I'm Up On Buzzbands: Gypsum at Zebulon

I'm up on Buzzbands (click on this link) with a photo gallery of Gypsum, Potty Mouth, and Julie at Zebulon. Gypsum was celebrating their self-titled album release.

Gypsum

The Hi Hat: Ramonda Hammer, Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, Thick, Gypsum

I made the assumption before heading out to The Hi Hat that this specific night was going to be awesome. I was already very familiar with three of the bands playing that night and so it was really just that fourth band that I wasn't sure if I would enjoy or not.

Gypsum opened the night up with their intricately constructed music. This band is really coming into form. It was fun listening to the banter between the lead singer and bassist. And I think one indication of a band finding a level of comfort is when the lead singer doesn't spend the whole set within an inch of the microphone. I believe that every time I've seen this band, they've either opened up the night or been stuck playing on a side stage. There has to be a venue out there willing to give this band a residency. They deserve a larger audience. 

Gypsum

Thick was that one band I knew nothing about. They're a band from Brooklyn, New York. Yet, even though they're from New York, I couldn't help but think about a former-Los Angeles band called The Randies. During the Thick's set, I swear I was expecting them to sing "Thought I Could Change" by The Randies. Thick is a band that is heavy on the garage sound and their stage show indicates that someone does a whole lot of stretching before their set.
 

Thick

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts and Ramonda Hammer are on a West Coast tour together. Folks who catch their tour are in for a treat. Spare Parts for Broken Hearts brings you back to the grunge era. One reason I was thinking about The Randies is that a former member of Spare Parts for Broken Hearts was in that band.

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts

Meanwhile, Ramonda Hammer hypnotizes with musicians who will explode at any moment. I love The Hi Hat, but I really wish they had brighter lights on for Ramonda Hammer. At any moment, their bassist and guitarist would go into wild motion. The stage lights were too low for my camera to auto focus quickly enough. So many missed shots. The lead singer thanked those who hung out with them during their recent residency at The Echo. They had taken donations for Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls that is happening this summer and they said thanks to those who donated.

Ramonda Hammer

I had some photo shop talk with another photographer. We both accommodated the low lights in different manners. I hate blur in my photos so I shot at a really high ISO and sped up my shutter speed. My fellow photographer hates grain so he went with a low ISO and a very slow shutter speed, hoping to capture a moment of non-motion.

P.S. Yes, I know that my last three music night posts are via time spent at The Hi Hat. I do go to other music venues, I swear.

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.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Gypsum

Gypsum at The Echo

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Cerebral. Sometimes floaty, sometimes crunchy and hard, sometimes mathy/technical.

What is your favorite Gypsum lyric and what about it makes it so special? That's tough . . . The entire song "Disappear"--Rosie wrote the lyrics and it's a beautiful poem.

Own Q&A. What is our favorite taco truck you ask? Either Leo's or Tacos Tamix . . .

The Echo's Final October 2017 Residency Night

It was a great night of music at The Echo for the end of the Alyeska/Goon residency.

Gypsum opened up the night. Just a few days back at The Smell, I walked in during the final notes of their set. I was actually a bit upset that I'd missed their set. I always thought The Smell's first set started at 9 p.m. On that particular night, it'd obviously started at 8:30 p.m. So when I figured out they were playing at The Echo, I looked to see what time they would play. They were the first band up at 9 p.m. I made sure I was there. Wow, so good, they remind me of a female-version of Local Natives.

Comment of their set: I brought candy to throw out into the audience, but I forgot it in the car. You all are too old for that anyways . . . Except for you out there who complained. You're never too old for the magic of Halloween.

Gypsum

Alyeska came up on stage next with Alaska Reid on vocals. This was my second straight Monday night at The Echo. I just couldn't get enough of Alyeska. My first time seeing her was about 1 1/2 years back. There is just so much power in her set. A sense of shyness, yet a power to her sound. Yeah, her set was memorizing.

What did I notice: Whenever the tempo picked up during a song, there was a definite smile that cracked her lips.

What did I notice 2: There was a nice play between Alaska Reid and her band mate Wolf Woodcock. She played it cool, while he'd go wild. A fun little contrast of styles.

Story of the set: There were some bones that were at the front of the stage. I just assumed they were fake bones, bought at a store. But no, they were real. Alaska Reid's father found the bones in the mountains and gave them to her.

Alyeska

I caught partial sets of Lily Waters and Goon. I previously saw Lily Waters at The Smell on that same night that I just missed out on seeing Gypsum. I'll also say this, I just missed seeing Lily Waters a few months back at Echo Park Rising. All these random missed connections and I am so happy I ran into both bands later on. Lily Waters is this beautiful combination of Lauren Ruth Ward and LP. Think about that awesome combination of sounds.

Lily Waters

I do love Goon, but I do have to admit I snuck out through part of their set. Sometimes, I just need to hit my bed. There is just something beautiful about their music. There's this pulsating power beat that just blends in with this awesome melodic sound. To me, they're just amazing and they also have some great band interaction. That isn't something you can say about every local Los Angeles band.

Goon

And a final note: so the first time I went to see the Alyeska/Goon combo, I was shocked at how small the crowd was. The Echo was perhaps less than half full. On this night, the placed was nicely filled. I was happy to see that. Who in their right mind wouldn't want to check out the bands that played on this night.