Top 10 "New" Los Angeles bands of 2016

Here's my annual list of the Top 10 "new" bands I came across in 2016. I always use quotes as sometimes I'm late to the game and a band I'm listing might have been around for awhile.

#10: Sextile. This band will leave you in a trance.

#9: Alyeska. Teen angst to the maximum and you'll love them for it.

#8: Bloke and Bird. This band is from Sweden. Luckily, they're based out here in Los Angeles.

#7: Mondo Cozmo. They were a "surprise" guest at The Hi Hat. Former lead singer from Eastern Conference Champions. I'm so happy I saw this surprise appearance.

#6: Drinking Flowers. They glitter bombed my camera during their set. Oh well, I forgive big time.

#5: Beginners. High energy band that will get you jumping.

#4: Transviolet. I saw this band twice during their The Satellite residency. I don't usually see a band twice during their residency as I jump around to catch the various residency bands.

#3: Machineheart. Love this band. I know bigger bands like Warpaint were playing Music Tastes Good. And I love Warpaint, but I have to say that one reason I wanted to hit up Music Tastes Good was because of Machineheart.

#2: Starcrawler. Remember The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Those ultra-cool teenagers. Yep, that's Starcrawler.

#1: Cellars. This band got into my head. Amazing set. I can't wait to catch them again.

Teen Sex and Phlask at The Smell

So I had to stick it at home for a few days. My annual December cold hit me. Yes, I figure when I've gotten sick three Decembers in a row one has to consider it an annual event. I finally started feeling better and decided I just needed to get out of my apartment. I headed off to The Smell.

I stuck around for two bands: Teen Sex and Phlask. Teen Sex, they demand an orgy of mosh pits and sex. Their lead singer was dressed in a red spandex suit. The set ended with their bassist showing her yoga skills on the stage floor. Phlask ended the short night out for me. The megaphone made a brief appearance. They have a cool calm appearance.

[Naomi] and Friends at The Satellite

This was a bang bang bang situation. [Naomi] was putting on an event to raise money for various non-profit groups. She had a number of musicians in support. Many only had a 3 song set. The musicians I saw included: Emma Dewing, J Mac Hanson, Rozzi Crane, Ruslan Sirota, LIZ
and [Naomi] herself. Emma Dwing did the event even with a broken arm. The big find was Ruslan Sirota. He's a jazz musician with a Grammy win, as well. What a wonderful -- and way too short -- set. LIZ got the crowd dancing. A number of her fans were pressed up close. J Mac Hanson gave us some sad songs. Rozzi Crane gave us some covered. [Naomi] gave us three different looks -- she had three different bands with her fronting all three. Yep, three quick stage changes. Pretty cool.

Feather Wolf and The Loyalists at The Smell

So much time has passed since the last time I went to The Smell. It was time. Feather Wolf was up first with their post-punk sound. The Loyalists came in from Oakland with their energizing punk.

Both bands ended up playing on the floor vs the stage. It was a pretty quick turnaround between bands as both played in different parts of the backroom area.

The Loyalists mentioned the disaster that happened in Oakland.

For the first time in a long while, I used my flash. The Smell has low lights to begin with, but with both bands playing off the stage the lights were essentially non-existent.

ExSage with Blood Red Shoes, Bones and Twin Temple at the Bootleg Theather

A little late for the post, but then I had some computer issues.

The first two bands, Blood Red Shoes and Bones came in from the UK. Wow. Both bands kicked it. I loved how the drummer for Blood Red Shoes was right up front at the stage edge. This two piece band has a high pitch sound that is as fast as a rocket. One thing I did was wait for the drummer to break one of his sticks. Close, but didn't happen. Bones went all out with the girl power punk. They had no trouble taking total control of the stage. Simply wonderful. Buzzbands wondered why they didn't just move to Los Angeles.

ExSage is the December residency band. They use a whole lot of stage fog. So much that those in the audience couldn't even see a foot in front of me. At one point, I wanted to go to the other end of the stage to take photos. I stayed put. I was worried I might bump into someone.

Twin Temple makes you think that they're a death punk band. They dress in black. The lead singer wears a black veil. Nope. I'd say they have a mellow soul sound -- maybe a touch of goth.

Starcrawler, No Girlfriends and Spare Parts for Broken Hearts at Resident

Well, I knew it was going to be a solid line-up at the Resident. Two of the bands: Starcrawler and Spare Parts for Broken Hearts are on my lists of bands to catch. Starcrawler opened up the night. I just have this feeling that this band is going to break out. The lead singer makes you think of an R rated version of a Dr. Seuss book. This band is young and will make you feel like you're in the middle of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I suspect their guitars are borrowed. At the end of their set, the lead guitarist took his guitar up high like he was going to smash it on stage. He then looked over to the side at what I'm guessing is their manager and gave a sly smile. Note: I'm not sure I'd want to shake the lead singer's hands after their set.

Up next was No Girlfriends. Four gals who rock it. The drummer flings her hair back like the best of them. The lead singer controls the stage. They had one humorous moment. The lead singer put the microphone in front of the guitarist. This was obviously some insider joke. The guitarist looked befuddled and refused to sing.

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts showed how a set should be done. The lead singer bassist/guitarist never let up for a moment. Then the other bassist/guitarist (the two switch) was just so cool on stage. Then their drummer just sweated out the set. This band leaves it all out there on stage.

Jhey and The Whee and Midnight Cities at the Silverlake Lounge

Jhey and The Whee had the comment of the night, "We're half vaudeville. Frank, catch up." They're a jamming country rock band. The coolest moment of their set was when the saxaphonist blew stage fog out of his horn. Interestingly, their set list were in plastic covers.

Midnight Cities is a four piece band that had that flannel Seattle look. Well, two of the members had the look. The other two went with the t-shirt look. Hey, where's the uniformity?

Banny Grove at The Hi Hat

It was a free night at The Hi Hat so I decided to head out to catch a band. I got to see Banny Grove. She's quirky in style and quirky in sound. Intriguing. She was dressed in white and had glasses that sort of reminded you of a combination of characters from 60s sitcoms: granny glasses blended with The Monkees flare. She was like a mesh-up of youth and age.

With her was a friend who didn't mind playing his guitar with one leg held above the ground.

Alina Bea with Danke and Brit Manor at the Bootleg Theater

A diverse night at the Bootleg Theater for Alina Bea's November residency. Danke started up the night with a Fifth Element genre. Pink hair. Long finger nails. Choker. Painter robe. A very artistic music set. Brit Manor danced it up even though she mentioned that she hurt her back a few days prior. It was interesting how her band was set up. She was off to the side, letting her co-singer being stage center. Alina Bea set was a beautiful mixture of sound and lights. It was like she was playing with the lights throughout her set.

Fatal Jamz with Leon Else and Starcrawler at The Echo

Off to The Echo to catch another residency night. Leon Else opened things up. He's a Brit invader. He gave a sweat filled set -- not used to the warmer weather of SoCal? He wore black, looking a bit like the black clad bad guy in American westerns or maybe a Johnny Cash who likes to dance.

Starcrawler was amazing. The set started with the band jamming. Suddenly, someone came rushing up behind me. He was carrying the lead singer who was in a straight jacket. He deposited her into the stage. Oh yeah, I knew this was going to be a solid set.

Fatal Jamz gave a Bowie-style dance set. The lead singer sure knows how to stage a look Zoolander style.

Air Traffic Controller with Bleu and Mercies at The Satellite

I got an invite to see Air Traffic Controller at The Satellite. After taking a listen to their songs online, I was sold.

First up was Bleu who was still dealing with the election blues. His set was a mixture of joyous music and sorrowful commentary about the Trump/Clinton results. Then came Air Traffic Controller. Their music is intricate and intriguing. They have some powerful tunes. I'd say half their songs were anthem sounds that just washed over you like a refreshing waterfall. I was just so into their set. They're from Boston and I hope they make it back to Los Angeles soon. Mercies closed out the night for me. It was their first set in 1.5 years. It sure didn't feel like it. They just rocked out the audience.

King Washington with Nathan Kalish and Night Talks at The Satallite

It was a rare Sunday night for a residency band. Due to a special event at The Satellite on Monday, the first November residency was pushed to Sunday.

Nathan Kalish was first up. He has been on constant tour for the last 6 years. His Americana started the night off on a solid footing. I say footing, because he said, "A cactus came right up my boot. I don't trust these boots no more."

Night Talks came up next. Their first two songs were epic. It was if they were saying, "We deserve a residency at The Satellite.

King Washington is the residency band. They came out with hair swinging. Hair swung so much that hair got caught in the guitar strings. Their set was a mixture of music and dead pan comedy. During breaks, there were some amusing comments that I'm pretty sure were written in advance.

Ramonda Hammer with Kamikaze Girls and New Evil at The Hi Hat

It was the day after Halloween. It felt like a good time to head on out to catch some music. It was off to The Hi Hat, which had a short Halloween maze to go through to get into the venue. It was actually a touch spooky as it was unexpected and there were a couple dead corpses hanging out.

Kamikaze Girls hit the stage first. They're from the UK. They had their Halloween gear on. The drummer looked like Jason from Friday the 13th series. They disagreed, saying that he looked like Charles Manson. Their set was psychedelic magic. They had some amusing tales from their US tour. The lead singer hates spiders so when she saw one she had someone spray it with hair spray.

New Evil was up next. The New Evil was also showing Halloween spirit, but then I looked through their Facebook page and it appears that the lead singer is always in skeleton face makeup. It was a fun set. For the final song, the lead singer put a sheer blindfold over her eyes. This band is evil fun.

Ramonda Hammer is the residency band for November. The lead singer was dressed as a hung over witch. She even had tattoos "inked" over her body. One band mate was dressed in a punk version of The Joker.

Yep, the day after Halloween was a fun filled music day.

Blend LA at the Resident

I got invited to the Resident to see the launch of Blend LA, which is a collaboration between various music entities in Los Angeles. Featured were: Elle Belle, Iris, Skin and Bones, Saint Cecilia and Cellars.

I came into the night not having seen any of these bands. Elle Belle is like 70s psychedelic rock. Comment of the afternoon had to come from Elle Belle who said, "A homeless guy gave me those lyrics." There were some amusing moments during Iris' set. During song breaks, echos popped around the Resident when the lead singer was trying to work out the monitor situation for her band mates. She'd say something through the microphone and a second later the speakers would repeat what she said. Everyone laughed.

Skin and Bones gave the audience some cool Americana. I couldn't help but notice how the guitarist used his heels to work the percussion set. As for Saint Cecilia, I learned that this was their first set. Maybe that's why I noticed at the end of one song, the lead singer looked super satisfied. And why not, they killed it. Cellars. What can I say? This is a band that I say will be opening for Grimes soon. Her music rocks. And I bet her stage presence is awesome. I say bet, because she did the set on a badly twisted (or broken) ankle.

Doe and Jennie Vee at The Satellite

Jennie Vee

Doe and Jennie Vee did a free night at The Satellite. I'm surprised the venue wasn't packed to the max. Doe did have a nice crowd of friends who they convinced to hang out very close to the stage. Their set started out with some technical problems, but they went with it. I couldn't help but notice that one member of the band wore a Crystal Castles (that I initially mistaken for Madonna) t-shirt while the other went with a Blondie t-shirt.

Jennie Vee is the bassist for Courney Love. Her set was awesome and amazingly short. Why was it awesome? Her sound (along with an assist on percussion) is constantly pushing forward. Her fashion style is black and Gothic. I was so disappointed when they ended after just twenty minutes. I wanted more!

Magenta Harley and King Daniel at Harvard and Stone

Magenta Harley

Magenta Harley, I swear, sort of looks like Megan Fox. Magenta came on the Harvard and Stone stage with big vocals and perfect white teeth. Her songs are blues filled.

King Daniel has a self-deprecating, self-promoting sense of humor. He opened with the comment, "Best concert you'll ever see" and ended with "You're seeing the next big thing . . . well, maybe its a Hail Mary."

Kosha Dillz/Mars and The Massacre with The Eiffels at The Satellite

Kosha Dillz

It was off to The Satellite to catch October's Monday residency bands. This month, two shared the bill. Before the two residency bands opened up, The Eiffels hit the stage with their 80s vibe. Lyric of their set, "Now or Never." Their set was fun and made you think back to the days of MTV.

Mars and The Massacre then hit the stage as the first residency band. Think Pink Floyd. They ended their set with Pink Floyd tribute that included the almighty rift . . . and whale sounds?

The other residency band was rapper Kosha Dillz with backup band. He brought up a box of pizza that was quickly consumed. He also had pickles. This rapper kept the crowd entertained.

Scout Willis at Bootleg and Psychic Love/Mondo Cozmo at the Hi Hat

Mondo Cozmo

I don't often do this: head to a couple venues on the same night. This was one of those rare nights. First up was the Bootleg Theater. It was a Scout Willis night. This was my second time catching her set. And both nights were free. I doubt there will be very many additional free nights. The venue was packed for her set. In some ways, it felt like a camp fire set as a row of family and friends sat on the floor.

Then it was off to the Hi Hat to catch Psychic Love and Mondo Cozmo. This was my second time catching Psychic Love. I loved how the stage lights played across the faces of the band members. And the lead singer's stage motions made it all the more entertaining. Then came Mondo Cozmo. Oh my. The lead singer of Mondo Cozmo is the former lead singer of Eastern Conference Champions. Someone came up to me during the set and asked, "Do you know who this band is?" I didn't have a clue at the time -- they were a surprised guest for the night. On the other hand, I knew the lead singer was former Eastern Conference Champions. Oh yeah, a new favorite band.

The Do-Its and Earth Like Planets at Silverlake Lounge

The Do-Its

After over a month of not heading out to the Silverlake Lounge, it was finally time to head on over. I got to see The Do-Its and Earth Like Planets. The Do-Its are just fun. They have duo lead singers. One took off from the stage and started singing on the floor. That isn't all that unusual as a number of musicians will leave the stage and join the audience. She attempted to take it a step further, but the microphone cord didn't reach that far enough. She tried to head all the way out of the Lounge and onto the sidewalk.

Earth Like Planets mixes art and music. This two piece band had the most intriguing artwork done by one of the band members. Funny moment. The drummer was setting things up while the lead singer was putting together the projector. The projector was turned on and the white light hit the drummer right in the eye. "I should have brought my sunglasses." Eventually, sunglasses were found.

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts and Dead Dawn at The Satellite

Spare Parts for Broken Hearts

I got an invite to catch Spare Parts for Broken Hearts at The Satellite. I was more than willing to accept. I've followed this band from afar for awhile. Unfortunately, they've played mostly in Long Beach. What's my connection to this band? One of the members of the band is Laurita, who used to play in a band that I justed loved back in the day, The Randies. How does Spare Parts for Broken Hearts sound? Oh so good with pounding rock and an entertaining stage show.

Dead Dawn was the headliner band. They sounded like death. I mean that in a good way. The band has a lead singer who goes for the punk rock sex appeal while controlling the stage with her charisma. Her band mate stands back with coolness. It makes for a wonderful contrast.

Oyster Kids with ADLT VDEO and Smoke Season at the Echoplex

Smoke Season

First residency band I saw in October was Oyster Kids. ADLT VDEO opened up the night. From what I read, this band has been around for a year. I'm eager to see how they develop their sound. On this night, their music was so tender it made me want to take tender photos.

Oyster Kids came on at 10 p.m. This was an hour earlier than the standard 11 p.m. start time for residency bands. Not a bad thing, actually, for those who can't stay out late on a Monday night. What's their sound? I'll let the door guy explain as I overheard him state, "They sound like Silversun Pickup." Now that's high praise.

Smoke Season is a band I've followed for a number of years. In fact, I saw Gabrielle Wortman when she was in another band that she fronted. When they were setting up, her stand with her electronic devices began to tip over. She caught it before it crashed, which probably would have caused issues for the set. "Good catch," I couldn't help but think.

Holly Marilyn (Hotel Cafe)/Mike Taylor (The Satellite)

Holly Marilyn

Sometimes years pass between when you see bands/artists. That was the case in mid-September when I headed off to Hotel Cafe and The Satellite. Holly Marilyn was up at Hotel Cafe. I saw her numerous times when she played in the band called The Child and during a short stint for Night Terrors of 1927. Her set at Hotel Cafe was way too short. Her set was definitely in the Hotel Cafe style -- singer-songwriter, so no electronic beats like The Child. There was also a touch of nervousness as she hadn't been on stage for a few years. Friends were there to support and I got to talk briefly with Coco Morier and Lauren Willow White. Just marvelous.

Mike Taylor

Mike Taylor was the September resident musician at The Satellite. The last time I saw him was a few years back at Club Moscow -- mercy, I haven't been there in years. Mike Taylor's set was a ball of energy and fun. It started off with the drummer playing along with the DJ. Then on came Mike Taylor. He moved across the stage constantly. He moved so much he was sweating a storm by the end of his first song. The crowd loved it and demanded an encore. He complied. Who could say no considering it was his last night?

Bloke and Bird and The Happy Problem at Harvard and Stone

Bloke and Bird

Sometimes you see a band for the first time and decide you just need to see them again. That's how it was with Bloke and Bird. I saw them earlier this year at Harvard and Stone and noticed that they were playing there again. They came in with a large group of friends. They had a drink and then set things up.

Lead singer Jennifer put a kazoo in her shorts and a shaker in a boot. Her vocals are so tender, they'll send you into dreams. Note: They keep talking that they are doing acoustic sets and not their full band sound. I want to see how they sound as a full band. 

The Happy Problem

The Happy Problem closed out the night for me. Bloke and Bird went singer-songwriter. The Happy Problem went rock and roll. It was lead singer Kim's birthday and there was a cake nearby to be shared with all at the end of the set.

Before one song, she mentioned that the song was written for a cello and oboe. Unfortunately, for this night she just did it acoustic. Once again, like with Bloke and Bird, I had to imagine how awesome that song would have sounded with a full sound.

Jurassic Shark with Sadwich and French Vanilla

Sadwich

French Vanilla

A couple weeks back I headed out to the Bootleg Theater to catch the September residency band, Jurassic Shark.

Sadwich opened up the night. As they were about to start someone yelled out, "Where's Zoey?" There was a moment of silence which was ended when someone in the band -- the new band member, I'm guessing -- said, "I'm Zoey now." The person in the audience yelled back, "You're the new Zoey!" This is a lo-fi band that immediately catches your attention. They resemble Summer Twins with a touch more beat. Their last song had just been written and was their first time performing it. It was a mess, but made the band all the more endearing. Near the end of the set, the person who had previously yelled out about Zoey, once again made her voice heard, "Literally, anything you play we will like."

French Vanilla is a band I saw earlier this year at The Echo. What did I notice this time other than the awesome inclusion of a saxophone in this punk band? They had the most casual set up. They just meandered on and off stage. I was thinking for sure they'd have to start their set 15 minutes late, but they actually started within 5 minutes of their scheduled set time. I'd say with the saxophone, this band is a punk-jazz band. The lead singer can definitely jump dance longer than any of us. Lyric of the set, "Keri got her period in the shower and everyone laughed at her.

Jurassic Shark

Jurassic Shark told the audience that they're from Monrovia. Folks from Monrovia must like to get places early. They started their set 10 minutes early. This band will hit you up with quick spurts of energy.

What was so great about this band: one of the band members mugged it up big time for me. It was so funny. (See photo to the left.)

GRIT, Moon Honey and Sego at Chinatown

A final Chinatown night until next year. What a fun few months. On this Saturday night GRIT,
Moon Honey, and Sego hit the stage.

Grit. I think that band name pretty much sums up their sound. Moment: The lyrics "Cold Blooded" were being sung as two young girls were running in circles next to the stage. Moon Honey's lead singer wore a theatrical headdress. She sort of reminded me of a mix between Toyland and Wizard of Oz. What else did I notice: in the middle of the set, the keyboardist switched out synths. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever stepped on his Mac computer (during a set) that he had on the floor -- he was jumping/running right next to it as he was doing the switch. Sego has a mystery to them. Their stage moves were out-of-control in a controlled manner.

GRIT

GRIT

GRIT

Moon Honey

Moon Honey

Moon Honey

Seg

Sego Sego

Lael Neale and Weyes Blood at the Resident

Lael Neale

I finally made it to the Resident. I've seen photos from other photographers, but never made it down there myself until this past Thursday. I got to see Lael Neale and Weyes Blood.

Seeing both artists made me think of my vacation in Iceland. When I was in Iceland, there was a singer-songwriter music festival. It was a pleasant surprise. That's how I felt tonight. Lael had some great lyrics. "I want to know your grace." "I need proof that I live, but I don't want to give up my freedom." "If you become my lover, I'll never look back."

Weyes Blood has deep vocals backed by beautiful guitar rifts. And she likes to stick out her tongue on occasion. She reminded me of Jenny O. Her comment of the set, "I have two more songs, but they're each seven minutes long." What I noticed: She used cassette tapes to back her up.

Weyes Blood

Lara FM with Eli and The Itches, Orphan Googles and Violent Vickie

Lara FM

A pretty cool night at the Silverlake Lounge. I hadn't headed out to the Silverlake Lounge for a couple months. Lara FM was the headline. She has a great set design. She had mannequin heads and dolls decorating her stage. She had a white sheet hung. She also had a dancer. It reminded me of those wonderful independent teen movies where the teenagers are super cool and hip and know where all the cool art scenes are.

Opening up for her were a number of musicians. Violent Vickie had a ballet dancer with her. You also couldn't help but think about your favorite independent teen movie. Orphan Googles went full out industrial rock. At times, it looked like the drummer's eyes would pop out after each drum beat. Lyrics: Drink, Smoke, Watch TV. After they ended their set, the DJ put on some classic pop songs. Funny, industrial rock to pop love songs. Eli and The Itches had some unique akimbo moves on stage. What did I notice: there was an interesting shoe-sock combo. The lead singer also tossed his cloths in front of the stage: jacket and shirt.

PAPA with Green Gerry and Maxim Ludwig at the Bootleg Theater

PAPA

A great night of music hit the Bootleg Theater last Friday for PAPA's residency. Green Gerry started the night off with a shaker, mad style start and a shift of music that went from manic to slow beats and back to manic. There were some great quotes from Green Gerry. First, "Are the guys from PAPA here? No? That's awkward, we'll just have to do what we're good at." Second, "I picked a dumb f*cking name for my band, Green Gerry." There was also an offer of free coffee for anyone who showed up at his work at 8 a.m.

Maxim Ludwig is a band I've followed for years. I first saw Maxim Ludwig at Hotel Cafe. On this night, I was reminded of really cool '80s music. Comment of the set, "How are you guys doing? That's what I've asked at every show I've played at since I was fourteen." Maxim can slide across the floor like any top pop star.

PAPA must have made a mistake when they asked me to plug in some equipment. They had technical issues throughout their set. There were waves at friends asking for assistance. The friends weren't sure what was needed and so gave some shrugs. There was a lot of equipment changes, chord changes, sound guy coming in to help. Through all those technical glitches was one awesome show. Their sound in the four walls of the Bootleg just reverberated with brilliance.

The Buttertones with Dumb Fucks and Prettiest Eyes at The Echo

The Buttertones

What a wild and crazy night at The Echo. Opening up the night was Dumb Fucks. They're young. They're punk. And they love having their fans in the middle of a mosh pit. What did I notice: The lead singer had a bandanna pinned to the back of his coat that had Dumb Fucks written on it. By the end of the set it was falling off. For the final song, the guitarist was pushed into taking over lead vocals. I don't think he was too into doing that.

Prettiest Eyes reminded me a little of a favorite local band called Pu$$y Cow. Prettiest Eyes is full blown country punk. The bassist looked like he was in a caged stage. He moved about the stage, covering practically every inch of the stage. To end the set, the drum set was in total chaos. That's the best example of their awesome set.

The Buttertones didn't slow it down. The Echo was packed with fans ready for a show. They weren't disappointed. What did I notice: the band was in casual/dress pants. They also have a saxophone player who is just old school cool.

Sorry for the dark photos. The lights were low on this night.


Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com