Blast from the past. My primary reason for heading out to the Make Out Music showcase at The Airliner Bar was to catch I'll show you magic, a band I recently wrote about in a Song Spotlight article. The first band up for the night was Gigi. The band has an eclectic sound that just might remind you of the beatnik music that accompanied Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.
 |
| Gigi at The Airliner Bar |
I do love Americana-country music, but I specifically went out to School Night (a collaboration between Make Out Music and KCRW at The Airliner Bar) to catch one of my favorite Los Angeles based rock bands, Bruvvy. I did a quick listen to the other two artists and noticed that they were both country singer-songwriters. I thought that was rather amusing and even mentioned it to Bruvvy's lead singer Liz Varum. One has to put trust into the brain trust behind School Night and their genre mixing, because Macy Todd is making my 2026 annual list of favorite new finds.
 |
| Macy Todd at The Airliner Bar |
Wednesday, Jul 29th: Mr. Dinkles at The Smell. Doors at 8 p.m.
I wrote a Song Spotlight for their song "Eat Chips and Talk Shit" back in May.
American Sigh (moniker for Theo Matz) recently closed out a night of music at The Fable (a Ryan Pollie and Make Out Music collaboration). The band's Spotify bio describes the music as such, "Their songs wrap meditations on a world in flux in a beguiling blend of up-tempo indie folk, second-wave emo guitar squall, and articulate, chiming melody."
 |
| American Sigh at The Fable |
The ACA opened up the night at Zebulon. It was the final residency night for Primitive Ring (you can read a 2024 review I wrote of the band here) and The ACA was a heart pumping way to start off the night. By the end of the set, the crowd was chanting "ACA! ACA! ACA!" If you're wondering what exactly is the meaning behind their band name, the song title of the final song is "The Affordable Care Act."
The ACA at Zebulon
Jake Manzi dropped by The Airliner Bar on a recent Rocknite showcase night. He's an Americana musician from Western Massachusetts who now lives in Los Angeles and he recently released a new album titled Getting Somewhere. His official record release party was scheduled for the following week at The Kibitz Room, but it did feel like this was a sneak preview set as he played the first six tracks from the album. I think one can also call a practice run on his part as he had a full backing band of 5 musicians that included keyboards, steel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, and drums.
 |
| Jake Manzi at The Airliner Bar |
When I noticed that Gaptooth (moniker for Margaret Haesler) was playing a Ryan Pollie and Make Out Music collaboration night at The Fable, I was eager to catch the set. Though this was my first time seeing her, the moniker did ring a bell as she had shared a bill with Adriana McCassim earlier in the year and I had mentioned the night on my Show Alert post for that week.
 |
| Gaptooth at The Fable |
