I first came across Fleece Kawasaki (the project of New York City born, but currently residing in Los Angeles artist Kiazi Halpern) in 2022 at Club Tee Gee. He was opening up for Jenny O. Jenny O is a favorite of mine so that was a great way to get introduced to a singer.
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| Fleece Kawasaki at Harvard & Stone |
It was the first Friday night of the new year and I decided to head off to Zebulon. My first music night of 2025. The decision to go out came down to the fact that I didn't know any of the two bands on the bill. In fact, I learned that the band closing out the night (Respira Raus) was playing their first set ever and I don't believe they even have a social media presence. If you've followed my music adventures throughout the years, you know I love heading out to catch new music. How else am I able to come up with my annual list of favorite new bands and artists?
Was it a good decision or just a blah decision? The first band up, noworriesLMK, charmed me so it was an excellent decision.
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| noworriesLMK at Zebulon |
Tremours celebrated the release of their debut album Fragments at Zebulon last Wednesday night. I first came across the band in early 2022 when they opened up for L.A. Witch at the Lodge Room. I got to cover the night for Buzzbands, which you can read here. I learned later in the night that Tremours' vocalist and guitarist Lauren Andino had joined L.A. Witch on guitar.
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| TREMOURS at Zebulon |
A Handful (Bucketful This Week) of Show Alerts
Sunday, Feb 9th: Mercedes Kilmer at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.RIAH (the project of Mariah McManus Goss) drew the crowd at Bar Lubitsch for a WFNM. That is not an exaggeration. Just a few minutes prior to her set, a group of people walked into the venue and then another and another. (For those who don't know about Bar Lubitsch, the bar is split into two rooms. The back room is the venue. The front room is the bar.) Too much info: I was heading to the bathroom after another singer on the bill had finished his set and all these people started entering the venue. After getting done with my business, I went back inside the venue and the place was packed and I needed to squeeze my way back to the front so that I could take my photos and video. Grant Owens of WFNM was literally giddy with the size of the crowd. It was definitely one of the larger crowds at a Bar Lubitsch WFNM night.
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| RIAH at Bar Lubitsch |
I first came across Emily Rose & the Rounders back in January 2020. At the time, the band was playing under a different name. Like many a Los Angeles band for me at the time, this first encounter occurred at the Bootleg Theater (a venue that unfortunately closed down shortly after the pandemic; more due to partnership disputes than the pandemic shutdown). This night ranked as one of the top music nights of the year for me. Even if 2020 hadn't ended up being a truncated year, it would still have stood out as one of the top nights for me. Why? The night also included performances by Kate Clover and Strawberry Army. Everyone who loves the Los Angeles music scene should know who Kate Clover is. As for Strawberry Army, the band has ended their run, but they burned bright during their time, playing along side bands such as The Paranoyds.
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| Emily Rose & the Rounders at Boyle Heights Bar |
I ran across Blue Wisteria back in April 2022. They were playing at the Silverlake Lounge (not the current owners, but the prior owners). I did an interview with the band at the time. Here are some snippets from that interview:
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| Blue Wisteria at Club Tee Gee |
I came across Ray Williams at a Swyndle night at Harvard & Stone. If you love your country folk music being presented with pristine vocals, Williams is your person. I was captivated from the start. There is something special when listening to the minimalism of a person on stage with just an acoustic guitar -- if they have solid vocals.
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| Ray Williams at Harvard & Stone |
A Handful (Bucketful This Week) of Show Alerts
Sunday, Feb 2nd: Pu$$y-Cow and The Letter Openers at The Escondite. Bands start at 6 p.m.I first came across the Dutch East Indians in November 2024 at Zebulon. They were playing with a band called Autogramm. I wrote an NFV Song Spotlight on one of Autogramm's songs, which you can click on this link for the write-up. Now I'm writing up a NFV Song Spotlight on Dutch East Indians.
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| Dutch East Indians at Harvard & Stone |
My plan on Sunday night (Dec 29th) was to go see Soft Palms at Club Tee Gee. Then I noticed that Zebulon was having an early 6 p.m. opening. Hmm, maybe I could club venue hop? I know that the first band at Club Tee Gee generally goes on stage between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. I also know that Zebulon usually has bands going on stage either at 7:45 p.m. or 8:45 p.m. If that was the case, it wasn't exactly worth club venue hopping, because I might have to leave before the first band at Zebulon finished their set. I wasn't certain if Zebulon was just opening their doors earlier than normal or if that meant bands were going on stage earlier than normal, as well. I noticed an Instagram Stories that highlighted the set times at Zebulon and they were indeed having bands starting their sets earlier than normal. That was that, I figured why not start my night off early, as well, by first heading to Zebulon and then jumping to Club Tee Gee.
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| Pink Stiletto at Zebulon |
Soft Palms is a duo that brings together the wife and husband team of Julia Kugel-Montoya and Scott Montoya. The partners also are the founders of one of my favorite music festivals, Happy Sundays Long Beach. That festival is often my only annual trip to Long Beach to catch the music scene in that city. I have on rare occasions gone to Alex's Bar or DiPiazza's to catch a favorite band.
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| Soft Palms at Club Tee Gee |
It was the last WFNM of 2024. I, of course, circled this Bar Lubitsch on my music calendar. I also knew before heading out that I would be highlighting AZRA for my NFV Song Spotlight series. The day before, I was on Youtube and figured I would do a search for her music. I came to her page and decided to click on "if It wasn't for you" because I liked the cover image of AZRA looking lost in her forlorn thoughts. The song hooked me with the power anthem, "If it wasn't for you. And all you put me through. The miscommunication spiral." The video has her dancing through the streets of Boston along with power kicks into the camera when she sings "you." You've got to watch until the end, because the videographer and her start laughing. A slam of a door that was meant as an emphasis did not occur, because the door was one of those safety theater doors that can open quickly, but closes slowly.
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| AZRA at Bar Lubitsch |
