New Music Alert: Janelane's "Flowers from Athens"

Janelane has a new song called "Flowers from Athens." Janelane does what I feel the band does best when it comes to this song, write perfect breakup lyrics that go with wistful tunes. Those tunes are carried by touching guitar play.

Lyrics to remember: 

Times like these I wish that we had / Left our love in Manhattan / Was it worth an unseen smile when  / You sent flowers from Athens? 

 A romance that didn't turn out to be real?

Photo taken at the Bootleg Theater

The Hi Hat: Janelane, Jody, Lunch Lady and Mo Dotti

It was off to The Hi Hat to catch Mo Dotti, Jody, Lunch Lady and Janelane.

Mo Dotti

Jody

Here's a story about the night. The night started off with Mo Dotti. I was enjoying the start of a fine lineup of bands. Then Jody came on stage and it started to feel like deja vu. Looking around the crowd I noticed Sally from French Vanilla in the audience. This is way to familiar, I thought. I looked through one of the band's Instagram account and it hit me. A little over a year ago at The Smell; French Vanilla, Janelane, Jody and Lunch Lady played a show together. Lead singer for Mo Dotti was backing Janelane. One happy group of musicians/friends for a pre-Thanksgiving event.

Janelane

Lunch Lady

Janelane with Easy Love and Rose Dorn at the Bootleg Theater

I first came across Janelane's lead singer Sophie at The Smell. She was playing in Peach Kelli Pop. Peach Kelli Pop has this hyper-speed sound -- as in, do they take a break? I soon learned that Sophie was in her own band called Janelane. Fast forward a couple months and I was asked by BuzzBandsLA to cover Echo Park Rising. What was one of the bands that I wanted to catch? Janelane. Does Janelane sound like Peach Kelli Pop? No way. Janelane has this pop-infused sound that perfectly blends beautiful vocals with wonderful melodies. From that time on, I've been a major fan. Am I a fan of Peach Kelli Pop? Yes, of course. There's just a very interesting style difference between the two bands.

Janelane

Opening the night was Rose Dorn. They play a stripped down sound, not just with their instruments, but also via their vocals. The band has a nice trade-off in female/male vocals. And to some degree there is this near timid sound to their vocals.

Rose Dorn

Easy Love closed out the night for me. Easy Love is fronted by Justine Brown. I had actually seen her a couple weeks back when she was backing Winter and Summer Twins at a Burger A Go Go tour night. Easy Love is carried via her vocals and soothing pop sounds. On this particular night, it was Saint Patrick's Day so the band all wore green berets. Unfortunately, Justine had lost her voice and so struggled through her set and at times you could actually hear her voice crack on her. I'll need to catch her on another night when she's feeling up to snuff. Moment of the set: I had an 85mm lens and decided to switch out to a 24-70mm lens. And at that very moment, the band started jumping to start off a song. I was, "Shoot, what a perfectly missed shot!" Oh well, I couldn't have captured it with an 85mm lens. I guess I should have switched out 30 seconds earlier. 

Easy Love

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.