nate sib @ The Echo [6/5/25]

“I’m-a keep on winnin’, it’s only the beginnin’.” nate sib – “tonight” Los Angeles native nate sib (Nathan Subbiondo) has emerged as a modern proponent of electropop, with frequent comparisons to early 2010’s Justin Bieber. While initially known as the best friend and opener for rising electroclash star 2hollis (Hollis Frazier-Herndon) on his last tour,…

BeachLife Festival [5/2/25-5/4/25]

Photos by Isabella Appell Hundreds of thousands of multi-generational fans traveled back in time to Club Kokomo from May 2-4 for a weekend of (somewhat) sunny skies, live music, and sunset views. With legends like The Beach Boys, Lenny Kravitz, and Sublime taking the stage, SoCal’s ultimate coastal festival offered a little something for everyone. …

Curating Music Discussions Online: An Interview with @drawntothesound

Photo courtesy of Drew Wojtas (IG: @drawntothesound) @drawntothesound, a music page operated by Midwestern college student Drew Wojtas, has been a fixture of hip-hop Instagram since its inception. Its memes about various rappers took users’ feeds by storm over the pandemic. Formerly known as @yandhi_memes, the username was changed to @drawntothesound in 2024 to escape…

Phoneboy @ The Roxy (05/16/25)

Photos by Caroline Sanchez “Is there just one Phoneboy?” my roommate asks. “Three,” I answer, “And one Phonegirl.”  The four-person alternative/indie rock band from New Jersey is made up of Wyn Barnum and Ricky Dana (guitarists/vocalists), James Fusco (bassist), and Jordan Torres (keyboardist/vocalist). Phoneboy’s first and self-titled debut came out in 2021; I found them…

Yo La Tengo @ The Novo 5/8

Photos by Julia Steinhouse We found ourselves at yet another concert where we were the youngest ones there by a mile. It’s not surprising that the crowd was composed of largely older Yo La Tengo fans this night at the Novo, given that YLT formed over 40 years ago in 1984. The group first came…

Momma @ The Fonda Theatre [5/9/25]

Photos by Dylan Simmons From LA to New York, Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman’s friendship has provided the foundation for their indie rock project, Momma. After founding the band in 2015, the two singer-songwriters/guitarists were joined by bassist and producer Aron Kobayashi Ritch and drummer Preston Fulks. The group’s latest LP, Welcome to My Blue…

Riovaz @ The Echoplex [5/3/25]

Photo by Krystal Vasquez (@krystalcaptures) You know that Jack Black quote, “As a child, I yearned for the mines?” Yeah well, as a child, I yearned for the club — or at minimum, live music. I would turn the lights off, let the LEDs flash, and bounce around to the blasting speakers at the tender…

Ichiko Aoba @ The Wiltern [4/27/25]

Words by Ethan Kung / Photos by Leila Farhi There was a humor in walking up to the entrance of the Wiltern and the hecticness surrounding it, knowing that such a bustling place was housing Ichiko Aoba. The Japanese folk singer-songwriter’s music is famously naturalistic and fantastical, evoking mental images that completely oppose Koreatown’s bustling…