Valley Boy Announces Debut Album Children of Divorce and Releases “Diana Gets an Email”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There is something disarming about the way Valley Boy sings. The first time I heard his voice, I was hooked. There is a soulful glow to his tone that feels lived in rather than manufactured. It is not engineered for algorithmic…
Inside The Swamp: Inner Wave, Sobriety, and the Long Road Home
LOS ANGELES, CA- On a weekday evening, I found myself driving through a quiet residential pocket of Inglewood. Wide streets. Parked cars. The calm familiarity of a neighborhood settling in for the night. The address I had been given didn’t lead to a commercial…
Dexter and the Moonrocks and Girl Tones Light Up The Troubadour in Sold-Out Los Angeles Show
LOS ANGELES, CA- The Troubadour holds a special place in my heart for the same reason it holds a special place in Los Angeles; it acts as a time capsule as much as it acts as a concert venue. Those walls have been listening for…
City of the Sun Bring Swagger and Transcendence to the Lodge Room
LOS ANGELES, CA- City of the Sun brings insane levels of swagger to instrumental guitar. Typically, instrumental music isn’t really a genre with much traction outside of elitist performance venues. I’m thinking about quasi-recitals at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, where half the people…
Grace Ives Returns With Electrifying New Single “Stupid Bitches” Ahead of Girlfriend
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are certain artists whose names hover in your peripheral vision for a while before you finally lock in. I had heard the name Grace Ives before, but it wasn’t until I pressed play on her new single “Stupid Bitches” that…
Jonah Kagen’s “Talkin’ About Jesus” Turns a First Date Into Folk-Rock Heartbreak
LOS ANGELES, CA- Apparently, I have been slow on the roll when it comes to picking up on Jonah Kagen. While he’s currently out on a largely sold-out headline run and celebrating a Gold certification for “God Needs The Devil,” I am just now…
Just Jayne Deliver Breezy Country Sass on New Single “Death & Taxes”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There is something undeniably charming about a country song that knows exactly what it is and does not try to oversell itself. With “Death & Taxes,” Nashville trio Just Jayne lean into that sweet spot between sass and sincerity, delivering a…
Leigh-Anne Finds Her Voice on “Goodbye Goodmorning” and Debut Album My Ego Told Me To
LOS ANGELES, CA- When the press release for “Goodbye Goodmorning” landed in my inbox and I hit play, I was not expecting to be pulled in that quickly. But from the opening bars, Leigh-Anne had me. There is something immediately arresting about the sonics….
Faye Webster at Walt Disney Concert Hall: Underdressed at the Symphony and a New Generation’s Orchestral Awakening
Writer’s Note: This piece was originally intended for publication in November, shortly after Faye Webster’s performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Due to unforeseen personal circumstances, its release was delayed, and with time came an unexpected challenge. Writing about a moment that felt so immediate…
Dominique Fils-Aimé Finds Power in Rebirth on “Phoenix Rising” and My World Is The Sun
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are certain artists you discover and immediately wonder how you missed them. That was my experience encountering Dominique Fils-Aimé. She has been releasing albums since 2018, building a reputation as one of Canada’s most compelling jazz voices, even taking home…
