With all my indie cred, sometimes it’s ok to give into pure pop. It’s a guilty pleasure. Kina Grannis is one of those artists; I’ll refrain from naming the others out of sheer number. The songwriting is sweetly pure and there doesn’t seem to be this forced pretense you find with other artists in the genre, at least not on most of her songs. She independently released her debut LP, Stairwells, in Feburary of this year and has landed her music on a few TV shows like General Hospital and College Life. With a resume like hers, I was a little surprised to see that her Dec. 10th show at the El Ray will be her first major headliner. It should be an interesting night from this girl from Mission Viejo.
After their magical transformation from well respected duo to powerhouse four-piece, Rumspringa rececently released their debut LP, Sway. To follow, the band also released the video for their first single "Triptych". A sexy, tripped out, animated journey, kudos to director Winona Regan. The band conjures up a mix of psychedelic and lo-fi garage rock that you can experience at their next show Dec. 5th at the Bootleg Theater.
He’s My Brother She’s My Sister just played a rather low-profile show last Wednesday at Bardot for the birthday celebration of Ana Calderon(DJ, scene queen, and marketing director of Dim Mak Records). The night was filled with good tunes and local DJ sets by Ana and Myles Hendrik. If you missed out, you can catch He’s My Brother She’s My Sister at The Echo on December 2nd with Everest. With Rob and Rachel Kolar’s witty lyrics and velvety vocals, Satya Babha on the cello, and Lauren Brown tapping her cute little heart out, it would be foolish not to attend this performance!
San Diego’s Pierce The Veil is on tour after the release of their sophmore LP "Selfish Machines", and they’re coming to a town near you! The band took a break for the writing and recording process of their new record after touring non stop since their debut "A Flair For The Dramatic" in 2007, but they are back on the road. From angst-ridden, in-your-face songs like "Caraphernelia" and "The Boy Who Could Fly" to deeper, more personal ballads like "She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty" and "Stay Away From My Friends", the band never ceases to surprise or entertain. Their live shows are always cinematic with the Fuentes’ screaming and slamming on stage alongside Tony and Jaime, who kill it on the guitar and the bass. They will be playing House of Blues in Hollywood on the 24th, and their precious home venue, Soma, on the 27th.
As aforementioned, Delta Spirit‘s "The Waits Room" EP came out earlier this week. They recorded all 5 tracks in Tom Waits’ favorite room at Prarie Sun Studios up north. They just released a video of the live, slowed down acoustic version of "Bushwick Blues", with an intimate view of the legendary "Waits room". The room itself seems to tell a story, from the sounds ricocheting off of the stained wooden walls, to the antique piano, to the old lampshades providing a dim-lit haven for making musical history.
This studio album is a must-have. The songs definitely have a bluesy, Western feel to them. The first song, "The Flood" is a lullaby sounding track, with the chanting vocals of Matt Vasquez and Kelly Winrich harmonizing to a tee. "Bushwick Blues" is acoustic, as well as the healing tune "Devil Knows You’re Dead", that starts out with the words of an old Irish blessing. What really makes the EP is the boot-stomping, energetic blues track "John Henry". The album wraps up with the slow, sensual and heart-wrenching melody "My Dream". These 5 tracks show a different side of Delta Spirit and how they are growing as musicians; it will surely take them places. They will be selling limited edition vinyl of "The Waits Room" at their show on December 8th at The Music Box.
Bow and pick in hand, Ken Oak and Ed Gorski are returning from their tour overseas in Japan and Singapore, ready to play some new material. Their music is referred to as "cello rock", with a hint of folk added to a universal pop-rock sound comparable to bands like Augustana or Deathcab. Following their previous LP, "Good Advice/Bad Advice", Oak and Gorski are coming out with their fourth studio album, "Love Destroyer". The band raised over $13,000 over the period of a month on Kickstarter, and went to Nashville for 2 weeks to record everything. The album starts off with the song "If I could Tell You", which is sure to be the most popular, definitely something that all can relate to. During the bridge of the song Oak sings, "You’ll come running back/ We’ll repeat the past/ Hopefully this time around/ It’s better than the last", then follows with the weeping yet hopeful sounds of the cello. The acoustic song "Mountains" takes the listener away to a soothing, peaceful place. The album finishes with the heart-felt "Burn The Bridge", a sorrowful melody about loss. The album really depicts the ups and downs of life, and how everything balances out to be beautiful.
"Love Destroyer" will be available on December 14th, and the duo will be playing a record release show at Hotel Cafe on the 15th. "The CD release party for ‘Love Destroyer’ will be Wednesday December 15 at Hotel Cafe, 9:30pm. We are super excited to rock it with the band and it’s been awhile since we have played at Hotel so this should be a fun one!" said the guys. This is a performance not to be missed! –Jenna Putnam
My, my, all this talk about residencies, who needs tours when LA can keep all the good music to themselves? Speaking of, Chasing Kings will be finishing off theirs at the Silverlake Lounge, with Nov. 22nd and 29th left to conquer.
If you could splice the musical genes of Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, and Phantom Planet into one band, you’d end up with Chasing Kings. Their debut offering, The Current State of Our Future, dropped last year with rave reviews and accolades from the LA scene and after a dedicated year of juming on any tour they could find, it’s nice to have these boys home for a while.
Young Chloe Chaidez’s voice is a breathe of fresh air, made a tornado called Kitten by her bandmates Andy Miller, Zach Carper, and Max Kuehn (son of TSOL’s bassist Greg Kuehn). A deft mix of new wave melodies, indie sensibilities, and enough punk energy boiling under the surface, they mark their place somewhere in between The Pretenders and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. After stumbling upon their music purely by chance, one listen was enough for me to agree with SPIN.com’s honor of "The best new discovery of SXSW."
If Kitten sounds like your cup of tea, they’ll be performing in-store at Origami Vinyl tonight for free, Nov. 18th. If that doesn’t get you purring, they’ll be playing a three week residency Tuesday nights at the Echo, starting Nov. 23rd.
If you’ve ever wished you could go back in time and go to underground music and art shows in New York City during the late 1960’s, I suggest listening to The Black Apples. They sound like a cross between The Velvet Underground and The Seeds or The Germs. They have that Johnny Thunders stage presence going on, and their shows are where it’s at. Which leads me to their November residency at The Echo…you can catch them there the next two Mondays, so grab your leather jacket, put on some flair and get your act together!
A new project among old friends, Incan Abraham was conceived through the distillation of years of side projects and former callings. The band spent its first month of existence in a cabin in upstate NY, throwing sounds against the walls and at each other until the very first recordings were completed. Returning to LA, the promise of progress continues to materialize, and after a year, we celebrate the release of the new EP, "Adult World".
Incan Abraham will be playing at Redwood Bar on 11/26 and Silverlake Lounge on 12/16 with Wazu.
In case you haven’t heard about AWOLNATION’s upcoming show with Fitz and the Tantrums and The Bell Brigade Nov. 17th at the El Ray Theater, well then move your eyes down a few inches and educate yourselves. What better way to sink your teeth into some new music than with some free tickets thanks to Dangerbird Records?
How do you win? Comment on this post until 7pm Nov.16th and a random commenter will be put on the willcall list +1.
Delta Spirit plays uplifting melodic rock with a grunge edge. They are known for their energetic live performances and soulful lyrics, and have a serious buzz going, especially here on the West Coast. They just announced a cross-country tour that kicks off today, and their new EP "The Waits Room" will be available on the 16th. They recorded the 5 track piece in the same room that the legendary Tom Waits created masterpieces in, up North at Prarie Sun Studios in Sonoma County, CA. The scenery and history behind the location was most likely very inspirational for the band. Delta Spirit will be playing at The Music Box in Hollywood on December 8th, and HOB in San Diego(which is their hometown) on the 10th.
