Scottish Singer-SongwriterNina Nesbitt played to a packed house at The Roxy on Sunset last night (March19th, 2019). Hitting Southern California on her “The Sun Will Come Up” tour with openers SophieRose and Plested, the love was loud and clear for her in West Hollywood …
Sophie Rose started the night out leaning towards a more Pop Rock style of songs that were carried by her heartfelt songwriting and airy vocals. She is definitely one to watch, she mentioned that Taylor Swift has playlisted one of her songs. Plested was next and it was him and a guitar, his unique voice brought a soulful quality to his indie guitar music.
Nina came onstage to loud cheers and many in the crowd wearing the merch that they had just bought. From the start of the first note and line her fans were singing along, and dancing, many with their camera phones up not wanting to miss anything for prosperity. Running through such songs as “Sacred”, “These Are The Moments I’m Missing”, “Colder”, “Psychopath”, (where she brought out Charlotte Lawrence and Sophie Rose), “Empire”, and “Somebody Special”. Nina then came back on for an encore of “The Sun Will Come Up” and “Loyal” (which was an absolute crowd sing-along favorite). The biggest surprise though was Nina (excuse me Nina Nesbitch) covering Britney Spears “Toxic”, while she and her Keyboardist repped two fan-made “Nina Nesbitch” hats from fans in the audience. The entire show was fresh, fun and all about the music and vocals from start to finish. If you haven’t seen Nina live or heard her current album “The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change” please do so, you’ll thank me. Check out my photos from the concert below and to learn more about each artist …
British band You Me At Six (Josh Franceschi, Max Helyer, Chris Miller, Matt Barnes, Dan Flint) made a triumphant return to Los Angeles on Monday night with a packed show full of their biggest fans in Los Angeles. The band has been playing shows across the U.S. on their ‘Back Again‘ tour with Synth Pop band machineheart and Alt-Pop trio DREAMERS as openers. You Me At Six rocked the venue charging through a set of 18 songs …
YOU ME AT SIX set list
Los Angeles based Synth-Pop band machineheart started out the night in dreamy fashion, bringing beautiful harmonies and gorgeous melodies from lead singer Stevie Scott. The band itself was in sync and their vibe was a great way to kick off the night. Alternative Pop band DREAMERS were next and the band walked out onto the stage to a massive amount of cheers as their fans had shown up to support. The band played a fast-paced and fierce six-song set (as did machineheart) which featured some fun Alternative Rock dance numbers.
Josh crowd surfing at the end of the show!
You Me At Six hit the stage at around 9:45 pm coming out on stage to an already very excited and loud crowd. The crowd stayed like that the entire night. The band tore through 18 tracks from 5 albums, playing through such songs as “Reckless’, “Loverboy’, to “NightPeople’, “IOU’, and “Bite My Tongue’ and many more (full set list pictured above). The band also performed a four-song encore coming back onstage to a crowd of fans chanting “You Me At Six!’, featuring “Room to Breathe‘, “No One Does It Better‘, “Straight to My Head’ and “Underdog’. You Me At Six had every single fan in the room matching their same high energy, happy and excited to see their favorite band. All singing along word for word, dancing having a great time. It was fun to see a band that was not only in sync with each other but was clearly having a ton of fun on stage. You Me At Six, lead singer Josh Franceschi made sure to interact with the crowd physically but through banter as well, yet he didn’t over do it. The show overall from openers to headliner was an exciting, high energy show (on a Monday night no less) filled with an engaged audience and lots of good music. See my photos from the show below …
I chatted with singer, songwriter and guitarist CraigStickland about music, life on the road and his upcoming album “StarlitAfternoon” which features the current single “BurnItDown“. You can read the interview below and learn more about Craig and his music …
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Coffee or tea?
CRAIG STICKLAND: Coffee.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: So you just dropped your latest single “Burn It Down”. Can you tell me more about the creative and writing process behind it? A bit on the backstory?
CRAIG STICKLAND: In the final stretch of the album making process, Cat Lewis and I were writing and producing a ton of music in search of a few more up tempo songs to round out the mid tempo feel of the rest of the album. “Burn It Down” started as a song about rebellion against governments that try to oppress those who are trying to live a life of freedom. After about a month’s worth of re-writes, it ended up as a song about coming together with your fellow human being, living a life of your choosing, while maintaining a theme that no one should be able to tell you how to live the life you want to live.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Your second album “Starlit Afternoon” is coming out this Summer. Can you talk a little bit about how the recording and writing process has been for it?
CRAIG STICKLAND:Starlit Afternoon is a collection of songs that I’d been writing for the last few years while traveling across North America in a sprinter van that I renovated to be my home away from home, as well as while traveling around the world playing guitar in her band, as well as opening up for Alessia Cara. They’re songs about my relationships and experiences during that time period. After trying to find the right production sound with a variety of different producers, and ultimately ending up liking my home demos more than the fully produced versions I was ending up with, I decided to co-produce the album with a few good friends of mine; Cat Lewis and Gray Hawken. Alessia’s keyboardist Eric Rusinski, Cat and I had just finished converting a guest house garage into a studio in LA, so I parked my van in front, AirBnb’d my apartment, and we got to work over the better part of a year. We were in the studio every day, sometimes making 6 or 7 versions of the same song until we got it right.
TRB: Have you always known you wanted to be a singer-songwriter and guitarist? Who are some guitar heroes of yours?
CS: I knew I wanted to be a singer songwriter when I first picked up the guitar at age 16. When I first saw John Mayer play live, that’s when I knew I wanted to be a singer-songwriter and guitarist, and that I needed to step my guitar playing game up.
TRB: Let’s talk a bit about your music video for “Burn It Down“? What was the inspiration behind it? What was the filming like for you on the music video?
CS:Emma Higgins who directed the video is incredible, and she was the true visionary behind the video. We knew we wanted a live performance element to capture the energy of the recording, and it was Emma’s idea to drive around California and capture total stranger’s initial reaction to hearing the song on 16mm film.
TRB: Is there a lyric that you’ve written that has the most meaning to you or is your favorite?
CS: One of my favorite songs on the album is the album closer “Good Love” which is a very personal song written about how hard it is to find pure love, especially with my career choice. The verses are very personal, and I really like the way they came together.
“Staring at the city and I feel like crying out. The words you used to whisper, I now hear so loud. If I’d known you’d be so precious, I would have been more kind. Tell me now why is good love always so hard to find. Lately I’ve been drinking to escape my state of mind. As I pull up to an empty bar, I read your script inside. It tells me not to be reckless, and that everything will be fine. Tell me now why is good love always so hard to find. Maybe it’s the way I live, different city every night. They say that you get what you give, when you left I felt the plight. Maybe things would be different if I wasn’t working all the time. Tell me now why is good love always so hard to find.” – Craig Stickland // ‘Good Love’
TRB: Are there any current artists that have been “On Repeat” for you as a band lately? What music have you been digging?
CS:Tom Misch has been one of my favorites for a while now. His first two albums, Beat Tape 2 and Geography are on heavy rotation. I’ve also been listening to Gary Clark Jr.’s new album, and Nathanial Rateliff & The Night Sweats’ album Tearing at the Seams. Emily King’s new album is incredible too.
TRB:And what’s next for you, CraigStickland?
CS:I’m really eager to share this new music. I’ll be releasing new songs from Starlit Afternoon leading up to a mid summer Album release. My Next single “Rolling River” Comes out on March 22nd. I also shot a series called ‘The Van Sessions’, where we filmed and recorded live versions of most songs from the album, fully powered by the solar panels that I mounted on top of my sprinter van. We shot a different song in each of my favorite locations around California like Big Sur, Joshua Tree, Yosemite National park and Alabama Hills, to name a few. And of course, more touring to come!
English Indie Pop artist The Japanese House (aka Amber Bain) has released her debut album ‘Good at Falling” out today on Dirty Hit. The album is co-produced by her and The 1975′ George Daniel. Whose own band you can hear has been a major influence on her production but her sound as well. On ‘Good At Falling“, her debut full-length record many influences are heard and felt here. The songwriting is honest and vulnerable, with a quiet sadness felt throughout the album. All of it set against lush electronic instruments, bright guitars, earthy drums, and clever purposeful sampling akin to what is done in hip-hop. Amber’s vocals range from soft and pretty to heady with a touch of grit. Her use of different audio processes is only to enhance the sound. Such as the intro of the album, with her use of heavy processing and samples, before segueing into a dreamy 80s like synthpop. Songs like ‘Maybe There’s A Reason“, and ‘We Talk All The Time” we hear more synthpop influences and artists like The Beach Boys and Blondie. Even little things such as chimes and bells. A vocoder effect shows up on her vocals for the song ‘Wild”. While the track musically has elements of 90s shoegaze and modern electro-pop, Amber’s vocal delivery incorporates a bit of modern hip-hop/RnB swag. All in all the debut album ‘Good at Falling” is a promising one showcasing her songwriting talents as she hones in on the little things that make The Japanese House unique.
Singer and GuitaristGary Clark Jr. is back with a brand new album ‘This Land’. The debut single and title track is already impacting radio. Garnering praise from the likes of Keith Richards, Alicia Keys, and even Former PresidentBarack Obama. Gary is taking no prisoners with this album. His unique ability to seamlessly blend so many genres, Soul, R&B, Blues, Rock, Pop, Funk … really too many to name but it all works well together on ‘This Land’.
We begin the journey on ‘This Land‘ with the title track that is at once a soaring anthem and a super personal track about growing up a Black Man in America. Where getting your own it could still change nothing. It is angsty, driven and is devastatingly beautiful. It’s the perfect opening statement for the record. We segue into tracks ‘What About Us‘ which has a slightly slower tempo but is still riding that same bluesy funk rock feel as the opener. On ‘I Got My On Eyes You’Gary first slips into his falsetto which is featured heavily on this record. This track with all of its old school soul influences has lots of fuzzy guitar shredding throughout. There are also some notable electronic elements peeking in and out. On the pleading and lovelorn ‘I Walk Alone‘ he maintains the falsetto for most of the song with the guitar matching the vibe and feeling as well, harkening back to 60s RnB with just a bit of the Blues as well. Gary picks up the pace significantly with the next two tracks, ‘Feeling Like A MillionBucks‘ and ‘Gotta Get Into Something‘. Both songs are on the opposite ends of the musical spectrum, with ‘Feeling Like A Million Bucks‘ being a feisty, slinky and reggae-tinged track while ‘Gotta Get Into Something‘ being a harder edge bouncy punk influenced song. Yet, they both fit. The reason for this is the signature guitar sound snaking throughout not only these two songs but each and every track on ‘This Land‘. Tracks like ‘Got to Get Up‘ and ‘Feed the Babies‘ have so much Swagger and 70s Funk influences (love the 70s funktastic horns flittering about both songs).
Photo Credit: Frank Maddocks
His latest release ‘Pearl Cadillac‘ is just beautiful and a sweet ode with the guitar softly shredding along not too much but not too little. One of the highlights on the album that is so full of standouts. It is a shame because my least favorite song on the album is right after ‘Pearl Cadillac‘. ‘When I’m Gone‘ is a bit clunky amongst the rest of tracks on ‘This Land‘. While there truly isn’t too much wrong with the track as a whole it’s a pretty groovy song. It doesn’t quite come together for me with this one. ‘Guitar Man‘ is a fun blues inspired track that sounds most like classic Gary. As the song continues you’ll find it’s quite the foot-stomping number. ‘Low Down Rolling Stone‘ starts off with some heavy fuzzy guitar and drums. The track feels like a new ageRock anthem for the broken and indifferent. The heaviness in the instruments and only adds to the soulfulness and emotionality of the track. It’s another highlight for me. ‘The Governor‘ is just straight up blues and rock and roll, with the use of an acoustic guitar. This is just a fantastic track overall. Gary’s vocals have a gruffness we don’t hear on much of the record. Gary does a complete 360 on ‘Don’t Wait Til Tomorrow‘ and brings in strings, beautiful harmonies, and more modern influences, like 90s RnB. His vocals shine best on this track. The album ends on tracks ‘Highway 71‘ and ‘Dirty Dishes Blues‘. ‘Highway 71‘ is an instrumental track that opens on a cool sultry electro beat with the guitar riffing along the top of the beat. ‘Dirty Dishes Blues‘ is just a good old fashioned honky tonk blues jam about heartbreak, a perfect way to close out the album that is ‘This Land‘. This record encapsulates so many styles of music that is America, but also the heart and soul of Gary Clark Jr.
Hopeless Records Emarosa’ just released their highly anticipated album ‘Peach Club’ and to celebrate they held a record release show at The Hi Hat LA in Los Angeles on February 9th, 2019. For the originally post-hardcore band, ‘Peach Club’ is a huge leap into a new sound but a welcomed departure. For fans it is a way to hear their favorite band spread their wings, and Emarosa’ fans were very present at The Hi Hat LA this past Saturday showing their support for them at this sold out gig.
The three openers Alke, Modern Maps, and UFO UFO all brought something exciting to the table of varying degrees. Alke is a female singer-songwriter whose heartfelt lyrics and melodic vocals filled the venue, Modern Maps brought the party and had lots of fun energetic electro tracks that the crowd loved. UFO UFO kept up that same vibe with their stylistic indie rock leanings. All in all the openers brought a bit of everything for everyone.
The fans were there early for Emarosa (and in the cold or at the very least what is considered cold for California), many of them in Emarosa merch particularly ‘Peach Club‘ merch as Emarosa also held a ‘PeachClub‘ Pop Up to celebrate the official release. I could tell from the atmosphere in the line already that these fans were devoted. In speaking with a fan who was wearing a jacket similar to lead singer Bradley Walden, she told me I was going to love the show as it was very high energy. She was right. The band tore through a relatively fast paced and fierce set that had the crowd going from start to finish. There wasn’t a member of the band that was low on energy. The entire audience was singing along word for word with front man Bradley Walden. This was a crowd despite how late it was that came here to party and to rock out. So for someone who was not familiar with Emarosa walking in, the energetic show they put on complete with band member acrobatics, lots of crowd interaction, and the fans being so happy to see their favorite band was so contagious. I not only left the show with a smile on my face, but I also left with total appreciation for a band and it’s fan base who are first and foremost all about the music.
Check out my photo gallery of all of the artists from the show below!
