Song Spotlight: Living Hour's Big Shadow (a night at Zebulon)

Living Hour joined The Pains of Being Pure at Heart for a mini-tour along the West Coast, which included a sold out show at The Echoplex. They ended their coastal tour with a secret performance at the Rocknite showcase at Zebulon. I guess it wasn't totally secret, it was announced the day before Rocknite. It wasn't last minute either, due to the fact that Rocknite mentioned there would be a secret guest. I suppose the correct definition is that the set announcement was under embargo due to their The Echoplex performance.  

Living Hour at Zebulon

Review: Modern Cult brings Miami mystique to Zebulon

Rocknite did what they do best: highlighted to me a brand new band that thrilled on stage. On a Tuesday night at Zebulon, the first band of the night was Modern Cult. From what I can tell via social media, this Miami based band is so new that they were only playing their second show ever. 

Modern Cult at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Gilbert Louie Ray's What I Have Left (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

I didn't get to catch the January version of the Americana Joy showcase at the Bigfoot Lodge. I decided I would just have to head over in February. It helped that Gilbert Louie Ray was scheduled to perform. Before heading off to the Bigfoot Lodge, I just couldn't help myself and took off to Zebulon to catch Cissi TV (a band that made my list of favorite new finds of 2025). As soon as their set ended, it was a 2 mile drive over to the Bigfoot Lodge. From art punk to Americana country -- that's just how I do things when it comes to the LA music scene. 

Gilbert Louis Ray at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Dama Blake's Mr. Right (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Dama Blake (the moniker for Jessica Harper) looked both classic 1920s and modern 2020s during her WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch. This was my second time catching a set. Back in September 2025, she performed an acoustic set at Hotel Ziggy. I considered writing up a blog post at that time, but I hesitated as her setlist was unreleased material and her sound differed from her released material. I was uncertain if she was shifting directions or not. I was impressed enough that I made a mental note to catch a set in the future. 

Dama Blake at Bar Lubitsch

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Mar 8th - Mar 14th

A Handful (Bucketful) of Show Alerts

Sunday, Mar 8th: Blimp at The Haven. Doors at 7 p.m.
In 2024, I covered Blimp for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Sunday, Mar 8th: UGHH at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's "Sundays are for Jumping" here.

Monday, Mar 9th: Maejoy at Hotel Cafe. Doors at 6:30 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her "Blueberry Lemonade" here. 

Monday, Mar 9th: Meels at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my song spotlight for her "Falcon and the Loon" here. 

Tuesday, Mar 10th: Host Family at The Airliner. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's "Dromedary" here.

Wednesday, Mar 11th: Lasers Lasers Birmingham at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.
In 2021, I made mention of his set during a Week of Music review I did, which you can read here.

Wednesday, Mar 11th: Neska Rose at Hotel Cafe. Set time at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her "Very Green" here.

Thursday, Mar 12th: Morgan Nagler at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I've been following Morgan Nagler since Whispertown2000 (probably since 2009).

Saturday, Mar 14th: Child Seat at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2024, I covered the band for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

Saturday, Mar 14th: Jawdropped at Oblivion. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for the band's "Skully" here.

Saturday, Mar 14th: Maryjo at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her "Don't Call Me" here.

Song Spotlight: June Swoon's Denver (a night at The Goldfish)

I first came across June Swoon (the moniker for Juliana Kay Lydell) at an outdoor DIY music festival called Big Top at someone's back yard in 2021. It was one of the first music events I attended post-early 2020. You can read my review of that afternoon-night here. If I'm not mistaken, all the bands that played that festival are still active, which I find is an interesting footnote. Our paths crossed again in 2024 and then recently at Rocknite's showcase at The Goldfish where they closed out the night that included Sour Tongue and Slugs. 

June Swoon at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Sour Tongue's SOAP (a night at The Goldfish)

It was a mid-February date and I finally made it out to my first 2026 Rocknite showcase at The Goldfish. That took way too long to catch this showcase during the new year, but I did get sick in mid-January which reduced my opportunities to get out to Highland Park. The first band up on this particular night was Sour Tongue. This was my second time catching the band. I first saw them back in 2023. I apparently see this band when my favorite bands share the bill with them. In 2023, they shared the stage with Lauren Lakis (you can read one of my US Rocker Music reviews about one of her sets here). This time around it was Slugs (you can a song spotlight post here). 

Sour Tongue at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Eli Tarantula's (technically The Monolators) Fire & Lightning (a night at The Fable)

I recently went to the In Sonic Dreams showcase at The Fable to catch up with Bloody Death Skull and Modern Time Machines. As for the middle performer of the night, Eli Tarantula (the moniker for Eli Chartkoff), I wasn't sure who that was. When he went up on stage with his wife Mary Charkoff and the other band members, a realization kicked in. I know those two. I still couldn't exactly place them, but I knew I had seen them around the music scene. During the set, it was mentioned that he was in a band called The Monolators. My brain cells started to spin again. 

Eli Tarantula at The Fable

Review: Bloody Death Skull brings the offbeat to The Fable

I've followed Bloody Death Skull for over a decade. I first came across the band at a long gone music venue called Pehrspace (which still lives on as part of 2220 Arts). The night was hosted on by the New L.A. Folk Festival. Going back a little further in time, in 2012 the actual festival was held at Zorthian Ranch. I covered the festival for the first blog site that I started working for called inTraffik. I'm sure if one looked hard enough via the Wayback Machine, one can find my write-up and photos. The festival had a really solid line-up, some of whom are still active and would be a festival highlight if we jumped to the present day: Dust Bowl Revival, Guy Blakeslee, and Leslie Stevens are just three that pop to mind. 

Bloody Death Skull at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Destinee Alera's Horizon (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

The Oakland raised, SoCal based Destinee Alera hit all the perfect R&B and jazz notes at a recent WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. She had a four piece backing band (guitar, bass, keys, drummer) that highlighted the lovely nuances of her music. 

Destinee Alera at Hotel Ziggy