One of my favorite things about the Los Angeles music scene is its residencies. Every month, a few magical venues host Monday (or in some cases, Tuesday) night residencies, in which one lucky (and well-deserving) local act is graced with the privilege of headlining once a week for a whole month (!!). During March,
Friday nights in Los Angeles are always exhilarating, and last weekend The Echo transformed from its typical small bar/venue feel into a stadium of sorts with epic performances by L.A. natives TORCHES and UK/New York-based electro-poppers Lovelife. The night began with TORCHES’ sweeping, anthemic brand of indie rock. Though recorded the band consists of
Foxygen was a name I heard floating around in the blogosphere, but something I (shamefully) never took the time to research. When I heard that the duo was playing with Moonface at The Echo, I figured I’d check them out. Why not? Getting to that show early was one of the smartest things I’ve ever
For a new artist, Harlan has been making a lot of headway and fast. It’s not too often that you can score a Monday residency at The Echo in Los Angeles unless you have the chops to win over the notoriously fickle crowd of hipsters and industry types. But Harlan has done that. Citing Prince,
Los Angeles band RACES is hitting the scene with their first full-length album, Year of the Witch. Formed in 2009, RACES have distinguished themselves through their alternative, orchestral, rolling melodies and awesomely spastic moments of fuzzed-up, garage instrumentals. This LP is the follow up to their Big Broom EP and limited edition 7” featuring songs
When you see Elizabeth Harper twisting and twirling on stage, seductively cooing lyrics about sex, love, and fame, and occasionally pounding on a synthesizer, it’s hard to imagine that the chanteuse started as a singer-songwriter. With the amount of energy she exudes during her live performances, it seems unnatural to picture her planted on
The LA-native sexy electro-pop troupe, Class Actress, is returning to Southern California this week to play dates at The Echo and Costa Mesa’s Detroit Bar. Led by the seductive Elizabeth Harper, the trio produces pop gems that gleam with 80s-inspired influences such as early Madonna and Depeche Mode. Beginning her career as a singer/songwriter, Harper
I discovered Young Magic almost one year ago when the collective’s first single, “You With Air/Sparkly” fatefully landed in my inbox. Needless to say, it was love at first listen. At the time, the only information I knew about this new music was that it was the brainchild of an enigmatic Australian native by the
It’s not surprising if you haven’t heard of NO yet—the majority of the anthematic indie rock band’s friends hadn’t even heard of them until the last few months. That’s not to say the band is brand new; in fact, founders Bradley Carter and Sean Stentz started writing music under the moniker a year and a
There was an obvious theme in Wednesday night’s lineup: youth. Not only was it in each band’s names, but also in their music and stage presence. Young Magic boggled the minds of the sold out Echo with their experimental brand of electro-pop. Led by the mysteriously low-profile multi-instrumentalist, Isaac Emmanuel, the Australia-via-New-York outfit turned the