By Jed
1) Filmmaker (and musician) Elliot Glass recently recorded Judson McKinney playing "Sweet Autumn Headlight" at Echo Park's newish venue Lot 1 Cafe. The video features the current lineup scheduled to be featured on an upcoming EP (likely engineered by Andrew Lynch) -- John Seasons and Sheridan Riley of Avi Buffalo. Glass describes Judson's music as "folky-indie pop", which I think is fair enough -- although I think the sensibility is closer to country than to pop. There's some great stuff he sneaks into the lyrics if you pay close attention. Judson will be playing tomorrow at the Hyperion Tavern.
3) Echo Park's Jasper Dickson Revue's "Halfway to My Grave" was filmed on the kiddie train at Griffith Park, which despite 31 years living here, I've never had the pleasure of riding. Filmed by their friend Zack Kahn, and is off of their debut album "Super Sweet Rock N Roll."
4) W-H-I-T-E is electronic artist (see more detailed interview here) Cory Thomas Hanson. He describese his latest single, Fountain as drawing "from the experience of water rushing over ones body, submerging the senses in a bliss of overwhelming intensities". This language seems slightly hyperbolic, but the video is worth watching for the images alone. He gets covered with blood, among other things. Oh yeah, and he utilizes "tom heavy rhythms and lush choir-like vocal melodies to push the sonic sphere into cascades of harmonic content". It's not a bad song at all.
W-H-I-T-E Fountain from Michael Ray-Von on Vimeo.
5) In around 2004, I used to listen to the Mates of State while studying for finals -- their upbeat harmonizing and countermelodies (is this the right word for when two people sing different, but complementary melodies at the same time?) were a sure way to cheer me up through Property or Criminal Procedure or whatever it was that was occupying me at the time. Annoyingly, the Mates of State's newly announced tour doesn't hit Los Angeles, but not-annoyingly they have a new video for "Maracas", shot in the style of the Old Grey Whistle Test and other late 1970s and early 1980's live music shows (Music Go Music did something similar on Face Time). I saw these guys play a few times in the early 2000s, when I was in my mid-20s, and questionably too old for the crowd even then. And now?
Mates Of State - "Maracas" from stereogum on Vimeo.
6) Steed Lord is an Icelandic house trio who finds their home in Silver Lake (I once spotted them at the Umami Burger on Hollywood). They recently played a show at an electronic music festival in Istanbul, and have released a video documenting the experience. Of all the Icelandic bands I've posted, lead singer Hvala is probably the most fashion conscious of all of them (which you can also see in their video for "123 If You Want Me"). They were also featured earlier this month on "So You Think You Can Dance", a show I've never actually watched.
Email me at RFSL Jed at gmail dot com or, if you are friends with me on facebook, send me a facebook message.
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