Mara Connor at The Hi Hat

I decided at the last minute to head out to The Hi Hat to catch Mara Connor. She was the first artist up for the night so I figured, why not. I'm thrilled that I went. There is a wonderful simplicity to her music.

Lyrics of the set: You're such a wildfire.

What I noticed: There were at least four individuals using their cell phones to video the night. So based on that, I'm sure you'll find footage of her set somewhere out there on the Internet.


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TeamMate with Party Nails and Outasight at The Satellite

TeamMate

One final July residency meant that for this month it was off to The Satellite to see TeamMate.

Party Nails opened up the night. The lead singer came on stage and apologized to a band mate for only having one set list. He laughed it off. I swear the set list was on the back of a purchase receipt. To make sure the band knew what was coming up, she gave a quick intro to each song. I actually appreciated that as I love to learn more about a band's songs. The lead singer is one five foot ball of fire. Lyric, "Just make a move, what's wrong with you.

Outasight is a solo artist named Richard Andrew. He had a DJ that got everyone closer to the stage before he entered. When he entered it almost felt like an anticlimactic moment as he came onto the stage in such a mellow mood. His style is part hip hop and part stand up comedian. Though he entered in a mellow manner, he slowly built up his set so that by the end he had The Satellite doing some line dancing.

TeamMate is a band I haven't seen for awhile. I briefly got to see them at Make Music Pasadena. This is a two piece band that just doesn't stop for a rest. I loved the fact that the drummer was right up front. It gave me a great opportunity to photograph the drummer. The band also spend time programming lights. The stage lit up in various blues, greens and whites. A great set that thrilled The Satellite.


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DWNTWN at Golden Road Pub

It was off to see DWNTWN who were supporting a More Than a Cone event regarding pet adoption. I got more than I expected. The event had sweets and vegan snacks. That was cool. I had my fair share of cookies and soft tacos. Then as DWNTWN was setting up, everyone was asked to head up stairs for a fashion show. I was thinking maybe it was going to be a pet fashion show. No, there were actual Aston Models, five to be exact. I got to see a quirky fashion show where models were dressed in animal cones. Ha ha. Then it was back downstairs to see DWNTWN do their thing. Though Golden Road Pub isn't set up for concerts, it was still a cool stage. DWNTWN played on the floor and for a couple songs I headed upstairs. From upstairs you could look down on the ground level and I took some shots from up high. After, I went back and hung out with some dogs and cats. Unlike when I go out exercising, none of the dogs barked at me.


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Forebear with Tribal Campagne at Silverlake Lounge

Forebear

It was off to Silverlake Lounge for my Monday rotation.

Tribal Campagne hit the stage. There were some smooth vocals going on. At times, I felt like I was listening to Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle doing a duet. Noticed: the logo on the electric sax that the lead singer used looking very similar to the NBA logo. Infringement?

Forebear has a violinist who knows how to dance and play her violin at the same time. The lead singer has some nifty footwork. You can see the joy this band has playing together.


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A Book Review: Identical by Scott Turow

Identical by Scott Turow. I have to say I'm disappointed by this book. I've loved the other books I've read by Scott Turow, but I just can't say that about this book. Why? The identity of the killer was rather obvious. There are only a handful of characters in the book. Almost within a couple chapters, I was 90% sure of who the killer was. Also, the book happens during the housing crisis of 2008. To me, it has nearly no impact on the book even though it is discussed. It feels like Turow wants to discuss greed, but it feels like an unnecessary side story.

The book switches back and forth between 1983 and 2008 though the main focus is on 2008. In 1983, we get flashbacks to the day the murder happened. In 2008, we have the current day events. It focuses in on two twins: Paul Gianis and Cass Gianis. Cass is being released from a 25-year sentence in jail for the murder of his girlfriend, Dita Kronon. In comes Hal Kronon, who was Dita's brother. He is convinced that Paul had something to do with his sister's murder. Hal sends two of his employees, Evon Miller and Tim Brodie, to dig back into the case. They uncover more than they expect.

I do have to admit there are some interesting twists and turns. One of the twists will almost make you vomit. So Turow has his touch of giving you unexpected story lines; however, as stated above I just think the number one twist is just too obvious.

Emerson Star, Taylor Grey and Braeves at Chinatown Summer Nights

Braeves

It was a touch on the warm side, but not too hot at Chinatown Summer Nights. After spending the afternoon taking photos at Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls, I headed off to Chinatown to catch some "older" musicians.

Emerson Star has this retro '50 sound mixed in with Local Natives. One short lyric was, "He's watching."

Taylor Grey had a video team filming her set. I think it caused the audience to stand back away from the stage. Folks were probably concerned they would block the video camera. She gave a soulful performance with controlled vocals.

My first reaction to Braeves: they're calm, cool and collective, especially the bassist. This band blasts some big vocals. The band is a great additional to the Los Angeles music scene, having arrived from New York City.

 
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Ultra Violent Rays at The Satellite

Looking through my blog posts, I realized that this was my first time seeing Ultra Violent Rays. I was actually shocked by this fact. I'd seen the previous version of this band, Mad Planet. For some reason, I just never saw Ultra Violent Rays. So basically, over 2.5 years passed since I last saw this duo: Cooper Gillespie on bass and Greg Gordon on drums.

They had some computer issues while trying to get their set started up at The Satellite. This eventually passed and they kicked out a Twin Peaks-like set. Cooper's vocals would fit great into any David Lynch movie. There is just this constant sequence to their sound that still makes you wonder what is coming around the corner.


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Valley Queen and Psychic Love at the Bootleg Theater

Valley Queen

The Bootleg had it going on Monday night. There was Scout Willis (see previous blog post). And then rounding out the night for me was Psychic Love and residency band Valley Queen.

Psychic Love gave us some psychedelic sounds along with similar inspired images on screen.

I've seen Valley Queen a couple of times previously. First, a few years back at the Bootleg Theater. Second, they played Broke LA. This band has that country power going on. They had everyone dancing at the Bootleg, well this is Los Angeles, so maybe just swaying to the music.


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Scout Willis at the Bootleg Theater

As I was trying to determine where I wanted to go on my Monday night circuit of residencies, I noticed that the Bootleg Theater had someone named Scout Willis. The last time I looked, I didn't see her name on the calendar. There was only a link to her Twitter account so I clicked on it and thought, "Wow, she has a lot of followers." Then it sort of dawned on me that she was a Willis kid. Why not check out her music? So off to the Bootleg I went.

What did I discover? With a simple white dress and some very distinctly blue shoes, she charmed the Bootleg audience. Having her playlist on her left arm made her enchanting. Her vocals are deep and thoughtful. She brought two guitars along with her, but used just one. To close out her set, her sister joined her on stage and danced away like a flower child.

Comment of the set, "Did anyone see my panties? That's a trick question. You can't, because I'm not wearing any."

Noticed: For Valley Queen (the residency band), she came out and danced in front of the stage for much of the set.


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Coco Morier at The Satellite and Clifton's

A lot of time has passed since the last time I saw Coco Morier way back in 2012. There was a moment where I almost got to see her again. She was scheduled to play in downtown Los Angeles, but she had to cancel at the last moment.

And so good things happen when you wait long enough -- I got to see her two days back to back.

First night was at The Satellite where she sent the audience dancing. She was dressed in gold with pineapple earrings. I swear there wasn't a single person hanging out at the bar, which is a rare event, as they were all hanging out on the floor. By the end of her set, she was out of breath.

Comment of the set after giving New York a hard time and about the fact that she was soon to head over there: Punk is dead there so no one will throw trash at me.

Noticed: the keyboardist played with sheet music.

I then got to see her at Clifton's for her album release party. I briefly introduced myself at The Satellite and she invited me to her release party. I was a bit concerned when I got there about doing photography as the lights were low and red, but when she began her set the lights got a touch brighter and turned to white. I won't go into her set as it was similar to The Satellite; however, I did have fun doing photography. Clifton's is a multi-story cafeteria. Her set was on the second floor. From the third floor, you could look down on her and the audience. I had fun taking shots from both floors.

After seeing her twice in two days, I hope to see her soon again. I'd rather not have to wait 4-ish years.


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New Madrid and The Electric West at The Satellite

New Madrid

I got to attend this night at The Satellite via New West Records and Big Hassle Media. New Madrid is on tour from Athens, Georgia. They have this honky-tonk sound that includes a touch of edgy, grinding rhythms. What did I notice: one band member had some blown out hair along with a Peace Love Records green t-shirt. The lead singer's guitar strap fell apart on him during one song. He managed just fine with the malfunction.

Comment of the set regarding the release of their record, "It came out two months ago, one month ago, one and a half months ago.

The Electric West opened for New Madrid. I noticed that one member of the band used a backgammon case for his pedals. Meanwhile, during the set, the guitarist loved to see if he could play his guitar in a vertical manner. The drummer would burst into high energy and then calm it down. The bassist entertained us with his strumming fingers.

 
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Uncles and Tyler Horn at The Hi Hat

Uncles

Uncles has July's Tuesday night residency at The Hi Hat. Tyler Horn opened for them.

Tyler Horn's lyrics dripped with earnest depth as he worked magic with his guitar. He poured out his soul with lyrics like, "I won't forget the summer I called you mine." One thing I noticed: He was very meticulous on how he put his equipment away.

Uncles has a lot of songs about locations. For example, they said, "This song is called Colorado, it is also a place." Their music is Americana with a Texas twang. The drummer has some strange habits when he isn't needed. It almost looked like he might fall asleep. Meanwhile, the guitarist looked like he might accidentally fall off the stage due to his constant motion. In fact, I would almost bet that he just might fall off the stage during their residency. I hope he doesn't hurt himself when he does. Their set stalled out for a few moments when the drummer lost a small piece of equipment. They spent a few minutes looking for it before their final song. They finally giving up. Then during the middle of the song, the drummer noticed it on the kick drum.

Uncles comes to Los Angeles from Texas. How did they decide to move to Los Angeles? Via a Ouija board. No kidding.


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Feels and Child at The Echo

Feels

I'm a Monday night residency person. That's obvious if you glance through my blog posts or Instagram/Facebook accounts. I was thinking that The Echo wasn't going to have a residency band for July. With 4th of July on a Monday and many of the venues not open on the holiday, I figured The Echo didn't think it worth having a residency for just 3 weeks. Then at the last moment, I decided to check out The Echo website. Wow, Feels were doing the July residency, one of my favorite bands. And they were doing a show on the 4th. I was there.

Child started off the night for me. What did I notice: the drummer removed his pants before their set began. Then he walked off the stage to get a weight to put in front of his kick drum. Actually, I think he spent the whole remaining night without his pants. To start off the set, the band gave secret handshakes and then started off on their metal sound.

Feels. What can I say: their set was awesome. There was a thanks from the band for coming to see them despite the fireworks. Someone in the audience yelled out, "You guys are the best fireworks." We all love the Feels, but that went a touch far. There was a slight groan from the audience and the band looked slightly embarrassed. There was a pregnant pause and then the set continued to the finale.


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Sikora, Deep Fields and Kera and The Lesbians at The Satellite

Kera and the Lesbians

It was a free Wednesday night at The Satellite so I headed over to catch some music. It helped that Kera and The Lesbians were on the bill. I hadn't see them in way too long.

Sikora hit the stage first with their dance music and LED shoes. Their set reminded me of Club Moscow -- now that's a club I need to re-visit one of these days.

Deep Fields looked like a rather young band. At least some members of the band had to be under 18. I could be wrong. As the band was setting up, the keyboardist was just jumping up and down on stage. There was a guitar next to him. I was worried that he'd end up jumping on it. Their sound has an undertone of jazz and the lead singer has smooth vocals offset by reverb.

Kera and The Lesbians moves with sudden and unexpected speed. And her smiles to the audience draw praise. I believe they cut their set short. It felt like it went less than 25 minutes. I even heard the bassist ask, "Are we done?" I think she was being cool to the final band of the night (which I missed) as the set times were pushing 30 minutes behind schedule.


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A Movie Review: The Nice Guys

The Nice Guys. At times, this movie will have you wanting to roll around the theater in hysterics. There is a moment when The Three Stooges is imitated. So very funny. Yet, there is a disturbing aspect to this movie. This movie is about the '70s sexuality and drugs wrapped around a buddy investigative team. That alone is fine; however, I found this movie disturbing due to how it exposes under-aged kids (actors) to sexualization via visualization and/or lines.

The movie follows Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and Holland March (Ryan Gosling). Jackson is hired by Amelia Kuttner (Margaret Qualley) to put the hurt on Holland. Holland is a private detective who has stumbled across Amelia due to another investigation he's taken on, the death of a porn star named Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio).

Jackson ends up breaking Holland's left arm. Soon after, Jackson is set upon by two enforcers who are also looking for Amelia, but for a more serious reason. Jackson re-approaches Holland, asking him to find Amelia. Of course, Holland is reluctant; however, his young daughter Holly March (Angourie Rice) gets him to take the job.

Soon, Jackson, Holland and Holly are trying to chase down Amelia. After dead bodies start to pop-up all over the place who are connected to Amelia, they fear for her safety.

As mentioned, this movie is hysterical, but is it worth recommending? I guess it depends on how disturbed you are by how the movie exposes the young characters to sex and drugs. The movie almost immediately shows an exposed Misty Mountains to a kid who looks 13 (according to a google search, the actor is 14). For me, the movie goes too far in this direction and I just can't recommend it.

Steady Holiday with Honey Child and The Bulls at The Satellite

Steady Holiday

This was the last Steady Holiday residency night at The Satellite. It was also very steamy inside The Satellite. The air conditioner must have been broken. I say that, because a couple days later I returned to The Satellite and the air conditioner was up and running. The lack of air didn't prevent an awesome night of music.

First up was Honey Child Choir. In my notes, I accidentally wrote down Holy Child. I think it was driven by the music binders that had "Honey Child" embossed on the front. It reminded me of a church choir. Their music is meditative. Of course, perhaps not too church choir. During a break in the set, one of the singers said, "Are you ready for a fu*!ing good night? Oh wait, Honey Child night, not an Emily night."

The Bulls are a band I've followed for awhile. I went to their 2015 residency twice. I love the hand motions that Anna goes through. She even played around with her dress shawl, it was like watching an angel. I so love her songs. She ended her set with a quick stop and then good-bye.

Steady Holiday had to deal with the extreme body heat of 2 hours of great music. Water was at a premium. Shortly into the set, one of the musicians called out, "Can I have a water?" Dre, the lead singer, went to her bottle a number of times. Someone in the audience called out, "Vodka in a bottle." She smiled, "No, it's not." Steady Holiday equals sweat sound.


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