LA-based duo Electric Guest are starting off the year right. There’s the debut of their new music video “American Daydream” directed by lead singer Asa Taccone’s brother Jorma (of The Lonely Island), the release of their new single “This Head I Hold,” and a debut album Mondo produced by Danger Mouse to be released on Downtown Records April 24.
Electric Guest’s name is sure to come up quite a bit this year, and it just so happens you will have a few chances to see them in LA this month, tonight and every Monday in February at The Echo.
Electric Guest with Sleeping Bags at The Ech0, 2/6. Free. 9 p.m.
LA singer-songwriter Evan Voytas, known for his pop synth beats and mysteriously comforting vocals, debuted his new EP Feel Me on Dovecote Records this past Tuesday.
A stand out in the local music scene, Voytas’ resume also includes a stint in Flying Lotus and Gonjasufi.
As we inch closer to his next release and we remember the songs that won over our hearts – “I Took A Trip On A Plane” and “We’ll Go Far,” it’s hard not to get antsy awaiting the new music, especially since it’s on vinyl. To get you ready for it, you can download new track “You Don’t Even Know Where It’s At” right now.
This past Saturday, I wandered over to Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood to get a behind the scenes look at locally grown Wilcox Sessions. UK bred The Good Natured were coming through the homemade studio – literally in the living room and kitchen of a gorgeous condo.
A little over a dozen people, including the crew, band, management and friends, were in attendance to help create the magic that goes behind these beautiful and artistic sessions. The founders Chris Litten and Menaka Gopinath have seen quite a few staple LAers and touring acts come through their home for the Wilcox Sessions.
Locals Hanni El Khatib, Family of the Year,Fitz and The Tantrums, and Voxhaul Broadcast, to name a few, have taken off their shoes and performed in the couple’s living room. Even lead singer David Dennis of Voxhaul stopped by to watch on Saturday and attempted to eat a power bar (one of the many snacks there), which was grabbed out of his hand and hilariously thrown across the room due to the noisy wrapper. On top of LA locals, SD-based Little Hurricane and the infamous Moby (yes, I’m serious. The real MOBY) have also been featured on the site.
UK-based The Good Natured is bringing their Gothic-inspired electro pop ballads to LA for the first time this Friday at The Echo and Monday at Bardot for the weekly series “It’s A School Night.”
The trio, led by 20-year-old starlet Sarah McIntosh, will make sure their performance doesn’t go unnoticed while here on the west coast. They kicked off their first US tour this past Monday in NYC.
The high energy group shook up the crowd at last year’s SXSW with McIntosh singing in the audience, crawling on the floor and truly getting lost in the music. The Good Natured will stand out yet again at this year’s SXSW and dates/details can be found via their website.
One of the best local acts right now, Voxhaul Broadcast have released a music video for their bewitching track “Leaving On The 5th. Check it out above!
Record Store Day fell on a sweltering day in Los Angeles this year. Normally I would have cowered inside with a steady flow of iced tea, but I felt an obligation to the vinyl community. I live in Silver Lake, which puts me a short drive (or a decent walk) fromRockaway, Vacation and Origami. Not everyone has the luxury of having three great record stores in close vicinity to their home. I was not about to let brutal heat and a massive hangover stand between me and endless rows of pristine vinyl.
The first stop was Rockaway Records on Glendale Blvd. They were having a storewide sale, so I needed to get there before the selection was reduced to a few rows of half empty bins. Many of the Record Store Day exclusives were already sold out by the time I arrived. I made a noble attempt to navigate through the aisles packed with record junkies, but ultimately walked out empty handed.
Luckily my friend Doug had better luck. He walked out with a copy of Argybargy by Squeeze that still contained a Xeroxed press kit, and a trio of country albums by Merle Haggard and Hank Williams. One of the Merle albums also contained a press kit, which featured his complete discography up until the early 1980s. Apparently Merle released an average of four albums per year. It’s hard to imagine any artists today having that kind of work ethic. Then again, it was a whole different business in those days.
Next we headed to Vacation Vinyl on Sunset. DJ Matthew David was spinning electronic beats, and I thought I might have heard some old school Tangerine Dream in the mix. I contemplated some pricey reissues by Sonic Youth and Superchunk. Ultimately, I decided on a copy of Spent Bullets by Adam Franklin (of Swervedriver) for the moderate price of $12.
All this shopping had made us hungry, so we stopped at Two Boots for some pizza slices before heading next door to Origami Vinyl in Echo Park. Origami had a full slate of live bands booked, but we had arrived in between acts. The plus side of this was that the crowd had dispersed enough for us to peruse the bins. I drooled over the Cluster and Eno reissues, but settled on the latest release by British Sea Power, Valhalla Dancehall.
It was time to get out of the heat and on to the best part of record shopping: listening to the music. We spun a side of each record and were pleased with our purchases of the day. We realized that one of the Merle Haggard albums Doug bought was the singer’s debut, so we were treated to some county music history.
I already had a digital download of the British Sea Power album, but was glad I sprung for the real deal. A gorgeous gatefold sleeve opened to reveal extensive liner notes and lyrics. I was suddenly transported back to my early teens when I first started buying records, and would marvel at the artwork and copy.
It was fun to get out of the house and support the local shops on Record Store Day. It was also nice to devote a whole day to vinyl appreciation. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know where you went and if you picked up any tasty wax!
For those of you who shelled out $300+ on tickets to bask in the desert sun at Coachella this weekend, download this mixtape, which features artists performing at the big event, by thekickdrums.com. It will get you hyped up while in horrific traffic when entering the fest.
And if this doesn’t work, my suggestions are to open a few beers, engage in a squirt gun fight and blast your stereo loudly enough that you can inspire others to do the same.
Full Kickdrums Coachella 2011 Mixtape Tracklisting after the jump.
This Saturday, it’s RECORD STORE DAY!!!! And that means, first off, hit up your local record store…actually no, go on a vinyl hunt to record stores in your area or venture out to a different area like Orange County or San Diego. And if you’re looking for some great live music to go along with your record shopping, hit up Origami Vinyl in Echo Park. Here is the lineup of performers:
With comparisons to Broken Bells, Avi Buffalo (actually Avi plays guitar in Boris Smile) and Sufjan Stevens, Long Beach-based indie pop group Boris Smile, made up of eight talented musicians, released their third full-length album My Love Powered By 10,000 Practice Amps on Count Your Luck Stars Records. The record release show is this Saturday at the Bootleg Theater! The album, inspired by frontman A. Wesley Chung after an 8-month stint at a manor house in the south of England, includes 23 eclectic tracks emphasizing community, faith/doubt and strength in weakness.
To get a glimpse of what to expect on their upcoming record, the band is offering the inspirational and harmonic ballad “The Moment” as a free download. Stream and download the song at bandcamp.com.
The album title came from the idea that my heart felt so full of love for these people that the only way I could express my gratitude is by plugging 10,000 practice amps into my heart and let the world be drowned in a cacophony sonic joy,” Chung states.
The album features guest appearances by Rebbecca Coleman (Pageants), Korey Dane Sugita and Tess Shapiro (Korey Dane), and Eric and Beth Balmer (Fielding), Avi Zahner (Avi Buffalo), Seth Shafer (Paulie Pesh), Meagan Christy (Chase Long Beach), and Jon Carman and Matt Proffitt (The Red River).
Purchase My Love Powered By 10,000 Practice Amps on iTunes.
At times comprised of anywhere from 9 to 14 members, the folk group Paulie Pesh take the stage at Continental Room in Fullerton one last time for their March residency. I’ve made it out to a couple of their shows so far and every time I’m in awe of how they can all fit on the cozy, Chuck E. Cheese-like stage without some sort of domino effect happening from one person who sneezes or bumps elbows with another, only to make everyone lose their shit. And despite that worry and any sort of discomfort, they all keep their heads high and show no sign of awkwardness to provide the audience with an inspiring set.
I caught up with singer-songwriter Paulie Peshkepia on new music, remembering the birthdays of his 14 band members and of course, vinyl.
TOMORROW, Voxhaul Broadcastreleases their debut album Timing Is Everything plus catch the guys performing at Amoeba Records in Hollywood at 7 p.m. Now, go purchase their incredible record that will be on rotation for many hours.
Stream Timing Is Everything on bandcamp.com right now.
Creme Tangerine Records packing up late on Wednesday night.
Creme Tangerine Records packing up late on Wednesday night.
Wednesday night, I stopped by the two-week old Creme Tangerine Recordsat The Lab in Costa Mesa. The store, located in a vintage trailer outside of Urban Outfitters, is definitely one of a kind. First off, they supply the music for the artsy outside “Anti-Mall.” Second, they have some rare finds along with vinyl priced at $1 AND occasionally you might find a FREE record. Each item has a price sticker with clever words printed by a typewriter. Owners Parker Macy and Jon Staph man the store seven days a week, typically from 11 or noon to right after all the other shops close around 10 p.m.. They entertain the late-night crowd hovering around Gypsy Den, Habana and The Commissary Lounge. Most people will walk by and peek into the trailer, and possibly stop by the jungle-like patch of plants that seem to be coming out of the wall behind the store.
A lot of plans are on the horizon for Creme Tangerine and we’ll keep you updated for sure. And if you’re looking for some Orange County music, they’ve got the goods, including the new Dolphin City vinyl (soon-t0-be available for purchase), and The New Limb, Stanley Lucas Revolution, Micah Brown albums on CD + even more local artists. Also, the store sells cassette tapes…I saw some Don McLean that made me grab it instantly. And if you’re looking to get rid of some vinyl and/or cassette tapes, bring them on over to Creme Tangerine and they’ll take them off your hands.
Show some love to Creme Tangerine and check the store out for yourself. You’ll end up wanting to call that bad ass trailer “home.”
Creme Tangerine Records is located off Bristol Street at The Lab in Costa Mesa.
The loveable Parker Macy just chillin' in the trailer.
The lovable Parker Macy just chillin’ in the trailer.
We have two very cool remixes to share with you all!
First off, Orange County-based The Steelwells who is in the running to be on the cover of Rolling Stone and win all sorts of amazing stuff, will be doing a mini-tour with Foster The People this week. And to go along with all of this excitement, here is a remix of their song “This Dance Is Out Of Your Hands” by Barry Watkins. Now, you will dance even more to this song…well at least I will. You can download the remix at bandcamp.com.
What a beautiful way to start the week. Usually, bands will release a free download of their song or EP but to offer a physical copy of their record for free is a rarity. The LA-based psychedelic/folk rock trio Francisco The Man is giving away their 12″ EP With Friends Like You for free, and all you have to do is pay $3 for shipping. Also, with the vinyl, you will receive an immediate download of the EP as it says on the group’s bandcamp. Only 500 copies of the record were made and that means you will have major regrets if you miss out on this opportunity.
Everyday Noise reviewed the song “Do You Remember?” off the EP, stating “At a surprisingly breezy six-and-a-half minutes, Cantino guides a rousing ‘seize the day’ anthem that’s just a tad wistful, asking ‘Do you remember when you were young, the way you used to think?’ Think of it as Francisco the Man’s ‘Summer of ’69’ – but with rich, distinctive guitar flavor driving an extended instrumental sequence, and no references to your mama’s porch.”
And if that review didn’t do it for ya, then watch the guys perform the song below. AND see the band live performing at LaBrie’s in Glendale this Tuesday night with George Glass.
Out of Orange County, there is a grunge/psychedelic rock band known as TRMRS(pronounced “tremors”) who recently caught my attention. Now, I understand the reason for their name…if you see the guys live, you will notice their fans dancing loosely, bumping into one another as though they’re trying to get away from something but keep getting pulled back in.
TRMRS have this way of hooking you into their thrash pop goodness and volatile blend of sound that smacks you right upside the head, leaving you dazed. And I think you’ll get what I mean, after you watch the band’s video for “Hello Self.”
TRMRS will release the Sea Things LP this month on Dead Beat Records. Purchase the album Sea Things on iTunes now.
Catch the guys performing at SXSW, starting March 18 at the Redefine Magazine showcase.
LA-based duo Electric Guest are starting off the year right. There’s the debut of their new music video “American Daydream” directed by lead singer Asa Taccone’s brother Jorma (of The Lonely Island), the release of their new single “This Head I Hold,” and a debut album Mondo produced by Danger Mouse to be released on Downtown Records April 24. 
