There’s a big red star on my LA Music Blog whiteboard calendar this week, readers, and that can only mean one thing. A show that has me so excited, basic black marker wasn’t enough to commemorate the occasion: Goldspot is finally playing a live show in LA! The group’s sophomore effort, And the Elephant is Dancing, was one of my favorite albums of 2009 (want proof?) and for months I’ve been eagerly awaiting a chance to hear the album’s sweetly innocent, catchy pop songs performed live. Now only 2 days separate me from Goldspot’s show at the Hotel Café Wednesday night. This is a big week, people. The whiteboard doesn’t lie.
Band frontman and songwriter, Siddhartha Khosla, took some time to talk to LA Music Blog about the new album, working with Beach Boys engineer Jeff Peters, and the team effort that will no doubt make 2010 a big year for Goldspot.
In Kenny Kerner’s 40 years in the music industry, he’s held more jobs than a drunk in the unemployment line. The only difference is Kerner has excelled at them all. An unwillingness to fall into a rut and let his mind “turn to mush” compelled Kerner to never be afraid to venture into new territory, as long as that territory fell within the boundaries of the music industry. He now acts as director of Musicians Institute’s Music Business program, helping others learn from his innumerable experiences within the industry. He took some time out from this busy venture to talk to LA Music Blog about how he got his start in music, his advice for musicians and business types seeking to break into the industry, and how his problems in elementary school math foreshadowed his current gig.
It’s hard to stand out when you’re on stage with 7 other talented artists, but that didn’t seem to present a problem for Frank Turner. After catching the Brit on the Revival Tour back in November, I became an instant fan of the hardcore-frontman-turned-troubador. If you got a ticket to his show at Hotel Café Tuesday night, you were one of the lucky ones as he sold out the venue, and I’m sure you understand what I mean when I say he delivers his folk songs with punk energy and passion. He’s now prepping for a tour with Flogging Molly and was kind enough to answer a few questions for LA Music Blog about the upcoming tour, working with producer Alex Newport, and the DVD that can bring his live show right into your living room.
The Beach Boys, the Kinks, CCR, Kings of Leon, Heart…besides general awesomeness, these bands all have one thing in common: members with shared genetics. There’s something special about the musical chemistry between siblings, and LA locals Kamille and Kelly Rudisill are putting that connection to good use. Performing under the name Karmina, which means “song” in latin, the classically trained duo creates melodious “sparkle rock” that is poised to take the pop world by storm. Before heading to New York to promote their new album, Rewriting Chapter Two, the lovely ladies of Karmina took some time out to answer a few questions for LA Music Blog’s readers about their sophomore release, the songwriting process, and the perks of bringing a family member on the road.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, but Alec Ounsworth’s muse is often the writing on the wall. Not only did he name his band Clap Your Hands Say Yeah after wall graffiti bearing those words, but his recently released solo album, Mo Better, was inspired by a sign in New Orleans (check out the album cover for a quick visual). We got a chance to catch Ounsworth opening for Cold War Kids at the Wiltern last month, but those of you who have yet to see him perform can do so Feb 11th when he plays the Bootleg Theater in LA. As we at LA Music Blog are big fans of CYHSY and Ounsworth’s other musical ventures, we were thrilled when he agreed to talk to us about his headlining tour, the new album, and how he doesn’t play favorites when it comes to geography.
In celebration of today’s release of the Album Leaf’s fifth full-length, A Chorus of Storytellers, we thought we’d corner Jimmy LaValle in a dark alley and force him to answer a series of questions for our readers. He resisted at first, but thankfully for you, we at LA Music Blog can be very persuasive (actually all it took was the magic word “please”). Read on to hear what LaValle has to say about the new album, the touring life, and his dream job in the music industry.
Seems simple enough. With the internet changing the way fans get music, shouldn’t it also change the way we support it? Entrepreneur Drew Leahy took this concept and revolutionize the old fan club model using the ‘net, and the result is MyBandStock.com, a site where music fans can purchase stock in their favorite bands in exchange for access to exclusive content and other perks. A revamped version of the site launches today, and Leahy took some time out to talk to LA Music Blog about his introduction to the music industry, the artists he would love to see on MyBandStock, and how you can be a part of the music revolution.
A five-track sampler CD arrived in the mail one day and my life, or at least my iPod, hasn’t been the same since. The catchy, fun, unlike-anything-I’ve-heard-before tracks on said sampler were courtesy of Fannius, a young, LA-based artist who’s take on hip-hop, fashion—heck, pretty much everything—is entirely her own. See for yourself in her latest music video, conveniently posted after the following interview in which she talks to LA Music Blog about the upcoming full-length (yay!), her dynamic live show, and the pop diva she wishes she could consult in times of distress.
You recently released a video for “The Anthem.” What made you want to do a video for that song?
We actually shot it a long time ago. We shot it over last Christmas, and we were all bored because LA shuts down around Christmas. My friend Dave, who directed the video, and I are both from LA, and my friend Jack who wrote the song with me and produced the song is from LA too. We all stayed here during the holidays, and we were like, “Well let’s do something fun and productive and creative when everyone leaves for Christmas.” So, and he said we should probably use a new song, so I put in “Anthem,” and he was like, “Cool, let’s do the video to that.” So we did it.
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