Canadian Alessia Cara made her highly anticipated Los Angeles debut at The Troubadour. Signed to Def Jam records based on her Soundcloud page that included covers of Lorde, The Neighbourhood, Sam Smith and Justin Bieber, this show marked Alessia's first headlining gig.
Ahead of their June 9th release of their upcoming album Wild Nights, UK's PINS have released their new single "Young Girls." Also, they just announced their U.S. summer toiur which kicks off June 13rh in New York.
Last Saturday, over 150 bands made their journey to downtown Pasadena to take part in Make Music Pasadena (MMP), billed as the largest free, all-day music festival on the West Coast.
First it was The Submarines' songs showing up on the iPhone's 3Gs commercials. Now The Happy Hollows is featured in the latest Samsung Mobile commercial which highlights the SWYPE technology on the Omnia II - only offered on Verizon wireless cells. Check out Sarah Negahdari rockin' out with bassist Charlie Mahoney and drummer Chris Hernandez performing "High Wire" in this cool commercial. Unfortunatlety, I'm on neither AT&T's iPhone nor Verizon. But if my favorite bands keep plugging these cells, I may have to switch carriers. I'm on Sprint (maybe Killola can do a commercial for Sprint! Wishful thinking...)
Happy Hollows plays the Bordello photo by picksysticks
Chhom Nimol of Dengue Fever performs at the Echoplex photo by picksysticks
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett has chosen the song “One Thousand Tears of A Tarantula” from Cambodian-American band Dengue Fever for his Rolling Stone magazine Best Music Of The Decade Ballot. Selected the #2 song of the decade in order of importance, “Tears” sits between Radiohead’s “Everything In Its Right Place” and Mastodon’s “Oblivion” [link]
Dengue Fever’s music is a combination of classic Cambodian pop, Ethiopian jazz and Bollywood blitz, with lyrics mostly sung in lead singer Chhom Nimol’s native language of Khmer. “One Thousand Tears of A Tarantula”, originally released on 2005’s Escape from Dragon House, and again on the 2009 soundtrack to the band’s documentary DVD/CD soundtrack Sleepwalking Through The Mekong is a blistering jam with trance-like lyrics. While there is no plan (yet) for Dengue Fever to cover “Call of Ktulu” from Metallica’s Ride The Lightning, the band would certainly love to have Hammett guest on the track during the band’s upcoming West Coast tour. Dengue Fever guitarist Zac Holtzman said, “It’s a real honor to have Kirk Hammett pick “One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula” as the second best song of the decade. It’s kind of mind-blowing actually. It also happens to be my mom’s favorite song. We’d love to have Kirk come up onstage and take a solo when we hit the Bay Area next month.”
Dengue Fever's Chhom Nimol at the Echoplex photograph by picksysicks
And after what is sure to be a rockin' New Year's Eve show in hometown LA at The Mint (tickets still available at http://themintla.com), Dengue Fever heads up the coast in support of a new project out January 12 called Dengue Fever Presents: Electric Cambodia. Confirmed shows are as follows:
12/31 @ The Mint 01/07 @ SoHo, Santa Barbara, CA
01/08 @ The Independent, San Francisco, CA.
01/09 @ Berbati's Pan, Portland, OR
01/10 @ Neumo's, Seattle, WA
Dengue Fever combed through their personal collections of rare Cambodian cassettes and selected their fourteen favorite tracks for this compilation, featuring artists such as Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, Ros Sereysothea and Dara Chom Chan.
Proceeds from this album will be donated to Cambodian Living Arts which supports the revival of Cambodian traditional art forms and works to inspire contemporary artistic expression.
Kassia Conway of All Wrong and the Plans Change photo by picksysticks
I’ve wanted to see Kassia Conway sing when I first heard her warm weathered voice singing for No Love Letters.Well, that never happened but I lucked out when she emerged fronting a new band, All Wrong and The Plans Change, along with drummer Amy Wood.Their debut album, “I’m Like Whatever,” released earlier this year, is brewing with gloomy arrangements and catchy melodies that showcases the range of emotions in Conway’s restrained but forceful vocals .Check out “I Get Down” and “Lately.”And while you’re at it, listen to “All Night Takes So Long” and “Hands” from her previous band No Love Letters. They won’t disappoint!Be sure to check out All Wrong and The Plans Change when they play Spaceland on December 30th.
Here's All Wrong and the Plans Change performing "I Get Down" at the Viper Room December 13th.
> Ambre Leigh of Some Hear Explosions / photo by picksysticks
Performing earlier in the night was the guitar-heavy Some Hear Explosions.Seeing them for the first time, they didn’t disappoint. With their in-your-face anthem-like songs like “It’s Our Time Now,” you’d expect lead singer Ambre Leigh to be drowned out by their abrasive and colorful sounds but she easily rises and pushes forward with her commanding vocals.While in the ballad-esque, “Amazing,” Leigh’s voice resonates like a silky web of barbed-wire. I'll definitely catch them again when they peform.
> Ambre Leigh of Some Hear Explosions photograph by picksysticks
Nico Vega performing "Gravity" live at The Roxy in Hollywood, CA. Directed & Edited by: Narumi Inatsugu
Nico Vega may be the best, most explosive live band you've never seen but with their latest live video for their current single Gravity, here is a little sneak peek to their on stage fantasticness.
Filmed at The Roxy in Los Angeles, the band's hometown, director Narumi Inatsugu captures the band in all their glory on stage.
The band are also still currently on tour with Neon Trees and Inward Eye.
Here are the remaining tour dates:
Dec 7 2009 - The Red and Black, Washington, DC Dec 8 2009 - The Independent, San Francisco, CA Dec 10 2009 - TT The Bears, Cambridge, MA Dec 11 2009 - The Studio at Webster Hall, New York, NY Dec 13 2009 - Pirates Cove, Cleveland, OH Dec 14 2009 - Magic Stick, Detroit, MI Dec 15 2009 - Shubas, Chicago, IL Dec 18 2009 - Bender's Tavern, Denver, CO Dec 19 2009 - Burt's Tiki Lounge, Albuquerque, NM Dec 20 2009 - Wasted Space, Las Vegas, NV
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