LOS ANGELES, CA- The Los Angeles-based band lovelytheband released their latest full-length album, conversations with myself about you at the end of 2020, but- due to Covid 19- they were only able to tour in support of it this year. Even without a tour to support the album, they were still able to make some considerable noise with their new collection of 14 songs, having their 3rd Top 10 hit with their single “loneliness for love”. With their sleek indie-pop production and their passion-driven motifs, lovelytheband has been able to craft radio-friendly cuts on a consistent basis. Conversations continue the trend.
Amidst the cheer instrumental elements, whistles (“i hate myself”), upbeat rhythms, emo drips from every beat of each track. Heck, they even titled one of their tracks “emo”, so you can anticipate the formula. The emotional setting of the album, together with the aforementioned instrumentation and arrangement, create an interesting dichotomy that had me debating whether my own feelings during each listen.
When lovelytheband was finally able to tour in support of conversations, I was lucky enough to be able to attend the show when they stopped in their home city for a gig at the venerable Fonda Theater.
Kicking off the music at The Fonda was the up-and-coming singer/songwriter named Grady. This was my first catching this young man’s music/performance, but it had me grinning from ear to ear throughout his entire set as soon as he stepped onto the stage with his bare feet.
Apparently, Grady already has an established reputation in the music game. He’s co-written or produced music with a number of big-time artists like Bryce Vine, Noah Cyrus, and The Chainsmokers. As for his own music, it’s campy good fun. It’s kind of got an ” if early Lilly Allen and early Chance The Rapper had a baby, whose uncle is Lil Dicky” kind of vibe…. just my two cents.
As for Grady opening up for lovelytheband, it turns out that Grady had lovelytheband featured the track “The Idea Of You” from his debut album, The Love Umbrella. This collaboration seemed to be a match made in heaven. The recording, with the cheery sonics, dives into ideas about doubt in relationships. It’s the same musical dichotomy that I referenced above about lovelytheband’s latest album.
Grady’s performance seemed to showcase not only his fun music but also his fun personality. With his mother cheering him on from the front railing (she is in one of the photos in the gallery), he kicked up his bare heels and kicked up the energy to eleven for the duration of his performance. In his collaboration with lovelytheband, he sings “maybe I’m not like the guys that you pick most of the time but I know that I make you smile.” I co-sign that 100%.
I was really excited to catch the second act slated to perform: Cannons. As cheesy and superficial as it sounds, I absolutely love it when a band I’ve been following for years takes significant steps in their careers. The sense of unfounded pride that I get is quite satisfying. Cannons are one of those bands.
I first caught Cannons on 5/16/17 when they opened up for The Night Game at the Bootleg Theater. Their soothing sounds had me instantly smitten, and the fact that their lead singer, Michelle Joy, was easy on the eyes didn’t hurt either. They got their big break when their single “Fire For You” got prominent synch placement in the Mindy Kaling/Lange Fisher Netflix series Never Have I Ever. That placement led to over 67 million Spotify streams (as of Dec 12th, 2021), a deal with Columbia Records, and- despite the pandemic- a busy 2021 tour schedule hitting up tons of tons of huge festivals like Outsidelands, Okeechobee, Life Is Beautiful and more.
Cannons, once again, delivered on the lush Sade-esque moods that made me fall in love with their music the first time I saw them. They performed a handful of selections from the 2019 EP, Shadows (“Baby”, “Shadows”, “Talk Talk”, and their latest singles “Ruthless” and “Bad Dream”. They even gave us a throwback to their 2014 EP, the title track “Up All Night”. There were a couple of songs they performed that I couldn’t recognize, and I’m assuming those are new/unreleased tracks that they working on for a future release. I would have loved to hear them perform one of the very chill covers they released on their Covers by Cannons EP, but beggars can’t be choosers. Hopefully, they’ll play a cover or two at a future gig I’m able to attend.
Originally, lovelytheband was supposed to be co-headlining this show with Sir Sly, but due to Covid concerns, Sir Sly decided that it was in their best interest to pull out. Their omission from the bill at the Fonda, however, didn’t prevent the hometown boys of lovelytheband from packing The Fonda on this weekday evening.
By the time Mitchy Collins, Jordan Greenwald, and Sam Price took the stage, their fans cheered them on with every step they took. Their indie-pop-focused music gave the room a shot of adrenaline that wiped away any of the dreamy vibes that Cannons sprinkled around the set before.
This was my first time watching them perform live, but I was particularly impressed with Jordan Greenwald’s guitar playing. It was exciting to watch and every movement he made seemed in synch with the dynamics of the song that was being played. To see him get lost in the melody he was playing was a pleasure to watch.
The room filled with voices as they played their hits and fan favorites like “waste”, “alone time”, and “make you feel pretty”. “broken” had the room singing in full voice, and cheers erupted when Mitchy jumped off stage to sing to the crowd in the crowd. As Mitchy made his way into the middle of the crowd, the bodies jumping along to the chorus was a vision of unbridled joy. I envied those fans losing their minds jumping with Mitchy in pure bliss. Those kinds of moments have been so few and far between the past couple of years, and to see that kind of happiness was as refreshing as it gets. This room was anything but “broken”
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