Posts Tagged ‘Los Angeles’

WATERS – ” Something More “

Posted: May 2, 2017 in MUSIC
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Waters make dynamic, ’90s grunge and alt-rock-influenced pop music. Centered on singer/songwriter Van Pierszalowski, The band came together in Oslo in 2011 after Pierszalowski’s previous band, Port O’Brien, broke up. The group’s debut album, “Out in the Light”, appeared on TBD Records in 2011. Eventually, Pierszalowski relocated to San Francisco, where he put together a new Waters lineup featuring guitarist Brian DaMert, keyboardist Sara DaMert, bassist Greg Sellin, and drummer Andrew Wales. Taking inspiration from the quiet/loud approach of such bands as the Pixies and Nirvana, They returned with their follow-up EP, “It All Might Be OK”, featuring production from Grouplove’s Ryan Rabin.

Waters sophomore full-length album, “What’s Real”, was released in 2015 on Vagrant Records. They have just announced their 3rd LP, “Something More!”, will be released in May of 2017.

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Something More! is San Francisco by way of Los Angeles indie pop band Waters’ first release since 2015’s acclaimed What’s Real. Written and recorded throughout 2016 in LA, following big-time touring runs with the likes of Weezer, Tegan and Sara, and Matt and Kim, Something More! came together after the five-piece band returned home and were forced to confront the day-to-day realities of everyday life – resulting in the most raucous, hook-driven songs of the band’s career. “They sound fun on the surface, says frontman Van Pierszalowski, “But they are dark songs in disguise.”

HAIM – ” Right Now “

Posted: April 30, 2017 in MUSIC
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HAIM

It’s been four long years since “Days Are Gone”, which is the only way to count our time away from the sparkling pop-rock of Haim. After teasing us with advertising around the world and a solo drum circle on a You Tube performance, Haim are finally back with a new song from the forthcoming album Something To Tell You, due July 7th on Columbia Records. Here’s a live studio version of “Right Now” shot and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood, The Master).

“Right Now” certainly signals a change for Haim , The dynamic track is largely drum machine- and piano-driven at its outset, with some sparkling synths sprinkled in around the halfway point. As the song crescendos, with Danielle anchoring its lovestruck vocals, Este and Alana jump in on percussion, building to a soaring climax. All the while, Anderson’s slow pans allow the sisters Haim’s famed performance energy to shine through. “That’s how you fucking do it,” Este chirps at the end of the clip

On Beats 1, the band told Zane Lowe about how their mother was Anderson’s art teacher. That was at the tail-end of Days Are Gone, and years later, HAIM have entrusted Anderson to shoot the band live-to-tape, in the process of making Something To Tell You.

Ariel Rechtshaid returns to produce the new record, and Rostam Batamanglij (Vampire Weekend) guests. Haim will play new material on Saturday Night Live on May 13,

Filmed on location at Valentine Recording Studios, North Hollywood, CA
November 3, 2016

LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT – ” Los Angeles Police Department “

Posted: April 23, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Newly signed to the Anti- label, Los Angeles-based Ryan Pollie – better known under his moniker of Los Angeles Police Department – sets out his second, self-titled album on April 28th.

The follow-up to his 2014 debut (also a self-titled effort), was produced by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado (Whitney, The Lemon Twigs) and mixed by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Foo Fighters), Pollie describes the album – which addresses suicide and addiction, anxiety and bereavement – as “a coming-of-age story.”:

“You always think of coming-of-age stories as something that happens to kids, something like Stand By Me or Catcher in the Rye, but in my twenties I realized that I was always going to face this vulnerability and this anxiety. I’m never going to be that wise old person who’s cold-hearted and knows everything. So this record is about learning to face up to those fears and be emotionally responsible.”

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Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Pollie
Produced by: Jonathan Rado

DREAM CLUB – ” Dead Man “

Posted: April 20, 2017 in MUSIC
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If there’s one thing you can glean from the video for Dream Club’s first single “Dead Man,” it’s that the Los Angeles quintet, and in particular frontman Justin Warfield, are having fun. The video, co-directed by Warfield and Spencer Rollins is intentionally shot in the style of live performances on the 1970s German television show “Beat Club.” “It was made to feel like a modern take on early-’70s TV,” Warfield said. “Like the music and everything else, we want it to exist now but with a feel and spirit of the past.”

Dream Club’s music certainly embodies that. With Warfield’s other band She Wants Revenge behind him, his new quintet is embracing classic California rock. He is doing in a band with his childhood best friend, Gianni Garofalo, playing bass, and his wife, Stefanie King-Warfield, singing and playing percussion. Besides Garofalo (Supernaut, One Inch Punch, Tape) and King-Warfield (The Parallelograms), the lineup is rounded out by drummer Justin “Dusty” Rocherolle (Green And Yellow TV, Great Northern) and guitarist Jamie Arentzen (American Hi-Fi), who is responsible for the vintage licks on the lead single.

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“It just feels like a late night in the canyon or a highway in the desert,” Warfield says. “I think it is pretty representative of what we do. Sometimes poppier, sometimes more psychedelic, sometimes groovier, but this is a great entry point for someone who is wondering what we’re about. It’s a heavy song, but not in volume or distortion … just around the rhythm section. They are so deep and it just slams, then you add the back-and-forth guitars, me doing my weirdo singy-rap trip and those sweet harmonies. … It’s kind of a, ‘Here we are.’” From the forthcoming self-titled, debut album.

Dream Club (Photo by Chris Beyer)
Written by Dream Club
Produced and recorded by Justin Warfield

Band Members
Justin Warfield
Gianni Garofalo
Justin “Dusty” Rocherolle
Stefanie King Warfield
Jamie Arentzen

DREAM CLUB – ” To Play Us Out / California Dreams Or The Head-Trip Scene “

Posted: April 20, 2017 in MUSIC
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Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Dream Club are a group of friends who celebrate the spirit of their hometown and it’s rich musical history by playing rock and roll thick with 3-part harmonies, sun drenched melodies and haunting lyrics which evoke the spirits of the canyons, beaches, hills, valleys and alleys.

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With Justin Warfield (She Wants Revenge) singing and playing guitar, his childhood best friend Gianni Garofalo (Supernaut, One Inch Punch) on bass, Justin “Dusty” Rocherolle (Green And Yellow TV, Great Northern) on drums, Stefanie King-Warfield (The Parallelograms) singing and playing percussion, and Jamie Arentzen (American Hi-Fi) on lead guitar, the five piece band (sometimes 6 with the addition of keys) blend their native California Rock with hard-edged rhythms, extended solos and catchy, catchy songs.

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Band Members
Justin Warfield
Gianni Garofalo
Justin “Dusty” Rocherolle
Stefanie King Warfield
Jamie Arentzen

The DEAD WEATHER – ” Live At The Mayan Los Angeles ” Vault Package “32

Posted: April 19, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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unnamed 6 Jack White announces new live album from The Dead Weather

The Dead Weather are preparing to release a new live record of their 2009 performance at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles.

Hot on the heels of the release of their debut album “Horehound“, The Dead Weather played an absolutely incendiary set at the legendary Mayan Theater in Los Angeles on August 26th, 2009. This fiery performance captures the band at their most feral and raw, firing on all cylinders, full of broken glass, black leather and strobe lights. For YEARS this show has been whispered about as one of the best shows the band has ever played, so now felt a better time than ever to release this performance into the world. Featuring audio expertly mixed by Grammy Award-winner Vance Powell, the immersive concert film The Dead Weather: Live at the Mayan directed by Vern Moen is revelatory. The band’s signature gems like “Hang You From the Heavens” and “Treat Me Like Your Mother” sit pretty with explosive non-album B-sides like “You Just Can’t Win” (originally by Them) and “A Child of a Few Hours is Burning to Death” (originally by the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band). The companion audio of Live at the Mayan marks the first-ever live LP from The Dead Weather’s first year and serves as a blistering reminder as to why this band still matters. Your stereo will thank you…your neighbors, maybe not so much.

Coupled with the LP/DVD of the Mayan performance is the final 7” 45rpm installment from the “Dodge and Burn” album. As folks should remember, every song from the band’s acclaimed 2015 album was exclusively released on 7” format via the Vault. “Three Dollar Hat” b/w “Lose the Right” on beautiful black and yellow vinyl is the final piece of the puzzle. As a special treat, subscribers for Vault Package #32 will receive a deluxe box to house ALL six singles from “Dodge and Burn” Vault releases.

The album, mixed by Grammy winning Award-winner Vance Powell, will be used as part of a concert film for Third Man Records’ Vault Package #32 having been directed by Vern Moen.

Third Man Records, owned by Jack White himself, will release the record via the label’s subscription service and titled ‘The Dead Weather: Live at the Mayan‘ , according to the press release.

The setlist withholds fan favourites like ‘Treat Me Like Your Mother’, ‘I Cut Like a Buffalo’ and ‘Hang You From the Heavens’:

The Dead Weather: Live at the Mayan Tracklist:
01. 60 Feet Tall
02. Hang You From the Heavens
03. You Just Can’t Win (Them Cover)
04. So Far From Your Weapon
05. A Child of a Few Hours is Burning to Death (West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band Cover)
06. No Hassle Night
07. Will There Be Enough Water?
08. I Cut Like a Buffalo
09. Treat Me Like Your Mother
10. New Pony (Bob Dylan Cover)

GOLD STAR – ” Dark Days “

Posted: April 4, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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There are those of us simply cannot sit still, the type of person who must always be doing something. Others might be jealous of these constant achievers, wishing they themselves could be equally motivated. But the grass is always greener, and those movers can be just as envious of the serenity of stillness. It’s that perfect balance that’s so hard to find, and one Los Angeles singer-songwriter Gold Star seeks

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GOLD STAR – ” Big Blue “

Posted: March 28, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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In this day and age, it takes a special someone to craft and perform soulful, speckled songs with a hiny of Americana crooning vocals, harmonica, and all without a lick of pretension. That special someone could be Marlon Rabenreither, a Los Angeles–based troubadour who performs under the moniker of Gold Star.

Singing with the sincerity about sleeping in train cars and on headstones—about spying on houses in canyons and escaping from Coney Island he was notably tapped by Lucinda Willams to open her recent shows. Even though he was born in Vienna, Austria, Rabenreither hits the mark when sharing anecdotes of vagabonds and deadbeats he’s met in his travels through the States.

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When he’s not sharing stories about strangers, Rabenreither spills his guts about his own love affairs, breakups, and what it’s like to be all by his lonesome self. “I am breaking down,” he repeats three times on the brief “Blue Sky to Blue Sky,” his voice crackling just a bit more with each refrain. The declaration is as convincing as when he begs to know “Darling, what have I done?” and professes that “It ain’t easy when you’re always on the run” elsewhere on Big Blue.

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Having embellished his musical performances following that previous, sparely constructed release, comparisons to The Band will abound. But Rabenreither who, mind you, is a solo artist. Does he really belongs in the company of artists like Margo Price or Sturgill Simpson on their mission to scrape the polish off mainstream country. Gold Star has the songs and the goods.

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NOVELLER – ” A Pink Sunset For No One “

Posted: March 27, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Every cloud has a silver lining. but it seems to ring true for Los Angeles (by way of Louisiana, Austin, and Brooklyn) based guitarist and composer Sarah Lipstate. Better known as Noveller, Lipstate has a habit of spinning the straw of her personal tragedies into the golden threads with which she weaves her musical tapestries. Equipped with only her trusty Fender Jaguar and an impressive collection of pedals, including quite a few EarthQuaker Devices, she performs solo, using a digital looper to conjure her compositions seemingly out of thin air.  I was auditioning different presets on my Eventide H9 and I stumbled upon their organ sound and the basic synth sounds, so it was just like, completely processing the guitar into these unrecognizable sounds that were really exciting to me. That’s what I used for “Deep Shelter.”

For “Trails and Trials,” I used the Electro-Harmonix Mel9 pedal which is the Mellotron emulator. It processes your guitar with the traditional Mellotron sounds, like the flute and cello.

I got the Arpanoid and that was really fun to use on the new stuff. Adding different textures to the palate.

I used the Spires lot, too. Which was really exciting, because in conjunction with the Mel9 pedal – distorting the Mellotron flute sounds, then bowing that?!  the looper that I’ve been using for years now is the Boomerang Phrase III Sampler, and that’s on every single board. That basically allows me to build all my compositions, so that’s always gonna be the last pedal on the chain.

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The compositions on Noveller’s new album “A Pink Sunset For No One” are inspired by an emotional roller coaster of a year which began with a difficult breakup, and ended with Noveller earning recognition from proto-punk icon Iggy Pop, who invited her to open for him on the Post Pop Depression tour in the US and UK.

Photo: Priscilla C. Scott

MATT KIVEL – ” Forgiveness ” feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy

Posted: March 26, 2017 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Matt Kivel - Fires on the Plain (2xLP)

“Fires on the Plain” is the second album that Matt Kivel released in 2016. It is an 82 minute record featuring performances by Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Sophia Knapp, and about 20 other people who you may not know as well.

Matt Kivel has been doing this for a while. “This” being writing and recording albums. Some people have heard of him, but not many. The music he makes has always been sort of difficult to define, grounded in folk and rock ‘n’ roll, but always just a little bit more dissonant, or a little more subtle, or a little more confrontational. His shows have included nights of pristine performance and, equally, nights of audience-baiting, drunken violence, and anxiety-induced panic.

If there is a Matt Kivel “sound,” his falsetto and his delayed Gibson acoustic guitar. It’s calm and spacious and the lyrics are brutal, blunt, and vividly-rendered. In his native Echo Park, he is a hero to many of the younger musicians on the scene. He is generous with his time, of which he has precious little. His music has never paid the bills, so he works 40 hours a week as a speechwriter for the space industry and bartends at his local beer store. In addition, he boxes at Manny Pacquiao’s gym, edits his wife’s poetry, and with every other waking minute, writes songs. His songs are songs of experience. Songs of a life, lived.

So why don’t many people outside of his small neighborhood really know about his music? Musicians love him. He’s done many a show with artists like Steve Gunn, The Clientele, Angel Olsen, and Martin Courtney (Real Estate). He’s released albums with indie powerhouse labels like Woodsist and Olde English Spelling Bee.

He’s received outstanding reviews, including an 8.0 review of his debut album “Double Exposure” by Pitchfork. And his new record, “Fires on the Plain” features performances by Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Robin Pecknold, two of the most outstanding artists/songwriters of their respective generations.

“Fires on the Plain” is his best record. It’s a stone-cold classic of an album that is expansive and rich with detail. Horns blend with raindrops. Vocal howls give way to field recordings of rivers and backyards. The songs are sweet, dark, and always, brave. Matt will shower you mercilessly with distortion, soothe you with a quiet folk hymn, and launch into a motorik drum beat all within 5 minutes of music.

From the album “Fires on the Plain”
Forthcoming on Driftless Recordings, Released October 7th, 2016

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