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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LA.CityZine brings you the plush, melodic rock sounds of Long Beach band, Repeater, as part of our Know Your LA Bands series. Although Long Beach may be well known for a scene bursting of ska and punk bands from the 90’s, two former members of The Main Frame have decided to join forces with others and focus on the other genres that helped pave the way of the 80’s and 90’s. Today, Repeater infuses the elements of new wave and post-punk rock and breathes smooth shoegaze into their sound. With rich chords, meticulous guitar riffs and artful drumming, this band manages to carefully slide dark lush tones under a juxtaposition of rough rock vocals and pop choruses.

Repeater plays home sweet home at The Prospector, this Saturday, September 20th. Alongside bands, Romance and Sleepmask, they take the stage at 10:00pm. Be sure to catch a great show. However, if your schedule happens to be that unfortunate, they’re also playing LA on September 21st at Mountain Bar and September 24th at Club Moscow. You have no excuse now! Until then, check out this interview with the band as well as their video to “Killing Without Question” below!

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Photo by Megan Holmes

Hard work pays off and no one knows it better than Pittsburgh band, The Morning Light. This self-described rock/pop band have become pros at getting their music out there to the masses whether it has been on tour or through their MySpace. Just getting off a tour with The Hush Sound, they’re already off on another tour with acts such as The Rocket Summer. It’s not hard to believe this when they’ve not only got their act together so well but their tunes are well crafted with melodies you’ll find yourself humming later.

Success with their past tours along with their well received EP, The Sounds Of Love, The Morning Light is now getting ready to release their full length self-titled album on September 23rd. However if you go to their MySpace, you can pre-order a special album pack which includes the CD, an exclusive t-shirt and a sticker. Don’t miss out! These guys are blowing up.

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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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Eagle Rock’s The Briggs are one of the best true punk rock bands playing music today. Like Against Me!, The Briggs have the feeling of a true working class punk band: no frills, nothing fancy, just great music, expert musicianship and a good time.

The Briggs also happen to be one of my favorite bands both to listen to and to see live in a venue. Never have I walked out of a Briggs show disappointed and never has a Briggs song come up on shuffle on my iPod that I didn’t listen to.

Too bad on a hot, sunny day backstage on the final day of the Vans Warped Tour at the Home Depot Center I wasn’t able to recognize them.

As I concluded an interview with a very nice band called The Human Abstract, my girlfriend/ photographer alerted me that a band was waiting for me behind us. As Mayday Parade was my next scheduled interview I swung around and without really focusing my eyes on the two men waiting behind me I said “Mayday Parade, right?”

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LA.CityZine brings you artist, Molly Marlette, as part of our Know Your LA Bands series. Molly Marlette and her songs may sound fragile at first but after just one listen to songs such as “The Allumette,” you’re bound to discover that this musician is bolder than anything else. The piano, upright bass, keys and guitar all come together in her arrangements that’ll make you feel like those sounds belong together. With lyrics that are so honest they catch your attention and quirky enough to keep it, Marlette’s soothing vocals over staccato chords go beyond the typical singer-songwriter experience.

Her EP, The Allumette, can be found on iTunes and a few new ones such as “Dandelion Waltz” can be heard on her MySpace. With tunes that sound as nice as her name rolls off your tongue, she’s bound to become the reigning queen of eccentric folk pop in today’s music scene. Catch a show with Molly and her band this coming Tuesday, August 26th at El Cid which starts at 8:00 pm. See her in person and you’ll discover her style is as unique as her music!

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Dan Evans

It’s been a hell of year so far for 21 year old Dan Evans. For NBC’s The Biggest Loser fans you may remember the Frankfort, Illinois native, camp counselor, and musician was eliminated earlier this year after losing a whopping 136 pounds in weight. Within 2 weeks of leaving the show he was recording his first country-rock album in Nashville with top producing and writing talents, Russ De Salvo and Jim Kimball.

He is set to embark on a country-wide “Purpose of the Pain Tour” which promises a night of inspiration with artists who’ve experienced similar hurdles and life changing experiences and there’s even talk of a health and fitness TV show that he and his mum will co-host. Dan initially weighed 310 pounds and although he has been a musician since his teens, his weight was an anathema to his dreams. He was accepted on to the show with his mother on the Biggest Loser Couples, Season Five and the rest, as they say, is history.

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LA.CityZine brings you duo, Gangi, as part of our Know Your LA Bands series. Matt Gangi and Lyle Nesse originally started in Brooklyn, but lucky for us, they have now relocated to the city of angels. Sure, many bands make the move across the nation in hopes of finding a better niche as well as better reception. However, in the sea of many indie bands as well as mainstream bands that come out of LA today, the phrase “It’s harder than it looks,” now has an abundance of new meanings, if not just the levels of intensity within it. Yes, the melodies, the images, and the purposes of bands have eventually taken the music to the masses. But it’s the actual substance within the band members themselves who create those melodies, images and purposes that fundamentally matters.

As musicians these days, Gangi is aware of the many hats they wear as they are creating. With this mindset, they take their understanding into another dimension with their songwriting. The result is indescribable. It is exactly that with no exaggeration. My mind has been searching for ways to describe their music but to say that it’s Grizzly Bear meets Animal Collective just wouldn’t do them justice. Instead, I asked them what others have said. Was the press in the past even close? The question is a difficult task in itself. To determine this answer, you would have to comprehend the thoughts of Matt and Lyle, themselves, and I’ve somewhat cleared a path for you, the listener - the fan, to do so. However, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This interview below includes some massively surreal intellectualism that could literally blow your mind. Then again, there are some funny parts too. Enjoy.

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A couple of months ago I had the distinct privilege of reading and reviewing Felicia Sullivan’s memoir A Sky Isn’t Visible From Here.  Admittedly, it was a difficult read, the subject matter being her extremely hard life painted so vividly in detail, but one that I could not put down.  I felt captured by her words and images and it gave me a really sick feeling.  She leads you down the dark tunnel that was her life in which she battles her family, her environment and herself to get a glimmer of light for survival.

This woman whose understandable influences include Vladimir Nabokov, Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Joan Didion and Michael Cunningham to name of few, has created a work of art in attempt to find closure to her past.

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Jonathan Shaw. There are many words different people may use to describe him. What some may see as only a shallow, brash and impetuous incendiary; actually is a true philosophical, transcendent soul. With layers of insight waiting to be peeled away.

When I decided to approach Mr. Shaw for an interview, I was filled with apprehension. Once he agreed to the initial questions, I then developed a great anxiety over what to ask him just imagining the responses I would receive. Stepping out in faith, I sent him a basic group of inquiries with instructions to answer all, or only the ones that  moved him to respond. What I expected to learn about this man from his answers was not at all what I brought away from the interview. I can truly say what had begun as intimidation, turned to pure wonder and enlightenment with this man who calls Johnny Depp his soul brother.

One thing, Jonathan shared with me is the fact that when he did tattoo art, he was heavily influenced by the interaction he would share with the subject. Everyone knows that Shaw has inked some of the biggest names in Hollywood so I asked him about one of Hollywoods biggest actors, Johnny Depp’s ink. So how many of Johnny’s tattoos has Jonathan done and were Johnny’s tattoos a collaboration of their great genius together? He shared with me that he has done most of Johnny’s work and that they were always Johnny’s idea.

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Watch out Beyonce and Jay, Angelina and Brad; there’s a new fashionable couple on the scene! The cutest Chemical Engineer majors ever spotted at UCLA prove that physics can be hot, too! Amber and Jason give us a taste of what wearing lab coats everyday and being in a loving relationship can do to your wardrobe.

What is L.A. street fashion to you?
Amber: L.A. street fashion is like saying “my personal style, meet the city of Los Angeles.” L.A. street fashion is about bringing your own flavor and allowing yourself to broadcast that. People are open canvases, billboards, and another form of mass media in my opinion. Some people may look at you and say “What was she thinking?” or “Wow, how did she think of doing that?” but either way it’s about infusing your own personal touch into what’s hot and trendy.

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When it comes down to the bare bones of a musician’s being, there is nothing but determination, perseverance, and dedication embedded. LA.CityZine is proud to bring you artist, Toho Saunders, as part of our Know Your LA Bands series. Toho Saunders was lucky as a kid. His mom was a music school teacher and his dad was part of Motown’s greatest era.  With these family influences along with what he absorbed from the radio, he became very fond of all genres of music. However, he found his greatest love in Jamaica.

Toho Saunders is now an accomplished bass player, producer and composer of the greatest reggae/funk/r&b beats we have ever heard from the Bay area. Although you may hear influences of Bob Marley and Don Carlos, that doesn’t mean his arrangements haven’t been sought out by artists in other genres. He’s worked with Ghostface Killah and Wu-Tang and is looking forward to collaborating with artists such as Mary J. Blige and Will.I.Am.

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