Tag: Red Bull

Baby Baby | Mayan Theater | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/9/14 [Review, Photos & Videos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT: Baby Baby | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: (Excerpted from M. Sloves full article which you can read by clicking HERE)

“A little punk, a little party band, a lot of fun. That’s how they describe themselves – “fun rock”. Mission accomplished.

[… ] Baby Baby (I do NOT get the name) opened strong with a heavy arena rock intro. Thick drums and guitar rhythmically smacking you in the face for no apparent reason other than to let you know they’re there. Super high energy. Drums and percussion laying down thick beats counterbalanced by an overlay of more psychedelic riffs from the keyboards. Head banging apery with the chaotic coherence of an H.B. Halicki car chase.

The music stands more or less on its own merits but I think it’s fair to say that Baby Baby as a live experience is all about front man Fontez Brooks. The brash young turk has some stones and a solid knack for pageantry. Whether it’s ego, talent, raw enthusiasm, not giving a fuck, or a healthy combination of all of the above, his commitment to engaging the crowd is unimpeachable  – even if it means ripping them a new a-hole.

[…]

The real obstacle for Baby Baby is that the crowd in attendance on this particular night wasn’t at the Mayan for Baby Baby. A couple of “Bro Hymn”-esque choruses played well to the many Pennywise fans, and in the end I think they managed to win over the haters but nobody seemed all that amped on them. That’s LA though. A dance floor full of music aficionados keeping vigil with a subtle head nod and arms folded in a self-embracing bro-cross. […] Can’t blame that on Baby Baby though. The dudes brought it hard and I’d love to see them on their home turf and playing to their own crowd. They throw a lot of good energy out there and any audience that gives a little more back would be sure to go home hot and bothered, in a good way.”

PHOTOS:

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: Concerts, Pictorials | Videos, ReviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Reignwolf | The Mint | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/12/14 [Review, Photos & Videos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT:  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS:

The anticipation for Reignwolf at The Mint was palpable. After giving early comers army jackets emblazoned with Reignwolf logos, looking around the small venue it looked, with what seemed like a majority of the fans in attendance wearing the matching jackets, like there was some kind of cultural, or revivalist, movement happening.

With the fog machines pumping out a heavy mist, and the band emerging from back-stage, the crowd erupted with a cultish zeal. We were waiting all night for some rock-and-roll nirvana. We were waiting for Reignwolf to take us there.

I had seen Reignwolf at the Troubadour earlier this year and was a bit surprised that this Red Bull show was at The Mint. With a capacity of only 200, this show had sold out (just like his concert at The Troubadour) early. I thought for sure that Reignwolf could have easily sold out a 500 capacity venue. I wasn’t complaining though. Trust me … you want to see Reignwolf in an intimate venue. It got really intimate at The Mint.

Jordan Cook (a/k/a Reginwolf) was in the zone from the start. His eyes were glazed over with a wild-man’s look, only breaking out of its trance when technical issues with microphones arose or when he directly addressed the audience. His performance at The Mint was as raw and unhinged as it was at the Troubadour.

Moving his performance into the audience, literally dragging his drum kit from the stage into the crowd, and standing up on top of his kick drum, his energy was relentless, and it was a performance that I’m sure kept everybody up at night because of how much adrenaline it stirred up.

The performance aside (which was incredible), I’m more in awe about the fact that Reignwolf has developed such a loyal following without having a full studio album up for sale or a label backing his image. His reputation, to this point, has been, for the most part, organic and based on his live performance. I had a buddy swear to me that I HAD to see Reignwolf live. I listened to his recommendation, and now I can’t get enough. Am I satisfied? Not yet. I need more music.

SETLIST:

Screen Shot 2014-11-22 at 2.53.37 PM

PHOTOS: This show was one of the toughest gigs for me to shoot. Wasn’t happy with most of what I shot. I’m not even that happy with the photos that I posted here. Still one or two real quality shots in here, but it was all timing matching my shot with someone elses flash.

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: Concerts, Pictorials | Videos, ReviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Tontons | The Mint | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/12/14 [Review, Photos & Videos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT: The Tontons | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: I was excited to see The Tontons perform live. Based out of Houston, Texas, I had read a lot of good buzz about this band. Plus, how can you not at least be partially interested in a band that names itself after a creature in Star Wars? To be upfront about it, even though I had read some rave reviews about the band, I decided to hold off on listening to them until this performance. I was hoping that my virgin ears could hear what reviews had stated. Frankly speaking, though, their performance left me confused. Now, I’m not the kind of person who needs an artist to hold fast to a particular genre or musical styling, but I couldn’t tell what they, or their music, were about. I couldn’t tell you who THEY were. Thankfully, they handed out free copies of their latest album after their performance. When I played the CD, and listened to it from start to finish, I realized that their performance at The Mint really didn’t do them justice. Their album, “Make Out King and Other Stories” is a sultry and seductive alt rock record that I thoroughly enjoyed. None of that vibe, however, came across in their live performance at The Mint … but I’m stilling to give them another chance.

PHOTOS:

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: Concerts, Pictorials | Videos, ReviewsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

MS MR | The Roxy | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/2/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT: MS MR | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS:

Lizzy Plapinger and Max Hershenow are MS MR, respectively. Though there are a lot of solid electronic music groups fronted by a male and female duos these days (i.e. Phantogram and The Naked and Famous), MS MR distinguish themselves in my eyes because of their stage presence. Lizzy Plapinger is a whirlwind on stage. Her infectious smile is contagious, and her stage presence, whether its cradling the microphone or dancing across the stage, reveals an almost effortless energy. Even Max, positioned behind his keyboard, danced to the music (you can see it in a video clip below). With a sound that embraces elements of both trip hop and pop, combined with extremely capable vocals, handling both delicate ballads and uptempo dance grooves, MS MR appears to be the total package. I have a feeling that I’ll probably be seeing/hearing more from this band especially since it was revealed/announced at the show that Max had just moved to Los Angeles. Welcome to L.A., MR!

PHOTOS:

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Feathers | The Roxy | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/2/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT: Feathers | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS:

Feather’s set was shorter than anticipated. Though I’m not absolutely certain, I think it may have been a result of the technical difficulties that they seemed to be dealing with; which in turn seemed to affect Anastasia Dimou’s (the founder and lead singer) stage presence. The bold music could have used more assertive body language. Notwithstanding the short set, and the technical difficulties, I was really hoping for more as the music was growing on me. I’m a huge Depeche Mode fan, and a thought that crossed my mind was, “this is like a female version of Depeche Mode.” Heavy on synths, with dark and broody overtones, it was music that I could imagine Dave Gahan singing over.

PHOTOS:

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

The Electric Sons | The Roxy | Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In LA” | 11/2/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

THE ACT: The Electric Sons | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS:

This band from Altanta Georgia impressed me. Their polished synth and drum driven melodies had the packed house at the The Roxy moving to their beat, and it was pretty clear to see/hear why Red Bull Sound Select decided to showcase their music this month. Having never seen/heard their music before, their live show had a terrific energy that definitely left a very solid first impression on me. With the right material (songs) and the right push (marketing) this band has all of the potential to break into an already crowded market.

PHOTOS:

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Bands We Caught During Red Bull Sound Selects “30 Days In LA” CLICK HERE

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Red Bull Sound Select’s “30 Days In L.A.” [Homepage]

Does Red Bull have the keys to the future of the music industry? Only time will tell, but their business model is one that I think may trend positive for the foreseeable future.

Continue reading →

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment