Sometimes paths in life just change no matter where you plant yourself, and composer and and singer-songwriter Keegan DeWitt can testify for unexpected outcomes. Originally from Portland, Ore., DeWitt moved to New York and set his sights on theater and film while studying under key figures such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but after making a […]
Papa’s groove-laden take on retro indie-rock carries a sweet scent of soul, not to mention a whiff of wryness. The band – the project helmed by Girls drummer Darren Weiss (that’s his big voice up front) and boyhood pal Daniel Presant – is off to a good start. Their debut EP, “A Good Woman Is […]
It’s a full-speed-ahead Friday: ‣ Z-Trip (pictured) brings his Rock Boxx Tour to the Palladium, with De La Soul, Nosaj Thing and Daddy Kev. ‣ Death Cab For Cutie is back for a second night at the Greek Theatre, with Frightened Rabbit opening. ‣ Silver Lake indie quartet Le Switch plays its farewell show at […]
Oh, Sunset Strip, you conflict me so. On one hand you are an interactive museum of rock clichés, Madame Tussauds with a pulse and a Flying V, a vast portion of your denizens seeking to inhabit the tattooed skin of GnR/Jane’s/Van Halen. On the other you inspire a certain sense of wonderment, because the fabric […]
Peter Bjorn and John have brought the mere act of streaming an album to an entirely different level. Although their latest album, “Gimme Some,” has been out since March, the Swedish trio have offered a visual component to accompany the whole record. With a very clever treatment by directors Ted Malmros and Gustaf von Arbin, […]
At a recent backyard acoustic set in Silver Lake, Jim Ward explained the evolution of his new solo work: “I’ve always made loud music,” he said. “I started At the Drive-In with Cedric [Bixler-Zavala] when I was 17, then I spent years with Sparta and Sleepercar. This is me, not being loud.” Ward’s new album, […]
“Every Little Thing,” the first single from Soft Swells, is a tight, tuneful day-brightener that bleeds optimism with every echoing chord, percussive jab and twinkling key. Funny, then, that the Mike Berlucchi-directed video for the song counterposes its sunny disposition against the overheated despair of the Salton Sea, but the desert does breed its own […]
John McCauley is a busy man. After deciding to go forward with Middle Brother, the side project whose members also include the Delta Spirit’s Matt Vasquez and Dawes’ Taylor Goldsmith, McCauley is back at it with his own band, Deer Tick, less than a year later. Their fourth studio album in just five years, “Divine […]
[So it’s “Mötley Crüe Day” in West Hollywood today as the Sunset Strip Music Festival begins in earnest tonight with a tribute to the hard rockers at the House of Blues. Don’t know whether to bring an autograph book to the red carpet or a taser.] It’s a too-many-damn-shows Thursday. Top recommendations: ‣ L.A. roots-rock […]
This just in from our friendly neighborhood local newspaper: Sunset Junction’s permits may be withheld until festival organizers pay $267,000 the city is owed. Stay tuned.
