He told everyone who wasn't following him to follow him. Out of those that followed, he told them he'd give away a t-shirt at random. I think he got around 10 new followers. This is something I've seen done at street fares where you show someone that you're following them and then you get a discount off your food or something like that. Got to give him props for doing some creative marketing while being featured by WFNM.

Goodboy Noah

Joe Daccache has crooner level vocals. His vocals soared like few others are able to do (and keeping it all in tune while doing it). He has lung power, as well, as he let his vocals just carry for the longest time. Okay, someone must have taken his vocal lessons seriously. No way someone just does that self-taught, right?

Joe Daccache

WFNM: Taylor Felt, Heather Rivas, Slush Puppy, Arden Jones, Hand Made House

Taylor Felt was first up at WFNM this past Thursday. Definitely an artist to keep an eye on. Her vocals are just angelic. She played her set on an acoustic guitar with a backing band that included a violinist. I just love it when a musician includes a violinist in their band. Her song "Once in a Blue Moon" emphasizes those vocals and got her fans screaming out: "T." 

Taylor Felt

Heather Rivas came up next with a guitar and keyboards. There was a mixture of pop and jazz in her music. She mentioned that this was her first time on stage. Even though it was her first time, she knew how to hold that microphone in just a way to make for the perfect imagery.

Heather Rivas

Slush Puppy came up next with a friend yelling out about his "wife beater" shirt. He replied by pointing out, "I like your wife beater shirt, also." I noticed that he recorded a song with Royal & the Serpent. That is definitely a good sign.

Slush Puppy

Arden Jones had his two sisters and girlfriend right up at the front of the stage. One sister lives in San Francisco and had said on social media that she was sad that she wouldn't be able to see her brother play his set. She surprised him by flying down. Now that's a close family. 

Arden Jones

Hand Made House closed it out. That band got the crowd pumped for the after-party. I loved the fact that the lead singer would duck to the back and let the other band members take center stage. They really knew how to play their guitar and bass in an entertaining way. 

Hand Made House

Bar Lubitsch: Arisa, Ash Leone, Tessa Rae, Haiden and Heyboy

A recent Thursday night meant another reason to drive out to West Hollywood to catch a WFNM night of music. The night was highlighted by the debut performance of Heyboy. There doesn't appear to be much info about Heyboy out there on the Internet, but I have to believe that will change. The music is perfectly crafted pop. The perfect example being the song "Wasn't It Fun?," which Heyboy mentioned is a reflection about the end of a relationship, but remembering the beauty of the beginning. He had a large contingent if supporters in the audience with people standing on the couches that line the walls of the bar to get a full view of the very energetic performance. 

Heyboy

Opening up the night was Arisa. His music left explanation points throughout the set. And for one song, those in the crowd were so swayed by the music that they brought out their smart phones and turned on the flashlights. For his final two songs, he started off with a song inspired by his listening to Disney pop songs and then ending the set by just rocking it out. To close it out, he walked off the stage and turned to watch his band close out the set.

Arisa

 Ash Leone brought classic singer songwriter vocals that I think could fit perfectly across the decades of time -- be it the 1940s to the current. I swear I could see her singing backing vocals for Judy Garland. She had the comment of the night when she said, "A woman's intuition is always correct except if it is anxiety driven." And when she sang too many songs that were sad, she mentioned, "I guess I'm just a sad bitch."

Ash Leone

 Tessa Rae brought the dance beats to the night. While she brought the dance moves on stage, her band was just having the time of their lives. Smiles were being exchanged between the band along with some posing for the camera. The joy of playing live music after such a long pandemic was obvious. What did I notice: the color she used on her finger nails perfectly matched the color of her hair and cloths. Also, most of her friends were fully masked. 

Tessa Rae

Haiden was also doing his debut performance. He was a bit nervous, joking about how he had done some research about how to deal with a debut performance. He mentioned his height -- he is very tall; he is so tall, in fact, that the microphone stand couldn't extend high enough. And then laughed about his facial expressions while singing. Even though it was his first live set ever, he definitely had the swoon style down perfectly.  

Haiden

Bar Lubitsch: Hollis, Miss Madeline, Gia Woods, DeathbyRomy

The last time I went to a WFNM live event was back in December 2019. Can you believe that? With that long gap, I was eager to make it back to the return of WFNM at Bar Lubitsch. I wasn't the only one as the bar was packed. 

Opening up was Hollis, a singer-songwriter who played with a backing guitarist. Her set was delayed significantly as WFNM worked to get the sound equipment working. It didn't phase her a bit. Her music had a calming effect that smoothed us all back into the world of live music. There was the element of poetry in her music that touched the soul. And her hands helped tell the story be it via a touch to the heart or a finger pointed to the heavens. When her set ended, she looked at the row of photographers and thanked us for being there. 

 

Hollis

Up next was Miss Madeline who hit the dance tunes. She had two backup dancers who danced throughout the 30 minute set without even a breather. The choreography fit the music like a glove. Her set exuded with female sexuality and seduction. The set was briefly interrupted when someone in the audience fainted.  

Miss Madeline

Gia Woods came up next. There were two floor fans put on the mini stage that was created in front of the actual stage. The fans created the perfect conditions that had her California blond hair flowing throughout the set. Of course, the two fans didn't prevent her from occasionally throwing in an extra head swing that sent her hair into plume. On the main stage by the sound board, a friend could be seen secretly (or not so secretly) dancing along throughout the set. 

Gia Woods

Closing out the line-up was DeathbyRomy with her death punk, industrial sound. It was a perfect way to close out the night: get that anger that no doubt built up during COVID-19 out of the body. Though her music has a very aggressive sound, it contrasted with what came across as a sensitive and modest personality. On one arm, she had "Dad" tattooed inside a heart. When it came to her barely there dress, she joked (I think it was a joke), "My Mom designed this dress." There was also these hints of modesty during her set. This dichotomy had the crowd cheering for more and she accommodated the wish by singing an encore.     

DeathbyRomy