MOG - soundgirl's Posts

Mind blowing covers from Sholi...

soundgirl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:42:58 GMT

I've been enjoying two amazing covers by the San Francisco band Sholi. The first "Hejrat," is the band's interpretation of a beloved pop song by the legendary Iranian pop diva Googoosh. Payam Bavafa demonstates strong vocals as he sings in Farsi. The arrangement keeps a sense of the traditional while decidedly indy sounding guitars strum over an amazing brand of jazz infused drumming.

I am not a fan of Joanna Newsome's sound and have not yet been able to get beyond that element in order to appreciate the song writing. Sholi covers her song "The Sprout & The Bean" in a gorgeous way that has me listening and appreciating like never before.

Check these guys out: http://www.sholimusic.com/

If you live in San Francisco you can see them perform live at The Independent tomorrow night August 1, 2008.

Where've you been hiding these two Seattle?

soundgirl — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:01:39 GMT

Whoa! I just stumbled upon this song and am really loving these kids! Check it out. I hope to catch their show when the play here in Los Angeles at The Echo on August 16th.

Jim White: Don't Miss West Coast Dates This Week!

soundgirl — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:31:33 GMT

Spent this evening listening to Jim White sing his songs and tell his stories at the Silent Movie Theatre here in L.A. He and his band have a few more West Coast stops this week. If you live in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle consider yourself among the lucky ones. You won't have to go out of town to see this guy. I highly recommend the experience.

Check Dates & Venues Here

New Radar Bros. Auditorium

soundgirl — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:34:44 GMT

Beautiful day...blue sky, puffy white clouds...lazy little breeze...nothing that needs to be done right now...hit the burmese kush...climb into the hammock...start the Radar Bros. cd ... fade into dreamy slowcore sonic environments.

Another song from Everest

soundgirl — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:07:36 GMT

I saw Everest perform this past Monday night at The Echo in L.A. Wow, they just keep getting better and better. This is definitely a band you should to try and see live. They are accomplished musicians and it's a joy to watch and listen to them as they interact with each other and the crowd. And a crowd it was - I've seen these guys perform in small clubs in Los Angeles twice as the first band up on a four band bill. Each time the club was packed in tight before 9PM for Everest. Usually I don't even think about leaving the house to go out before 9:30. Usually, it's not hard to get into a club in L.A. until after 10:30 or so. Get there late for these guys and you might find yourself in line outside the club waiting for someone who's inside to leave. Good luck. There are two more confirmed opportunities to see Everest live in Hollywood in the next couple of months; one at Boardner's on February 19th & the in-store at Amoeba on April 8th. My advice: get there early. From what I understand there are no dates set outside LA until after their new record release on April 8th. Heads up after that though because the live show is a must see.

Everest

soundgirl — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:59:16 GMT

I believe my music tastes to be fairly broad. I listen to, enjoy and collect a wide variety of musical artists and styles. However, we all have our roots, the songs and artists that crept into our hearts early and lived there forever. For me, the earliest inhabitant of my musical heart was Neil Young. His music hit me on a cellular level during adolescence and has become pretty much a part of me since. So any artist that resonates on that level in one way or another gets my immediate attention. When I first heard Wilco I felt in that "home team" comfort zone. My Morning Jacket, Luna, Palace Music, Calexico, Band Of Horses and singer/songwriter Jim White all have that something that makes me instantly comfortable. That's how I felt the first time I heard Everest. I have heard and seen most of the members of Everest as they performed in many of their other bands and projects. They are a talented, seasoned bunch indeed. However, when they play together they reach a new level. They call it "synergy" on Wall Street but I call it "I can't wipe this smile off my face" happy. I recommend giving them a listen. I've uploaded the song "Rebels In The Roses" which will be on their first full length album "Ghost Notes" (Vapor) to be released on April 8, 2008. You can pick up a very nice limited edition EP (12 inch vinyl plus CD) with three songs on it at the band's live shows. Speaking of live shows, if you live in L.A. you can see the band perform on the following confirmed dates:

Jan 28th, The Echoplex (w/Radar Bros.) 8:00PM Feb 19th, Boardner's at Let's Independent Show 8:00PM April 8th, Amoeba Records Hollywood In-Store/CD Release

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/everestlads

Another Gem From Jim White's "Transnormal Skiperoo"

soundgirl — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 12:03:12 GMT

Somehow this amazing songwriter still manages to fly under the radar. I don't know how how he does it but he must be trying hard. There is supposed to be a U.S. tour following the new record's U.S. release on March 4th. I'm not missing the next opportunity I get to see this guy live.

More on Jim & the new record at Luaka Bop's site: http://www.luakabop.com/jim_white/transnormalskiperoo/

You can order the new record from Jim directly at http://www.jimwhite.net/purchase.html If you decide to download the music consider buying the whole record because every song has something good going for it and the mood flows all the way through.

Jim White's "Transnormal Skiperoo"

soundgirl — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:27:33 GMT

Jim White makes me feel human. No, actually he makes me feel like it's alright to be human. To come to terms with the good and bad things we all do and experience then live with. Although his work can be accurately labeled as southern gothic, alt country or americana, I guess I'd just prefer to call him an honest storyteller. He pulls countless musical influences and sonic samples from all walks of American life and creates an atmosphere from which he tells us his stories. His new work "Transnormal Skiperoo" has already been released in the U.K. and will be released in the states on March 4th (Luaka Pop). I've uploaded the song "A Town Called Amen" which features the roots band Ollabelle.

I love the new record.

Jim's website: http://www.jimwhite.net/
Here's Jim in a video about the new record:

More "Shotter's Nation"

soundgirl — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:45:16 GMT

Lots of good songs on this record. Find myself humming many of them all day long. Here's another:

New PT Anderson Film Has Surprise Screening at Texas Film Festival

soundgirl — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 07:43:04 GMT

This goes right to the top of the "must-see" movie list. The film is called "There Will Be Blood" and stars Daniel Day Lewis with screenplay and direction by P.T. Anderson. The story is based on the novel Oil! by Upton Sinclair.The original score, said to be absolutely amazing, is by Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood.

Listening to & Loving the New Babyshambles!

soundgirl — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:46:31 GMT

Wow! I am so enjoying the new Babyshambles record "Shotter's Nation!" Pete and the boys went into the studio with producer Stephen Street and put together a tight well written, well played and amazingly well performed LP. Get ready to hear Pete sing in tune!

The songs borrow riffs and style from all over the realm of Brit Pop yet Doherty and the band are ably steered by Street in delivering a great record that is undoubtably Babyshambles.

Best cuts? I like something about all of them! I uploaded "Lost Art Of Murder" which features the great Bert Jansch on guitar. You'll probably hear lots of the very radio-friendly (and Kinks-like) first single, "Delivery." The video for "French Dog Blues" has been uploaded on MOG by dj ivi . "Unbilo Tiltled," "There She Goes" and "Deft Left Hand" are standouts so far but the whole record has been on repeat all day in my house...

The record is available from UK vendors and due for US release on October 23rd.

Sea Wolf on Jimmy Kimmel Show tonight!!!

soundgirl — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:27:01 GMT

Tune In or set the TIVO! Move over Hump, let the Wolf take control of your TV set tonight!

Earlimart on the road to support Mentor Tormentor!

soundgirl — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 19:15:39 GMT

Check out the great new record then see them in your town! So Good!

Read The Pitchfork Review: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/45153-mentor-tormentor

EARLIMART Tour Dates!!!!!!!

"SHE'S LIKE THE WIND" TOUR 2007 all dates with OFFICE supporting

09/27/2007 Doug Fir Lounge, Portland

09/28/2007 Crocodile Cafe, Seattle

09/29/2007 Pit Pub, Vancouver

10/02/2007 400 Bar, Minneapolis

10/03/2007 Schubas Tavern, Chicago

10/04/2007 Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights

10/05/2007 El Mocambo, Toronto

10/06/2007 Main Hall, Montreal

10/07/2007 Harpers Ferry, Allston

10/10/2007 Knitting Factory, New York

10/11/2007 Johnny Brendas, Philadelphia

10/12/2007 Ottobar, Baltimore

10/13/2007 Duke Coffeehouse, Durham

10/14/2007 The Earl, Atlanta

10/15/2007 Bottletree, Birmingham

10/16/2007 Engine Room, Houston

10/17/2007 The Mohawk, Austin

10/18/2007 Palladium Loft, Dallas

10/20/2007 Larimer Lounge, Denver

10/22/2007 Paper Heart Venue, Phoenix

10/23/2007 Casbah, San Diego

10/24/2007 Troubadour, Los Angeles

The Western States Motel gets write-up in Filter Magazine

soundgirl — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:13:05 GMT

What a great time to be living Los Angeles! The indy music scene here is on fire with some really great sounds. Irving, Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, The Broken West (see post below), The Oohlas and Great Northern are among the many LA based bands we get to see and hear around town on a regular basis. One of the new names on club marquees lately is The Western States Motel. I was first intoduced to Carl Jordan and his band last year by Joe Fielder on his Radio Free Silver Lake Blog (http://radiofreesilverlake.blogspot.com/). I picked up the record, started listening and couldn't stop. The songs on the record take the listener on a virtual tour of California places and living. The smooth harmonies and chill groove are quite habit forming. Lots of repeats and a couple live shows later these guys and their songs continue to grow on me. Take a listen, see what you think.

Check out what Filter Magazine is saying: http://filter-mag.com/index.php?id=13774&c=1

Pitchfork reviews The Broken West's new record

soundgirl — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 06:28:46 GMT

Nice review on The Broken West's new record from Pitchfork. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/40787/The_Broken_West_I_Cant_Go_On_Ill_Go_On

NYC's Hopewell coming to L.A. for acoustic shows!

soundgirl — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 05:49:50 GMT

Good News Today! One of my favorite bands, Hopewell, is dropping in to Los Angeles for a string of acoustic shows. Well 2/5's of Hopewell anyway... Jason Russo and Lyndon Roeller will be in town for shows on the following dates:

Feb 2 (Fri) The Smell with Hello Mello Feb 3 (Sat) Pehrspace w/ Languis + Demander Feb 5 (Mon) Dublab Radio session Feb 5 (Mon) Hunnypot Radio session Feb 8 (Thurs) Silverlake Lounge w/ Hello Mello

This should be a great opportunity to get a taste of this band's music. Hopewell is preparing to release their highly anticipated new record shortly. They are close to announcing dates at SXSW and will most certainly tour in support of the new record. If you haven't seen these guys live - you must. When they are all together and electrified they play a jaw dropping brand of mesmorizingly beautiful sonic assault. Check out the band and listen to some of their music at: http://hopewell.tv/

or here:

The Broken West's new record is out today...and it's good!

soundgirl — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 06:03:02 GMT

It's out and it's good! I just came home from the band's cd release party at Sea Level Records in Echo Park. The band sounds great even though frontman Ross Flournoy said he was fighting a cold. Also saw them last night as they wowed a packed Monday night at Spaceland in Silverlake. I've been listening to these guys for almost two years and it's just getting better and better. They are touring the U.S. this Winter and Spring and playing support for The Walkmen. Don't miss!

WOW! Let's Build A Fire indeed...

soundgirl — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 17:53:36 GMT

Just discovered Plus/Minus last Thursday night when I saw them play with Irving at Spaceland in Los Angeles. Their show was really good. The band was on fire and the crowd, mostly there to see Irving's first hometown show after returning from their U.S. tour, was simply blown away by the Plus/Minus performance. I bought the band's most recent release "Let's Build A Fire" at the show and find myself slightly addicted.