“Hey, I thought maybe you could come check out my band tonight.” My friend Dan had called on a Sunday afternoon to let me know that his band was playing in Redondo Beach. I live in Silver Lake. A drive to Redondo is officially “a commitment.” And on a Sunday night, no less. After some light begging and promises of free drinks by Dan, I agreed. He waited a full two beats before mumbling, “Oh, yeah, it’s a cover band.”...
At this point I would be way more excited about LCD Soundsystem playing at my house. I would invite them in, feed them snacks, let them set up, then make them play "All My Friends" eighteen times in a row because that’s how I’m used to hearing it. Sound of Silver, their forthcoming album, is an attempt to move more than just your ass. James Murphy is in all his nasally glory on the obvious anthem and first single "North...
As we strive to bring you exclusive content from features to pre-released mp3s, the one technology that we’d like to see more of is video. So Ground Control is launching LUNARCAST, a series of video features that go way deeper than words on a page ever could. For our first installment, we chose the psychedelic pop band from Southern California, Bikeride. The foursome have thick, deep roots in the 60s, but through brain-numbing melodies, razor-sharp harmonies and pure production ingenuity,...
Heralded producer, composer and musician RJD2 is breaking new ground. His newest release "The Third Hand" finds this beat-maker creating and singing beautiful melodies reminiscent of Steely Dan, Zombies and King Crimson (without leaving his knack for production behind). This brave new avenue of music making has catapulted RJ into new realms and onto a new label (XL – home to Thom Yorke, Devendra Banhart, Tapes 'N Tapes…). The past year also kept him busy producing records for Aceyalone and...
(New York, NY) This March, The Sword and Priestbird (formerly Tarantula AD) will hit the road for what is sure to be one of the more explosive tours of the Spring (dates below). Nearly a year ago, The Sword and Priestbird briefly toured together forging a friendship and general interest in each other’s music. When the opportunity was presented, it was a no brainer for The Sword to invite the New York trio back on the road. The thirteen date...
Depending on what your expectations are from a live band these days, you would have left the Roxy Theater either completely thrilled by the performance from Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John or slightly disappointed with the fact that they didn’t sound exactly like the record and that they’re using a backing track/triggered samples during their “big song” and elsewhere. With the set opener, “Let’s Call it Off.” from of their third album Writer’s Block, it was immediately apparent that they...
Lately it seems as if everyone is in the business of mixing genres, trying to create something unheard of. This can be interesting, but sometimes it’s nice to stick to some roots. With the current folk revival, some artists are choosing to shy away from an over-produced sound to return to the basics. The result is simple, sweet music that is best enjoyed live. To be honest, it’s refreshing to once again see a show where there isn’t a single...
Only a select few artists can pull off the “dude with a guitar” thing as well as California-native M. Ward does. You have Jose Gonzalez, Beck when he feels like it, and a few others. But Ward has something just as unique, allowing him to silence a thousand people and just let him sing—with either guitar or piano—and keep the NPR-loving crowd feeling absolutely lucky to be there. The sold-out performance at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater marked his fifth...
It would be a really easy thing to give the new Orthodox record a quick listen and toss it aside as another wannabe Lysol or Dopesmoker. I say this because initially it is easy to spot the similarities; all three move at a glacier’s pace, they drone obsessively, and each one is capable of completely overwhelming the senses of the listener. It’s easy to understand how someone could do this, but at the same time I think that doing so...
Ok, so maybe not cookies. But Deerhoof are popping up at Sundance in Dedication, starring Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore. They are all over the charts, cracking the Billboard Top 200 (#150) and CMJ Top 200 (#3). And now they are on tour in support of their new album Friend Opportunity. I guess you can't stop them, just hope to contain them. Try it on these days: 1-24 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey (w/Hella and Busdriver)1-26 – New...