Radio Free Silver Lake

Interview: C-horse

by Joe Fielder

LA indie pop act C-horse are opening up for The Boxer Rebellion at The Roxy this Saturday night, which may in fact give you reason to venture out west and (gasp!) brave The Sunset Strip.

We spoke to lead singer Cecilia Enriquez recently to learn more about the band.

Your music is really damn catchy. How exactly do you go you go about pulling that off? Is it part science or all gut? 

I think it's just a result of all of us having grown up listening to really great rock and pop music. I can't help but be influence by 60s pop music, and I think you can hear that in the songwriting.

When I write, it just sort of happens! The vocal harmonies have a lot to do with it sounding catchy; when I'm listening to others' music, that's what I hear. Every time I write a song, I can't not hear harmonies!

How long's the band been around? How did you guys start up? 

It started out as a Cecilia Enriquez solo project that was named C-horse. I had a bunch of songs that I uploaded on MySpace; and then I looked for members. I went through a couple line-up changes until the band really solidified to what it is now. Lindsay and Courtney played together for a few years in The Karabal Nightlife. Lindsay joined in late 2009; she and Mack (keyboard/vocals) both shared the same first practice. We were then looking for a drummer and Courtney was available. Things just progressed from there.

Radio Free Silver Lake Free Tuesdays with the Lonely Wild: the Aftermath

By Kathryn Pinto
About halfway into the second song of opening band Escalator Hill’s set, a feeling of alchemical perfection set in on the room at Labrie’s. A nice-sized crowd of friends, fans and supporters was filtering in, the sound mix was spot on and the everywhere you looked people were smiling. I had that ever-elusive feeling that we were getting something right. The Lonely Wild, who stole my musical heart forever when we first saw them play on that very stage back in December, owned the room. These kids are incredible songwriters with a live show that reaches down somewhere deep into your soul and doesn’t let go. Jessi Williams earned a special “grace under pressure” mention for stepping into the vocals part and making it her own. Wires in the Walls closed out the evening with high-spirited roots rock and a performance that just keeps on getting better every time I see them play. Kevin Bronson of buzzbands DJ’ed the best of the new material from L.A. bands between sets, and at the end of the night playing, “some really pretty songs that I want to hear on this big sound system.”

Video Free Silver Lake: Seasons, Burial at Sea, Airborne Toxic Event, Pizza, Papercranes, Amanda Jo Williams, Houses

By Jed

1) It's been a long time since  Tony and Gabe have put up anything new on their live video performance hosting site. Which is a shame, considering I have so much enjoyed their previous postings (Walking Sleep, Big Whup, etc.)  The good news is that Tony and Gabe are back, with two new songs from Seasons' upcoming EP Autumn, performed live at  Pehrspace. See below for the very psychedelic "Lazy Bones" and click here for "Of Our Discontent".  

Seasons - Lazy Bones from Tony and Gabe on Vimeo.

Album Review - Thao and Mirah - s/t

By Jackie Lam

I've been a fan of Thao Nguyen of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down since she released her debut album, 2008's We Brave Bee Stings and All, and was fortunate to catch her perform at The Echo a few years back. She had an on-stage demeanor that was shy yet poised, jokingly admitting to being guilty of wearing the same thing throughout the entire tour until that night,  showing off her newly purchased vintage dress, bought from an Echo Park thrift shop, no doubt.

And when I heard that Thao was collaborating with fellow indie folk singer Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn on an album, I couldn't be more excited. The two female indie darlingshave been been spinning gold as solo artists in the indie music scene for the past few years. Mirah, who lives in the Northwest, and Thao, who originally is from Virginia but moved to the Bay Area a few years ago, met while performing together last year's Noise Pop Festival. The two hit it, toured together, and decided to collaborate on an album.  Their self-titled release is an album that not only merges what they are both known and loved for, but takes on a sound that is wholly different. While folk music, jazz, and bluegrass is primarily mired in traditional standards with a more rigorous structure than modern rock music,  Mirah's and Thao's album effortlessly integrates folk, jazz and blues without it coming off too pedantic or referential.

 While sharing instrumental and vocal duties on the album, T & M bring their own distinctive folk styles to the table. Mirah, whose voice has this magical ability to be sharp, angular, and wistful, is reminsicent of Khaela Maricich of The Blow; and Thao, who naturally occupies the lower ranges and delightfully warbles and has a throaty, push-and-pull quality, complement one another quite nicely. Both are masters at writing captivating, intricate songs that has the vouyeristic quality of stumbling into a room with a chanteuse reluctant to be watched, caught unaware.

Recorded during a two-week stint at John Vanderslice's recording studio in San Francisco, Tiny Telephone, the album is co-produced by TUne-YarDs' Merrill Garbus, who also wrote the album's first single, “Eleven,” is a jumble of spoons, bottles, and emphatic cahooting in the background, is ebullient  and really showcases how well weaving Mirah's and Thao's different styles works. More traditional folk ballads such as “Hallelujah” and “Sugar Neck” are indicative as to how minimal Thao and Mirah can be yet still craft a song that deviates from well-worn patterns in folk songs into fresh  avenues.  On “Little Cup,” another standout, Mirah's wistful singing weaves gossamer-like lyrics and a delicate melody.

As a whole, the album breathes of a lucidness and sense of experimentation that will be taken farther on future projects. It's as if these two singular souls met at this serendipitous juncture to create something that broadens their sound and is a very promising sign of the what's to come.

Thao and Mirah will be combining their talents with humanitarian efforts on their upcoming tour to promote the album. With the help of  Air Traffic Control (ATC), a charitable outfit that provides resources for musicians who are interested in philanthropy, T & M will working with local organizations dedicated to domestic violence and childhood abuse prevention on each leg of their tour. In a fundraising effort, a nominal fee may be charged to each ticket that will be donated toward the not-for-profit organizations.

 Thao and Mirah's s/t album is released today and they will be playing at The Troubadour this Sunday with Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside and Led to Sea.

RFSL Free Tuesdays at LaBrie's: MP3 Preview – Escalator Hill, Wires in the Wall, and The Lonely Wild

Compiled by Jackie Lam

After putting on these shows for about half a year or so, we are sad to say that will be taking a brief respite from our monthly residencies at LaBrie's. After all, we do need a break from our lonesome hovels, typing away at odd hours of the night, and from the dark, cavernous entryways of bars. The summer is fast approaching and we RFSL staffers need to get to work on our tans.

And for our last show at LaBrie's, we are going out with a bang. Our April headliners the spectacular The Lonely Wild, will be joined by Escalator Hill and Wires in the Walls. To top if off, Kevin Bronson of Buzz Bands will be donning the hat of guest DJ. So come out for some great, free music, incredibly inexpensive booze, and ample free parking. Doors open at 8:30 pm, the first band goes on at 9 pm. 21+. In our grand tradition, here are some free downloadable mp3s from each of the bands and some back story on their making.

 

Tony of Escalator Hill on "LA to Brooklyn":

Very simply, this is a song about gazing up at the fireworks with someone I had just realized I was falling in love with.  She asked me, "Where do you think you'll be in a year?"  It then hit me that I was happy, there, at that moment, and couldn't even begin to entertain the infinite possibilities that the next year would hold.

 Maybe less obviously, it is a song about self-realization.  This song is particularly meaningful for me for it is the first time since I had quit drinking six months previously that I was truly happy and had arrived somewhere new and comforting.  The line I wanna walk all the way from LA to Brooklyn represents, for me, the journey I had made from where I was stuck to somewhere far away that I had never been before, felling like the luckiest man alive.

I also feel fortunate to have watched the transformation of the song; me plunking around at the side of my bed last July to this recorded version has been a journey in itself, but not one that I made alone.  Everyone in the band had integral roles in bringing this song to life, with the finishing touches detailed by David Newton, who engineered and co-produced the whole album Poplar Avenue, which is slated to be released in early summer.  Enjoy!

Free download: Escalator Hill - "LA to Brooklyn"

 

Bryan of Wires in the Walls on "Twin Jet Engines":

"Twin Jet Engines"  is an older song, off our last EP, Call Signs. Playing it is a lot of fun because it features a brass section at the end, which I get to play trumpet and euphonium on. When we wrote the song, I hadn't picked up a brass instrument since high school, but we quickly realized they could be really beautiful for the ending. I was able to find a great beat up, old euphonium (it's kind of like a small tuba) on eBay before we went into the studio, and we all liked the way it blended with the trumpet and organ to make this deep, lush sound.

Our singer Warren had already recorded the vocals when we went back to do the brass overdubs, but on that particular day he just happened to have lost his voice, so he sounded like he'd just smoked a pack of unfiltered Camels. Our producer thought he should do another pass on the vocals, and after a little bit of convincing from all of us, he gave it a shot. He nailed it in one take, and the result was a vocal track that had this great, weary feel to it that fit the tone of the song and blended well with the female harmonies. It's a sad song, but one that has a glimmer of hope at the end so hopefully it captures that feeling for the listener. Hope you enjoy it!

Free download: Wires in the Walls - "Twin Jet Engines"

 

Andrew of The Lonely Wild on "Dead End:"

"Dead End" materialized pretty quickly.  Sometimes when I'm playing the guitar and I hear something that my fingers can't physically do, I'll cheat a little and tune a string or two or three up or down until I'm playing what I want to hear.  I did this one evening, and began to write a song, (not "Dead End").  I picked up that guitar a couple days later and it was still in a funky tuning, so I rolled with it and started playing something else.  I heard a dual melody in my head, and wrote the first verse that morning.  I kept humming it throughout the day, and began to get confused as to which line, (the male or female harmony) was the lead.  (I still don't know which line is really the lead.  They are both weighted pretty equally.)  The second verse was written in the car and at work that day, and the final verse was finished by the time I walked through the door that evening.  I picked the guitar back up and it was done.  I wish they were all that easy.

Free download: The Lonely Wild - "Dead End"

 

Related articles:

Interview: Escalator Hill
Interview: The Lonely Wild, Part I
Interview: The Lonely Wild, Part II

 

 

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Some Songs Feel Like Butter, Some Songs Sound Like Cake...")

by Brad Roberts

This is obviously The Airborne Toxic Event's week in Los Angeles, as our local heroes come to town to celebrate where it all began for them with a series of concerts in a variety of venues, both big and small. As an indicator of how popular they have become, all shows are sold out. In addition to their album release on Tuesday for All At Once, they also have gigs on The Tonight Show and JImmy Kimmel Live this week. Photo above, we track them below. I was stupidly neglectful and failed to get a ticket, so unless I hang my head out my kitchen window on Thursday and hear them taping Jimmy Kimmel, I'm out of luck.  Among the local bands they wanted to have opening for them are Walking Sleep, Voxhaul Broadcast and Ovideo.

With Zombie-Jesus Day behind us we can get back to business of music, and if you're not following The Airborne Toxic Event around, then check out our last residency with The Lonely Wild at LaBrie's on Tuesday or the Andy Clockwise record release show at The Troubadour on Wednesday. Explosions in the Sky have a sold out show at Hollywood Forever in the Masonic Lodge. There's much much more inside...

I did see some wonderful music last week with Sara Radle Band (who included guests, The Damselles) from the Walking Sleep residency on Monday, to Paul Simon's incredible show at The Fonda last Tuesday and finally, the Cody the Band record release show at Silver Lake Lounge on Thursday with great sets by Downtown/Union and Judson.

Interview: Escaltor Hill

by Joe Fielder

Next Tuesday is The Lonely Wild's final residency night at LaBrie's in Glendale and the supporting acts include Wires in the Walls and Escalator Hill -- which means it's a damn good night for folks who appreciate Americana rock and free new music.

We spoke with opener Escalator Hill about their plans for the night, their recent recording of their upcoming album, and oh so much more.

How long have you been together now?  How did you all meet?
          
Escalator Hill has been in existence now for nearly one full year in some form or another. I had first starting playing with the idea that I was going to write songs for a unformed project that was to be called Escalator Hill in winter of 2009. 

Come January of 2010, I met Nancy Kuo through a mutual friend who introduced us based solely on the fact that we both play musical instruments. Nancy was relatively new to the Los Angeles area and was looking for some folks to jam out with.

Eventually, after a hearty game of phone tag, we had set up a day to jam. I knew Taylor from work and asked him to come in and play bass. We also started playing with Ryan Ross and Andrew Schneider (of the Lonely Wild) for awhile who I knew back from the days I used to drum for You Me and Iowa. At first we had no drummer, so I ended up juggling drums, guitar and singing together. 

After awhile, we parted ways with Ryan Ross and went to the ever reliable Craig's list where we found Ryan Selan, who with his jazz drumming background made a great fit for the band. James Kirby, our most recent addition to the collective was another Craig's list applicant. After he auditioned it was clear that we didn't need to hold anymore. Which was fortunate for us, since Andrew Schneider who recorded and played with us for the past year has big shoes to fill. (Literally, I think he's a size 12). 

What brought you to LA?

I came to Los Angeles to play music. I went to school at UCI. While I was there I started playing in You Me and Iowa, after I graduated I decided to move to LA to see where the project would go. Eventually after six years of rocking the band disbanded and I was left with a decision; I decided to stick it out and give something else a try. 

Show Review: Queens of the Stone Age at the Wiltern (4/12/11)

By Seamus Simpson

So after hearing a few months ago that the Queens of the Stone Age were doing a First Album tour I told myself “Seamus, you need to see this show.” Then I forgot about it and never got tickets. Fast forward to Wednesday night and there I was on the way home from work, going to meet a friend and standing in front of the Wiltern looking up at the marquee that read,  "QOTSA– Sold Out." I was kicking myself in the butt as hard as I could, but then out of the corner of my eye I spot him. The guy has no reason to be hanging out in front of the venue other than he was selling tickets. So after some deft negotiations and a quick trip to Ralph’s there I was holding a ticket. [See Losanjealous for live photos of the show.]

Well, knowing that drinks at all venues are overpriced I headed to liquor store to get the engine revving before venturing in. Which, truth be told, was an adventure in itself. Suffice to say this Korean liquor store was very strict about its “No card. Cash only.” policy to which I say, “Move into the 21^st century, please.”

Buzz procured and ticket in hand I headed into the venue. Turns out my tickets were on the last row on the upper deck, but I didn’t let something a simple as seat placement get me down at this point. I was going to see QOTSA play material they haven’t played in years—before I ever got a chance to see them.

The opening band, whose name I never got as the lead singer garbled it once into the mic between songs but not in a way any human ears could decipher it, was a strict mix of rockabilly and blues. [The Dough Rollers--ed.] For the genre they were not bad, but having grown up in Texas, the land of rockabilly and blues bands, I have seen this a dozen other times to varying degrees better and worse. Which is to say they played their instruments fine, played on time and dressed the part. But if you have seen one rockabilly band you’ve seen them all, with the exceptions of the Stray Cats and the Rev. Horton Heat.

So after they were done I downed a couple of overpriced beers and headed back to my seat in anticipation of what I knew was going to be an amazing show.

Let me tell you I was not disappointed. From the first strum on “Regular John” I knew I was about to see something I would not likely forget anytime soon. What can I say? The songs, while over 13 years old, sounded as if they were brand new all over again. Highlights include hearing “How to Handle a Rope,” “Mexicola,” and “You Would Know.” The best for me personally was the medley of “I Was a Teenage Hand Model” into “You Can’t Quit Me Baby,” which went for long past the album version's six minutes.

Not one to let their fans down, seeing as this was the last show of the tour, the band did not one, but two encores. Which included “Sick, Sick, Sick,” “Turning the Screw,” “The Sky is Fallin’,” “Go With Flow,” and “Burn the With,” but the cherry on top of the whole show for me was when they ended with “A Song For The Dead.” If any complaint could be made about the show it would be that they didn’t trot out anything from Rated R, but maybe that will be the next album tour. All I can say is that I heeded the noteworthy advice of friend Kevin Bronson, “When in doubt, go anyway.” I am glad I did.

Video Free Silver Lake: A Ghost Haunts This Building, The Luthier, Suede, Henry Clay People, Rökkurró

By Jed

1) A Ghost Haunts This Building is the new electronic project from married couple singer-guitarist Mitch Cichocki (singer/guitarist) and Emma Kathan (singer/drummer), formerly of L.A.'s Black Pine (but have subsequently relocated to Florida).  The video for "Every Night" alternates of Kathan riding in a car (either to or from) a party, where a dozen or so drowsy women lounge and occasionally dance. Emma and Mitch are currently working on a new EP under the new name. If look forward to it, if it sounds like "Every Night."

Ticket Giveaway REMINDER: Cody the Band for Thursday, the Black Apples for Friday

By Joel Robinson

You know, we here at Radio Free Silver Lake dig free stuff. Particularly free stuff that involves wicked good music! Heck, I'm betting you love free stuff like that too. If I'm right, take a trip on over to the show tonight at La Brie's, or get in on this week's great ticket giveaways; one for the Silverlake Lounge show on Thursday and one for the Echoplex show on Friday.

Oh yeah, if I am wrong and you don't like free stuff, feel free to send me $100 for taking the time to post this message. Latah', -jdr