Harrison Patrick Smith, who performs under the moniker, The Dare, was exhilaratingly sleazy, with sex, drugs, alcohol, and every now and then love made palatable through omnipresent synths; a lá Calvin Harris circa 2007. The Dare resurrected the eccentric grittiness manifested in the indie sleaze subculture of the early 2000s, with hedonism as its face (and probably also offbeat graphic tee-shirts).
[Photos by Lily Stockton] Unsure of whether we routed our Uber to the correct location, Lily and I anxiously searched for signs of The Fonda Theatre. The flashing lights, bustling sidewalks, and street carts of Hollywood Boulevard washed by, disorienting our Texan selves. But in the corner of our eyes, we saw a river of…
Illuminated by stars and nestled in the Hollywood Hills lies the Greek Theatre, packed tonight with shades of blue and yellow. The venue is welcoming Faye Webster in performance of her latest record, Underdressed at the Symphony, which was released in March. In anticipation for her set, the stage is lined with racks of blue…
Horse Jumper of Lover epitomized slumped shoulders, abstract smears of ash on cigarette-littered concrete, unlaced shoes and ill-fitting jeans. As a collective, the indie rock band delivered a harrowingly pessimistic performance to Highland Park’s Lodge Room, supported by the similarly downcast Teethe and the slow-burning Sour Widows.
[Photo Courtesy of Boiler Room] It’s 2024 and dance music has never been hotter. Don’t believe me? Ask Boiler Room. While rave culture and techno beats are far from strangers in the music world, long gone are the days of this genre’s “underground” title. With nothing but a DJ, a single live-streaming camera, and a…
Scattered within my various daytime, autumn, and study playlists lies the artist Sarah Kinsley. Although I recognized her titles, could hum her melodies by heart, and admired her singles’ elegant artwork, I had never listened to Kinsley’s entire discography until recently. That is until the release of her first full album: Escaper. The alt pop…
It’s the closing night of Wallows’s Model Tour and what better way to celebrate than playing at the sold-out Kia Forum?! Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, there was no better place for the three-part band to celebrate their third studio album, Model, released earlier in May of 2024. Opened by BENEE, New Zealand…
I walk through downtown Nashville, past the infamous Broadway street where country fans, bachelorette parties, and bars line the sidewalks, making my way to Ryman Auditorium. However, the other attractions pale in comparison compared to the amount of indie kids waiting to see the biggest event of the night: Faye Webster. As I approach the…
[Photos by Jeslyn Wang] Like most teenage girls, I began to curate my music taste by deep diving into bedroom pop, indie, and subsequently, Clairo. Claire Cottrill’s “Flaming Hot Cheetos,” “4EVER,” and “Pretty Girl” soundtracked my youth, tying together memories of mustard yellow, mom jeans, old crushes, and the girl I used to be. Hearing…
need space [photos by Jeslyn Wang] On August 15th, Del Water Gap and The Japanese House co-headlined at the Greek, playing a fitting tribute to the end of summer. In my opinion, there are few other pairs that make more sense to co-headline (which I hadn’t realized was a thing until now). Both artists are…
Co-written by Clementine Daniels From August 9th to 11th 2024, San Francisco welcomed the 16th anniversary of its most popular music festival: Outside Lands. A reflection of all that San Francisco has to offer, vendors spanned from mochi donuts to gourmet truffle burgers, marijuana plants to local wine tastings. Hundreds of local Bay Area merchants…
On Saturday, I headed into the festival grounds at 1pm to meet Nick Carpenter, who records and performs under the name, “Medium Build”. Born and raised in Georgia, the Nashville-based singer-songwriter released his debut album Falling Apart in 2016. Carpenter has toured with a number of artists over his career as Medium Build, such as Briston Maroney,…
Having kept a low profile and ambiguous name since the genesis of her career in 2012, The Japanese House has long eluded her listeners while simultaneously enrapturing them in the heartwrenching lyrics, soft synths and blended harmonic vocals of her songs. The Japanese House is, in fact, only made up of a 29-year-old Amber Bain,…
It’s not every day that you see artists, bands, or groups take a full part in promoting their shows, music, and brand identity. As times change in the music industry, more tools are being created to help promote music, but some artists rely on these tools too much, which can sometimes cause a loss of…
As I walked towards the Peacock theater, all of LA Live was lit with a purple tint color all around front the street lights to the lights beaming at the theater. And of course on the jumbotron screen you see the image of, “XOXO Tour Young Miko.” Fans are all over the streets packing out…
It was a friday night and the street was wrapped around by a huge line of people all waiting to enter the Fonda Theater. Fans had brought tennis rackets, custom artwork, and were even eating tofu in line as they waited for the doors to open. And of course being on Hollywood Boulevard waiting for…
Upon arriving to House of Blues at doors, I am met with a long line of eager fans winding throughout Downtown Disney. With two back-to-back, sold out nights at the 1,700-capacity venue, Alex G can clearly draw a crowd; I later overhear an excited group of fans detailing their trek from Arizona to Orange County…
The first time I heard The Last Dinner Party was after a mild breakup, driving to Laguna Beach for a day trip with my girlfriends. We proceeded to listen to “Nothing Matters” 10 times, until we could all scream the words out the window together. On August 10th, the all-female British indie-rock group blessed the…
The day everyone did not want to come had finally arrived and although it was a bittersweet ending to meet, it only meant more performances from the biggest latin artists in the world. Day 3’s lineup of artists was something out of a dream for all latin music listeners. It was so diverse and had…
After the first night that was filled with great music, dancing, singing, and the beautiful beach weather till 2 AM you’d expect everyone to be tired but it was the complete opposite. Fans were literally outside the gates waiting for doors to open so they could sprint across the beach as they were ready for…
If you asked me a year ago what I thought I’d be doing in August 2024, my last guess would be covering HARD Summer music festival. As a classically-trained musician, electronic music is probably the genre in which I feel most out of my comfort zone. Even though I’m a musicology major going into my senior year, I felt like my musical background meant I had no business covering this festival – and yet, here I was, in an effort to challenge my limits and broaden my musical horizons. Thus, I present to you: a noob’s take on HARD Summer.
Entering Rosarito you could feel the Mexican beach weather, see the large crowds of people walking towards the beach and of course you could hear reggaeton beats playing from blocks away. It’s the best time of the year for all Latin music lovers as Baja Beach Fest is once again hosting their world famous Reggaeton…