Song Spotlight: Amy Jay's Margins (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

I was trying to figure out if I wanted to head out to a WFNM showcase on either Wednesday or Thursday night. I decided to do some research on Instagram. I went looking at all the artists / bands that were playing those two nights (less the individual I had previously seen) and checked out their Spotify accounts. I got to Amy Jay and took a listen to her music. I don't recall exactly which songs I played, but it was most likely her most listened to songs: "Reliance" and "Sorrow." It was an obvious choice, which night I was selecting. It was going to be Thursday night at Bar Lubitsch. 

Amy Jay at Bar Lubitsch

Song Spotlight: Mr. Dinkles' Eat Chips and Talk Shit (a night at Gold-Diggers)

The Seattle to Los Angeles band Mr. Dinkles blends a young Jane Fonda activism with punctuated punk rock edge. Many of their songs are furious bursts of energy, often clocking in at the 2 minute mark. The two piece band has Mac Rettig on vocals / guitar and Rocco Ramos on drums. 

Mr. Dinkles at Gold-Diggers

Song Spotlight: Silverdeer's Open Mouth (a night at Gold-Diggers)

It was a Friday night and Silverdeer (previously known at Saturn 17) wanted everyone to enjoy the start of the weekend. They played a relatively short 20 minute set to open up the Rocknite showcase at Gold-Diggers, but those minutes were packed with a festive attitude that had the crowd dancing. 

Silverdeer at Gold-Diggers

Song Spotlight: Andrew Benjamin's Healthy Heart (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Andrew Benjamin (aka Andrew Benjamin Maldonado) took to the Bar Lubitsch stage at the WFNM showcase. He used the opportunity to showcase some niffy guitar playing. He seamlessly would transition between root rock to blues. One moment, he took his guitar to a high pitch level riff that had me thinking Top Gun soundtrack. His song "Vessel" had guitar scratching that had me thinking back to the prom scene in Back to the Future.   

Andrew Benjamin at Bar Lubitsch

Song Spotlight: Sara Jean Kelley's Down, Down, Down (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

A last minute slot opened up at the WFNM's Almost Acoustic Showcase and Nashville based-Sara Jean Kelley jumped in to play the opening set. Bar Lubitsch was filled with friends and family, many hanging out with her dad in the corner of the venue. I overheard that she wasn't sure if he would be able to show up or not, but show up he did.   

Sara Jean Kelley at Bar Lubitsch

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): May 24th - May 30th

A Handful (Bucketful) of Show Alerts

Sunday, May 24th: Downtown/Union at The Fable. Doors at 8 p.m.

I saw the band a couple times back in the day. In Sonic Dreams continues their reunion series of Los Angeles DIY bands.

Sunday, May 24th: Katelyn Tarver at The Echoplex. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2015, I wrote a little review that you can read here.

Sunday, May 24th: Jagged Baptist Club at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's song "Temptation Death House" here. 

Monday, May 25th: Bitter Half at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's song "FY IMY" here

Monday, May 25th: Dave Harrington at Zebulon. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2025, I wrote up a review of his set at Zebulon, which you can read here.

Tuesday, May 26th: Memo PST at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's song "I Used To Be A Pretty Boy" here.

Tuesday, May 26th: Valley Queen at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's "Ride" here.

Wednesday, May 27th: Audrey Lisette at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her song "Take Back the Memories" here.

Thursday, May 28th: Suzy Clue at the Lodge Room. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her song "Uneasy" here.

Friday, May 29th: Self Improvement at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's song "Change My Mind" here.

Saturday, May 30th: Ella Woolsey at the Moroccan Lounge. Doors at 6:30 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her song "a million" here.

Saturday, May 30th: Mingko at The Smell. Doors at 8:30 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight for their song "Get A Job" here.

Saturday, May 30th: Ron Blakely at Hotel Cafe. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for their song "Tired" here.

Review: My fun personal experience hanging at the "secret" Basement show

I got to attend a recent underground / secret Basement set. It was held outdoors at Milky's and presented by Sound and Fury. You can read my official US Rocker Music review here. 

Basement at Milky's

Song Spotlight: Alexia Rev's Love's a Dying Art (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Alexia Rev (moniker for Rebecca Alexia Tobaly) took part in the second WFNM's Almost Acoustic Showcase at Bar Lubitsch. As can be surmised by "second," this is a recent new music series. In the debut night, I had seen most of the curated singers. I knew I was going to love all those singers. This time around, there was only one singer on the list that I had seen before. That fact gave the night a feeling of discovery. Of course, Alexia Rey was one of those newly discovered singers.

Alexia Rev at Bar Lubitsch

Song Spotlight: Operelly's Tell my man (a night at El Cid)

Operelly (moniker for Olivia Rose Austin) stopped by El Cid as part of a 10 stop tour to promote her recently released EP called *FLUTTERS AWAY*. Ground Control Touring has this tidbit about their client, "Operelly’s music weaves together delicate electronic and acoustic elements into a form that Olivia calls 'tiptoe music.'” That combination of electronic and acoustic could be heard at the start of the set. She started off playing an intro on her electric organ / synth before shifting over to her acoustic guitar for "Cozy." 

Operelly at El Cid

Song Spotlight: Theo Moss' Shotgun (a night at The Airliner Bar)

Okay, sometimes my brain gets tossed for a loop. That is what happened when Theo Moss (moniker for Sam Valdez) took to the stage at the It's A School Night (hosted by KCRW and Make Out Music) showcase at The Airliner Bar. I remembered the name Theo Moss as I saw a snippet of a set at last year's Echo Park Rising (I was an official photographer so was just rushing around shooting as many bands as possible). If I recall correctly, she was playing the final chords of her last song and at that time I just didn't think about connecting the dots to the past. At The Airliner Bar, I finally got more than a few seconds of a song and my brain was telling me that I'd seen Theo Moss way before 2025. But how was that possible? Then as I was doing some research for this article, I had to slap my forehead. Theo Moss is Sam Valdez's new project. Duh. 

Theo Moss at The Airliner Bar