Broke LA Fest 2017 Review

Raener

Broke LA Fest. A perfect day for Broke LA Fest in East Los Angeles. I will admit that I took some looks at Weather.com, which was showing a 50% chance of rain. I think it rained late Friday night/early Saturday morning, but on Saturday the storm stayed to the north of Los Angeles. The advantage of potential rains was that it brought great festival weather to Los Angeles.

Background. During this year's open submission period, over 1,000 bands/musicians wanted to play the festival. Talking with the Broke LA Fest team, they listened to every band. From there, listening teams started the hard task of selecting the bands that best fit the festival. Eventually, around 25 bands were passed on to the head curators, who make the final decisions. Around 80% of the bands come from this submission process while the other 20% were bands booked by the festival to help round things out.

The above process guaranteed that there were going to be some difficult choices to determine which bands to catch. Like the Broke LA team, I made some similar hard decisions in my scheduling. My goal for this festival was to check out bands/musicians that I hadn't previously seen. That made it easier by seven, but still allowed for a lot of options. I don't know if that shows my lack of knowledge of the Los Angeles music scene or just how large our music scene is.

Even though my goal was to focus in on bands that I hadn't previously seen that apparently didn't apply to musicians. I happened across one musician, Zach Bilson, a number of times on stage. After seeing him in two bands, I had to ask, "How many times are you playing today?" His response, "Four, across two stages." I half wondered if Broke LA made an extra effort to keep bands to the schedule so that one of those 4 bands wouldn't end up without a bassist.

Enough of that.

My most awesome bands/musicians (can't nail it to just one band):

Brasstracks
Kid Wave
Zealyn

Note that this is in alphabetical order.

Brasstracks had some technical difficulties that delayed their set by a few minutes, but this only got their fans energized even more. The Jungle Gym stage was packed for this Grammy winner duo. When they hit go, they brought the big horns and powerful drum beats. It was nonstop with lights blasting. What did notice: the smile that crossed the face.

I got to interview Kid Wave during Broke LA's media day. I love the fact that Lea (lead singer) spent time in London. During the interview, we spent a few minutes talking about the London music scene as I got to catch a couple bands there during my brief vacation in London. Kid Wave is actually from Sweden and so I say she represents the glorious wave of Swedish musicians that have made Los Angeles their new home away from home. She ended the set with my personal favorite Kid Wave song, "Wonderlust." There is just something so catchy about the melodies in that song. What did I notice: Lea can give you that "I don't give a F*ck" look.

Zealyn, Angie Miller, has the singer-songwriter vocals down. Those vocals will make you gush in praise. Now she came into Broke LA with a less than stellar week. She mentioned that she'd gotten into a car accident and came down with a cold. That didn't prevent her from dancing around the stage in an abandonment moment to celebrate life. Her last song was "On a Hillside Looking Up." Oh mercy, so beautiful. What did I notice: I think she would make a good orchestra conductor, if she so desired, as she has some great hand motions.

Most entertaining stage shows:

Fellow Bohemian had two mannequins on stage, holding a white sheet with their band name on it. Couldn't help but notice the red painted finger tips and lips on those mannequins.

Tickle Torture went all out with the back-up dancers. I didn't get to catch the whole set, but did notice how one moment he had Aztec dressed dancers on stage while the next moment there was a guy in bondage gear.

You move way too fast:

Kolaj moved on stage so fast that she was often a blur to my camera. I thought my shutter speed was set pretty fast. Just not fast enough! Her music also had a subliminal way of getting everyone to dance.

Meditation moments:

Raener had me in a meditative mood. Those vocals. It made those large balloons hanging from the Ball Pit stage ceiling take on a near philosophical meaning. And then there was the hula hoops off-stage.

Lyrics that hit you in the heart:

Bloodboy's fashion has to be mentioned. Red gloves and red shoes. Okay, let's go on to those lyrics from "Mom, I've Changed:"

I'm in trouble with my mother 
She's concerned that I've lost my mind, for real this time 
But I told her that if I never had it anyway

So powerful.

Yes, I did see a band I previously saw (technically, no, but):

Velvet is fronted by Emily Gold, who I previously saw a few months back at Harvard and Stone. But I saw her as Emily Gold and not in this new form of Velvet. I just loved her awesome downbeat.

Early, but awesome:

Candy Cigarettes opened the day for me at the Jungle Gym stage. His set had these pulsating sounds mixed with a bit of blues. And yet, his personality was so relaxed that at the start I wasn't even sure his set had started.

Thumpasaurus sure stands by their name. With sax, drums, percussion and rapid fire vocals, this band thumped it up.

Ugly Sweaters brought the fun to life with some nifty moves on the stage monitors.

Here's waiting to next year's Broke LA Fest.

Make Music Pasadena 2016

The Mowgli's

Make Music Pasadena. This must be a first. A light drizzle fell on Pasadena during much of the festival. Conversation among photographers was regarding if the rain could potentially cause moisture problems with their cameras. I wasn't too concerned. I figured a camera should be able to handle a light drizzle. I guess I won't learn if I was right for sure until time passes. I did have a towel that I used to wipe down my cameras. I also refused to switch out my lenses. I brought a lens that I always like to use for a few shots during a music festival, but I decided not to take the chance considering the drizzle. As for the musicians, I noticed that Make Music Pasadena organizers were well prepared. They had towels that they put out for the musicians to make so that they could keep things as dry as possible.

So yes, the drizzle was of concern for photographers and musicians, but that didn't put a damper on Make Music Pasadena. The day proved that we in Southern California can handle a light drizzle. Maybe we can't handle rain, but a drizzle . . .

I caught a number of bands/artists. Some I caught for just a couple songs as I rushed from one stage to another. So here are some thoughts on many, but not all the bands I saw.

The day started off with Kid Cadaver. It was a nice way to get the heart pumping at 11 a.m. The drummer knows how to entertain.

I jumped between the Old Towne Pub and the Balcony TV stages next. Baby Medusa rocked out the Old Towne Pub. Sleeplust graced the Balcony TV stage with sounds that had just a twist of the Middle East.

LA Girlfriend was fun and spunky. For the last couple of songs, cheerleaders helped increase the entertainment value.

Dear Lemon Tree (their name used to be Lemon Tree, but they needed a name change as another band already uses that name) is a folk trio. One used a string as a guitar strap. This band also features Leslie Stevens, a staple of the Los Angeles music scene.

Papa's drummer has an unknown amount of energy as he does dual duties as the drummer and lead singer. They also had the statement of the day, "God chose a strange day to rain on us."

The Mowgli's are a band that thrives on positive thinking. They even said the positive, "Honestly, you make it look sunny out here."

Atlas Genius got the crowd hopping. They asked everyone to get low and jump for joy. The crowd got super pumped for their Aussie rock.

Nohka and Medicine for the People had the crowd bringing out the hula hoops.

Chelsea Lankes had to deal with static problems for her first two songs, but that didn't stop her from delivering a killer set. She announced that she just broke up with her boyfriend. The men in the audience cheered. Hopefully, none of those cheering had girlfriends with them.

Warchief was my last band of the day. The Old Towne Pub was packed. I slowly positioned myself closer to the stage so that I could get some photos. This band's encore was "Born to be Wild." That got the crowd singing.

That was 2016. Here's to 2017!!!

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Make Music Pasadena 2015

Sir Sly

There is a special place in my heart for Make Music Pasadena. And this time around, there was a super extra treat. The weather was perfect.

And then what made it even more awesome was how it started off. I started the festival off with Juliet Piper & The Daydream. What a find for me. She has an easy smile that wows the crowd. Her lyrics are filled with heartbreak and yet there is that smile that shows that life is still wonderful.


From there it was a quick rush around to catch Bubbeleh, Raspin Stuwart, Beca and Dark Furs. Bubbeleh and Raspin Stuwart had some smooth styles. Beca hit the dance music. Dark Furs connected deep down. Lead singer Suzanne has this deep stare. I'm sure she's seeing musical notes flying across the air.

Lydia Ainsworth had actual music scores written for her band. She's the Enya for a new age. "Strange Indeed," she said. Strange, but awesome. The audience enjoyed a cool breeze during the height of the afternoon sun. Kaleo is from Iceland and yet their sound is American Southern rock. "I walk on water" and "Devil's going to set me free." Lyrics with diametric meanings.

Kishi Bashi and Sir Sly gave perhaps the most audience appreciative sets. In fact, both took the time to jump to the barricade to interact with fans. Kishi Bashi is a band that uses a violin and banjo to create awesome rock music. Sir Sly tells their audience, "I hope you find your dream, I don't owe you anything."

Making Movies did the Afro-Latino rhythms and had the audience dancing. Avid Dancer and Nick Waterhouse sent the Main State and Levitt Pavilion crowds going home with a feeling of mellow satisfaction.

I ended the day at Armory Center. I loved this venue. It really isn't a music venue. It is a museum/art center. Even so, it made for a wonderful music venue. The Most Best, Hobart W Fink and Tashaki Miyaki closed out the night for me. I only caught a couple songs of The Most Best, but I was left wanting to catch this bang again someday. Hobart W Fink makes you think garage rock. There is this low key vibe with Tashaki Miyaki that is just wonderful.

And so ended my time at Make Music Pasadena.

Note: I did take what is becoming my traditional break. I stopped by a bar to catch American Pharoah finally end the Triple Crown drought in wonderful style. The crowd cheered. I cheered. It was beautiful to watch.

Note 2: I think every year I've been to Make Music Pasadena, I've always made time to catch Eliza Rickman. This time, no Eliza. I'm not going to lie. I wish she was there.



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Brokechella Arts & Music Festival: An interview with Gabrielle Wortman from Smoke Season

The Brokechella Arts & Music Festival is coming on April 18^th.  During Brokechella’s media day, I got to interview Gabrielle Wortman from Smoke Season and Madison from MRK.  Today, I’m posting my interview with Gabrielle.  If you are so interested, I posted a write-up on MRK yesterday.

Smoke Season will be playing the cARTel Outdoor stage.  I got to spend 15 minutes with Gabrielle.  I have to admit that I did some research on Smoke Season prior to our interview.  What did I immediately find out?  Gabrielle was in a band called Temp3st.  I saw Temp3st at Make Music Pasadena in 2012. 

How did bandmate Jason Rosen and you meet?  We shared the same rehearsal space via our separate bands.  We started to write music together and soon realized we wanted this to be our main project.

I noticed you majored in Music Media & Management at UCLA.  How has this helped you in your music career?  The major helped build the foundation of our marketing.  It also provided the understanding of how to manage the band on our own while we looked for the perfect manager. 

So what do you think of UCLA’s run in March Madness (note: I didn’t let her know that I’m a Duke fan and that later that night the world would know that order in NCAA basketball was going to get restored – hey, I’ve got to do a little bit of bragging)?  I don’t follow sports that much though I do know we won a couple games.  I showed up at the USC football game and my friends were surprised to see me there.  We lose when it counts.  We’re like the Bad News Bears.

I read about why you called your band Smoke Season.  Can you elaborate?  Both of us moved out to Los Angeles around the same time.  Things get strange in Hollywood.  People have smoke and mirrors personalities.  They come up with their business cards saying they know such and such music producer, but nothing ever comes of it.  A lot of our songs relate to this.

What are your musical influences?  Jason has a jazz background.  I have a classical piano background. 

Who’s your favorite classical composer – Gabrielle replied without hesitation?  Tchaikovsky.

So who’s your favorite classical pianist (I also love Tchaikovsky so I was really hoping she’d say her favorite pianist was Vladimir Horowitz)?  Tori Amos.  She’s a piano genius.  Her piano lines are so brilliant. 

I noticed that your Twitter tagline is “We prefer to have a foothold in your stereo.”  This is from a Temp3st song.  People want different things.  Some people want money.  A car.  A house.  I prefer to have a foothold in your stereo.

What do you do when not working on music?  Web development.  I also program the lights for our shows.  Both of us can also produce music.

Here’s the famous job interview question, what question am I not asking you?  What about Brokechella?  We’re excited to play. 

Note:  I took hand notes.  I apologize if I misrepresent anything that Madison said during her interview.  All comments are paraphrased to some degree.

Brokechella Arts & Music Festival: An interview with Madison from MRK

The Brokechella Arts & Music Festival is coming on April 18^th.  During Brokechella’s media day, I got to interview Madison from MRK and Gabrielle Wortman from Smoke Season.  Today, I’m posting my write-up on MRK.  Come back tomorrow and you can read my interview with Gabrielle.

MRK (Madison René Knapp) will be playing on the cARTel Indoor stage.  Her early childhood was spent in Arkansas.  She moved around from there, but has spent the last seven years in Los Angeles.  She spent time in bands such as Horse & Buggy and One High Five, but is now making music as MRK.  She describes her music as alternative pop.  Our short conversation spanned a number of interests.

Her music video for River of Blood.   A major theme throughout is the self.  The video is filled with symbolism exploring the self and we got to discuss a few of those symbols.  Flowers and the color red explore this concept.  “Flowers represent the innocence of the life while red is the expression of self.  We see this alchemy of experience and innocence creating a full self.   We also have a scene of hands dipped into a watermelon, pulling out an egg.  This represents the fertile side of femininity, a kind of birth.  Reconciling innocence and experience really aren't that different.  The world often describes women as either virginal or whores.  These boxes just doesn't hold true.”

Literature.  Madison appreciates 19^th century literature, the Victorian era.  She loves that this “seemingly mundane, polite society really contains layers of meaning if one only dwells on it.”

Los Angeles vs Arkansas.  “Los Angeles is over-all more broad in its thinking, more expansive in terms of culture and lifestyles.  Those in Arkansas are polite and neighborly.”

What does she do when she isn't creating music.  She’s into herbal remedies.  Tarot card readings.  Astrology.  Crystals.  Spiritually minded practices.

Her current release is Blood, put out by Records Ad Nauseam. 

Her upcoming project is a video for 27, which will be released by LA Records.  If the video is anything like River of Blood, you’ll get to spend hours exploring the layers of meaning.

Note:  I took hand notes.  I apologize if I misrepresent anything that Madison said during her interview.  All comments are paraphrased to some degree.

Make Music Pasadena 2014

Make Music Pasadena is a rarity in the Los Angeles area: a free music festival that always delivers top notch bands such as Best Coast, Grimes, Grouplove, and Matt and Kim. So yes, I do love Make Music Pasadena.

The Second Howl

It was an early start to the day. They hit the stage at 12 noon. “Let’s make some noise.” It was time to rock out during the brunch hour. Someone in the audience yelled out, “Hey, too much rumble.” Lead vocalist, Natasha Jeanne, put her all into her vocals while making the pastel, 50’s SciFi movie fashion style look cool. Thumbs up: she gave a shout out to the sponsors.

Celeigh Chapman

A handful of dudes who perhaps were a bit too raucous, requested a shout out before her set. She obliged, “Giving a shout out to the dudesters . . . that might be a problem.” She and her band then broke into their country set. Her lyrics, inspired by growing up in Bakersfield, comforted, “Don’t be afraid baby, my heart is yours.”

Moses Sumney

He’s gotten a lot of well deserving press recently. When I caught him at The Bootleg during his recent residency, The Fold had opened up the much larger backroom theater to accommodate the crowd. “Thanks to my friend Josh for providing daytime ambiance.” I love his minimalist take on music. Lyrics: I don’t know if I’m worth it.

Wild Ones

They’re from Portland. To me, that’s all that needs to be said. Fleeting vocals. I wonder if they’ve ever played a set with another Portland band I’m really big on, The Lower 48. The two bands hitting the stage at say The Satellite would make for a nice night of Portland Music 101 for Los Angeles. 

Music Break Time: I’m a big horse racing fan. I’ve followed California Chrome in his attempt to win the Triple Crown. As I was walking between stages, I saw that a local restaurant had the Belmont Stakes on their outdoor televisions. And so I took a 15 minute break. The patrons didn’t seem all that into the Belmont Stakes, but the waiter staff sure was and we held our breaths as California Chrome went the 1 ½ mile route. It just wasn’t to be. Heartbreak.

Tennis

“It smells like Denver out there . . . Do you all have water out there? I’m worried about you. That’s dangerous. “ Their sound has you thinking about driving PCH in a convertible. (Okay, maybe a real Tennis fan would say taking the yacht out for a sail.) Lyrics: It’s wrong I know, but I can’t let go.

Yuna

So during the middle of her set, she bent down during a break and a beach ball flew over her head. The crowd gasped at the symmetry of the two moving bodies. She stood back up and was baffled by the crowd reaction. “What happened?” She’s from Malaysia. I’ve never been to Malaysia, but I have been to Thailand. During my time in Thailand, I could never get properly hydrated. On the night I was leaving Bangkok to head back to Los Angeles, I was waiting for the subway and I couldn’t help but notice a young woman in a sweater. Wearing a sweater in what felt like 90% humidity? And so Yuna had a different take on the temperature than Tennis. “Are you hot? Well, I have a turtleneck on.” And there you have it, perspective. Lyrics: I thought I should let you know, I want you back.

TeamMate

This is a two piece, pop band. Noticed: One of their electronic instruments wasn’t working during the sound check. Why? It wasn’t plugged in. Ha ha. Technical issues. Lyrics: You fall for girls with boy’s names. 

Noticed: A young girl was playing with her stuffed animal horse. So painful. That wasn’t the only painful California Chrome reminder. To show my support, I brought along my Santa Anita Park pen to write down my Make Music Pasadena notes. Within moments of California Chrome coming in fourth, my pen broke into pieces. I managed to get it functional so that I could continue my notes, but it was still eventually heading into the trash.

The Record Company

This blues infused rock band had the Memorial Park crowd dancing. Hey, when the lead singer puts that much energy into stomping, the crowd better go along. Lyrics: When I feel down by my occupation . . .

Eliza Rickman She’s a Make Music Pasadena tradition for me. In fact, I’ve followed her music career longer than any of the other singer songwriters/bands that played Make Music Pasadena. “My digital downloads are pay what you want. It has worked out pretty well for me. Some guy did download my music and paid zero. Then he asked me out on a date!!!” Lyrics: Seek you, see through. Calling for thee.

So Many Wizards. They call themselves dream punk. That sounds about right. I got to their set a song late. It was a song too late for this photographer. Old Towne Pub was packed to the entrance door. I managed to make my way to the side wall where there is a line of chairs. I took my chance and stood on one and snapped some really bad photos. Lyrics: I don’t need anything, just let me be.

Here’s waiting for 2015 . . .