Online Quarantine Sets: Version 97

A Monday night and a Wednesday night and it was a School Night for me. Monday started after a lengthy delay. There were technical difficulties that reminded me of the first School Night. I wasn't the only one. A joke was made in the chat about Bevan who hosted the first School Night of 2021 and had to deal with serious technical issues. When the Internet issues were resolved, Elissa Mielke's video played. Her chords had just a touch of the discordant while her vocals had a Bonnie Raitt quality. Her set also included backup vocals that gave the set an Enya touch. 

Elissa Mielke

Fan Club Wallet came on from Canada. Elissa Mielke also is from Canada though she lives in Los Angeles. They played their set on a baseball field. Their music had an 80s indie rock feel. They were a two piece band that intertwined the breezy with garage rock. Another song had a party sound to it that included the recorded sounds of a vocal group as the two piece sang, "C'mom Be Cool." Moment of the pre-recorded set was when the lead singer wished she had some water. The drummer pointed out that there was some water just out of reach, but she declined to grab it due to all the wires that surrounded her. It was mentioned during the interview that Canada is still in lockdown.

Fan Club Wallet

Jayo came up next. He only had one song, but it was a witty song. The song combined comedy with a mix of pop and RnB. And a love for the "hoodie." That song also has some catchy hooks. During the interview section, it was mentioned that he was once a substitute teacher. 

Jayo

ONR closed out the night. It was a repeat performance from one of my favorite sets from 2020. Just beautiful Scottish music that reminded me of the British Wave that hit the United States in the 80s. 

ONR

On Wednesday, I was very eager to catch Francisca Valenzuela, but as happens every so often -- work interfered. Someone decided to call me up after 6 p.m. Shouldn't that be against the law especially when I'm waiting to watch Francisca Valenzuela? Luckily, I was able to catch her final pre-recorded song as well as a video follow-up of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." Just a touch of her set, but so worth it.

Francisca Valenzuela

Top 15 Los Angeles New Bands (new to me, but maybe not new to you) of 2017

I've done Top 10 lists for a number of years, but 2017 was so much fun, I couldn't limit my list to just 10 bands. Over the past couple weeks different band names kept popping up in my mind. So for 2017, I'm expanding my list to Top 15.

15: Pipe Dreams

August: So Jana Ghost was one of my first Instagram followers. I soon noticed that she was in a band called Pipe Dreams. It took around a year, but I finally caught her band at Echo Park Rising. LoFi with a who cares attitude.

Pipe Dreams at Harvard & Stone

14: Warbly Jets

January: They did the first residency night at The Satellite for 2017. I went twice. I seldom go to see a residency twice. The venue was packed. The music. The crowd. I felt swept away.

Warbly Jets at The Satellite

13: Goon

July: I first saw Goon randomly when heading out to catch a prior year Top Ten selection: Alyeska. Go see a favorite and find another favorite.

Goon at The Echo

12: Lucy & La Mer

August: My first interaction with the band wasn't because I saw them live. My first interaction was due to mistaken identity. Well, I decided to check out the band. This band can be rather deceptive. Lyrics tinged with painful memories against a backdrop of catchy melodies.

Lucy & La Mer at Chinatown Summer Nights

11: Ever So Android

March: I first saw them at The Hi Hat. They were the last band up. There were just a handful of us still around. I honestly was planning on sticking around for just a couple songs and then take off. They started to play and I fell in love. They know how to work a stage.

Ever So Android at The Hi Hat

10: Gypsum

October: Immediate reaction was: they sound like Local Natives!

Gypsum at The Echo

9: Zealyn

April: I first saw Zealyn at Broke LA. She has the most awe inspiring vocals and she moves so quickly that my camera has a hard time capturing her without blurs. By far my favorite idol.

Zealyn at Hotel Cafe

8: Trapdoor Social

September: You'll want to head out into nature and dance. Plus, this band puts on an awesome festival run totally by solar power.

Trapdoor Social at the Sunstock Solar Festival

7: Lily Waters

October: Combine Lauren Ruth Ward and LP together and you have Lily Waters.

Lily Waters at The Smell

6: Lauren Ruth Ward

March: Went to Harvard & Stone on a random night. Came across Lauren Ruth Ward. Addicted since that time. I'm sure many others out there would agree.

Lauren Ruth Ward at Harvard & Stone

5: Francisca Valenzuela

September: As is my norm every year, I head out to Chinatown Summer Nights. On this particular day, it was really hot and I was thinking of just going there later in the evening. But I changed my mind and went out early. I'm so happy I did. Her songs were in Spanish and I don't speak Spanish, but it didn't matter. I was listening to wonder.

Francisca Valenzuela at Chinatown Summer Nights

4: JaneLane

August: I first saw JaneLane at Echo Park Rising. Romantic disappointments against a soft touch of dreamy music. Now why wouldn't you love that?

JaneLane at The Smell

3: Holy Wars

June: My history with Holy Wars actually goes back a few years when there was a band called Sad Robot. I count this as a re-incarnation into a totally new sound and band. Some may find their music too emotionally painful. I find it to be emotionally cathartic.

Holy Wars at Harvard & Stone

2: Kid Wave/Lea Emmery

April: I had the opportunity to interview Kid Wave and got into a "debate" about what was the band's best song. She said "Everything Changes." I said "Wonderlust." I'm not going to lie: this is one of the few times I've seen a local Los Angeles band for the first time and known most of their songs beforehand. In my pre-interview research, I clicked on one song and then couldn't stop listening.

Kid Wave at Broke LA

1: Potty Mouth

January: 2017 started off with a big bang for me in terms of the Los Angeles music scene. And one of the main reasons is that I came across Potty Mouth. During their set, I was just blown away. I didn't want the music to end. I'm listing them #1 for a reason: for me, my go to Los Angeles band to listen to online is Potty Mouth.

Potty Mouth at The Hi Hat

Hope you've enjoyed this list. I have to say that this year was one of my favorite ever in terms of finding new bands. Ranks right up with those years where I first came across bands like Eastern Conference Champions, Family of the Year, Grouplove, and Local Natives.

Chinatown Summer Nights: Francisca Valenzuela, The Americans and Zealyn

It was the last Chinatown Summer Nights of 2017. I've always done a hit and run at Chinatown Summer Nights. By that I mean I don't stick around for all the bands. I catch 3 or 4 bands and then leave. I suppose that isn't necessarily a hit and run as catching 3 or 4 bands is sticking around for around 4 hours. Anyways, forget the technicalities, the issue is that I always try to catch the bands that I believe I'll enjoy the most.

This time around, I knew I wanted to catch Zealyn so everything revolved around her. Taking a look at the line-up, I noticed that at 6 p.m. there was someone named Francisca Valenzuela. I took a look and I noticed that she had a large number of both Instagram and Facebook followers. I was like, why is she playing at Chinatown Summer Nights? I took a deeper look and saw that she is from Chile. Well, I used to love this music festival called Culture Collide, which brought musicians into Los Angeles from around the world. So I decided I just had to see her and see what a large number of Chileans loved about this artist. So yeah, I don't speak any Spanish what so ever and all her songs were in Spanish, but mercy me it was inspiring watching her on stage. For 30 minutes, I didn't realize that it was like 105 °F. And for 30 minutes, I did realize that I had a silly grin on my face that lasted well past the end of her set.

The Americans came up next for me. I first saw this band at Villains Tavern a few years back. I just remember that night heading out to this tavern that was on the outer edges of the Art District (or maybe it isn't even in the Art District) and thinking, "This out in the middle of no where tavern is showcasing this really awesome band." It was awesome to catch this band again with their Americana sound. And one of the best things in the music world is seeing a stand-up bass on stage, right?

Zealyn ended the night for me. I've said it before, but this woman has some power vocals. This was my fourth time seeing her. I love her vocals and I love her sound, but what I was keying on was catching a solid photo. I first saw her at Broke LA. I got some decent photos, but I had to take my ISO up to 8000, which isn't ideal. At other venues, I realized that shooting at shutter speed 320 was too slow for some of her moves. Well, at Chinatown Summer Nights I took the shutter speed up to 400 and guess what, still wasn't fast enough. Mercy. Anyways, not only does she have great vocals, but she also has a very friendly personality. She's going on a tour across the US. Folks should catch her tour.