[Holy Thanksgiving leftovers, it’s almost December. And happy birthday, Steve Aoki …] The fun folks at Buddyhead are throwing a party at the Hotel Cafe, and the loaded lineup looks like this: Imaad Wasif, Dios, Olin and the Moon and Mini Mansions, among others. … Seasons, whose song “The Weight” will be somewhere near the […]
[It’ll be Buzz Bands Lite for a couple days whilst your faithful correspondent goes on a little trip. So, briefly, here’s what’s on tap tonight:] Not that you should need any extra reasons to check out the Happy Hollows residency at Spaceland, but here’s one: New Jersey quartet Real Estate [download below] – turning a […]
[I’m back from vacation, although I’m not sure my brain is yet, and here to wish Natalie Merchant a happy birthday and offer a wide-ranging menu of show options for tonight:] The Gossip’s big-sounding major label debut, “Music for Men” [download below], came out this month on Columbia, and the dance-punkers headline the Fonda tonight. […]
[Apologies for the server problems that befuddled Buzz Bands all morning. Back to disseminating:] Big doings all over town – under the stars, there is Jackson Browne at the Greek Theatre; Buddy Guy, Dr. John and the Lower 911 and James Cotton at the Hollywood Bowl; and, on a smaller scale but no less enjoyable, […]
[I’m posting these more for the quality of the songs than the videos. Enjoy:] “This Sweet Love” is one of the stellar tracks off Londoner James Yuill’s debut “Turning Down Water for Air,” as well as his new “This Sweet Love” EP. The video is the work of Alex Emslie. Yuill’s shows in L.A. earlier […]
Kazoos, face-painting, gorgeous vocal harmonies, the sweet lilt of country music and a handful of bands with really long names – the album-release party for Leslie & the Badgers’ “Roomful of Smoke” on Tuesday at Spaceland had a little bit of everything. The evening featured harmony-laden opening sets from Eagle Winged Palace and the Chapin […]
That rock cliché about smoky vocals took on a whole new meaning when Leslie Stevens and her band were recording their new album. It was 2008, and “the wildfires were raging,” Stevens says. “You could see on the hills, there were chunks of ash in the air, and you could smell it in the room.” […]
[Why, it’s Paula Abdul’s birthday today. Isn’t that nice …] Today: A seriously busy weekend gets started with the seriously beautiful orchestral maneuvers of Grizzly Bear, who are joined by Here We Go Magic to play a (very) sold-out show at the Wiltern. … It’s also opening night at the Hollywood Bowl, where the Bowl […]
[Happy birthday to Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes, all of 29 years old today. His side project, Little Joy, will be in town later this week – Thursday at the Detroit Bar and Friday at the Troubadour. Now, on to tonight …] How difficult is it to support good local bands in L.A.? Damned hard […]
[More L.A. releases, and surprises …] Olin and the Moon, “Terrible Town” (self-released) – Not to sound too hayseed, but this album’s like beer. Sometimes you cry in it; sometime you raise your glass. The L.A. quintet with roots in Sun Valley, Idaho, have birthed a “No Depression”-worthy recording that, while hardly straying from country […]
