Song Spotlight: Nikki Falk's Fighter Dog (a night at The Goldfish)

Nikki Falk's indie folk tunes enchanted the Rock Nite crowd at The Goldfish. How would one tell? There were moments where she'd spend time tuning her guitar and the crowd would start conversing with their friends. She even said at one moment, "You can all talk for about 5 seconds." Then she'd start to talk about her next tune and the talking would quickly quiet down. I found it to be an interesting phenomenon as just a couple days earlier I was at another venue where the singer songwriter was drowned out by the roar of the conversations. 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her bio mentioned that she currently resides in San Diego, but hails from the 50th state, "From Lahaina, Hawai'i, Nikki Falk holds a unique indie-folk sound with heartfelt, diary-like lyricism. Inspired by the warmth of her childhood and hometown, the feeling of nostalgia (peaceful or not) carries through each song. Nikki Falk vividly captures the emotional textures of young adulthood."

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her song nostalgia ranged from a Santa Barbara bar called Elsie's Tavern to relationship breakups to being born on New Year's Eve. And songs about thinking that "love is stupid and dumb and then you realize it isn't stupid and dumb." Each song was a treated as a treasure by Falk. As she was introducing her music, one could see her eyes light up and a smile cross her lips. Enthusiasm is infectious and perhaps this is one reason why the crowd was so quick to silence their conversations. 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Her latest release at the time of her September set was "Fighter Dog." She introduced the song by saying, "It's about . . . . being spiritually manipulated, which is a really weird niche experience. It's basically being put down in the name of God so you can't really argue with it." 

Nikki Falk at The Goldfish

Like the rest of the set, the song was played with just Falk and her guitar on stage. She played the guitar at a slight angle towards her body. Her quiet vocals were the only sound in the venue except for a couple coughs from yours truly -- I was standing to close to that fog machine -- and the occasional sounds of the bartender making a drink.   

To you, I'm still around
Running, chasing yourself
When you look down on
Another woman that loves you,
You'll only hear my sound

Song Spotlight: Izora's BRING ME DOWN (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Izora (the moniker for Shreya Jaswal) has Hollywood star power that was in the spotlight during a September WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch. Her band took the stage while she stood out in the audience. A voice over introduced the set, "Welcome to the experience. This is Izora." The band then went orchestral rock. The end result of that introduction was that her guitarist busted a string as Izora took to the stage to sing the opening song "SPIN YOU IN CIRCLES". 

Izora at Bar Lubitsch

Song Spotlight: Mallory Warman's Part Time Man (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Country music took over the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy back in August. It was admittedly a brief, but memorable, takeover as the night was a diversity of genres that also include big time vocals, pop tunes, and the blues. The country artist of the night was Mallory Warman. 

Mallory Warman at Hotel Ziggy

Review: Tales of Horror take Lyrical form at Murder Ballads & Dark Songs event

I crossed paths with Daiana Feuer (aka Bloody Death Skull) in 2013 at a since closed venue called Pehrspace. I should note that Pehrspace as a booking entity still does live shows at 2220 Arts. This past Saturday at around noon, I got an Instagram message about an event she was throwing called "Murder Ballads & Dark Songs" later that day. The night was being presented by both Stepping Stone Presents (the booking entity of Liz Garo who handled scheduling for the Echo and Echoplex and is the co-owner of Stories Books and Cafe -- the hang out spot for the DIYers in Echo Park) and Feuer. 

2220 Arts

Review: UGHH Proves Sundays are for Jumping (an evening at Happy Sundays Fest)

UGHH is the definition of high energy punk band. They're also a band with a soft spot for kids. This past Happy Sundays Fest at the Port City Tavern stage was the third time I've seen the band play live. Interestingly, even though this band plays quite frequently in the Los Angeles area, I've only seen the band play Happy Sundays events. The first time I saw them was back in 2022 when they played a pre-festival concert at DiPIazza's. I then caught them in 2023 during the festival and once again at this year's festival. 

UGHH at Happy Sundays Fest

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Oct 19th - Oct 24th

A Handful of Show Alerts 

Monday, Oct 20th: Shannon Lay and Emily Rose and the Rounders at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Shannon Lay's "All This Life Going Down" here.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Emily Rose and the Rounders' "Too Much Too" here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: MACKandgold at Good Times at Davey Wayne's. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for "Chasing Down" here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: The Sea Monks at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my recent review of their Frogtown Brewery set here.

Tuesday, Oct 21st: Tyler Ballgame and Ryan Pollie at The Fable. Doors at 8:30 p.m.

I recently covered Tyler Ballgame's set at the Greek Theatre for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

In 2022, I covered Ryan Pollie for Buzzbands, which you can read here. 

Wednesday, Oct 22nd: Kyra Fields and Ashley Elle at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.
You can read my recent review of Kyra Fields' Hotel Ziggy set here.

You can read my Song Spotlight for Ashley Elle's "Save Us" here. 

Thursday, Oct 23rd: Adriana McCassim at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I listed her as one of my favorite new artists of 2023.

Thursday, Oct 23: Cody's Program, Donna, and My Veronica at Non Plus Ultra. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my recent review of Cody's Program's The Goldfish set here.

I recently covered Donna for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

I listed My Veronica as one of my favorite new bands of 2024. You can read that post here.

Thursday, Oct 23rd: Harry Katz and the Pistachios at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

You can read my recent review of their Permanent Records Roadhouse set here. 

Friday, Oct 24th: TwoLips at The Goldfish. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight for "MFKN Free" here.

Review: Tijuana Panthers Exceed High Expectations as Echo Park Rising Headliners

Tijuana Panthers were the headliners of Echo Park Rising and based on the response from the audience, they exceeded expectations at the Echoplex. Considering the fact that the band has been around since 2005, one would think that there would be a more Generation X / Millennial vibe to the crowd, but the venue was mostly filled with those in their twenties. The band enjoyed the adoration and at one point they told the audience, "You guys are wild." 

Tijuana Panthers at the Echoplex

Song Spotlight: Belle and Chain's Don't You Worry Babe (an afternoon at Port City during Happy Sundays Fest)

One fun thing about having back to back DIY festivals in Echo Park Rising and Happy Sundays Fest is that certain bands play both festivals. So in the case of Julez and the Rollerz, I skipped their set at Echo Park Rising to catch Iress, because I knew I'd get to see their set at Happy Sundays Fest. In terms of Belle and Chain, I knew they were playing Echo Park Rising (partially because I put together an Echo Park Rising schedule on my blog and I was one of the festival's official photographers), but just couldn't be at multiple places at the same time. I also saw that they were playing the Port City stage at Happy Sundays. There were two reasons why I put them on my list of bands to catch in this second bite of the apple. First, I liked the band name. Second,  Derrick Lee did catch their Echo Park Rising set and gave them the thumbs up.

Belle and Chain at Happy Sundays Fest

Song Spotlight: Jenny Newman's PDA (a night at Bar Lubitsch)

Jenny Newman put her heart out there for her WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch, playing all the songs from her 2024 EP Love Languages. Per her Spotify bio, she worked with Adam Castilla and Taylor Hecox. Both have a long history in the Los Angeles music scene. Castilla is in the band The Colourist while Hecox was in King Shelter. I'm not sure if The Colourist are still active. It does look like King Shelter ended their run last year.  

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

She also has the following:

"Raised in Connecticut, she found solace in songwriting amidst health challenges and a complicated home life. Inspired by the gospel choirs she grew up around, Newman picked up the guitar in high school, forming a band that fueled her passion for music."  

 

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

When one has an EP titled Love Languages, one might assume that someone has it all worked out in the relationship department, but her title track indicates it isn't all that easy, "Relationships don’t come easy. All because of shit that's happened to me." The song "Man & His Money" explores one of those relationships about the deception that money may indicate a certain refinement. The song has a pop melodic sound, but the lyrics are far more sinister and honestly a little scary. A more positive spin on relationships is "Danish Boy" about someone she was in love with at 18. 

Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch

Her backing band included two members of Bives who were the next band up on this particular WFNM night as well as Kaylee Lashbrook on bass and Mari Venus on keys. They particularly rocked it out on "PDA." The volume was turned up and the aggression came out The Runaways style with an outright demand of the physical touch love language:

Kiss me
Touch me
Show all of your friends
How much you love me

Setlist: Do You Think I'm Shy?, Love Languages, Danish Boy, Mother's Porcelain, Man & His Money, Guardian Angel, PDA, You Oughta Know (Alanis Morissette cover), Tuxedo Kitty.

Song Spotlight: Lilliana Villines' yours (a night at Zebulon)

I've followed Lilliana Villines since late 2021 when I caught a set at the Silverlake Lounge. I happened to notice that she was playing a Rocknite at Zebulon in August. I decided I would check it out. It was the first time I would see her as the headliner. The previous times, she was opening for others. 

Lilliana Villines at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Hex Code's Walk Into It (an afternoon at The Bamboo Club during Happy Sundays Fest)

One thing I've noticed is that Happy Sundays Fest is very loyal to bands that have played their festival in the past. UGHH mentioned that this year marked their 4th year at the festival. Julez and the Rollerz mentioned that it was their second time playing the festival. Interestingly enough, I first came across both bands during their Happy Sundays sets (to be honest, UGHH was at a pre-Happy Sundays Fest event). This also means that if you miss a band at the festival there is a possibility of catching them at a future edition of the festival. That is what happened this year when Hex Code took The Bamboo Club stage on Saturday. They had also played the festival last year. I happened to miss that set as I was toggling between Self Improvement and Zzzahara. And similar to UGHH and Julez and the Rollerz, this was my first time catching them live. 

Hex Code at Happy Sundays Fest

Song Spotlight: Ivy James' Exorcist (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Over a year and a half ago I caught Ivy James at a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. I was enthralled with her singer-songwriter tunes about teenage breakups. I added her to my list of favorite new bands and singers for 2024 (you can scan through that list here). I believe that set was mainly focused on her tunes that would later be released via the EP Ghost of  You. 

Ivy James at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Oct 12th - Oct 18th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Oct 12th: Alex E.T. at Zebulon. Doors at 6:30 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight "Calico II" here.

Sunday, Oct 12th: The Blushes at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight "Celebrity Sex Cult Party" here.

Monday, Oct 13th: Rose Droll at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight "With Strangers" here.

Monday, Oct 13th: Shannon Lay at Zebulon. Doors at 8:00 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight "All This Life Going Down" here.

Tuesday, Oct 14th: American Mile at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

Earlier this year, I interviewed the band for US Rocker Music. You can read that interview here.

Tuesday, Oct 14th: The Mastersons at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2024, the band was part of a Roots Rock tribute night at Zebulon that I covered for US Rocker Music. You can read my review here.

Wednesday, Oct 15th: Georgia Maq at Zebulon. Doors at 8:00 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight "You'll Be Singing My Name" here.

Wednesday, Oct 15th: The Blushes at Alex's Bar. Doors at 8:30 p.m.

The band is busy this week.

Thursday, Oct 16th: Slugs at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

You can read my Song Spotlight "Super Sane" here.

Song Spotlight: Dream Phases' Turn Away (a night at The Goldfish)

In Sonic Dreams Presents recently had a showcase at The Goldfish that featured a band that I have followed for years, Dream Phases. Likely of interest to only me and maybe the band, I caught the band for the first time in 2017 at The Hi Hat. The Goldfish occupies the spot that used to be The Hi Hat (pre-pandemic venue). The reason I ran across Dream Phases that date in 2017 was because Livingmore was playing that night -- a much beloved band of mine. 

Dream Phases at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Alex E.T.'s Calico II (a night at The Goldfish)

I have this habit of heading out on a Sunday night to catch live music. I feel it is a good way to start off the week before the drudgery of a work week. So it was on a recent night out to the The Goldfish venue that was the host of an In Sonic Dreams showcase. Opening up the night was Alex E.T. (the moniker for Alexandra Elaine Tapié -- is she a fan of the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial?). I was familiar with her as she's played a couple showcases over the years (Swyndle and Buzzbands) that I follow, but I personally never had a chance to catch a set. 

Alex E.T. at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Paycheque's Next In Line (a night at Zebulon)

Before heading off to Zebulon to check out Paycheque I decided to take a listen to their music. The band only has three songs up on Spotify and I found all of them intriguing. Especially their song "Next In Line" that has the undercurrent of the Pet Shop Boys' vocals. 

Paycheque at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Tanja's L.A. Boys (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Can the sad girl find love in Los Angeles? Tanja (the shortened name for Tanja Jeramaz) put that out in the open at the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. Perhaps a perfect encapsulation of her search for love is "North Hollywood" where she takes a chance by asking out a guy who has the same name as her brother. There is the misinterpretation of commitment and a long wait followed by tears. The answer to the question is no at the moment, but one can only hope that the future turns brighter. 

Tanja at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Baby Fischgrund's If You Still Called (a night at The Goldfish)

Rocknite at The Goldfish really does remind me of how the Los Angeles music scene used to be back a decade ago when music fans showed up for the full line-up of bands. (Caveat being that people generally headed to the doors, me included, before the midnight band hit the stage. I have this assumption that music fans likely have jobs that require them to be in bed before midnight. Or am I just projecting?) My experience at The Goldfish is that the place is always packed for the first band up, which on this particular August night was Baby Fischgrund. (Rocknite does not have midnight bands so it would be an interesting test of my assumption if they ever went with that model.)

Baby Fischgrund at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Baba Jenkins' Wild (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Baba Jenkins played the final slot at the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. I've mentioned before, when it comes to the last band / singer at Hotel Ziggy, I'll try to stick around for a song or two before taking off to go home and bed. It took about 15 seconds or so before I decided I was just going to be hitting the bed latter than usual. I was that captivated. 

Baba Jenkins at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Oct 5th - Oct 11th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Monday, Oct 6th: Bully at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2021, I covered the band for Buzzbands, which you can read here. 

Thursday, Oct 9th: unpolished* at Bar Lubitsch. Doors at 7 p.m.
You can read my Song Spotlight review for "nobody knows" here. 

Thursday, Oct 9th: Dengue Fever at Alex's Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

In 2017, I covered the band when they played Music Tastes Good festival in Long Beach, which you can read here.

Thursday, Oct 9th: Jordan Gruver at Nico's. Doors at 8 p.m.

Made my 2024 list of "favorite new to me, but maybe not to you" list. You can read that list here.

Thursday, Oct 9th: Will Brahm at Scribble, Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my recent Club Tee Gee set review here. 

Friday, Oct 10th: Escape Artist Lovers at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

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

Saturday, Oct 11th: Broken Baby at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

In 2023, I covered the band for Buzzbands when they played the Happy Sundays Festival, which you can read here. 

Saturday, Oct 11th: RJ Bloke at Frogtown Brewery. Set time at 6 p.m.

You can read about my review of his set at the Bigtop Bandstand earlier this year here.

Song Spotlight: Orion Sisters' What We Had (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Orion Sisters are a trio of sisters (Bethany, Lindsay, and Natalie Baker). The singer-songwriter trio all have guitar duties, which made for a tight onstage fit during their WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. Who is the leader of the pack? It appears that Natalie takes on primary lead vocal duties though Bethany often did lead-in duties. Interestingly, the two of them speak Mandarin (you can watch an Instagram reel here). Based on the fact that Lindsay doesn't speak Mandarin, I'm guessing she's the eldest (assuming the opportunity to learn the language came up after she aged out of making it easy to learn a foreign language). 

Orion Sisters at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Terminal A's American Friend (a night at Zebulon)

Terminal A opened up the night at Zebulon to usher in the celebration of Self Improvement's album release party for Syndrome (you can read that post here). The band consists of Colin Peterson on vocals and Lee Busch on guitar. Peterson spent half the set jumping into the audience, disappearing from sight underneath the low lights of the venue and then randomly popping back up on stage. At times, he could be seen crawling across the floor as the audience made room for him. It helped that he used a wireless microphone. While Peterson was out in the crowd, Busch took his stance in the middle of the stage, legs spread in an aggressive manner that allowed him to rock forward as he pounced on his strings. 

Terminal A at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Marcus Buser's Right Man (a night at The Goldfish)

In a certain way, I was introduced to Marcus Buser via Chelsea Rose. I've seen Buser twice and perhaps each encounter would have happened anyways. The first time was last year at Club Tee Gee when Surprise Baby was on the bill, as well. There's a high probably I would have checked out his set at the time. How does Chelsea Rose fit into this? I've followed her career for a number of years starting with Summer Twins, which that encounter dates back to 2012. When it comes to the singer-songwriter genre, we seem to have similar tastes and so we cross paths every so often. Often times, Buser is with her so I'm just making the assumption that they're dating. So yeah, I first crossed paths with him in early 2024, but I feel like I've seen him around the Los Angeles music scene for years. 

Marcus Buser at The Goldfish

Song Spotlight: Adrian Bourgeois' Nothing Can Hurt Me (a night at Harvard & Stone)

Adrian Bourgeois took the opening slot at Harvard & Stone during a Swyndle night. Here's how I ended up catching his set. For those who've read my blog, you know I'm on this commitment to reduce how many nights a week I go out to catch live music as compared to last year. A big reason for this is because I'm focusing more on this blog site. I already had my week planned out and then I happened to notice that Wymn was playing a set on this particular Swyndle night. I hadn't seen them play for a few years so I was thinking I would do a quick drop by -- target 9:15 p.m. I got curious and decided to briefly check out the Instagram pages of everyone playing this particular night. When I clicked on Adrian Bourgeois' Instagram page, I noticed that he follows me on Instagram. From what I could tell from scanning my archives, I'd never seen him perform. What did I conclude? He's kind enough to follow me on Instagram, I should check out his music.

Adrian Bourgeois at Harvard & Stone