Radio Free Silver Lake

Interview: Light FM

by Joe Fielder

We've always felt like super-tight, electronic pop act Light FM haven't been appreciated as much as they should be. They've had a number of great albums out and always completely kill it live. So, we were pretty happy to hear that they'll be opening up for Smashing Pumpkins on the upcoming tour and getting some nice national exposure.

We recently spoke to lead Josiah Mazzaschi about his plans for the tour and the group's new album BUZZ KILL CITY.

Hey, Josiah. How the hell have you been?

Been crazy busy recording, mixing bands and putting out this god damn record! I've been recording Part 2 of Rademachers "Babyhawk" Series. The third one is due to come out next year. William Reid from The Jesus and Mary Chains solo record,  Wilding (formerly Tigers Can Bite You) debut full length, mixed The Pity Party's debut full length, Deap Vally (Julie from Pity Partys new project), Modern Time Machines debut full length, also a USC band called Y LUV. 

Congrats on the upcoming release of your new album Buzz Kill City next Tuesday!

Thanks! It's been a rough road but I'm glad it's finally finished. I put my heart and soul into this record.

What's the story behind it? What inspired this one?

Basically, I've been going through a complete life change. I've written an album full of frustration, heart break, deception, rejection, etc. I love LA but it can be very unforgiving at times. There is an ocean of actor wannabe's, people ready to step over you, on top of you for their own selfish promotion. It's the part of LA I can't stand. So, I wrote a record about it. 

I'm guessing you handled all the production yourself?

We recorded drums at a legendary studio called Grandmaster Recorders with Andrew Alekel. Super amazing studio. A lot of great records were recorded there. The rest was all done at my studio called, The Cave.

Show Spotlight: Light FM at the Exchange LA

By Kathryn Pinto

The very talented Nicki Nevlin of Light FM (and also the excellent Spero) put the word out to us about a special show Light FM is playing this Sunday at the Exchange LA, the old Stock Exchange Building turned club and music venue in downtown LA. The band has a new album Buzz Kill City, due out next Tuesday October 4, which you can pre-order over at bandcamp.com.  Come out and see them in a small venue before they leave for tour next week, opening for their former bassist's band, the Smashing Pumpkins.

Light FM's show is part of the celebration of the opening of INTERCHANGE, a group visual art exhibition featuring the work of John Baldessari, Rob Brander, Scott Marvel Cassidy, Mustafa Hulusi, CK Lyons, Chris Richmond, Jim Shaw, Jill Spector, Marnie Weber, and Peter Wu.

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Light FM plays at 9pm Sunday October 2 at the Exchange (the old stock exchange building) 618 South Spring St., Los Angeles, CA, FREE show. Art Exhibition gallery hours are 6-10pm.

Buzz Kill City is out next Tuesday October 4. Pre-order at bandcamp.com.

Video Free Silver Lake: Act As If, Braids, Dawes, Vanish Valley, Steed Lord, Björk

By Jed

1) VFSL is pleased to premiere the latest music video from L.A.'s Act As If's cover of Blink-182's "Pathetic" off of their 1997 release Dude Ranch (arguably pre-mainstream breakthrough, with the pre-Travis Barker drummer). Mind you, the original is a super fast punk song (can I fairly call it "hard core"?...or would "pop punk" be better?), but the cover is a ballad. In reimagining the song, lead singer Peter Verdell was inspired by memories of his 8th grade days listening to it on repeat: "It speaks perfectly to young angst; the mindset of constantly dwelling on romance, or success, and desperately wanting more than what you have." Good thing these emotions dissipate upon our becoming adults! It was directed by Chris Cullari and shot over 3 nights in downtown Los Angeles. All said, a very effective cover, and a reminder of the relevance of mid-90's punk; bravo.

The song can be downloaded for free here.  The band will be playing a show at the Hotel Cafe on October 7.

Music We Like: Preview Edition

By Kathryn Pinto

We've been out seeing so many good shows and listening to so much music that we wanted to let you know about to see for yourself even before we have time to write about it at length.

Escalator Hill has a terrific new album Poplar Avenue out now and they're playing a residency at the Central SAPC in Santa Monica in October. Radio Free Silver Lake is presenting the October 25 show. Supporting bands that night are You Me & Iowa (1 night reunion!), Radars to the Sky, and Future Dancing.

The Damselles & the TC4 have been on fire lately. They played an opening slot at the Correatown record release party that rocked the doors off the Bootleg Theater. They wear the sexiest shoes on an eastside stage to boot.

The Breakups have a project over at Indie Go Go where you can invest in their upcoming album.

Races has been playing all over town and impressing the hell out of us. They havea 7" out on JAXART Records, the Rock Insider's label.

Death to Anders sent us over an EP's worth of fresh tracks that we have on repeat. Western States Motel has new material out soon and Rademacher is gearing up for the release of Babyhawk Part II.

 

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "Well Did You Trust Your Noble Dreams And Gentle Expectation To The Mercy Of The Night...")

by Brad Roberts

I enjoyed a series of terrific shows last week, four shows in four days, in order to counteract the effects of spending eight days on Jury Duty, which ended on Wednesday. Were it not for the good humor and lively intelligence of my fellow jurors, we might have succumbed to boredom. Of immeasurable help were the gorgeous show by Low at El Rey on Tuesday night and the first L.A. performance of Zack (Pinback) Smith's side project, Systems Officer on Thursday at The Echo, which offered a supreme opportunity to watch this guy's fingers work the bass in his astonishing manner.

This coming weekend presents The Eagle Rock Music Festival 2011 and it's always one of the year's highlights. This year is featuring such bands as Shadow Shadow Shade, Gangi, Mia Doi Todd, Allah Las and Little Red Lung (see Joe's interview with them, here), representing some of the established and emerging acts currently in our fair city. Being Southern California, the weather is usually October-perfect for this affair...sunny, and not too hot, and not too cool. I have to miss this year's festival because I have long been in possession of a ticket for the Elbow and DeVotchKa show at The Greek that night and I can't miss the opportunity to see two of the best live bands I've ever seen together on one bill. This will be one of the best shows of the year...guaranteed.

A few weeks ago I went to the release show for Release The Sunbird's album, Come Back To Us at the Hotel Cafe. As a longtime fan of Rogue Wave, I was happy to hear how good this new project is from Zach Rogue. They appear Wednesday on Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW, and now that I know the music, I look forward to a second exposure this week on Thursday, again at Hotel Cafe. Then Release The Sunbird has a spot on the sold out Peter, Bjorn and John show Saturday at The Troubadour and in October they open for Death Cab For Cutie at the Fox Theatre in Pomona. Headed for the big time, I'd say.

Interview: Little Red Lung

by Joe Fielder

You should go see LA's Little Red Lung. We like them. Their music is, well, unconventional without being inaccessible, interesting but still catchy at the same time.

They're playing at The Eagle Rock Music Festival, which next weekend on Saturday, October 1st from 4 tp 11PM. It's cheap (or free if you suck and don't donate), full of good bands, and you get to walk around in the middle of the street like a zombie.

We spoke to Little Red Lung lead Zoe Ruth Erwin recently to learn more about the group and she pulled in bandmates Ali Nikou and Rob Hume to help answer our multitude of questions.

I've always known you as a really talented photographer. How long have you been a musician as well?

Forever really. Though, for a lot of years I struggled with debilitating stage fright which would often times leave me throwing up before, after(and sometimes both) I got on a stage. I think that's why I really dug into photography as much as I did. It was a way for me to be close to what I so desperately wanted to do, but didn't have the stomach for. I spent years learning about audio engineering and recording other people's music for the same reason.

Show Spotlight: Naive Thieves at the Silverlake Lounge Tonight

By Kathryn Pinto

Naive Thieves play tonight at the Silverlake Lounge in support of Toy Bombs along with
Summer Twins  and Strange Birds. Doors open at 8pm.

On a couple recent Radio Free Silver Lake shows Naive Thieves shared with RFSL faves the Spires and Torches. After the Torches set at their video release show, RFSL Brad said to me, "You're definitely going to want to stick around for the midnight set with Naive Thieves. You want to see these guys." Right out of the gate they impressed with a modern-retro sound influenced by a 60's surf guitar in the vein of Link Wray or Dick Dale. One band friend in the audience remarked that they sounded so good they made him want to lay down his guitar right then and there, or get back in the practice space and get back to work. He wasn't sure which, but he was liking what he heard.

Check it out at the Naive Thieves bandcamp page and see you at the show tonight.

Video Free Silver Lake: Young Hunting, Burial at Sea, Army Navy, Skyline Drive, Hello Echo, Sin Fang, Washed Up, Snorri Helgason

By Jed

1) Even though I've known Ilya, one of two lead singers and guitarist from Young Hunting, for years, I've only seen them play once, and only after years of him encouraging me to come to one of his shows. This experience, as one might predict, filled me with regret, as I could not help but remark on what a talented band I had on so many occasions missed.  Here's a neat live recording/video they shot "at dusk on a hillside" in Lincoln Heights (an area I've known from past experience to be the source of good music video). The song is called "Ride On".  They have a digital single out called Rust, and if plans are kept, Ilya will be guest hosting VFSL in about a month. My expectations are already raised:

Young Hunting, "Ride On", Live at the Landslide, Lincoln Heights from zachary rockwood on Vimeo.

Show Review: The National at Hollywood Bowl (9/11/11) and Fleet Foxes at The Greek (9/14/11)

by Brad Roberts

The weekend was fraught with unexpected emotion, watching hour after hour of documentaries of 9/11, many filled with never-before-seen civilian footage that formed an amazing tapestry of heroism and loss. On Sunday night, September 11, 2011, I settled into a giant concert starring The National at the Hollywood Bowl in the warm embrace of a packed house, most of which was sharing the same feelings I was. (Thanks Flickr for the 2 photos.)

There was a remarkable sense of communitarianism and everyone, including the performers, seemed touched with a spirit of poignancy. As a nearly full moon ascended into the sky above The Bowl, performers, beginning with Sharon Van Etten, held the audience in thrall. I wasn't familiar with her work except as back up singer on a few of the songs on Beirut 's beautiful new album, The Rip Tide. I instantly noticed the similarity in her phrasing and inflections to those of Zach Condon and heard the connection. It made her set all the more interesting, apart from the fact she writes nice original sounding song with neat melodic hooks all on her own. Her delivery is both stylish and self-assured.

I've waited a long time to finally see Neko Case with her own band. I've only known her as one of the stunning vocal components of one of the best vocal bands in the world, The New Pornographers, and I've stood right in front of her a couple of times at their concerts and been blown away. It was great to see her all dressed up, fronting her own band, which included a Pornographer and T Bone Burnett (for one song) and another wonderful female vocalist/keyboardist, but I think I prefer the material she does with The New Pornographers. Still, her voice rang out, loud and clear as a bell and it warmed the audience right up.

The L.A. Show Low Down (Or: "One Night I Got Up And Told My Father, There Were Witches In My Room...")

 by Brad Roberts

A whole bunch of great shows this week that cover a wide range of musical tastes. From big bands like Bon Iver at the Shrine Auditorium on Monday and at Gibson Amphitheatre on Tuesday, and Low at El Rey on Tuesday night to Bright Eyes on the Fairbank's Lawn at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday to Ladytron at Amoeba and later at The Wiltern on Saturday. (The image above from Losanjealous ties together three shows by showing Bon Iver performing in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Sept. '09.) 

For medium sized bands we have Armistead Burwell Smith IV (a.k.a. Zach), who is a prime example of the ultra-prolific San Diego musician. As a founding member of both Three Mile Pilot and Pinback, he now brings another of his projects, called Systems Officer for what I think is the first time. I've been listening to his recordings as Systems Officer for some time so this is a quite highly anticipated evening at The Echo.

On the hometown front we have an amazing show at The Central on Tuesday night at The Dead Ships residency with Manhattan Murder Mystery and One Trick Pony or the Correatown record release at Bootleg Bar, also on Tuesday. Or try to catch Naive Thieves at the Silver Lake Lounge on Wednesday or Inara George at Bootleg Bar on Friday or John Gold, also at the Bootleg, but on Saturday and Sunday. Torches (In Trees) play The Echo on Saturday. Avi Zahner-Isenberg plays the 3 of Clubs on Sunday as well. And don't forget the two festivals on Sunday. The Tarfest 2011 at the LaBrea Tar Pits with Everest or near the beach at the Abbot Kinney Festival with Seasons. Both will be a great time.