[What a weekend ahead. Festivals, great big shows, great small shows, George Michael’s birthday … There’s a lot to mention here, so follow along.] Two festivals that have plenty of you buzzing: ‣ Electric Daisy Carnival, today and Saturday at Exposition Park and the L.A. Coliseum. [Set times here.] ‣ Vans Warped Tour, today at […]
[Thanks to everyone who helped make Tuesday night’s Buzz Bands LA show at the Echo a smash hit. It felt like a whole weekend crammed into a couple of hours. Now, on with our week:] The Rescues, the L.A. quartet whose undeniable songs have been all over some of your favorite TV shows recently, headline […]
[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, […]
[Notes gleaned on a gorgeous Saturday morning in L.A. …] Half of me wishes I were in Grant Park in Chicago for Lollapalooza – the other half thinks that it’s OK that I missed a rain-soaked Day 1. Of local interest: The Henry Clay People (recommended by the likes of MTV) played early and didn’t […]
[Birthday cheers to Fran Healy of Travis. And speaking of cheers, it’s hard to go wrong if you go out tonight:] The free “Also I Like to Rock” series winds up its run at the Hammer Museum with Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros playing from their recently released album of ’60s-styled anthems, “Up From […]
[Happy 40th to Flaming Lips drummer Steven Drozd. Now keep the beat while I run through tonight’s exhausting list of shows:] Give the Church credit – most bands who are still going concerns at the end of their third decade are just playing greatest-hits sets. The Australian quartet, touring behind a new album, “Untitled #23,” […]
[Happy birthday to silky smooth soul singer Anthony Hamilton, the pride of Charlotte, N.C. …] Speaking of Charlotte, another one of that city’s native sons, Benji Hughes [pictured], is back in L.A., where he’s on a first-name basis with many fans of his sprawling, genre-hopping album “A Love Extreme.” (“Gonna go see Benji tomorrow?” somebody […]
[Happy birthday, Mac Davis — I hope you’re keeping it in the fairway …] The Ettes’ female-fronted garage rock, first unleashed on L.A. ears about four years ago, is hardly better than on its September release “Look at Life Again Soon” – urgent, low-fi, gnarly and making you wonder who’d win if the Ramones arm-wrestled […]
[Happy 40th birthday to Dave Grohl. My, they grow up fast …] Glasvegas [pictured], the Glaswegian quartet with the thick brogues, gnarly guitars and big hype, hits L.A. for the first time, playing a Troubadour show that was sold out long ago. Fun night in Long Beach, where the Meat Puppets and Stab City visit […]
[Birthday greetings go out to Kenny Loggins today …] It’s the time of year when many British newbies dip their toes into American waters for the first time, and one of the first bands off the plane is Brighton’s IKOMA, an in-your-face rock quartet who sound like they could have honed their chops on the […]
