Blog: Buzz Bands

On noon on April 12, 30 pianists sat down in a different location all across L.A. County to play the first prelude of Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier." It was the L.A. kick-off to a globally oriented public art project called "Play Me, I'm Yours," a project founded by London artist Luke Jerram in 2008. During the three weeks that followed, these 30 colorfully decorated pianos in places from Union Station to the Santa Monica pier have been available to the public 24 hours a day, and all the spontaneity wraps up with "Love Letters to LA: Pianos Live," a pop-up concert [...]

You'd better tread carefully when you cover Sam Cooke, and L.A. electro-soul collective Caught a Ghost have tackled Cooke's 54-year-old gem "You Send Me" with proper reverence here. The brainchild of principals Jesse Noland and Stephen Edelstein, the nine-piece band has been short on formal releases, but bit by bit (and video by video) , Caught a Ghost is building quite an inventory of soulful ear candy. The video was made by Nolan, bandmate Tessa Thompson and Ryan Leone — and there's likely more on the way during the band's May residency. ||| [...]

Of this year's Coachella reunions, returns and resurgences, none seemed to warm the musical loins of fans as much as Pulp's . (OK, maybe Refused was 1b.) The Britpop warriors gave exhilarating performances both weekends, with Jarvis Cocker providing a clinic on how to be a rock frontman. Pulp were equally thrilling at their very theatrical show on Thursday at the Fox Theater in Pomona, where Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti opened. Photographer Debi Del Grande gave us a few more looks at Pulp's man of action. ||| Also: [...]

► Almost three years after their debut EP of propulsive dream-pop came out, Magic Wands today release their first full-length, "Aloha Moon," and it's very good. The duo of Chris and Dexy Valentine celebrate with a headlining show at the Satellite, supported by Blue Jungle and the Sister Ruby Band. That's Magic Wands' video for "Space," above. ► We've been eager to hear more from Pageants — tonight they play the Echo, supported by E.S.P. ► Pop-rock quintet Troup [see our April 4 post ] does a night at the Mint ► [...]

Here's the great thing about OFF! : everything. Keith Morris means it, always has. The Black Flag founder is 56 going on 17 going on 56. His cohorts Dimitri Coats (Burning Brides), Mario Rubalcaba (of Hot Snakes), and Steven McDonald (of Redd Kross) are ace, always have been. They'll blow your hair back live, even if you don't have much. They're putting out a 16-track "full-length" album that clocks in at about 16 minutes. And Richard Kern's video for "Wiped Out" is out of your face in about the time it takes to watch a TV commercial. Celebrate. [...]

Songwriter Patrick Thomas' wounds of love don't appear to be healing quickly — at least, not judging from his band Duniven's new EP "These Dreams." The follow-up to last year's lovelorn full-length "I Need to Try for Her" finds the Duniven still treading water in organ- and harmonica-drenched Americana, with the frontman's pained vocals channeling Dylan and myriad classic rockers that followed. Like the album, the EP is a hit-and-miss proposition but certainly doesn't lack for musicianship; among its many contributors are keyboardist Jason Borger (who plays with Jonathan Wilson and many others), Harley Prechtel-Cortez and [...]

Fitz & the Tantrums , the L.A. pop-soul outfit who just played the Coachella main stage and whose debut album "Pickin' Up the Pieces" has now sold north of 126,000 copies, get their turn at the Hollywood Bowl on July 1 when they join a bill that includes SoCal native Ben Harper and Saharan wizard Vieux Farka Touré. Also announced today: the lineup for Glen Campbell's Goodbye Tour, and a Bowl date for Flying Lotus . Single tickets for the Bowl's 2012 season go on sale May 5. [...]

Michael Davis gets under your skin. The Midwestern native, ensconced in L.A. three years now, trades in keyboard-warmed folk-pop that tugs at the heartstrings and laments their every twinge of pain. It's no surprise Davis — now doing business as Michael Davis With Lions — has found kindred spirits in other songwriters whose currency is earnest introspection. Davis' new album "Real Love" was made in concert with Nik Freitas , the L.A.-based solo artist who plays with Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band and in Broken Bells. It's the kind of record that gives you a melodic embrace [...]

Happy Monday: ► Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum [pictured] does a post-Coachella show at the Orpheum Theatre. ► Big night at It's a School Night — LP brings her big vocals to Bardot, along with Brooklyners (and one of our Coachella highlights) We Are Augustines and Sweet Hearts , the sweet new collaboration between Priscilla Ahn and Charlie Wadhams. ► And the heaping helping of free Monday night residencies continue: So Many Wizards (with Batwings Catwings, Moses Campbell and Body Parts) at the [...]

The L.A. Buzz Bands Show returns tonight to KCSN (88.5 FM, streaming at KCSN.org) after a week off — I was running around the polo grounds at Coachella — for a very special Sunday evening of local music. KCSN is in the midst of "The Pledge Express," the listener-supported stations semiannual fund-raising drive that's unlike most you hear on public radio. Instead of a lot of banter, I'll be sticking mostly to the music, as well as telling you about the benefits and premiums of becoming a KCSN supporter. This week's SoCal music playlist gives you plenty of [...]

Sunday's select music menu: ► Coachella weekend two wraps up in Indio as Dre. Dre , Snoop Dogg , Tupac's hologram, At the Drive-In , Florence + the Machine , Justice and more headline in the desert. ► Meanwhile at Dillon's Roadhouse, Akron/Family [that's their video for "Cast a Net"], Here We Go Magic , the Entrance Band , Mini Mansions and plenty more play the 11th and final night of Desert Daze Festival . ► Now that [...]

If you've packed your things for a weekend at Coachella (perhaps returning for round two), you can check out what the desert's got going on for Record Store Day here. But if you've decided to stick around in L.A., make sure to head on down to your favorite local spots to grab some exclusive vinyl and catch some solid sets in honor of Record Store Day . You're the lucky ones, really. (Just imagine trying to beat out the massive Coachella crowd for that Mastadon/Feist or that Mastadon/Flaming Lips split 7-inch.) With [...]

The Buzz Bands LA show returns to Moheak Radio at 11 this morning, still hung over from the first weekend of Coachella (and not able to make Weekend 2, regrettably). I'll be shaking off the desert cobwebs and trying to catch up on a lot of new local music that has flooded the inbox — including fresh tunes from Love on a Real Train, Broken Anchor, Queen Caveat, Duniven, JJAMZ, Harlan, Haroula Rose, Max and the Moon, Hall of Fame, Mirror Lady and Low Flying Owls. There'll be some favorites from recent weeks too; count the Neighbourhood, Silversun [...]

► Weekend 2 of Coachella kicks off with the Black Keys, Pulp, Gary Clark Jr., Arctic Monkeys, Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong, Girls, Explosions in the Sky, Other Lives and more. ► Canadian electro producer Felix Cartal [pictured] headlines the Avalon Hollywood behind his new release on Dim Mak Records, "Different Faces." ► Good local bill at the Bootleg Bar, where the Peach Kings , Driftwood Singers and Warships perform. ► And here's something a little different: "Dirty Songs: A Celebration of [...]

LA Font certainly don't have an aversion to out-of-the-box concepts, and in their new video for "Sharks," it's obvious they don't have anything against McDonald's. They may have slightly altered the famous golden arches, but going to six different locations of the Big Mac franchise to film the clip is an entirely different level of appreciation. Danny Bobbe, Greg Katz, Jon Perry and Harlow Rodriguez all love Mickey D's so much they bleed ketchup — ketchup packets, that is. Reuniting with director Hank Friedman, the clip doesn't feature any flying puppies, but burgers become as just as treacherous as [...]

Going to Weekend 2 of Coachella ? It figures to be quite a bit different than the first weekend, but only because of the predicted high temperatures. Weekend 1 was a breeze — weather-wise, to be sure, but also because the festival was the smoothest-run of the eight that I have attended. Crowds were the opposite of unruly; sets almost always ran on time; negotiating pedestrian traffic on the polo grounds seemed the least hassle-free ever; and the lineup was top-drawer. The small-but-scrappy Buzz Bands LA staff tried to make as many sets as we [...]

Another massive night of Coachella "sandwich" shows, and some other gems: ► Wild Flag , the all-star quartet featuring Carrie Brownstein [pictured] and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney) along with Mary Timony (Helium) and Rebecca Cole (the Minders), was one of our Week 1 Coachella highlights. They join two other artists playing the two weekends in the desert, First Aid Kit and EMA at the El Rey Theatre. ► Gotye , who packed them at his Coachella tent show, joins Missy Higgins at the Nokia Theatre. ► U.K. electro-rockers the Big Pink [...]

Exitmusic , the husband-wife duo Devon Church and Aleksa Palladino, don't shy away from playing with that line between haunting and ethereal. It can always be heard in the exponential build-ups in their songs and it can be felt, if not seen, in their visual accompaniments. Teaming up with director Will Joines again, Exitmusic follows up the eerie "The Hours" clip with their new music video for "Passage." Locking down that dark cloud between horror film and cathartic beauty, the clip once again bounces between both shades of barren gray and fiery red. "Passage" is slated for a May 22 [...]

[Here's a couple of cool covers to get you over the hump this week...] LP , "Halo (Beyonce cover)" - Just to be clear, this is LP not El-P. Hip-hop would only be so lucky to have a voice like this, and not many can pull off that Bob Dylan look as well as she does. A songwriter for big stars like Rihanna, Christina Aguilera and more behind the scenes, but a rock tornado of distinct powerhouse vocals of her own on [...]

• Ane Brun - Neighbourhood #1

The debut EP from L.A. quartet the Child , released on Manimal Vinyl, is fashionably arty — and probably a bit heavier on the fashion than actual art. The brainchild of singer-guitarist-keyboardist Holly Marilyn, along with singer-keyboardist Lauren White, bassist Peter White and drummer Norm Block, the Child deals in moody, percussive avant-pop. The synth-heavy, melodic "Faster" is probably the co-ed band's strongest calling card, bringing to mind a host of '80s and '90s songstresses, all tougher than "The President" tries to be. The EP bears a lot of familiar fingerprints — Zander Schloss, Big Black Delta's Jonathan [...]