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:
ShoutNote launched one year ago this month. I’ve enjoyed trolling the underground to get the opinions of bands about how they’d change the indie music scene, whether they were from Los Angeles, New York or elsewhere. Though other projects have required more of my attention lately, I plan to continue posting to ShoutNote. Thank you to those who watched and rated my videos. Below is a montage of bands I saw and spoke with over the past year.
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:
Dengue Fever played a long, hot set at Make Music Pasadena last Saturday. I arrived a solid 45 minutes before they began, taking no chances of missing a great spot near the stage. Surf psychedelia fused with Asian-style pop is the closest I can come to relating their sound in the written word. They are sometimes labeled as a world music band, but I’ve come to equate the term with groups whose sound grows old after two or three songs. Dengue Fever somehow always finds a way to hook you in, while never sounding false or untrue to their own unique style. Lead singer Chhom Nimol (spelling referenced on band’s website) and guitarist Zac Holtzman spoke to me briefly after the set. You’ll notice a slight disparity between the questions I asked and the ones Nimol answered in the video below, but it was cool to talk with her anyway.
