Pete Yorn’s new Frank Black-produced album is pretty sharp stuff – and certainly the most consistently rocking album the singer-songwriter has made since his debut. On Monday, Sept. 27, Yorn played most of it to a sold-out show at the Roxy. See my review of the show on SPIN.com. Photo by Jim Donnelly
The Epicenter Festival in Fontana on Sept. 25-26 was a conflagration in more ways than one. The temperature hit 109 degrees at the Auto Club Speedway on both days, baking crowds that totaled in excess of 50,000 for the two days and, probably, discouraging walk-up ticket sales. (Word on the street is that the festival […]
Review and gallery by Laurie Scavo Band of Horses could not have have brought their pastoral music to more picturesque location than the tree-lined alcove of the Greek Theatre on Saturday night. Too bad lead singer Ben Bridwell could not have brought his best voice. Bridwell, his normally soaring tenor cracking round the edges, joked […]
How was your weekend? Thanks to everybody who tweeted about how cool the Abbot Kinney Festival was – suffice to say it was substantially cooler than the 109-degree temperatures Saturday and Sunday at the Epicenter Festival in Fontana. Or, “Funtana,” as Bad Religion’s Jay Bentley called it. I covered Epicenter for SPIN.com, witnessing a strong […]
It was a night of comings and goings at Eastside clubs on Tuesday night. At the Bootleg Theater, the Belle Brigade – a sextet populated by talent familiar on the L.A. scene playing to a crowd dotted by musicians with whom they’ve shared stages – announced themselves as folk-rock contenders with a set of exuberant, […]
There was one main menu item at last weekend’s Port of Los Angeles Lobsterfest – the popular shellfish that had everybody going crustacean-crazy. The music, however, was much more of a sampler platter, and for those who partook of the tunes and the relaxed waterfront vibe, the offerings were indicative of how broad L.A.’s palate […]
By Laura Ferreiro It’s a lamentably rare thing to find a band that exudes chemistry and adeptly performs uniquely experimental yet danceable tunes. Menomena achieved all this and more during their show at the El Rey Theatre on Thursday night. The Portland, Ore., trio – augmented to a four-piece with the addition of touring guitarist […]
By Addy Danti AA Bondy proved himself once again Wednesday night, wielding his low-slung Guild Starfire guitar and his high-class honesty to deliver an hourlong set of captivating songs to a receptive Spaceland crowd. Backed by two understated multi-instrumentalists (Ben Lester on pedal steel and drums, Macy Taylor on keyboards and bass), the Southern-bred troubadour […]
Sheryl Crow’s makeover as a soul singer works surprisingly well on her new album “100 Miles From Memphis.” How did it go over live on Friday night at the Greek Theatre? Pretty nicely – especially since the 48-year-old songstress (a backup singer for Michael Jackson early in her career) was battling the flu. Check out […]
Interpol sounded less like a band geeked out about the release of its fourth album and more like a band in the throes of a mid-career crisis on Monday night. At a semi-private show for KCRW-FM at Berkeley Street Studio, the New Yorkers performed two four-song sets that bookended an interview conducted by the radio […]
