notes from vivace
Exploring the Los Angeles Music Scene.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Two Movies seen on TCM: Honeysuckle Rose (1980) and The Woman in the Window (1944)
Friday, August 28, 2026
Echo Park Rising 2026 Schedule
Note: Saturday (8.29) Morning Updates
Stories Books and Cafe schedule updated with additional bands
Friday
Echo Park Farmer’s Market1146 Logan St
*4:30 PM American Sigh
*5:30 PM Sie Sie Space Trash
*6:00 PM Maybellene Ryder
Sticky Rice
1801 Sunset Blvd
Sticky Rice Stage (Outdoors)
7:20 PM Much Prec
7:40 PM Winn Winn
*8:30 PM Revenge Wife
9:20 PM TheBandFriday
10:10 PM Milkblood
Spirit Stage (Indoors)
7:00 PM Elijah Wells
7:30 PM San Lucar
8:20 PM BEST DAD
9:10 PM Smoking Mother
10:00 PM Belly Belt
11:00 PM Sandy Hawkins
The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd
5:00 PM Ellery Harper
5:50 PM Creakbed
*6:40 PM Charlie Havencik
7:30 PM Ayleen Valentine
8:20 PM Grace Sorensen
9:10 PM BEL
*10:15 PM Emily Yacina
The Semi-Tropic
1412 Glendale Blvd
8:00 PM Anti-Spirit
*9:00 PM Dream Phases
*10:00 PM The Blushes
11:00 PM Aquínomás
Saturday
Bar Bandini
2150 Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Jutty Taylor
1:45 PM The Irish Goodbye
3:00 PM Bandini Comedy All-Stars
4:30 PM Groceries!
5:30 PM Floating Problems
*7:00 PM Holy Cuts
Bar Henry
1228 W. Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM endorphines
4:00 PM Short Frenzy
5:00 PM Fime
*6:00 PM Cosmic Kitten
7:00 PM Datamaps
*8:00 PM Marni
9:00 PM Nuzzle
Bar Flores
1542 Sunset Blvd
2:00 PM Carlos y Charlos
3:15 PM Chapis
*4:30 PM Tolliver
*5:45 PM Twolips
7:00 PM The Mexican Standoff
8:15 PM Doris Anahi
Cantiq
1571 West Sunset Blvd
3:30 PM 3371
4:30 PM Lxs Cochinxs
*5:30 PM Pegzilla
6:30 PM Spooky Marvin
7:30 PM C/Aus/E
8:30 PM Night Scene
*9:30 PM BONAVEGA
10:30 PM Fusion Babies
Chocolate Dispensary
1605 Grafton Street
12:00 PM Shantilly
3:00 PM Enjonu
6:00 PM Balou
8:00 PM Tadgh Nolan
Dada
1606 Sunset Blvd (enter from the alley)
2:00 PM The Lazy Janes
*3:00 PM Chloe Saavedra
*4:00 PM The Anti Groupies
5:00 PM The Silvertone
*6:00 PM Mackandgold
*7:00 PM OP ED
8:00 PM Caravan 222
9:00 PM SHĀHERI
Fluffy McCloud’s
1814 Sunset Blvd
2:00 PM Sugar World
2:45 PM julie f the rulies
3:30 PM A VIOLET IN YOUTH
4:15 PM Sticko
*5:00 PM Pillow Fight
5:45 PM Toulouse Control
*6:30 PM The Feebies
*7:15 PM Tender Misfit
Gentlemen’s Breakfast
1101 Mohawk St
4:00 PM (est) Pet Rats
4:45 PM Innuendo
5:00 PM I Know I Know
6:15 PM Steel Wool
7:00 PM angelsaur
8:00 PM Chicano Thunder & The Lightenings
8:45 PM (est) Mask Appeal
*9:30 PM (est) Nail Polish
KG Bakery
1471 Echo Park Ave
12:00 PM Supershrew
1:00 PM Dead By Sunday
2:00 PM Ranger Jane
*3:00 PM Polartropica
Little Joy
1477 Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM decay
3:40 PM Lecx Stacy
5:15 PM the burbank police department
6:00 PM trit95
Lowboy
1540 Sunset Blvd
1:30 PM Exhale
2:30 PM Green Hippie Brown
3:30 PM Love Pig
4:30 PM Saint Kid
5:30 PM Mensaa
6:30 PM VCR Monster
Men & Beasts
2100 W Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Rosalie
2:00 PM Deli + Julian
5:00 PM Roksana
6:00 PM Lilah + Cam
7:00 PM A Violet in Youth
P.F. Candle Co.
2205 Sunset Blvd
2:00 PM Delilah Brao
4:00 PM Serene Grace
*6:00 PM Addie Addie Addie
Pitfire Pizza
2141 West Sunset Blvd
2:00 PM Tiny Toy Cities
3:00 PM Dark Dazey
4:00 PM The Roosevelt Motel
5:00 PM Road Trip
6:00 PM Sugar World
7:00 PM Glitter Ghost
8:00 PM Field Daze
9:00 PM The Dares
Raven’s Gallery
1545 Sunset Blvd
12:00 PM Twinracer
1:00 PM Posie Pocket
2:00 PM softpower
3:00 PM Ivan Page
4:00 PM Cynthia & Rich
5:00 PM New Elvis
6:00 PM Oscar Barcelli
7:00 PM The Latiniti Infiniti Band
8:00 PM TBD
9:00 PM Stryfe
Sick City Records / The Ravine Club
1381 Sunset Blvd
12:00 PM Joel Nass
1:00 PM God Is Evil
*2:00 PM Ciggy Bop!
3:00 PM Louden Swain
4:00 PM The Hazards
5:00 PM Paul Danke and the Klee Klee Klees
6:00 PM This is a Revolver
*7:00 PM Babe Ruthless
8:00 PM LUCKYANDLOVE
*9:00 PM CHALK TEETH
Sticky Rice
1801 Sunset Blvd
12:30 PM Pushing Daisys
*1:20 PM I’ll show you magic
2:10 PM Sorry Ghost
*3:00 PM Small Forward
*3:50 PM Ryan Pollie
4:40 PM Pink Skies
*5:30 PM The Aquadolls
6:20 PM Loch Raven
7:10 PM The Sophs
8:00 PM Sedona
*8:50 PM Primer
9:40 PM Indigo De Souza
11:00 PM Knazaal
Spirit Stage (Indoors)
12:10 PM Lula Fortune
1:00 PM Jack Demeo
1:50 PM Christian Taylor
*2:40 PM Baby Fischgrund
*3:30 PM John Errol
4:20 PM Nick Dorian
5:10 PM Mal Not Bad
6:00 PM Nick Kivlen
6:50 PM October Tooth
*7:40 PM Adriana McCassim
8:30 PM MadisenXOXO
9:20 PM Bethlehem Shalom
10:10 PM Dominique Da Silva
Stories Books and Cafe
1718 Sunset Blvd
1:45 PM Jenny Greenteeth
2:30 PM Linus Hablot
*3:15 PM Eleni Mandell
4:00 PM Gatlin
4:45 PM Junker
6:00 PM Return Eternal
The Douglas
1400 Sunset Blvd
4:45 PM Huzzy
6:00 PM Pyrenees Love Triangle
*7:15 PM Buckets
*8:30 PM Syster of a Down
The Echo
1822 Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM Gusty
3:50 PM Girljockey
4:40 PM Truman Flyer
5:30 PM Double Helix Peace Treaty
*6:20 PM Nymphlord
7:10 PM Heathers
8:00 PM Ballet
8:50 PM Blaketheman1000
9:40 PM Babe Dylan
10:30 PM The Mainliners
The Echo Patio
1822 Sunset Blvd
*3:00 PM American Sigh
*4:00 PM Ned Casual and The Tombstone Blues
5:00 PM Excess Express
*6:00 PM The Tone Slingers
7:00 PM A Rock Legend: Tribute To Thin Lizzy
8:00 PM Same Ol’ Smile
The Echoplex
1154 Glendale Blvd
3:00 PM Belcher
3:50 PM Charm School
4:40 PM Croaker
*5:30 PM Seko
6:20 PM Slumped
*7:10 PM Blimp
8:00 PM Teather
The Majic Factory
1004 Echo Park Ave
3:00 PM Brynn Allison
3:45 PM Dakota Dry
4:30 PM Lizzy & The Palm
5:30 PM Chad Opitz /Pippa Spindel/Kayla Hardy – comedy
*6:00 PM Tristan Lake Leabu
6:40 PM Practice
7:15 PM Glissin
*8:00 PM High Tatra
8:30 PM Boo Milligan/Angel Hernandez/Stevona Delgado - comedy
9:00 PM Bonnie’s Casket
9:30 PM Desert Pinguinos
10:00 PM Velvet Penny
10:30 PM Voice on Tape
The Semi-Tropic
1412 Glendale Blvd
1:00 PM Dearie
2:00 PM Garet Camella
*3:00 PM Niantic
4:00 PM Coast Red
5:00 PM Supergloom
6:00 PM Tele
7:00 PM Dead Monks Club
8:00 PM Slim Jeff & The Homies
9:00 PM mari
*10:00 PM Harry Katz and the Pistachios
11:00 PM Foliage
12:00 PM Modern Lover
The Short Stop
1455 Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM Friction
3:50 PM Agua
*4:40 PM Spiral Teeth
The Stronghold
1624 Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Green-House
3:00 PM Fin Argus
7:00 PM Primary Care
Sunday
Bar Henry
1228 W. Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM Sad Name
3:45 PM Pop Noir
*4:45 PM Belle and Chain
5:45 PM Silverplanes
*6:45 PM Julez & the Rollerz
*7:45 PM Jagged Baptist Club
Chocolate Dispensary
1605 Grafton Street
1:00 PM VINSON
6:00 PM Rahana
Dada
1606 Sunset Blvd (enter from the alley)
2:00 PM Beatrix
2:45 PM PULSARS
3:45 PM Lando Chill
4:30 PM Outside Dog
*5:30 PM Send Medicine
6:30 PM SHADESOFBLUE
*7:30 PM Dolly Creamer
8:30 PM Star Parks
9:30 PM Holy Shit
Little Joy
1477 Sunset Blvd
3:00 PM Ardo + Grump + Coyote + Ce Tochtli
3:40 PM calycosa
5:15 PM YgG (yograbbagrabba)
6:00 PM Amindi
Raven’s Gallery
1545 Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Brianna and Emily
2:00 PM Summer Winter
3:00 PM Sonora Pines
4:00 PM London Boots
5:00 PM Melo Gia
*6:00 PM Ali Angel
*7:00 PM Belle and Chain
8:00 PM Jackie Straw
Reverie Bookstand
Sick City Records / The Ravine Club
1381 Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Fingernail
2:00 PM Nick Coury & The Black Night Satellites
3:00 PM The Outside Agitators
4:00 PM The Death Chat
5:00 PM Charm School
*6:00 PM Duderella
7:00 PM STORMS
Sticky Rice
1801 Sunset Blvd
Sticky Rice Stage (Outdoors)
12:00 PM DYES
12:50 PM cinnamon
1:40 PM Mia-Loren
2:30 PM Clyde Crooks
3:20 PM Dre’es
4:10 PM Mynameisntjmack
5:00 PM Phoenix James
5:50 PM Brent De La Cruz
6:40 PM Godly the Ruler
7:30 PM Sugar Pit
8:20 PM Telescreens
9:10 PM Teilz
10:00 PM Uffie
Spirit Stage (Indoors)
12:10 PM Justin Tuell
1:00 PM True Jackson
1:50 PM Holly Blair
2:40 PM Jacob Cummings
3:30 PM Madeline
4:20 PM Sam Broido
5:10 PM Amber Ryann
6:00 PM Valley Boy
6:50 PM Shelailai
7:40 PM SWSH
8:30 PM Drelli
9:20 PM Flesh Clink
10:10 PM DNSN
10:45 PM Horse Laugh
1822 Sunset Blvd
Grand Ole Echo - Free
Doors historically at 5:30 p.m.
The Incantations
Paisley Fields
*The Tone Slingers
*9:00 PM Emily Rose & The Rounders
The Semi-Tropic
1412 Glendale Blvd
*1:00 PM Gigi
2:00 PM 2KINETIC
3:00 PM Zap Star
*4:00 PM Small Shake
5:00 PM Friends Of
*6:00 PM Valley Queen
7:00 PM Tan Universe
8:00 PM Liam Finn
9:00 PM Lyncs
1455 Sunset Blvd
4:05 PM LOVEPIG
5:45 PM Situations
6:35 PM The Reflectors
*7:15 PM OP ED
9:45 PM The Zeros
The Stronghold
1624 Sunset Blvd
1:00 PM Nigel Deane plus String Quartet
3:00 PM Trinity Mei
5:00 PM closing shift
7:00 PM Lina Cooper
Song Spotlight: Chloe Coover's Don't Look at Me Like That (a night at Zebulon)
Is yellow the "It" color for the summer of 2026? Chloe Coover walked onto the Zebulon stage wearing a yellow mini-dress. A few days later, I came across the "world's only natural yellow haired" singer (a joke, if anyone was wondering). It is a striking color that leaves an impression.
| Chloe Coover at Zebulon |
Thursday, August 27, 2026
Review: Bondo Celebrates Album Release with Tides of Instrumental Ocean Waves
Bondo's guitarist-vocalist Nikolas Escudero looked out into the packed Zebulon room and told everyone that he hoped they all had ear plugs, because it was about to get loud. Zebulon does provide free ear plugs so those who wished had the opportunity to protect their hearing. When they started out their set, they did indeed blast out the walls. A projector screen was behind the band and shown on it were grainy images of the Pacific Ocean, palm trees, sand, and lights that looked like either cars lights, the setting sun, or UFOs. The night was their release party of their self titled album Bondo.
| Bondo at Zebulon |
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Song Spotlight: Rio Lane's Why Why Why (a night at Hotel Ziggy)
Rio Lane (Rio Lane Bonney) recently attended the Jesse Jo Stark night at The Roxy. A couple months later, she returned to the Sunset Strip to play Hotel Ziggy (a WFNM showcase). Per her Spotify bio, her music is "a mix of catchy pop punk and disco elements." Armed with a smart phone holding her tracks, Rio channeled the sultry vocals of Jesse Jo Stark while steering her music in her own direction.
| Rio Lane at Hotel Ziggy |
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Song Spotlight: Shonen Knife's SUSHI BAR SONG (a night at The United Theater on Broadway)
Prior to a couple months before Shonen Knife's set at The United Theater on Broadway, I was unaware of the band. Their PR reached out to me and asked if I was interested in covering the set. Even though I had never heard of the band, I was immediately interested. It was driven by two reasons. First, they're a Japanese band and I'm of Japanese heritage. Second, they were rocking out with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Men at Work. Those are two bands that are familiar to me. In fact, Toad the Wet Sprocket's music makes up the soundtrack of my youth.
| Shonen Knife at The United Theater on Broadway |
Monday, August 24, 2026
Review: Livingmore Dials Up Their Friends at The Echo
Livingmore is splitting time between Los Angeles and Japan. They're currently hanging out in Los Angeles for a few more weeks before they fly back to Japan. I saw them back in late June for their self titled Livingmore record release party and then I got to catch them again this past Saturday at The Echo. For what could be described as their going away party, they put together a line-up that warmed my heart. On this day, the calendar was flipped back to pre-2020 venue closures: the night was held at The Echo and I have a long history with everyone that was on the line-up.
| Livingmore at The Echo |
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Aug 23rd - Aug 29th
A Handful (Bucketful) of Show Alerts
Sunday, Aug 23rd: Maryjo with Kyra Fields at the Moroccan Lounge. Doors at 6:30 p.m.I wrote a Song Spotlight for Maryjo's song "Don't Call Me" back in 2025.
In 2025, I wrote a review of Kyra Field's set at Hotel Ziggy.
Tuesday, Aug 25th: Cha$e 13 and Mila Rubina at Revolver Video Bar. Doors at 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug 29th: Generacion Suicida with support from Crisis Actor at Zebulon. Doors at 7 p.m.
In 2025, I covered Generacion Suicida when they played Happy Sundays for US Rocker Music.
In 2025, I wrote a review of Crisis Actor playing at Old Towne Pub.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
Song Spotlight: Dominique Matelson's Hop (a night at Zebulon)
Over a month had passed since I last went to Zebulon. That was a long gap and it needed to end. I noticed that there was a free night that featured Dominique Matelson. She was celebrating the upcoming release of her third studio album The Difficult Way. I had never seen her before. Nor had I heard of the other two singers that were in support. Did that give me any pause about going? Of course, not. It instead piqued my interested.
| Dominique Matelson at Zebulon |
Friday, August 21, 2026
Song Spotlight: Easae's Dear God (a night at Bar Lubitsch)
Palindrome singer Easae (moniker for Marissa Barbalato) took to the Bar Lubitsch stage for a WFNM showcase night. This was my third time catching a set. I saw a couple sets in 2024 at Hotel Ziggy. Of course, I had to take a look and listen to those prior performances. My amusing take on what I noticed as being different between 2024 and 2026? For both 2024 sets, she did an old school MTV Unplugged performance where she was sitting on a high chair. This time around, the high chair was gone. It meant that those vocals came out all the more powerful.
| Easae at Bar Lubitsch |
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Song Spotlight: Dolly Creamer's Gatekeeper (a night at Zebulon)
Prior to coming onto the Zebulon stage, Dolly Creamer (lead by Sarah Rebecca Harris) had a group hug. Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town" boomed from the speakers. It seemed appropriate as the band spent early July doing a 9 stop tour in Alaska. I think a good first assumption would be that the band has an affinity for nature. Maybe that was the impetus for doing the tour, but Harris later admitted, "I realized in Alaska that I'm just not that outdoorsy. Here, you can be outdoorsy, but you don't have to be."
| Dolly Creamer at Zebulon |
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Song Spotlight: Mila Rubina's No One Compares (a night at Bar Lubitsch)
What lifestyle will Mila Rubina's kids have? "MY KIDS WILL BE NEPO BABIES," she boldly proclaims on her Instagram page. Based on her Bar Lubitsch (a WFNM showcase) performance, she's on her way to settling up her kids for generational wealth. Is there a playfulness to that proclamation? She is the "world's only natural yellow haired" individual so that provides a clue.
| Mila Rubina at Bar Lubitsch |
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Song Spotlight: Johanna Samuels' Circles (a night at Zebulon)
I first crossed paths with Johanna Samuels in 2018. The first two encounters were at the Bootleg Theater. The first encounter was when she was opening up for The Wild Reeds and Allie Buckley (it was her residency night). Later on that year, she had her own residency at the venue. I caught her again in 2019 and then venues shut down. It took a few years, but I crossed paths with her once again for her 2023 album release party that I covered for Buzzbands. The night was held at Zebulon. Fast forward to 2026 and I noticed that she was having a record release party for her third studio album Sorry, Kid. It was also being held at Zebulon (a Sid the Cat night). Buzzbands has gone into semi-retirement mode so I covered this particular night for US Rocker Music. You can read that review if you so wish.
| Johanna Samuels at Zebulon |