July 17, 2009
By Alex Bandy
LOS ANGELES, Calif.
I have to admit I haven’t been as excited about going to a concert as I was going to Deer Tick’s performance at Spaceland.
I have been playing and replaying both of their CDs ad nauseum for the past few months. I think they truly are the best band around right now, and I am quite a tough critic.
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April 30, 2009
By Damu Bobb
BURBANK, Calif.
Should The Game be worried? Newcomer Roccett, mostly known for his work on the West Coast’s mixed tape scene, is ready to explode soon on to the main stage.
With his own label and movement, Get Your Green Up Ent, which he runs along with his manager/business partner Rick Edwards (as well as being a member of Young Jeezy’s group, USDA), Roccett is set to be Hip Hop’s next big thing.
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March 17, 2009
By Alex Bandy
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
New York rockers Yeah Yeah Yeahs take a gamble on their third release, “It’s Blitz,” trading in their guitar-riff-heavy sound in favor of breathy synthesizers and dancefloor ready beats… And guess what?… it pays off!
The post-punkers led by maniacal beer-swilling frontwoman Karen O. have once again changed their sound without losing what their fans have come to expect from them.
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January 21, 2009
By Alex Bandy
LOS ANGELES, Calif.
The self-titled debut full-length from Seattle band Fleet Foxes plays like a tried and true folk-rock classic. The group’s musical maturity and ability to borrow from their influences without sounding directly like any of them made me feel like I was listening to the fourth album by a veteran rock band, not a debut disc from a new act.
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January 14, 2009
PARK CITY, Utah
The Sundance Film Festival resumes its duties as a great equalizer of the cinema world.
This is where complete unknowns can suddenly find themselves sought-after talent among Hollywood distributors. This is where marquee talent such as Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Chris Rock turn up in thoughtful, non-studio flicks. And it’s where eager audiences get to grill stars and filmmakers about the creative process during question-and-answer sessions after screenings.
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January 07, 2009
By Alex Bandy
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
Little Joy is the side project of Strokes drummer Fabrizio Morretti, his girlfriend Binki Shapiro, and Rodrigo Amarante of Brazilian indie-rock group Los Hermanos. Named for an LA area cocktail lounge, Little Joy sounds like a soundtrack for the perfect painless hangover.
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December 27, 2008
By Ivan Alderson
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
Duffy? Amy Winehouse?
Very 2008 and 2007… respectively.
How about Gabriella Cilmi for Commonwealth indie queen in 2009?!
Watch out America — this retro-sounding 17-year-old Australian singer and songwriter is about to invade the U.S! This new year, look and listen for her everywhere.
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December 26, 2008
By Breanna Hughes
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.
Ani DiFranco has released an album almost every single year since her debut in 1989. And with each album, she gets progressively more profound and continues to evolve (Which also happens to be the name of her 2003 album). Ani is one of those artists that has been stuck with the stigma of “angry rocker chick.”
True, she does have her fill of angst-ridden songs, but Ani only writes what she knows and what she’s experienced, which is proven by nearly 20 years of fiery lyrics and vigorous guitar-playing.
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