Josh Klinghoffer is an axeman extraordinaire – his latest gig, of course, is as John Frusciante’s successor in Red Hot Chili Peppers – but the album he made as Dot Hacker is not a guitarist’s album, at least not in the way the solo works of Frusciante or, say, Graham Coxon are. The music, made […]
When the Bixby Knolls rocked a residency last May at the Echo, the release of the L.A. quartet’s full-length album seemed imminent. We’re still waiting, but the quartet of Curt Barlage, Sammy Fayed, Christian Morales and Cesar Saez De Nanclares have issued a warning: Their music could be dangerous. Decadence reigns in the Bixby Knolls’ […]
That Noise has been cultivating its radio-ready roar since 2007, with its principals, vocals Jawnee Burkes and guitarist Jay Skinner working around other projects while trying to tap into fans of bands like Nine Inch Nails and Muse. Their tense, densely layered alt-rock is neither as glossy nor dancefloor-ready as many bands who use synths […]
Your to-do list for the evening: ‣ With a new EP “Headcage” out in January and the album “Beams” on the way this spring, Matthew Dear visits the Eagle Rock Center for the Ars, supported by Mini Mansions and ESP. [You can download Dear’s the title track to “Headcage” here.] ‣ Ra Ra Riot, whose […]
Darren Weiss is no longer one of the Girls – the Encino-reared drummer-songwriter recently departed the celebrated San Francisco indie-rock band to concentrate on his own PAPA, music he has been incubating since his college days in New York City. PAPA’s debut EP “A Good Woman Is Hard to Find” (released in October) was recorded […]
What would happen if Rilo Kiley were just starting out amid today’s garage-rock surge? Well, they would sound a lot like Bermuda Dunes-based band You Me & Us. They may call their genre of music “dog pop,” and they may not have a single song over 2 minutes 30 seconds on their “Paperweights” EP, but […]
Welcome to Black Flamingo’s disquieting video for “Haunted House,” a piece of cinematography that the band owes all to … well, to Black Flamingo. In the true DIY spirit, the shadowy Los Angeles dream-pop sextet – Kimi Recor, Christopher Vick, Alexander Posell, Poul Johansen, Amberlie Bankoff and Mareesa Stertz (not to mention Chuck Taylor as the […]
Is there something overweight about this Tuesday? ‣ Minneapolis’ Polica, the new project from Gayngs’ Ryan Olson and singer Channy Casselle, bring their dreamy psychedelia to the Bootleg Bar, where Pollyn and the One AM Radio open. Polica just released its debut album “Give You the Ghost,” and that’s the new video for “Amongster,” above. […]
Jasmine Ash is mostly known for being the frontwoman and main songwriter for L.A. indie pop band Oh Darling. She recently stepped out on her own for a solo debut titled “Beneath The Noise,” and here her pop sensibility shines the brightest yet. Although Ash’s feather-light high register always seems to trickle a sweet layer […]
L.A. songstress Sara Radle, who recently celebrated the release of her fifth solo album, “Same Sun Shines,” will head up the lineup for the next Buzz Bands LA monthly songwriter night, on March 6 at Lot 1 Cafe. She’ll be joined by Andrew Carroll & Jessi Williams of the Lonely Wild, who will be doing […]
