The biggest underground metal festival to hit the Los Angeles scene in months arrived on the weekend of June 22nd at the Regent, featuring headlining acts Nasty Savage (Friday), Razor, Exciter (Saturday) and Morbid Saint (Sunday). Saturday the 23rd was by far the rowdiest and most crowded day of the three. Two legendary canadian metal acts, Razor and Exciter were to take the stage, playing back to back setlists in a sweltering downtown LA theater packed to the brim. It was an unforgetable night of friendly violence, ear piercing metal and a throwback to the 80's as described by the bands themselves.
Razor is a thrash/speed metal band from Guelph, Ontario, Canada formed in 1983. They're musical style consists of high tempo, chainsaw like guitar riffs ovarlayed with high pitched screeching vocals that cut straight through the mix, made famous by original singer Stace "Sheepdog" Mclaren, who left the band in 1989. They are most well known for their albums "Evil Invaders" (1985), "Malicious Intent" (1986), "Custom Killing" (1987), and "Violent Restitution" (1988). Exciter is a speed metal band from Ottowa, Canada formed in 1978 under the name "Hell Razor". They are widely considered to be one of the original speed metal bands and are respected pioneers of thrash metal. They are best known for their debut album "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983)
As soon as Razor took the stage, every square foot of the venue was covered and with no introduction, the band opened up right out of the gate with "Cross Me Fool" off of "Evil Invaders". The pit had already began before the rhyhtm section had even started playing and arms were flying in the circle of thrashing bodies and crowdsurfers. Unlike "Show Your Scars Fest" just a few months earlier, the venue put up a barrier to deter the stagedivers, to some success. It was unclear whether this was a result of the venue's policy or simply the bands request, but regardless, a few lucky fans managed to make their way on stage and dive, using the rest of the audience as a cushion. The band played a sampling of all of their best songs from a variety of albums, the majority of songs from "Evil Invaders", closing their set with the title track.
Exciter didnt disappoint their die hard fans, bringing a dose of their brand of speed metal with their original lineup, to the LA scene. Opening up with "Violence and Force" giving the crowd almost no break between pits. They played a fair amount of songs off of their debut album. Featuring "Iron Dogs", "Stand Up And Fight" and "Cry Of The Banshee". Their set had frequent guitar solo breaks in between songs and a lot of Hendrix-esque feedback gone heavy metal, that was almost ambient at times. The entire show was an unforgettable night of metal! Given the fact that both of these bands have been around since the early 80's, the entire show made me realize how fortunate LA is to get so many amazing shows, and that while it is frequently said that Europe has the best metal festivals on earth, I imagine that a heavy portion of metalheads in the rest of the US feel the same way about Los Angeles and what our scene has to offer.
Bedroom politics is some dirty business.
"Imagine it choreographed. Casey Spooner rocking his mustache shirtless, featuring Chairlift vocalist Caroline Polachek, with special guests artist-DJ Juliana Huxtable and actor Juan Pablo Rahal.
Personal, honest and unconcealed homosexuality put right in front of the audience, just like Fischerspooner as always. Produced by Michael Stripe, SIR depicts the period after Spooner ended a 14-year relationship. "[Spooner] encouraged me to be more emotionally connected and to trust my voice... and fought for more raw vocal," Spooner stated at NPR Music. ""He was a mentor and a great friend who guided me through troubled times and captured my experience. He lifted me up at my lowest. This album is a document of that experience."
Boots, producer for Beyonce, Run The Jewels and Autolux, co-produced "Have Fun Tonight", and also sprinkled some magic dust for another 2 tracks.
Fischerspooner demonstrates to us music is about love. It is also about sweat, and tears, and struggle and lust and infatuation and heartbreaks. And rebirth.
A note for you: TopBrazil is just out. And oh, SF, LA and OC, make yourself available on March 14th, 15th and 16th. Party's on. Pre-game supplied in the video above.
The Dancing at Hunnypot Live at The Mint! probably disrupted tectonic plates last night. Hot Tub Johnnie lead off with a shaker of a party set. Sean Mulligan got in the tub to talk music & media and had a most excellent playlist. Michael Tullberg returned with a new book of The Raver Stories Project, Sarah Rogo gave everybody the damn blues, ADA sat us on the couch for some therapy pop, Lafayette Stokely warmed up the party crowd for Latasha Alcindor, L.A. herself brought the truth with a beat. Off Task Rocked us to the dance party. 09/18/2017
FLOW KANA was our Flower sponsor, Woo-Hoo!
Michael Tullberg is one of the longest-running and most respected electronic music photojournalists in North America. Beginning in 1996, Michael comprehensively covered the rave scene across the country, and around the world as well. His words and visually pyrotechnic pictures helped define the public face of the American rave scene during a time when the mainstream press was largely content to present the scene solely as a source of controversy.
Through the peak years of the rave scene in the 1990s and 2000s, Michael’s images, interviews and articles appeared domestically and abroad in the pages of magazines such as Rolling Stone, SPIN, URB, BPM Culture, Mixer, Insider, Mixmag, Q, Hybrid (Japan), Lotus, Sweater, and others—more than any other electronic music photojournalist of the period. During that era, he also shot album covers for several of the world’s major dance music DJs and artists, including icons like Carl Cox, Ferry Corsten and DJ Dan.
Michael is also the author of DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM: Land of The Free, Home Of The Rave, the groundbreaking coffee table photo book about the rise of electronic music in North America. Containing hundreds of vintage photographs, DJ interviews, rave fliers and memorabilia, DANCEFLOOR THUNDERSTORM has won praises from the likes of Mixmag, VICE, Buzzfeed, Insomniac.com, Paper, and more. Michael is presently working on THE RAVER STORIES PROJECT, a new book about the most memorable and amazing moments that people experience in the rave scene, which is due out in the summer of 2017.
Today, Michael Tullberg photographs for Getty Images, contributing entertainment pictures from the red carpet, concerts and celebrity benefits. He is also the CEO of 5150 Publishing, a new independent book publishing house established to put out works devoted to electronic music, and pop culture in general. And, he still shoots raves when he can find the time.
Sarah Rogo has long blond hair, loves to surf and play the blues on her National guitars. While she may look and sound like your prototypical Southern Californian, the 25-year-old singer, guitarist and songwriter was born in New England. She moved to the seaside beach town of Encinitas, CA, less than two years ago, and has taken the local San Diego music scene by storm.
“Everyone in my family has always known California was my home,” she says. “Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve dreamt of being a surfer.”
A nominee for Best Singer-Songwriter at the 2017 San Diego Music Awards, Rogo first picked up a guitar at 13 as a way of performing the songs she’d already written. A self-proclaimed band nerd, she played saxophone, bassoon and clarinet and conducted the school marching band.
Growing up, Sarah spent hours listening to music in the local public library, where her tastes ran from klezmer and Middle Eastern sounds to a 1991 live album recorded by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, Alone and Acoustic, which changed her life. “The whole thing is in the key of E and you just know they’re making up the words as they go along, but it totally captivated me,” she enthuses. “That’s the kind of music I wanted to play. I knew the blues had to come from the soul. That’s what made it so magical, what moved me, that authenticity, the mojo, even though I had no idea what those words meant until later. The blues just overwhelmed me.”
Rogo apprenticed and performed with local Boston musicians, guitarist Paul Rishell, who once played with Son House, and world-class harp player Annie Raines, along with acoustic country-blues guitarist Woody Mann, a former student of the legendary Reverend Gary Davis. They introduced her to artists like Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Led Zeppelin and the bottle neck slide on the National Resonator Guitar – for which she’s since become a spokesperson -- then took her out with them on tour to Arkansas and Mississippi.
Sarah proved an apt performer, and before long, she was writing songs in the vein of those whose music she idolized, evoking such contemporary singer-songwriters as Bonnie Raitt, Rory Block, Eva Cassidy and folk rockers Dawes. “The common thread in my writing is the dance between dark and light. I’ve learned to dance with my demons in a healthy way. Life is inherently hard and the blues has taught me how to navigate hardship and guide me into balance. In a nutshell, blues is the yin and yang and I take refuge in that. It’s a meditation and a prayer… it’s a wish, a hope.”
That’s reflected in Rogo’s joyful and spunky performances on-stage, where her energy is contagious. She takes her inspiration from nature and the nearby ocean, always writing outdoors, where inspiration can strike at any moment, and usually does. “I’m fueled by nature. When I’m writing or wandering the woods or the beach I can hear the whisperings of my heart. There are melodies in nature and I scoop them up and take them home.”
An eager student of the industry, Rogo met her current manager, veteran Mike Lembo, at the Durango Songwriter Expo in Ventura, CA, where they had an immediate connection. “Sarah’s fearless and talented, and I was drawn to her personality without even hearing her play,” said Lembo. “When I heard her sing and play guitar, I recognized an old soul, someone who can not only become a successful artist, but a world-class surfer as well. Sarah has what it takes to make it, and I’m looking forward to working with her on doing just that.”
Rogo is currently writing the songs for what will be a proper debut album, working with possible collaborators and auditioning producers. She’s paid her dues and is ready to ride the wave into a promising, exciting future. “I just want to learn and have fun with new people in new places. I live to perform and collect stories” she says. “I want to dive right in and fearlessly be myself in this giant shark tank known as the music business” If anyone can surf those dangerous waters, it’s Sarah Rogo.
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Singer/Songwriter Ada was born in Moscow and immigrated to the United States at the age of six. Ada was classically trained on the Violin, winning numerous competitions and awards.
Ada was awarded the Presidential Scholarship to Berklee College of Music (a full ride),
It was there that Ada discovered her passion for Songwriting.
Ada recently released her single "Perfectly Imperfect" which is blowing up on Spotify, having had 100,000 Spotify Plays in less than a month.
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Latasha Alcindor, also informally addressed as "LA," is an independent artist based out of New York City. Her form-free art travels through a wide range of inspiration found in Experimental, World and Hip Hop music. LA’s energetic calls and performance-based sound have opened doors for her to perform at culturally prestigious events like SXSW, A3C, and Manifesto. In the beginning of 2016, she performed as the headlining act for Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturdays and had her music featured on Refinery 29’s show The Skinny.
Latasha finds resonance in speaking on political, social and cultural experiences in her music, promoting a much needed agenda for those looking to find inner peace, specifically young women of color. With all of her depth, the beauty in LA’s creative style exists due to the juxtaposition of both her thought-provoking, influential messages and her blithe, unbound sound that carries in strong vibration. Her journey is continuous, and with a nonrestrictive formula it actively speaks to those that come across her experiences.
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Off Task is an energetic alt-rock band consisting of Jimmy Winick (guitarist/vocalist), Thelonious Cundieff (bassist/vocalist), and Martin Velasquez (drummer). They just released their newest single "how" which is out everywhere and will soon be a part of their 6-song EP. They are all 17 years old entering in their senior year of high school, and have been playing music together since 4th grade!
Los Angeles based band and Hunnypot alumni Atomic Walrus just released a new music video for their song “WYMMF.” The track lapses back to the days of Orange County punk, where everything is high-energy and beach-appropriate. “WYMMF” is uplifting, even, especially when coupled with the 360 degree footage that makes the band look like they’re frolicking around tiny planets. Atomic Walrus is not afraid to let loose and not take themselves seriously, poking fun at themselves at the end of the video. Overall, it leaves you in a positive mood, and definitely willing to check out more of their stuff.
Lucky for you if you are, “WYMMF” and companion track “Cis White Male” are available on your favorite streaming platform, as well as available for download on their website. Or, you can check out their performance at Hunnypot Live #360 from February 20th, here.
This video pick is Reverie’s “Scheming.” Released last month, this video takes place in Amsterdam, NL. The beautiful videography focuses on not just large-scale views of the city, but also intimate shots of smaller alleys, tight shots on Reverie herself, and other minute details. It shows off a brief snapshot of the unique culture of Amsterdam, including of course, weed. With a catchy hook and sharp verses, “Scheming” is the perfect track for celebrating oneself despite the misgivings and failures of others. Reverie sets herself apart from the lazy, the fake, and those who just aren’t good enough.
Reverie is heavily involved in the creative process of her videos, and this one is no exception. She co-directed “Scheming” with LA-based photographer Enkrypt. Catch a whole set by Reverie, live, at Hunnypot on March 6th.
Hunnypot is proud to announce that we'll be live broadcasting the 2015 Guild of music Supervisors Awards pre-party! The Guild of Music Supervisors are comprised of film, television and multi-media music professionals dedicated to establishing and promoting the highest performance standards which exemplify and enhance the value of their specialized services within the entertainment and media industries. We'll be interviewing many of the nominees and special presenters of the night. Tune in live on Wednesday, January 21st 6:30pm to 8pm and join us for the hottub pre-party! Here's a full list of the nominees:
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – TELEVISION COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Girls – Season 3 Manish Raval and Tom Wolfe
Glee – Season 5 PJ Bloom
Hit the Floor – Season 2 Joel C. High and Erin Dillon
Nashville – Season 3 Frankie Pine
Shameless – Season 4 Ann Kline
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – TELEVISION DRAMA
American Horror Story: Freak Show PJ Bloom
Peaky Blinders – Season 2 Amelia Hartley
Reign – Season 2 Madonna Wade-Reed
Teen Wolf – Seasons 3B and 4 Laura Webb
The Blacklist – Season 1 John Bissell
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – REALITY TELEVISION
American Idol – Season 13 Robin Kaye
America’s Got Talent – Season 9 Meryl Ginsberg
Best Bars in America – Season 1 Carrie Hughes
So You Think You Can Dance – Season 11 Nancy Severinsen
The Voice – Seasons 6 and 7 Clyde Lieberman and Jill Meyers
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – TELEVISION LONG FORM AND MOVIES
Drumline: A New Beat Tricia Holloway
Houdini Maureen Crowe
In My Dreams Andrea von Foerster
The Normal Heart PJ Bloom
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – FILM OVER 25 MILLION
Guardians of the Galaxy Dave Jordan
Annie Matt Sullivan and Wende Crowely
Get On Up Budd Carr and Margaret Yen
The Book Of Life John Houlihan
Into The Woods Paul Gemignani and Michael Higham
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – FILM UNDER 25 MILLION
Birdman Lynn Fainchtein
St. Vincent Randall Poster
The Fault In Our Stars Season Kent
Wild Susan Jacobs
Chef Mathieu Schreyer
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – FILM UNDER 10 MILLION
Beyond The Lights Julia Michels
JIMI: All Is By My Side Chris Mollere
Begin Again Matt Sullivan and Andrea von Foerster
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – FILM UNDER 5 MILLION
Boyhood Randall Poster
Whiplash Andy Ross
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon John Houlihan and Willa Yudell
We Are The BestRasmus Thord
Rudderless Liz Gallacher
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION IN GAMES
FIFA 15 Cybele Pettus [Electronic Arts]
Sunset Overdrive Laura Katz and Gregory J. Gordon [Insomniac Games and Pyramind Studios]
Hohokum Alex Hackford [Sony Computer Entertainment]
Forza Horizon 2 Kyle Hopkins, Maya Halfon and Rob Da Bank [Microsoft Studios]
The Sims 4 Steve Schnur and Cybele Pettus [Electronic Arts]
BEST USE OF MUSIC, BRAND
Coke Joe Belliotti
AllSaints Michael Gross
Nike JT Griffith
BEST USE OF MUSIC, MUSIC HOUSE / AGENCY
Walker Sara Matarazzo
Able Baker Jessica Dierauer and Peter Gannon
GSD&M David Rockwood
Deutsch David Rocco
Elias Arts Jason Kramer
Media Arts Lab Peymon Maskin
BEST MUSIC SUPERVISION – TRAILERS
Inherent Vice– Teaser Vanessa Jorge [Aspect Ratio]
Interstellar – Trailer #2 Bobby Gumm and Michael Paquette [Trailer Park]
Mad Max – Teaser Sanaz Lavaedian [Mocean]
50 Shades Of Grey – Teaser Serena Undercolfer [Concept Arts]
Birdman – Teaser Chase Casanova [Mark Woollen]
Featuring the musical stylings of Andrew Gleason (guitar & vox), Mikey Escalante (drums), Spencer King (bass), and Mike Post (guitar & lead vox), Young Creatures has begun to take the Los Angeles indie scene by storm. Due to the success of their debut LP Fear All Things, they've been called "a psych-rock band in pop clothing", "haunting and sweetly coarse", and most notably "the coolest aliens in the galaxy dropping in to show us how to dance with girls", but most importantly, Young Creatures are here to stay.
Quotes provided by Tentacle Ears, Classic Rock Magazine, & Buzz Bands LA
Our favorite brotherly duo is back at it with another epic music video. This time for Natural off their Supreme EP. The brothers are known for making really fun, quirky and sexy music videos. Natural is no exception. The camera angles, the glitter, the girl, the massive keytar. It all just makes you want to put on your dancing shoes and climb right up on that rotating stage with em'!
Netherfriends' newest track "Joey Vision" finds him on all ends of the emotional spectrum. Locked in rather than tuned out, sinking fast with heavy fury, the track features Fugazi-laced urgency with New Wave inspired delivery. Shawn has endured the years of stubble and pain to scold the audience with an ironic yet honest declaration of taste. It's hard to tell if he is bragging, complaining, or both.
Henri (aka Henrietta Tiefenthaler) is making her mark on both sides of the Atlantic as a DJ, singer/producer/songwriter and fashionista. Henri is a rapidly emerging name on the Los Angeles scene, spinning at some of L.A.’s hottest parties. As a performer, Henri is demonstrating an equal versatility, performing with her psychedelic krautrock band Thrillionaire, and developing her own dance/pop productions. She has a forthcoming EP in the works and this week she released this awesome hoolah hoop addiction/battle video to accompany her first solo single, “It’s Like This, It's Like That” on her label Monstertooth Records. The nu-disco anthem will be the perfect soundtrack to your summer! Henri will be DJing and performing August 25th for Hunnypot Radio live at The Mint. Don't miss it!