This Seattle trio created a storm at The Satellite Thursday night. As a fan of their album, Shiver + Shake, I was expecting a good rock show, but I was not quite expecting the machine that plowed through song after song with such intense ferocity and impressive display of musicianship. Barely any talking was done throughout the set. The band let the music speak for itself. Singer/guitarist, Joel Schneider, standing off to the side, evoked a bit of a Cold War Kids vibe, taking the mood from quiet to banging with the perfect punctuation of howls and growls. Bassist, Cody Votolato, epitomized the rocker vibe. At one point during the set, he accidently knocked over a cymbal from the drum set, but instead of backing away he embraced the momentum, disrupting the kit further adding emphasis to an already hard hitting song.  Holding it all down center stage was drummer, Andy Lum, a beast in human form driving the beats with a precision and strength that made it hard to look away. I must say, it is always a treat when a drummer is more visible on the stage.

What is most impressive to me about this band is their ability to create “moments”. Tonal shifts mid-song, mini-instrumental solos, and catchy rifts are trademarks of any My Goodness song, giving them movement and making them memorable. It is impossible to get bored at a My Goodness show. See them live and suddenly the band’s name makes perfect sense. My Goodness indeed!

Here’s the first My Goodness song I heard and still one of my favorites:

~ Kristen

I’m happy to say that one of my first sets of the New Year belonged to rocker’s 8MM. 8MM is primarily husband and wife due of Sean and Juliette Beavan. Sean brings the rock pedigree and versatile guitar and Juliette brings the voice, the sparkle, and the charm. They were joined by a full band that included guest guitarist Johnny Radtke (Filter, Kill Hannah). All together, they produced sexy, dance-inducing beats, seducing the room towards the stage for a night not soon forgotten.

They began their show with my favorite 8MM tune, the gutsy “Kin”.  They had a seven song set which also included the country tinged, “Between The Devil and Two Black Hearts”, the hip moving “Around the Sun”, and ended with the more progressive “Give It Up” featuring Sean on vocals. The band, per usual, felt very comfortable on the stage, interacting with each other and the audience. Juliette kept the crowd invested as Sean took his “tuning breaks” and took the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The good times were felt all around. 8MM fills this seeming void these days of straight up rock music. They prove that rock can still feel relevant, be versatile, and is, at least in my opinion, the go-to genre for a fun time.

For more on 8MM, check out their website. For musical recommendations, their EP, Between The Devil and Two Black Hearts is my favorite, but they also have some pretty nifty remixes available for those more included to that sort of thing. No shows on the horizon, but we’ll be sure to keep tabs on the band for our concert calendars.

~ Kristen

I only knew Allison Iraheta as the young red haired belter from one of my favorite seasons of American Idol. These days she’s rocking out with her band, Halo Circus who are doing an October Residency at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. Last Friday night she ignited the stage with her now electric pink hair, fun songs, and fiery attitude.

Halo Circus is a rock band, but they know how to bring it down before going full tilt.  Allison can belt, but her voice has a jazzy quality to it, giving it a texture in its quieter moments that really gives the band its distinct mark. This was evident from their first tune, “Nothing At All” with its dramatic instrumental opening and seductive off-tempo vocal rhythms.

photo by Peter Figen

The thing that stands out most about Halo Circus is the passion that permeates every note of every song. Allison, in particular, is feeling it down to her fingertips and it’s always a pleasure to see a song just envelope its singer. I’m not overly familiar with Spanish, but thanks to the expressive Iraheta, I had no trouble understanding what the Spanish song, “Verdad”, was supposed to be about.

Perhaps my favorite song of the night was the ballad, “Guns in Our Hands”. I love how Allison’s voice can show so much power and so much restraint all at the same time. Other highlights were the explosive Duran Duran cover of “Do You Believe In Shame” and powerful closer “Band Aid”.

Allison mentioned that she wanted the night to be fun and that reflected not only in the band onstage, but in the audience that seemed full of fans who knew many of the words to the songs. They will certainly be back for more. You have two more chances to join them tonight and next Friday (the 17^th) at 9pm. Hotel Café. Be there!

Here’s a Halo Circus music video for their song, “Out of Love”

~ Kristen

Austin duo, Andy Baxter and Kyle Jahnke (AKA Penny & Sparrow) played their first show in Los Angeles Sunday night at The Hotel Cafe.  As it was their first LA show, they were unaware of the Angeleno propensity to arrive “fashionably late” to any event and somewhat nervously joked that they were preparing to play a show for four people; their wives, the bartender, and the sound guy.  The concern proved unnecessary as by the time they finished their first song, the rousing “Bread and Bleeding”, the room was filling out with fans and music lovers eager to get their fix.

For the uninitiated, Penny & Sparrow craft slow and beautiful folk tunes, proving that sometimes less is definitely more. Andy takes lead with a compelling voice that becomes haunting especially in its lower registers on songs like “Honest Wage”. Kyle supports with guitar and vocals, threading harmonies in and out of songs adding that elevating emotional punch.

The pleasant surprise of the night was not the beauty of the songs (that’s evident by listening to the record), but the humor and the warmth that filled the room as the duo played.  From the heart-stopping a capella “Fantine” to their “one foot-stomping tune”, “Brothers”, the two singers transformed the energy of the bar to something more akin to a living room hang out. You knew they had the room when they prefaced their song “Stoic” with a comment about how the song contained everything you don’t want to say in an argument with your wife and as they sang the melancholy tune, the audience chuckled as they soaked up the lyrics in that context.

They closed the night with a captivating cover of “Come Thou Font of Every Blessing”, a hymn perfect for a reflective Sunday evening.

For more on Penny & Sparrow, check out their webpage: http://www.pennyandsparrow.com/

And definitely check out their recent album, Struggle Pretty, which has been a constant on my playlist lately.

~ Kristen