Song Spotlight: Charley T's We'll Keep Marching (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Charley T (performing name for Charley Tiernan) can belt out those vocals. She played the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy and I was sold from the very first guitar notes of the night. The first song of the set was "We'll Keep Marching." It is an anthem advocating for change. When the song was released a 1.5 years ago, she wrote the following on Instagram, "I was sick of writing love songs so I wrote this. I hope this song motivates people to speak up for what they believe in. Right now I want to use this song to advocate for women’s rights." 

Charley T at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Jul 27th - Aug 2nd

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Jul 27th: Dream Phases at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I covered the band for Buzzbands when they played Happy Sundays Long Beach in 2022. You can read about that year's festival here.

Wednesday, Jul 30th: Desperate Hauswives at the Lodge Room. Doors at 7 p.m.

The band is a collaboration between talker and Fiona Grey. I wrote about talker's 2022 set here. 

Wednesday, Jul 30th: Ultraviolet Communication at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 9 p.m.

You can read my "No Return" Song Spotlight here. 

Thursday, Jul 31st: Mo Dotti at Scribble. Doors at 7:30 p.m.

You can read my "dead to me" Song Spotlight here. 

Friday, Aug 1st: Young Lovers at Scribble. Doors at 7:30 p.m.

You can read my review of their 2024 set here. 

Saturday, Aug 2nd: Colleen Green at El Cid. Doors at 9:30 p.m.

I've been following Colleen Green for a decade. 

Two Movies Seen on TCM: The Scarlet Empress (1934) and Witness (1985)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

Song Spotlight: Rose Droll's With Strangers (a night at The Fable)

When Rose Droll and band mates started setting up on The Fable stage for a Ryan Pollie night, I was initially confused. Her band took their places in the area of the "stage" that is usually reserved for the lead singer. I use quotes around stage, because it really isn't a stage. It is just an open corner of the bar that is used by bands. I was looking at them and the faces definitely did not match to what I had seen on Instagram. She eventually rolled on up taking her place catacorner to her band, sitting behind her keyboard. 

Rose Droll at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Baker Grace's Butterflies (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

My recent encounter with Baker Grace at a WFNM showcase night at Hotel Ziggy was my third time catching her set (all via WFNM). Interestingly, five years have passed since I first came across Grace via an online WFNM set in 2020. Time flies by rather quickly. My first live set was in 2022 at the, unfortunately, now defunct Black Rose. I will say somethings always stay the same. As a photographer, I have a Notes from Vivace Rule, which is if a musician looks directly into my camera lens I will post the photo on Instagram (with the caveat being that I've taken a decent photo of the look). She gave me the look in 2022 and then come 2025 she gave me the look again. 

Baker Grace at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Dylan Rodrigue's Pink Balloon (a night at The Fable)

Ryan Pollie's night at The Fable was packed out on a Tuesday night. It was largely driven by the fact that Madison Cunningham was the headliner, but one has to say that everyone had the most amusing time during Dylan Rodrigue's set. Having the most fun were Sie Sie Benhoff and (I believe) Miss Marquez. Miss Marquez in particular had a small wad of $1 bills and was tossing it towards Rodrigue like one would do at a strip club. 

Dylan Rodrigue at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Alexandra Skora's Morning Bird (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

I don't know why, but when Alexandra Skora came up onto the WFNM showcase stage at Hotel Ziggy I starting thinking about Arwen of Lord of the Rings and the Targaryens of Game of Thrones. Is comparing someone to a Targaryen a good thing as the family line went down in flames (or who knows, maybe if the book series is ever completed the outcome will be different from the TV series)? There was a fantasy quality to her vocals, a story telling that flowed like a crystal clear stream. 

Alexandra Skora at Hotel Ziggy

Potential Russian Law would Outlaw Internet Searches for Pussy Riot

Back in January, I got to catch Nadya Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot and wrote about it for US Rocker Music, which you can read about here. She does like to be a thorn in Russian President Putin's side as one of the highlights of the performance was Act 3's "Putin's Ashes." 

Nadya Tolokonnikova at the Honor Fraser Gallery

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): July 20th - July 26th

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Jul 20th: Leslie Stevens plays Grand Ole Echo (The Echo). Doors at 5 p.m.

I covered her 2023 set for Buzzbands, which you can read here. 

Sunday, Jul 20th: Iress at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I covered one of their 2024 sets for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Wednesday, Jul 23rd: Milly at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

I covered one of their 2024 sets for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Thursday, Jul 24th: Swimming Bell at The Goldfish. Doors at 8 p.m.

You can read my song spotlight of "95 at Night" here.

Friday, Jul 25th: Foxx Bodies at Permanent Records Roadhouse. Doors at 6 p.m.

I covered one of their 2023 sets for US Rocker Music, which you can read here. 

Saturday, Jul 26th: Pu$$y-Cow and Silver Needle at The Escondite. Set times start at 8:15 p.m.

You can read my song spotlight of Pu$$y-Cow's "Taco-Chariot" here. They're celebrating 20 years together as a band.

As for Silver Needle, I followed this band for years. They kick off the rust every couple years or so catch them now or you'll need to wait a few.

Two Movies Seen on TCM: Rosemary's Baby (1968) and The Straight Story (1999)

I've been hooked on TCM for years now. I just always remember being a fan of Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, James (Jimmy) Steward, John Wayne, and many many more. Around a decade ago, I used to do some reviews of movies I saw on TCM. I figured I'd start it up again. If you're interested, click on through.

Song Spotlight: Starling's Bottlebrush Tree (a night at Zebulon)

Starling took to the Zebulon stage with their mystically ethereal sound that emphasized lead singer's Kasha Souter Willett gothic and vulnerable persona. Bassist Grace Rolek could be seen swaying along with her bass. The venue kept the lights low (which isn't at all unusual for Zebulon) as if to emphasize a David Lynch Blue Velvet visual experience for the audience. 

Starling at Zebulon

Song Spotlight: Madison Cunningham's All I've Ever Known (a night at The Fable)

I first ran across Madison Cunningham at the Bootleg Theater (did not re-open after the shutdown if anyone is wondering where that venue is in Los Angeles). It was a venue that I first came across many a band or singer-songwriter. It was 2018 and this is what I wrote after the set:

"Opening up the night was Madison Cunningham. It kind of felt like a showcase for her. As soon as I walked into the Bootleg, the place was packed. It was around 8:45 p.m. so not like I was showing up late. Her set had a wonderful tone to it and one couldn't help but notice her amusing facial expressions that she gave her band mates."

Madison Cunningham at The Fable

Song Spotlight: Matty Gottesman's Not Scared (Of Being Along) (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

I had just recently spent a weekend at USC for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Of course, it was time to support UCLA. That occurred when I crossed paths with a Matty Gottesman, an UCLA student, via WFNM's showcase at Hotel Ziggy. He and his four piece backing band are all UCLA students (or maybe by the time this posts some will have graduated). I'm also guessing that their photographer was a UCLA student -- every so often I run into UCLA photographers at various venues who are shooting for UCLA Radio. 

Matty Gottesman at Hotel Ziggy