I’m happy to report that after Nick Silver’s dip into depression in Episode Twelve, he’s now back on top and as confident as every in lucky number thirteen. In this shorter-than-average clip, Nick dances, he primps, and he spouts off about the current state of the industry from a surprisingly optimistic standpoint. Ten guys may not be sharing a billion dollars anymore, but the industry is coming back to what’s important: the music. Check out the video below, and as always, you can head over to LegendsofLaLa.com to watch all of the episodes in this fantastic series by Matthew Arnold.
Love this band. Love this song. Love this video. Check out The Drums’ music video for “Down By The Water” below and join me in counting down the days until they hit LA on their North American tour with Surfer Blood.
We didn’t want to overwhelm you with photos in the main articles so we separated it into two photos blogs. You can check out Mikiel’s shots here.
Neon Trees
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After the appetizers that were Thursday night’s tribute to Slash and Friday night’s venue showcases, I was more than pumped to dig into the Sunset Strip Music Festival main course on Saturday, and I must say, the day-long street fest left me fully satisfied. On any given night, you can find an array of genres represented on the Strip, so it seems more than fitting that each performance brought something new to the stage. I hope in the coming years the festival continues to book an equally eclectic line-up as the diversity of artists was truly representative of what the Strip has to offer.
While most of my time during the Sunset Strip Music Festival was spent running from stage to stage to catch at least a few songs from as many performers as I could, two acts drew me in so completely, I had no choice but to stay for their entire sets. Who might these captivating acts be, you ask? I’ll give you a hint. Both are LA locals and neither was playing on one of the main stages. I guess that was two hints, actually. Read on to find out which band blew me away during Friday night’s slew of venue performances, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out which artist put on a performance so electric on Saturday in one of the Strips’ legendary venues, I couldn’t be persuaded to head back outside.
Ready for the last album releases of August? Well, ready or not, here they come! Check out the albums that have us excited below and be sure to let us know in the comments what you’re looking forward to hearing today.
Jenny & Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
Jenny Lewis won my heart with 2006’s Rabbit Fur Coat, so I’ll definitely be checking out her new collaboration with equally gifted indie artist Johnathan Rice.
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While watching the Black Keys’ video for “Tighten Up,” the first single off their album, Brothers, I was reminded of Local Natives’ “World News” video, which also features a child singing the lyrics to the band’s song. While the two videos are otherwise very different, I couldn’t help compare them based on this connection and thought, “Who better to help me decide which is superior than the LA Music Blog readership?”
While I’ll admit I’ve daydreamed my way through more than one opening act’s set (and even Blackberried my way through a couple of awful ones), Young the Giant’s performance opening for Minus the Bear at the Mayan Club back in May was so energetic and entertaining, I don’t know how anyone could have focused on anything but the stage. The five young artists from California recently spent time in the studio with acclaimed producer Joe Chiccarelli (My Morning Jacket, The Shins) to create their debut album, which will be released digitally on Roadrunner Records in October, and the group will be on tour with Marina and the Diamond throughout the month of September. If you get a chance to head out to one of those shows, I suggest you arrive on time because Young the Giant may be one of the opening bands, but they put on a headliner-worthy performance.
LA Music Blog recently had a chance to talk to Young the Giant frontman, Sameer Gadhia, about the band’s upcoming album, working with producer Joe Chiccarelli, and how the indie rockers ended up on a metal label.
Photo by: Alexander Shahmiri
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