The only non-rapper on Mod Sun’s “Look Up Tour” was Hollywood’s own R&B/Neo-Soul crooner Mat Musto p/k/a Blackbear. The mood was immediately set when the house lights dimmed to an almost completely pitch black.
Tag: electronic
MØ | Culture Collide | Echoplex | 10/16/14 [Photos]
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: MØ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: I’d thought that I’d be over female fronted, beat-driven, electro pop, but wow … MØ was something else. Her live show was something fierce. She may have been criticized for her “off” performance with Iggy Azalea on Saturday Night Live, but I’ve witnessed MØ performing live, and she is a powerhouse performer. Stage diving, and stage walking, throughout her set, engaging the audience with her piercing eyes and impressing me with her unexpected stage presence and voice, I was blown away. I’m willing to make this prediction … she’ll be making the festival rounds next year, and she’ll be performing on the main stages. Guaranteed.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
Phantogram | First City Festival | 8/23/14 [PHOTOS]
Jagwar Ma | Twilight Concert | Santa Monica Pier | 8/7/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
In conjunction with G’Day USA, the Twilight Concert series presented “Australia Rocks The Pier”.
The headliner for the evening was the killer Australian band Jagwar Ma. I first got to see them perform at Coachella, and after my time in the photo pit expired, I made it a point to keep up with their music because I was duly impressed.
When I found out that they were scheduled to perform at the Santa Monica Pier, I circled the date in my calendar. Seriously … I was pumped to see a full set. In fact, being a music dweeb, I even lugged my LP of “Howlin” (their debut album) to the pier on the off chance that I could get some of the fellas to sign it.
Their set was terrific. They basically played their entire album (excluding “Did You Have To” and “Backwards Berlin”), and even threw in a couple covers. I was especially impressed with their cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies”. It was unexpected, but truly great to hear.
Follow Jagwar Ma on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Fascinator| Twilight Concert | Santa Monica Pier | 8/7/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
In conjunction with G’Day USA, the Twilight Concert series presented “Australia Rocks The Pier”.
The second act performing on the Santa Monica Pier was Fascinator. Fascinator is Johnny Mackay, an Australian based in New York, whose music is an experimental, electronic, psychedelic trip. Though the act was probably better suited for a smaller club venue, I could tell that the audience was getting into it … the smell of weed permeating my nostrils was my proof.
The music, and performance, was a bit out there. With odd hat-masks, long full length garb, and a hype-man who danced around the stage, I could feel the groove, but kept sniffing the air to see if I could get a second-hand high. If only I wasn’t “working” …
Follow Fascinator on Facebook by CLICKING HERE
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Phebe Starr | Twilight Concert | Santa Monica Pier | 8/7/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
In conjunction with G’Day USA, the Twilight Concert series presented “Australia Rocks The Pier”.
The first act performing on the Santa Monica Pier was Aussie Native Phebe Starr. Like the opening act from the prior week, Phebe had been the winner of a competition to perform for the Twilight Concert audience.
I arrived at the pier after she had already started her set, but was able to get into the photo pit for the last half of her set.
Her music is synth pop akin to Lykii Li and Sia. Though I only caught a portion of her set, I could see the potential she has in developing her sound. She is in Los Angeles to record music, and it’d be interesting to see how Los Angeles inspires her songwriting.
Follow Phebe Starr on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Omar Souleyman | Twilight Concert | Santa Monica Pier | 7/31/14 [PHOTOS & REVIEW]
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
I missed Omar Souleyman when he played at FYF Fest in 2013. When a close friend of mine told me the next day that Omar’s set was incredible … <slaps had to the forehead>
When I heard he was playing the pier, I knew it was a show I couldn’t miss.
I’ve always been fascinated with foreign music. I barely speak French. I hardly understand Korean. I obviously know nothing about the Arabic language. But good music is good music. Omar Souleyman’s traditional, electronic, Syrian folk-pop music is a groove inducing, infectious rhythm than really doesn’t need to be translated.
Wearing large sunglasses, a thick mustache and traditional Syrian garb, it was just him and his DJ sending sonic waves out onto the pier and into the beach. Looking over the crowd, all I could see were hands in the air, and bodies gyrating to the beat.
Though the traditional meanings of his music may have been lost on the crowd, it really didn’t matter. The crowd was lost in the foreign sounds of one of Syria’s most prolific recording artists.
Follow Omar Souleyman on Facebook by CLICKING HERE.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Free Concert Alert | Jagwar Ma & Fascinator at the Santa Monica Pier | 8/7/14 [Preview]
On Thursday, July 31st the fifth concert of Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series features Jagwar Ma; an Australian psychedelic/dance band from in Sydney. I first saw this band perform live at Coachella this year. Their debut album “Howlin'”, with their neo-psychedlic, dance out, received high praise, and they are currently working on their sophomore album.
Their music reminds me of the Stone Roses, and I really, really dig their sound. I snapped a few decent pics of them at Coachella this year, but I’m hoping to do better this time around.
Follow Jagwar Ma on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Also performing on the pier, opening for Jagwar Ma, is the New York based band Fascinator. I’m not too familiar with this band, but they’ve seem to got the same vibe as Jagwar Ma, so it should be a full evening to trippy music to enjoy at the pier.
Free Concert Alert | Omar Souleyman & De Lux at the Santa Monica Pier | 7/31/14 [Preview]
On Thursday, July 31st the fourth concert of Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series features Omar Souleyman is a musician from the northeastern region of Syria. His music, traditional Middle Eastern songs in Kurdish and Arabic, incorporates various musical styles like dabke, folk and electronica.
I wanted to check out his set at FYF Fest in 2013, but as his set time was delayed, I missed his performance in order to check out some other bands. A close friend of mine who stayed until he took the stage told me the next day that Omar’s set was incredible, and that I was a fool for missing it. Oi … <sound of heart breaking> ….
Needless to say, I am beyond thrilled that I will be in the audience for his performance at the pier. For those of you with an eclectic taste in music, I highly recommend emerging yourself in the seductive and rhythmic sounds of the middle east with Omar this coming Thursday.
Also performing on the pier, opening for Omar Souleyman, is the Los Angeles based “post-disco dance-punk” DIY duo De Lux. Having been compared to bands like The Talking Heads and LCD Soundsystem, I’m looking forward to hearing this band for the first time to see what they have to offer.
M83, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and Phantogram | Hollywood Bowl | 9/22/13
Phoenix, Daft Punk, Justice … France turns out some great electro, synth pop bands. Oh yeah … M83 is pretty damn good too. Named after the spiral galaxy Messier 83, M83’s music is as cosmic as that system of stars. Adding a full orchestra and choir to their already sonically complex arrangements like “Midnight City” only raised the level of their cosmic sound.
I wasn’t planning on attending the show. In fact, I had been offered to get in on tickets when they first went on sale, but passed it up since I purchased some tickets for other shows and funds, at the time, were running low. But as fate would have it, a dear friend of mine called me up last minute the day before the concert to see if I wanted to attend the sold out show, and I got to attend the last installment of KCRW Radio’s World Festival series. The stars were definitely aligned for me …
The indie pop/Electronic rock band Phantogram opened for M83. It was my first time listening to their music, but I could tell why they were opening for M83. Their songs were all dance friendly, and had catchy hooks. Sarah Barthel’s vocals were strong and sexy. The band didn’t seem intimidated by performing on the famous stage, but they expressed their humble gratitude by acknowledging the hallowed stage they were on, and thanked the audience for listening.
Their setlist, from www.setlist.fm was:
- When I’m Small
- Mouthful of Diamonds
- As Far as I Can See
- Celebrating Ugly
- Black Out Days
- Don’t Move
- Voices
- When I’m Small
M83’s performance, back by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and its choir, was stunning. For a band whose music is already big with layered synths, guitars and voices, I wondered how the orchestral arrangements would come off and how it would alter the original arrangements. Surprisingly, the orchestra didn’t overpower the band’s sound. Rather, at least in my humble opinion, they seemed to be used only to accent the original sound. Truth be told, it was hard to me to actually note when the orchestra was playing and when they weren’t. M83’s sound, alone, is that big.
M83 used a lot visual media in their performance. Though it was hard for me to actually glean what the purpose of some of the visual montages were, I supposed that it was used to evoke mood and metaphors for the audience to come up with. As visually stunning as the montages were, personally, I think that the performance could have done without it, as I hardly spent time watching the video screens.
M83 brought up a couple of special guests during their performance: grade-school aged Zelly Meldal-Johnsen (performing “Raconte Moi une Histoire”) and Brad Laner (from the band Medicine) and though each special guest’s performance was entertaining (Zelly’s song about the frog was especially cute), I was hoping that the special guests, especially at the Hollywood Bowl, would have been more exciting or well-known…. After all, it IS the Hollywood Bowl.
Special guests notwithstanding, M83’s performance was the kind of show you hope to see- and is typically delivered- at the Hollywood Bowl. Grand in scale. Aurally pleasing. Toss in a seat in a Terrace Box, with great friends on a lazy Sunday? Perfect.
Setlist procured from www.setlist.fm:
- In the Cold I’m Standing
- Intro
- Reunion
- Sitting
- We Own The Sky
- Steve McQueen
- Splendor (with Brad Laner)
- Wait
- Moonchild
- Raconte-moi une histoire (with Zelly Boo Meldal-Jophnsen)
- Skin of the Night
- Midnight City
- Lower Your Eyelids to Die With the Sun
Encore:
- Oblivion (Susanne Sundfor)
- Outro
- Couleurs
Unfortunately, the Flickr slideshow below is not currently available on mobile devices. If you are on a mobile device, please click THIS LINK to get redirected to the set of photos.
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