Being given the chance to interview an innovative and amazing talent like Al Doyle is a dream for any music enthusiast. A truly significant part of the awesome, quirky and danceable Hot Chip and a critical piece of LCD Soundsystem, Al Doyle makes great music and is a well spoken music buff. BeatCrave had the opportunity to join in on a conference interview with other music writers nationwide on Wednesday, September 17. Knowledgeable music writers and the, dare we say, genius of Al Doyle should have been the perfect combination for a well rounded, in-depth look at one part of the awesome Hot Chip. Unfortunately, no, interestingly, the combination resulted in a voyeuristic experience in music snobbery, technical difficulty and a Britt’s uncanny ability to make it all worthwhile.
All good stories start, where they should, at the beginning. Calling into a conference interview is like visiting a speak-easy on the phone: one must give a code, wait for an indeterminable amount of time and then, suddenly, a voice let’s you enter the forum while introducing Al Doyle. No one but Al Doyle can be heard unless it is your turn to ask a question and depending on how quickly one dials *1 determines when the opportunity to ask a question will be granted.
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Tags: Interviews · Music
After listening to a great CD by a new artist, one’s initial reaction is a desire to see them live and hear the songs he/she has come to love. For music enthusiast, few things are more exciting than seeing a “new favorite band” play live for the first time. There is the anticipation before the show, “what will they play?” “I wonder what the drummer looks like?” “Who’s opening for them/Who are they opening for?” “Will they sound as good as they do on CD?” And the questions go on and on, so much so that when the band finally hits the stage all the buildup and expectation is either quickly met with satisfaction or, in the worst of cases, utter disappointment.
LA.CityZine recently reviewed Verona Grove’s debut CD, “The story Thought Over” (read the review) giving it praise for being different from the other power pop bands out there. Power pop groups like Homegrown, Plain White T’s, Vampire Weekend, Secondhand Serenade, Mayday Parade, and on and on and on and on and on all sound like “that band:” the vocals are ridiculously identical in each group, the tempo doesn’t change much and the subject is California, girls and superficially broken hearts (maybe she broke up with you because you’re as unoriginal as your music?).
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Tags: Reviews · bands
Finally, LA ends a weekend with some great hip-hop. It’s refreshing to have something other than indie rock to choose from (not that I don’t love it). Check out Common with N*E*R*D at The Wiltern. Or stroll down to the House of Blues in Anaheim and throw your hands in the air for Nelly. Also, keeping with the hip-hop themed Sunday without veering too far off the indie road, Aesop Rock will be blasting Santa Monica Blvd. with their sick beats during their performance at the Troubadour. Whatever your preference, enjoy the music tonight:
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
As Angelenos it can often seem that anything outside of the city limits is a world away. Honduras, in that line of thinking, may as well be its own planet. To Amy Kuney, however, it was a place where her distinct and marvelous voice began to truly flourish. After being uprooted by her missionary parents from her Midwest suburban lifestyle, Kuney felt displaced and used her music to find comfort and familiarity. The time she spent in the Honduras helped the talented singer/songwriter evolve into one truly gifted artist.
Upon returning to the states, Kuney started going full force with her music career. With numerous cover songs being continuously played by fans on YouTube, Amy began to get a real following. A song on the season finale of One Tree Hill furthered her fan base. Then, with the recent release of her debut album, Bird’s Eye View, (read LA.CityZine’s review) coinciding with an amazing Hotel Cafe performance (read the concert review), Kuney proved that her talent extends far beyond cover songs and soundtrack titles. She is a rare and awesome musician that Angelenos can certainly be proud of.
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Tags: Interviews · bands
When the first track of Verona Grove’s, “The Story Thought Over” blasted out of my car speakers, I was quickly reminded of another review I recently wrote. Quickly, however, I realized that while the vocals were very Starting-Line, Homegrown, etc. etc. there was something far more interesting going on. The music was good, really good.
As the CD continued I realized just how off base my initial reaction was, “The Story Thought Over” is what a power pop album should be: at times loud, at times melodramatically slow and at all times insanely enjoyable.
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Tags: Reviews · Uncategorized
Why is popular culture so inundated with crazed housewives? Whether it be the ludicrous shenanigans of the fictional Wisteria lane women, the over the top blondes of Orange County, the blaze society climbers of New York or the soon to be outlandishly outrageous multicultural Atlanta group, American Society seems to be obsessed with upper class women and the men who love them, from a distance (i.e. off camera,) except of course for Simon…oh Simon.
With the phenomena of suburban domesticity reaching a definite peak, Kelly Ann Ford answers, through a satire on the popular fictional and twisted-reality housewife satires (making it a meta-satire?), with the world debut of “It’s the Housewives!:” a rock-n-roll musical staring, Terri Homberg-Olsen (Jerry’s Girls), Jamey Hood (The Shagg’s) Corrine Dekker (The Posession of Mrs. Jones) and Jayme Lake (Hillary Agonistes) as Aged Becca, Becca, Lynn and Lexie, respectively.
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Tags: Reviews · theatre
Coming off an amazing show last weekend, Inara George will be gracing Angelenos with here beautiful voice once again. Check out her fantastical music at Tangiers. Also playing at Tangiers, Jana Hunter is also a great talent. If you are in the mood for the music of a legend, Bob Dylan will be filling the Santa Barbara air with a selection of his iconic songs. However you decide to spend the end to the first weekend in September, enjoy the music tonight:
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
The span of David Bowie’s career is absolutely amazing, spectacular even. Over the course of five decades, David Bowie has accumulated over 20 studio albums varying in genres as out of this world as the man himself. From psychedelic folk to glam rock to electronic to synth pop/punk, David Bowie has spanned the world of music and stood the test of time. With a list of songs familiar to so many generations of music lovers over a hundred strong, David Bowie’s music is, without a doubt, classic.
Not only has David Bowies music touched the lives and imagination of millions, his over the top personalities have also had a huge impact on popular culture. From his beautiful androgyny to his outrageous costumes to the creation of his out of the closet persona Ziggy Stardust: David Bowie changed the world of rock in a way that is still quite apparent in some of the coolest bands on the scene today (Dresden Dolls, Any Day In June, The Cure). Without his influence, who knows if the more glamorous side of rock-n-roll would have ever become quite so, glittery.
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Tags: Reviews · bands
Initially, “The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales)” could only be heard on iTunes and MySpace. The time it spent on those two giant arenas of the digital world helped Jason Reeves garner tons of acclaim.  Consistently in the Top Five Acoustic (unsigned) and Top 20 Overall (unsigned) on Myspace and the winner of the “Top Folk Album of 2007.” Reeve’s indie album got the attention of Warner Bros. Records who couldn’t pass up the opportunity to distribute his album on a much larger scale. “The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales)” is radio ready and listener friendly and has a lot of critics recalling the beginning stages of such successful careers as Jason Mraz and John Mayer.
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Tags: Music · Reviews
As the awesome summer of 2008 slowly becomes nothing more than a memory, some amazing shows this Sunday remind us that summer is not quite over yet! Be seriously entertained and rediscover some southern music roots with Southern Culture on the Skids at The Echo. Jack Johnson goes green and plays on the field of UCLA’s Intramural Field for his “All at Once” tour. And, last but not least, Vosotros will make you groove with their “music for everyone” at Tangier. However you decide to end your summer this Labor Day weekend, enjoy the Music Tonight:
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
So often the word “unique” is used to describe a new band or artist but rarely is the word as applicable as it is to Eagle Winged Palace. Comprised of Cashew, Michelle, Mimi, Karma, Sterling (this being her first live performance with the group) and Cashew’s wife, Uncle Rhea, Eagle Winged Palace are as hauntingly unique as some of the names of its participants. Originally part of The Prix, Cashew has called upon the help of his friends and his wife: beautiful women who each bring something incredibly special to the group.
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Tags: Upcoming events · bands
With a name that implies something new, undiscovered, mysterious and well, altogether, different, there was definitely a level of expectation prior to seeing The New Frontiers at the Troubadour on Sunday, August 3. Expectation often results in let down which can quickly turn into deep rooted resentment which later evolves into unadulterated rage which… well, thank god The New Frontiers didn’t disappoint. Living fully up to the expectation placed upon them, The New Frontiers covered a realm of live music many have likely never quite experienced before. Yes, there was a lead singer, yes there were guitars and yes, there was even a drummer. Yet, while the setup was quite familiar (an old frontier so to say) the music and vocals were anything but.
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Tags: Music · Reviews
