Song Spotlight: Neta's Blood and Ink (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Note: This set occurred back in July. I put a hold on it until "Blood and Ink" got released.

Neta (the mononym for Neta Rozenblat) had his debut set at a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. It was his debut show, but he has a fascinating music background. He is a member of as1one, which is the first Israeli-Palestinian boy band. Unlike the boy band pop sounds behind as1one, Neta performed a solo singer-songwriter set with his only companion being an acoustic guitar. I should say his only companion on stage was his guitar. Off stage, his friends cheered him on and two (one, I believe, being his girlfriend) took turns taking video of the full set. 

Neta at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Mila Northrup's Space (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

With a sassy attitude, Mila Northrup took to the Hotel Ziggy stage for a WFNM showcase night. "How are you feeling? Good. You guys better not be silent when I ask questions." Her bio mentions that she's been writing songs since eight and loves being retro, "she grew up a little obsessed with eras she wasn't born into -- rotary phones, CD players, music that felt worn-in already -- and that never really went away." Someone who enjoys that moment in time where analog turned into digital. 

Mila Northrup at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Sonora Pines' TFM (an afternoon at Echo Park Rising, RAVEN's Gallery stage)

The RAVEN's Gallery was one of the smaller stages at Echo Park Rising, but big things come in small packages. On Sunday, the venue's schedule was closing it out with two bands that I've covered on this blog site: Ali Angel and Belle and Chain. I stopped by earlier in the day and was treated to the sounds of Sonora Pines. Per their website, the band is a "desert psych trio blending hypnotic psychedelia dream pop, and desert rock with a distinctly melancholic edge." 

Sonora Pines at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Primer's A New Paradigm (a night at Echo Park Rising, Sticky Rice stage)

I first crossed paths with Primer (moniker for Alyssa Midcalf) back in 2022. I was immediately captured by her synth driven music. In 2024, I covered her Round and Round EP release party for US Rocker Music. When the Sticky Rice schedule posted for Echo Park Rising, I was thrilled to find the band on the schedule. Since this is my final dedicated Echo Park Rising post that highlights a band playing the Sticky Rice stage, I should say: of course, the Sticky Rice stage was awesome throughout the festival considering that Make Out Music booked the stage. Sticky Rice knows how to select the perfect indie promoters who have their ears to the ground of the Los Angeles music scene. Last year, they had Rocknite book the weekend. 

Primer at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Adriana McCassim's Rust (an evening at Echo Park Rising, Sticky Rice stage)

Adriana McCassim was one of the artists playing Echo Park Rising that I circled. Even though I was attempting to photograph as many bands / singers as possible on Saturday as I was one of the official festival photographers, there were a handful of bands / singers that I intended to see their full sets. So I got to Sticky Rice (Spirit Indoor stage) when she was setting up and stayed until the final notes. The reason I wanted to catch a full set was that way too much time had passed since I last saw a set and that was simply not acceptable. 

Adriana McCassim at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Family Cash's Funny (an afternoon at Echo Park Rising, Bar Henry stage)

I had a random encounter with Josh Beavers as I was walking past the KG Bakery stage -- I was just starting off my Saturday at Echo Park Rising. First, he suggested that I catch Supershrew who was just about to start their set. He then said I should catch his band Family Cash at Bar Henry. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the band was playing the festival, because I had created a schedule of the festival and did not notice that the band was playing anywhere. He mentioned that a band had dropped out and they were taking the slot. I replied that I would do my best to get up to Bar Henry. 

Family Cash at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Polartropica's Shiny Things (an afternoon at Echo Park Rising, KG Bakery stage)

It was Saturday in Echo Park and Polartropica (moniker for Ihui Cherise Wu) was closing out Echo Park Rising's KG Bakery stage. The stage was outdoors and the temperature was hitting 97. That had Wu telling the kids in the crowd, "You can swim in the pool, if you want." The stage was in the parking lot and someone took the initiative to decorate it up with inflatable palm trees and a kid's pool. 

Polartropica at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: WINN WINN's Pool Day (an evening at Echo Park Rising, Sticky Rice stage)

Like I've been doing for the past couple years, I posted on Instagram the three day Echo Park Rising schedule. I put together the schedule, because I like seeing things a certain way and figure others might have the same preference. Someone made a comment that for the Friday night schedule that I should catch Winn Winn at the Sticky Rice stage. 

WINN WINN at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: BEL's Fresh Start (an evening at Echo Park Rising, The Echo stage)

Friday was the kick-off night for Echo Park Rising and BEL (Isabel Whelan's mononym) was headlining The Echo stage. My fading memory had me thinking that I came across her once at WFNM. Taking a more careful look, I realized that it was in fact at the Silverlake Lounge back in 2022 when she played with one of my favorite singers Gracie Gray. Her bio describes her music as a blend of "a folk songwriter's heart with the alluring polish of a classic pop artist." 

BEL at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Creakbed's over again (an evening at Echo Park Rising, The Echo stage)

It was off to Echo Park Rising with my press pass. Though the festival was advertised as a Saturday / Sunday event, there was a Friday evening kick off that featured the core stages of Sticky Rice, The Echo, and The Semi-Tropic. I made it a three day celebration of the Los Angeles music scene and was off in search of bands to feature in my Song Spotlight articles. As soon as I heard Creakbed over at The Echo, I knew two things right off the bat. I planned on including them on my annual list of favorite discovered bands and I had found the first band of the festival for a Song Spotlight write-up. 

Creakbed at Echo Park Rising

Song Spotlight: Mimi Pretend's Baby Blue (a night at The Airliner Bar)

Mimi Pretend (moniker for Miriam Nissan) closed out a great night of music at The Airliner Bar (a Rocknite showcase event). The night included Katrina Weissman and Small Shake. With this post, I've written up articles on all three. So yeah, it was a great night of music and not just for me. All three had the crowd pressed close to the stage. When I see something like that, I feel like it validates my music tastes. 

Mimi Pretend at The Airliner Bar

Song Spotlight: Kingstarlight's Daytrip (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Sometimes I just can't make it from my work to a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy in time to catch the full set of the opening band / artist. That was the case for Kingstarlight (moniker for Julian Bell) where I missed the first song of the set. When I walked into the venue, the vibes of the set got my pulse racing. I squeezed through the crowd to get to a spot to take my photos and enjoyed the rest of the set. 

Kingstarlight at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Ali Blake's Arrow (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

Ali Blake was the opening act at the Bigfoot Lodge for a recent Americana Joy showcase. She's a Chicago native who currently lives in Atwater Village so perhaps she walked over to the venue to play her set. Her bio describes her music as "Inspired by the natural world, the human experience, and a wide range of artists from Etta James to Fiona Apple, there is always a soulfulness that comes through."  

Ali Blake at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Piper Leone's Joke's on Me (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

Piper Leone (Piper Thrams), the die hard UCLA Bruins fan (graduate) from the age of 8, took the stage at the Bigfoot Lodge for an Americana Joy showcase night. Not on the setlist was her anti-USC song "You & Usc." Yes, the SC is not capitalized. I see this as a friendly rivalry diss, because if there was a real hatred there the song would be titled "You & usc." I will say that her UCLA vs USC stance is seen in a positive light for me. Just to be clear, I am a Duke fan, but when it comes to Los Angeles rivalries, I'm in for UCLA.

Piper Leone at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Semi Trucks' Secret (a night at Zebulon)

Semi Trucks fronted by Brenden Sepe brought a raw power to Zebulon on a recent Monday night. They were the opening band for Bondo's record release party and their gritty performance immediately injected energy into the evening festivities. The crowd gathered around the stage with a focused attention throughout the set. The band split their set between songs from their sophomore album Georgia Overdrive as well as testing out new material. Their new material was well received. In fact, the crowd seemed to enjoy their final song of the night, the unreleased "Drunken," the most.

Semi Trucks at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Small Shake's Toxic (a night at Zebulon)

Opening up for Johanna Samuels' recent Zebulon record release party (presented by Sid the Cat) for her album Sorry, Kid was Small Shake (fronted by Aarin Wright). I covered the night for US Rocker Music should you be interested in reading the review. Why the name Small Shake? According to her brief Spotify bio, she's into sweet cakes and milkshakes. 

Small Shake at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Chloe Coover's Don't Look at Me Like That (a night at Zebulon)

Is yellow the "It" color for the summer of 2026? Chloe Coover walked onto the Zebulon stage wearing a yellow mini-dress. A few days later, I came across the "world's only natural yellow haired" singer (a joke, if anyone was wondering). It is a striking color that leaves an impression. 

Chloe Coover at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Rio Lane's Why Why Why (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Rio Lane (Rio Lane Bonney) recently attended the Jesse Jo Stark night at The Roxy. A couple months later, she returned to the Sunset Strip to play Hotel Ziggy (a WFNM showcase). Per her Spotify bio, her music is "a mix of catchy pop punk and disco elements." Armed with a smart phone holding her tracks, Rio channeled the sultry vocals of Jesse Jo Stark while steering her music in her own direction. 

Rio Lane at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Shonen Knife's SUSHI BAR SONG (a night at The United Theater on Broadway)

Prior to a couple months before Shonen Knife's set at The United Theater on Broadway, I was unaware of the band. Their PR reached out to me and asked if I was interested in covering the set. Even though I had never heard of the band, I was immediately interested. It was driven by two reasons. First, they're a Japanese band and I'm of Japanese heritage. Second, they were rocking out with Toad the Wet Sprocket and Men at Work. Those are two bands that are familiar to me. In fact, Toad the Wet Sprocket's music makes up the soundtrack of my youth. 

Shonen Knife at The United Theater on Broadway

Song Spotlight: Dominique Matelson's Hop (a night at Zebulon)

Over a month had passed since I last went to Zebulon. That was a long gap and it needed to end. I noticed that there was a free night that featured Dominique Matelson. She was celebrating the upcoming release of her third studio album The Difficult Way. I had never seen her before. Nor had I heard of the other two singers that were in support. Did that give me any pause about going? Of course, not. It instead piqued my interested. 

Dominique Matelson at Zebulon