by Brad Roberts Winter (at right) have been on a steep upward trajectory ever since I first saw them a year ago at Los Globos and was impressed by their solid musicianship and the star presence of lead singer Samira E. Winter, who brings a genre-spanning talent to their music. They headlined my Feed Your Head show in May and quickly lifted off. Now the Boston transplants have landed their first Los Angeles residency, for Mondays in April, at The Echo. So proud of them. Catch them this week with So Many Wizards, The Squids and IAN.
I really enjoyed my most recent Feed Your Head show on Saturday with three amazing sets by some of my best friends starting with Bo Bory of Downtown/Union. He's doing his solo act as Bon Wrath these days and I'm amazed at the progress he has made as a performer after the past year of much touring. Breaking in his brand new Guild acoustic guitar he sounded amazing both instrument-wise and vocally. Auditorium is always a treat to hear, whether as a full band or as a solo act. Spencer Berger's voice is thrilling in it's dexterity and range and his years of training is put to good use in songs he writes that show off his variety and power. Finally, Joel Jerome brought two wonderful musicians with him to create three-piece band that presented a familiar yet fresh interpretation of some of my favorite songs. I can't think of a single more perfect example of that solid rock and roll sound I grew up loving than what I hear from Jerome.
Sat with friends at the show and we got to talking about the rapid changes that have affected the local music scene. One thing I've noticed is that it's a little harder for a band to singularize themselves nowadays than it was just a few years ago. The scene has changed and morphed enough that some of the cohesion of that moment between 2008 and 2011 when so many bands were sprouting up and forming a real community is gone. In one way it's sad, in another way it was inevitable. But it doesn't diminish the energy and rush I get every time I encounter a fresh new band with a fresh new sound. And Los Angeles remains a destination for serious musicians to try to find their place. There are a ton of new bands playing all over the place this week. Try some of them out
Coachella Weekend One starts up on Friday and Los Angeles will exhale and send thousands of music fans steaming out into the desert. But there's plenty to keep us engaged right here in town.
Monday, April 6
- Dorothy, Ivory DeVille, Folk Riot, Twinsmith @ The Satellite
- Winter, So Many Wizards, The Squids, IAN @ The Echo
- Magma @ Echoplex
- Odessa, Paul Bergmann, The Emily Gold Band @ Bootleg HiFi
- "School Night!" w/ Francisco The Man, Lost Lander, Talk In Tongues, Special Guest, Navvi @ Bardot
- Barrows, Ghost Idols, Year, Frogtown @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Heligoats, Katlee Cole, Jonny Polonsky, Easy & The Call, Myshkin @ Hotel Cafe
- CalArts Soundstream 2015 w/ The Ryan Arklin Band, The Jade Jackson Band, A House A Spoon A Bucket, Karkaza, Easy, BRNSTRM, Nar, MLK @ The Troubadour
- Western Bells, The Controversy @ The Mint
- Arlo Guthrie Alice's Restaurant 50th Anniversary @ Walt Disney Concert Hall
DECISION: Winter begin their first Los Angeles residency at The Echo tonight. With So Many Wizards, The Squids and IAN on tap this week, they'll be bringing some other up and coming bands to the stage with them.
A couple of other residencies start up tonight as well with Dorothy at The Satellite and featuring Ivory DeVille, Folk Riot and Twinsmith, and Odessa at Bootleg HiFi has another strong contender in the new band category The Emily Gold Band. "School Night!" at Bardot offers long-time favorite Francisco The Man and another Feed Your Head alumni Jonny Polonsky at Hotel Cafe.
Another artist I saw at one of the the first concerts I ever went to was Arlo Guthrie (at right) back in 1969, just before I went to Woodstock and right before the movie of Alice's Restaurant was about to open. The concert was great, the movie, not so great, and here we are on the 50th Anniversary of the release of the original song (in 1965). The now-legendary singer/songwriter/social activist will perform 'it', and many other songs from his illustrious career, tonight at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Tuesday, April 7
- Matt & Kim @ Amoeba Music
- Great Caesar, Northern American @ The Satellite
- Jim Lauderdale, The Easy Leaves @ The Echo
- Lillywood And The Prick, Freedom Fry @ Echoplex
- Lisa Donnelly, Shon Abram, Skyler Day & Jake Scott, Emilyn Brodsky & Anna Vogelzang @ Hotel Cafe
- Civil Twilight, Knox Hamilton @ The Troubadour- The Parlour Suite, Alex Lilly @ Little Joy
- All Scene Eye w/ Saturn City, Dutch Party, The Big Gone, Hustle Roses @ The Virgil
- Graham Peck, Wistappear, Crooked Barrel Of Snakes @ Lot 1
DECISION:
The Parlour Suite will be residing at Little Joy every Tuesday this month and will make a big splash with Alex Lilly on the bill tonight. Over at The Virgil, All Scene Eye presents Saturn City, Dutch Party, The Big Gone and Hustle Roses.
Wednesday, April 8
- LIFE, Sam Morrow, The Luck @ The Satellite
- Shamir @ The Echo
- Like a Villain, Sister Mantos, Draag @ The Smell
- "Desert Nights" w/ Kathleen Grace, Andrew Marks, Sometimes We Sing Together @ The Standard
- Nik Freitas, Jake Bellows, Viva Violet EP Release Show @ Lot 1
- Lieutenant, Yukon Blonde, Banta @ The Troubadour
- Laura Evans, Brandyn Burnette & Molly Moore, Ricky Berger, Raj @ Hotel Cafe
- Nouveau-Expo, Brit Rodriguez, Christian Young, The Bell Weathers, Crook @ Silver Lake Lounge
DECISION:
I saw Viva Violet (at right) a couple of weeks ago at one of Malcolm Sosa's residency events at Little Joy and it was impossible not to be drawn in and impressed by the musical and vocal skills of this trio. Come to Lot 1 tonight for their EP Release Show with Nik Freitas and Jake Bellows and you will be impressed too.
"Desert Nights" also has a good show with Kathleen Grace, Andrew Marks and Sometimes We Sing Together at The Standard.
Thursday, April 9
- Mansions On The Moon, Mexico City Blondes, Forebear @ The Satellite
- Tomorrow's Tulips, Feels, Terek Wegner @ The Echo
- Jenny Lewis @ Echoplex
- Kimya Dawson, Open Mike Eagle, Pablo Das @ The Smell
- Caddywhompus, Native America, In The Womb, Mitchell Sheldon @ Lot 1
- Fairground Saints, Jesse Thomas, Adjoa Skinner & Justin Froese, Sutter Zachman @ Hotel Cafe
- Honky Tonk Hacienda w/ Matt Ellis, Alive Wallace @ El Cid
- Celso Pena, El Sonido Callejero @ The Troubadour
- The Warlocks, Tashaki Miyaki, Dream Boys, Centimeters, L.A. Drones, Lotto Ball, Magic Mirror, Super 78!, Blood Candy, United Ghosts @ Los Globos
- Sophocles Steve, Derde Verde, Aquadeer, Golden Daze @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Avi Zahner-Isenberg, The Dead Ships, Isaac Rother & The Phantoms @ Harvard & Stone
DECISION:
Now here's maybe the biggest night of music this week and I'm at a loss as to what to recommend most highly. Let's start off with the one-night mini-festival going on upstairs and downstairs at Los Globos tonight featuring the last L.A. appearance before embarking on a big tour for The Warlocks. The assembled line up including Tashaki Miyaki, Dream Boys, Centimeters, L.A. Drones, Magic Mirror and Blood Candy is filled with hot new talent. All for $10.
Avi Zahner-Isenberg, The Dead Ships and Isaac Rother & The Phantoms occupy Harvard & Stone, Mansions On The Moon, Mexico City Blondes and Forebear take over The Satellite, while Tomorrow's Tulips and Feels play The Echo as downstairs Jenny Lewis performs a hometown show at Echoplex (sold out, naturally).
Friday, April 10
- Elliott Brood, Shelby Earl, The Eagle Rock Gospel Singers @ The Satellite
- Jackie Mendez, Xavier Lynch, The Delirians @ The Echo
- First Fridays w/ White Fence, Cherry Glazerr @ The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Peoplemover @ Los Globos
- Fleetwood Mac @ The Forum
- Dom La Nena w/ Angelo De Augustine, Elsa y Elmar, Frith, The Roofbeam Carpenters, We Are The West @ Hotel Cafe
- TV Broken 3rd Eye Open, Stonechild, Solar Sons @ El Cid
- Death Valley Girls, The Buttertones, SadGirl, Wild Wing @ The Smell
- Lost In Atlantis, Violet, Harmful If Swallowed, Uberband @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Honey Child, Becky Stark, Guy Blakeslee, Rolfe Kent, Avi Zahner @ HM157
- Vanity Projects/Playtime Posse Compilation Release Party w/ Signor Benedick the Moor, Kid Static, Spooks, Dustin and the Explosions @ Pehrspace
- Mark "Pocket" Goldberg, Matt Cartsonis @ McCabe's
DECISION:
Lots of new bands you could check out tonight.
Or the fantastic program at HM157 with amazing eclectic artists like Honey Child, Becky Stark, Guy Blakeslee, Rolfe Kent and Avi Zahner.
I can't not mention that Fleetwood Mac are back for another go-round at The Forum. Life is infinitely better when you've seen the Mac. I just wish they could have played one show a little closer to L.A.
Saturday, April 11
- The Hush Sound, Genevieve, Castro @ The Troubadour
- Andrew Jackson Jihad, The Smith Street Band, Jeff Rosenstock, Chumped @ The Regent Theatre
- Cave Clove, Ramonda Hammer @ Silver Lake Lounge
- Wake Up Lucid Record Release Show, Pretty Pretty Fukt, The Herms @ El Cid
- The Young Romans Record Release Show, The Devious Means, Carly & The Universe, The Native Sibling, Rose @ Hotel Cafe
- True Neutral & Signor, Benedick The Moor, Bubblegum Octopus, Femoral, Crypt @ The Smell
- Syd Straw @ McCabe's
DECISION:
A couple of record release shows tonight. The Young Romans have a new album called Bells and Sirens Part I, set for release next Tuesday, April 14th and celebrate with a live set at Hotel Cafe and Wake Up Lucid release their EP Gone With The Night with a show at El Cid.
Sunday, April 12
- Grand Ole Echo w/ Sarah Gayle Meech, The Freightshakers, Trevor McSpadden, Cal King @ The Echo (3 PM)
- Part Time Punks w/ Simon Scott, Upsilon Crux, L.A. Takedown @ The Echo (10 PM)
- Boyband Project, Will Jay @ The Troubadour
- Levi Kreis, War & Pierce, Malynda Hale @ Hotel Cafe
DECISION:
Just like last Sunday, The Echo rules the day with their two regular shows. The Grand Ole Echo at 3 and Part Time Punks at 10.