Song Spotlight: Zara's Breathe Child (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Zara (aka Zara Sargsyan) took the Hotel Ziggy's WFNM showcase stage for the second time this past October. The first time was back in November 2024. I was lucky enough to catch both sets. The recent Berklee College graduate had fellow alumni Angelo Della Valle playing backing guitar. Zara also played the guitar while singing. The duo guitars made for nifty jazz-pop interplay with intricate fingerpicking one her part. Her vocals had those Basia vibes from the 1980s-1990s. This was all perfectly highlighted from the top with the opening song "Stolen Joy."       

Zara at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: Holy Wars' Metamorphosis (a night at Pico Union Project)

As I mentioned in my Ramonda Hammer write up (you can read that here), I had a rather thrilling back to back nights in the Los Angeles music scene. Thursday night it was Ramonda Hammer at The Goldfish and then Friday night (11/21) it was off to see Holy Wars at Pico Union Project. Those two bands are two of my favorite bands in Los Angeles and it had been a rather long time since I last saw either band on stage. 

Holy Wars at Pico Union Project

Song Spotlight: Ramonda Hammer's Eyelash (a night at The Goldfish)

It was a thrilling back to back nights for me in the Los Angels music scene. I got to reconnect with two favorite bands that included an introduction to their new music. On Thursday (Nov 20th), I went to The Goldfish to catch Ramonda Hammer and then on Friday I saw Holy Wars. These are two of my favorite Los Angeles based bands, but it had been awhile since I last saw either one of them. 

Ramonda Hammer at The Goldfish

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): Nov 23rd - Nov 29th

A Handful (less than) of Show Alerts 

Sunday, Nov 23rd: Fashion Club at The Roxy. Doors at 7 p.m.
Lead singer Pascal Stevenson is in the band Moaning and for long time Los Angeles music fans, used to be in Moses Campbell.

  

Wednesday, Nov 26th: Mikayla McLean and Ron Blakely at Hotel Ziggy. Doors at 7 p.m.

Read my Song Spotlight for Mikayla McLean's "Run!" here.

Read my Song Spotlight for Ron Blakely's "Tired" here.

Saturday, Nov 29th: My Veronica at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

I listed My Veronica as one of my favorite new bands of 2024. You can read that post here.

Song Spotlight: Nico May's Give 'Em Hell (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

What got me heading out to the WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy on a late September evening? It was Nico May. I took a listen to all the bands and singers for the night and as soon as I heard "Lover, Who Hurt You?" on Spotify, I knew I was heading out. His vocals and music had influences from Benson Boone and Morgan Wallen with a touch of Shaboozey. During his set he mentioned that he is a fan of Zach Bryan so I'll include that country artist, as well.  

Nico May at Hotel Ziggy

Song Spotlight: John Vincent III's City Rain (a night at the Greek Theatre)

I don't get to shoot the Greek Theatre as often as I'd like. This particular night with headliner The Head And The Heart represented my second time (and final time) getting to shoot at the venue this 2025 season. You can read my US Rocker Music review here. I live in Glendale and so it is only a four mile drive. Since I hate paying for parking, I'll drive into Los Feliz and park in an area that I know generally has plenty of free parking and do the long walk up to the theatre. One of the best moments of any night at the Greek Theatre is when the last song has been performed and everyone is heading home. That's when I'm part of perhaps 200 people who are just as cheap as I am and are walking down the Hollywood Hills and into Los Feliz. Not only is the whole walk representative of my own cheapness, but it also gives me a cardio workout (the walk up, not so much the walk down).   

John Vincent III at the Greek Theatre

Song Spotlight: The Chameleons' Feels Like The End Of The World (a night at the Belasco)

For a band that formed in 1981 and has taken some rather lengthy breaks (per Wikipedia, two breaks that lasted over a decade each), The Chameleons have had a rather active 2025. They spent July touring with the Psychedelic Furs across the United States. Their first full length album in 24 years, Artic Moon, was released in September. Then they did a 11 stop headline tour across the west coast of the United States during parts of September and October. When this posts on my personal blog, they'll be in the middle of European tour.  

The Chameleons at the Belasco

Song Spotlight: donna's burn, Pt. 2 (a night at Permanent Records Roadhouse)

Donna opened up for my favorite New York City band Laveda on Oct 1st at Permanent Records Roadhouse. I covered the night for US Rocker Music. You can read the article here. For some strange reason the band name sounded very familiar to me even though I knew I'd never seen them before. My first thought was that I must have come across the band name during Echo Park Rising. That wasn't the case. I finally figured it out. They played on a July bill with Hysteria at Zebulon. I'm a fan of Hysteria so why didn't I go to that set? I was sick during that timeframe and ended up not going out at all for a full week. It took two and half months before catching donna live. In the Los Angeles music scene, there is always a second, third, fourth chance to catch a band. That is what makes the scene so vibrant. 

Donna at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Song Spotlight: Laveda's Cellphone (a night at Permanent Records Roadhouse)

I first came across Laveda in 2022 at Permanent Records Roadhouse. They were playing along side a couple favorite bands of mine: Janelane and Mo Dotti. I went out that night specifically to catch Janelane and Mo Dotti, because it isn't that often where both bands are paired up. I remember being surprised at how many people were at the venue, not to see my two favorite bands (not that they didn't have their fan base), but were there specifically to see Laveda. 

Laveda at Permanent Records Roadhouse

Song Spotlight: Adam Wilson and KIA's Together (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

Prior to heading off to the late September WFNM showcase at Hotel Ziggy, I listened to the music of the various performers for the night. That included opener Adam Wilson. I went to his Instagram page and clicked on his links. There was a Youtube video to his song "Together." The song is a duet with Kia (KIA) Knoester, a WFNM alumni who I had happened to catch a year prior at Bar Lubitsch. I was thinking it would be awesome if that song was on the setlist. But I wasn't holding out much hope. When I arrived, I noticed her in the crowd and my hopes rose ever so slightly, but I was keeping a pessimistic viewpoint -- why get my hopes up too high. 

Adam Wilson at Hotel Ziggy

Notes from Vivace Show Alerts (Los Angeles): November 16th - November 22nd

A Handful of Show Alerts

Sunday, Nov 16th: Bardo at Alex's Bar. Doors at 8 p.m.

Read my recent review of his set here.

Monday, Nov 17th: Alex E.T. at Club Tee Gee. Doors at 8 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for "Calico II" here. 

Tuesday, Nov 18th: Baby Fischgrund at The Fable. Doors at 8 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for "If You Still Called" here.

Wednesday, Nov 19th: Johanna Samuels at Zebulon. Doors at 8 p.m.

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

Thursday, Nov 20th: Horse Rider at Oblivion. Doors at 7 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for "Horse Rider" here.

Thursday, Nov 20th: Ramonda Hammer at The Goldfish. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2019, I covered the band for Buzzbands, which you can read here. 

Friday, Nov 21st: Cosmic Kitten at The Redwood Bar. Set time at 11:15 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for "Hole in my Soul" here.

Friday, Nov 21st: Holy Wars at Pico Union Project. Doors at 7 p.m.

In 2019, I covered the band for Buzzbands, which you can read here.

Friday, Nov 21st: Matt Axton with Nocona and Rah Rah Rabbit at the Big Foot Lodge.

Read my song spotlight for Matt Axton's "Golden Times" here.

In 2024, I covered Nocona for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

In 2024, I covered Rah Rah Rabbit for US Rocker Music, which you can read here.

Saturday, Nov 22nd: Buckets at Gold-Diggers. Doors at 7 p.m.

Read my song spotlight for "Judy" here.

Song Spotlight: Sunder's I Guess I'll See You in the Movies (a night at Midnight Hour Records)

I was recently invited to cover Dum Dum Records's four year anniversary party at Midnight Hour Records. You can read my article here on US Rocker Music. I was familiar with two of the three bands on the bill. The headliner was Taleen Kali. In 2023, I covered the band's Flower of Life release party for Buzzbands (read that article here) and the inaugural Dum Dum Fest for US Rocker Music (read that article here). Gottlieb was the other band I knew about and they made my 2024 list of favorite new bands (you can read that list here). What about that third band that was unknown to me? The name of that band was Sunder. 

Sunder at Midnight Hour Records

Song Spotlight: Taleen Kali's Crossed (a night at Midnight Hour Records)

I first came across Taleen Kali (the eponymous for lead singer Taleen Kali) in 2017 at The Hi Hat (the current location of The Goldifsh). It was a blending of genres night. On one end you had Lucy & La Mer and MetronOhm (Annabelle Freedman) providing singer-songwriter tunes and on the punk side you had Wasi and Taleen Kali. Since that point in time, I've followed the band throughout the years with 2023 being the highlight as I covered the band's Flower of Life release party for Buzzbands (read that article here) and the inaugural Dum Dum Fest for US Rocker Music (read that article here). 

Taleen Kali at Midnight Hour Records