[No, no, no, the headline is an itemization, not a commentary on James Blake. After the Buzz Bands LA day party, I was drawn as if by magic to the Time Out showcase – or maybe it wasn’t magic, it was the smell of BBQ.] Yuck (at Stubb’s) – The last time we wrote “shoegaze” […]
Brite Futures brought a lot of pink. Linda Perry brought two decades-plus of rock ’n’ roll experience and her brand new band, Deep Dark Robot. Other Lives brought enough gear to stock a music store. And Eastern Conference Champions and Voxhaul Broadcast brought new songs from albums arriving soon. Those were among the highlights Wednesday […]
Tuesday, March 15 My new found love for Fort Stockton, Texas, knows no bounds. Fort Stockton, at first glance, is a broken town. Most stores/restaurants/gas stations in town are boarded up, the gas signs show prices that make you think they have been closed for awhile. At this point we are walking zombies, we have […]
If you’re in Austin, please come by Cedar Street Courtyard – the party is free, with no RSVP necessary.
[Tour diary of Eastern Conference Champions’ SXSW sojourn. ] Day 2, Monday, 11:51 p.m. I-10 East, outside Blythe, CA, | 52 Degrees/Clear Something happens as soon as I get behind the wheel to drive – I immediately want to go to sleep. When someone else is driving, I can’t sleep ’cause I feel guilty. Sleep […]
It’s always nice to be able to see some of the big names in music all in one spot. The South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin is one of the best places to do that, but with bands passing through Los Angeles every night, it’s hard to say we haven’t seen our share of […]
[Final installment of our L.A.-centric SXSW preview … Hello, Austin:] THE TENDER BOX If you like: Britpop, sharp-dressed lads from South Gate, Indie 103.1’s “The Red Zone” (R.I.P.) What’s up with them: The south L.A. quartet looked like surefire winners four years ago, when they self-released “The Score” and found their single “Mister Sister” getting […]
[Fourth of five installments as we look at 25 L.A. bands headed to SXSW:] MEIKO If you like: Waitresses made good, Southern charm, songs in TV shows. What’s up with her: Seems like forever ago (it was 2007) when the everybody’s favorite Hotel Cafe server self-released her debut album, it was scooped up by a […]
[Like dozens of bands from L.A., Eastern Conference Champions are headed east on I-10 toward Austin for shows at this year’s South by Southwest Music Festival. The unsigned L.A. trio is packing an album’s worth of new songs – “SPEAK-AHH” will be out in April – and a bit of momentum, since their tune “Million […]
[Third of a 5-part series previewing Los Angeles acts headed to Austin to play SXSW:] HANDS If you like: Tough-to-Google band names, nifty use of samples, drama. What’s up with them: It’s no accident Hands have scored some prime gigs opening for big acts – the latest being Saturday night with DeVotchKa. Their sweeping,
