Singer-guitarist Xander Smith has been busy. He’s been continent-hopping with his neo-shoegaze band Run Run Run and working on his second solo album, “Outside” – which includes contributions from New Order’s Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Phil Cunningham. The fan-funded “Ouside,” due July 15, features Smith in straight-ahead singer-songwriter form, recalling the troubadours of the […]
Having stamped themselves as a band to watch at Coachella, Australia’s the Preatures blew threw town again this week, the quintet playing new songs as well as those from last year’s “Is This How You Feel” EP. Tuesday night’s show at the Echo all felt pretty good, especially with a luminous support set from L.A.’s […]
Here’s what’s up on a Thursday: ‣ Experimental pop wunderkind Merrill Garbus, aka Tune-Yards (or tUnE-yArDs, if you must), plays a sold-out show at the Fonda Theatre, supported by Sylvan Esso, Above, the video for “Water Fountain.” ‣ Australian quartet the Jezabels rock the El Rey Theatre behind their new album “The Brink.” Gold & […]
Folk-rock heavyweight Jonathan Wilson, neo-soul outfit the Internet and Latino alternative rockers Las Cafeteras highlight the summer’s Figat7th Downtown Festival – six consecutive Friday nights of free concerts in the plaza of the retail center located at Figueroa and 7th streets. The concerts kick off at 8 p.m. each Friday from July 18 to Aug. […]
Live music returns to Century City’s Annenberg Space for Photography this summer when Gregg Allman, Shelby Lynne and Wynonna & the Big Noise headline shows in conjunction with the music’s exhibition “Country: Portraits of an American Sound.” Two years ago, the Annenberg staged wildly popular shows to go along with its exhibition “Who Shot Rock […]
In March we shared the demo for “Singing Bridges,” a work-in-progress by EFG, the talented triumvirate of Imaad Wasif, Josh Garza and Tom Biller. Having started as a duo under the name Electric Flower (eventually morphing to Electric Flower Group), Wasif and Garza released two EPs of tantalizing, next-level psych-rock before adding Grammy-winning producer Biller (who […]
When not sorting out Jack White interviews, reactions to interviews and apologies about those interviews, we bide our time waiting for him to release scorchers like “Lazaretto.” It’s the title track off White’s new album, which is out next week, and hopefully directors Jonas & François didn’t damage any of their equipment making the video. […]
Nine months after the release of their full-length debut “Exhibitionists,” L.A. electro-poppers Superhumanoids are exhibiting their icy cool again. The trio of Cameron Parkins, Sarah Chernoff and Max St. John, who churned out a B-sides/remixes collection this spring, unveiled a new single this week, “Come Say Hello.” It features Chernoff’s high-altitude vocals over a valley […]
The wide world of Wednesday: ‣ Singer, songwriter and sauce specialist Kelis plays the El Rey Theatre behind her new album “Food.” Have some “Jerk Ribs,” above. ‣ Tech N9ne and Freddie Gibbs bring their “independent Grind” tour to the House of Blues. ‣ The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb visits the Hollywood Bowl. ‣ Danish […]
“I’m not that old / but I’m getting pretty wise,” sings Mario Cuomo sings on “Southern Comfort,” the opening track to the Orwells‘ new album “Disgraceland.” He’s right. Coumo and his cohorts were only 17 years old when they first busted out of the Chicago suburbs and aren’t much older now, but oh how they […]