Best New Bands » Liz Livengood https://www.bestnewbands.com News, Reviews and Interviews Wed, 07 Feb 2018 02:08:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.41 Who (Or What) Is El Obo? https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/who-or-what-is-el-obo/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/who-or-what-is-el-obo/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000 El Obo isn’t a mystical creature wandering the countryside. It’s not even a swaggering fictional Telemundo villain. El Obo, which means absolutely nothing in Spanish, is the alter-ego of Jesse Coppenbarger from Colour Revolt. Taking a step away from Colour Revolt’s driving drum beats and thrashing guitars, Coppenbarger delivers Oxford Basement Collection, an album of

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  1. Mental Hygiene- Trapped Again Trapped Again is a tight collection of eight songs showcasing Mental Hygiene’s strengths: catchy lyrics, infectious melodies and punchy guitar riffs. The opening track, “Strangers,” sets the tone for what promises to be a rockin’ good time. The track brings an...
  2. “Raven In The Grave” By The Raveonettes Soars Denmark’s very own The Raveonettes are back with a dark, melodic (for them) fifth album, merging open guitars and violent synth. Raven In The Grave is a more full, deep album than previous ones, and it abandoned some of the...
  3. Panda Bear’s “Tomboy” Is Worth Noticing Panda Bear has a lot to live up to. One part of Animal Collective, a band that now commands the respect of millions after people ‘suddenly’ began paying attention to Merriweather Post Pavillion, and one part indie darling, Noah Lennox...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/who-or-what-is-el-obo/feed/ 0 The Sound of Growing Up Tells All https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/the-sound-of-growing-up-tells-all/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/the-sound-of-growing-up-tells-all/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 20:00:00 +0000 After seeing The Sound of Growing Up’s stirring music video for “The Kite,” I had some burning questions for the boys, Justin Kao (vocals, guitar), Tom Meunier (guitar, vocals), Steve Tagarelis (bass, vocals) and Gerard Beaudoin (drums). In my review of their EP, Drifting, I likened the band to Ben Folds and said “the sound

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  1. The Sound Of Growing Up Is Sweet Music Smart, jazzy piano-driven pop is The Sound Of Growing Up. Justin Kao’s Boston band releases its debut EP today, Drifting, a short yet powerful collection of songs filled with punchy vocals, ukelele and horns. The sound is simple, and yet...
  2. The Sound of Growing Up Makes a Video! In my review of Drifting by The Sound Of Growing Up, I praised the fun piano pop sounds of the Boston band. I also said I’d love to see them live, which hasn’t happened yet, but here’s the next best...
  3. Jim Wolf: Making Heartbreak Sound Good Over the past few weeks, for one reason or another, I’ve delivered a series of artists who have either the prefix or surname of ‘Wolf’ to you. At least for another week, this trend continues. Brooklyn-based Jim Wolf is a...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/the-sound-of-growing-up-tells-all/feed/ 0 Orts! Orts! Orts! Angry Orts! https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/orts-orts-orts-angry-orts/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/orts-orts-orts-angry-orts/#comments Sun, 30 Jan 2011 19:00:00 +0000 Before their awesome show at The Woods last Saturday, I sat down with all of The Angry Orts for a chat. Over champagne and PBRs, we discussed nerdy words, what’s on their iPod(s) and whether they get more action now that they’re in a band. ***This video may contain language that is offensive to you.

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  1. The Angry Orts Rock The Woods The Angry Orts are neither angry nor orts. In case you don’t know what orts, are, they are, essentially, table scraps. If The Angry Orts’s show was a buffet, there would be nary a scrap to be found. I caught...
  2. Los Angeles, how are you spending your School Nights? My friend Ehren emailed me last week to say he’d be playing a free show with Aqualung tonight, and all I needed to do to get in was to RSVP at http://www.itsaschoolnight.com. I immediately RSVPed, and it turns out that...
  3. Anna Rose in Bloom Since her formative years, Anna Rose has a strong passion for music. At time when many of us were learning our ABC’s and enjoying our coloring books, the New York native was learning how to play piano. She started when...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/orts-orts-orts-angry-orts/feed/ 0 The Angry Orts Rock The Woods https://www.bestnewbands.com/live-reviews/the-angry-orts-rock-the-woods/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/live-reviews/the-angry-orts-rock-the-woods/#comments Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:00:00 +0000 The Angry Orts are neither angry nor orts. In case you don’t know what orts, are, they are, essentially, table scraps. If The Angry Orts’s show was a buffet, there would be nary a scrap to be found. I caught their show at The Woods last night and found myself drowned in a crowd that

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  1. Verity in Stereo and Root Glen Rock an Old School House of Rock The Stage Mural @ The Court Tavern The Court Tavern used to be just one of a slew of rock venues in New Brunswick, NJ. Pavement played their first live show there. The Smithereens once considered it their second home....
  2. The Campus Cool: Dominant Legs, Young the Giant, and Best Coast Rock UCLA The UCLA campus was abuzz under the warm yellow lights lining brick pathways last night, and groups of students were thankful to crowd into the cozy Kerckhoff Grand Salon to escape the bitter wind.  Let me reemphasize cozy: through the...
  3. Land of Talk Rock the Bowery Ballroom I love when I realize a band I’ve just discovered is playing a show near me, so when I saw that Land of Talk was playing at Bowery Ballroom I thought, I know what I’m doing Saturday night! I arrived after...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/live-reviews/the-angry-orts-rock-the-woods/feed/ 0 A Chat With The Ocean Floor https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/a-chat-with-the-ocean-floor/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/a-chat-with-the-ocean-floor/#comments Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:00:00 +0000 Before The Ocean Floor’s show at Rontom’s last week, I got a chance to sit down with them and talk about their projects, their sound and which artists they like the best. I hope I get to see The Ocean Floor in a venue more suited to their element, which is quiet and contemplative while

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  1. A Voyage to The Ocean Floor Being at Rontom’s to see The Ocean Floor last night was a bit…muffled. Kind of like being underwater. It was difficult to hear the band clearly, which was a shame. The Ocean Floor is one of the most eclectic Portland...
  2. Abe Vigoda This weekend my girlfriend and I are going to San Francisco to measure a bridge (not the whole bridge, I’ve been told over and over again). You might have heard of this bridge. It’s called “The Golden Gate Bridge” and...
  3. ArpLine: Genre-less. . .In the Best Possible Way ArpLine, composed of Sam Tyndall, Oliver Edsforth, Nate Lithgow, Adam De Rosa, and Michael Chap Resnick, is one of my greatest findings to date. Stumbled upon after a late-night exploration of the MySpace music maze, I was flattened by this...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/a-chat-with-the-ocean-floor/feed/ 0 Modern Skirts Blew My Skirt Up…And I Liked It https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/modern-skirts-blew-my-skirt-upand-i-liked-it/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/modern-skirts-blew-my-skirt-upand-i-liked-it/#comments Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:00:00 +0000 Modern Skirts, a four-piece from Athens, GA, sure know to groove on a sick pop hook. Gramahawk, Modern Skirts’s latest album, drops today. It’s ten tracks of clattering cymbals, soaring synth and lilting lyrics. The devil really is in the details with Modern Skirts. They manage to produce thrillingly catchy songs that unfold, little by

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  1. Miniature Tigers Interview: Bringing Modern Art Pop to Life Miniature Tigers are four busy cats. In addition to the nationwide tour they’ve embarked on in support of their second album Fortress (available here), the modern art/beauty pop foursome has received nods from the likes of Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly,...
  2. Blood Beach: A Hair Band for These Modern Times? At The Woods last night watching Blood Beach open for (former BestNewBands.com Artists in Residence) Rumspringa and Bear Hands, the very first thing I noticed was the hair. The self-described “garage/basement band” is blessed with four heads of shiny, flowing...
  3. Talent at the Troubadour: The Hush with The Modern Drone, Bethpage Black, People by the Sea, thatwasthen, and Satellite Thieves The word of the evening, ladies and gentlemen, is talent.  Last night at the Troubadour, raw talent was apparent in every band that graced the tiny stage, making for an awesomely accurate portrayal of today’s local rock scene.  Six groups...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/modern-skirts-blew-my-skirt-upand-i-liked-it/feed/ 0 Madison Makes Beautiful Noise https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/madison-makes-beautiful-noise/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/madison-makes-beautiful-noise/#comments Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:00:00 +0000 Don’t dismiss Madison as a regurgitation of pop stars like Kesha or Lady GaGa. While her songs are quite dancey, Madison brings an original style to pop music- and a lot of sex appeal.  Madison released the first installment of her four part EP series, The Noise Some People Make last Tuesday. The four-song set

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  1. Street Drum Makes Some “Big Noise” At The Roxy! Street Drum Corps have been taking over the Roxy Tuesday nights and you know that feeling where you really want to forget all the nonsense in your own life and focus on something- ANYTHING- else?  This is the show for...
  2. Sam Humans and The Heliogoats: A Beautiful Friendship In March of 2008, Sam Humans and The Heliogoats stayed in a rental house together while performing at SXSW. The two acts formed a bond and decided to work on a project together. The result is a ten song split...
  3. Lollapalooza Interview Sessions: Company of Thieves Makes The House of Blues Red Hot! The minute Genevieve Schatz, lead singer of Company of Thieves pranced on stage, she blew me away!  Don’t let her adorable pint-sized stature fool you- her voice is unbelievably strong!  She had the now-rocking House of Blues is Chi-town at...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/madison-makes-beautiful-noise/feed/ 0 Sam Humans and The Heliogoats: A Beautiful Friendship https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/sam-humans-and-the-heliogoats-a-beautiful-friendship/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/sam-humans-and-the-heliogoats-a-beautiful-friendship/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 21:00:00 +0000 In March of 2008, Sam Humans and The Heliogoats stayed in a rental house together while performing at SXSW. The two acts formed a bond and decided to work on a project together. The result is a ten song split EP, Live Free & Let Loose. Sam Humans, formerly Modernstate, opens the EP with “Hate

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  1. HelloGoodbye: Would It Kill You?. . .No, But It Will Make You Stronger HelloGoodbye’s second studio album Would It Kill You, released November 9th, 2010, stays true to form with a plethora of catchy melodies and beats that follow their traditional theatrical lines (a little less pomp than circumstance) with a new added...
  2. Freebass: Three Bassists Unite Do you know the name of the bassist in your favorite band? Didn’t think so. Bassists are usually overlooked in bands, playing second fiddle to the more spotlight-friendly lead singers and guitarists. An interesting “supergroup,” consisting of Smiths bassist Andy...
  3. No Kudos For Surf City You know how the ocean lulls you to sleep, with its rushing waves and constant roar? It’s one of my favorite things about going to the beach. But an album called Kudos by a New Zealand band called Surf City...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/sam-humans-and-the-heliogoats-a-beautiful-friendship/feed/ 0 Freebass: Three Bassists Unite https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/freebass-three-bassists-unite/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/freebass-three-bassists-unite/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000 Do you know the name of the bassist in your favorite band? Didn’t think so. Bassists are usually overlooked in bands, playing second fiddle to the more spotlight-friendly lead singers and guitarists. An interesting “supergroup,” consisting of Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, New Order and Joy Division bassist Peter Hook and Stone Roses bassist Gary ‘Mani’

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  1. Ra Ra Riot Review – The Orchard As a relatively new band with only one full-length album under their belt, Ra Ra Riot may have hit a miniature sophomore slump with their second album, The Orchard. The album incorporates similar stylistic elements as their charming debut The...
  2. Mental Hygiene- Trapped Again Trapped Again is a tight collection of eight songs showcasing Mental Hygiene’s strengths: catchy lyrics, infectious melodies and punchy guitar riffs. The opening track, “Strangers,” sets the tone for what promises to be a rockin’ good time. The track brings an...
  3. Maserati – Pyramid of the Sun Maserati’s sound is epic. Not epic in its slang sense, but epic in the sense of greatness. Though only four (currently three) men, the Athens, Georgia-based instrumental post-rock outfit has a knack for evoking a mélange of emotions and producing...
]]> https://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/freebass-three-bassists-unite/feed/ 0 Last Words From Paschal Coeur https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/last-words-from-paschal-coeur/ https://www.bestnewbands.com/interviews/last-words-from-paschal-coeur/#comments Sun, 05 Dec 2010 20:00:00 +0000 At Paschal Coeur’s last show ever at The Woods on November 27, I got to sit down with four of the five members, lead singer Danielle Fish, guitarist Kacy Mazur, synthesizer player (synthesist?) Tim John O’Brien and bassist Ed Thanhouser for an intimate last interview. The indie/electro-pop/country hybrid band will be reemerging, minus a couple

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  1. Paschal Coeur’s Last Show Has Heart I didn’t know too much about Paschal Coeur before I saw them play at The Woods last night. I knew their genre classification was all over the map, from country to electronic to pop. I knew that last night was...
  2. Words and Music with Pepper Rabbit Several hours before they rocked The Echo, I got a chance to sit down with Pepper Rabbit and chat about the recent release of their debut album Beauregard, their next album, and their currently hectic schedule. I was first introduced to...
  3. Delta Spirit To Finish Its Tour On A High Note For Long Beach, California-based outfit Delta Spirit, practice truly does make perfect. Their second full-length album, History From Below, was the group’s first album to appear chart on the Billboard Top 200 and is a tangible sign that the band’s...
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