Category Archives: concerts

[on the road] The Jezabels

Australian moody pop quartet The Jezabels return to Los Angeles tonight (7/18) for a one-off show at The Viper Room.

Since their first Los Angeles shows in March, they’ve been touring Europe and Australia and putting the finishing touches on their debut LP. They’ll be back to tour the U.S. this fall, but come out on Monday for a chance to catch them up close and personal, hopefully playing some brand new songs.


The Jezabels are often praised for front woman Hayley Mary’s intense vocal styling and enchanting stage presence. While already a well-recognized name at home, they’ve been building an international buzz since last year’s CMJ Music Festival, carried through Canadian Music Week, SXSW, and Brighton’s Great Escape.

Their last release, Dark Storm, is the third in a trilogy of EPs. “Pitched somewhere between The Cranberries’ edge-of-the-world howl and Arcade Fire’s fiery emotional release, (their three EPs) shot the Sydney quartet to the top of the Australian charts; its forthcoming full-length debut seeks to do the same internationally.” praised The A.V. Club. [source: planetary group]

Be there tonight and stay tuned for more!

♫ The Jezabels – Mace Spray ♫

[on the road] Megan Bonnell

In support of her debut EP MAPS, musical “impressionist” Megan Bonnell will be playing her debut Los Angeles show at the Silverlake Lounge on July 12th.  Her mini-tour stops in Vancouver, B.C. and San Francisco, CA before finishing up in Los Angeles.

The ethereal songtress Megan Bonnell’s MAPS EP, was released June 21st, 2011 through Nevado Records (Library Voices, Yukon Blonde, Golden Dogs).  Her honest, playful lyrics and alluring voice pull the listener in as she travels through different locations.  Using geographical influences and simple piano melodies, she easily creates a setting for her listeners to dive in to, which translates into a captivating live show. Be sure to see her for her first Los Angeles performance! [source: planetary group]

♫ Megan Bonnell – South Korea ♫

[on the road] Y Luv

Los Angeles indie rockers Y Luv will be bringing their infectious tunes to stages around California this summer.  In addition to playing an Outside Lands after party to benefit Save the Waves, they have recently confirmed two shows on their home turf of the Los Angeles metro and will be announcing additional shows soon.

The quartet will be joining Oakland psych-pop band Metal Mother and Riverside’s synth rock group The New Division at Silverlake Lounge on Thursday, July 21st.  They will then be joining bands like Ozomatli, Rooney, and Voxhaul Broadcast to play one of the many Open Borders’ Summer of Music and Art in Thousand Oaks (in a 40,000 square foot space of a former Borders Bookstore).  The show on Friday, July 29th includes Y Luv along with Brooklyn experimental-indie-rock group Bear Hands and Orange County electro-rockers Polaris at Noon.

More Y Luv and show details here and follow Y Luv on twitter here.

Y Luv – All Night

[recap] Make Music Pasadena 2011

Make Music Pasadena was last week (i know, i know…i totally lagged on posting this) and it was super fun!

First and foremost, it was FREE.  You can’t really complain about free music.  On top of that, the lineup was quite impressive (I would’ve paid to see a lot of the acts that played), it wasn’t nearly as hot as it could’ve been, and the people watching was epic.

My only real complaint was the how they handled the main stage setup and crowd control.  The Morning Benders set was basically ruined because it took Pasadena PD, and the laziest event security I’ve ever seen, way too long to clear a sidewalk.  If this event continues to grow, the organizers are going to have to brainstorm quite a bit between now and then on how to allow for more peeps.

As far as the actual music goes, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Unfortunately, I was unable to stay ’til the end, so I missed out on Ra Ra Riot, Zola Jesus, Kisses, and Robotanists, but the acts I did catch didn’t disappoint.

Saint Motel was my personal favorite of the day.  Butch was just as good live (maybe even better) than the recorded version, and their new track, Puzzle Pieces, was fantastic (but i’m a sucker for anything with piano or keyboards).  Coming into it, I was most looking forward to NewVillager.  I wouldn’t say I was disappointed, but after a strong start, they started to fizzle out by the end of their set.  Either way though, I’m still super excited for their debut album (out Aug 16 via I Am Sound Music).

Best Coast definitely drew the largest crowd of the day (at least what I saw).  This was my first time seeing them live and they definitely lived up to the hype.  They kicked off their set with one of my favorite tracks (Crazy For You) and even played some new stuff (Gone AgainFree download courtesy of Adult Swim).

All in all, I had a great day and i’m already looking forward to next year.

Saint Motel
Saint Motel
Saint Motel
Pasadena PD ruining The Morning Bender's set
The Morning Benders
NewVillager
NewVillager
NewVillager
Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast Crowd
Best Coast (would've been such a good shot, had it not been for the douche fist-pumping with the water bottle)
People Watching
Creepy Guy in Gold Unitard and Russian Hat

♫ Saint Motel – Puzzle Pieces ♫

p.s. if you want some more free music in Pasadena, be sure to check out Seattle’s Motopony for KCRW’s Summer Nights at One Colorado this Saturday (6/25).

[live] Diego Garcia – 6/11/11

I’m not gonna lie, Summer is my least favorite season.  However, it’s one saving grace are the abundance of free concerts (especially in LA), and as far as I’m concerned, Summer officially kicked off last Saturday (6/11).

Diego Garcia soundcheck 1

KCRW regularly presents live music and their Summer Nights events truly delivers.  Summer Nights brings music out of the studio and into communities across Los Angeles with a series of free, all ages, outdoor shows. From Pasadena to Downtown L.A. to Westwood and beyond, KCRW brings hot bands, live DJ performances and more to stages throughout L.A. – all-ages and ALL FREE.

Diego Garcia soundcheck 2

This year’s series kicked off last Saturday at One Colorado in Pasadena.  All those present, including yours truly, were treated to a fantastic night of 70′s-inspired tracks, lush strings, Spanish guitars, some mighty fine cello (courtesy of Mr. Daniel Benson), and some good ol’ fashioned love songs, by the one and only Diego Garcia.  KCRW DJ Anne Litt (personally, my favorite KCRW DJ and a very nice lady!) was also present, opening and closing the show, with a live DJ set.  As an added bonus, my wife and arrived early and were lucky enough to catch the sound check!

Overall, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this show.  Had I paid for this show, it would have been a dollar well spent.  The crowd sang along and even got on their feet and danced towards the end.  The sound was great and even though the crowd was pretty big by the end of the show, there was still that sense of intimacy that many shows lack.

And at the end of the show, Mr. Garcia left the audience some very good advice — “There are three things you can do for a woman: Love her.  Suffer for her.  Turn her into a pop song.”

KCRW DJ Anne Litt pleasing the crowd with some excellent, hand-picked tunes

Amazing cello, courtesy of Daniel Benson

Diego and company
Audience Participation

Summer Nights continues June 25th at One Colorado, with Motopony and KCRW DJ Dan Wilcox, and lucky New Yorkers can catch Diego Garcia July 7th at Bowery Ballroom for LAMC 2011.

♫ Roses and Wine ♫

♫ You Were Never There (Live on KCRW) ♫

p.s. those itching for more free live music, you definitely don’t want to miss this years Make Music Pasadena!