Here’s a lovely little tune by Doom and Gloom called “Keep Me.” It was released on 2/26 and is also available on iTunes. Please support them with a few $ if you can. For those of you not keeping up (that would include me for the past few months), this is Nate and Liska, formerly of the simply wonderful (and missed) Eastside L.A. band Castledoor. It’s great to see they’re still making pretty music. They’re currently based in Fresno.
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Big Silversun Pickups news today! It’s the official release of The Singles Collection, a vinyl boxed set that features all their “hit” singles on six 7″ vinyl records. It includes their new song “Cannibal” (see official video below) and “Devil’s Cup,” from the 2009 Swoon album sessions.
To commemorate this event, they Brian and Nikki will be performing an acoustic set at Amoeba Music in Hollywood tonight (February 25) at 6pm PST. It will apparently be STREAMED LIVE, so check it out! (that’s 9pm for the East Coast).
The “Cannibal”/”Devil’s Cup” disc is pressed on silver colored vinyl. The Vinyl Box Bundle with extras ($65) includes an autographed vinyl box set, custom 7″ vinyl adapter, exclusive T-shirt, 11×17″ poster and instant mp3 download of “Cannibal.” The vinyl box with just the music, adapter and download is $45. You can also download The Singles Collection on iTunes.
web | facebook | twitter | dangerbird records
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L.A. band Nightmare Air are back in town! They’re playing a few shows in support of a brand new vinyl release (Goodnight Records) for last year’s debut album, High In The Lasers. It’s not out until March 25, but it will be shipped out on March 11 to those who preordered. There’s also a special package available that includes the “California Adventure Pack” (band branded frisbee and koozie).
If you’re in or around NYC, you can see them performing tomorrow night (Saturday, Feb. 22) as part of the Goodnight Records showcase, and they’ll have the new vinyl available at the show. This is at Death by Audio (49 S 2nd St, Brooklyn) with The Big Sleep, KNTRLR and Sun Club. Nightmare Air are on at 10pm.
They’ll be at Elevens in Northampton, MA on Sunday night (2/23) and at The Middle East (Upstairs) on Monday night, 2/24. In Boston, they’re up second to last, with inAeona headlining and André Obin and then Lehnan opening.
web | facebook | twitter | soundcloud
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In my general mania for Eastside Los Angeles musicians and bands over the past five or six years, it seems I’ve only given a passing reference to one of L.A.’s true luminaries, Mr. Aaron Embry. This was a huge oversight on my part, which I’ll try to make amends for, at least briefly. For now, a quick bio and news about his upcoming solo album and Kickstarter campaign. When the album is released, we’ll have a proper look and a review. Does that sound ok? Good.
Aaron has been huge on the L.A. music scene since the mid 1990s. He’s performed on guitar and keyboards for Elliott Smith (touring with him for the Figure 8 album) and toured with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (2009-2012). In 2012, he opened some shows for Mumford and Sons to support his debut solo album, Tiny Prayers (which you can listen to below). He’s also an engineer and producer, and has worked with Avi Buffalo and Daniel Lanois.
Learn more about Aaron Embry on Kickstarter, read about his story, listen to some of his beautiful music and support this amazing musician!
web | facebook | kickstarter campaign | wikipedia
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The sky is a constant, as we toil away
in our contracts of love, bound as slaves.
It’s a debt to be paid, we fulfill obligations
allay age-old guilts or dutifully obey,
with the wool securely over our eyes.
As one speaks of pure intent through perfect blooms,
they’ve already been plucked from their natural state of bliss,
imbued with a false purpose,
and surely they begin to wilt and fade.
Bargains are struck which are ofttimes unspoken
resentment builds when those contracts are broken
with the personal lawsuits and battles waged
upon breaches of faith schemes are hatched and then staged
and meanwhile arises a crescendo of mistrust
and a dark cloud obscures the azure sky.
Each pays in turn for imagined transgressions
or seeks a quick salve for the heart’s rejection
throughout all of time from the one to the other
while in the disguise of love.
If I could end this mass charade right now
I would give you the sky with no strings attached
not of puppets played nor plots imagined
but only the azure sky.
Where the birds are free in their state of bliss
descending with messages from lovers delivered
and word from lost ones forever reunited.
A lone eagle over a still blue lake
gazes down at his perfect reflection
he’s startled to see it, his soul’s mirror image
gazing back serenely in comfort
from water that stands apart from all time
under an azure sky.
Here is something very beautiful for your next meditation session or yoga practice. Or for ethereal housekeeping, if you’re in need of spiritual sonic inspiration to clean your refrigerator. Very is Brian Cleary’s special side project (or “lovechild,” as it’s referred to on his soundcloud page). For those of you not up on your Los Angeles band lore, Brian’s main gig currently is as keyboard player with Radar Brothers, though countless years ago, he was also part of a now legendary band known as The Movies, which actually, before they became well-known in the Silver Lake part of Los Angeles, began in Boston of all places.
But never mind about all that. Brian is also part of Strange Parade (yes, it most certainly is), which is probably the best place to get notice of when Very’s Beauty/Beast is available to purchase, which it will be, um, very soon. Beauty/Beast is Very’s debut album. It was recorded in Brian’s home studio using analog keyboards, acoustic guitar, effects and a Zoom hand held recorder. As for the inspiration behind this gorgeous soundscape, it began on New Year’s night in 1984, when the first Very recording was made (coincidentally titled “1984”). It had to do with “The Day After” TV movie and Bill Nelson’s “Bette La Belle.” It’s all about dark versus light, which is revisited in Beauty/Beast. Just listen, ok?
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/21368737″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]
Strange Parade: facebook | bandcamp | The Movies: wiki
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photo by Eric Kelly
From the inimitable Sarah Negahdari is a song offering from her beautiful side project Pisces. Called “Winter Horse,” it was first premiered on Buzz Bands in late January. Needless to say, it’s every bit as magical as her main gig with The Happy Hollows and her “fill in work” last year with Silversun Pickups. Charlie Mahoney and Chris Hernandez of The Happy Hollows add their magic on bass and drums. It was engineered and produced by Joel Morales and David Newton. Just awesome.
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