independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
“Take a chance with me, it will be alright,” sings Los Angeles-based Ryan Marshall Lawhon, a.k.a. Mating Ritual, in the title track of How You Gonna Stop It? Vol. 1, the first of two installments of his new album. The Phoenix-esque dance-tastic tune, in which Lawhon relays the ups and downs of the modern dating... Continue Reading →
Lifelong friends from south Florida, Jutty Taylor, Ryan Malina, and Julien Bellin, each a professional touring musician in his own right, had always helped each other on their respective projects—The Very Best, Natalie Walker, and Western Lows, amongst others—until one fateful night during a jam session in a dimly-lit practice space in their current homebase,... Continue Reading →
“It all related to music. We weren’t like a family band, but there was always access to music,” says Samantha Ronson, multi-instrumentalist, seasoned DJ, and member of Los Angeles-based electro-pop trio Ocean Park Standoff, of her upbringing with her famous musical family members. “I didn’t even really start playing until I was older. My stepfather... Continue Reading →
Griffin Oskar never intended to be in the spotlight; at 21 years old, he packed his bags and headed to Los Angeles to find work behind the scenes. Thank goodness that sometimes, best laid plans often go awry, because if he’d had his way, the world might have never gotten the chance to experience Hostage,... Continue Reading →
After 16 years, prolific singer/songwriter Alex Dezen has moved on from his professional musical foundation with rock outfit The Damnwells—they are done, it’s over. Really though, Dezen’s voice and songs were the driving force behind the band, and he has continued to stretch his creative musical muscles. The unencumbered Dezen is now completely free to explore... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles-based alt-pop duo Coast Modern is back with a brand new song that combines their signature dreamy So-Cal sun-infused psychedelia with a laid-back, funky-ness that lumbers past your ears like a souped-up '66 Chevy Impala. And, it appears they want you to comb their hair. You may know Coast Modern from their breakout single... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to name a band these days, which likely explains the plethora of unique and, frankly, downright weird ones floating around the musicsphere. As band names go though, one outfit has successfully conveyed their dynamic history with their chosen two-words-pressed-into-one moniker. Meet Los Angeles-based electro-pop duo TeamMate. “We met in our college marching band,... Continue Reading →
Though Los Angeles-based pop-driven soul man Mike Taylor grew up in the poverty-stricken inner city of Philadelphia, music was plentiful in his neighborhood. “It’s a very musical city,” he recalls. “I grew up watching my dad play jazz, he plays saxophone, and I always had music around me. We had programs to keep kids busy... Continue Reading →
Los Angeles-based indie pop outfit 3D FRIENDS, helmed by frontman and founder Dan C. Wright, who is widely known as the creator of the theme song for MTV teen drama "Skins." Since then Wright's music has been featured on dozens of television shows and networks, specifically MTV, who keeps saying, "yes Dan, more of that." Recently, 3D... Continue Reading →
In case you had doubts, you should know that gingers have soul, and Los Angeles-based bluesy rocker Joe Marson is living proof. “I’ve always been very moved by music. I grew up listening to a lot of different things, and I feel like I understood it at a soul level very early on. I soaked it... Continue Reading →
