The Desert Stars Festival – once known as the Clean Air Clear Stars fest – has had an up-and-down record during its seven-year run at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown. The annual gathering, held in the fall and always leaning toward desert-appropriate psych-rock, has had some epic weekends, and some not-so-epic ones. This year’s eighth […]
The wild world of Wednesday: ‣ Nickel Creek, back with a new album titled “A Dotted Line,” does a sold-out show at the Wiltern, supported by Secret Sisters. ‣ New music in tow, Dead Sara winds up its mini-tour of L.A. venues with a show at the Satellite, supported by Giver and Rival Tides. ‣ […]
L.A.’s Washing Machines return with their sophomore EP “Quick Fix,” and the title rings true as it is only three songs but gets the job done if you’re in the mood for angsty punk that pleases the likes of Kurt Cobain fans. They may have parted ways with Chris Hansen, but as a quartet Washing Machine […]
Psych-pop agitators White Arrows have toured their kaleidoscopic duds off since releasing “Dry Land Is Not a Myth” in 2012. The debut couched various existential crises in danceable electro-rock and reverb, and perhaps still unsure whether they are “Coming or Going,” the L.A. quintet has embarked on making “In Bardo,” the follow-up album that is […]
Having used the same escape hatch from Utah as fellow Provo natives the Moth & the Flame, Spencer Petersen and Thomas Carroll have played in L.A. bands such as Eyes Lips Eyes and SWIMM. Now singer-guitarist Petersen is debuting his own project, Sego, and judging from the first single “20 Years Tall,” it ought to […]
Morgan Kibby’s knack of weaving ethereal vocals and tingling electro-pop has always been a thread in her work with M83, but her voice is finally showcased on “In Cold Blood” (out now via Crush Music). On her first full-length under the solo moniker White Sea – she released a 2011 EP titled “This Frontier” and […]
What’s up for your Tuesday: ‣ Irish singer-songwriter Hozier returns to L.A. for a sold-out show at the Troubadour. ‣ Band of Skulls rock the Observatory behind their new album “Himalayan,” with Deap Vally opening. ‣ Trapdoor Social celebrates today’s release of its new “Science of Love” EP with a show at the Viper Room […]
Why it took so long for this show to sell out, the spirits only know. But to packed El Rey Theatre on Saturday night, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger and Fever the Ghost delivered psychedelic experiences both whimsical and moving. They left the crowd – with its fair share of men with women’s […]
There’s a band called Desperate Journalist, and if they adopted that name to get the attention of the likes of me … Well done, kids. Maybe my band Disconsolate Artrocker can open for you? Certainly my last five years of underemployment would have enjoyed a better soundtrack had songs like “Happening” dominated the public domain […]
KCRW’s stamp will be all over the Southern California live music again scene this summer. The fifth annual KCRW Summer Nights series – part of which was announced this morning – is highlighted by the return of live music to the Annenberg Space for Photography, “Made in L.A.” club nights at the Hammer Museum; and […]
