I'm currently down in San Francisco (well, Richmond actually) to see Ride play. Ride, for those keeping score, were the best of a crop of bands known way back in the early 1990s as shoegazers. Like most British bands that survived into those dark years of the mid-1990s, when a collective craze for slow motion guitar … Continue reading Ride rolls into the Warfield — and their thirteen most massive tunes
Category: Music
The Dragonfly Collector Reviewed
Clementine Castro recently released his solo debut under the name Dragonfly Collector. Castro also was the leader of the popular bands, Orange and Lemons and The Camerawalls. Orange and Lemons released three albums in the 2000s (Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream (2003), Strike whilst the Iron Is Hot (2005), … Continue reading The Dragonfly Collector Reviewed
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A San Fernando Valley Playist
So the bad news is that I missed out on CicLAvia — The Valley. Cream Soda (my bicycle) was in the shop (nothing serious) and I was dog-sitting on the Eastside. I thought about bringing and walking the dog there but they’re not allowed on Metro buses or trains and there were further complications too that I … Continue reading A San Fernando Valley Playist
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15 American Pop Hits That Aren’t in English
In the United States there is no official language and in roughly 18% of American homes, one of hundreds of languages other than English is primarily spoken -- all of which, unless they're indigenous, should be considered "foreign languages." In Los Angeles, everyday you can hear pop songs on the radio in Cantonese, English, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, … Continue reading 15 American Pop Hits That Aren’t in English
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The Filipino New School Freestyle Revival
Freestyle is a type of dance-pop music that evolved from Hi-NRG, Electro, and Hip-Hop in the early 1980s— primarily in New York City and specifically the South Bronx. Due to the ethnic and musicological background of some of its producers, performers and many of its fans, Freestyle was originally often referred to as Latin Hip-Hop. … Continue reading The Filipino New School Freestyle Revival
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All-Female Bands of the 1960s – Happy Women’s History Month!
In the first half of the 20th Century, there were many popular all-female musical acts. In the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s there were vocal groups like The Andrews Sisters, The Boswell Sisters, and The McGuire Sisters. In the early rock/soul era, the so-called "girl groups" such as The Shirelles, The Teen Queens, The Paris Sisters, … Continue reading All-Female Bands of the 1960s – Happy Women’s History Month!
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Pan-American Blues — Black Country Music
If one listens to a “hillbilly” record like, say, Jimmie Rodgers’s “Blue Yodel” back-to-back with a “race” record like Lead Belly’s “Cow Cow Yiki” it should become immediately clear to the listener that often the distinction between these two genres has for many years been (and continues to be) more of an industry marketing rather than … Continue reading Pan-American Blues — Black Country Music
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Herman Stein – Architect of the Sound of Science-Fiction
Though his name isn’t widely recognized, Herman Stein was a very influential American composer. Though he composed hundreds of film scores, he was most influential in for his work within the genres of horror and science-fiction. Some of his most recognized scores were created for Creature from the black lagoon, The incredible shrinking man, It … Continue reading Herman Stein – Architect of the Sound of Science-Fiction
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The 17th Central Avenue Jazz Festival
THE CENTRAL AVENUE JAZZ FESTIVAL Every year for the past 17 years, during the last weekend in July, LA residents and visitors are treated to the preeminent jazz event on the West Coast with The Central Avenue Jazz Festival. It’s free and open to the public – last year, 35,000 attended. The focus, of course, … Continue reading The 17th Central Avenue Jazz Festival
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Your Tuesday night planned… Echo Park or Little Saigon — what’s it going to be?!
So I'm slated to DJ at the Short Stop in Echo Park on 15 May, 2012 (this coming Tuesday unless you're pulling this from the archives). I'll be splitting the music slanging chores with Joe Skyward (Sky Cries Mary, The Posies, Sunny Day Real Estate, Jean Jacket Shotgun), Jimmy James and Greene Candy Machine. Of … Continue reading Your Tuesday night planned… Echo Park or Little Saigon — what’s it going to be?!
Eric Brightwell 