So one of my favorite local bands George Glass came out with a new album this year. Along with that they made a music video for the best song on it. But more on that later as I am going to post a review on it soon. The video plays homage to that classic 90's reality TV program on MTV, The Real World, but with a dark twist. So without further ado is the music video for the song "AM Radio" for your eyes and ears to enjoy...
Friday, August 23, 2013
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Zombie Music Blog Rising
So Saturday wasn't about discovering a bunch of new great music unfortunately but I did get to see some long time favorites from the local scene. Starting with Manhattan Murder Mystery who were a main reason why I needed to get there by 2 o'clock. Well they reminded me why they are a must see band and really brought it. Even though I only recognized 2 songs in their set as it consisted of all newer material which has yet to be recorded and released. But it didn't matter they always bring so much energy to every performance and even not knowing what Matt Teardrop is singing the whole time doesn't take away from all the emotion he brings with his voice. I can not help but be completely sucked into their shows and never want them to end. So I wasn't planning on going to their second set at Vlad's at 4 but their first set was so good plus I had word they were doing a throwback set and playing a bunch of older stuff. Vlad's is this tiny clothes retailer on Sunset right next to Mohawk. The place was jammed full and was hot and uncomfortable in the hot August summer day it was, but it was %200 worth it. It was stupendous to be back in a group of people jumping and singing along to songs like Ambulance again. And of course they ended the set with Parking Lot. That song is just what I always think of when I think of seeing MMM live. Especially the end with Matt in the crowd and everyone singing along. Their might be songs I like better by them and it looks like that trend is continuing with all the new stuff I keep hearing. Though Parking Lot live will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. Speaking of new things I really enjoyed the added instrumentation of the keys and violin. Apparently they have been playing with keys for quite awhile but they were new to me and the violin were new to everyone or at least most people. The violinist was very good so I really hope she stays on with them full time and even records because it's sounds great and adds more depth to their soundscape.
So unfortunately Manhattan Murder Mystery started late so I wasn't able to catch any of Johnny Seasons newish Project Haunted Summer. Which I really like what I have heard from their recordings they have online and wanted to hear how that translated live. Alas that will have to wait for another day. But before I move too far forward let's go back to my favorite band I hadn't heard of before seeing them at Echo Park Rising. So the band I am talking about is Ivory Deville and I came across them playing on the Echo Patio stage in-between Manhattan Murder Mystery sets. They have a good straight forward southern rock n' roll style. The lead singer had a great raspiness to his voice that I really dug and fit their style. Plus they had two adorable girls singing backup which is not something you see too much of now a days which help make them unique. You could tell the whole band was having fun performing and playing on the stage which made for an energetic show that attracted a lot of people to their stage and bear out the hot afternoon sun to watch them instead of hanging inside the Echo/Echoplex air-conditioned building. Ivory Deville is definitely a band I want to hear more from and would love to see live again.
The other two notable bands I saw that I had not heard of before were Beach Party and Kan Wakan. Beach Party you could tell were having a lot of fun playing and so was the crowd and while sounding good just didn't have that something special to really catch my attention. I wouldn't be against and would more than likely enjoy seeing them in a live setting again. I am sure I will also check out their soundcloud page to listen to them in a recorded format. Now I was blown away by the musicianship and ethereal soundscape Kan Wakan created. Though what completely drew me in was the hauntingly powerful vocals of lead singer Kristianne Bautista. They said they were putting out their debut record early next year and it is already something I am looking forward to checking out. Apparently Criminal Hygiene was a band I missed that put on a great performance on the Echo stage while I was busy enjoying the misters outside and some shaved ice.
But onto a band I have continually gushed over the life of this blog and before it even, The happy Hollows. This is a band you need to see live to fully appreciate and I think that is mainly due to the raw magnetism of lead singer/guitarist Sarah Negahdari. Her pure amount of joy and giddiness is so adorable and refreshing to see in a performer. I think she is happier to be in front of people sharing her creativeness than the whole crowd combined is to see her and the band perform. Not that their wasn't plenty of love showered her way. This was another set full of new stuff from their album Amethyst that came out less than a month ago which I got my copy of after the show. The new stuff heavily features the synth sounds favored by bassist Charlie. But that doesn't stop Sarah from shredding on the guitar with her fingerpicking on the fretboard on songs. It was also nice to see Chris back behind the drums for this performance. I will be getting a review up of The Happy Hollows new album up later this week.
The final band I saw that night was The Henry Clay People. The rest of the day could have been a complete and total bust along with having to deal with the heat and the hassle of traffic to and from LA not matter because their performance was that legendary. It wasn't a secret that this was going to be their final show ever which makes me sad to think about. But at least they went out like legends putting on the show of the year and easily making this Saturday the highlight of my year. One of the reasons it hurts to see this band ride off into the sunset is they are one of my inspirations for starting this blog. My love for this band dates back to my introduction to this scene from the Airborne Toxic Event. Radars to the Sky opened for them who I instantly fell in love with and talking with Andrew their lead singer he told me they were playing this thing Called Sunset Junction in a couple of weeks and that will be their next time playing. He told me they were going on super early and it would be alright if I miss them just don't make the mistake of missing The Happy Hollows or The Henry Clay People who are also playing Sunset Junction. After that Sunset Junction I knew I had found something special musically going on in the neighborhoods of Echo Park and Silver Lake. Enough with the past and back to Saturday night. The Henry Clay People got to put on the show they deserved to go out on in the Echoplex that night. The crowd was great and very into it making the show seem bigger than it was. After all the times I have seen these guys perform, this was probably the best I have ever heard them play. They played a great set with a show ender of their "punk rock" (as my Dad called it) cover of one the greatest songs in rock n' roll history, Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run. After it ended they were chants of Henry Clay pouring from the crowd but to the crowds and my own dismay an encore was not to be. Other than them not playing forever so their last set never ended I couldn't have asked for a better show from The Henry Clay People. Thanks Joey, Andy, Noah, and Eric for the great show and all the great music and times you have provided me and many others over the years. You will always hold a special place in my heart and your band will always be one of the first I mention when telling people what music they should be listening to. I hope for the best for you guys in all your future endeavors. Hope to see you around sometime.
After the perfectness of The Henry Clay People I couldn't bring myself to see anything else that night since nothing could top what I just witnessed. So the only other unfortunate thing was I missed Batwings Catwings who I really wanted to check out and Stab City over at Lot 1. The worst part of not making it out to day two of Echo Park Rising was I think I would have had more time to check out new music since the only must sees for me were The Lonely Wild, Seasons, and Fort King. Anybody else that made it out to Echo Park Rising this year and want to share some highlights from your experience in the comments go for it. Most importantly let me know which bands I was stupid for missing and put them on my radar so I can check them out and hopefully make it to some future show of theirs. I already know I need to make it to one if not both days of next years Echo Park Rising. Plus if you have the opportunity you should definitely make it out as well and maybe we could hang out while enjoying a great day of music.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Kit & Con
Kit & Con is a 2-piece band and just cause I saw them in London doesn't make them a brittish band but are transplants for the time and the bassist she is Canadian and the drummer he is Australian and they are rocking and providing the only bass-drum only sound that I know of. I think I fell in love with them from their first song which was added as a request and done with only vocals and drums and I was blown away by Miraka's sulty and amazing singing voice. But moving on from there they just kept playing fun songs that I hadn't heard anything really like it before. In a live setting just bass and drum gets such a cool groove going in every song and I was glad when people started dancing during their song "Bad Bartender" as their music made me want to move my feet even if my dancing skills are very much in question. And during Bad Bartender Simon broke into a badass drum solo which their just isn't enough drum solos going on indie music clubs. It was a really fun fun night I had The Spice of Life and Kit & Con were the definate highlight of the night and what stuck with me.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Henry Clay People - The Fakers (music video)
boom The Henry Clay People have a new music video check it out below.
Super fun performance music video to go with the song and as you know from my post about it I loved their last album so yeah...
The Henry Clay People - The Fakers from The Henry Clay People on Vimeo.
Super fun performance music video to go with the song and as you know from my post about it I loved their last album so yeah...
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Möngöl Hörde vs The Wheelbarrow
So I got a couple other nights to still blog about in London but I am skipping right to the end, which was my last night there because it was an epic night full of win.
Did you know Frank Turner had a new side project called Möngöl Hörde? Neither did I some 20 hours ago. Then like seven hours later I was at their debut show at The Wheelbarrow. But before I get too far ahead of myself I have to talk about the opening artist, Oxygen Thief.
So when Oxygen Thief started I thought he was going to be just a rehash of Frank's solo sound as he was British and played acoustic with a punk feel, but quickly he made me realize he had his own thing going. I have never heard so much aggression and heavyness coming from someone playing acoustically. And he was tearing it up on the guitar, playing it like it was lead guitar for some post-hardcore punk band. He had fucking breakdowns going on and just was playing with so much ferocity and emotion I couldn't help but get sucked in and be in awe of his music. He has got such a unique sound, he is solo and playing on an acoustic guitar but it is in no way folk music. It is acoustic hardcore something I wouldn't think would be possible but Oxygen Thief not only pulls it off but completely dominates while playing his heart out. Also he did one badass and super fun cover of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes that the crowd got involved in singing along enthusiastically.
Then came the reason this little Pub in England was at capacity or even over because there was no room in the place it seemed. I had some lofty expectations after checking out a couple of Möngöl Hörde's songs they had released on youtube and being blown away by the couple tracks they had put up. This wasn't just Frank going back and doing Million Dead again which is a band I never really got that into. To be fair I only heard of them after the fact because I fell so in love with Frank Turner's music I needed to find and consume everything he had created, but after giving his hardcore punk band roots a listen through I never went back to it. Möngöl Hörde is its own unique powerful beast that is more metal and noise rock than just hardcore.
And Möngöl Hörde and the crowd absolutely fucking nailed it! For being their first ever show you could never tell, as they played flawlessly and tight throughout the whole set. And the craziest part was how relentless every song seemed, just full out aggression that wouldn't let up song after song. I guess their were a couple slow or quiet parts but that was only to show a little contrast and make songs more interesting. But then the aggression would fly back out harder and faster it seemed. And frank could scream for ages it seemed and never lost his power and even had a few different levels to it which helped make the songs more dynamic. Oh and did I mention this was a three-piece band consisting of drums, guitar and vocals only that was making this flawless cacophonous rocking music.
What really completed the night in it's legendary status was the crowd. Frank Turner and old Million Dead faithful made their way last minute hyped and ready to bring it up a notch. And from the get go the notch was brought higher then I knew it could go. Plus while it was extremely crowded super hot and sweaty the mosh pit always stayed friendly. This was a mass of people all there to let go of their inhibitions and give their bodies and souls to rocking out and not about committing violence on others. Not that I didn't take shots from elbows and fists to both the body and head but that is the cost of doing business in the thick of the pit. (That also included a whack to the head from Ben Dawson's drumstick when I go knocked and fell on stage at his feet just missing taking out part of his drum set thankfully) The amount of energy and love and the complete lack of separation between band and crowd made this a special night, one I won't ever forget and will quickly come up when talking about best show ever attended.
And then it was over, it felt like forever and I was ready to keel over and die but apparently it had been less than an hour as it was just before 11 and they went on a little after 10. But just because the music was done didn't mean the night was done. After cooling down for like 20 minutes outside I grabbed an ice cold pint of cider with ice which hit the spot and made some new friends with fellow shell shocked attendees of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Just got to thank Frank again instead of letting me leave when I used the last of the pounds I had on me he bought me a pint and a shot and the night continued. I also guess I need to go buy my ticket to his show at the HoB Anaheim because I told him I would see him there. As well Ben couldn't have been nicer and didn't need to keep apologizing for whacking me on the head with his drum stick when I fell on stage.
You should also go check out the blog post by the lovely Alice I met that night at her blog Town Called Alice. There is also a great slideshow that Dan Griffiths put together that capture the night. I also took a crappy video with my iPhone that I uploaded to YouTube that what it lacks in sound quality, it makes up for capturing the atmosphere and insanity of the room. I would love to see more pics or videos if you were at the show post them in the comments...
Did you know Frank Turner had a new side project called Möngöl Hörde? Neither did I some 20 hours ago. Then like seven hours later I was at their debut show at The Wheelbarrow. But before I get too far ahead of myself I have to talk about the opening artist, Oxygen Thief.
So when Oxygen Thief started I thought he was going to be just a rehash of Frank's solo sound as he was British and played acoustic with a punk feel, but quickly he made me realize he had his own thing going. I have never heard so much aggression and heavyness coming from someone playing acoustically. And he was tearing it up on the guitar, playing it like it was lead guitar for some post-hardcore punk band. He had fucking breakdowns going on and just was playing with so much ferocity and emotion I couldn't help but get sucked in and be in awe of his music. He has got such a unique sound, he is solo and playing on an acoustic guitar but it is in no way folk music. It is acoustic hardcore something I wouldn't think would be possible but Oxygen Thief not only pulls it off but completely dominates while playing his heart out. Also he did one badass and super fun cover of M.I.A.'s Paper Planes that the crowd got involved in singing along enthusiastically.
Then came the reason this little Pub in England was at capacity or even over because there was no room in the place it seemed. I had some lofty expectations after checking out a couple of Möngöl Hörde's songs they had released on youtube and being blown away by the couple tracks they had put up. This wasn't just Frank going back and doing Million Dead again which is a band I never really got that into. To be fair I only heard of them after the fact because I fell so in love with Frank Turner's music I needed to find and consume everything he had created, but after giving his hardcore punk band roots a listen through I never went back to it. Möngöl Hörde is its own unique powerful beast that is more metal and noise rock than just hardcore.
And Möngöl Hörde and the crowd absolutely fucking nailed it! For being their first ever show you could never tell, as they played flawlessly and tight throughout the whole set. And the craziest part was how relentless every song seemed, just full out aggression that wouldn't let up song after song. I guess their were a couple slow or quiet parts but that was only to show a little contrast and make songs more interesting. But then the aggression would fly back out harder and faster it seemed. And frank could scream for ages it seemed and never lost his power and even had a few different levels to it which helped make the songs more dynamic. Oh and did I mention this was a three-piece band consisting of drums, guitar and vocals only that was making this flawless cacophonous rocking music.
What really completed the night in it's legendary status was the crowd. Frank Turner and old Million Dead faithful made their way last minute hyped and ready to bring it up a notch. And from the get go the notch was brought higher then I knew it could go. Plus while it was extremely crowded super hot and sweaty the mosh pit always stayed friendly. This was a mass of people all there to let go of their inhibitions and give their bodies and souls to rocking out and not about committing violence on others. Not that I didn't take shots from elbows and fists to both the body and head but that is the cost of doing business in the thick of the pit. (That also included a whack to the head from Ben Dawson's drumstick when I go knocked and fell on stage at his feet just missing taking out part of his drum set thankfully) The amount of energy and love and the complete lack of separation between band and crowd made this a special night, one I won't ever forget and will quickly come up when talking about best show ever attended.
And then it was over, it felt like forever and I was ready to keel over and die but apparently it had been less than an hour as it was just before 11 and they went on a little after 10. But just because the music was done didn't mean the night was done. After cooling down for like 20 minutes outside I grabbed an ice cold pint of cider with ice which hit the spot and made some new friends with fellow shell shocked attendees of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Just got to thank Frank again instead of letting me leave when I used the last of the pounds I had on me he bought me a pint and a shot and the night continued. I also guess I need to go buy my ticket to his show at the HoB Anaheim because I told him I would see him there. As well Ben couldn't have been nicer and didn't need to keep apologizing for whacking me on the head with his drum stick when I fell on stage.
You should also go check out the blog post by the lovely Alice I met that night at her blog Town Called Alice. There is also a great slideshow that Dan Griffiths put together that capture the night. I also took a crappy video with my iPhone that I uploaded to YouTube that what it lacks in sound quality, it makes up for capturing the atmosphere and insanity of the room. I would love to see more pics or videos if you were at the show post them in the comments...
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