[Disclosure: This trio is made up of longtime FOBB (Friends of Buzz Bands). Drummer Dave McKay is a contributor to this blog.] The members of Non Ultra Joy come from such disparate backgrounds you'd hardly expect their work to cling to one aesthetic. Chris McRitchie made saw-toothed hard rock in Flupejac and Big Stone City; John Girgus had pop moments in Sarah Records' Aberdeen and electro-gazers Languis and thrashy ones in Spider Problem; Scotsman Dave McKay drummed for ill-fated anthemic rockers Driveblind. The trio's [...]
The Silverlake Jubilee arrives with a bang this weekend, the first-year music and arts festival bringing some 50 bands to a three-stage neighborhood fair featuring cutting-edge DJs, comedy, spoken word, film, art and fashion — not to mention three dozen or so food trucks to satiate attendees' appetites. Buzz Bands LA has joined with Jubilee organizers to co-present the indoor stage at El Cid on Saturday and Sunday night. Eastern Conference Champions — supported by Mississippi Man, Francisco the Man and Polls — headline on Saturday; Useless Keys [...]
photography by Travis Moore Spider Problem, Manhattan Murder Mystery, and Blue Jungle performing at Pehrspace on February 27, 2010.
The FMLY RIDE is the first music based party ride: a bunch of bicyclists meet up at a central starting point and roll from stop to stop. For this ride there will be one or two bands set up at each stop ready to play when the bikers arrive. After the performance is done, we [...]
Thanks to everyone who has left a comment recently. All are greatly appreciated, and to show my gratitude, I am going to gross you out with tales of creepy-crawlies. One of the nice things about living out in the country is our proximity to birds and wild animals. I like most of them, but some that I don't like get a little too close. Various species seem to always be trying to take back the little territory we call our own. This summer I began [...]
Spider Problem is a trip to the ER waiting to happen. The L.A. quartet's thrashy spazz-rock is a throwback to the days of unhinged punk — yeah, maybe like the Germs , whom Spider Problem has supported this year on tour. (At least, it's the 2009 incarnation of the Germs, with actor Shane West channeling Darby Crash as frontman.) Spider Problem frontwoman Shayne Eastin is more performance artist than songstress, her blaring over guitarist John Girgus' vintage-metal riffage creating something of an aural fistfight. Things get physical onstage too, with Eastin's human ragdoll playing pinball with band members [...]
Oops – looks like it's been a couple of weeks since I purged the mailbox. There was a lot of stuff in there, but probably half of it was either random PR things or music you probably don't want to hear. From the surviving half I managed to pull several decent items. Of particular note is Spider Problem, a rock band out of El Lay. They are without a doubt my pick of this post, with a sound that kinda sorta reminds me of X. Another interesting band is The Bad Dogs. The Bad Dogs [...]
[Getting back into town today after a little road trip. Thanks to my pinch-bloggers the past few days; happy birthday to Stewart Copeland; and here's a full plate of music goodies from which to sample tonight:] My trip to the heartland yielded a good read or two, including this Riverfront Times interview with Son Volt's Jay Farrar on his band's new album "American Central Dust." The quintet plays the Wiltern tonight with the Cowboy Junkies . ... The "Also I Like to Rock" free concert [...]
[Marky Ramone celebrates a birthday with his blitzkrieg today.] The almost 30-year-old spirit of Darby Crash will be summoned tonight when The Germs headline the El Rey Theater with Spider Problem and Agent Orange opening. ... The Veils finish their west coast run at Club NME at Spaceland. ... At Pershing Square in downtown, Fol Chen and 60 Watt Kid play an evening show. ... Jonneine Zapata [pictured] performs at [...]
To put it mildly, the last few weeks have been filled with nothing but heartache with so many Angelenos being lost including one we'll post about tomorrow if we can muster the strength and another who is permanently leaving us tomorrow for Austin (the city, not some dude named Austin, which would be equally devastating but much less damaging to our heart considering dudes named Austin are
||| Download: "Buzzsicle 33 I originally created Buzzsicle 3 for a special promotion, and ... well, it's a long story, but I never posted it until now. It's an hour's worth of music featuring 15 songs by L.A. artists Red Cortez, Spider Problem, the Yelling, Greyboy, the Gray Kid, Keenhouse, NightWaves, Shiloe, Robotanists, His Orchestra, Fool's Gold, Secret Dakota Ring, Intricate Machines, West Indian Girl and DeccaTree. Let me know what you think — tracklist after the jump: Red Cortez , [...]
As you can tell from the absolute lack of posting last week I have been lost in the vortex known as Austin TX for the better part of the week. A huge SXSW recap post coming up. In the mean time I'm on the road riding back to Los Angeles with Spider Problem . So far it's been an eventful trip. I smacked Shayne in the face with my bass at a show and gave her a pretty amazing black eye and today I stepped funny out of the van and completely twisted my ankle. [...]
So I'm turning 25 yrs old at midnight. Friends if you wish to celebrate the merriment of my quarter century of existence then please come to Cha Cha Lounge TONIGHT! CHA CHA LOUNGE 2375 Glendale Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90039 It is the issue release for the SXSW issue of LA Record and the crew will be out spinning top quality records and hanging out drinking $2 PBRs. I'll be spinning a few of my favorite country and honky tonk inspired tunes. Head over around [...]
Man I'm pooped today. Last night I played my second show on bass for Spider Problem and let's just say it was a beautiful disaster. Death To Anders and The Sleepover Disaster also performed and were fabulous. Not even two bars into Spider Problem 's first song my borrowed amp went on the fritz and starting cutting in an out. At first I thought it was the cables or my pedals but even after plugging in direct the amp still was going haywire. Pair that with not knowing the songs [...]
One of the great things about living in the internet age is the abundance of information. Anyone with a computer now has more information at their fingertips than the entire world had 100 years ago. Almost every thing, person, place and idea has its own Wikipedia page - if not its own website, MySpace page, or blog. This goes for everybody from LOLcats to Baby Jesus. It's all there for picking - fact, fiction, altered photos. Many say it serves as the great equalizer. But what's funny about this wealth of information is that it's accessed via key [...]
Well, hello you. It's been awhile, yes? It's like a whole new year or something. We trust you had a good holiday and spent some time with family and friends. We were doing the same, albeit on the other coast, and as much as we rag that other coast, we actually kind of had a wonderful time. If you follow us on that one site, you only heard part of the story... There were mechanical issues with
We asked Simon Leahy - one third of Dalston synth punks, Teeth!!! - to keep us updated on his travels and the band's forthcoming tour in Portland and California. Prepare yourself for one hell of a diary... Day 1 LA is a big sprawling city. Hollywood sign, check. The people at the airport sounded exactly like they were in The Terminator or some other sci-fi LA movie. We are staying just off Sunset Blvd. We already ate "real West Coast-Mexican food" and checked out the superb Wildness where [...]
My inbox has been overflowing with music lately. One good thing is that I'm seeing a trend toward rock, punk, and pop-punk stuff rather than the "indie" music I had been seeing. No offense, but it's all in personal preferences and I prefer rock. That said, there is still a pretty good selection of things here and – whether your musical tastes always mesh with mine or not – I think you'll find something here that you can listen to. Like always, follow the links for more info. [...]
I love this chick, she's nutz! Here's the new video for "Siren" from their latest EP Natural Selections . "Siren" | download Upcoming shows: Sep 25 Alex's Bar Long Beach, CA Sep 26 Downtown 81 Los Angeles, CA Oct 08 Club Moscow @ Boardners Hollywood, CA Myspace | Gigs | Buy
Los Angeles shouldn't complain about its Spider Problem . That is, so long as we're talking about the hard-rocking quartet whose EP "Natural Selections" has all the energy and chaos of a live show, and all the power and hook of old Yeah Yeah Yeahs or L7. Singer Shayne has a tough, ready-to-rumble voice that's perfect for modern punk, mixing sex and anger so completely that you can't tell where her love ends and her rage begins. If there is an award for pure energy, surely it will go to Spider Problem. When [...]
Buzz Bands
L.A. RECORD
speed of dark
Licorice Pizza
la-underground: los angeles loves you
Rock Insider
Tough Customer // Wire
New Ears
Welikeit.indie
Berkeley Place
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
Music Alliance Pact. MAP. February 2012.
A-Trak - "Round of Applause" / "Where My Money At" (MP3 Download)
Listen: Usher x Diplo – Climax
Imperial Teen – Runaway (2012)
