Tops for your Wednesday: ‣ Tune-Yards, the vehicle for Merrill Garbus and her powerful voice, bring their beat-crazy experimental pop to the Music Box along with Cut Chemist. Garbus has come a long way since her January appearance at First Fridays at the Natural History Museum. She now performs fronting a four-piece; her album “w […]
[Happy November. And happy birthday to Eulogies’ Peter Walker …] Tuesday’s touts: ‣ Shonen Knife have been fun for a long time, and on many continents. The Japanese pop-punk standouts are celebrating their 30th anniversary as a band, and they visit the Echoplex on the heels of their latest release “Osaka Ramones,” a tribute to […]
Happy Halloween – hope everything’s ghoul with you: ‣ Zola Jesus, the Wisconsin-bred, L.A.-based purveyor of brooding darkwave, brings her small frame and big pipes to the Echoplex as her fall tour behind the release of her debut album “Conatus” nears an end. That’s the video for her song “Vessel,” above, directed by Jacqueline Castel. […]
Saturday night’s all right for frightening: ‣ KCRW’s Masquerade ball returns to the Park Plaza, featuring performances by Mariachi El Bronx, Dengue Fever (pictured) and Milagres along with DJ sets by Moby and Andre Allen Anjos, the frolicking of the circus troupe Lucent Dossier, live art and more. ‣ Night 2 of the HARD Haunted […]
It’s been too long since we’ve heard from Nico Stai, who has teased with talk of a full-length album since his last EP a couple of years ago. Stai will preview material from that forthcoming record on Nov. 8 when he heads up the lineup for Buzz Bands LA’s SecondTuesday songwriter night at Lot 1 […]
As “holidays” go, Halloween has gotten completely out of hand. But the start of dress-up-and-get-stupid weekend is making for some good shows: ‣ HARD Haunted Mansion kicks off a two-night stand at the Shrine, with the opener headlines by Fatboy Slim and many other DJs,, including Laidback Luke, Tiga, SBTRKT and the Gaslamp Killer, on […]
Thursday’s things: ‣ Can I have a those-were-the-days moment? Check out this video for “It’s a Shame About Ray” (which, of course, the record company has not seen fit to make embeddable but is still worth the extra click). It’s the title track from the Lemonheads’ fifth album, released in one of my favorite musical […]
Your Wednesday show picks: ‣ Happy times and exuberant music at the El Rey Theatre, where Grouplove and Family of the Year hold forth. Grouplove’s debut “Never Trust a Happy Song” came out in September (that’s the video for “Tongue Tied,” above), and Family of the Year this month released its new “St. Croix” EP. […]
Three years and more than 3,300 posts ago, I launched Buzz Bands LA as way to stay busy after my employers politely told me they no longer needed my services. I had no illusions that, in a blog world populated by younger, faster, tech-savvier talent, very many people would care. So color me flattered that […]
Top of your Tuesday: ‣ Buzz Bands LA’s Three-Year Anniversary party goes off at the Echo, with Everest headlining and support from Hands and Death to Anders. More details in the next post. ‣ Tom Morello, d/b/a The Nightwatchman, hits the Troubadour behind his new album “World Wide Rebel Songs.” ‣ Atlanta quartet Gringo Star, […]
