The Dollyrots with honeychain, The Two Tens and Go Betty Go at The Hi Hat

So I am becoming a familiar face at The Hat Hat. I walked up to buy my ticket and was met with the friendly, "Nice to see you again." honeychain opened the night with their finely tuned rock sound from these Los Angeles musician veterans. The Two Tens were up next. They're a two piece band that knows how to punk out. The lead guitarist moved so fast on stage that it was almost impossible to capture him with my camera. Go Betty Go has been around for a few years, but this is the first time I've seen them. I can't believe I didn't see them way earlier. They brought the punk with high sung vocals. Closing out the night was The Dollyrots. Wow, so much time has passed since I last saw them. I blame them. They moved to Florida and don't play in Los Angeles as often. Total awesome. For a song or two, they brought their two kids on stage. Cuteness abounded.

Broke LA Festival (Saturday, April 8th): Interview with Kid Wave

Photo courtesy via Broke LA/Department 4

Broke L.A. is arriving in Los Angeles this Saturday, April 8th. This year, there were 1,000 band submissions. Each band was given a listen. The committee also reached out to other bands. Over-all, 80% of the bands were selected based off of the received submissions. Selections were based on originality, market appeal, story, and appropriateness. 

This year's festival has moved out of the Art District so don't head out in that direction. This year the festival is in East Los Angeles. Specifically, 4560 Worth St, Los Angeles, CA.

One of the bands playing is Kid Wave. The band hits the Jungle Gym Stage at 6:00 p.m. 

Before coming to Los Angeles, Lea Emmery was a Swede jamming in London. With that sort of life experience, I had to ask a few questions that focused around culture and locale. Hope you enjoy this Q&A. 

How would you describe your sound? Indie guitar pop, rock with a big sound. A good chorus with nice hooks. 

What’s your favorite Kid Wave song? My new song “Everything Changes.” 

Are there any interesting differences between Los Angeles and London bands? Bands in London have more of an attitude. English bands are cocky and outspoken. This comes naturally. Los Angeles tends to have better musicians. Los Angeles bands look to London for attitude, but it is hard to imitate Oasis. This comes from different cultures. Both have different skills, crafts. The London rock music scene is smaller than Los Angeles. The London scene is focused in East London. The Los Angeles scene is spread across the city. 

What are some of your favorite spots in Los Angeles? Any specific reasons they are your favorites? Having margaritas at Salazar. Also, when I first came to Los Angeles, I stayed with friends who lived in Elysian Heights. I loved the view, walking in the hills. 

When people ask you what they should do during their Swedish vacation, what do you tell them? Go in the summer unless you really love the cold. Go to Stockholm for a few days. Then go out to the countryside up north, which is very beautiful. Rent a cottage and experience country living. 

Do you have a favorite Kid Wave story/memory? While on tour in England we had a day off. Our manager wanted us all to get some fresh air so he took us to Yorkshire Sculpture Park. There were some cows in a field and our bassist went up to the cows. The cows were friendly. We then turned to walk away and heard this rumbling behind us. We turned around and two bulls were chasing after us. I never ran so fast in my life. We had to run across a river. We were terrified. Chased by bulls is my favorite Kid Wave memory.

Night Talks at The Hi Hat

Night Talks had their final residency night last Tuesday. There was a nice vibe on this final night. The Hi Hat was crowded with their friends. This gave an extra pump of energy to the Night Talks band.

As for me taking photos: the lights were far better this time around versus earlier in the month so I had a lot more fun, as well.

Tashaki Miyaki with Z Berg and L.A. Witch at the Echoplex

Monday at the Echoplex had one strong act after another. Z Berg brought to her set a wonderful singer-songwriter with some self-deprecating humor. Backing her up was Joe Keefe from Family of the year. L.A. Witch brought their relaxed, rock intensity to the Echoplex. It was my first time seeing them in over a 1 1/2 years. The fan based was pressed close. I have to give thanks to the couple who let me switch places with them so I could get a better camera angle. Tashaki Miyaki closed out the night for me. It was their residency night. They had a string section backing them up. It made for some orchestral sounds that only heighten their set.

Prettiest Eyes, Thee MVPs and Feels at HM 157

A fun night in Lincoln Heights at HM 157. When was the last time I was at HM 157? Back in 2012 to see Raw Geronimo (currently renamed Feels). This might be my tradition along with 4th of Julys at The Echo. Opening up was Prettiest Eyes on the outdoor stage. I call them country punk. Their set was like a needle pumping drugs into the blood vein -- what a rush. Thee MVPs came in from the UK. They were on a multi-week tour in the US. I believe this was their last stop. Hopefully, we Californians gave them a good audience for their final show. Feels closed out the night with a mixture of sounds. Some songs were their original psychedelic while others almost felt like songs that would work perfectly for The Like. Per Feels, this was their last set for the next few months. Can't wait for them to come back from their hiatus.

Geordie Kieffer with CLARA-NOVA and Julia Nunes at The Satellite

CLARA-NOVA opened the night with some sweet tunes. Her fashion was perfect simplicity just like her use of a drumstick to hit her synthesizer. Julia Nunes sang tunes about a breakup. A little sadness that had her fans singing along. Geordie Kieffer went all out with his lady's night, wearing a dress, which he stated was very comfortable. He also wore Crocs. There was a bottle of honey on stage. I wasn't exactly sure why it was there.

Night Talks with WARGIRL and Ever So Android at The Hi Hat

There was an eclectic night of music at The Hi Hat last Tuesday. WARGIRL brought a mix of afro-beat and jazz. Night Talks is doing their Tuesday night residency. They gave us some strong vocals mixed with pop sounds. Ever So Android ended the night with Seattle punk. They played with so much power that I wondered if I'd be able to get enough sleep before work the next day -- too much adrenaline.

Teleskopes and Lauren Ruth Ward at Harvard and Stone

Rock to country rock at Harvard and Stone. Teleskopes hit the stage and rocked it out for their thirty minute set. The lights were interwoven with their rock moves. Lauren Ruth Ward then hit the stage (after a brief 3 song set by LP -- that was a surprise). What did I notice about Lauren? She loves to communicate with her hands. With the DJ blasting the music during their setup, she turned to her band mates and instead of shouting, motioned with her hands. Her moves were actually very understandable. She even looked at me, wanting me to tap LP on the shoulder. A look, a nod, and I knew exactly what she wanted me to do.

LA Bouquet with Field Medic and Rad Horror at the Bootleg Theater

This night was an eclectic range of sounds. Field Medic started the night off with some lo-fi sounds. After hitting play button on his boombox, he'd give a soft smile to those in the audience before singing his tune. Rad Horror is originally from New Jersey. The band gave us some New Jersey punk sounds. LA Bouquet is the March residency band. They gave the audience some smooth sounds that melted the audience.

The Habits, Cologne and Jane at The Hi Hat

This was a night that had music for most everyone. The Habits brought the pop sounds. Cologne kicked it with the rock and long hair. Jane gave the audience a brief 15 minutes dance set.

I See Hawks in L.A. at The Hi Hat

The I see Hawks in L.A. ruled The Hi Hat on Tuesday nights in February. Per the band, each Tuesday night had a whole different set of songs. This band showed off a heavy metal t-shift, but gave a set that was Americana-cool.

Mind Meld with OGOD, Prettiest Eyes and Death Valley Girls

The Echo on a Monday night started out with three straight speed bands that drove up the heart rate. OGOD (Over-Gain Optimal Death) just pushed and pushed without much vocals. Prettiest Eyes sound is like an good over-dose of a band I've followed for years, Pu$$y Cow. Mind Meld was the residency band for February. They continued the amazing sounds. The fourth band, Death Valley Girls, changed up the sound a bit with their witchy sounds. There was an amusing moment during their set. One guy in the audience yelled out something like, "F*ck Death. Death to Satan." One of the member of Death Valley Girls said in a soft voice -- not near her microphone -- "That's the point." The guy in the audience couldn't hear her and yelled back, "I don't know what you're saying to me."

GiGi Gash, Sugar Fly, Rebel and a Basketcase and New Evil at The Satellite

Over a week back on a Thursday night, I had great fun at The Satellite. GiGi Gash hit the stage with some spooky sounds and fireball lights. Sugar Fly gave one energetic performance. Sweat was pouring by the end. It was galvanizing. Then there was Rebel and a Basketcase. This was my first time seeing them perform though I almost went to see them at the Bootleg Theater. They're a band not to miss. Evan Rachel Wood knows how to connect with the audience. My amusing moment: she kept calling her fans unicorns. I kept thinking, "Why is she comparing them to Silicon Valley tech companies?" New Evil was doing their record release party. They didn't hold back. They had friends playing different characters throughout their set. Though I did half wonder if one of the "characters" nearly got into a fight with someone in the audience. The wrestling seemed a bit intense for a few moments.