Song Spotlight: Halo Kitsch's i was a virgin (on drugs) (a night at Broadway Night Lights)

I first came across Halo Kitsch at a WFNM in November 2021. I was blown away by the set. Since that time, I've tried to catch a set as often as possible. I've learned that she loves to use parentheses in her song titles such as "i was a virgin (on drugs)" or her current biggest hit on Spotify "All (Your) Fault" and many others. I also learned that she got fascinated with the word daisy cutter and finally was able to include it in her song "i was a virgin (on drugs)."  

Halo Kitsch at Broadway Night Lights

Song Spotlight: Kat French's Casket (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

You never know what hidden gems you'll discover when you go to a WFNM night at Hotel Ziggy or Bar Lubitsch. Some of my favorite bands and singers were discovered at a WFNM night such as coming across King Mala and Halo Kitsch on the same night at Bar Lubitsch. 

Kat French at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Jesika Von Rabbit's Psychic Spice (a night at Harvard & Stone)

I don't get to catch Jesika Von Rabbit all that often. I first came across her in the band Gram Rabbit in 2011. One has to jump to 2019 before I caught her again, now performing under the name Jesika Von Rabbit. That is very infrequent, but throughout my years in the Los Angeles music scene, I've often wondered when I'd get to catch another set. Jump to 2024 and I happened to notice that she was doing a Saturday night residency at  Harvard & Stone for the month of October. I knew I had to make it to at least one night of that residency.

Jessica Von Rabbit at Harvard & Stone

Song Spotlight: Essenger's After Dark (a night at Harvard & Stone)

Jesika Von Rabbit has a Saturday night residency for the month of October 2024 at Harvard & Stone. I was aiming to go to the October 12th residency, but I happened to notice that Halo Kitsch was playing an outdoor street festival and I decided to catch that set instead and switch to seeing Jesika Von Rabbit on the 19th. That was a good trade off, because I got to catch Essenger. I'm doing a round about way to get to Essenger, but when I first saw the night's line-up, I thought Jesika Von Rabbit was playing with the Los Angeles band Essencer. I took a closer look at the name and realized there was a "g" versus a "c."

Essenger at Harvard & Stone

Song Spotlight: Boy Deluxe's Bait (a night at the Regent Theater)

I've followed Boy Deluxe since 2017. At the time, the band was called Ever So Android and they'd just relocated from Seattle. I was perhaps the first Los Angeles based photographer to catch one of their sets. I was an immediate fan of Hope S and True Murra and have seen them numerous times over the years. This year, I've seen them 3 times. And, hey, those who have a somewhat deep history of the Los Angeles music scene remember the jokes that Hope S and Kimi Recor (Black Flamingo, Draemings, Kevin, etc) were sisters.

Boy Deluxe at the Regent Theater

Song Spotlight: March Adstrum's Relics from Phantoms (a night at Harvard & Stone)

March Adstrum recently played the Harvard & Stone stage. I came across her in 2023 at The Smell. She started to play in other bands that I enjoy such as Magnolia and Valley Porno People. She's also in a band called Optometry that I've yet to see.  

March Adstrum at Harvard & Stone

Song Spotlight: Ouch!'s Bitter Host (a night at The Fable)

In early September, Ouch! hit the stage first at The Fable on the same night that Janelane played. It was a more than appropriate line-up as Ouch! reminded me of early Janelane. The band hails from Oakland and is fronted by Ryann Gonsalves. Based on her Instagram page, Ouch! is just one of the four bands that she is in. 

Ouch! at The Fable

Song Spotlight: The Doohickeys' This Town Sucks (a night at the Bigfoot Lodge)

I've followed The Doohickeys for a bit over a year now. The band duo includes Haley Spence Brown and Jack Hackett. I first came across the band at Americana West Music Festival in 2023 and I got addicted immediately. What got me addicted to this band? Well, as per the title of this blog post, it would be their song "This Town Sucks." I just couldn't help but laugh back in 2023. I also grew up in a small town. The song is about Liberty, Missouri which currently has a population of around 31,000 and is where Brown grew up. The city I grew up in also had a population of around that size. 

The Doohickeys at the Bigfoot Lodge

Song Spotlight: Jessy Fury and The Sound's Heaven (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Jessy Fury and The Sound is the project of Jesse Robitaille and they recently played Hotel Ziggy. Robitaille's vocals bring his pop tunes to life. He projects an Elvis Presley reincarnation, but mixed in with pop sounds of the late 80s / early 90s. On this night, the band did toss in a Presley cover song. His backing band is selected to create energy. Emily Dickinson on the keytar and Aubrey Harris on bass amplified and synergized perfectly with Robitaille. Let's not forget the beats and tracks of Declan O'Raidy. The packed house ate it up. 

Jessy Fury and The Sound at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Janelane's Killing Time (a night at The Fable)

Janelane recently played The Fable during a Ryan Pollie night. I first came across Janelane in 2017 at Echo Park Rising. I was shooting the festival for Buzzbands. I technically wasn't suppose to shoot Janelane. I had been assigned the venues east of The Echo. Yet, I decided to check out Janelane over at Spacedust (the store closed at the end of 2023), which was a store west of The Echo. I've been a fan ever since. The band is fronted by Sophie Negrini with a rotating cast of musicians. 

Janelane at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Circle the Earth's Sweetest Pain (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

I saw Circle the Earth play a spirited set at Hotel Ziggy (a WFNM night) on August 27th, 2024. Of note, the band name is so appropriate as the members hail from across the globe. You have Brazilian drummer Sandro Feliciano, Japanese guitarist Kazuki Tokaji, and Taiwanese keyboardist Sandy Chao Wang. The five piece band is rounded out by Michael McBay on bass and Aviva Scott on vocals. The band's set was filled with the power pop ballads that highlighted Scott's crystal vocals. 

Circle the Earth at Hotel Ziggy

PAGOTO Celebrates Record '7989' by Blasting Ear Drums at Licorice Pizza Records

PAGOTO, a project of L.A. Witch drummer Ellie English, had their record release at Licorice Pizza Records. Knowing that connection, one might expect a sound somewhat similar to L.A. Witch, a bit psychedelic mixed in with blues and rock. That would be totally incorrect. This band is a hard core industrial band. Vocals are screamed at jet engine levels and drums are slammed with the intensity of the flames coming from a rocket booster engine. Their 8 song album, 7989, is 7 songs of industrial with the final song “Ancestor” taking one on a meanderingly chill drug trip – got to let the listener take a breather. The band played the album in full at Licorice Pizza in front of friends as many a long conversation was had prior to the band hitting the stage. Members of L.A. Witch also arrived to show their support for their band mate. 

PAGOTO at Licorice Pizza Records

2021 Review: Favorite New Bands / Artists -- New to Me, but maybe not to You

2020 / 2021 Favorite Bands / Artists - new to me, but maybe not to you. I wasn’t able to do this series in 2020, but there are a number of bands I saw online in 2020 that I got to catch live in 2021. (List is alphabetical.) 

11. Chase Petra. I first caught this band during the Echo Park Rising 2020 Online Edition. Then I saw them a couple more times online. Three times in total and then I finally got to catch them live at The Silverlake Lounge opening up for The Gooms. Just love their pop-punk sounds. 

Side note: I was going to list out the favorite bands that I have yet to see, but the list kept growing and growing. So which band do I most want to see again? I’ve got to go with my Glendale neighbors down the street – Holy Wars! Got to be loyal to the city. 

10. Dove Armitage. I’ve followed Quincy’s music career in Los Angeles since her days with Cat Scan and Kevin (and backing for various bands such as Death Valley Girls). I noticed she was playing a set at Permanent Records Roadhouse and made my way there. It was my first time at this venue and it was totally worth it. Total death goth. 

Side note: if you’ve noticed, I’ve done a number of photo galleries for Buzzbands this year. My first such gallery was The Paranoyds. Got to say, that was one awesome way to start off my series of posts on the music site. The biggest challenge for that set: how long could I stay at the front of the stage before the crowd kicked me out with their push towards the front of the stage. I lasted about half the set. 

9. Friends Don't Die. I was taking a staycation and decided to head out to catch as many bands as possible. On a lark, I decided to go to Highland Park Bowl to catch a random band. The band I saw was Friends Don’t Die. One of the band members used to be in DWNTWN, a favorite band from the past. 

Side note: my first 2021 music festival was Happy Sundays Long Beach, which is held across various venues along a 2 mile plus stretch. I had back pain for a week (carrying around 2 cameras), but there were no regrets. On a sad note, so much had changed along that stretch of Long Beach since the 2019 version of the festival. 

8. Heyboy. What an exciting pop set at a WFNM night at Bar Lubitsch. His song “Wasn’t It Fun?” just has you thinking back at life. 

Side note: my first 2021 live set was at Stories Books and Cafe where I saw an acoustic set of Starcrawler. That’s not a bad way to start off the return of live music. 

7. King Mala. I first saw King Mala in 2020 via an online set. When I noticed that she was playing a WFNM set at Bar Lubitsch, I got excited. I was not disappointed with her soul vocals. 

Side note: so I’ve gotten to spend 2021 working from home. What is a benefit of working from home? I’ve gone out way more often than past years. Nothing better than rolling out of bed and just turning on the computer and then sometimes taking a midday nap. I’ll probably be back in the office sometime in 2022, which means I’ll be less active in my music photography versus 2021. 

6. Lavalove. Off I went to Little Joy on a random night. They played a set that fits their band name: music as hot as lava, but as soothing as love. 

Side note: For two years, Livingmore was a band that ranked in my top 3 for bands that I saw more than any other band. This year, I saw them only once. I hear they’re playing Europe in 2022. Time to book a European vacation? Which band did I see the most this year? Jagged Baptist Club at 

5. Luna Aura. Caught her at a WFNM night at Bar Lubitsch. She rocked the night with her stage presence and songs that had a mix of dance beats and rock triumph. I need to see a Holy Wars / Luna Aura tour.

 

Side note: Oh wait, I did see a Holy Wars / Luna Aura night in 2020 via an online set. 

4. Meth Math. I love shooting local music festivals, because of the opportunity it allows to catch a new band or artist. It was off to Viva Pomona to fulfill that opportunity – by the way, my body temperature is still a few degrees below where it should be due to the fact that it was freezing out in Pomona. At the start of Meth Math’s set, there weren’t that many people watching. By the end of the set, a large crowd had formed. What people got to witness was an artist who embodies an underground art scene vibe. Unfortunately for me and you is that the band is from Mexico so your chances of catching them are limited. Photo shot for Buzzbands.

Side note: I’ve worked with Buzzbands 13 times this year and I’ve worked with CaliforniaRocker / USRocker 4 times this year. I’ve done reports from the Lodge Room to The Echo to The Goldfish to Zebulon to Resident to Moroccan Lounge to The Cinema Bar (which was also my first time there ever). I would have done one from The Silverlake Lounge, but COVID-19 shut it down. All my coverage except for Bully at the Lodge Room included a local Los Angeles band. My small attempt to contribute to the return of live music. 

3. Mia Nicolai. She’s from the Netherlands. I do love the Netherlands, having spent a few months there as an exchange student. So yes, I have a good bias for bands / musicians from the Netherlands. 

Side note: I was hanging out at a music venue when I heard that the Feels were calling it quits. I was in a state of shock. You can search my Instagram posts for my decade-long walk down memory lane. 

2. Moonily. Saw this band opening up for The Paranoyds at The Echo. Their heavy bass beats send you into a hypnotic state. Photo shot for Buzzbands.

Side note: am I the only one who thinks Los Angeles could use 1 or 2 new music venues that are primarily dedicated to the local music scene -- a new Bootleg and The House of Machines, perhaps. Yes, my all-time favorite venue did shut down for good . . . 

1. Nightjacket. A final example of a band I saw online before seeing a live set. I noticed they were playing Highland Park Bowl and I was totally there. Their song “Lonely Archer” just kicks it. 

Side note: events I hope come back in 2022 - Echo Park Rising and Chinatown Summer Nights. And finally, I do find it strange that my list of Top 11 favorite bands don’t have names that start with the alphabets O - Z. I feel like there is a strange bias there.