Keeping it fresh on a Friday – that’s what today’s Buzz Bands LA Show on Moheak Radio is all about. Join me at 11 a.m. for new music from Banks, the Coals, Amanda Jo Williams, Mark Braaten, WALLA, Kisses, Irontom and Davis Fetter – as well as music from forthcoming albums by The 88, Western […]
Now into their second decade, L.A. quartet The 88 has pretty much done it all: The foursome of Keith Slettedahl, Adam Merrin, Anthony Zimmitti and Todd O’Keefe have been next-big-things (ah, that Spaceland residency) and major-label shoulda-beens;Â they’ve released five full-lengths; they’ve scored movies; they’ve been serial contributors to films, TV shows, video games and […]
What a start to the weekend: ‣ Richard Thompson, the 64-year-old legend whose latest album “Electric” solidifies his place in the pantheon of guitar greats, brings his electric trio to the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre. ‣ Seven Saturdays [see our post on “One in 3”] celebrates the release of their self-titled album by bringing its […]
“I’ve been starting over for a long time / I’m not ready for the second wave / The weight of seeing through,” sings Mikal Cronin on the MCII’s opening track “Weight.” However, Cronin’s delivery is chipper on this track and, for that matter, most of the rest of follow-up to his self-titled debut. Cronin’s first […]
Next-gen indie-pop fans, meet the old school: The Ocean Blue’s atmospheric music came on the radar more than two decades ago, their early albums drawing comparisons to the Smiths, Cocteau Twins, New Order and Aztec Camera. Now the Pennsylvania-bred quartet of David Schelzel, Bobby Mittan, Oed Ronne and Peter Anderson has released its first-full-length in […]
L.A. quartet the Shakers covered a lot of well-trodden ground on their debut full-length “Oh So Loud,” which boasted heavy-metal riffage straight out of the Sunset Strip’s past, thunderous rhythms and a singer, Jodie Schell, intent on making it sound urgent and fresh. Schell and bandmates Chris Lee, Kyle Kozlowski and Nick Woods have been […]
New York City-born, UCLA-educated singer Gabrielle Wortman launched her career as rock frontwoman before segueing to the electronic project Tempest (aka TEMP3ST). However, upon meeting fellow New Yorker Jason Rosen – the ex-keyboardist and guitarist for the pop-rockers Honor Society – things took a turn. And from the sound of their new side project Smoke […]
In the thick of it on a Thursday: ‣ Detroit indie-pop band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. plays the El Rey Theatre behind its new EP “Patterns” [that’s the new video for “Dark Water,” above], with and Bad Suns opening. ‣ His new album “Mala” having come out in March, Devendra Banhart headlines the Fonda Theatre. […]
Sonny & the Sunsets‘ forthcoming record “Antenna to the Afterworld” Â bounces back and forth between twee boy-girl verses reminiscent of Saturday Looks Good to Me and chugging rock chords echoing the Feelies, making it the most charming record yet from Sonny Smith and his San Francisco-based posse. Much of this charisma comes from the innocent […]
Everybody who heard the soulful first volleys from Jillian Banks – doing business simply as Banks – figured there’d be more good things to come from the L.A.-based songstress. Indeed, Banks’ second single, “Warm Water,” arrived this week with a tingle, and with production courtesy of U.K producer Orlando Higginbottom, aka Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. […]