The Jonas Brothers made a shocking surprise appearance at the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy. Before I cause the rumors to fly (wouldn't it just be amusing if the AI search engines tossed out that, as they call it, "hallucination"), it was a joke tossed out by Melia Franks during her set with sister Samantha Franks. The two form the duo The Franks Sisters.
 |
| The Franks Sisters at Hotel Ziggy |
Everett Beau dressed in black and sported a black tie took to the WFNM showcase stage at Hotel Ziggy. I think it is safe to say he mesmerized the crowd with his elegantly quiet singer songwriter set. I don't believe there was much talking during the set. I would say it was the proverbial situation of being able to hear a pin drop. As his short 6 song set progressed, people were drawn into the venue from the hotel lobby.
 |
| Everett Beau at Hotel Ziggy |
It was a Friday night. I had put in for a photo request that did not get approved. I decided to take a glance at Showlist on Instagram and noticed that Annie Hardy was playing at Stories Books & Cafe. It was almost like it was meant to be.
I've been aware of Annie Hardy since I encountered her band Giant Drag at the Indie West Fest in 2011. By that point, the band was well established in the Los Angeles music scene, having formed in 2003. It took a few years -- jump all the way to 2019 -- before I crossed paths with Hardy once again. She was on the same music bill as Queen Kwong (a favorite of mine). During that set at The Redwood Bar, I knew she looked familiar and then she mentioned the band Giant Drag and it started to click. I saw her one last time in 2019 at Stories Books & Cafe.
 |
| Annie Hardy at Stories Books & Cafe |
Sometimes I have to be rather persistent in my Internet research when I want to write up a blog post about an artist with somewhat limited information available. I came across Rhiannon Lewis at a WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy and was immediately intrigued. They just had a quirky personality, "I did decide tonight to prioritize the vibe of the setlist over the logistics of the setlist. So you may see me hopping around from instrument to instrument." That hopping around consisted of switching between a couple acoustic guitars throughout the set.
 |
| Rhiannon Lewis at Hotel Ziggy |
I came across Robert DeLong by chance in 2011. There was an event called Art Cycle LA that year. It was a combination of both biking and art. I personally don't own a bike, but I went anyways to participate in the art portion of the event. I happened to come across DeLong and I remember that he had his fans out. Jump to 2017 and he stole the show at the Sunstock Solar Festival. I wrote the following about the party atmosphere around his set, "The festival organizers brought out the balloons and a balloon party went on throughout the set. Some of the balloons would end up in the photo pit and various photographers would toss the balloons back into the eager crowd."
 |
| Robert DeLong at El Cid |
Erin Ross was feeling the sun and the breeze during her WFNM's showcase at Hotel Ziggy. She opened up her set with Michael Bublé's "Feeling Good" which gave everyone an introduction to her multi-octave vocal talent. She let it ripe during the "feeling good" hook moments. She then shifted to her own music. She started it off with the 2024 single release "I Don't Feel The Cold," a love song describing her best friend's marriage.
 |
| Erin Ross at Hotel Ziggy |
Self Improvement threw a party for their second album release Syndrome and people showed up in mass to support the band. Zebulon, the location of this party, was packed from the front of the stage to the exits. The band members took about a minute on stage to gather themselves, a brief conversation occurred between guitarist Reuben Kaiban and lead vocalist Jett Witchalls. Witchalls did the traditional "Check! Check!" of the microphone. Then they launched into their self titled song "Self Improvement" with alternative college radio station flair. The first song they played off their new album was "Scam" that was like the band was marching towards Hades as screaming banshees.
 |
| Self Improvement at Zebulon |
Back in mid-May, I was asked if I wanted to cover Dope Lemon for US Rocker Music at The Novo. That sounded like a good idea so I said yes (you can read the review, which also includes thoughts on The Palms set, here). Life was / is busy. I did no research into the night other than trying to anticipate when I should leave home to get there on time. I got an email from the PR firm saying that I was a go and I was provided the set times for Dope Lemon and the opener. I glanced at the email and just mentally made a note that doors opened at 7 p.m. and Dope Lemon was on at 9:15 p.m. The opening band was mentioned, but I really didn't pay much attention to the name and only noticed that they were on at 8 p.m.
 |
| The Palms at The Novo |
X. ARI (moniker for Daniella Waters) approaches her music performances like that of a revival church pastor out to convert souls. Her message isn't religious in nature; however, but is about mental health. She runs a non-profit called Wisdo Mania Foundation. The website says the following, "X. ARI’s life purpose is to inspire hope in others by writing her story in her music, sharing her experiences publicly, and providing resources for recovery."
 |
| X. ARI at Bar Lubitsch |
 |
| Colleen Green at El Cid |
A Handful of Show Alerts
Tuesday, Aug 5th: Tino Drima at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.Noah Vonne gave her blues and soul sound a slight shift in the direction of rock and roll for her recent WFNM showcase at Bar Lubitsch. Supporting her on stage were the omnipresent bassist for the LA scene Aubrey Harris and drummer David Cola. After playing her opener "Overthinker" she addressed the audience, "First, come up here, come up here. I know you want to." That was the nudge needed for the late night crowd to come up to the front.
 |
| Noah Vonne at Bar Lubitsch |
