The Artist Is Present: Herbie Hancock At The Hollywood Bowl [REVIEW]
Hollywood, CA- I don’t know whether it’s due to residual shock over all the legends we lost in 2016 or to the inescapable possibility that the bombs may start falling at any moment, but I’ve spent a lot of time 2017 seeing living legends. Some, like…
The Bowl Meets The Epic: Kamasi Washington at the Hollywood Bowl
HOLLYWOOD, CA- Ever leave a show and just have to talk about how incredible it was, to total strangers if need be? That was the middle-aged lady sitting next to me after Kamasi Washington’s set wound down. She was one hundred percent right, too. Calling it…
The Reykjavik Festival Ends With The Blinding Beauty of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Orphee [REVIEW]
LOS ANGELES, CA- There seems to be something about Johann Johannsson’s music which compels people to applaud in the middle of his pieces. During his performance of his piece “Drone Mass” with the American Contemporary Music Ensemble – ACME, obviously – at Big Ears…
Experience The Uniquely Beautiful Music Of Iceland At The Reykjavik Festival [PREVIEW]
LOS ANGELES, CA- Iceland, as you may have heard, is a long way away from California – nine hours by air, give or take. I mention this because each and every one of my friends who’s been describes their trip in basically the same way:…
John Adams’ “Nixon In China” Is A Monumental Work Of American Minimalist Composition [REVIEW+PHOTOS]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] I’ve always found opera to be the most difficult form of music to review, if only because there’s not supposed to be anything you can compare it to. If you go see the Strokes (or Tool or…
Blockbuster Night: Run the Jewels Shine at The Shrine [REVIEW+PHOTOS]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] One of the realities of living in Los Angeles: you will see bands you love so many times that the experience can become diluted. Run the Jewels, for instance, is a band that I’ve seen live…
Holy Toledo! Car Seat Headrest Crushes Red Bull’s 30 Days In LA [REVIEW+PHOTOS]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] CLICK HERE FOR MORE 30 DAYS IN LA COVERAGE! You’ve got to feel at least a little sorry for Red Bull. The observance of the programming of their annual 30 Days In LA series – tastefully curated…
M.A.K.U. Soundsystem’s Fresh Cultural Vibes Envelop The Skirball [REVIEW]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] I can’t imagine a better setting in which to take in a M.A.K.U. Soundsystem show than in the midst of an open-air courtyard at the center of one of Los Angeles’ most picturesque museums while the sun sets. The Skirball,…
The Wait Was Worth It; The Avalanches’ “Wildflower” Is Exuberant Brilliance [LISTEN]
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] Since I Left You, The Avalanches’ 2000 debut full-length, was essentially a CD-length testament to the pleasures of plunderphonics. Over the course of the 900+ samples extracted from impossibly obscure sources (the album was notably delayed when…
Nerds of The World Unite! Weird Al And His Unparalleled Parody Invade The Hollywood Bowl
[twitter style=”horizontal” float=”left”] [fbshare type=”button” width=”100″] [pinterest count=”horizontal”] An upfront admission: I stopped identifying as a nerd years ago. I don’t mean to suggest that I don’t spend my days knee-deep doing nerdy crap, of course; nobody who freaked out over (FINALLY) catching a Jigglypuff…
