Big Black Delta at The Satellite

Big Black Delta was the headline band at The Satellite on a recent Saturday night.  A little over a year ago I saw them at The Satellite for their residency.  Just like a year ago, their fans were wild for them on this night. In fact, I was a little worried that I might end up with a black eye as the guy beside me was moving his head in a manner that could potentially have cause some damage.

It is interesting how certain memories pop up.  As a photographer, it is seriously difficult to photograph this band.  They like the stage lights off and replace it with their own strobe light show.  A number of times my camera photographed nothing but black.  Hey, it makes it interesting as a photographer.  Memories:  I remember last year there were two or three other photographers and one talking about how she was sneaking in the flash, hoping that no one would tap her on the shoulder to tell her to stop.

The below photo, no flash, just light timing.

Lavinia Slaughter at The Satellie

Lavinia Slaughter. I've been waiting to see this new project from Lauren (Rocket) White for a very long time.    I initially thought their first show was to be in November, but was later told it was shifted to December.  Was it worth the wait?  Yep.  Lauren dressed in black, mesmerized; her arms extended at times, piercing the darkness.

Dekades at The Satellite

I walked into The Satellite and was met with the heart pumping sound of Dekades.  It looks like they're a rather new band.  Watch out for this band.  They'll knock your socks off.

The Henry Clay People at The Satellite

The Henry Clay People hit the stage before a crowded house. There was a call out for beer, which resulted in 3 beers being brought up. And there was a mosh pit induced by the lead singer.  Two songs included guests/friends.  The night was electric.


 

Songs for Kids Foundation at The Satellite

The Satellite had a break in the music on Monday night when Songs for Kids Foundation hosted a comedy set by four comedians:  Matt Dwyer, Jonah Ray, Sklar Brothers and Matt Braunger.  Matt Dwyer, politically incorrect.  Jonah Ray, worried about his age.  Sklar Brothers telling a hysterical tale about running into Richard Simmons at an airport.  Matt Braunger making fun of twitter attacks.

The Sklar Brothers stole the show with their Richard Simmons story.

Josh -- Founder




Matt Dwyer



Jonah Ray



Sklar Brothers



Matt Braunger

Incan Abraham at The Satellite

Incan Abraham opened up the night at The Satellite.  Dual vocals.  A bassist who plays it cool.  And don't mind the borrowed drum set that argues that maybe the photo below is of The Henry Clay People.

Jhameel at Bootleg

Jhameel had the crowd dancing at The Bootleg.  Solid vocals.  Distinct image art.  Crowd pleasing.

Young Hunting at Bootleg

Young Hunting refused to tell the crowd their band name, but I was able to track them down.  This band is calmly thrilling.

Comment exchange of the night:

Crowd:  Yeah.

Band:  You saying you hate this?

Yeah can sometimes sound like hate :-)

Mind the Gap at Bootleg

Mind the Gap was first up at the Bootleg.  I was able to catch half the set.  The lead singer doesn't stop moving.  In fact, his movements across the stage were so constant that I wasn't able to capture a decent shot of him under the low lights.

 

Pacific Air at The Echo

Pacific Air held court on a Friday night at The Echo.

Their music makes you happy.

Comment of the night:  There is some space here by the photogs.  Come closer, make them work for their shots.

Night Terrors of 1927 at The Echo

It was off to see a friend in a new band called Night Terrors of 1927. This was only their second show.  This band has a couple songs out there that will just hook you immediately:  "Watch the World Go Dark" and "Dust and Bones."  If you head off to see them, you will be mesmerized by their set.  There is a wonderful flow to their music that drives you towards the conclusion.  The two front men are also backed up by the two awesome women that form another band, The Child.

The Blackhands at Three Clubs

The Blackhands played at Three Clubs recently. They're a punk band with a stand up bass. Unique and awesome.

In the Valley Below at the Bootleg

In the Valley Below played the Bootleg in November as the residency band.  It was a tad dark at the Bootleg when they played, but see the below picture and what stands out:  the hands.  The hands tell the story with this band.

LA Font at Bootleg

LA Font hit the stage at the Bootleg in November.  The lead singer moves on stage.

Comment of the night:  Come on, stop drinking.

Birds of a Black Feather at Bootleg

The sister duo Birds of a Black Feather hit the stage at Bootleg on a recent Thursday night. This band has beats that shake your body and vocals that sooth.

Battle Tapes at Bootleg

Battle Tapes hit the Bootleg with their electro synth rock sound.  I never think I saw someone ever attack his synth like the lead singer of Battle Tapes.

The Record Company at The Satellite

The Record Company is the residency band for November.  Their lead singer at times sat and other times stood.  Either way, this band held your attention throughout their set.  Folks were dancing.  Blues and rock moved the body.

The Nervous Wreckords at The Satellite

The Nervous Wreckords commanded the stage at The Satellite. 

Some of my friends showed up randomly.  I soon understood why as I noticed that one of the band members came from a band that I used to see every so often called Roses on Her Grave.  The sound is different, but her style is not.  Everyone in the band was dressed down, but she was in tight leather, looking like a Sunset Strip woman (I used to see Roses on Her Grave at the Viper Room.)  

The crowd was packed close to the stage.  It was totally warranted. 

Trapper Schoepp & The Shades at The Satellite

Trapper Schoepp and The Shades come from Milwaukee.  They started their set at The Satellite with a group vocal and then went all rock 'n roll on us.  Trapper does the vocals while his brother carries a tune as well.  You also have a violinist who wows. 

Moment of the set:  I was checking my settings on my camera when suddenly Trapper jumps off stage and is playing right at my feet.  I was briefly the center of attention.

Peter Pants at The Smell

Peter Pants was the last band of the night for me at The Smell. I swear it felt like I'd seen them before.  I think the answer; however, is no.  Maybe I've just seen them around the scene.  Anyways, this was the last gig for the drummer.  In some ways, she seems like the heart and soul of the band with her wild style on the drums.  This is a band where the bassist plays it calm while everyone else is going wild.  Crowd surfing was the norm for this set.  

Surf Curse at The Smell

Surf Curse came into The Smell from Nevada.  This two piece band played the smaller section of The Smell.  The place was packed.  Both the drummer and guitarist share vocals in this lo-fi band.

Comment of the set:  This isn't just a press zone.

The Aquadolls at The Smell

The Aquadolls were the first band up at The Smell.  My first thoughts, Sarah Jeanette and The Mulhollands.  That was driven more by style.  The sounds are much different.  The Aquadolls scream it out loud.  And on occasion you had a mosh pit forming.  On the other hand, like The Mulhollands, fun fun fun.  

Comment of the set  You're supposed to dance to this song or you're technically breaking the law.


 

Drive He Said at Silverlake Lounge

Silverlake Lounge is back doing residencies. Drive He Said is the residency band for November. This band was previously known as Maxim Ludwig.  A band I believe I first saw at Hotel Cafe.  Well, not being a new band, they didn't have a problem convincing the crowd that they were the real deal -- though perhaps they had a bit of a problem getting the crowd to singalong for one song; it worked out in the end as the lead singer is a convincing fellow.

The Brixtones at Silverlake Lounge

I caught The Brixtones at Silverlake Lounge on a recent Monday night.  This was a Brit invasion with a flair for the 70s.  

Raw Geronimo at El Cid

One of my favorite local bands, Raw Geronimo, closed out the night at El Cid recently.  They were dressed for the dead.

Noticed:  the band started off with the members shifted to one side.  I thought that was a bit strange.  They did shift quickly to a more symmetrical assembly, which made me feel like the universe was better aligned.

As always, a solid fun set. 

The Peach Kings at El Cid

It was a celebration of the dead at El Cid. The Peach Kings hit the stage first.  It was their video release party.  They had some technical problems with playing the video so they played their set first before showing the video.

One person described their music as bluesy.  Okay, I'll go with that.  From what I can tell, they are a two piece band that has a rotating drummer for hire situation -- yes, this was my first time seeing them.

My fun:  how many times would the guitarist have his hat fall off his head.  Let's just say it fell off his head a number of times.

What did I think of the set?  I loved it. 

Dia De Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever

It was off to Dia De Los Muertos at Hollywood Forever. As noted by the website, the day is "a vibrant traditional procession in the home of Hollywood's Immortals with traditional Aztec blessings and Regional Musical-Dance group dedications."

I went with friends, but in a way I wish I had gone by myself.  They zoomed pass many of the altars, while I wanted to stick around and contemplate the lives that were being celebrated.  Oh well, it was a fun night.

Ozomatli was the headliner band.  They had me jumping.  Unfortunately, I was too far away to take a decent photo of them so no photos posted of Ozomatli.



  

Mr.Elevator & The Brain Hotel at The Bootleg

I caught Mr. Elevator and The Brain Hotel at The Bootleg this past Monday.  The audience was dressed in Halloween costumes.  The band gave us a touch of a beach sound.  Costumes worn by band:  western, fortune teller, snow bum.  

The Herbert Bail Orchestra @ The Bootleg

I caught the back end of The Herbert Bail Orchestra at The Bootleg.  They kicked it.  A little touch of Americana to steal your heart.


 

Last in Class at The Satellite

Last in Class is the residency band at The Satellite.  Two come from the band Wet and Reckless, a band I followed off and on for a couple of years.

Emily from Wet and Reckless is the lead singer of Last in Class and there is still that cool beat poetry lyrical style to her singing.  

Classic moment 1:  Early into their set, Emily's microphone stand totally fell apart.  She took it all in style, grabbing her microphone to finish up the song.

Classic moment 2:  I do believe there was a discussion about what song they'd just played:  was it song x or song y.

Comment of the night 1:  Oh yeah.

Comment of the night 2:  I just do a lot of silly jokes.

Philosophical moment of the night:  This song has a lot of stops and starts, just like life.

Mia Doi Todd at The Satellite

Mia Doi Todd's name is familiar to me, but I'd never seen her in concert or heard her music.  Well, I caught up with her this past Monday and I'm happy I did.  It was a tropical paradise set.

The Shakers at the Viper Room

The Shakers played the Viper Room this past Saturday to celebrate their single release "Set My Sights."  I'm sure I've said this before, but I'll say it again:  The Shakers are a band that will definitely get me out to the Sunset Strip.  It is almost a requirement, because Jodie on stage almost demands it in advance -- in a time travel theory sort of way.

Mergence at the Viper Room

Mergence played the Viper Room with The Shakers.  This bands came to us from Arizona.  They say on their Facebook page that their sound is blues rock.  One can't complain about that.  

Blackcoat at Casey's

It was off to Casey's for a birthday party. I went to the back to catch a band and as soon as I heard the voice, I was thinking: this sounds like Automatique. Well, the band is called Blackcoat and the lead singer is from Automatique.  And band members from Automatique were there to support.

This is a two piece band.  Guitar and violin.  If you like Restavrant, you'll like this band.

A Movie Review: Looper

Looper. An interesting movie about time travel. In the future, all humanity apparently are tagged so it is difficult to just kill someone and then bury them. The mob obviously wants to dump bodies without the bodies being found. The fact that there is an ability to time travel helps out with this problem. Folks in the future that the mob wants to dump are sent to the past where a Looper does the killing. A new mob boss comes to power and decides he wants to start things fresh and so he starts to kill off all the Loopers in the future by sending them to the present and having their younger selves kill off the old selves, which means the Looper in the past has only about 30 years to live. Well, one Looper in the past escapes from his younger self and so the chase is on.

It is an intriguing storyline. Yes, there are questions the pop up, but it is a well thought out concept and therefore makes for an enjoyable movie experience.

A Movie Review: Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie is another demented movie from the mind of Tim Burton. And I found it enjoyable. I will say that the ending of the movie brought up conflicting feelings; however. During the middle of the movie, the father said something about it not being appropriate to play around with life and death. I agree with him.

Sad Robot at Silverlake Lounge

Sad Robot is the residency band at Silverlake Lounge for October.  They made sure everyone was pumped up as they started their set off with a blast.  They slowed it down and then pumped us back up at the end.

Exchange of the night:

Lead singer Katherine:  Hello

Random individual walking past:  Hello

Comment of the night:  I sound like a salesman, I really do.

Orange Umbrella at Silverlake Lounge

After skipping two Mondays, I was back out catching Los Angeles bands around Silverlake/Echo Park. Reason for skipping out the past two Mondays? Well, last week, Culture Collide took a lot out of me so I decided to stay at home. Anyways, it was out and about on this Monday and I headed over to Silverlake Lounge where I caught Orange Umbrella.

Now one of my assumptions was that only singer-songwriters from Europe/Australia have band names while Americans go by their own name.  Well, that assumption got blown out of the water on this night as Josh Rowley is playing as Orange Umbrella.  Of course, one such example does not destroy a theory, right?

Did I enjoy my first Monday set in two weeks?  Yes, I did.

Lyric of the set:  Hold me now, don't you let me fall down.


 

Leftover Cuties at Eagle Rock Music Festival

My last band of the day at the Eagle Rock Music Festival was Leftover Cuties.   They reminded me of She & Him.

Comment of the set:  I can't understand half of what I'm thinking.

 

The Lions at Eagle Rock Music Festival

It was off to catch The Lions at the Eagle Rock Music Festival.  Honest truth, they started to follow me on twitter, which convinced me to go catch them live.  I'm very happy I did.  Reggae awesomeness, I say.  

Comment of the set:  Are the kids feeling good?

I think the kids were feeling good.

Dream Homes at Eagle Rock Music Festival

Unfortunately, I can't find a band link to Dream Homes.  This band has some melodic vocals.

Update: I gave it another go and found a Facebook link.

 

Captions at Eagle Rock Music Festival

Captions played an engaging set at the Eagle Rock Music Festival.

Noticed:  A relative posing for a photo in front of the guitarist -- featured below.

Comment of the set:  We had some car trouble, but I don't want to bother you with that.

Cigaratte Bums at Eagle Rock Music Festival

I've followed Cigarette Bums off and on.  The last time I saw them was two years ago.  Time flies.  It is nice to know they still can put on a good punk set.

Update:  Comment of the set after a burp:  Oh dear, that sounds good . . . That's what beer tastes like.

Crimekillz at Eagle Rock Music Festival

Crimekillz was the first band that I saw at the Eagle Rock Music Festival.  I'll call it techno-rap punk.  A lot of songs ended with "Mom."

The Mo-odds at El Cid

It was off to El Cid to catch The Mo-odds.   The band has expanded from 4 to 6 recently giving them a fuller sound.

Also, recently, the lead singer has had this habit of undressing during the second half of their sets.   I believe the first time I noticed this was at Silver Lake Jubilee.  This set off a few comments . . .

Comment of the night 1: He does this every set.

Comment of the night 2: That's why your phone always breaks.