AOE with Trishes and Emily Elbert

I didn't know what I was going to see when heading to The Satellite on a Monday night. All three artists were new to me: Emily Elbert, Trishes, and AOE. Emily Elbert brought the singer songwriter sounds. During moments, I swear I heard the sweet sounds of Basia coming through. Trishes brought her multiple internal conflicts to the forefront. She also put on the dance moves. AOE is the residency band for July. The Satellite had a solid crowd, but I have to believe that by the end of July the place will be packed. The band brought their cool style R&B. Their set was just sweet.

Chinatown Summer Nights with YIP YOPS, Lauren Ruth Ward and Color Caves

The first Chinatown Summer Nights of 2017. I got to see three bands.

YIP YOPS: Youth served. You can tell the band is young. I read somewhere that the keyboardist is 15. Well, maybe she's 16 now. They also got to play Coachella this year. How did such a young band get to play Coachella? Catchy tunes and a high energy set. That's how.

Lauren Ruth Ward: Personable. She hung out after her set, talking with both friends and fans. During her set, she pointed out people in the audience, calling some out by name. As for her set, it bled with emotion.

Color Caves: Flamboyant. This was their second ever set and it was awesome. Of course, what can one expect when the lead singer is from Nightmare and the Cat and the drummer played for Haim. And I just can't place the bassist at the moment. But what I'm saying is that this band is made up of a collective of well known Los Angeles musicians. Highlight of the set: the moves by the lead singer that sent his not exactly long hair flying.

Holy Wars with Night Talks and New Language at The Hi Hat

I've seen Night Talks a number of times. What stood out about this night? Well, something very interesting happened -- at least, for me. Night Talks brings the pop genre whenever they play their sets. They bring it and sell it each time. After Night Talks finished up, New Language started to bring their gear on stage. It was obvious that they weren't going to bring a pop sound. I was assuming they were going to be a rock or post-punk band. Nope. They brought the metal full on. It was like this total shock going from Night Talks to New Language. Yes, a shock, but totally an awesome surprise.

I first saw Holy Wars at Harvard and Stone in early June. I knew I had to see this band again. Holy Wars started off with their lead singer greeting all the photographers that lined the stage. There must have been eight of us. I obviously am not the only photographer blown away by this band. Their music was interspersed with personal stories about a handful of the songs. It was awesome learning the inspiration behind the lyrics.

Foundlings at The Satellite

Foundlings. So this is the second or third time this has happened: a songwriter or band from out of town likes a photo post or (briefly) follows me on Instagram. I take a look and notice that they're playing a set in town. So with Foundlings. The songwriter liked one of my posts. I took a look and noticed that she was the first artist up at The Satellite. I was like, "Hey, first artist, I can do a quick hit and run."

Foundlings (Erin) is visiting Los Angeles via Berlin. Her sound had a minimalist quality to it though her last song hit the beats. Too bad The Satellite didn't have some tables and seats surrounding the stage. There was this poetic reading feel to it all. A lovely period of time spent.

 

The Walcotts with Runson Willis, CALICO the band and Ted Russell Kamp at the Bootleg Theater

Some cool Americana sounds hit the Bootleg last Monday. Runson Willis III opened the night with some Christian blues sounds. His girlfriend provided a nice paring with his music as she typed poetry on a 50s era typewriter during portions of his set. To add a little more authenticity to the set-up, she also had an old time coffee can next to the typewriter.

CALICO the band and Ted Russell Kamp joined forces for a double set. Comments of the set:

CALICO the band: This song is about the treacherous 405 freeway. It comes between you and the ones you love. It's a villain.

Ted Russell Kamp: This is the quickest change over you'll ever see.

The Walcotts closed out the night. They killed it with rock and roll jams. Special guests Honey Honey showed up, which was totally awesome since years have past since I last saw that band on stage.

Send Medicine with Bjorn and the Sun/Avid Dancer

It was off to see Send Medicine's residency at The Satellite. Bjorn and the Sun opened up with their Nashville inspired deep vocals. Comment of the set: That's an E-flat for those who want to know.

Avid Dancer gave us some chill ambiance. Their set was so chill they practically broke down their equipment in two seconds.

Send Medicine decorated their stage with various faux palm trees and flowers. There were other touches such as colored sheets and lights. Then towards the end of the set, balloons. A mellow party sound fit in perfectly with the setting.

Bone Acre and Holy Wars at Harvard & Stone

It was off to Harvard and Stone to catch Bone Acre and Holy Wars. From what I read, the lead singer of Bone Acre has performed before; however, this was the band's first time on stage. Their set was an awesome 30 minute rock/western blend. Holy Wars then came on stage with what felt like how it'd be seeing Pris (Daryl Hannah) of Blade Runner rocking it out.

Big Language with StaG at the Silverlake Lounge

A couple months have passed since the last time I was at the Silverlake Lounge. I finally got to head over again and got to caught StaG and Big Language. StaG provided a wonderful blending of instrumental and vocal melodies. Big Language kicked off their residency with some experimental flair.

Katelyn Tarver with O'neill Hudson and Groves at the Resident

It was off to the Resident for the first time since the last time I saw Katelyn Tarver in February. She was doing her final night of her May residency at Resident. I'd actually wanted to go earlier in the month, but got caught up with work and other events. There is just something about Katelyn Tarver that just makes you smile and forget about your worries -- even though she likes to say that a couple of her songs aren't so cheerful. Opening up were O'neill Hudson and Groves. O'neill Hudson is a new project by Paris Carney. She has a multitude of expressions. I've been binge watching on Game of Thrones and couldn't help thinking about a total side topic during her set, the Many-Faced God. Groves gave us some smooth sounds with an earnest take.

Peach Kelli Pop, Rotten Blossom and Mommy Long Legs at The Smell

I've always wanted to catch Peach Kelli Pop and the opportunity eventually came around. They were playing an early show at The Smell. I was thinking, "Hey, I can see Peach Kelli Pop at 9 p.m. and then just get back home by 10 p.m.-ish." Well, plans didn't work out. I got into a conversation with a guy who was from Seattle. He was hanging out with Seattle band Mommy Long Legs, which was playing third for the night. His excitement was so strong that I decided to stick around for them.

Back to Peach Kelli Pop. Their sound has this joyous outpouring. You just feel happy listening to their set. What was disappointing? They wanted to make sure that everyone was able to play according to schedule so they cut their set by a few minutes. I swear they could have squeezed in another song without problem. I guess that just means I'll need to catch them again someday.

Rotten Blossom was the middle band for me. They came in from Hawaii. That lead singer knows how to scream her lungs out. I was thinking, "Her vocal cords must hate her." They opened the set by having everyone join in saying, "Aloha."

Then came Mommy Long Legs. They produce that lo-fi punk sound. What did I notice: well, one can't help but notice that bright red wig the lead singer was wearing as well as the devil horns. The bassist went high school prom style. And one can't help but laugh at the play on Daddy Long Legs.

Kate Brady, honeychain and EZ Tiger at The Frog Spot

The Frog Spot opened up for the summer season. The Frog Spot, for those who don't know, is an open space that overlooks the Los Angeles River. In fact, if one wishes, s/he can walk down the steep concrete embankment and have a look at the river. The event was a mixture of the young and old of the LA music scene. Let's restate that: the young and middle aged. Kate Brady represented the young with her singer songwriter set. The middle aged: honeychain and EZ Tiger provided punk flavors to the outdoors. A nice outdoor venue where families came to hang out and enjoy a nice pre-summer, later afternoon.

Barrows with Psychic Jiu Jitsu and mothdrops at The Echo

Last Monday was a fun night at The Echo. Psychic Jiu Jitsu had the comment of the night when before their set they announced, "Just don't f*cking laugh at us." Their set was post punk mellow. Mothdrops had me thinking The Killers and then they ended their set with a song that started a small mosh pit. What did I notice? The lead singer loved that floor. He decided to take three brief naps on it. Ha ha. Also, couldn't help but notice the dicks drawn on their set lists. "Superbad", anyone? Barrows is the May residency band. They continued the post punk sounds. Got to say, loved the bug eyes the drummer gave during at least one moment of the set. See photo slide for evidence.

Omar Velasco and Jenny O at The Hi Hat

It was, as based on my research, my annual Jenny O set since 2011. She started out her set in what sort of looked like a bathrobe. Okay, maybe a long sleeve shawl. I just love her soft spoken singing style. Her vocals just floated out there and filled the room. What did I notice: her set list was written so beautifully. Towards the middle of her set, while she was tuning her guitar, she joked about how she joined an improvisation group to try and improve her ability to chat in between her songs. She quipped that it hadn't worked. Who cares, she had the audience under her spell.

Omar Velasco is doing the May residency at The Hi Hat. Last year, he did a residency at the Bootleg Theater. It was cool getting to catch him again. He brought a Spanish-influenced singer-songwriter set to the stage. What I noticed: he put a handful of tambourines at the front of the stage. Towards the middle of his set he invited people to pick one up. Of course, there was a condition, "As long as you have rhythm, you're welcome to pick one up."