Trisha
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Posts by Trisha
Mather Louth and Radio Noir
Mar 10th
If you’re a fan of Nick Cave, Peggy Lee, Nancy Sinatra, and Johnny Cash, you will fall head over heels for Mather Louth and Radio Noir. Mather is the pint-sized singer whose voice packs a one-two punch of soul, blasting over 1950’s-style swing and neo-alt-country-noir of her backing band, Radio Noir. Mather and company could easily be pegged into the steam punk movement of late, with her vintage-gothic look and vintage sound, but they’ve got a bit more soul, and they seem to have a lot more fun with their music than the other steam punk bands of Los Angeles. They just finished up a residency at the “Unknown Theater” in Hollywood and are on their way to Pomona, Arcadia, and Las Vegas in the next few months. They’re sure to be back in Los Angeles at the “Unknown Theater” soon!
Until then, check the out at their myspace page (myspace.com/matherlouth). The stand-out tracks on their myspace player are “Fever Jane” and “Walkin’ After Midnight.” “Fever Jane” is similar to Nick Cave’s “Stranger Than Kindness,” but a little more dangerous, and a lot more sultry. Mather drawls out lyrics to this song beautifully and deliberately, giving the listener time to sink into the velvety aural texture. “Walkin’ After Midnight” is a noir-ish take on the original, Mather and Radio Noir twist the song into the psychopathic trip that the lyrics always suggested. Catch Mather Louth & Radio Noir when they’re back in LA and let them entrance you!
Union 13 is Alive and Rockin’
Mar 9th
Union 13 has always been a pure-hearted East L.A. hardcore punk band. Somehow, a copy of their second album, “Why Are We Destroying Ourselves,” ended up in my high school hands in small-town North Carolina – of all places – and a lifelong love was born. With a strong cult following and determination of steel, Union 13 is one of those bands who lasted (the average punk band’s lifespan is about three years). They started playing backyard parties in East L.A. when the owner of Epitaph showed up one day and asked them to record a demo. Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen liked the demo enough to produce it and bam! – they’re signed.
They’ve toured since forever with The Bouncing Souls, US Bombs, H2O, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Subhumans, Dead Kennedys, Pennywise, NOFX, and my own punk band back in the day! It is indeed the best feeling in a musician’s life to share the stage with a band that they’ve loved since their days of teenage rebellion. And Union 13 puts on a great show – they’re veterans to the punk stage and they’ve got the energy of a napalm bomb. They shred through their set, and weave Mexican and Central American musical influences into their crashing drums and screeching guitars. They’ve been working on their fifth album in 2009, and they’re celebrating on April 3 at The Blvd Café (2631 Whittier Blvd). Don’t be embarrassed to relive your old punk days – Union 13 will have you moshing in no time!
Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp
Mar 3rd
When I first walked into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp show at the Key Club last Sunday, I didn’t quite understand what was with the mediocre cover bands playing songs with Michael Anthony of Van Halen. The performers were messing up, reading lyrics, looking nervous; all the hallmarks of a bad performance. But this was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp recital, if you will, and they weren’t bad performers, they were just everyday people living their dream.
Rock n’ Roll Fantasy Camp is like a Disneyland for all the rockers at heart, whose life had lead them away from the stage. For a week, they get to live the rock star life (the non-newsworthy parts), playing in a band, living in hotels, recording, writing songs, and being mentored by varying levels of professional rockers. At the end of the camp, each band (comprised of campers and maybe a rock counselor) performs at a legendary rock club (this time – Key Club; next time – The Whiskey) to all their adoring family and friends. You had your CEO types in ripped jeans rocking out to AC/DC, tone-deaf housewives, and those younger ones who thought they might get discovered that night. The whole point is for everyone to get their 15 minutes and come together with other musicians from all walks of life and of varying skill, and share the primal joy of rocking! For more info check out rockcamp.com.
Princeton: The Darlings of SoCal Indie
Mar 2nd
Princeton is a new band of high schoolers straight out of Santa Monica (Princeton Street, actually), and they’ve since moved to Eagle Rock and have become the dubious darlings of the indie scene. At first listen, they sound like older, happy Joy Division-types, with impossibly deep voices for their ages, spouting bubbly songs that are easy to listen to and easy to let fade into the background. Princeton is made up of a couple of baby-faced twins and a neighborhood buddy who’ve never been in another band. They’ve been making music since high school; about two years ago from the looks of it.
Their album “Cocoon of Love,” describes the happy little cocoon of love that kids – some kids – grow up with. Expect song lyrics like, “I love you, let’s shout it out.” The band is tight, but the problem is that they sound like too many other bands. Their original compositions don’t really stand out as different, exciting, or new; at least for me. It’s as if Pulp took a handful of sedatives and pressed record. I didn’t hear any hints of the “Next Big Thing” in Princeton, but according to everyone else, they’re all the rage. Have a listen and decide for yourself.
Waterfront Concert Theater: Cover Band Galore
Mar 1st
The Waterfront Concert Theater is a relatively new and much-needed Westside music venue (thanks but no thanks, The Good Hurt). If you love cover bands like nobody’s business, you’ll be in heaven at the Waterfront; they’ve got cover bands booked that mirror nearly every big-name band out there today.
Cover bands tend to get a bad rap, especially from “real” musicians who play their own original music. Every original band hates to get booked on the same night as some cover band; somehow it cheapens the whole night. Enter Waterfront Concert Theater, safe haven for cover bands and protection from bitter musician animosity. The worst cover bands are the ones who try to keep it painfully real (yipes, David Lee Roth #2 of Fan Halen). The best are the ones who just want to sing the songs of their favorite band over and over, outside the confines of their car.
You can’t forget the joy of cover band names. You can catch True-2-Crue, Fan Halen, Bonfire (AC/DC…I didn’t get it at first either), Aeromyth, No Duh (No Doubt), and Rolling the Stone (The Rolling Stones) all at the Waterfront. Naturally, it’s only a matter of time before Mini Kiss, By Jovi, Nowaysis, and the Red Stripes (a reggae White Stripes!) play there too.
Warner Drive Indulges Your Inner Skate Punk
Feb 25th
If you catch the urge to suddenly bust out the skateboard, wear some obnoxiously-printed wife beater, and start talking like a stoner, reach for your nearest Warner Drive CD. Los Angeles high-energy punkers, Warner Drive, have been beating the pavement in Los Angeles for a couple years now, and went from playing Mr T’s Bowl to playing venues like the Key Club, The Viper Room, and The Whiskey. Their most memorable show, for both the guys in the band and the audience, was opening up for The Killers on New Year’s Eve 2007 at Paramount Studios – a success for any up and coming band, but it seems Warner Drive has a lot more from where that came from.
I’ve always seen Warner Drive in dive bars in Los Angeles and Vegas, and that’s where they really let loose. They’ve got this crazy energy on stage that at first seems a little too explosive for the venue, a little …too big, but they suck you in with that energy and eventually you find yourself screaming and moshing right along with the veteran Warner Drive fans. Compared to other dive bar bands, Johnny Law and the Warner Drive crew bring it like a band who should be headlining nationally bring it. Soon you’ll be able to pay enormous amounts of money to see the show, but for now, catch their wild, over the top show at 14 Below in Santa Monica on March 12th at 10pm.
LET’S ROCK: Megadeth is Back
Feb 23rd
Megadeth is one of the more underrated metal bands of all time (hello, Iron Maiden), but the thing about bands like these is they persist like nobody’s business. Iron Maiden is still alive and kicking, and Megadeth is embarking on its 20th Anniversary “Rust in Peace” tour, coming to the Hollywood Palladium on March 31st, with Testament and Exodus. By now we all know the story, Dave Mustaine was the angry drunk in Metallica when Metallica was good, got kicked out, and has been pissed off ever since. At some point, he vowed to create a monster more successful than Metallica, which, according to anyone who considers himself a true metal fan, they achieved back in 1989 and sporadically throughout the 1990s.
However, metal standards of success aren’t really based on Billboard charts and platinum records – success is found in the talent of the band and the loyalty of the fans. The rotating line-up is baseline extremely talented; you have to be to play with Dave Mustaine, nominated best guitarist in the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. As for loyalty, being a fan of Megadeth is pretty much a signal to the world that you know what’s what among metal bands. You can’t be a casual fan of Megadeth like you can with Metallica. This concert will cause metal fans to come crawling out of the cracks and re-embracing their metalness wholeheartedly. Get ready to see your IT guy and your upstanding father-of-four uncle to rock out like it’s 1989.
Push To Transmit Breathes Life Into Indie
Feb 18th
Indie rock has proven that it’s here to stay, but it has reached that point where all these indie bands are starting to sound the same. Every so often, a band manages to rise above the din with something fresh and powerful, and Push To Transmit is that band. They’ve got a raw, primal side that compliments their softer, almost fragile side, and any given song can go from raging lion to scared bunny rabbit before you know what’s happening. While they can draw comparisons to a Sonic Youth and At The Drive In love-child, they have the musical chops to carve out their own niche as one of the best new local bands in Los Angeles.
You can check out them out on MySpace, but you have to see them live. No, it’s not a shock-rock show or a Lady Gaga circus of weird. It’s a regular rock show, with regular guys (and gal). They play with a raw kind of soul I haven’t seen in live music in a long time. In their signature song, “Vampire of Emotion,” they hit hard, wailing and whispering the whole way through, taking you on an intense emotional roller coaster for a full six minutes.
They’re playing at Mr. T’s Bowl in Highland Park on February 26th @ 9pm, so go see them! Let Push to Transmit rock your socks until regular ol’ indie is a thing of the past!
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