New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Noise punk group HEALTH sure have come a long way since we first wrote about them during their start, and it’s great to still see them at their idiosyncratic best. Their latest video off of last year’s Death Magic, "L.A. Looks", is a stylistically retro take on public access television that equally exposes and pokes fun at the weirder side of Los Angeles. Consider it as an apt travel guide for for those who’ve yet to visit our lovely city. Proceed with caution.
The Nursery have called their music “freak pop,” which is a good way to characterize their off-kilter sound. Their music is definitely catchy, but it’s punctuated by noisy outbursts and sudden dynamic shifts. The new video for “Everybody’s Famous,” a track from their forthcoming LP, fits their style perfectly. It features numerous Canadian impersonator artists acting as celebrities, screaming to be heard from a kitschy stage. It’s an idea that raises questions about originality and the need to be noticed in an oversaturated social world, with an appropriate musical twist. – David Levy
If you’re looking to dance off those calories you gained from loads of Turkey and stuffing, head to the Fox Theater in Oakland to see Oakland’s own hip hop phenomenon, Kamaiyah support YG TONIGHT.
One of rap’s most promising emerging talents, Kamaiyah is injecting a fresh perspective and an unyielding passion into the genre. She’s been on a mission since she was a foster kid sneaking into the local Boys & Girls club to watch 106 & Park. “Most artists from the Bay rap like they’re talking to each other,” Kamaiyah explains. “I’m talking from a Bay Area perspective but to the world!”
“I had been working as a security officer, doing a 12-hour graveyard shift, and wanted to write something that would make it cool to be broke again,” she recalls. “Once I heard the beat, ‘How Does It Feel’ was done in 15 minutes. I felt something in the studio that day…” Kaimayah proceeded to go all out, spending “car note and rent money” on videos to promote the song. “You have to take a risk and believe something is possible,” she says simply.
Don’t miss this rising star open for YG at Fox Theater tonight. Support Bay Area independent music.
An atmosphere of catharsis with a penchant to soak in the searing melodically noisy chaos, Creepoid sits back in serenely somber, with the ability to flip the switch, mesmerizing in the eerie echoing ascension. On the evening of its release, the band celebrates their fresh EP Burner (available via WavePOP Records) with a corresponding show at Kung Fu Necktie. Joining in on the festivities are the possessing, guitar-blazing garage-punk of Dark Web and the raw ominous ferocity of metal quartet Body Spray. The duo of Al Creedon (I IM EYE MY, ex-Bleeding Rainbow) & Ricardo Lagomasino (Lithuania/Many Arms), a.k.a. Birth Worms, unearth an effects-laden, electro-percussive attack to kick things off. Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $13, 21+ – Michael Colavita
Sheer Mag announced earlier this month that they would be releasing their first three EPs remastered as a vinyl LP, entitled Compilation. They have also teamed up with Malaysian DIY label Exit Music, and will be releasing the full-length on cassette as First Three EPs, which is available for streaming and purchase digitally below. The band is also set to tour Australia and New Zealand at the beginning of December.
On his latest single, “Angelina,” Brandon Ayres, a.k.a. Brandon Can’t Dance, constructs a gloomy, melodic, lo-fi snapshot of shut-in depression. The narrative rides the simplicity of a rough acoustic guitar riff, before breaking out of its confines with the spiking surge of electric. The song is featured on the forthcoming album, Graveyard of Good Times, that will be released on January 13 via Lucky Number Music.
History Now released their debut LP, Weather Vanes, today. The album is driving and atmospheric all in the matter of a few songs. The songwriters and solid vocals from Kyle Jaromin really shine through out this album.
In 2015, the duo of Wiley Gaby & Jeffrey Doker, Goldenchild, released their debut LP ’Bridges’, a country-pop record with a peculiar cosmic aura. The album’s title track perfectly exemplifies this quality: a reverb-drenched guitar swells in, introducing a surreal atmosphere; soon enough, more traditional instruments join it, including also an airy string section. The main vocals and harmonies bring a worldly element to the track, but their evocative tone plays into the mysterious mood set by that initial, droney effect. Take a listen to the below and/or see the band live at Brooklyn Bazaar on November 30th with The Hollows. -Ashley Muniz
Singer/songwriter Gavin Turek provides a stellar blend of rhythm and soul on "Good Luck For You", a disco-tinged groover for the modern era that puts her on the spotlight after a series of fruitful collaborations with artists such as Mayor Hawthorne and TOKiMONSTA. It’s faultlessly layered soul-funk that keeps its classical influences intact, with fuzzy synth lines and strapping piano keys prancing about as Turek lends her wholesome vocal delivery.
"Good Luck For You" will be featured on her debut EP of the same name, which is not coming out until February 17 of next year. Her sole date for the remainder of the year will be at ShowGlobe Music Festival on 12/29. A slew of new tour dates are due to show up sometime soon, so keep your eyes peeled for any further announcements.
September’s Featured Artist Poll Winners, Pretty Words made quick work utilizing their prize of free studio recording time from our sponsor, Sleepless Sound Studio. As a result, we are happy to premiere the quartet’s new single, “Ground of Being”. The extended sonic sojourn maintains a steady, grit-accentuating pace as the vocals pressurize around escalating instrumentation that gradually shifts upward, slowly releasing its raw, emotive fortitude.
In the summer of 2016, Show Me the Body released their debut album “Body War,” an electric banjo-driven sonic storm, blending post-hardcore, industrial, hip hop and math rock. That’s the record most NYC kids involved in the vital, seminal, local DIY scene – and in all likelihood, most rock critics too – will remember years from now.
The NYC born and bred trio just announced a New York show residency that will take place in five different venues across the city. This residency is presented as an extension of the spirit of their recent short film called "Ammunition", for which the band’s goal was to find and tell stories as compelling, disturbing and uplifting as they found in their own backyard of New York City. Dates can be found here, check out the video for album opener ‘Body War’ below. – photo by Dylan Johnson
