Song Spotlight: Ryan Raines' Please Quit Your Job (a night at The Fable)

Ryan Raines took out all the stops for his set at The Fable (a Ryan Pollie showcase night). His backing band included the standard bass, drums, and guitar setup; but he also added on a saxophone, and for the last two songs of the set a harmonium. Along with vocal duties, he added to the instrumental orchestral sound by switching between guitar and keyboard. His alt-rock sound had me thinking retro indie Los Angeles from back in the day when Spaceland (link here for some music history) was the center of the Los Angeles music scene. It was a night of dreamy music, highlighted by Raines' bass vocals.  

Ryan Raines at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Electric Guest's Take It Slowly (a night at The Airliner Bar)

Electric Guest had The Airliner Bar packed for their It's A School Night set (hosted by KCRW and Make Out Music). This was my first time at The Airliner Bar since 2022 when I covered a Jenny O set for Buzzbands (see link for the review and photos). I know that after that point in time, the bar venue went through an ownership change. When I noticed that they were once again putting on shows, I knew I wanted to head there again. I actually wanted to go in January, but something popped up that prevented me from going. Jump to April and I noticed that Electric Guest (as well as Theo Moss) were playing School Night and off I went. What did I notice when I first got to the venue (which is above the bar)? The hole-in-the-wall vibes are now replaced with a sleek modern touch that is similar to The Peppermint Club. 

Electric Guest at The Airliner Bar

Review: Fervent Supporters of Lauren Lakis and Buckets Enjoy a Double Records Release Party

Lauren Lakis and Buckets teamed up for a double album release party at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Lakis recently released her fourth studio album Deadlights and it was her penultimate tour stop. Buckets released their third studio album Horse To Water and will be embarking on an album supporting tour in July. The night was presented by litany of Los Angeles music scene supporters: KCRW, Big Top Booking, and Slouch Records (the record label behind Buckets' album). 

Lauren Lakis at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Song Spotlight: Nick Flessa's Medicine Hat City Slogan (a night at Zebulon)

Nick Flessa opened up the Rocknite showcase at Zebulon on a recent Tuesday night. I first crossed paths with him back in 2019. Then again in 2021 when he fronted his band Dayton Swim Club. Back in 2019, he responded to an interview inquiry, which you can read part of the response below:

How would you like your music to impact people who listen to your music or see you play live? As a performer I want to amaze and surprise people. I want to challenge assumptions in a way that’s entertaining and engaging. Musically, I want to build worlds that audiences and listeners can travel through. I want to combine seemingly disparate styles, genres and musical personalities in ways that haven’t existed yet. I want to move people while also making them think. 

Nick Flessa at Zebulon

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Jun 14th - Jun 20th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Monday, Jun 15th: Jesse Jo Stark at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2022, I covered her set at The Echo for Buzzbands, which you can read here.

Tuesday, Jun 16th: Maybellene Ryder at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.
I happened to catch Ryder playing violin for a band called Oh, Rose at the Shrine. I wrote a review of that night on US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Tuesday, Jun 16th: Primitive Ring at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

In 2024, I wrote a review of the band, which you can read here.

Tuesday, Jun 16th: Slotcar at The Smell. Doors at 8 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight of the band's song "exacto" here.

Wednesday, Jun 17th: Jessy Fury and Modern Cult at the Airliner Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Jessy Fury's song "Heaven" here.

You can read my recent review of Modern Cult here.

Song Spotlight: ROSIE's Mr. Blue Jeans (a night at The Echoplex)

ROSIE (moniker for Rosaileen Scher) was the recent opener for Katelyn Tarver at The Echoplex. You can read my review of that night here. One thing I noticed immediately was the crossover in fans. From the very start when she sang "Never the 1," the crowd was singing the lyrics back to her. 

ROSIE at The Echoplex

Song Spotlight: Glyss' Inside My Eyes (a night at The Airliner Bar)

Back in the day, there was a band called Gliss that played the Los Angeles music scene for a handful of years. They've since moved back to their home country of Denmark. As an indication of how long I've hung out in the Los Angeles music scene, I listed them as one of my favorite new bands of 2010 (you can read that list here). The biggest name off that 2010 list would be Cold Cave. Nico Vega had a reunion show at the Lodge Room back in 2023. The Like spawned Z Berg and Laena (Feels). Eastern Conference Champions spawned Mondo Cozmo. Lucy Schwartz may not play that often in the LA music scene anymore, but she's known for film and television music contributions. Not that bad of a list there. 

Glyss at The Airliner Bar

Song Spotlight: Sidney Bird's Suburbia (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

What defines suburbia? Having lived in Los Angeles county for most of my life, I've always found this a confusing concept. I grew up in Lancaster. That would definitely qualify as an exurb, not the suburbs. I currently live in Glendale. Some might say that is the suburbs, but Glendale is closer to DTLA than Woodland Hills is. It also takes a 15 minute walk to cross into Atwater Village. And anyways, I consider much of Los Angeles county as one massive population center where you really can't tell when you've crossed from one city to the next. Those were the strange thoughts that crossed my mind while catching Sidney Bird's (moniker for Sidney Hulburd) set at the WFNM showcase night at Hotel Ziggy. 

Sidney Bird at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Intercurrent's Arrow (a night at The Airliner Bar)

When it comes to photography, sometimes the joke is on me. I went to Rocknite at Zebulon to catch a favorite band, Valley Queen. I reach into my camera bag to pull out my RF 15-35mm so that I could shoot a wide angle shot (to take a photo of the full band). Instead of pulling out my RF 15-35mm, I pulled out my RF 28-70mm. I had packed the wrong lens. That happens on occasion. For me, the two lenses are hard to tell apart when just picking them up. This is where the joke is on me. I went home after the set and took out the RF 28-70mm from my bag and put in the RF 15-35mm. The next day, there was another Rocknite, but this time it was at The Airliner Bar. I went home after work and my mind flashed back to Zebulon and I was thinking, "I better pack my RF 15-35mm." So I went and switched out the lenses (totally forgetting what I had done at around 11:30 p.m. the night before). Up first at the The Airliner Bar was Intercurrent. At some point during their set, I switched my lenses and I pulled out what I thought was my RF 15-35mm. I put the camera viewfinder up to my eye and was like, "I am so stupid." 

Intercurrent at The Airliner Bar

Song Spotlight: emory's half (a night at The Fable)

Singer emory (moniker for Emory Wellons) opened up the night at The Fable for the Ryan Pollie showcase night. This was not a night where people showed up after the opener. The bar was at maximum capacity for her set. Her music is minimalist hyperpop. There was sleight of hand misdirection in the set. She had two bandmates, one playing the bass while the other played a synth. Yet, it felt like she was doing a solo set all on her own. That perception was emphasized by the fact that all three wore headphones and their eyes were focused downward on their individual instruments. It creating an atmosphere of each being in their own headspace.

emory at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Gina Jacqueline's Medicine (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Three months passed since I last went to a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. Those three months were instead spent hanging out at the Bar Lubitsch showcase location. As I walked into the venue, Gina Jacqueline (Gina Jacqueline Binder) was finishing up her first song of the set. I was immediately struck by how her outgoing personality shined through her singing style. I was immediately disappointed that I had missed that first song. I knew I had walked into the venue at 7:15 p.m., which I thought was the perfect time to arrive. 

Gina Jacqueline at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Jun 7th - Jun 13th

A Handful (bucketful) of Show Alerts

Sunday, Jun 7th: Dave Harrington at the Lodge Room. Doors at 7 p.m.

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

Sunday, Jun 7th: Whitney Tai at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I recently wrote a review of a set, which you can read here.

Monday, Jun 8th: Dylan Rodrigue at Club Tee Gee. Doors at 8 p.m.
Read my Song Spotlight for his song "Pink Balloon" here. 

Tuesday, Jun 9th: Blue Wistaria and Dreyted at Oblivion. Doors at 9 p.m.

Read my Song Spotlight for the Blue Wistaria's song "Members Only" here.

I recently wrote a review of Dreyted's set, which you can read here.

Tuesday, Jun 9th: Primitive Ring at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

In 2024, I wrote a review of the band, which you can read here.

Tuesday, Jun 9th: Brookelen at The Fable. Doors at 8 p.m.

Brooke McKnight is in a series of music projects. I recently wrote about Host Family (she's the lead vocalist), which you can read here.

Wednesday, Jun 10th: Blue Wistaria at The Airliner Bar. Doors at 7 p.m.

They're doing a double shift this week with their show on Tuesday, as well.

Wednesday, Jun 10th: Lilliana Villines at Healing Force of the Universe Records. Doors at 8 p.m.

Read my Song Spotlight for her song "yours" here. 

Wednesday, Jun 10th: Sister Gemini at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for her "Elvira" here.

Thursday, Jun 11th: Dutch East Indians at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

Read my Song Spotlight of the band's song "All Time High" here.

In 2023, I covered Lauren Lakis for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Thursday, Jun 11th: Sierra Spirit at The Airliner Bar. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2024, I covered a Sierra Spirit set for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Friday, Jun 12th: Buckets and Lauren Lakis at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for Buckets' song "Judy" here.

Friday, Jun 12th: Mingko at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for their song "Get A Job" here.

Friday, Jun 12th: The Mormons at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.

I always have fond memories of seeing this band playing outside music festivals as fans were heading home.

Song Spotlight: J Laconn's Church (Speaking In Tongues) (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

It was a fun night at Bar Lubitsch for the WFNM showcase night. The night included a backing band that played for the singers on the bill: keyboard, bass, drums. It allowed for rapid switch-overs from singer to singer and let everyone perform with a full band. Also, on specific tunes for each performer, Sean Kellz came up on stage to play the saxophone. 

J Laconn at Bar Lubitsch