Perhaps the greatest gift Coachella bestows upon its attendees is the feeling that you’re not alone. Schmaltzy, yes, but stick with us. Now, among discerning music fans, a band like The National is far from obscure. They’ve garnered widespread critical praise over five albums, played on national TV and multiple international festivals, and are even [...]

[Read more →]

Other things I saw: Erykah Badu in a set that ended with the plug being pulled, appropriately trippy kaleidoscope visuals accompanying Animal Collective, and a spontaneous, irony-free high five after One Day as a Lion’s Zack de la Rocha stage dove to punctuated their performance. 

[Read more →]

In the year 2010, is there really such a thing as a casual Dandy Warhols fan? If there is, their patience would have been seriously tested by the band’s set Friday night at Club Nokia. Luckily, with nearly two decades of honing their smoked-out craft, the Portland-based Dandys are experts at pulling it off, riding their nearly two-hour long set on the strength of their ability to powerfully render an audience under their influence.

[Read more →]

Lovingly rendered versions of beautiful songs is only part of the appeal of a Belle & Sebastian concert. It’s also hearing the charming chatter from band leader Stuart Murdoch, here making the not entirely shocking admission that he isn’t a “Vegas guy” (this being one day after the band’s performance at Matador 21) and pondering whether or not inhaling secondhand “grass” smoke from the audience meant he lied to a cop when recently asked if he’s ever taken drugs.

[Read more →]

How does a band from Yorba Linda, where Richard Nixon was born and nightlife peaks with bowling alley karaoke nights, wind up with a residency at one of the most esteemed hubs of L.A. independent music? We caught up with the Steelwells at their Anaheim rehearsal space, preparing for their January Silverlake Lounge gigs. This interview by Albert Ching.

[Read more →]