Noname is known for her chill, easy beats, wise and rambling verses, and a somber attitude that Pitchfork describes as showing she’s “seen a lot of death and change.” She’s a rapper that I love on tape, but was nervous about seeing live. After all, how enjoyable could her show be if she really is as nonchalant in person as she is in her music?
But, from the get-go, the energy in the room proved to me that this show would be nothing but boring. Even before the opener started, the crowd was getting down to the transitional background music like they were instead spending their Saturday night at the club. When the divine and entrancing Ravyn Lenae came on stage, the couple next to me cheered at the top of their lungs, even though they admitted to me they only knew her from her feature on Noname’s song, “Forever.” Given, Lenae no doubt deserved exactly the amount of praise she received. She was beautiful, composed, confident, and sang with the preciseness and effortlessness of a veteran jazz singer. Her sassy dance moves and silly clap backs to teasing fans had me listening to her album, Moon Shoes, the whole next day.
Surprisingly, Noname played up the production value even more, preceded by a jazzy intro from her seven-piece live band. She started the show rapping from the wings, popping in and out as if she was playing peek-a-boo with the crowd. The people around me immediately started pounding their feet on the ground, cheering her real name, Fatimah, and taking video. When she trotted on stage she was absolutely beaming with a smile that let you know she’s an artist who really loves to perform.
On stage Noname is confident and breezy, rapping as if she were confiding in a close friend. She rarely speaks between songs, taking the spare time instead to run off stage and grab a pink sequined cape, or to let the band solo and jam. Though the audience’s energy never fell, she still managed to hit points of heartfelt intimacy, almost bringing me to tears with “Casket Pretty.” Overall, the show evoked such a feeling of unity that I left feeling somehow unified with everyone who had attended. She was charming, comfortable, and seemed to just glow. It’s a show I would recommend to anyone looking for a breath of fresh air.
Photo Credit: Rollingstone
When life gives you lemons, suck it. Hot Tub Johnnie kicked off Hunnypot Live #360 on the 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's. Thomas Golubic returned to be king of Hunnypot guests and updated us on the latest news at SuperMusicVision, musical discoveries while in South Africa and his set started the dance party early. North By North tore the roof off for direction, Atomic Walrus dropped funky music bombs, Downtown Brown gave us schizophrenia in song(s), h2the gave us laser music and the night finished with another famous Hot Tub Johnnie Hunnypot Live! dance party. 2/20/2017
Thomas Golubic is a Los Angeles-based music supervisor, DJ and Grammy-nominated record producer. His music supervision credits include the AMC series Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul and Halt and Catch Fire, the Netflix series Grace and Frankie and Love, the Showtime series Ray Donovan, and the HBO series Six Feet Under among many other film & television projects. He is a founding and board member of the Guild of Music Supervisors, and is currently the head of their education committee. The Guild twice awarded Thomas with “Best Music Supervision in a Television Drama” for his work on Breaking Bad.
He was twice nominated for Grammy awards for producing volumes 1 and 2 of the Six Feet Under soundtrack album, and with former partner Gary Calamar was responsible for the use of Sia’s “Breathe Me” in the final scene of the series. It is considered one of the most memorable uses of music in television, and launched Sia’s music career in America. Thomas is also responsible for producing four soundtrack albums for The Walking Dead, the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul soundtracks, and has assembled various remix projects for EMI-Capitol Records and MGM, including reinterpretations of Peggy Lee, The Beach Boys, Henry Mancini’s Pink Panther theme and EMI’s Christmas Classics remix compilation ‘Merry Mixmas’.
Thomas’ formative years, musically speaking, were spent as a DJ, music programmer and on-air host for tastemaker LA radio station KCRW 89.9 FM. After ending his 10- year residency at KCRW, he turned his attention to music production and live audio/video DJ work. He formed The Arbiters, a music collective creating mash-up music and video productions, free-released two EPs, and created audio and video mash-up productions for clients including Google, YouTube, Microsoft and Levi’s. Thomas has also become known as an innovative club DJ spinning broadly eclectic music sets, often with live synchronized visuals. His SYNCHRONIZE re-score project, featuring live DJ re-scores of classic films has been featured at the Sundance Film Festival, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Luminato Festival in Toronto, Dubrovnik Film Festival, U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, various residencies in Los Angeles, and has been profiled on Turner Classic Movies.
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Atomic Walrus is a Los Angeles-bred band best known for their high-energy live shows featuring a unique blend of rock, hip-hop, and funk. Formed after the band's guitarist and drummer collided in a mosh pit in the backyard of a UCLA co-op, Atomic Walrus cut their teeth playing college house parties before expanding to venues all over LA, from the South Bay to Silverlake. Since then, the band has self-produced and released music, toured CA, and performed for 10,000 people at the Hermosa Beach Summer Concert Series.
Atomic Walrus is currently in the studio writing and recording their next EP, due in 2017.
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Exploding from (the suburbs of) Detroit rock city in 2001, and venturing to the absolute bottom of the rabbit hole by 2015, Downtown Brown (DTB) has carved a unique saga over their 14-year existence. Jamming a mutant style that splices together punk, funk, metal, rock, and hip-hop, DTB is a band impossible to categorize. People tend to either love them, hate them, or are just generally puzzled by their often politically incorrect, outrageous, satiric lyrics coupled with genre-hopping technical skill.
After nearly a decade of independently releasing media (4 full-length albums, a live album, and multiple dvds) and touring (100+ shows a year), Downtown Brown amassed a loyal following due to their infectious, energetic and ridiculously entertaining live show.
They signed with DC-Jam Records in 2010 to release their 5th studio album ‘Grabbleton’s Beach’, a concept piece that had critics scratching their heads due to its musical A.D.D. and lyrics ranging from childish absurdity to tongue-in-cheek satire. All confusion aside, the album helped propel DTB’s popularity to new heights and remains a fan favorite to this day.
In 2011, DTB caught the attention of Fishbone founding member Norwood Fisher, who soon after signed on to manage the band. Since Fisher’s involvement, the band has secured numerous endorsements, played multiple festivals, and toured with bands like The Adicts, Dead Kennedys, Peelander-Z, Fishbone, Psychostick, Andrew W.K., and even Insane Clown Posse (with whom they recorded a hilarious duet with in 2012).
DTB recorded and released their 6th full-length album ‘Masterz of the Universe’ in 2013. Produced by Fisher, ‘Masterz’ is the band’s first attempt at a ‘serious’ rock record. Although some of the material echoes DTB’s previous recorded lunacy, most of the album is comprised of tightly focused compositions written from a sincere state of being. The lyrics chronicle band leader Neil P.'s internal battles; dishing with brutal honesty about depression, love, chemical dependency, the state of the world, and staying true to the band's artistic vision against all odds. In true DTB fashion, the music remains incredibly diverse, provocative, fun, and possesses undeniable pop sensibility.
2015 finds Downtown Brown thriving in a world full of easy-to-define, cookie-cutter music. Combining metal grooves, spastic funk, catchy riff rock, and all-over-the-place vocals, DTB’s broadly enjoyable sound and incomparable live show has captured the attention of a global audience. In the Summer of 2015, the band will release their 2nd live album and will continue to tour relentlessly, spreading their warped gospel to unsuspecting music fans across the land.
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From producer, Diwon (Bonhom, Dreams in Static, Tyrone Gosling, etc) comes a musical project known as ‘h2the‘, which merges 80s synths with the walls of sound that make up the drum layering that have become Diwon’s signature. This is Synths + Beats for the Birds. h2the make their live debut on the Hunnypot stage.
Whether she’s roller skating in a tinsel wig, roaming amongst cacti in the desert, or dancing in a formal gown on a bathroom floor, Angel Olsen is captivating, romantic, and haunting all at once. With her latest album My Woman, Olsen sinks into a less distorted and more mature sound while still managing to capture the same raw emotion we saw before with Half Way Home and Burn Your Fire for No Witness. In fact, the album’s combination between lovesick, clear vocals and crunchy guitar leads might make it my favorite of 2016.
She has an aesthetic to match, too—her band wore coordinating light blue-grey suits while Angel wore a tight, tan satin mini dress reminiscent of what she might have worn to her high school prom. In person I also became much more aware of the Missouri-raised singer’s old-school country and folk influences, making her appear almost like a revamped, rocker-girl Patsy Cline. With bold monochrome lights and the Fillmore’s beautiful crystal chandeliers, Angel Olsen and her band could not have made for a prettier picture.
Even better, her performance was just as angelic as her name suggests. Angel Olsen was heartfelt and precise in her live performance, focusing on her carefully polished vocals and baring her soul in such a way that a hush, almost tangibly, fell over the crowd. She really does sound just like the record if not better, hitting every wailing high note and then immediately after growling through notes an octave lower. Of course, right as her previous song might have brought you to tears, she makes some sarcastic joke about how it was the day after valentines day, or that she’s about to play some real “dark shit.” She embodies her music’s romantic image no doubt, but is also refreshingly real in a way that demands respect and attention. Plus, she plays a fulfilling 90-minute set, covering songs across all her albums (something I don’t find often amongst her indie-rock peers).
Though I thought I would leave the show somewhat sad given the content of her music, I instead left feeling refreshed and at peace. I cried, danced, swayed, and laughed with all the equally captivated audience members around me. However, after a four-song long jammy encore I felt restored, and haven’t gotten ballads like “Heart Shaped Face” or “Intern” out of my head since.
Photo is a still from the video "Intern," Written and Directed by Angel Olsen.
Newcastle Upon Tyne duo Those Who Burn’s debut self-titled album released last October. This subversive rock album starts off with “Replicant Replicate,” a catchy song full of energy and trance like vocals. Now, imagine a massive, countryside landscape. Maybe somewhere in Europe. It’s got misty hills, green fields, and plenty of trees. Pan left. You can see the ocean beyond some awesome craggy bluffs. This is “Investigation Noir,” chill and intricate, something you might listen to when high so that you can appreciate each note.
The third track “Brassai” possesses the largest vocal presence yet, coupled with hypnotic music. It leads, then, into “Delia” a track straight out of some futuristic, space video game soundtrack. The album picks back up with “Cheap Speaker Reaper” perhaps the heaviest song on the album. It’s more abrasive than its fellows, faster paced with gripping riffs. “Vantablack” returns us to “Investigation Noir”’s tone. This time, we’ve got a lone hero wandering our European landscape, coming home from some far-flung war. The titular track comes next, ramping up to an industrial groove that takes you on a journey to unsettle your expectations. It features futuristic elements and sudden stops. You’ll never know if the song is really over until it flows into “Loppe Cirkus,” a creepy, droning song best fitting a scene from American Horror Story or Rob Zombie movie montage.
The penultimate track, “Non-Aquatic” is a gentle denouement, another track with a stronger vocal presence. Its protesting nature and natural flow from sharper notes and words to a lulling tone and vocals help complete the album, ending in “Are You Now”’s breathy vocals and quiet, entrancing power. It’s almost seductive, something out of an independent movie or HBO series with lots of nudity. The album as a whole is great for chilling, smoking, or whenever you need a vibe that feels like a super awesome out of body experience. It reminds me of Nine Inch Nails’s 2008 project, Ghosts I-IV, especially in that they both set the backdrop to an experience, a mood.
Visit their Hunnypot artist page for links to download the full album and more information about the band!
Depeche Mode is back and stronger than ever. “Where’s The Revolution” is the band’s latest effort, but in spite of the politically charged title, lead vocalist Dave Gahan says “I wouldn’t call this a political album, because I don’t listen to music in a political way. But it’s definitely about humanity, and our place in that.” Depeche Mode has always placed an essential emphasis on the quality of their videos, and “Where’s The Revolution” is no exception. It is simultaneously disturbing and humorous in that very particular English way. Gahan postures from his podium, asking “Where’s the revolution? Come on people, you’re letting me down,” while bandmates Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher stare down flag wavers from behind their dark glasses like some synth pop secret service. Their new record “Spirit” drops on 17 March.
If you have been partying with us at Hunnypot, Michete will not be new to you. “Come Get it Daddy,” “Squawk!” and “Recognize This Pussy” are our favorite tracks of hers. But in case you haven’t heard, we are telling you, this Seattleite will blow your mind. Her name is Michete, and she just “wreck[ed] shit” out of this “Tantrum” music video with her bosom buddy Shamir.
Michete and Shamir became friends a little over two years ago, “back when ‘Rap Game Kimmy Gibbler’ was the only song [she’d] ever made. Shamir was like one of the first people who really believed in and encouraged [her].” This video is their “magnum” opus together, and to present this video right here, is a very special full circle moment especially for Michete.
Grew up in Spokane, WA, Michete broke through the gender boundaries and “white trash” mindset to be here with us now. After she went through all the “shit,” she has been getting from SPIN magazine and other publications, for Cool Tricks and Cool Tricks 2. Now she’s on Cool Tricks 3. How exciting!
Hunnypot was thrilled to have Michete for Hunnypot Live in October 2016 (It was her first time in LA too!) and we can’t wait to have her again. She is a real rapper who owns the stage, especially the one at our party here: http://bit.ly/hpr351
Now, take her seriously because she deserves it, and watch her video featuring Shamir and his cute puppy alongside.
If you’ve been up to date on your Hunnypot from the past few months, you’ll know about our rapper from Seattle, Michete! Even if you don’t, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know them from our interview at Hunnypot Live #351 on October 3rd, 2016. In this interview preceding Michete’s first Hunnypot performance, John and Jeff sit down with the gender-queer rapper to talk Pacific Northwest, high school experiences, and of course, the music.
John points out all the love Michete has been getting from SPIN magazine and other publications, for Cool Tricks and Cool Tricks 2, which features Hunnypot favorite “Come Get It, Daddy.”
Watch to learn Michete’s thoughts on growing up “weird and gay” in Spokane, visiting LA, the great Uber VS Lyft debate, and the burgeoning Seattle rap scene. Gain some insight into the process of making the catchy tunes we like so much.
Thanks to Justin Martin (Editing), Media Liberated (Cameras) and Hot Tub Johnnie (Hunnypot)!
Listen to the full Michete Interview and live performance here.
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Dance music duo Jake and Sam make up Shy Luv. This project out of England features the two producers creating awesome tracks. Their first EP released last year, and this year heralds the release of a new one, titled “Shock Horror.” Their first song off this upcoming EP, “Joyrider” was released a few months ago, and now we have the title track in video form to entertain your ears AND your eyes. The music video for “Shock Horror” features tiny bodies reminiscent of the love child between Reed Richards from the Fantastic Four and a crash test dummy. What does that look like? Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean. The little guys synchronize swim through the air to form shapes, bump into each other, bounce off a normal sized woman (British pop singer JONES, who lends her beautiful voice to the track), creating a delightfully trippy video.
Look forward to the new EP this spring and keep an eye on their social media for an exact release date!
Never forget a new song again! Hunnypot is back again in 2017 with our BEST OF Spotify Playlist! If you come home from Hunnypot and find yourself humming a tune or singing a few lyrics but just can't remember what they're from, you'll find it here. Keep track of this year's freshest jams, updated regularly, so give us a follow!
Fake news massacres & football championships don't compare to the drama and theater that was Hunnypot Live #359. Hot Tub Johnnie immediately jumped from the roof to deliver a scorching opening set, Rich Goldman funked the whole place up with his origins stories with a musical score of his past life, Miken & Nordstorm gave us Swedish dance pop power, Ghost rapped tighter than two locked helmets, WARGIRL played a musical global thermal nuclear game with Joshua and the crowd and The Mighty Tears of Joy provided power in positivity. 2/16/2017
Rich will be spinning the FUNK HITS recorded at his legacy “5th Floor Recording Studios” featuring: Midnight Star, Ohio Players, Bootsy Collins, Zapp, Sheila E!, Prince and more!
Rich Goldman is President of RipTide Music Group, a leading music synchronization, publishing and administration company in Los Angeles. He is also President of Pacifica Music, a modern genre production music library. He’s is a lifelong musician who has amassed a broad range of industry credits as a producer, composer, sound designer, and recording studio operator.
RipTide Music’s “sync flavored publishing” credits range from the commercials for “iPhone6s”, “Google Chromecast” “, “Chico’s” and “Pepsi”, movie trailers of “Dr. Strange”, ”Jungle Book”, “Star Trek Beyond”, “Kubo and the 2 Strings”; TV shows “”, “Ballers”, “Empire” and “Lethal Weapon”, films, “Concussion” and ”Central Intelligence”.
With his wife Ellie, Rich started a rehearsal studio in Cincinnati and grew it into the legendary Fifth Floor Studios, one of the major centers for recording in the Midwest. At Fifth Floor, Rich engineered albums for clients including Bootsy Collins and the Ohio Players and collected gold records for his studio’s work with Sheila E, Prince, Midnight Star and Zapp.
Rich is a frequent speaker at various music events including ASCAP: I Create Music, PMA, Billboard Film & TV Conference, Game Developers Conference, British Sync Mission, Durango Song Expo and co-organized and moderated the MIDEM “Sync” panels from 2009 through 2015.
On monthly basis, Rich gigs with the Goldman Family Band that includes his wife Ellie, son Scott and daughter Jess.
Swedish duo Alicia (Miken) & Oscar (Nordstörm) met last fall in Los Angeles and started writing music together. Their first release, “Playing With Fire” (Box4Joy Records) was co-written by Icelandic DJ & Producer Ingi Bauer and has since the release in June 2016 reached over 110 000 plays on Spotify.
Following up their summer-hit and with a new collaboration together with Ingi Bauer, the Swedish duo has produced 5 new original songs that they’re showcasing at “Hunnypot Live at The Mint” the 6th of February in Los Angeles.
Their sound is a blend of Nordic Pop and Electronic Dance that has a sense of mystic to it. Coming from two different genres, Oscar with a long list of Techno releases worldwide and Alicia as a Pop & Folk-Music vocalist for several well known bands in Sweden, their sound is truly unique but with familiar analog attributes, classic original elements and a pulsating beat.
Meet Ghost, the Bryan, Texas native was raised in the dangerous community of "Kurrupt City." His vivid lyrics will haunt your thoughts, as he shares his life and experience with his music.
Inspired by Tupac's song, "Ghost" - Roderick W. Harris Jr. took on the moniker but gave it a different meaning. Motivated by Psalm 124, Ghost stands for "God's Human Outlaw Speaking Truth". Ghost received words of encouragement from Shawty Redd and Scott Storch that kept him focused and driven. With that, he began pursuing his dream.
Now living in Miami, FL, he launched Life Art Music Group. The company currently manages various artists including Ghost himself. In 2016, he graced SXSW and recorded enough material for a stash of mixtapes. As Ghost puts it, “the proof is in the pudding”, and he will be serving all of this content in 2017.
His first EP and same titled music video “Nina’s Son” is available on his website www.KurruptCity.com, Soundcloud, YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. Ghost’s album titled “Kurrupt City” will be released in March 2017.
To know Ghost, means to simply understand, the melody of " life.."
Direct from Long Beach CA comes WARGIRL, Garage rock, afrobeat, and dubby smooth jazz played through broken speakers with some pop thrown in. With Marika Dahlin, Enya Preston, Tamara Raye, Matt Wignall, Erick Nieto, Jeff Suri, Anne Dereaux and other friends.
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The Mighty Tears of Joy, with their own brand of rich nostalgic soul/rock/pop are quickly becoming the next universally respected band to emerge from Los Angeles's indie scene. As American as apple pie, the powerful vocals and rhythmic mixtures resonate with the times, the feelings, the experiences of us all. These sounds can be felt feverishly brewing throughout their recordings, with an electro-psychedelic twist of throw back soul music. The Mighty Tears of Joy is a band of composers; together at the helm, Khalfani Saint Blanc and Gerardo Morales, venture to reintroduce authentic soul vibes, meaningful lyrics and hand clapping fun back into our lives. A community of world class composers/producers/players came together to make this sound possible. Names like Cyrus Melchor, Killa Karma, Christian Wunderlich, Mateo Amper, King Ahmos, Lala Mckay and those crazy kids over at D2 Mastering, helped bring to life this genuinely California feel.
With their own style of modern Beach Boy reminiscent melodies and Doo Wop Rock, The Mighty Tears of Joy breach topics of love, loss, and economic triumph, while evoking a spirit of movement. They are a romantic reminder that music teeming with anguish, passion and joy, can find its way to the heart and spirit of any listener.
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(INCEPTO RECORDS) Underground wiz producer & DJ Oscar Nordström (Nordstorm) have a long list of dance tracks and international shows in his duffel bag. With support from legends like Armin Van Buuren and Claes Rosén (L-?wiz) to shows in London & Los Angeles, Oscar always delivers something unique and colorful. Starting off his DJ career in Stockholm at numerous underground parties like “We Luv Bass” & “All Out Dubstep” and later taking over in Stockholm´s Dance & Techno -? scene at infamous Stureplan, a residency at “Spy Bar”and playing clubs like “Collage”, “Hells Kitchen” & “Solidaritet” he now focuses on spreading his original material with shows all over Sweden