Swervedriver >> is currently on an album tour of their first new release in nearly 2 decades I Wasn't Born To Lose You. Following last year's reunion and recent big appearances stateside including SXSW 2015, the band made a stop for a monumental show at Terminal West in Atlanta last night. Check out the pics from the show below!
Tiffini
Kawehi >> strolled through Portland over the weekend for an interesting show at the Doug Fir Lounge on a chilly, rainy, chill night in the land of weird. It was a fun show at a very fun and iconic music venue that I've always wanted to check out. The experience was uniquely awesome and the tree-like motif with full-on indoor forest acoustics certainly didn't disappoint my high expectations of aesthetics and sound.
Kawehi is super cute and all 5-foot-nothing of her is seemingly full of fun, bubbly and awkward personality. This big island, little vixen is very gifted musically as well but only a small amount of that talent was on display for the show. She started her set with a super sick cover of 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails and followed with more covers and an abundance of stories.
She creates all of her sound on the spot with her soft yet very powerful at times vocals, an electric guitar with a body the size of her body and a sick electrical station of synths. I would have liked to hear more original music that wasn't a lame anniversary song for some assholes in the audience or a happy birthday dedication to another turd in attendance or even just more upbeat covers that could have gotten an anxious, packed house to move their feet more. I recognize the talent in Kawehi but the audience read was just not there.
My favorite jam was her cover of 'Chandelier' by Sia which was very crisp, creative and most importantly inspiring for Doug Fir crowd to count twice and imbibe accordingly.
marc
Slightly Stoopid >> have announced they will be co-headlining the 2015 California Roots Festival. No stranger to this festival and the atmosphere inherent with this gala, the southern California natives should feel right at home in the Monterey Bay alongside fellow headliners The Roots and other artists that really make this a dope lineup.
[related: California Roots 2014]
[related: Slightly Stoopid >> Kickin Up Dust in the Desert]
Slightly Stoopid live for the live show and they understand more than anyone that this is the best way to connect to their fans. These ese locos, G. Love & Special Sauce, Dilated Peoples, Collie Buddz and Dirty Heads? This fest is a frontrunner for 2015 Best in Show.
Get your tickets and details here.
marc
ODESSA >> and The Lone Bellow will kick off a joint tour later this month and cover 20 cities in about 20 days. The uber talented left coast singer/songwriter hails from California and has been grabbing attention all over the country after performing a series of CMJ showcases.
Check out her video and latest single 'I Will Be There' for a look at the beautiful songstress and a close listen to what is prompting artists like Phantogram to inspire remix productions. Better yet, go check out a show at an east coast venue aplenty near you over the next month.
marc
The Ting Tings >> are back at it again in 2015 with a new album and mini tour of the US left coast. The UK duo's 3rd studio release will drop this coming Tuesday JAN-13 with Super Critical which features singles 'Wrong Club' and 'Do It Again'.
With a new compilation of crisp, electric tracks, Katie and Jules ought to make big splashes from across the pond again like they did when their debut We Started Nothing hit US airwaves in 2008, when really they started everything.
Now they're set to kick off a set of shows in California this month to get Super Critical in select cities like San Francisco [Rickshaw Stop], Sacramento [Harlow's] and West Hollywood [Troubadour]. Hopefully, these aren't the only stateside shows in 2015. We're crossing our fingers for a full on album tour and some festival appearances.
marc
Wonder Showzen 2014 >> was absolutely remarkable and just like every other year in live music for me this series of concerts, parties, festivals and such, each had an identity of its own. Artists have continued to develop, galas have grown and newly discovered bands have come into fruition, making all events and even the most familiar of productions a whole new experience.
I experienced more than 100 live performances once again and again can confidently state that the quality of this year's collections has been the best yet. From the valley to Cali and from here to there I experienced many an artist for the first time [CHVRCHES, Tegan & Sara, Imagine Dragons, MS MR], 17th time [311], long-awaited [Outkast, Offspring, Panic! At The Disco], some I haven't seen in close to a decade [Kanye West, Less Than Jake] and even witnessed some making their own fantastic debuts [DeepV].
This year I basked in festivals across state lines like Life Is Beautiful, experienced new local galas like VIVA PHX take steps toward desert grandioseness and the valley's always hot tour stop at Warped. Staples like Sail Inn and Club Red in Tempe were put to rest while Crescent Ballroom and Marquee Theatre continued to assert their presence into the scene and old ones arose from the dead, reinvigorated from dormancy like the newly remodeled Pub Rock Live in Scottsdale.
Net net 2014 was a superb year and once again I got to wander a music lover’s paradise. As always I had the blastest blast with my best friends, made a shit ton of new ones and even partook some of these gigs on the solo tip. It's far too difficult to decipher the best of 2014 because each were unique from the performance aspect, my variety of company and each experience was distinct for one reason or another. Thus, in lieu of choosing, I’ll salute all of the artists that took part in my phenomenal 2014 in a Flickr tribute and healthy shout-out list. Happy 2014, my friends!
311 x 2 A-Trak Against Me! Anberlin Arctic Monkeys B-Real Bad Religion Baauer The Black Keys Black Kids Broken Bells Chromeo CHVRCHES Counting Crows Cypress Hill DeepV DJ Noah Wylie Fitz & The Tantrums Foo Fighters Galantis The Gaslight Anthem Holy Ghost Girl Talk Imagine Dragons Jake Bugg Kanye West Kitten Less Than Jake Lionel Richie Little Dragon Macklemore Matt & Kim Method Man MS MR The Naked & Famous Nite Jewel Offspring Outkast Panic! At The Disco Pennywise Phantogram Pinback x 2 Priory RAC Redman Say Anything Skrillex Sleeper Agent Slightly Stoopid Snake Burner St. Lucia Tegan & Sara Tokimonsta Tranzit YACHT Yellowcard
marc
2014 >> boasted a shitload of new music and amongst those plentiful releases was a plethora of greatness. Dozens of veteran artists as well as some rookies dropped albums each month which added up to a fuck ton of albums that I really dug. It was quite a challenge to put together this best of the best list but I fucking tried okay? So without further ado, in my humble opinion here are the best albums released in 2014. Ya dig?
15 >> Broken Bells After The Disco
14 >> Chromeo White Women
13 >> Little Dragon Nabuma Rubberband
12 >> Die Antwoord Donker Mag
11 >> 311 Stereolithic
10 >> Lykke Li I Never Learn
9 >> The Black Keys Turn Blue
8 >> Jack White Lazaretto
7 >> Lana Del Rey Ultraviolence
6 >> Calvin Harris Motion
5 >> Foo Fighters Sonic Highways
4 >> FKA Twigs LP1
3 >> The Glitch Mob Love Death Immortality
2 >> Phantogram Voices
1 >> Julian Casablancas + The Voidz Tyranny
Honorable Mentions >> St. Vincent [St. Vincent], Pharrell Williams [G I R L], Chiodos [Devil], Iggy Azalia [The New Classic], Deadmau5 [while(1<2)], Taylor Swift [1989], Royksopp & Robyn [Do It Again], Skrillex [Recess], The Gaslight Anthem [Get Hurt]
marc
