Chilean-born and California-bred, Pilar Díaz is a talented singer-songwriter whose life highlights her many interests. Moving frequently between Santiago and LA as a child, she was taught guitar by her parents, both of whom were acclaimed folkloric musicians, and her voice was soon heard on various cartoons in her native and newfound countries. Accurately reflecting her adopted hometown of Los Angeles, she spent her teenage years going to punk shows in Hollywood, and her bedroom walls had as many photos of Victor Jara and Violeta Parra as they did REM and Bjork.
She graduated from CalArts, where she majored in classical voice (specifically opera), was a member of a Bulgarian women's choir and Balkan music group, participated in a gamelan ensemble that toured Bali, and led a popular campus band with Ryan Francesconi, who currently serves as Joanna Newsom's musical director. During and after college, Díaz worked with Danny Elfman on numerous soundtracks, and her vocals appear in films like Spiderman and Sleepy Hollow. With her rock band Los Abandoned, a bilingual new wave outfit whose debut album was lauded everywhere from the LA Times to Perez Hilton, she performed on Conan O'Brien and KCRW, gigged with Sonic Youth and Neil Young, and played before a crowd of 40,000 in Mexico City.
Díaz has now chosen to go solo, working on new songs and exploring new songwriting partnerships. She aims to continue the hybridity of her life experiences and wide artistic tastes, while increasing the personal nature of her songwriting and maintaining her vibrant and unique stage performances.
ROSE HILL DRIVE / COLOUR REVOLT /
HIS ORCHESTRA
Spaceland
Rose Hill Drive [Listen] [Watch]
Rose Hill Drive are young men with plenty of Seventies in their bones. Live, singer-bassist Jacob Sproul, his brother, guitarist Daniel, and drummer Nathan Barnes make letter-perfect dynamite of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” and Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” (backing Mountain’s own Leslie West). But in their own songs, they rock entirely in the present tense, with an attention to pop dynamics on their second album that often sounds more like recent Green Day than the Who in ‘73.
“Sneak Out” opens with a great wrecking-ball riff, but the real action is the wily shifts in licks and meter, the way the band veers from a burglar’s creep to full throttle without trashing the tune. “Laughing in the Streets” is part Cheap Trick, part Fresh Cream (especially in Daniel’s fat, fluid runs), while the mix of Jacob’s Beatlesque vocals and Daniel’s howling sustain in “Altar Junkie” suggests Stevie Ray Vaughan gate-crashing Abbey Road. Rose Hill Drive are still writing classic rock as opposed to classic songs. They don’t have their own “Immigrant Song” yet. But they’ve got the learning — and the will. - Rolling Stone
Boulder boys Rose Hill Drive may channel Cream and Led Zeppelin more effectively than any of their contemporaries, but summoning the '70s isn't the only trick up the trio's sleeve. The band's sophomore album, Moon Is the New Earth, celebrates classic rock while updating its licks with a sharp dose of punk rock, circa 2008. After a run of supporting slots for the Black Crowes and Queens of the Stone Age, Rose Hill Drive hit Spaceland tonight for a headlining gig. Warming up the stage are Mississippi rockers Colour Revolt and rising local act His Orchestra. – Julian Hooper
with:
Colour Revolt [Listen]
His Orchestra
9PM / $8 ADVANCE; $10 DAY OF SHOW / 21+
NEW CHAPTER FROM MORGAN KIBBY!
M83: Of off days, Irish pubs and … pickles
[Morgan Kibby's travels though Europe as M83's keyboardist-singer continue. Previous chapters here.]
Dear Friends and Family,
Just a small note to let you know that I am writing a tour blog for the next three months while I am traveling and playing with M83 throughout Europe and the US. The blog will be hosted by Kevin Bronson who was a senior music writer and editor for the LA Times. I am thrilled and honored that he asked me to do this. Should you have the time and the inclination to check it out, the link is as follows:
BUZZ BANDS
I hope this email finds you all healthy and happy, and hopefully i will see you while I'm on the road.
Lots of love,
Morgan
Descend into the basement of the historical Union Savings Bank Building where mysterious occurences have taken place in the buildings' deadly 107 year history. In fact, something lives down there in the dark....not some one, but some thing. The basement that was sealed shut for decades is being reopened for your investigation into the unknown, what will you do when the catacombs and darkness surround you!
Echo Park Named One of Top 10 Great Neighborhoods
And when you hear that, you might find yourself asking which Realtor came up with that ranking. Luckily, this time there is some creditability behind the designation: the American Planning Association. They "singled out Echo Park because of its breathtaking topography set in the hills above downtown, historic architecture, pedestrian-oriented streets and stairways, and engaged residents who, over the years, have gone to great lengths to protect and preserve their community," according to an APA release (add: their website has more info and history on why EP was chosen) .... more after you click on the image!
¡¡¡ MARK YOUR CALENDARS !!!
Cult animator and Academy Award nominee Don Hertzfeldt ("the Meaning of Life", "Rejected", "Billy's Balloon") is hitting the road this fall for a rare series of one-night-only events! A selection of Don's classic animated shorts return to the big screen, culminating in the exclusive regional premiere of his brand new film, "I am so proud of you". His longest piece to date, "I am so proud of you" is the eagerly anticipated second chapter to "Everything will be OK", winner of the Sundance Film Festival's Jury Award in Short Filmmaking and named by many critics as one of the "best films of 2007". Every screening will be immediately followed by a live on-stage interview and audience Q+A with Don Hertzfeldt.
SUBMIT YOUR PICTURES!!!
THE MAE-SHI @ Spaceland
THE MOVIES @ Spaceland
DENGUE FEVER @ Viper Room
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