A February Friday night at Zebulon: The Big Pink, Collapsing Scenery and Palm Springsteen

What did I notice right off the bat, hanging out at Zebulon? The place was packed for the first band, Palm Springsteen. Most of the time in the local scene, the first band plays in front of just a handful of individuals. There was good reason why the place was packed. The band put on a high energy set, sending fans into short-form dance moves in front of the stage. And the lead singer surely knows how to do leg kicks and spanking of the cowbell.

Palm Springsteen

Collapsing Scenery was the middle band of the night. Zebulon was even more packed in by this time and the fandom even more intense for this band with the pulsating sounds and white light projections. The photographers were out in mass, as well. I couldn't help but think that the lead singer found us photographers amusing. For some reason, Collapsing Scenery only used about 1/3 of the stage. It was almost like the band likes to be within inches of each other. At the same time, the confined space put restrictions on the lead singer's movements. So when a photographer went to the front of the stage and leaned over to capture a photo of the drummer -- which even further restricted the amount of available space -- the lead singer looked at the photographer with an amused nod.

What I couldn't help but notice: at one point, the lead singer was whipping around his microphone cord. It happened to get stuck around a cymbal stand. Well, that resulted in him having to hang out within inches of the drum set until the end of the song.

Collapsing Scenery

The Big Pink closed out the night. They were the main driver for me heading out that night. (I did a review of their set in mid-November 2017 at The Hi Hat.) This band, I love. They had the lights blasting. I swear, it some ways, the lights were just as loud and ear pulsating at the band itself.

What I couldn't help but notice: as the band was setting up, the bassist couldn't help but dance on stage to the sounds of the DJ.

The Big Pink

After The Big Pink ended their set, I headed outside to the Zebulon's parking lot/patio area. The place was packed. It was actually difficult to move between people -- my camera bag didn't exactly help. Then I made my way to the exit. I noticed there was a line of people waiting to get into Zebulon. So has Zebulon become the new non-Artist District version of the Art District's Villains Tavern?

Catching Racquet at The Satellite with Henry Hall and Rivers + Suns

It was the first Wednesday night of February, which is now the new residency night at The Satellite. There wasn't a residency for January so Henry Hall was the first resident of 2018. After years of going out on Monday nights to The Satellite, I'll now be saying it's off on a Wednesday night to catch their resident.

Though obviously it was off to The Satellite to catch the resident artist, the main reason I went on this particular Wednesday night was to catch Racquet. Racquet is a project by Sapphire Jewell who also happens to be in one of my favorite "new" bands of 2017, Gypsum. There are similar sounds to the two bands, a modern jazz/Local Natives genre blend. Yet, as I listened to the set, I also started to notice subtle differences. Gypsum is far more a joint effort by all four band members to create a unified sound where all hold equal weight. Racquet is definitely led by Sapphire both via her vocals and guitar rifts, which are front and center.

Racquet

Comment of the set: If it looks like I'm looking directly into your eyes, I am.

Henry Hall's first night was a success. There was a nice crowd and he had the women falling in love with him. He's definitely a singer-songwriter with songs that deal with friendships, even when one is being a jerk around their friends. Yet, he could also be a stand-up comedian. He does have this very dry sense of humor. He opened up his set by saying, "Thanks for coming to our first residency night . . . the beginning of the end.

Henry Hall

Opening up the night was Rivers + Suns doing some of their own songs along with a hair tossing Led Zeppelin cover. Without a doubt, the lead singer knows how to groove to their sound.

Rivers + Suns

Quick Hit Band Interview: Dead Dawn

Dead Dawn at Echo Park Rising (photo taken for Buzzbands)

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Dark, heavy, messy, wild, bloody.

Are there any unique, funny, high jinks, tendencies, etc that the band is known for – during sets, band practice, otherwise; after seeing your set, I have to think you all have some? Breaking everything and generally trying not to get too wasted to play.

(Archive -- Oct 2016)

Quick Artist Interview: Cass Cravens

Cass Cravens at The Hi Hat

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? I would describe my sound as soulful alternative. During my live performance I perform Drums and vocals to songs I have composed. I find using these instruments lets me interject the most passion and emotion in to my performance.

Would you rather be a 1 hit wonder known all around the world -OR- have a steady underground following? And then of course, why the choice? I would definitely prefer to have a steady underground following because making music is my lifelong passion and I intend to keep creating, changing and growing with my sound.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Hit Bargain

Hit Bargain at The Echo

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Like a cat puking on a hot tin roof.

For the band and its future, how would you define success? Bruce Willis, Tony Robbins and Anthony Kiedis in a hot tub going over a cliff.

Own Q&A: WWSHD? (What would Stephen Hawking do?)

Quick Hit Band Interview: Rumblepak

Rumblepak at The Echo

Interview with the band. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? We describe our sound as DIY pop with post punk influence. The songs are to the point, angsty, and can get stuck in your head.

How would you like your music to impact people who listen or see you play live? When people come to our shows we just want them to have fun. Whether that means getting drunk and dancing or just standing there and feeling the music. Either one works. Most of the songs are quite depressing on surface level but each carry a glimmer of hope somewhere within them. We hope people hear that and become inspired in one way or another.

Quick Hit Artist Interview: Litronix

Litronix at The Echo

Interview with Litronix. Enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Raw Electronic Loop Orchestration combined with a poetic delivery of space, dance, and spirit.

What’s the story behind how you started performing as Litronix? I used to play in a band called 60 Watt Kid. When we broke up in 2012, I felt I just wanted to be alone by myself away from arguments and dealing with other people's schedules. Plus, I was having a hard time finding a good drummer that wasn't in 500 bands. So I decided to start a one man project using my loop pedal wisdom and I had called "N.O.W." and since then it has progressed into Litronix when I changed the name a few years back. And here I am at this moment still doing it.

Own Q&A. Is Elvis Presley still alive? Yes. Elvis Lives!