Scars on 45 have a new video for their song “Give Me Something.” Quite a fan of this band. They’re from England, but they’ve been spending quite a bit of time in the US. They’ll be back in LA on May 4th playing at The Hard Rock Cafe.
Enjoy!
~ Kristen
It’s been about six months since we first heard and fell in love with Parade of Lights so this post is waaaaay overdue. If you’re looking for some perfectly crafted pop music that just makes you want to DANCE, look no farther than Las Vegas based Parade of Lights. Ryan Daly (vocals, guitar), Matt Frey (keys, guitar), Randy Schulte (bass, keys), and Anthony Improgo (drums) have known each other for years. They used to play together in a group called Polus. Then they drifted apart with Anthony drumming for Metro Station and Matt on tour with 30 Seconds to Mars. But now they are back together, rechristened Parade of Lights!
The first time I saw them, I was instantly drawn to their sound; catchy and fun…tunes that you just can’t get out of your head. One of the great things about following a young band is watching them develop. At the Parade of Lights show a couple weekends ago at The Vault in Temecula, I was amazed at the growth and maturity that had occurred over the last several months. The band seems to be adding more texture to their songs, infusing softer openings and head banging outros to their boppin’ pop core. I actually stopped jumping up and down for a few seconds just to marvel at their progress. I thought, it’s time to get the word out there. The world needs to know about Parade of Lights!
Fortunately for you, many of the band’s songs are available for FREE download on their facebook page. “Starstruck” is the song that made my end of 2010 mix…but it’s “Young Again” that’s been swimming in my head more recently.
If you’re curious as to how Parade of Lights got their name (we were!), watch what they said when we asked them about it:
No Parade of Lights shows on the horizon, but we’ll be sure to let you know if they come anywhere near Southern California…
~ Kristen
SO excited that Egyptian (that’s Aja Volkman from Nico Vega and Dan Reynolds from Imagine Dragons…if you didn’t know) finally have some tunes out for sale.
Check out their EP on ITunes. It includes track 15 off my 2010 end of year music mix!
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/egyptian-ep/id433029207
What’s next? Some live dates? We can only hope…
~ Kristen
Still singing and dancing to music from last night’s adventure at The Troubadour. Ben Rector and Matt Wertz were both fantastic, bringing me back to my days of Tyler Hilton, Gavin Degraw, and that ilk. I spent a lot of time in 2004-5 this week between last night and Weds night’s venture to The Hotel Cafe to see Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump busting beats with his new solo tunes. The highlight of last week, however, was Biffy Clyro down at The Belly Up. I cannot be effusive enough in the written word to describe the experience, so I won’t even try.
Let’s just say this week has a lot to live up to. If I could pick just one show it would be Thursday night at Molly Malone’s. Zane Carney (of my very first LA band love, Carney) is in town from NYC where he, as well as the rest of the band, have been very busy with the new Spiderman musical. Zane’s playing three sets; the first with a jazz band, the second with his sister Paris Carney, and the third with Stephen Hovsepian as a duo, Great Work. I am excited about the music (Zane is a master of the guitar and always a pleasure to watch), but I’m also excited about catching up with my Carney family, the first group of people I met when I moved out to LA, the majority of whom I have not seen since Carney departed.
But that’s not all that’s going on this week. It’ll be a busy one:
Monday: Songwriters in the Round at Room 5 (9pm)
ALSO: Lauryn Hill at Club Nokia (7pm)
Tuesday: Dead Sara at The Viper Room…opening for Duff McKagan’s new band, Loaded (8:30)
ALSO: Eliza Doolittle and Plan B at The El Rey (7pm)
ALSO: The Material at Whiskey a Go Go (8pm)
ALSO: Armada and Infantree at Saint Rocke (8:30, 9:30)
ALSO: The Muddy Reds at Silverlake Lounge (10pm)
ALSO: Jonathan Clark and Satellite at Molly Malone’s (8,9)
ALSO: Paul Simon at The Music Box (7pm)
Weds: Ellie Goulding at The Music Box (7pm)
ALSO: Amie Miriello and Ruby Friedman Orchestra at The Hotel Cafe (7,9)
Thursday: An evening with Zane Carney at Molly Malone’s (8: Zane Carney, John Daversa, and Sam Gendel play jazz; 9: Zane and Paris Carney; 10: The Zane and Stephan Show)
ALSO: Deep Dark Robot at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: The Shakers at The Viper Room (11pm)
ALSO: The Pretty Reckless FREE at Hard Rock Cafe (9pm)
ALSO: Kurt Vile and The Violators at The Echo (10pm)
ALSO: Brian Wright at The Foundry on Melrose (8:30)
Friday: Purple Melon at The Roxy (9pm)
ALSO: Hugo at The Viper Room (9pm)
ALSO: Lakes at The Hotel Cafe (midnight)
ALSO: Matthew Jordan at Pi (part of a songwriters in the round session, starts at 9pm)
ALSO: Eastern Conference Champions at The Echo (10pm)
Saturday: I do have a friend who will be dressing up like a crab and singing “Under The Sea” at The Troubadour…that might be interesting…
Sunday: Justin Hopkins Songwriter in the Round Series and Hugo at Saint Rocke (8,10)
ALSO: Viza at The El Rey (7:30)
To Keep in Mind:
April 25th: Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite
April 25th: The Head & The Heart at The Troubadour
April 27th: Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour
April 29th: Joe Purdy with The Milk Carton Kids at Saint Rocke
April 30th: Joe Purdy with The Milk Carton Kids at The Troubadour
May 2nd: Xavier Rudd at The El Rey
May 4th: The Pipettes at The Satellite
May 7th: The Silent Comedy at The Roxy
May 9th: KT Tunstall at The El Rey
May 14th: The Other Side of Morning CD Release
May 15th: Eisley at The Troubadour
May 20th: Curtis Peoples at The Hotel Cafe
May 21st: Saint Motel at The Roxy
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
May 27th-29th: Sasquatch Music Festival (Washington)
June 2nd: Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box
June 7th: Death Cab for Cutie and The Lonely Forest at The El Rey
June 9-12: Bonnaroo (TN)
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
June 15th: Augustana at The House of Blues Sunset
June 29th: Brooke Fraser at The Music Box
July 26th: The Indigo Girls at The Troubadour
July 28th: A Perfect Circle at Gibson Auditorium
August 12-14th: Outside Lands in San Francisco
August 18-20th: SSMF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (South Carolina)
~ Kristen
Last night, I ventured down to Temecula where I met up with Amanda and we danced the night away with good friends and one of our favorite bands, Parade of Lights. I want to do it all again (well aside from that drive). Fortunately, if this week plays out as planned, last night was an enjoyable preview for what is to come!
The amazing tunes continue tonight with The Milk Carton Boys at The Hotel Cafe. As for the rest…check my schedule below (pay particular attention to Thursday…eeeeep!).
Monday: The Janks at The Hotel Cafe (8pm)
ALSO: The Canyons at Molly Malone’s (9:30)
ALSO: Chris Robinson Brotherhood at The Echoplex (8:30)
ALSO: The Filthy Souls at The Central in Santa Monica (8:30)
ALSO: Cage 9 FREE at The Viper Room (10:15)
ALSO: Tsunami Relief Benefit for Japan at Room 5 featuring so many amazing artists including Paris Carney, Joel Eckels, Gabriel Mann, Chris Pierce, Kyler England, Jenni Alpert, Keaton Simons, David and Devine, John Elliot, and MORE…seriously WOW (8pm)
Tuesday: The Stone Foxes and Chasing Kings at The Satellite (9pm)
ALSO: Jonathan Clark and Satellite at Molly Malone’s (8,9)
ALSO: Queens of the Stone Age at The Wiltern (7:30)
ALSO: Ryan Calhoun at The Hotel Cafe (9pm)
Weds: Nico Vega and Imagine Dragons at The Slidebar in Fullerton (8:30)
ALSO: Patrick Stump at The Hotel Cafe (two shows, 7pm and 10pm)
ALSO: Greg Laswell at The Troubadour (10pm)
ALSO: Queens of the Stone Age at The Wiltern (7:30)
Thursday: Dynamite Walls and BIFFY CLYRO at The BellyUp in Solana Beach (8pm)…$6 tickets folks…seriously, you can’t miss it!
ALSO: Electric Touch at 3 Clubs (9pm)
ALSO: Allen Stone at The Hotel Cafe (11pm)
ALSO: The Canyons at Molly Malone’s (9pm)
Friday: Scarlet Grey and Assemble the Skyline at The Roxy (10pm)
ALSO: Matthew Jordan at Pi (9pm)
Saturday: Ben Rector and Matt Wertz at The Troubadour (9pm)
ALSO: Garrison Starr and Raining Jane at The Hotel Cafe (9,10)
ALSO: The Lonely Forest at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa (9pm)
ALSO: 10,000 Maniacs at The House of Blues Sunset (8pm)
ALSO: Infantree at The Echo (5pm)
Sunday: Greg Laswell at Saint Rocke (8:30)
To Keep in Mind:
April 20th: Ellie Goulding at The Music Box
April 22nd: Purple Melon at The Roxy
April 25th: Airborne Toxic Event at The Satellite
April 25th: The Head & The Heart at The Troubadour
April 27th: Andy Clockwise at The Troubadour
May 2nd: Xavier Rudd at The El Rey
May 4th: The Pipettes at The Satellite
May 7th: The Silent Comedy at The Roxy
May 9th: KT Tunstall at The El Rey
May 15th: Eisley at The Troubadour
May 27th: The Script at Club Nokia
May 27th-29th: Sasquatch Music Festival (Washington)
June 2nd: Manchester Orchestra at The Music Box
June 7th: Death Cab for Cutie and The Lonely Forest at The El Rey
June 9-12: Bonnaroo (TN)
June 13th: Florence and The Machine at The Greek Theater
June 29th: Brooke Fraser at The Music Box
July 26th: The Indigo Girls at The Troubadour
August 18-20th: SSMF
September 22-24: Hotel Carolina (SC)
~ Kristen
I’ve been listening to Chicago’s Empires all afternoon. I thought that perhaps seeing them at SXSW would make me crave them less…but the exact opposite has occurred. I hope everyone in Chicago knows how lucky they are to have this band! Their next local date is May 21st at The Beat Kitchen. Don’t miss it!
If you haven’t heard of Empires, just go to their webpage where you can get a link to a free download of their song “Damn Things Over”. While there, check out all their videos…like this one for their first single “Bang.”
Empires is one of the bands that made it to round 2 of Rolling Stone’s choose the cover competition. Go here to vote for Empires and download two additional tracks (for free!!), including my new favorite song “Hard Times.”
Gotta love it!
~ Kristen
I’m still working on my annual SXSW Mix. It’s shaping up to be mostly new artists that I’d never heard of before or that really came to my attention at SXSW this year. As excited as I am about all my new discoveries, it occurred to me that some of my very favorite experiences of the festival aren’t represented. As such, I was inspired to make a separate list of my top 10 sets of SXSW ’11.
1. Queen Caveat at Thirsty Nickel
It was their first set at SXSW and I was just SOOOO excited that they were there and that I was there and that everything was happening. The venue itself added the additional bonus of watching Lauren masterfully deal with an awkwardly placed banister AND allowed me to watch all the people walking past, stopping, and being drawn to the window by the music…LOVE watching new people fall in love with my favorite bands! It was a SXSW moment for sure.
2. The Silent Comedy at Peckerheads
I saw The Silent Comedy more than any other band at SXSW. Each set they did was slightly different but their final show at Antiquiet’s The Axis of Audio showcase was the most unique, featuring some new tunes as well as other songs not found in their typical setlist. It also helps that the set was dedicated to me (and Amanda and our TSC gang).
Check out the video our dear friend Trina (The Owl Magazine) took of TSC’s newer song “Wine”
3. Empires at The Trophy Room
Empires was one of the bands I was most looking forward to seeing play. They had grabbed my attention when they played in LA with Biffy Clyro and seeing them in Austin reminded me why I loved them so much. The way the band, especially singer Sean Van Vleet connects to the audience, drawing them in with an intense energy…it was one of those sets in which I became completely lost in the music.
4. Dead Sara at Lipstick 24
After a solid day of amazing music, it was incredibly difficult for a band to completely knock me off my feet (as many highly anticipated bands failed to do). Yet Dead Sara had me head banging and rocking out with their 1am set Weds night (or I suppose Thursday morning) at Lipstick 24 like no other. I think this was the hardest I rocked out all week…
5. The Kin at Antone’s
You know I love The Kin. Their performance at Antone’s was one of the most memorable of the week. I finally got to hear some of their new material, the audience was completely enraptured especially when they got off the stage to come sing a song on the floor, and Isaac managed to “re-create” his didgeridoo using some sort of pipe that could be found out in the street. When they played “Waterbreaks”, I was SO happy to be seeing them play again (it had been awhile…they’re based in NYC), it brought tears to my eyes.
6. Doll and The Kicks at Antone’s
I had NO CLUE that Doll & The Kicks was even going to be at SXSW, let alone be playing at the British Invasion showcase I was attending on Thursday. It was the best surprise of the week! Their new song “Skeleton” is fantastic and must be downloaded now…!
7. AWOLNATION at Rusty Spurs
I had never seen AWOLNATION before, but I’d been enjoying their tunes. I liked the band, but what really gets this set on my top 10 list was the intensity of the audience. I love being swept up in that kind of energy…it was insane without me ever feeling physically threatened. The perfect audience. When they played “Sail”, I was taken to another place…and I couldn’t even really see the stage!
here’s a taste:
8. Twin Atlantic at Antone’s
Most of the bands on this list are ones I’d seen (or at least known) before SXSW. It’s easier to really get into a set if you know the songs. But Twin Atlantic I had never really heard of before arriving in Austin. I had come across one of their tunes and that was enough to put them on my watch list. By the end of their set at Antone’s, they were my fave new discovery from SXSW.
9. Viva City at The Dart Music International House
Tuesday afternoon, before the music festivities officially began, we gathered to go see Viva City at The Dart Music International House. I saw this UK act several times over the course of my stay in Austin, and each time it was a crazy fun dance party, but this very first set marked the beginning of my SXSW experience and it will never be forgotten.
10. Brian Wright at St. David’s Sanctuary
That whole evening at St. David’s Sanctuary (one of the Hotel Cafe showcases) was quite magical (see story), but I think my favorite set of the bunch was Brian Wright’s. It’s hard to describe why the set moved me so much. I have seen Brian play plenty of times, but something about this place and time and my specific mood really elevated his performance and songs. It was truly a perfect SXSW moment.
Seriously, is it time for SXSW 2012 yet?
~ Kristen
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