Bands who were all dressed up for Sunset Junction and now have nowhere to go scrambled to find other gigs this week in the wake of the festival’s cancellation. Talent buyers with holes in their weekend schedules suddenly have myriad options. Here’s what’s on our radar (Thursday morning updates in red, Thursday afternoon updates in […]
“Please speak to me / with empathy / and I won’t fight back,” sings frontman Matt Schwartz of L.A. quartet Chasing Kings. In their new video music video for “Empathy,” Schwartz definitely isn’t fighting back, but his bandmates certainly aren’t showing any compassion either. Dragging him into an abandoned shed and pinning him down to […]
Tonight’s touts: ‣ Portland rockers Portugal. The Man are doing it right on the day their new album “In the Mountain in the Cloud” is released. They’re on KCRW this morning, and do two shows later, a 4:30 p.m. acoustic set and a cozy show at El Cid (both of which will be webcast on […]
Tonight’s fare (hope to see you in Westwood): ‣ The seventh annual Also I Like to Rock series kicks off at the Hammer Museum, featuring up-and-coming U.K. electro-folk sensations Graffiti6 (that’s their video for “Stone in My Heart,” above) and L.A. indie-rock trio Eastern Conference Champions. The free show in the museum’s courtyard kicks off […]
[Birthday shout-out today to Tommy Keene – now, for tonight …] Top stops on a Thursday: ‣ Seems like forever ago that Ida Maria built a “Fortress Round My Heart.” It was back in 2008 when the Norwegian rocker dented playlists with “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” and “Oh My God,” […]
Tuesday’s things: ‣ Queens of the Stone Age celebrate the reissue of their debut album (expanded and remastered, of course) with a sold-out show at the Wiltern Theatre. ‣ Buzz Bands LA’s SecondTuesday songwriter series goes off a Lot 1 Cafe in Echo Park, featuring J. Irvin Dally, Soft Pipes, Miracle Parade and Wayne Everett. […]
For your fantastic Friday: ‣ Singer-songwriter Henry Wolfe, the son of Meryl Streep who’s been praised for his smart, sticky tunes, celebrates the release of his album “Linda Vista” at the Hotel Cafe. Ferraby Lionheart and Charlie Wadhams make it a value-added stop. ‣ New Zealand’s electro-pop whiz kids the Naked and Famous play a […]
Billy Harvey, the longtime Texas singer-songwriter who’s now splitting his time between Austin and Los Angeles, and Silver Lake mainstay Charlie Wadhams will co-headline the next installment of SecondTuesday, Buzz Bands LA’s songwriter series at Lot 1 Cafe, on March 8. The evening starts at 9 p.m. with a set from Paper Tiger, the project […]
Chasing Kings’ November residency at the Silverlake Lounge found the L.A. four-piece more revved up than ever – and that’s pretty amped, if you’ve ever seen frontman Matt Schwartz rage on the keyboards. Abetted by Drew Beck, Mike Goldman and Nick Sandler, Schwartz has ratcheted up the intensity of the quartet’s piano-driven indie-rock. Their crisper […]
[Take pause this morning to Imagine on the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death.] Top 4 places to get your midweek on: ‣ Three local bands finishing up the year behind strong albums – Delta Spirit (“History From Below”), Darker My Love (“Alive As You Are”) and the Fling (“When the Madhouses Appear”) – team […]
