Song Spotlight: Nikki Falk's Fighter Dog (a night at The Goldfish)

Nikki Falk's indie folk tunes enchanted the Rock Nite crowd at The Goldfish. How would one tell? There were moments where she'd spend time tuning her guitar and the crowd would start conversing with their friends. She even said at one moment, "You can all talk for about 5 seconds." Then she'd start to talk about her next tune and the talking would quickly quiet down. I found it to be an interesting phenomenon as just a couple days earlier I was at another venue where the singer songwriter was drowned out by the roar of the conversations. 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her bio mentioned that she currently resides in San Diego, but hails from the 50th state, "From Lahaina, Hawai'i, Nikki Falk holds a unique indie-folk sound with heartfelt, diary-like lyricism. Inspired by the warmth of her childhood and hometown, the feeling of nostalgia (peaceful or not) carries through each song. Nikki Falk vividly captures the emotional textures of young adulthood."

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her song nostalgia ranged from a Santa Barbara bar called Elsie's Tavern to relationship breakups to being born on New Year's Eve. And songs about thinking that "love is stupid and dumb and then you realize it isn't stupid and dumb." Each song was a treated as a treasure by Falk. As she was introducing her music, one could see her eyes light up and a smile cross her lips. Enthusiasm is infectious and perhaps this is one reason why the crowd was so quick to silence their conversations. 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her latest release at the time of her September set was "Fighter Dog." She introduced the song by saying, "It's about . . . . being spiritually manipulated, which is a really weird niche experience. It's basically being put down in the name of God so you can't really argue with it." 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Like the rest of the set, the song was played with just Falk and her guitar on stage. She played the guitar at a slight angle towards her body. Her quiet vocals were the only sound in the venue except for a couple coughs from yours truly -- I was standing to close to that fog machine -- and the occasional sounds of the bartender making a drink.   

To you, I'm still around
Running, chasing yourself
When you look down on
Another woman that loves you,
You'll only hear my sound

Song Spotlight: Izora's BRING ME DOWN (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Izora (the moniker for Shreya Jaswal) has Hollywood star power that was in the spotlight during a September WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch. Her band took the stage while she stood out in the audience. A voice over introduced the set, "Welcome to the experience. This is Izora." The band then went orchestral rock. The end result of that introduction was that her guitarist busted a string as Izora took to the stage to sing the opening song "SPIN YOU IN CIRCLES". 

Izora at Bar Lubitsch

Song Spotlight: Mallory Warman's Part Time Man (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Country music took over the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy back in August. It was admittedly a brief, but memorable, takeover as the night was a diversity of genres that also include big time vocals, pop tunes, and the blues. The country artist of the night was Mallory Warman. 

Mallory Warman at Hotel Ziggy

Review: Tales of Horror take Lyrical form at Murder Ballads & Dark Songs event

I crossed paths with Daiana Feuer (aka Bloody Death Skull) in 2013 at a since closed venue called Pehrspace. I should note that Pehrspace as a booking entity still does live shows at 2220 Arts. This past Saturday at around noon, I got an Instagram message about an event she was throwing called "Murder Ballads & Dark Songs" later that day. The night was being presented by both Stepping Stone Presents (the booking entity of Liz Garo who handled scheduling for the Echo and Echoplex and is the co-owner of Stories Books and Cafe -- the hang out spot for the DIYers in Echo Park) and Feuer. 

2220 Arts

Review: UGHH Proves Sundays are for Jumping (an evening at Happy Sundays Fest)

UGHH is the definition of high energy punk band. They're also a band with a soft spot for kids. This past Happy Sundays Fest at the Port City Tavern stage was the third time I've seen the band play live. Interestingly, even though this band plays quite frequently in the Los Angeles area, I've only seen the band play Happy Sundays events. The first time I saw them was back in 2022 when they played a pre-festival concert at DiPIazza's. I then caught them in 2023 during the festival and once again at this year's festival. 

UGHH at Happy Sundays Fest

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Oct 19th - Oct 24th

A Handful of Show Alerts 

Monday, Oct 20th: Shannon Lay and Emily Rose and the Rounders at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Shannon Lay's "All This Life Going Down" here.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Emily Rose and the Rounders' "Too Much Too" here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: MACKandgold at Good Times at Davey Wayne's. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for "Chasing Down" here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: The Sea Monks at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my recent review of their Frogtown Brewery set here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: Tyler Ballgame and Ryan Pollie at The Fable. Doors at 8:30 p.m.

I recently covered Tyler Ballgame's set at the Greek Theatre for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

In 2022, I covered Ryan Pollie for Buzzbands, which you can read here. 

Wednesday, Oct 22nd: Kyra Fields and Ashley Elle at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.
You can read my recent review of Kyra Fields' Hotel Ziggy set here.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Ashley Elle's "Save Us" here. 

Thursday, Oct 23rd: Adriana McCassim at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I listed her as one of my favorite new artists of 2023.

Thursday, Oct 23: Cody's Program, Donna, and My Veronica at Non Plus Ultra. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my recent review of Cody's Program's The Goldfish set here.

I recently covered Donna for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

I listed My Veronica as one of my favorite new bands of 2024. You can read that post here.

Thursday, Oct 23rd: Harry Katz and the Pistachios at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my recent review of their Permanent Records Roadhouse set here. 

Friday, Oct 24th: TwoLips at The Goldfish. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for "MFKN Free" here.

Review: Tijuana Panthers Exceed High Expectations as Echo Park Rising Headliners

Tijuana Panthers were the headliners of Echo Park Rising and based on the response from the audience, they exceeded expectations at the Echoplex. Considering the fact that the band has been around since 2005, one would think that there would be a more Generation X / Millennial vibe to the crowd, but the venue was mostly filled with those in their twenties. The band enjoyed the adoration and at one point they told the audience, "You guys are wild." 

Tijuana Panthers at the Echoplex

Song Spotlight: Belle and Chain's Don't You Worry Babe (an afternoon at Port City during Happy Sundays Fest)

One fun thing about having back to back DIY festivals in Echo Park Rising and Happy Sundays Fest is that certain bands play both festivals. So in the case of Julez and the Rollerz, I skipped their set at Echo Park Rising to catch Iress, because I knew I'd get to see their set at Happy Sundays Fest. In terms of Belle and Chain, I knew they were playing Echo Park Rising (partially because I put together an Echo Park Rising schedule on my blog and I was one of the festival's official photographers), but just couldn't be at multiple places at the same time. I also saw that they were playing the Port City stage at Happy Sundays. There were two reasons why I put them on my list of bands to catch in this second bite of the apple. First, I liked the band name. Second,  Derrick Lee did catch their Echo Park Rising set and gave them the thumbs up.

Belle and Chain at Happy Sundays Fest

Song Spotlight: Jenny Newman's PDA (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Jenny Newman put her heart out there for her WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch, playing all the songs from her 2024 EP Love Languages. Per her Spotify bio, she worked with Adam Castilla and Taylor Hecox. Both have a long history in the Los Angeles music scene. Castilla is in the band The Colourist while Hecox was in King Shelter. I'm not sure if The Colourist are still active. It does look like King Shelter ended their run last year.  

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

She also has the following:

"Raised in Connecticut, she found solace in songwriting amidst health challenges and a complicated home life. Inspired by the gospel choirs she grew up around, Newman picked up the guitar in high school, forming a band that fueled her passion for music."  

 

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

When one has an EP titled Love Languages, one might assume that someone has it all worked out in the relationship department, but her title track indicates it isn't all that easy, "Relationships don’t come easy. All because of shit that's happened to me." The song "Man & His Money" explores one of those relationships about the deception that money may indicate a certain refinement. The song has a pop melodic sound, but the lyrics are far more sinister and honestly a little scary. A more positive spin on relationships is "Danish Boy" about someone she was in love with at 18. 

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

Her backing band included two members of Bives who were the next band up on this particular WFNM night as well as Kaylee Lashbrook on bass and Mari Venus on keys. They particularly rocked it out on "PDA." The volume was turned up and the aggression came out The Runaways style with an outright demand of the physical touch love language:

Kiss me
Touch me
Show all of your friends
How much you love me

Setlist: Do You Think I'm Shy?, Love Languages, Danish Boy, Mother's Porcelain, Man & His Money, Guardian Angel, PDA, You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette cover), Tuxedo Kitty.

Song Spotlight: Lilliana Villines' yours (a night at Zebulon)

I've followed Lilliana Villines since late 2021 when I caught a set at the Silverlake Lounge. I happened to notice that she was playing a Rocknite at Zebulon in August. I decided I would check it out. It was the first time I would see her as the headliner. The previous times, she was opening for others. 

Lilliana Villines at Zebulon