Weave! played the newly renovated Regent Theatre in Downtown L.A. on May 7. It’s among the first shows since Little Radio reached an agreement with developer Tom Gilmore to use the historic venue to host bands. Weave!’s sound carries a surf rock, B-52’s influence, mixed with unconventional harmonies and an edgy tinge. I spoke with lead singer and bassist Ivory Lee after the show. She used words like “jinky” and “inky” when describing how she’d change the indie music scene. Check it out:
State of the Independent Music Scene
Archive for the ‘Alternative’ Category
The Happy Hollows
The Happy Hollows played a set at The Regent Theatre in downtown L.A. last Saturday. The concert was part of the KXLU Fundraiser to help support the station and bring exposure to local indie bands. I spoke with Hollows lead singer Sarah Negahdari after the show, and she said she enjoyed the all-ages venue and wished there were more around town. She focused on local bands when responding to how she’d change the indie music scene. Short concert clip with interview in the video below:
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Weatherground
I was going to make it a lazy evening at home one night last week, but I figured I’d hop online to check out bands playing within walking distance of my apartment. Ten seconds into the first song heard on Weatherground’s MySpace page (a tune titled “Question”), and I knew I was going to see their show instead. Lead singer Jaewon Choe has the kind of voice you can listen to often – early Peter Murphy meets Kurt Cobain is a fair metaphor. He said he’s had people come up to him at shows and say “I didn’t expect an Asian guy to sound like that.” Choe grew up in Pasadena, and he said he usually doesn’t get an answer when he asks, with a smile, what they expected an Asian guy to sound like. While I spoke with him after the band’s set, a number of people stepped up to say how impressed they were with Weatherground’s sound. In addition to a great live show, the band’s current CD is exceptionally well produced. As I’ve heard studio albums of lesser quality, I was stunned to find out the band did it themselves. Below are video clips of Weatherground’s set and a short interview with Jaewon Choe.
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Vivian Girls in Los Angeles
Vivian Girls is a three piece all girl band that’s made an impressive showing on the indie music scene. The trio formed in early 2007 and is now touring the U.S. and U.K. The video below is from a recent show I went to at The Smell and includes a short interview with members of the band. As you’ll see, they’re live show kicks ass:
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Japanther at The Smell
Found out at the last minute these guys were playing The Smell back on 8/29. I’d missed them the last couple of times they were in town, and I was determined this wouldn’t be a third. It turns out they were running late, so all was good. When the band got there, drummer Ian Vanek issued an apology to the club owner, hauled in one of the larger pieces of his drum kit, and proceeded to momentarily dance with the hottest blonde girl on the floor. Japanther is a two-man act, Vanek on percussion and Matt Reilly on bass. No lead guitar, but you’d never know by the sound these guys blow out. Below is a clip from the show along with a short interview, and I’d like to end with a summation of Vanek’s response to my question on how to improve the indie music scene, an answer that actually could qualify for a decent life philosophy:
1) Don’t be a dick.
2) Drop your ego.
3) Play Rock ‘n Roll.
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