Author: Kristen

Must Download: Dead Sara’s “Weatherman”

Posted on by Kristen

In anticipation of their album coming out this fall, LA rock quartet Dead Sara have released their first single, one of my favorite DS tunes, “Weatherman”. Dead Sara is one of the best bands coming out of LA right now (in my opinion). Go download their song and see for yourself. Blast it through the speakers and I dare you to resist the urge to rock out.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/weatherman-single/id455843164

 

Now that you’re craving more, go join their email list to get another song from the forthcoming album for free!

http://www.facebook.com/deadsara?sk=app_202347409820924

Finally, since your interest has been piqued, go see them LIVE as they open for Bush on a portion of their fall tour. If you’re in LA, Dead Sara  has several upcoming gigs, including playing the SSMF on the 19th at The Roxy with Buckcherry.

http://www.facebook.com/deadsara?sk=events

 

 

 

 

~ Kristen

 

 

 

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/8-8/14

Posted on by Kristen

SOOO many things to be excited about this week. Too many really. The Milk Carton Kids CD release and Nico Vega at Saint Rocke on the same night…it’s like making me choose which of my theoretical children I like more. And throw in John Elliot’s CD release, a rare Matthew Jordan performance, and a stacked line-up at The Hudson block party and well…can I be in like 5 places at once?

Also this week, some of my favorite out-of-state musicians are in LA. Nashville’s Andrew Belle, Philadelphia’s Adam Arcuaragi, and New York City’s Kill the Alarm are all must see performances.

And that’s just the start of all the great acts I’d love to see this week. It’s a good time to be in Los Angeles, that’s for sure! Hope you can all make it out to at least a show or two this week. There are certainly enough great ones to choose from.

 

Here’s my list:

 

Monday: Robert Francis FREE at Bootleg Bar (11pm)
ALSO: Infantree and Whispering Pines FREE at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 featuring Brooke Northrop, Annaliese, Wes Poland, and Joel Eckels (9pm)

 

Tuesday: Jes Hudak at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Johnny Moezzi at The Foundry on Melrose (9pm)
ALSO: Juke Kartel at The Viper Room (10:30)
ALSO: Beachwood Rockers at The Piano Bar (free music from 8-?)

 

Weds: Adam Arcuragi at The Hotel Cafe (7pm)
ALSO: Sia and Oh Land at The Wiltern (7pm)
ALSO: Warped Tour in Carson (11am)

 

Thursday: Beatnik Jr. at Silverlake Lounge (9pm)
ALSO: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Benefit at Cafe Was featuring acoustic sets from Ernie Halter, The Material, Kyle Nicolaides, and more (8pm)
ALSO: Lovers Drugs at Good Hurt (10pm)
ALSO: Golden State and Family of The Year at The Roxy (8pm)
ALSO: Ellie Goulding at The Wiltern (6:30)
ALSO: Toy and Lifehouse at Ventura County Fair (7:30)

 

Friday: Schuyler Fisk and Andrew Belle at The Mint (8,9)
ALSO: Vas Defrans at Amplyfi (8pm)
ALSO: The Young Romans at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: The Decemberists at The Greek Theater (7:30)
ALSO: Rodrigo y Gabriela at The Hollywood Bowl (8:30)

 

Saturday: Milk Carton Kids CD Release at McCabe’s (8pm)
ALSO: Nico Vega at Saint Rocke (11pm)
ALSO: Bird By Bird at On the Rox (5pm)
ALSO: Amiee Mann FREE at Marina Del Rey
ALSO: Matt Jordan at Genghis Cohen (9:30)
ALSO: John Elliot and the Hereafter record release at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: Addison Strong at The Viper Room (10:30)
ALSO: The Hudson Block Party featuring Saint Motel, Andy Clockwise, Races, Dead Sara and more (1-11pm)
ALSO: Rodrigo y Gabriela at The Hollywood Bowl (8:30)

 

Sunday: Kill the Alarm at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Andrew Belle at The Foundry on Melrose (9pm)
ALSO: Jack and White at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Milk Carton Kids in Ventura at Zoey’s (8pm)

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
August 16th: Mutemath at The Troubadour
August 18th: Nico Vega at The Roxy
August 18th and 25th: The Veronicas at The Viper Room
August 18th: TFDI at The Hotel Cafe
August 18th and 19th: Death Cab for Cutie and Frightened Rabbit at The Greek Theater
August 19th: Buckcherry at The Roxy
August 18-20th: SSMF
August 22nd: Ben Rector at The Hotel Cafe
August 22nd: Scarlet Grey at The Troubadour
August 27-28th: Sunset Junction
September 3rd: FYF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 24th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
March 13th-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

New Band Love: Harper Blynn

Posted on by Kristen

The best band discoveries are always the ones that come unexpectedly. You’re sitting in the back at the bar talking to some friends when this band you’ve never even heard of takes the stage. They may not look like much (or they may look bat shit crazy) and you kind of cock your head in mild amusement, surveying the musicians on stage and their particular set up for anything of note.  You’re just about to dismiss them as another one in a loooong line of mediocre bands when they start to play. By the end of the first song, your attention is rapt.  A couple songs in and you note the goosebumps on your arms. Then, before you know it, you’ve gravitated to the front of the room and you’re dancing, swaying, fist pumping, hand clapping, throwing gang signs, or whatever the style of music necessitates. You have this question swimming around your head; “Where has this music been all my life?!?” The excitement is palpable. You might even find yourself at the merch booth before the set is over to make sure that you get a copy of what is soon to be your new favorite CD.

At least…that’s how it happens for me…

Friday night I met up with friends at The Mint. We wanted to see The Damnwells/Alex Denzen, a band from New York City that we had enjoyed for several years. We got there in time to catch one of their openers, another NYC –based band called Harper Blynn. I think it was about two songs into Harper Blynn’s set and we were already discussing the possibility of driving down to San Diego the next day to see them play again. I’m not sure what exactly hooked me. Perhaps it was some combination of rock intensity mixed with catchy melodies interlaced with intricate harmonies and fun guitar solos (although if I had to categorize the group I might go with folk pop). The energy jumping from the stage was easily picked up by the audience who packed the venue (tables had to be moved!). I had goosebumps and an overwhelming urge to make a beeline to the merch booth.  I had fallen in love.

 

Since Friday, Harper Blynn’s 2010 release, Loneliest Generation, has gotten a lot of play in my car and in the office. I found myself wishing that I had had this CD a few years ago when I was going through my quarter-life crisis. Lyrically, the tunes speak to my mid-twenties self, floating on that line between youthful idealism and realizations about harsher realities. Right now, my favorite songs are the more upbeat “This Is It” and the perfectly titled “25 Years” but the slow melodic beauty of songs like “The Doubt” and the building anthemic quality of “All Pretenders” showcase the band’s ability strike a deeper emotional chord and highlight the reasons why I love their music. Harper Blynn also have a self titled EP released this year.

 

Monday night, I headed out once again to see The Damnwells as well as the always enchanting Cary Brothers at Bardot in Hollywood. I enjoyed the sets from The Damnwells and Cary Brothers (both backed the members of Harper Blynn), but I was especially ecstatic when Cary announced that he was ending his set a couple songs early in order to let “the hardest working band in show-biz” (or at least that evening) take the stage and perform a couple of their songs. The place exploded when Harper Blynn did one of their tunes and then followed it up by their fun cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” (could that song be more catchy?!?). The DJ who played after the band did not have a difficult transition to make as the entire place was dancing.

 

If you want to learn more about Harper Blynn, here are some useful links. This fall they are out on the road again with The Damnwells, hitting up cities in the midwest and east coast. Check their website for the specifics (sadly no west coast dates…).

http://www.harperblynn.com/Home.html

http://www.facebook.com/harperblynn?sk=app_178091127385

http://twitter.com/#!/harperblynn

~ Kristen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kristen’s LA Concert Calendar: 8/1-8/7

Posted on by Kristen

Enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon catching up with friends via email or phone and listening to George Stanford from the comfort of my home. Maybe this live stream thing isn’t such a bad thing after all. Join George next Sunday 3pm PST (http://www.livestream.com/georgestanford) and listen to him sing (yes he takes requests) and ramble on about…anything. It’s cool because there are people from all over the country gathering together listening to music…I wish we could do this kind of thing more often.

 

But for those of you in Los Angeles, so many live shows you can go to this week. Here are my suggestion:

 

Monday: It’s a school night at Bardot featuring Cary Brothers and The Damnwells (10pm)…FREE with RSVP (http://www.itsaschoolnight.com/)
ALSO: The Belle Brigade at The Grammy Museum (7:30)
ALSO: The Californian at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: Taylor Locke and Robert Francis FREE at Bootleg Bar (9,11)
ALSO: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)

 

Tuesday: Justin Jones, Raining Jane, Bushwalla at The Hotel Cafe (7,9,10)…Raining Jane record release
ALSO: Toy FREE at Hard Rock Cafe in Hollywood (9pm)
ALSO: Youngblood Hawke at The Satellite (10pm)
ALSO: Stop Motion Poetry at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: The Naked & Famous at The Music Box

 

Weds: The Alternate Routes at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Anna Nalick at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Moderne Man at The Viper Room (10:50)

 

Thursday: Brian Wright at The Foundry on Melrose (9pm)
ALSO: Terra Naomi at The Hotel Cafe as part of YouTube Songwriters in the Round (8pm)

 

Friday: Keaton Simons at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)…beginning of the Keaton residency
ALSO: Abandoned Pools at The Viper Room (10:45)
ALSO: Harris Grade at Amplyfi (10:15)

 

Saturday: The Janks at The Hotel Cafe (10pm)
ALSO: Fat City Reprise at O’Briens (10pm)
ALSO: Brian Wright at Saint Rocke (9pm)

 

Sunday: something always comes up by Sunday…

 

 

To Keep in Mind:
August 10th: Sia at The Wiltern
August 11th: Toy and Lifehouse at Ventura County Fair
August 11th: Ellie Goulding at The Wiltern
August 12-14th: Outside Lands in San Francisco
August 12th: Andrew Belle at The Mint
August 13th: Milk Carton Kids CD Release at McCabe’s
August 13th: Nico Vega at Saint Rocke
August 16th: Mutemath at The Troubadour
August 18th: Nico Vega at The Roxy
August 18th and 25th: The Veronicas at The Viper Room
August 18th: TDIF at The Hotel Cafe
August 19th: Buckcherry at The Roxy
August 18-20th: SSMF
August 22nd: Ben Rector at The Hotel Cafe
August 27-28th: Sunset Junction
September 3rd: FYF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
September 22nd: Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights at The Viper Room
September 24th: William Elliot Whitmore at Bootleg Theater
September 25th: The Lonely Forest at The Wiltern
October 14th: Butterfly Boucher at Bootleg Theater
March 13-18th: SXSW (Austin, TX)

~ Kristen

http://twitter.com/#!/_localmusicnat

Listen to This!: When I Stop Running – TFDI

Posted on by Kristen

Tony Lucca, Matt Duke, and Jay Nash are three of my favorite singer-songwriters. Last year they went on a tour christened the “Totally F*ckin’ Doin’ It” (TFDI) Tour. The tour was a smashing success, spawning a 4 song TFDI EP that had the masses demanding more. This summer, the trio announced another TFDI tour coupled with the release of a full length album, When I Stop Running. I downloaded the album a couple days ago and I can’t stop listening. It’s a combination of tunes, familiar and new, all sung by some combination of voices that alone have the ability to stir the soul and together…well, can we say super group?  I’m enjoying the group takes on classics like Lucca’s “Darlin’ I” and Nash’s “Sweet Talking Liar”, but I’m even more excited about songs I hadn’t heard before like “Hurtin Kind” and the titular “When I Stop Running” as well as fun covers like a slowed down version of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and the incredibly apropos “On the Road Again.”

If you want a description of what the trio has to offer, I’d point you to the TFDI facebook page where each of the three artists relays their take on this unique “bromance” and the upcoming tour. Here’s what Jay Nash had to say:

“It’s a simple equation, but it works incredibly well,” says Nash. “Three distinct songwriting voices and three guitars is the general blueprint, but this time around, expect surprises. Lucca gravitates toward an R&B and soul vibe, Matt Duke brings in the alternative rock, and I suppose that I am the hippie/Americana fan. Somehow it all blends together into beautiful cacophony. Last fall, I think that we found a great starting point and I cannot wait to continue on stage and in the studio. Also, Matt Duke, if you could bring an extra toothbrush along, that would be great.”

The TFDI Tour is coming through California in August. The Hotel Cafe on the 18th, Saint Rocke on the 19th, The Ventura Folk Festival on the 20th, Anthology in San Diego on the 28th. Check out the tour page for more info on cities and dates that take the trio all over the country through the fall months.

You can download When I Stop Running on Amazon where you can get “Stranger in a Strange Place” for free!

Here’s a promo for their tour last fall…

 

~ Kristen

New Music Tuesday 7/26/11

Posted on by Kristen

It’s Tuesday! New music comes out today! Here’s what I’ve got on the top of my shopping list (there are some really good ones this week):

 

Living Like Kings in Confined Space – Halos

I’ve enjoyed this band every time I’ve seen them. Their song “Amalgam” made my SXSW 2011 mix. I’m really looking foward to finally having this album. If you like soaring rock songs, you should check it out. And if you’re in LA, come to their record release party TONIGHT at The Viper Room. 8pm.

Download the album here

 

 

Indians – Indians

Joe Hursley (The Ringers) strikes again with this first album from his new band, Indians. This high energy debut does a decent job at capturing the crazy intensity of a live Indians performance. I’ve been listening to it since the CD release party at The Viper Room last Friday. Songs like “Long Way Home” and my favorite (at least thus far) “Dream Store” are perfect “get pumped up songs” and I’m finding this CD a perfect mood setter for a night out on the town.

Download the album here

 

 

Pressure and Time – Rival Sons

I had no idea this CD wasn’t officially released yet. I’ve been groovin’ with it for weeks now. This LA based bluesy rock band has been on my list of acts to see ever since I first heard singer Jay Buchanan sing his first note at an intimate Hotel Cafe mini set. Rival Sons seem to be getting more notice lately; playing gigs around the world, having their video played on MTVU, and being nominated for classic rock Hall of Honour awards.  Definitely a group to keep your eyes on.

Buy the album here

 

 

LP1– Joss Stone 

I haven’t heard any of this yet, but I’ve been a fan of this soulful Brit since 2003’s Soul Sessions and I’m definitely interested to see what she’s been up to lately.

 

Buy it here

 

 

Happy Listening!

 

~ Kristen

PS: apparently Nico Vega’s debut LP was not available worldwide on ITunes until today. This is one of my very favorite CDs so if you don’t yet have it, give it a download. You won’t regret it.

 

New Band Alert: Milo Greene

Posted on by Kristen

 

Their first show was in March, and they’ve already played to a packed crowd for the Hammer Museum’s “I Also Like to Rock” series. Last night was the first time I was able to see Milo Greene at The Bootleg Theater opening for Races. I was mesmerized by all the beautiful voices…especially when they started working together to create gorgeous harmonies or counter melodies. I was also excited to see a couple familiar faces up on stage, former members of the sadly defunct LINKS. If you want a comparison, they remind me a bit of Seattle’s The Head and The Heart (an LMN fave). But really, you should check them out for yourselves. Their next posted gig seems to be at Sunset Junction. In the meantime, get to know the band! Here follows the appropriate links…

 

http://milogreene.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/milogreene

http://www.facebook.com/MiloGreene?sk=info

http://milogreene.bandcamp.com/

 

UPDATE: Milo Greene announce tour with The Civil Wars. Touring all over. Check out the dates here and get your tickets before they sell out: http://milogreene.com/live.html

 

Listen and Love!

~ Kristen