CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Below are Instagram clips from most, if not all, of the songs from KING’s set at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Headlining the first concert of the 2014 Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier was the lo-fi, psychedelic, indie pop duo Cults. Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivian’s 60’s infused, experimental pop music received great acclaim in 2010 and 2011 with strong reviews by publications like NME and Pitchfork.
I was particularly attracted to their latest album “Static” (released in 2013) as it basically told the story of the duos tumultuous relationship, which ultimately didn’t last. The darkness and somber tones of the music and lyrics of that album, for me, is a great straight listen (meaning, you can press play on the album and not have to fast forward any of the songs).
However tumultuous their break up may have been, it was obvious that any personal antagonism between them had been squashed as there was no tension between the two while performing. In fact, the only tension I could sense was with the person working the mixing board as I could tell Madeline, perhaps, had a difficult time hearing herself. Was it just me, or were there no monitors on stage?
The Cults’ music, especially with their latest release, is quite intricate and layered with sound. And where the recordings delicately balanced the music against the vocals, with the vocals at times just hovering over the music, the mix for their performance had the music slightly overpower the vocals. For example, when the instrumentation was minimal, like on the verses of “So Far”, I could hear Madeline’s vocals just fine. But when there was a swell of music, it often drowned out the vocal performance.
Despite any hiccups with mixing, Cults powered through their set and performed all of their hits from both their first and second albums, and even returned to the stage for an encore. Having grown up in Southern California, they thanked the crowd and expressed their sincere appreciation for being able to perform back in their stomping ground.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Below are Instagram clips from most, if not all, of the songs from Cults’ set at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
James Supercave is a five piece alternative rock band based out of Los Angeles. I made an effort to beat L.A. traffic to make it up to the pier in time to catch their set. After all, if KCRW’s Jason Bentley listed this band as on of the top “5 LA Musicians to watch in 2014”, I wanted to see/hear what the rave was all about.
Insofar as they’ve only release one EP, their setlist wasn’t too long, but each of their tunes provided an impressive punch. Their sound is hard to describe. Maybe a more pop inclined Modest Mouse that utilized more electronic elements? Maybe a sprinkle of The Flaming Lips?
Maybe its a disservice to try to compare them to another musical act. After all, they are a new band and still have room to develop and expand upon their sound. All I know is that I really enjoyed what I heard. The music was breezy and eclectic. A very appropriate sound to open a summer of music on the Santa Monica Pier.
I found two videos on Youtube from their performance that you can watch below:
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
Below are Instagram clips from most, if not all, of the songs from James Supercave’s set at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts performing a Twilight Concert at the Santa Monica Pier!
On Thursday, July 17th the second concert of Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert Series features the Malaysian singer/songwriter Yuna. Having released her third studio album in 2013, Nocturnal, Yuna uses her light and airy vocal stylings to deliver soulful, melodic pop music that has been appealing to the masses worldwide.
I remember seeing Yuna perform live, opening up for Allen Stone (if my memory serves me right) at the Fonda, and I recall that her performance was highlighted by her emotionally sensitive acoustic confessionals about love. Her music may have evolved and developed over the past couple years with more sophisticated production (she’s had tracks produced by both Pharell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes), but the core of her music, that passion that she emotes, is still there. I’m looking forward to seeing her perform live, and you should too.
Follow Yuna on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Also performing on the pier, opening for Yuna, is the band KING. A trio of singers consising of twin sisters Paris and Amber Strother and musical compadre Anita Bias, KING released their first EP in 2011 to critical praise and they are currently supporting their follow up EP, The Afternoon EP.
Their future-soul brand of music, is nothing short of smooth, ethereal and beautiful. Opening for Yuna may be a match made in heaven.
Whenever I have friends visiting Los Angeles during the summer and they ask me for suggestions, I always recommend attending a concert at the Santa Monica Pier. After all, there isn’t a much better way to spend a summer day/eve, at the beach with a picnic listening to some quality music.
For the past 30 years, the Santa Monica Pier has been hosting an extremely well-curated summer concert series known as the “Twilight Concerts”. This year, their line-up is as impressive as I’ve ever seen it. This year I am planning on attending almost all of the schedule concerts.
Below are the bands that I’ll be checking out, and will be updated with blog posts of previews, Instagram videos and photo pictorials and reviews. If you don’t follow my blog, save this page in a tab to follow my summer at the pier!
JULY 10th
July 17th
July 31st
August 7th
August 14th
August 21st
August 28th
September 4th
September 11th
Whenever I have friends visiting Los Angeles during the summer and they ask me for suggestions, I always recommend attending a concert at the Santa Monica Pier. After all, there isn’t a much better way to spend a summer day/eve, at the beach with a picnic listening to some quality music.
For the past 30 years, the Santa Monica Pier has been hosting an extremely well-curated summer concert series known as the “Twilight Concerts”. This year, their line-up is as impressive as I’ve ever seen it.
On July 10th, the concert series kicks off with a critically acclaimed rock band from New York: Cults. This duo saw their music spread virally when they posted some of their music to their Bandcamp page sometime in 2010. Music publications like Pitchfork and NME have been gushing about their pop-rock sound, which led them to get signed to Columbia Records and releases their first major label, self-titled album. Having released their sophomore album, titled “Static” in late 2013, They have been touring in support of their debut album since, and are going to shine their sunny brand of pop-rock on the pier this coming Thursday. I, for one, am looking forward to checking them out for the first time.
Also performing on the pier, opening for Cults, is the band James Supercave. They are currently supporting their latest release, “The Afternoon EP” and their music is an eclectic mix of electronic pop music. Their lead singer’s voice reminds me of Modest Mouse’s lead singer, Isaac Brock, but their music feels more along the lines of a Passion Pit or Phoenix, with a rougher “rock” edge. As long as traffic doesn’t get the better of me, I hope to catch their set as well.
Check out Cults on Facebook to learn more about them and their music. CLICK HERE to check them out.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts I caught at the Twilight Concert on the Santa Monica Pier!
Below are Instagram clips of some of the songs from Lee “Scratch” Perry’s set at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series. Instagram’s embed settings are, unfortunately, too large for WordPress, but hopefully, you’ll still be able to click through to watch the video clips. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts I caught at the Twilight Concert on the Santa Monica Pier!
CLICK HERE to check out other acts I caught at the Twilight Concert on the Santa Monica Pier!
Below are Instagram clips of some of the songs from Mexico68’s set at the Santa Monica Pier as part of the Twilight Concert Series. Instagram’s embed settings are, unfortunately, too large for WordPress, but hopefully, you’ll still be able to click through to watch the video clips. Enjoy.
CLICK HERE to check out other acts I caught at the Twilight Concert on the Santa Monica Pier!
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