You’ll have to forgive Los Angeles for having a sonic
superiority complex. Over the past few years, an explosion of culture
and fresh musical energy has ignited the city, making L.A. the hottest music scene in America right now. Akin to Seattle in
the early ’90s and even Detroit towards the end of that same decade, Los Angeles has
erupted with a new caliber of artists and musicians—both native and imported—who
create an exciting polyglot of sounds that has the world once again listening to us.
J*Davey, the punk-funk New Wave duo, embody this new Los
Angeles attitude to the fullest. They’re bold, colorful and lots of fun—but
also genuine, ambitious and rich with hard-earned street cred.
“We’ve come so far just on word of mouth and the internet,”
says Jack Davey, the band’s stylistic frontwoman. Davey, it turns out, is also a serious
music nerd, one geeked out on L.A. New Wave band Missing Persons. “We’ve covered
their song ‘Walking in
It’s these myriad musical and techno-cultural
juxtapositions Davey speaks of that are rampant in
“Right now is the most artist-friendly climate [in the music
industry] possibly ever,” says Eugene Goreshter of L.A. space-rock trio
Autolux. And he’s right. Given the dazzling array of music happening all over
L.A., it will be no surprise if the next big thing of 2008 starts right in your
own backyard. Here are 13 reasons to back up our claim ...
The punk-funk army
Led by the
likes of cover stars J*Davey and space-hop collective Sa-Ra, acts such Afrobots
and Casxio remind us that Prince, the B-52’s and New Order all used to hang out
at the same clubs. And that the original punk-funk spirit (Rick James R.I.P.)
will never die.
From the
thinking-man’s-instrumental-metal of Isis, to the freak-flag-flying
molten blues of Entrance (featuring former A Perfect Circle bassist Paz
Lenchantin), to bands such 400 Blows and Qui, L.A. provides ample
opportunity to bang your head and not feel like an idiot for doing so.
What do the Pussycat Dolls and Steel Panther have in common? Both come
heavy with celebrity cameos. Both mercilessly skewer hallowed American
institutions—stripping and ’80s-metal excess—while simultaneously rocking (or
grinding) your face off. The PCD still generate enough heat to power a reality
show to scarily high ratings for three seasons running. And even Motley Crue
wish they could’ve written something half as kick-ass as Steel Panther’s
tender power ballad “Stripper Girl.” When either act is lighting up their shared home base of the Sunset Strip, just add tequila and presto! Best. Night. Ever.
Stone’s
Throw, Murs (whose “Paid Dues” festivals are the Coachella of hip-hop) the
Project Blowed family, Pharcyde (what up Fatlip?)—the legacy of indie hip-hop
in
The burgeoning “Yo! L.A. Raps” scene
What, you
thought Chicago had the monopoly on Technicolor hip-hop heads dedicated to
keeping the memory of the late ’80s/early ’90s golden age alive? Get up on
the 87 Stick Up Kids, Pacific Division, Schwayze and Brother Reade before you’re
wondering how they became rap stars without you knowing anything about it.
The newgazers
Dreamy
melodies, chiming guitars, and moody melancholy musings—the classic shoegaze
aesthetic is alive and well in L.A. The Mezzanine Owls, Film School, Black
Kites and Eskimohunter all play like the 4AD label’s dream team 2.0. We’re not
afraid to admit how much we love it. When My Bloody Valentine finally reunites,
the L.A. show is going to be severe, to say the least.
L.A. is
lousy with killer places to see live music—from the summer tradition of BYOB
at the Hollywood Bowl to indie institutions such as Spaceland and the Echo—perpetually hosting the next big thing coming down the pike. Were you among the precious few to see Amy Winehouse at the Roxy for her lone L.A. show to date? You can see the Ed
Banger gang spin the cool kids into a tizzy at the recently purchased Viper
Room and catch red-hot blog sensations like Kate Nash and Robyn at the
Troubadour. But to really see what’s happening next, make the intimate
Pehrspace a regular stop. You’ll be glad you did, especially if run into
regulars like criminally underrated Katie the Pest.
Steve Aoki vs.
Franki Chan, Johnny Love vs. Daniel LeDisko, Dan O plus Gina Turner—the
screaming neon scene that Miss Kittin sings about in “Frank Sinatra” is on fire
around here, and the kids just can’t get enough. When life finds you flaunting
this week’s flashy-trash fashions, booty-shaking to the latest blog-house
tracks downloaded from Discobelle and Palms Out Sounds, getting your picture
taken by any one of L.A.’s growing posse of hipsterazzi, and still making it to your shift working at American Apparel
on time—that’s living the dream, baby.
With No Age
on the verge of starting a new youth revolution across America, fellow bands
Abe Vigoda, HEALTH and the Mae Shi have the potential to become the axis
of the music world’s next big scene. Other than that, they also share a
tendency to rock hard enough to pull a muscle. Simply hit Downtown's the Smell
to get up to speed.
Doesn’t
anybody remember laughter? We’re especially partial to the shiny, happy
sensations emanating from the reverent vocal harmonies of Bodies of Water and
the ebullient sunshine pop of the Parson Redheads. But it’s the
Beatles-inspired pop-rock of the Cold War Christians that really seem to get
the faithful shouting in the aisles.
Now that
the Silversun Pickups have taken the “Silverlake sound” national, there are a
bunch of contenders for
Devendra
Banhart has made the pages of Vanity Fair and is set to co-headline the
Hollywood Bowl with Gilberto Gil this summer. All the more reason to get cozy
with the panoramic circle of like-minded acts that includes the quirky torch
songs of My Brightest Diamond and Sea Wolf’s more traditional ruminations.
Beards are entirely optional, of course.
Meet your
new favorite band. Perhaps you’ve heard the legend of their live show, an orgy
of psychedelic sex rock with a double helping of freaky funk on the side,
starring the percussion pimp known only as Sexual Chocolate. These guys bring it so righteously and have
such good karma that when their van full of vintage gear was stolen, it was found
a few days later with all of their instruments intact. Feel the love.
Scott T. Sterling is Music editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
