Tonight’s touts: ‣ Andrew McMahon brings Jack’s Mannequin to the Viper Room for a sold-out show behind the October release of his third album, “People and Things.” Don’t stay out too late, though (or set your DVR), the band also appears tonight on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.” Jack’s Mannequin kicks off a nationwide […]
An abundance of excellent music came my way from the SoCal community in 2011. My favorite 20 albums follow, with some special mentions/recommendations beyond that. It was an especially rich year for folk-rock and singer-songwriter albums, not so much for hard rock. Most of the nouveau electro and experimental releases left me cold. I didn’t […]
2011 was a robust year for music in Los Angeles. Bands broke through, bands broke down; newbies arrived in swarms, some with a bang; and old favorites raised their game, or lost their way. Today, I start a countdown of Buzz Bands LA’s 20 favorite album of the year. [Last year’s list.] First up: Nos. […]
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 […]
Well hello, Sunday. What can we do for you? And vice versa. ‣L.A. darlings Airborne Toxic Event headline tonight’s L.A. 101 fest at the Gibson Amphitheater along with Tokyo Police Club, Delta Spirit, Built To Spill, Electric Guest and Jenny O. Indoor/outdoor stages, exhibits, vendors and food trucks, oh my! ‣The co-headlining tour of L.A.’s […]
Voxhaul Broadcast is one Los Angeles’ finer musical offerings who offer up a tight package of bluesy rock with melody and grit. Earlier this year they released “Timing Is Everything” (their debut full-length album which boasts the passionate “Leaving on the 5th” and the funky punk of “Cheetah”) and now the boys are taking it […]
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 […]
Your solid Saturday touts: ‣ Power pop fanatics need not stay home tonight, because the Posies [pictured above] play 1993’s “Frosting On The Beater” tonight at the Viper Room. ‣ She never really just worked 9 to 5. Country’s legendary lady Dolly Parton plays a second night at Hollywood Bowl. ‣ Chillwavers Memory Tapes headlines […]
Rival Sons, “Pressure and Time” – When Jay Buchanan first surfaced, he was a pop songsmith trading in “middle-of-the-road adult alternative” (iTunes’ description), and he did it better than most. Whatever Kool-Aid he drank with new bandmates Scott Holiday, Robin Everhart and Michael Miley … well, bottle it. The L.A. quartet’s debut album “Pressure and […]
The video for Voxhaul Broadcast’s single “Leaving on the 5th” was inspired by “Thomas Edison’s’ ”˜Serpentine Dance’ on hand-tinted film,” director Justin Franklin tell Spinner, where the clip debuted today. It works, especially with the song’s pin-prick guitar line and grandiose yearning. The L.A. quartet’s debut “Timing Is Everything,” came out last month after a […]
