London-born and -raised Claire Courchene has been Los Angeles-based for over five years, after receiving dual performance degrees from the University of Miami in both jazz trombone and cello. In that time, the multi-hyphenate, multi-instrumentalist producer and songwriter has performed and worked with a multitude of artists including Frank Ocean, Lana Del Ray, Quadron, Rhye and […]
As the son of guitarist and former Syd Vicious collaborator Steve Dior, Los Angeles artist Jez Dior played in bands in his youth, but it wasn’t until a cousin introduced him to Eminem’s “The Eminem Show” that his attention turned to hip-hop. His first mixtape was 2013’s “Scarlett Sage,” released on his 21st birthday and […]
It was appropriate that on the breeziest Los Angeles evening in ages, as gusts that bombarded the patrons in line outside, that the Windy City’s Chance the Rapper headlined the sold-out House of Blues Sunset on Saturday night as part of Red Bull’s 30 Days In LA series, and had the house in the palm […]
The dynamic duo of El-P and Killer Mike continued their world tour as Run the Jewels on Thursday night at the Echoplex, plowing through the bulk of their two albums, including the recent “Run the Jewels 2,” and keeping the basement venue bouncing the whole time. ||| Photos by Carl Pocket, courtesy of the Echo […]
Los Angeles-based duo Phantoms is composed of Kyle Kaplan and Vinnie Pergola, both of whom come from musical backgrounds. Kaplan’s uncle toured with Michael Jackson and played keys, stirring Kyle’s interest in bass, while Pergola’s father was a rhythm guitarist who helped encourage Vinnie’s interest in drumming. Inspired by artists such as Daniel Avery, Justice, […]
The third annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival went down Saturday at The Park at the L.A. Coliseum, covering about a third of the real estate that August’s FYF Fest did and featuring two stages of music, a large skate park, a dozen rides, games, food trucks and raffle for a customized 1990 BMW 325is. ||| […]
Inglewood rapper Thurz, née Yannick Koffi, first came on the scene in 2011 with his first album, “L.A. Riot,” a politically charged project about the Rodney King beating and ensuing L.A. riots of 1992. Following his 2012 mixtape “517 W Queen Tape,” Thurz is back with a seven-track EP titled “Designer,” out this week via […]
Los Angeles native Tavian Lewis has been singing since he was 4 and writing since middle school, but has only paired the two recently with his new musical project, PhoenixBlood. Drawing inspiration from Lana Del Rey and Phantogram, Lewis’ lyrics are desolate and raw, opting to “write about the darker aspects of life that people […]
The enigmatic U.K. artist Dean Blunt’s music is hard to classify. As one half of the now-disbanded group Hype Williams with Inga Copeland, they created experimental and unconventional pop music, shirking interviews with nearly anything but the truth, while Blunt’s divisive 2013 solo album, “The Redeemer,” was full of murky R&B and samples. His new […]
Sami Akbari and Aaron Mort had respective musical projects in Brooklyn and San Francisco before they teamed up for a new one in Los Angeles, called The Bad Years, which combines their diverse backgrounds in pop and rock into something that sounds both new and retro. They nailed it with “Common Mistake,” a catchy pop-rock […]
