ShoutNote

Even though Jace Everett’s written one of the most popular title songs on television, he prefers the freedom and ownership that independent record labels provide, now working with Weston Boys Entertainment out of Austin. True Blood executive producer Alan Ball first heard what would become the show’s title song when Everett was with Epic Records a number of years ago, but the deal didn’t solidify until after Jace moved off the label. I caught up with him after a set that was part of the The Twilight Dance Series (no reference to the teen movie intended) on the Santa Monica Pier, and I asked him to compare his experiences on both major and indie labels. He also offers advice for bands looking to place songs in movies or television shows and takes on how he’d change the indie music scene.

(more…)

ShoutNote is an independent, non-commercial blog which profiles bands playing in or passing through the Los Angeles area, asking them all the same question, “How would you change the indie music scene?”

Ah, nothing bespeaks summer quite like drinking an overpriced bottle of domestic beer at an indie music dive bar. And that’s where I found myself last Friday. Relax Bar has become a local fave amongst heavy indie rock fans, and it (gratefully) stands in stark contrast to the celeb spotting glitz clubs just a mile or so up Hollywood Blvd. The talent on display was an Athens, Georgia band called Music Hates You, which kicks out heavy, quasi-metal riffs underneath coarse, hard-hitting vocals. I spoke with lead singer Noah Ray after the gig. He talked about the current scene in Athens compared to other areas of the country and answered my question about how he’d change the indie music scene at large, which you’ll find similar to the sentiments of Tacoma, Washington band Highlight Bomb.

(more…)