All it takes is one note: one earsplitting, bone-rattling, feel-it-rumble-in-your-chest sustained power chord from the bassist unleashes a roar of anticipation from the audience. As frenzied concertgoers push me toward the stage, screaming for more, I raise my camera and do my best to document the mayhem. Flashback to two hours ago: on a foggy…
Photos by Cuautemoc Sandoval Performing at The Shrine’s Expo Hall is definitely a feature on any artist’s bucket list of venues It’s rich century-long history of high-profile televised events, like the Grammys and Academy Awards, puts pressure on any artist of any stature to perform well. The Shrine’s performers must live up to the past…
Photos by Esther Meyers The opportunity to see Julien Baker perform her third album, Little Oblivions, was exceptional. To have the knowledge of Baker’s evolution and the challenge this album poised made her show profound. In her earlier work, Baker’s been known to perform alone with her guitar and a loop pedal. Little Oblivions is…
Photography by Jennifer Uskolovsky On a cold, uncharacteristically foggy night in La Brea, Puma Blue creates the perfect warm getaway. Although Jacob Allen, known as Puma Blue, calls himself an indie/alternative singer, there isn’t a label that can encompass the range and depth of his music. His older singles incorporate elements of cool jazz, whereas…
Photos by Katrina Weissman I was skeptical about Phoebe Bridgers, but looking at the sea of phone-flashlights swaying to “Moon Song”, finding myself singing every word, and feeling tears prick my eyes killed remnants of my doubt. I am totally a Pharb. When her acclaimed album, Punisher, was released last July, I gave it a…
Photos by Jennifer Uskolovsky Upon entering the Lodge Room’s intimate space, it was clear that the crowd was Wet with anticipation. Hailing from Brooklyn, Wet has been a notable fixture in the indie scene for over six years. They have frequently pushed boundaries by blurring the lines between pop, alternative rock, and R&B. This tour…
Photographs by Andrew Skrobak Despite the limited parking and overpriced drinks, the Regent Theater is the right venue for Indigo de Souza’s starving fans who had last seen her and her band in 2019. Yeah, it’s really been that long. The venue’s downward-slanting floor and open balcony provide perfect viewing spots no matter the height…
Photos by Jennifer Uskolovsky It’s jarring to approach the front of cleopatrick’s venue and see the stage riddled with beer cans. Upon closer inspection, it’s an array of Liquid Death water cans, whose tagline is “Murder Your Thirst.” This set up expectations for the rock duo’s show pretty accurately. Canadian rock duo cleopatrick’s music can…
Photos by Max Dallas The Regent Theater’s downward-slanting floor forms a cavern through which the dreamy instrumentals of Luna Li, the opening act, reverberate. Li hops from guitar to violin to keyboard, displaying her homegrown multi-instrumental background. She creates a live loop halfway through her set, and gradually lulls the audience into a layered, breathing…
Photos & Words by Cuautemoc Sandoval Nothing compliments a muggy early autumn LA evening quite like a night of sultry, silky and sensual R&B vocals. Despite the decidedly post break-up energy behind R&B singer/songwriter María Isabel’s latest album title, i hope you’re very unhappy without me, a crowd of adoring couples line up outside the…