New L.A. band The Deadlies played a set at Boardner’s in Hollywood recently. The group has a unique sound that fuses power pop with 8 bit keyboards and melodic vocals. I spoke with the band about the one thing they’d like to see change in the indie music scene. And as you’ll notice, they were very complimentary to the interviewer toward the end of the video.
Saw a fun band from Olympia, Washington about a month ago called Back Alley Kicks. Their sound is an upbeat garage punk, and we discussed the difference between the indie music scene in their backyard vs. other parts of the country. Between stage clips below, there’s an interview with the band, in which you’ll also see more cigarette smoking than an entire episode of Mad Men.
Lost City Radio played The Cat Club in Hollywood last Saturday. LCR is among a handful of bands that’s morphing the Sunset Strip rock scene into a more contemporary indie sound, unlike the hairspray and spandex laden bands from days of yore. Since most of the guys in LCR went to school or grew up in New York, I took the opportunity to ask them how they’d compare the indie scene there to what they discovered after moving to Los Angeles. Some great answers in the short interview sections of the video below.
You can also stream Lost City Radio’s latest EP “Bad Decisions” by clicking on the Play button below:
Tacoma, Washington based Highlight Bomb played a set in Los Angeles last Saturday. The group cranks out a pop-laced grunge and is currently touring much of the West. The gig was low in attendance due in large part to the band playing at around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I spoke with all three members of the group about the difference between the Northwest music scene and other areas of the country, most notably Los Angeles. Video below:
Long waiting for the opportunity to profile an indie band from outside the L.A. area, I caught a show by the group Yeasayer on April 25. The band’s considered part of the experimental rock scene emerging in Brooklyn, which includes acts like Free Blood, High Places, and MGMT. I captured a few live clips and interviewed lead singer Chris Keating, who had some interesting things to say about how he’d improve the indie music scene and L.A. club owners’ affinity for “pay-to-play.” Check it out: