Ron Blakely hit the stage with high expectations on my part during their WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch. First off, WFNM founder Grant Owens mentioned to me that Blakely had great vocals. Then Giselle (who opened prior to their set) pumped them up during her set. (You can read my Song Spotlight of her song "Skeleton" here.)
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| Ron Blakely at Bar Lubitsch |
A Handful (bucketful) of Show Alerts
Sunday, Nov 2nd: Primitive Ring at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.Seeing Kelcey Ayer in concert always reminds me of my first few years in the Los Angeles music scene. Way back in 2009, a friend mentioned to me that I should head to the Silverlake Lounge to catch a band called Local Natives. The place was packed from stage to entrance. Somehow I was allowed inside -- I'm sure the fire marshal would have shut the place down. I squeezed my way to the front of the stage so that I could take photos of the band. It was love at first sight. And via Local Natives, I connected with bands such as Eastern Conference Champions (Mondo Cozmo) and Family of the Year.
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| Kelcey Ayer at The Goldfish |
Pearl Charles recently played the relaunch of KCRW x School Night. For the relaunch, the night shifted from Bardot to Zebulon. This was my first time catching her live (I did catch an online set when venues were shut down). Considering how long she's been part of the Los Angeles music scene, I am a touch embarrassed to admit that. It is what it is.
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| Pearl Charles at Zebulon |
Harry the Nightgown calls their music "electronic avant-pop." I would also add that the band is a playful outfit that enjoys each other's company. This band was having too much fun on the Zebulon stage during their recent September set. As the band was about to start their set, lead singer and guitarist Sami Perez took out her phone to take photos (or videos) of her bandmates Spencer Hartling and Luke MacDonald. She was laughing all the while. My curiosity has me wondering what she was finding so amusing.
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| Harry the Nightgown at Zebulon |
I've followed Ty Teg (the moniker for Audrey Reynolds) since 2022 when the band played The Smell. I caught the band a second time in 2023 -- once again at The Smell. In those two encounters, I've felt like I was hanging out with the cool art crowd. It helped that Reynolds is a graduate (or soon to be) of CalArts. Also, during both those nights the bands they played with had that artsy air to them. Hound played that first night in 2022. Though I believe the band has broken up as the duo headed off to college, it does appear that one of them has a solid following related to their art endeavors. The second time around, the band played with March Adstrum (someone I think highly of and you can read a blog post I wrote here) who is a CalArts graduate.
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| Ty Teg at Zebulon |
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| Cosmic Kitten at Happy Sundays Fest |
I've followed Kate Clover's music career since 2016 when her band ExSage had a residency at the Bootleg Theater (current location of 2220 Arts). That is nearly a decade ago. I remember having conversations about catching this awesome band called ExSage for the first time and people responding with, "You never heard of Cobalt Cranes?" Jump forward a few years and I ended up covered her solo sets twice for Buzzbands. Once in 2019 when she opened up for Death Valley Girls (you can read that article here) and another time when she was headlining her own show in 2022 (you can read that article here).
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| Kate Clover at Levitt Pavilion |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Sunday, Oct 26th: Patriarchy and Dagger Polyester at the Lodge Room. Doors at 7 p.m.I first crossed paths with All Things Blue in 2019 at The Hi Hat. The symmetry of life had me at The Goldfish (the former location of The Hi Hat) in late August to catch a farewell set. All Things Blue is the moniker for lead singer India Coombs. She announced earlier in the month that she was taking off to New York City after spending the last 11 years in Los Angeles.
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| All Things Blue 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.
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| 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."
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| 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.
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| 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."
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| 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 aroundIzora (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".
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| Izora at Bar Lubitsch |
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.
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| Mallory Warman at Hotel Ziggy |
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.
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| 2220 Arts |
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.
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| UGHH at Happy Sundays Fest |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Monday, Oct 20th: Shannon Lay and Emily Rose and the Rounders at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.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."
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| Tijuana Panthers at the Echoplex |
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| Belle and Chain at Happy Sundays Fest |
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.
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| Jenny Newman at Bar Lubitsch |
"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.
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| 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 meSetlist: 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.
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.
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| Lilliana Villines at Zebulon |
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.
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| Hex Code at Happy Sundays Fest |
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.
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| Ivy James at Hotel Ziggy |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Sunday, Oct 12th: Alex E.T. at Zebulon. Doors at 6:30 p.m.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.
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| Dream Phases 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.
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| Alex E.T. at The Goldfish |
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.
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| Tanja at Hotel Ziggy |
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.)
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| Baby Fischgrund at The Goldfish |
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.
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| Baba Jenkins at Hotel Ziggy |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Monday, Oct 6th: Bully at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.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).
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| Orion Sisters at Hotel Ziggy |
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.
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| Terminal A at Zebulon |
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.
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| Marcus Buser at The Goldfish |
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.
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| Adrian Bourgeois at Harvard & Stone |
Austin Manuel via his AM Presents Music is back at Club Tee Gee booking shows. Previously, he booked Sundays and Mondays. At the moment, he's only booking Mondays. Who knows, maybe he'll start booking Sundays at some point though he is busy running Healing Force Records. Back in 2023 when he was booking Club Tee Gee, I came across some new artists (to me) that quickly became favorites: Adriana McCassim, Sarah Julia (from the Netherlands), and Gold Star (a band I should have run across way before 2023).
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| Austin Manuel at Club Tee Gee |
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| Psychoactive at Old Towne Pub |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Sunday, Sep 28th: Blue Wistaria at Harvard & Stone. Doors at 8 p.m.In April 2022, I got invited to catch WYMN at El Cid. They played with an interestingly named band called Ghetto Garden. At some point, Ghetto Garden changed their name to TELAH! (the explanation point being part of their band name). I caught up with TELAH! at Echo Park Rising 2024 and I remember thinking the band members looked familiar.
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| WYMN at Harvard & Stone |
Suzy Clue came up onto The Echo stage sporting a metal fashion statement. Someone in the crowd greeted her with a, "We love your music." This might have taken her back just a touch as she paused and then responded with, "I love you." I say that it took her back a touch, because even though she dialed the sexuality up to a 10 in her performance, I thought she had a rather modest opinion of herself as a singer. As an example, during the early part of the set, she asked everyone, "Does anyone remember my name?"
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| Suzy Clue at The Echo |
Rozwell Kid did double duty at El Cid on a recent August night. Not only were they Colleen Green's opening band, but they were also her backing band. You can read my review of her set here. I was unfamiliar with Rozwell Kid, but there were people in the crowd who were singing along throughout the band's set. Though Colleen Green was the headliner, I would think that Rozwell Kid also helped fill up the venue.
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| Rozwell Kid at El Cid |
The editor of US Rocker Music sent me a request from KennyHoopla's PR firm, seeing if we were interested in covering an upcoming set at The Echo. You can read my review of the set here.
Prior to saying yes, I took a listen to his music as I'd never heard of KennyHoopla (for his fans, don't kill me). I loved the pop-punk genre that had influences of Blink-182 (this comparison comes from the fact that Blink-182's drummer Travis Barker has worked with him). |
| KennyHoopla at The Echo |
Ashley Elle was the opening act at WFNM's showcase at Hotel Ziggy. It might seem a little unusual, but she was in a pressure situation. The venue was packed by tween girls who were out in force to support their favorite Kyra Fields. The tweens were all packed at the front of the stage while her own fans were pushed to the rear of the venue.
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| Ashley Elle at Hotel Ziggy |
Sept 7th, 2019. That was a brilliant day of music and was the first time I came across Milly (the band is fronted by Brendan Dyer who arrived in Los Angeles via Connecticut). It started off by heading to La Tierra de La Culebra Park where I caught a midday set by Gracie Gray -- one of my favorites. Then that night it was off to The House of Machines -- talk about a venue that I miss just as much as The Satellite. That night was a stunning line-up that included GLAARE (unfortunately, broke up in 2022), Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, Tennis System (appear to have wiped their social media), and Milly.
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| Milly at Zebulon |
