Local Bands: Top 10 new to me, though perhaps not new to you 2010 List

Every year that passes, I come across a number of "new" bands. By new, I mean they are new to me. Example of this being: a couple of my friends told me that Rocket has been around for awhile, but I just recently came across them.

Now before I go about with my top 10 favorite new bands list, I should set up the criteria.

1. This is a list of bands that I saw for the first time this year and saw at least twice, except . . .

2. . . . I had to breakdown and add a couple bands that I saw only once in 2010 . . .

3. . . . and a band that I saw once in 2009, but multiple times in 2010.

4. This is alphabetical order, because it just wouldn't work trying to rank these bands/musicians.

Top 8

Cold Cave. I saw this group at FYF. I knew I had to catch them again and did so at a 6th Street Warehouse show as noted in this Intraffik.com article.

Future Ghost. I walked in on the last couple songs of this band and immediately knew I had to check out a full set as soon as the opportunity appeared. I wasn't disappointed.

Lonely Wild. I'm rather sure you'll fall in love with this band.

Lucy Schwartz. Her voice is amazing. The songs constantly pop into your head at random moments. I am constantly trying to convince friends to listen to her music. You can read a little more about her over at Intraffik.com.

Nico Vega. This is one of those bands that if you're into the local music scene you're probably wondering why it took me so long to finally see this band. In my defense, I did hear of them in 2009 -- okay, that isn't all that great either. You can read a little more about a Nico Vega set over at Intraffik.com.

Rocket. This band will drive you wild. An all girl band that gives it their all from start to finish. And of the folks I follow on Twitter, Lauren C is one of my favorites.

Seasons. I was over at Echo Curio one night and saw a set by half of the band. Hooked. Check out this Intraffik.com link for more.

The Like. I have to admit that I wasn't sold on this band when I first saw them. Then I decided to check them out one more time and well . . . Check out this Intraffik.com blog for more.

Exception Top 2: Only Seen Once

Gliss. I have to make an exception for Gliss considering that I was mesmerized by their set. And considering that I was thinking about making a trek out to Pamona until I read that the lead singer got sick must say something about how much I loved this band; therefore, they're listed.

The Submarines. Time passes and I totally have fond memories of their Eagle Rock Music Festival set. Read more at Intraffik.com.


Extra: Saw once in 2009, so the carry-over rule applies as the second time was in 2010

High Life Cavaliers. Punk rock glorious.

Addendum January 19: I didn't realize it until reviewing some older blog entries for an article that will be going up on intraffik.com, but I also first came across Eastern Conference Champions in 2010. I suppose it seems longer as I knew about them in 2009, but it took awhile before I finally caught one of their shows. So I'm now doing this as a Top 11.

Up on Intraffik.com: Photos Galore Jul thru Sep '10

The 2010 photo series continues on Intraffik.

The following are the bands shown in the photo series.

Nico Vega
Sweethead
The Shakers
Pu$$y Cow
Dead Country
Rob Z Program/Z/Schnee and the Bleeding Livers
Stab City
Walking Sleep
Spider Problem
Kissing Cousins
Eastern Conference Champions
Pollyn
The Hundred Days
Tomorrows Tulips
The Dollyrots
Captain Danger
Lucy Schwartz
Vanaprasta
Gliss
Red Cortez
Pity Party
Best Coast
The Mo Odds
The Slow Death
Don Juan y Los Blancos
Local Natives
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
Amanda Jones and the Sugartits 3
Warpaint
Mad Planet

Up on Intraffik.com: Photo Galore Apr thru Jun '10

I'm up on Intraffik.com with a bunch of photos to help close out 2010.

Bands featured are:

Get Set Go
The Slow Death
Twilight Sleep
Whispertown2000
Big Whup
King Cheetah
Lilofee
Seasons
Pu$$y Cow
Swagger Sticks
The Like
Walking Sleep
The Mormons
Vanaprasta
Magma Hotel
Voxhaul Broadcast
The Mulhollands
The Royal Heist
Spider Problem
Bathroom Murders
Matt and Kim

Black Elephant, Devon Williams, Run-on Sunshine and Feel Free

I will likely write something up on intraffik so I'll just post some photos here.

Devon Williams

Run-on Sunshine

Feel Free

Black Elephant

Up on Intraffik.com: Photo Galore Jan thru Mar 10

I'm up on Intraffik.com with a photo series to help conclude out 2010.

Bands featured:

Asa Ransom
Bathroom Murders
Honey, Honey
Obi Best
Pu$$y Cow
The Hundred Days
The Ignorant
The Mulhollands
Dead Rose Beauty
Roll the Tanks
Schoenberg Knife Fight Ensemble
Spider Problem
The Dharma Burns
The Shakers
Glacier Hiking
Olin and the Moon

A Movie Review: Social Network

Social Network. So who knows how accurate Social Network is. Right off the bat, I've read that Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) is a fictional character -- used to represent Mark Zuckerberg's (Jesse Eisenberg) social short-falls. But in any biographical portrayal, there has to be some truth. Mark Zuckerberg is a brilliant individual, but I suspect that seldom does one become successful all on one's own. As for Harvard, one has to come to the conclusion that students there are a) just like the rest of us in how they go through life, but b) are also much smarter than the rest of us.

But what did I think of the movie? Brilliant. Loved it. Who cares if the whole thing is fiction. If it was just a fictional story made out of the mind of a Hollywood writer, you'd still be drawn into it. You get the Harvard students and their brilliant minds and the backdrop of their sexual filled party atmosphere. You see the tensions brought up as folks feel that they were betrayed and/or back stabbed. There is the creative genius who probably feels justified in taking total credit for an idea, because he knows that when it comes down to it he's the one who created it -- even though perhaps the formulation of the concept was a shared one. This movie had my full and undivided attention.

Manhattan Murder Mystery, Tommy Santee Klaws and Barrie Rose at The Smell

With Echo Curio toast, (of my standard music stops) The Smell becomes the only venue where I go when I want to hear bands/musicians that I normally won't catch elsewhere. Not that I haven't heard of some of the bands that play there (like Manhattan Murder Mystery), but generally when I look at the schedule I'm rather clueless about the bands that are listed.

So on Thursday night I headed off to catch Barrie Rose, Tommy Santee Klaws and Manhattan Murder Mystery.

I walked in to catch the last couple songs of Barrie Rose. There was an emotional vulnerability to those songs that I enjoyed. Tommy Santee Klaws was another unexpected surprise. A splendid set where the two male vocalists harmonized us with amusing lyrics such as, "You look better when you're dead."

The final band of the night was Manhattan Murder Mystery -- and honestly the reason why I headed out to The Smell. I swear they like to spend more time playing with their backs to the crowd than facing the crowd. As for the lead singer, he starts their set by wearing an army helmet, but throughout the set one can never know if it'll be on the ground, on someone else's head or on his own.

Noticed: A friend mentioned and then I noticed at the Eagle Rock Music Festival that this band seems to grow in size over time. This time around; however, they were down to the four main members (or I'll assume they're the four main members, one might not really know).

Noticed 2: The lead singer/guitarist went through half the set with a broken string.

Noticed 3: To end the set, the lead singer went straight to the doors.

Hey, with moments like all the above, how can one not love Manhattan Murder Mystery.

Barrie Rose

Tommy Santee Klaws

Manhattan Murder Mystery

It is Christmas Day

My Christmas tree lot stories.

1. There was a Christmas tree lot I was walking pass during my exercise routine. I noticed a sign that read, "Christmas Tress." Hmm. A few days before Christmas, new signs were in place that read, "Christmas Trees."

2. Today, Christmas day, I was out walking and noticed a Christmas tree lot open. I was like, "Why would someone buy a Christmas tree on Christmas?" On my way back, I noticed a family inside the lot. Hmm. Maybe it isn't that bad of an idea. What if you have relatives coming in for a family gathering and you have all the decorations out and you all decorate the tree together as a Christmas day tradition?

Wishing all the best.

A Movie Review: Unstoppable

Unstoppable. The one thing about movies such as Unstoppable, you’re rather sure that the main characters are not going to die. And you know that when attempts 1 hour into the movie are made to stop the runaway train that those efforts are destined to fail. But even knowing all this, I enjoyed this movie. It is an hour and a half of intense, non-stop speeding action. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine do some fine acting in this movie. I got so involved in this movie that I forgave the cliché cut away scenes of worried female relatives during the dramatic ending.

For some fact checking regarding the real story behind the inspired by events: Wikipedia.

A Movie Review: Due Date

Due Date. This had a fun start with the conflicting personalities between Peter (Robert Downey Jr) and Ethan (Zach Galifianakis). Peter and Ethan run into each other at the airport. Events transpire on the plane and they end up on the no fly list. They’re forced to join forces to get to Los Angeles. Along the way they meet up with characters portrayed by Juliette Lewis and Jamie Foxx. Spoiler, I suppose, follows – though I’m not sure you can really have a spoiler in a comedy. The movie jumped the shark for me once they crossed into Mexico. Peter is arrested for drug possession. Ethan meanwhile calmly walked away from the vehicle. He later comes back for Peter. Peter is being held in a trailer. Ethan hooks up the trailer to a Mexican boarder patrol vehicle and off they go, escaping into America. Ah . . . it jumped the shark.

Lonely Trees and Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits at The Echo

It was off to The Echo to catch Annalee Fery’s new band Lonely Trees. Every so often, I’d check the Monsters are Waiting website to see what was going on with that band. I’d even do the near stalking thing and Google Annalee Fery’s name. Then recently a friend of mind mentioned that he wanted to catch this band called Lonely Trees. He knew someone in the band. I looked up the band and noticed that this band featured Annalee Fery. I just had to catch Lonely Trees.

The set was thrilling with a nice crowd to boot, considering the story weather outside.

Comment of the night: Did anyone step in a big puddle today?

Comment of the night 2: I believe this is the first song we wrote together . . . and our last.

Comment of the night 3: Don’t donate too much . . . [I mean] don’t eat too much.

It is nice that time hasn’t changed Annalee Fery. There were still the quick curtsies when the audience cheered. The short quips. The synthesizer. And Lonely Trees carries on the Monsters are Waiting tradition of video playing in the background.

This night wasn’t just about Lonely Trees. I also caught a band called Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits. Another enjoyable set. I saw try to type Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits really fast on your keyboard.

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Lonely Trees

Sweaters and Wet & Reckless at Satellite/Spaceland

On was a wet day in SoCal, I headed off to Satellite/Spaceland to check out Wet and Reckless and Sweaters. I was actually not anticipating that many people showing up at Satellite considering the weather conditions, but there was a decent sized crowd for Sweaters.

First up was Wet and Reckless. I saw them just recently at Silverlake Lounge for the first time. There were jokes tossed out about having to be carried out of Spaceland the last time they played. I love lead singer Emily's vocals. Half the time I'm not even sure if she's singing or just going for some beat poetry. It doesn't matter much, it is all good.

Next up was Sweaters, the residency band for the month. They brought Christmas gifts for us -- chocolate candy. Hey, that won them some points. Key person to watch is the bass player who helps drive the stage presence of the band.

Wet and Reckless







Sweaters

A Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows. I can't really lie, I was greatly disappointed with this movie, but . . . I also have to say I was disappointed by the first half of the book, as well. Just watching Harry Potter, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley hiding out in various locations re-emphasized how lumbering I found the book. Now was the movie well done? Yes. The actors know their parts so well that they're hitting everything out of the park, but this help when you're dealing with what I considered a very dead spot in the series. Here's waiting for Part 2, because it will most definitely kick some butt.

The One Mile Radius Project

So as is my occasional custom, I recently joined a friend in walking around a part of Hollywood. This time the walk took place around Hobart, Romain, Wilton and Marathon. (Click on map for a closer look.) This is a part of Hollywood that I usually drive right down the middle of via Western. So what did I see while walking the neighborhood?



So there is a park on Hobart and Lemon Grove, called Lemon Grove. I was caught by surprise that there was a park in this area. Of course, I never drive through the neighborhood -- other than on Western -- so I guess anything there would have caught me by surprise, but I guess honestly I just figured it was a bunch of apartment complexes.

Anyways, this is where we started our walk.

The Recreation Center.

The park looks really well kept.

My friend said that one of the complaints from the neighbors is that they put things out on the street to get picked up by the garbage company, but they seldom come by -- example being this tv set.

The neighborhood is probably lower-middle class -- though there is a nicer part in this area.

Here's the nicer part I was talking about. On the street of Marathon, we entered was is known as Melrose Hill. A historical district that is very well maintained.

And then we ended up back at the park.

A farewell show for ISGOOD MUSIC and tribute to Jon Hershfied

Intraffik.com is mainly an off-shoot of Kiss or Kill, but it also can thank ISGOOD Music and Jon Hershfield.

So on a rainy Saturday night, a tribute show was put on at the M Bar.

I have to admit that I showed up towards the end of the tribute -- had a Christmas Party.

I got to catch Satellite Class.

There were some moving tributes to Jon Hershfield from various individuals.

And to end the night, Automatique hit the stage. Jon Hershfield and one of the guys in the band used to be roommates. Comment of the night was: Less talk, more rock. This was said when a couple of the guys in the band were discussing the safety concerns of jumping around on a very small stage. The conversation was going on for awhile, which led to the comment: Less talk, more rock.

Jon Hershfield



Automatique

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets: 17-22

So this was one of those games I feared. Pittsburgh's offense had sputtered against Cincinnati. The New York Jets had lost two straight and a third straight loss might have ended their play-off hopes. My worst fears came true, Pittsburgh lost, but along the way there was a near awesome last minute victory.

Major problem: The Steelers' defense fell for so many trick plays. On one play, Sanchez (Jets' QB) did the perfect fake hand off and the Steelers fell for it and in walked Sanchez for a touchdown. That was the worse, but there were a couple others.

The offense: The offense looked good, but just couldn't get it going during a couple key possessions in the second half, but there were a couple impressive long drives. One led to a touchdown. The other provided two chances at the end zone, but unfortunately a last second victory didn't happen.

Oh well, we just need to make sure we win the next two games.

The Mulhollands, Queen Kwong, Bullet & Snowfox and Video at Club Moscow

I’m not one who fits into the Club Moscow scene. The scene is a mixture of live bands combined with a dance club. Live bands I am all for, but the dance club isn’t my thing. On the other hand, the beauty of Club Moscow is that one of my favorite Los Angeles bands, The Mulhollands, has a regular gig there and surrounding them are always bands I wouldn’t otherwise see.

There was an interesting mix of bands this time around -- as always. You had two dance bands (Video and Bullet & Snowfox), a rock band (Queen Kwong) and a pop-punk band (The Mulhollands). Now that’s a mix of bands you won’t normally get.

Up first was Video. (I don’t have a link to a website. I asked and was told to look up HiweareVideo on myspace, but nothing came up.) They had a fan base dancing to their beat, singing along, as well. Then up came Queen Kwong. A bit of a contrast here. Video giving reason to dance. Queen Kwong giving you reason to kill a boyfriend. Emotional driven rock. I love it. No one sprawls in agony on the stage better than Queen Kwong. Her band has turned over since the last time I saw her. Her bassist went off to New York. I’m not sure what happened to the drummer. After Queen Kwong, there was a shift back to dance music with Bullet & Snowfox taking the stage. Comment of the night was made: This next song is about drugs . . . I’m sure you know nothing about that. To wrap up the night was The Mulhollands, fresh off being named by Music Connection Magazine as one of the top 100 unsigned bands. They showed why on this night, giving a thrilling show. Also, for the last two songs, a guest musician joined in: Jeff from the former band known as Automatic Music Explosion. He played keys on one song and then for the final switch with Jeff (the Jeff from the Mulhollands) and took over the bass duties. To end the night, Sarah Jeanette tossed the tambourine atop his hat. A fun night.

Video (If you have a link to one of their websites, send it my way)







Queen Kwong









Bullet and Snowfox







The Mulhollands