Fire in the Hamptons is an L.A. based indie rock band fronted by Zack Arnett. Their latest EP, “Chosen Ones”, was funded by a Kickstarter campaign, and they seem to have enough fan-backing to get their recent projects seen through.
Their live show is energetic and enjoyable. Their music is polished and danceable. They’ve put in a lot of hours doing local gigs, but to really be able to catch on with a larger fan base, I think they need a killer single or two. Maybe they can get their fans to spread the word virally.
As much as I enjoy getting drunk at a bar and ogling scantily clad women dressed slutty with a purpose, I was debating my plans for Halloween this year. I was hoping for something different; something memorable. Thankfully, a friend (who, by the way, may just be too cool for me), offered me her extra ticket to see Queens of the Stone Ages’s final concert of their “Like Clockwork” torn at The Forum, featuring The Kills, JD McPherephon and Nick Oliveri. Um, seriously? Um, how cool are my friends?
Costumes were encouraged, so I glued on two prosthetic horns, donned black, and carried around a zombie baby in a baby carrier. My friend was coming from another event across town, so me and my zombie baby waited patiently for her to arrive. There were some terrific costumes, and my “baby” definitely started some conversations. When my friend arrived, I made a b-line straight to the merchandise booth to see if there was any exclusive merchandise left. I was bummed to discover that I had missed out on limited edition event posters.
By the time I made my way back to the seats, The Kills had just started their set. Allison Mosshart is such a bad ass front-woman. She sings in the Dead Whether as “Baby Ruthless”. She is known as “VV” in The Kills
Having the The Kills perform this year was a treat. The last album that they released was in 2011, “Blood Pressures”. They’ve been touring a bit this year, so one can only hope that new material is around the corner. I thought that the sound could have been better mixed for their set, but it was still a thrill to watch them rock the stage.
(No photos pass for this concert- I tried- so all of the pictures were snapped with my trusty point and shoot Sony CybershotG)
In between sets, the Suicide Girls provided some risqué entertainment for crowd.
I missed out on watching the Queens of the Stone Age’s set at Coachella this year. I was bummed that I didn’t get approved for the photo pit, and I decided to shoot some artist’s who didn’t have photo pit restrictions.
Touring in support of their most recent album “…Like Clockwork“, the Halloween gig at The Forum would be the final show of the tour. They pulled out all of the stops, performing songs from their entire catalogue.
Josh Homme, dressed as a priest, wailed through QOTSA classic, getting some help from Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters) for “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” and doing a five songs set with former QOTSA bassist Nick Oliveri for an encore. THIS is much better than getting drunk at bar ogling hot, slutty-dressed chicks.
MEAR ONE is a contemporary American artist based in Los Angeles. Having been labeled as “The Michelangelo of Graffiti” and “The Salvador Dali of Hip-Hop” he is considered by many to be Los Angeles’ most prolific graffiti artist. When he invited me to his birthday celebration I was honored. When I was told that Gaslamp Killer and Afrika Bambaataa would be spinning the ones-and-twos, I was geeking.
Held every Wednesday at The Airliner in Lincoln Heights is a club called “Low End Theory”. Currently they have a DJ residency of Nobody, D-Styles, Gaslamp Killer and Daddy Kev. Throw Afrika Bambaataa into the mix, and you’ve got an evening of hip-hop music that shouldn’t be missed.
When I got to the venue, the line to get in was already 50 deep, and the doors hadn’t opened yet. Thankfully, I was going in with the birthday boy and his crew. We made our way upstairs to the second floor, outdoor patio which overlooks the stage where the featured DJ’s would be spinning. Drinks were served, artistic discussion ensued and pictures were taken.
I made my way downstairs when Gaslamp Killer was setting up. As soon as he started spinning, I knew it was going to be a ridiculously curated set. Starting it off with some cumbria from Quantic (I mean, to me, that was pretty out-of-the-box mind blowing), I was extremely impressed with what he was able to mix in.
As soon as Gaslamp Killer finished his set, the patio started buzzing with anticipation. He took to the mic to announce his giddiness about having Afrika Bambaataa perform. After all, we area talking about one of the godfathers of hip-hop. An ambassador of hip-hop culture, whose message has always been a positive one.
When Afrika Bambaataa took the stage, the audience roared with approval. It was an honor to be there watching him spin his magic.
There’s aren’t many bands that’d I’d see four times in one year. Hopeless Jack & the Handsome Devil is the only one that I’ll have on my list this year.
Not only are they really cool dudes, but their music also rocks. This year, I saw them twice at Ink-N-Iron and personally arranged for them to play a gig at the Garage. When they told me they had a weekday gig in downtown L.A., I didn’t hesitate to put it in my calendar.
I get pumped to see these guys live, because they have an absurd amount of stage presence. From Jack growling into the microphone, wildly dancing while jamming killer riffs, to Pete’s eye’s menacing, almost possessed, look while he smashes the drums, these guys, at least to me, embody rock and roll. As a wanna-be photographer, getting chances to shoot bands like this is a thrill. If I can capture a moment of the pure, unrelenting joy that these guys perform with … that’s something that would make my day.
I got to the venue a little early, and the fellas were our front hanging in their tour van. Jack was greeting friends and Pete was munching on a slice of pie from California Pizza Kitchen. I told Pete that I liked some of their pizzas, and he told me that he never realized that California Pizza Kitchen was an actual restaurant. He always assumed that it was just a frozen pizza. I got a chuckle out of that.
Set times were running a little late, and friends, fans and the band were getting antsy. Jack, while puffing on a cigarette, was already making plans for after the set.
“Tacos, man,” Jack said while flicking out his smoke, “I need tacos.” Taking recommendations from friends, he already had location in mind. In a Pavlovian kind-a-way, I started craving tacos too.
Got to meet some of Jack and Pete’s friends, including a photographer named Jason who was touring with the band as a friends and roadie. This was one of the dope pics he took at the gig.
The light was dim and I had put pump the ISO on my camera (even though I know that the pics always come out noisy at a high ISO with my old-ass camera), but I still think I got a couple decent shots.
Again, they rocked (check out the video clips below).
After they had packed, the band, and some of the fans, made a short trip to the late-night taco stand. While waiting to order L.A. deliciousness, we noted a multi-storied, retro-fitted building across the street that was for lease. We started talking about what we would do if we could afford to buy the classic looking building. As we sipped on horchata, and devoured out grub, we fantasized about which floor would be rooms and which floor would be the studio … but I think we were all in agreement about having the ground floor be a performance venue/club.
Dreams and tacos. A perfect end to a terrific night of rock-and roll.
Don’t you love it when soul meets any genre of music? A highlight of the Festival. Best time of the night! Will Holland, the musician, producer and DJ who is Quantic does just that. Holland collaborates with musicians, DJs and artists with different backgrounds and talents to create unique sounds, a little Jazz, a little electronic, a little bongos and some trumpet, perhaps. I think Holland hears, explores and ultimately takes different music genres and finds a way, and a place, they have not yet been together. On this night, soul met funk, electronic, jazz and Latin styles – they do mean a salsa with electronic riffs (ya, that happened!). In the middle of their world tour, Holland and his current collaborators arrived at The United Methodist Church from sold out shows in France, Japan and San Francisco. Colombian singer Nidia Góngora, who is the lead vocals on the single La Plata, showed us her organic dance moves and captured our attention with her clear, smooth and rich tone on vocals. Other sounds you will hear in these collaborations are Ethiopian jazz, accordion, clarinet – no really this is true – and if you need a picture to wrap your head around the scene and sounds, this was the Cultures Collide version of a scene from Dirty Dancing. This rhythmic Latin, soul and funk infusion had the audience dancing in the aisles and grinding in front of a pulpit. Before the band started playing, Holland said, “feel free to get up out of your seats,” and you could see it in people’s eyes, they were already planning on it – and they did. Quantic, whose home base is Columbia, released his latest album, Magnetica, on June 10, 2014. This album’s 3rd single, La Plata, was a highlight of their set and even I sang along to this one on and I didn’t even know what the lyrics meant, but Quantic makes you want to move, sing and be a musician.
Post Script: Best line of the night, “This is a great congregation” – Will Holland.
I love these guys! I have partied with them in the past, partied to their Indie Rock sound throughout my life. Their sound is good listening with beer on a beach or an indoor venue when it’s snowing outside with friends. Point in case, they’ve even played Lollapalooza in the past, that must have been a good time. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is a great Indie Rock band – one of the best bar rock band and college tour band I’ve seen – they have that sound. The band is tight, complete with guitar riffs and lyrics to sing along to. This band already has a huge following and it was clear from the crowd dancing and singing lyrics to their songs. “Satan Said Dance” was the song I remember singing on Saturday. The one problem with is band is that they are really good at the Indie music, but, to me, and that’s that. For a minute the lead singer made chewing gum onstage look cool, collected and kind of sexy. Check ‘em out if you are an Indie music fan. Their latest album was, Only Run, released June 3, 2014. This US band hails from the East Coast and they’re playing the Brooklyn Bowl November 12th.
I love this band for their total sound and style. This UK band is what the Go Gos circa 2014 would sound like if they went dark Indie Rock, or, if they stayed Punk circa 1978. Pins’ lead vocalist even has a vocal tone or quality that reminds me a little of Belinda Carlyle, but she’s not Belinda, xo Belinda! Pins is the combined musical talents of Faith, Anna, Lois and Sophie from Manchester, UK and their music is unapologetic, tough yet feminine, and natural compared to their Electronic and Pop peers. By that I mean, the Pins’ sound includes effortless dark chanting and rock rhythms of unfinished or unconcluded emotions, unmistakably heard in their beats, guitar riffs and even in their vocal harmonies – it’s a dope sound. To me, this is a distinct sound and musical road than the more polished emotions and lyrics usually heard more in the Electronic and Pop genres. The Pins’ lyrics are about relationships, feelings and love, tough and dark but with exposure, flaws and soul searching, like any good female rock band. I am always looking for a good female rock band and the only other one I’ve heard live lately is Deap Vally (no “e”), two female rockers who shred. Deap Vally is a stronger more pure rock sound, but I use the comparison to emphasize, there aren’t many bands that can claim girl rockers out there right now. Pins’ vocals don’t have the muscular sound of classic female rockers, but I am excited about their sound. They recently played the CMJ Music Marathon and they are playing (sold out) shows in the UK in the coming months and I know why.
A highlight of the day, and my personal highlight! Who are you, girl!? It’s pronounced “T.K.,” and readers, you should probably remember that – her rapping is pure fire! She killed it! She sings, too. Tkay combines pistol quick rap and EDM sounds, and her performance seemed effortless, which is a unique style trait to her . . . and she sounded like a boss! Sure there are great rappers and rapid fire lyricists (not that many), but Tkay has her own style, too, ingénue-like, commanding, tough and effortless. She is also reminiscent of M.I.A. and Azaelia Banks. At times, Tkay’s tone and verbal rhythm, as well as her elocution and delivery, reminds me of M.I.A., but Tkay’s effortless brand of fierce is different because it’s definitive, hard and commanding, but less aggressive than M.I.A. This artist is able to go from spitting out rap verses to singing verses. Her elocution and delivery is also reminiscent of Azaelia when she puts vocals over electronic beats and I can see Tkay commanding the Coliseum (my measure of an LA Rave). Tkay’s vocals and performance are unaffected, natural and unproduced, like she thought she’d just drop it right now . From Australia, Zimbabwean Tkayo’s debut mix taped was released October 23, 2014. I watched Tkay’s debut video for “U-Huh” and I loved it, but this 18 year old is so good, she doesn’t need all that production. On stage – just her – done! She had her first NYC performance this week and is being picked up by major online publications like Entertainment Weekly and Fader. Check her out – Rap, Pop, EDM sounds, like it’s no problem! S/O to Derrick who knew this artist would be a highlight! I had a chance to talk with Tkay after the show and she was sweet, in the moment and gracious to her fans – stay grounded girl you are about to be a star.
Pop, rhythm and EDM. Singer/producer Banoffee is an Australian artist whose performance included mixing her own R&B and sometimes Reggae style beats, throwing down versus once or twice, singing and frontin’ the ultimate cool chick persona and musical ability. Her music is chill vibes and heavy, sick synth production. Banoffee’s beats drop with accented bounces and her vocals are a smooth glaze over electronic beats Pop, R&B and EDM sounds. You could say she’s an EDM and sporty Imogen Heap. She includes “Ninja” and “Let’s Go To The Beach” in her performance at The Echo and I included the link to her debut EP whick dropped October 7, 2014 so you can listen to her unique texture of musical styles. She’s been playing NYC venues this past week – check her out!
Good band, they got it done. On lead vocals is Naama, her voice has a unique sound, one you don’t hear often these days in the music age of Electronic and Dance Pop. Truth, I love this girl’s voice – it’s a slightly raspy, feminine Rock voice that meets some good Indie and unique enchanting sounds. Naama’s is not a true muscular voice, but it has a cool texture, a little bit of Pop meets Rock with a unique ingénue sound. I liked it, kind of wanted to see Joan Jett after hearing this band, too. Naama also has showmanship, an intriguing attraction to her movement with her sound. Take Offs and Landings is from Lima, Peru and the other members of the band are Dennis, Christian, Chris, Sergio. Take Offs and Landings was formed recently, in 2013, and is already playing festivals like Culture Collide. Their music is a blend of sinister girl rock and tones that make it seem like they know something you don’t and you are intrigued enough to follow wherever they are leading, which I I think is one reason the lead vocal’s voice struck me, it all went together – their enchanting sound and lead vocals that compliments the magic. Their first album is due to drop at the end of the year.
#DKLPHOTOS 