What KATE BOY sounds like:

Set to play a sold out show for New York’s official Governors Ball After Party alongside HAIM, it won’t take long for a media storm to follow Sweden’s Kate Boy. The electro-pop foursome which consists of Australian singer Kate Akhurst and Swedish instrumentalists/ electro gurus Hampus Nordgren Hemlin, Markus Dextegen and Oskar Sikow Engström has been likened to Scotland’s Chvrches, Little Dragon and The Knife.

Spin raves “This Swedish act continues to put their own spin on a sound that’s well missed. Their January Northern Lights EP has delivered a handful of highlights — namely “In Your Eyes” and the excellent titular track — followed by “The Way We Are.”

Kate Boy will play a very intimate Pop Shop West show before heading back to Europe for a major run on the festival circuit. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to see them with support from Lovelife and Bom Bom at the Echo on Tuesday, June 11th.

Kate Boy with Lovelife and Bom Bom at the Echo/ 6.11.13/ 8:30 p.m./ $10/ 18+

6Kate Boy, the echo, echo park, lovelife, bom bom, popshop, popshop west,

WHAT REGAL DEGAL SOUNDS LIKE: http://soundcloud.com/regaldegal/01-pretty-busy

WHAT THEIR VIDEOS LOOK LIKE:  http://vimeo.com/23018949

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS OUT:

“Yanked off the chain of a forthcoming self-released 12”, “Peace On Repeat” is both familiar ground and an utter rarity amongst the cacophony that’s been spewing out Brooklyn for the past several months. Glimmeringly soaked guitar hits echo and repeat insistently over a hand-pounded mechanical drumbeat, leaving space for narrative-oriented pedal flourishes while da Costa’s voice floats detached in and out of the scene, somewhere in between an Ian Curtis or a John Bender. There is also that sneaky bassline that starts tickling you halfway through the chorus, taking you back to a mid-90s R&B groove.” - IMPOSE MAGAZINE

Playing with The Clean & The Black Watch TONIGHT at The Echo. A limited amount of tickets will be available at the door. DON’T. MISS. OUT. (Get there early).

6regal degal, the clean, the black watch, the echo, FOMO,

If you haven’t heard anyone talking about Caveman yet, you will soon.  Since their inception in January 2010, these Brooklyn natives have been blowing up the music scene.  Interestingly enough, it’s mostly been due to work of mouth.  Before their first full length album had been officially released, some guy at a bar got his hands on it.  He loved it so much that he had the album playing continuously at the bar.  But they did admit that it was a little weird.  The band didn’t even know him, but they’re thankful now because a ton of people heard their music for the first time.  Lead singer, Matthew Iwanusa, had twenty random people coming up to him at shows saying that they loved their music and heard it at that bar.  Eventually, these twenty people told their friends and they had twenty more fans.  In an interview Iwanusa said, “I don’t even know how we did it, but we just started playing these big shows and people started paying attention. I guess we kinda fooled everybody, but that’s ok.” 

Obviously, word of mouth is only going to work for a band with some serious talent and potential.  Their sound incorporates influences from chamber pop, dreamscape, and horror film score. At a live show, expect to hear four-part harmonies, echo-ey guitar parts, synths, and some sweet drumming.  All that hype didn’t go unnoticed.  These guys have already played with bands such as Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, White Rabbits, Here We Go Magic, Cursive, Amazing Baby, and Blue Oyster Cult.  They’re legit.

Our next performer is a guy after my own heart.  Henry Wolfe is a singer songwriter from Los Angeles who finds inspiration from the past.  He listens to music anywhere from the Tin Pan Alley days to when songwriting became popular in the seventies.  He brings listeners back to the basics, which is pretty refreshing.  My Old Kentucky Blog referred to his music as “…the perfect confection of Broadway sass and breezy California folk.”  Wolfe is the steady beat in all of this chaos.  If you’re in need of some extremely touching lyrics and amazing music, look no further than Henry Wolfe.

Last but not least, we’ve got So Many Wizards coming back!  If you missed this band during their residency at The Echo, you’re in luck.  These local guys are giving Los Angeles a good name.  Aquarium Drunkard wrote “I’m happy to say Los Angeles’s So Many Wizards have continued to craft their sound, perfecting their enigmatic blend of pop, rock, ballads and zany nuggets into a cohesive whole”.  Sounds awesome, right?  You definitely need to hit up this show.

Doors are at 8:30pm.  Get your tickets HERE.

6Caveman, Henry Wolfe, So Many Wizards, The Echo,

WHAT THEY SOUND/LOOK LIKE: YouTube

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS OUT:

What do you get when you combine vocalist Callan Clendenin, bassist Ben Steidel, drummer Alex Pasternak, basically every genre of music, lemons, and a little bit of sugar?  Lemonade, of course!  It sounds like a lot, and sometimes too much of a good thing can leave a sour taste in your mouth.  But Lemonade somehow found the perfect blend between everything, and we love them for it!

This band does it all.  You can’t figure them out after listening to one track.  They’ve taken influences from electronic, world, rock, and so much more. Pitchfork even rated their debut album at a high number of 8.3.  They’ve toured with Tussle, El Guincho, and Glasser.  They’ve also been local support to Modeselektor, Crystal Castles, Buraka Som Sistema, Andrew W.K., Gang Gang Dance, and many more. 

Final verdict: This band is blowing up.  And you certainly don’t want to miss them.  So before they start playing for the big league festivals/venues, why don’t you come down and see them at The Echo?  Sounds like a sold plan to me.

The show is a mere $8.  That’s less than a good drink at some places.  Also, we’ve got Bachelorette, DJ Ras Coco, and DJ Blake Miller on the bill.  Don’t miss out!  Buy your tickets HERE.

6dj ras coco, dj blake miller, lemonade, dance music, bachelorette, the echo,

Describing Pontiak is like describing color to a blind person.  That’s no small feat.  But I’ve always enjoyed a good challenge…so here it goes.  Pontiak is a band of three brothers who make music because they can.  Their has been categorized in the following genres: “neo-psychedelic rock, rock, ’60s psych, acid rock, ’70s progressive, proto-metal, ’90s stoner rock, and indie rock”  (Bio). You got all that? I know it’s a lot to process, but don’t think about it too much.  Even though Pontiak takes elements from each one of these genres, they make their music all their own.  Which is why it just can’t be easily described.  You just have to check it out for yourself at SoundCloud.  Especially Lions of Least…which is from their latest album, Echo Ono. The track’s driving guitar rifts and catchy lyrics/melody have me playing it on repeat.  While you’re at it, definitely check the rest of the album out.  Echo Ono has been described as “a good slab of rock and roll that wastes no time doing anything other than being genuine” (PopMatters).  Boo yah.

For the other half of the night, we’ve got All Tiny Creatures on the bill.  These guys have been touring with Bon Iver, who took away the Best New Artist award at the Grammys this year.  But they’re not only working with great musicians…they are great musicians.  Their newest album, Harbors, hit the scene with a splash.  Well, more like a cannonball from the fat kid in your class.  It received a high rating of 7.8 on Pitchfork.  A lot of great things have been said about the album, but Sara Padgett Heathcott from Hometapes puts it perfectly: “The result is just downright beautiful.”  I couldn’t have described it better myself.

Now your next move is what?…To buy tickets of course! Get them HERE while you still can!

6All Tiny Creatures, KXLU, Pontiak, the echo, Bon Iver, Harbors,

It’s official: Bear In Heaven’s 3rd full length album is out!  It’s called I Love You, It’s Cool…and you HAVE to get it.  And after your mind is blown, you need to come to the Echo on April 5th or 6th.  Due to popular demand, we had to add a second show!  Basically, this week is just plain ‘ol fantastic.

Bear in Heaven is a Brooklyn rock band.  But not just your typical rock sound. They mix (and very well I might add) psychedelic, electronic, and krautrock together.  The end result:  pure, unadulterated talent.  And this is exactly what they do in I Love You, It’s Cool.  Like the name implies, there is a calmness to their sound.  Cool waves of confidence ripple out of each track, holding a specific hook that will keep you coming back for more.  According to NPR, [the album’s] songs are sweet, reasonably simple and charmingly buzzy, with each whirring synth wrapped around a core of pure pop” (NPR).  Who could say no to that?

Staying with the Brooklyn band theme, we’ve got High Places.  Although the band is only made up of Rob Barber and Mary Pearson, the dynamic duo play a variety of instruments (sometimes simultaneously). To create their unique sound, they use a ton of different instruments plus household objects such as plastic bags and mixing bowls.  These guys are extremely hard working and it definitely shows.  High Places tours on the regular.  They’ve  been on the road with Deerhunter, Abe Vigoda, No Age, Yacht, Ponytail, and many more. Their layered recordings are not compromised during their live events.  Pearson manipulates her singing with delay and reverb pedals, while she handles the percussion, recorders, and loops.  Then Barber plays with the samples, percussion, mics, and some extra vocals to back-up Pearson.  It’s absolute madness.

And we aren’t done yet!  We’ve got Blouse and they’re crazy awesome.  I was instantly captured by their dream-pop catchiness.  Their songs have the ability to put you into a happy trance that you don’t want to leave.  These guys have known each other since their teens, and their chemistry with one another channels through their music perfectly. Blouse is made possible by Charlie Hilton, Jacob Portrait, and Patrick Adams. Hilton’s disembodied vocals will chill your bones.  Add that to Portrait’s producing skills (Mint Chicks, Dandy Warhols, Starfucker), you’ve got yourself a sure-fire WIN.  So keep your eyes out for these guys because Sub Pop Records will be releasing the second single for Shadow on May 31st, 2012.  Mark your calendars!

Tickets already sold out for the first Bear in Heaven show.  Don’t miss your second chance.  Buy them HERE and be happy.

6Bear in Heaven, Blouse, Doldrums, psychadelic, krautrock, The Echo, electronic,

Get ready, people.  Races new album, Year of the Witch, is going to drop on March 27th.  Before it’s release date, you can stream it HERE.  And to spoil you even further, The Echo is having a release album party on March 30th.  Yeah, you read that right.  Two awesome events happening back to back.  Don’t get too excited and fall out of your seat.  You don’t want people to stare…

You know what?  Forget it.  Act all crazy.  These guys are worth your boss doubting your sanity.  I mean, you always doubt theirs.  It’s only fair, right?

So let’s focus back to the source of all this excitement: Races.  This group all started in a cosmic way, really.  Each member was in their early to mid twenties, with not much direction.  They all knew they had something to offer the world, but they couldn’t figure out what the heck that was.  The group all knew each other way before Races was formed.  As a matter of fact, they all either had dated or were currently dating each other.  Thankfully for us, this was one of the very few exceptions that doesn’t end badly.  Instead of fighting over who owned the dog, these guys made great music together.  Year of the Witch is their proclamation to the world explaining how they’ve accepted uncertainty as a way of life.  And through that acceptance, they’ve actually found meaning.

Listeners definitely get a sense of their struggles through their powerful lyrics.  This can be seen in Big Brooms, the second track of their new album.

All my debts and all my dreams
Will one day be swept clean

Ryff explained the song’s message as “accepting that every ending is a new beginning, and even if we may have no control over when things are given or taken from us, we can always choose how to respond.”

Makes you think, huh?  Now Ryff and the band don’t want you to think that they’re all sitting around with acoustic guitars singing sad songs about prom night.  They’re much more deep than that.  They hit the hard subjects.  What can be more difficult than figuring out who you are and what you are here for?  Some people die without finding themselves.  These guys are sharing their journey with us.  It won’t create a road map to success and fulfillment, but they do let us know that it’s okay to be lost.  ‘Cuz without being lost, you can’t truly be found.

Our next group, Living Things, is made up of three brothers from St. Louis.  Needless to say, they’ve been playing together since grade school.  Their music is a discography of their lives; inspired by their “mother’s long rants about feminism, the abuse of authority, government manipulation, and our  Jerry Springer culture”. Living Things may have grown up a little bit since then, but their music is still as catchy and truthful as ever.  And people are noticing.  Their song “Bom Bom Bom” was even featured in a Cingular cellular phone commercial. 

Expect some even better things from Living Things this year.  They’re releasing a new EP featuring first single “Fake It Baby, Fake It (LA Dame Nature)”.  This track alone should make you want the album.  The whole concept of the single is hilarious and honest.  The singer wants his girl back, but she’s with another guy.  In order to win her back, he tells her that the sex is no good and she better come back to where it’s at.  After that awesome track, she’d be an idiot not to come running back. SPIN

Now let’s hear it for another amazing local band: Incan Abraham.  This psychedelic pop band is known for their experimentation with blending different noises and sounds together.  Unlike other psych-pop bands, these guys have something unique.  The combination of their beats and melodic stimulation will have the listener humming for hours.  Before you know it, you’ll become addicted to their songs.  But look at the bright side…it’s better than crack. COS

So lets recap: 

1.) Every end is a new beginning

2.) Crack is whack

3.) Races/Living Things/Incan Abraham are playing at the Echo on March 30th.

If you remember these three things, you will find meaning to your life.  So don’t screw it all up.  Begin your path to a better life by getting your tickets for this AMAZING show!  Let’s start this journey together.

6Living Things, Races, Incan Abraham, The Echo, Year of the Witch,

WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE: http://youngprisms.bandcamp.com/album/in-between

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS OUT (ESPECIALLY IF YOU MISSED THEM AT SXSW TOO):

One of the rewarding aspects of witnessing a band live for the first time is the recognition that despite youthfulness, the artists understand what has come before. Young Prisms are aptly named — the band members are in their early 20′s, but could pass for high school kids. But as soon as the instruments are plugged in and the first song is counted in, they age immediately. The San Francisco natives play psych-rock as if they were born in the 60s and they play it with confidence and maturity. The dual guitars and drums are out front, and the heavily reverbed dream-like vocals fit comfortably in the mix. - NYC TAPER

TIX ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR TONIGHT. DON’T MISS OUT. SHOEGAZE CENTRAL.

6young prisms, black ryder, the echo, sxsw, music, Shoegaze, strangers family band,