Fort King, the new quartet fronted by Ryan Fuller, brings its heartfelt indie Americana to Lot 1 Cafe in Echo Park for the next edition of Buzz Bands LA’s SecondTuesday songwriter night. Fort King will be joined by Doom & Gloom, the new venture of Nate and Liska Cole (ex-Castledoor), who have moved back to […]
It was back in April of 2011 that Francisco the Man self-released its single “Broken Arrows,” planting its 6 1/2 minutes of guitar splendor high on Buzz Bands LA’s year-end song list and raising a pertinent question: Why doesn’t the L.A. indie-rock quartet get more music out? Well, the foursome of Scotty Cantino, Néstor Romero, […]
No idea why it’s taken me so long to post about the Stripminers. Maybe it’s because, as Brett Anderson is quoted as saying, “All our songs are totally different.” And it’s true, their debut album “Movies” appeals to any number of old-school sensibilities – punk, Americana and garage-rock – paralleling most closely the work of […]
Many of L.A.’s eyes and ears are on Hard Summer this weekend, but there’s another music festival that’s offering a unique experience. The 3rd New L.A. Folk Fest brings 30-plus artists to rustic Zorthian Ranch in Altadena on Saturday, showcasing SoCal’s robust, eclectic and DIY folk scene. On today’s Buzz Bands LA Show on Moheak […]
Matt Ellis, “Candy” – The Sydney, Australia-born songwriter trotted the globe before sinking his roots in Venice a few years ago, which has turned out to be an excellent station for his finely honed Americana. Ellis’ 2011 album “Births, Deaths and Marriages,” his fourth full-length, came soaked in pedal steel and honesty. And the 38-year-old […]
The Black Apples arrived in L.A. from Colorado in 2010 with a bang – the psychedelic garage-rock on their self-titled debut album sounded like a soul train being driven full-bore into a drunken re-creation of “Beach Blanket Bingo.” Native New Yorkers Andrew and Campbell Scarborough rein things in a little bit on their breezy new […]
“I want something with a feeling,” Torches frontman Azad Cheikosman proclaims in the trio’s single “I Want Something,” but as the Mike James-directed video for the song suggests, maybe he just wants something with more blood. Bandmates Eric Fabbro and Bridgette Moody get the short end of Cheikosman’s morbid fantasies in the clip. There’s bloodletting […]
The title track of L.A. trio Lady Danville’s “Operating” EP [premiered way back when] is an old-school pop gem – gooey-in-a-good-way melody and florid harmonies on a simple backdrop of instrumentation. In the hands of San Francisco producer/DJ Branded James (aka Brandon Whittaker), it becomes a sparkling electro track. Remixes hardly ever accomplish this, but […]
Six musicians from six L.A. bands, six songs, one hell of a mind trip. That’s how the math works out for Bright Beast, whose intrepid experimentation on their debut EP recalls myriad sonic adventurers of old. The cast of characters includes Christian Biel (the Transmissions), Nicholas Ceglio (George Glass), Chris Hernandez (the Happy Hollows), Christopher […]
“Lord Knows, the new single from Dum Dum Girls, is a languid, hazy affair that furthers the template set by So Cal quartet’s great 2011 album “Only in Dreams” – deeply personal songwriting delivered in the increasingly honed quaver of singer Kristin Gundred (aka Dee Dee). The song is the cornerstone of the band’s “End […]
