Leonard Jackson last crossed our radar in 2008 as singer-guitarist for the Ethan Allen-produced, Mark Needham-mixed, Killers-influenced rock quartet the Forward. Directions changed, and Jackson eventually found himself plying his songwriting skills composing for film and TV. Now Imperial Mammoth – his new project with singer-harpist-keyboardist (and his bride-to-be) Laura Jane Scott – has arrived […]
As “holidays” go, Halloween has gotten completely out of hand. But the start of dress-up-and-get-stupid weekend is making for some good shows: ‣ HARD Haunted Mansion kicks off a two-night stand at the Shrine, with the opener headlines by Fatboy Slim and many other DJs,, including Laidback Luke, Tiga, SBTRKT and the Gaslamp Killer, on […]
Mahsa Zargaran can be all sticks and fury when she’s banging the skins for L.A. rockers Sabrosa Purr and Big Black Delta, but the Iranian-born multi-instrumentalist is not just a little drummer girl. Zargaran is classically trained pianist – and, in her solo project Omniflux, a sculptor of brooding art-rock that fans of PJ Harvey […]
The Black Keys are getting ready for their “Back to Black” campaign in support of their forthcoming album “El Camino.” The rock duo follows up their Grammy-winning album “Brothers” by reuniting with Danger Mouse for production, and “El Camino” will arrive Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records. Although December may seem a long time from now, […]
Those who’ve witnessed Sarah Negahdari perform outside her role as frontwoman / pixie shredder of the L.A. indie-rock trio the Happy Hollows know that her imagination can run wild, and rope listeners into accompanying her to a far-off place. “Negahdariland,” it’s been called, and it seems to be the birthplace of her solo work, which […]
Thursday’s things: ‣ Can I have a those-were-the-days moment? Check out this video for “It’s a Shame About Ray” (which, of course, the record company has not seen fit to make embeddable but is still worth the extra click). It’s the title track from the Lemonheads’ fifth album, released in one of my favorite musical […]
Harper Blynn is no doubt an alternative rock band, but the Brooklyn quartet does a fine job of peeling away the narrow, rough connotation that often accompanies the label. Guitars roar and the drums are a driving force in their songs, but folk influences from their initial days as a duo consisting of Peter Harper […]
Voxhaul Broadcast’s debut album “Timing Is Everything,” which came out back in March, wasn’t so much a feast as a sampler platter of of fare that the L.A. quartet found tasty in its first four years – soul-infused pop, biting indie rock, and even a bit of U.K.-flavored psychedelia from material originally recorded for its […]
Austin’s the Strange Boys get out of the garage – at least production-wise – on “Live Music” (out this week on Rough Trade), their third album in as many years. But they still haven’t gotten out of the ’60s, which is all right, considering their folk ’n’ blues ’n’ psych ’n’ roll seems made to […]
Your Wednesday show picks: ‣ Happy times and exuberant music at the El Rey Theatre, where Grouplove and Family of the Year hold forth. Grouplove’s debut “Never Trust a Happy Song” came out in September (that’s the video for “Tongue Tied,” above), and Family of the Year this month released its new “St. Croix” EP. […]