Still less glitches that a Disney streaming service launch, Hunnypot Live was a magic kingdom of music and entertainment last night. Hot Tub Johnnie started by slipping everyone musical mickeys. Brian Reyes splashed in with a mountain of a playlist and spoke with us about his past, present and future in the music business with ASCAP and more. XIMXIA (Shem-Shee-Ya) sang a snow white blizzard of catchy pop numbers. Mike Green performed harmonious acoustic pop from infinity and beyond. Grace Blue returned to display her singer sorcerer's apprenticeship magic. Bombay Beach Revival were soul monsters incorporated to entertain and Hot Tub closed the night with Fantaisiastic dance party set.
11/11/2019
Brian Reyes is the current Associate Director of Pop/Rock Membership at ASCAP and an accomplished songwriter. His work has been featured in numerous Film and TV projects including Gossip Girl, New Girl as well as international broadcast commercials for brands such as Guinness, Citibank, Microsoft and Paypal. Brian’s current work at ASCAP includes signing new songwriters, producing songwriter workshops/showcases/networking events and finding new ways to help ASCAP’s talented membership reach their musical goals.
XIMXIA (pronounced shem-shee-ya), a versatile Los Angeles singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, tosses handfuls of musical heredity and experience into her sonic swirl—a strikingly original sound rooted in the influence of some of rock and pop’s greatest singular visionaries.
Individuality and poignant self-expression are constants in XIMXIA’s musical universe. The equation works like this—XIMXIA sings her truth and you dance. Fans who can’t help but stamp a label on her music are wise to call it borderless pop.
Growing up in Buffalo, New York, music was about as common as oxygen in XIMXIA’s childhood home. She began studying classical piano as a precocious youngster and was soon writing and singing original songs with her two younger sisters. Before long, she was joining bands and winning over audiences at open mic nights.
Following a stint studying piano performance at Montreal’s McGill University, XIMXIA’s music career landed her in New York City, Washington, DC (where her previous band performed at noted indie rock venue Black Cat), and now Los Angeles—the planet’s biggest pop hub.
XIMXIA is gearing up to reveal even more of her genre-busting truth with a new EP. The lead single “Don’t Follow Me” was produced by #1 Billboard charting producer/writer Ted Kurie and features remixes by Grammy-winning remixers and other notable talent. “Don’t Follow Me” debuted as #50 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs.
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Mike Green is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Since graduating from Berklee College of Music, Green has garnered attention in the music industry, having performed in front of artists such as Mick Jagger, John C. Reilly, Wyclef Jean, Maroon 5, Jamie Cullum, and more. Green has had music placed in film and television shows, performed in 30+ countries with international events band The Phly Boyz, as well as provided session guitar and vocal work for many LA-based musicians with world-class credits.
His style has been compared to artists like Coldplay, Dave Matthews, and John Mayer, although Green has found a way to plate his sound differently. His music is a dish of versatility, garnished with powerful choruses and head-nodding grooves. In 2019, his debut album “Restart" is a promising first installment from an artist who clearly has the writing, playing, and singing chops to get the material out of his heart and into a song.
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Based out of Los Angeles, CA, Grace Blue is a duo comprised of vocalist Grace Mogz and keyboardist Joseph Arazi who had the pleasure of meeting each other in their hometown in Israel. Grace Blue's first video for their current single "Our Eyes" has garnered over 100,000 views on YouTube alongside rave reviews. Their next video/single "Nowhere To Go" is out now.
Check out their full 5 song EP at the link below. All songs are Represented by Hunnypot, Master and Publishing.
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BOMBAY BEACH REVIVAL is a soul trio from Los Angeles, conceived by producer and guitarist, Daniel deBlanke.
Here is a dance party banger sure to get you moving, “Turn me On” by Riton and Oliver Heldens. The track has a sample from Yazoo classic “Don’t Go” and features a performance from star vocalist “Vula” (Basement Jaxx).
Henry “Riton” Smithson was born in Newcastle and attended Newcastle upon Tyne university. He emerged onto the scene as part of the Ed Banger crew with their single “Gare Du Nord” being one of the groups biggest selling releases. He dropped a series of singles and Eps under his own name and went on several global tours. His most recent release is a collaboration with Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens. Oliver Heldens was born in Rottendam Netherlands and started DJ’ing professionally in 2013 under the alias HI-LO. As he started releasing more music his song “Gecko” which peaked at #1 on DMC Magazine caught the attention of DJ Tiesto who then signed him to his label. His career has only gotten bigger and bigger since then. Hunnypot approved!
-Written by Gabriel Mena
Frequent Hunnypot Live guest Dionne "Diva" Character did a nice write up of our Halloween party show in Data News Weekly.
Party goers came out in full Halloween to celebrate with Hunnypot Live at The Mint LA for its annual Halloween costume party on Monday, October 21st hosted by Hot Tub Johnnie who has given Los Angeles 19 years of spinning on and off stage. One of LA's favorite DJ,s who has proven to be very influential in the world of entertainment, we can count on Johnnie and his crew to get the party started every other Monday of the week, brining us a lineup of new artists who are making noise in and out of Los Angeles.
Tonight, New Orleans was in the building with my fam Jordan Character AKA J. Character Music which after releasing his hit song "Ariel" on iHeart in Atlanta GA during the A3C festival is taking his career to the west coast.
Character is part of the new generation where artists are earning college degrees while pursuing their dreams in music. He graduated Magna Cum Laude earning a degree in international studies. His career as a rapper took off after performing in Chengdu while pursuing a modeling career in Shanghai. Characters music has proven to be diverse with collaborations with artists from China, London, and Africa. Breaking language barriers, Character in intertwining Chinese and English in his lyrics creating his own sound like those from New Orleans seldom do, setting themselves apart when it comes to music. Tonight also featured Munii Mu who collaborated with J. Character, Binx and Bonavega.
Seems like the front door has been left wide open for this new generation of music, as New Orleans artists are on the rise taking their southern roots to the spotlight introducing the birthplace of Jazz and Funk to more genres such as Bounce, Rap, and Soul. With recognition from BMI and BET, the city of New Orleans embraces its culture of music featuring 5th Ward Weebie, Dee 1, Big Freedia, who are changing our sound on a global level, bringing us closer to the bright lights of Hollywood with collaborations with Beyonce and Drake proving that we bring that Gumbo to all platforms and stages when it comes to music.
To listen to the audio of the full show go here.
Written by Dionne "Diva" Character
Don't forget to say "danks" to Indica for "Intoxication".
INDICA is an American Musician. The 22-year-old is based In California, born and raised in the Washington D.C. area.
He is creating an unparalleled buzz with his infectious style and sound. There is no doubt that this gifted Twenty-something, is shaking up the industry while creating his own sound with melodic flows, electronic synths, and big drums. Fusing all the sonics together creates the INDICA sound that has gained him an ever expanding fanbase. Along with his music, authentic aesthetic flair and vintage-styled visuals shape a creative cohesive package that further elevates his ‘Iit’ factor.
Recently signing with Tommy Boy Records, the super talent and his imprint have wasted no time cooking up dynamic music in the lab. INDICA plans to release his next project titled, RETROMODERN on March 29, 2019. Momentum is building with the recently released singles INTOXICATED and REMEDY
The highly anticipated effort, RETROMODERN produced and mixed by Andrew Luce, is inspired by 80's movies like the cult classic ‘Scarface’ and millennial fav, ‘Tron’. RETROMODERN gives fans and newcomers a glimpse inside the mind of one the industry most multi-faceted, multi-talented, rising artist.
The catalogue the musician has put together is outstanding -- being able to cross between genres with projects like INDICA (self-titled), and now RETROMODERN. From Electronic to R&B; from Hip-hop to Pop, INDICA’s knows no boundaries! The rising star has solidified his roles as a musician, song writer, influencer and fashion mogul. In an effort to continue to build and expand his brand beyond music, INDICA has joined forces with esteemed entertainment industry veteran Kevin Evans of 7th Agency.
Hunnypot Live ghosted so many sweet pumpkins last night. Hot Tub Johnnie dropped a bat out of hell playlist. Dan Wilcox brought new tricks and musical treats for his return to the hot tub. Binx went door to door with costumed pop. Bonavega rose from the dead with a brand new live show. Dirty Lovely Creatures spooked us with haunting harmonies. Munii Mu & J. Character carved up spicy raps and we closed the night with scary good dance party tunes.
10/28/2019
Meet BINX, South Africa's beautiful "African Bee" with a sting ready to swell up pop music.
The New Yorker quotes "with a voice like Gaga's, she's partial to yellow-and-black clothes and arena choruses." This Avant-Garde pop musician/model is based in Los Angeles where she has performed at the US Open, The New York Marathon (two years in a row) Webster Hall, Soho House (NY) and The South African Traditional Music Awards. She has had a No.1 song in South Africa and is helping to save the bees with her latest album, "Buzzed."
BINX recently performed at the NAMM Grand Finale and Grammy Showcase Party 2018 in Los Angeles.
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Extracting inspiration from Queen, Talking Heads, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Reggie Watts, and The Screaming Headless Torsos, BONAVEGA established himself in 2015 as THE new look and sound of performance based, theatrical pop music. Focusing on entertainment he builds his sounds and songs themes, at his home studio, around ideas and subject matter that are very relatable but then tells the stories in a way that are dramatic and unorthodox in order to captivate the audience.
Underneath his gaudy, ostentatious shell however, BONAVEGA has a deeper, fully aware intention for his seemingly trite "song and dance.” Zeroing in on corruption in the church and mocking bigotry with his sensual, homo-erotic, dance moves, the high society music industry and religious advocates protest his cheeky songs and taunting stage antics. Both sides of the coin feel he doesn’t squeeze into their box and fear his almost flippant disregard for fitting in or following suit. Poised and outspoken, he defends himself as a result of, rather than a cause of, a stifling religious upbringing and a “square” objectifying society.
BONAVEGA, completely aware of the ever changing musical climate, has released genre defying EP's and singles that individually hold their own weight and almost completely disregard one another in a way that continues to push his overly-confident out of the box way of thinking about music and life. The only thing left is the future. BONAVEGA has plans for touring/festivals/and premiers. He asks his followers to keep their ears and eyes wide open for whats to come and to also, as always “Take it off your mind… and take it to the floor."
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DIRTY LOVELY CREATURES is an odd mix of sounds. It’s influences range from Germany’s Boozoo Bajou to SoCal’s own Fu Manchu. Chris Brann’s Ananda Project and Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra are also heavy inspiration’s for this unusual act. The lyrics center around human secrets, and “the things that people do, when they think no one is watching...” The majority of the songs are written by the group’s frontman, Boogiewhip, aka; lead singer of the Cabaret Rock n’ Roll Show, HOT SAUCE HOLIDAY. And they (mostly) chronicle the thoughts and opinions he carries towards the situations (and people) he witnessed during his “cult” upbringing in Northern California, circa, the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
Cynical and sexy, vulgar and articulate, DLC is a one-of-a-kind music experience you’ve got to hear AND see to believe.
Munii Mu is a Los Angeles based Rapper born in Baltimore, MD and was raised interchangeably between DC and Maryland. After growing up in an environment that did not match up to his vision for the future, Mu decided to move to California at the age of 16 with a new found purpose of chasing his dream to become a globally known artist.
It was there where he met his greatest obstacle yet, prison. The DC raised rapper acknowledges this to be the most crucial time in his life as he used this unfortunate situation to zero in on his dream. Shortly after being released in 2016 he had ignited a burning desire for music and to become the biggest act in Hip-Hop.
On august 11 2019 Munii Mu released a music video called "got em mad" where he speeds up his delivery and showcases his speedly lyrics. This song is also based on his hunger after being incarcerated. In recent months Munii Mu has been locked in the studio working on his upcoming mixtape which is currently untitled. It will showcase his immense vocal range and focus more on the feel good aspects of his music. His next project will definitely be a huge move into the Hip-Hop scene.
Jordan Character a/k/a J. Character a global jet-setter, has traveled from the USA to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul Korea, Chengdu and other Asian cities. Mashing up all of his cultural and diverse relationships and experiences which comes through his music, Character has created his own lane as a Bilingual Artist, while majoring in International Studies/Chinese at Norwich Military Academy and graduating Magna Cum Laude with an excellence in Chinese language proficiency
At the age of 3 months, Jordan Character’s ears were being developed as he accompanied his mother, a singer, who carried him alongside her to band rehearsals, theater productions and creative writing classes. Character by the age of 8, was reading treble and bass clef together, while playing upright bass and trumpet.
Born in the colorful City of New Orleans, LA, Character was accustomed to seeing Marching Bands, hearing Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop and seeing Second-line Bands, which passed in front of his home before Hurricane Katrina whisked his family away to.
His songs, “Part To (Butter Up), Insides, and Charlie Sheen" are inspired through his travels as he seldom resides in Los Angeles, CA, a place he finds full of inspiration. Inspired by Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, LL Cool J and A$AP Rock, J. Character represents the new age Rapper and Songwriter bringing forth the Culture of New Orleans and a history of musicians who are home grown from the South.
Ah, The 80’s… What an interesting decade. The skinny ties, big hair, pagers, Walkman radios, and of course MTV (when they actually played music videos). The 80’s generated some of the most classic and iconic music of all time. Somewhere nestled in between Duran Duran and Metallica was a band called Loverboy. If you were alive during that time, I’m pretty sure you’ve heard their most famous song, “Working for the Weekend”. Some would agree this song could easily be considered a soundtrack for the decade and truly one of the catchiest songs you’ll ever hear.
Loverboy, along with many bands from that era are enjoying a resurgence of sorts; getting back on the road reacquainting themselves with their fans from their heyday. Having never seen them live before (I have no idea why), I was eager to finally see what this Canadian hit-maker could do live. Let’s face it, onstage is where a band really shines.
Last Thursday night at The City National Grove of Anaheim, I finally got my chance. As I walked into the theater, I noticed it was a touch quieter than I would have expected leading up to an anticipated concert but alas, this was a dinner show. The room was filled with restaurant noise as fans were enjoying wine with their Herb Roasted half chickens and Red Wine Braised short ribs. I tried not to stare as It looked profoundly better than the torpedo sandwich I had finished earlier.
Almost on queue as the last of the dinnerware was removed, the fans made their way in to fill the theater up quite nicely. By now, many in the upbeat crowd were sporting their Mike Reno signature headbands and itching to get this show started. It was here where that telltale feeling was in the air signaling the show was close. Everyone (and I mean everyone) was wide-eyed and smiling and as this show was just about ready to get underway.
When the lights finally dropped, the crowd immediately focused their attention on Doug Johnson (keyboards, harmonica) as he began the set with that unmistakable intro to “Notorious”. With Matt Frenette (drums) keeping time in his unmistakably animated style until the song’s first guitar chord by Paul Dean (guitars) ripped through the theater, it was clear they were on. The sound was clean, full, and crunchy enough to keep even this stubborn head-banger happy. Mike Reno (vocals) walked out with arms outstretched which summoned another roar from the crowd, providing that final burst of energy as the song is now in full stride. Before the song even hits it’s midpoint, people were starting to dance in the aisles. Good thing the plates were already gone as this night was already shaping up to be some kind of party.
Loverboy proceeded to expertly roll through their catalog of hits, including “The Kid is Hot Tonight”, “Queen of Broken Hearts”, and fan favorite “Hot Girls in Love”. With each passing song, I was taken back how good these songs still sound today, and especially Mike Reno’s singing. This was especially true during “Take me to the Top”, where it's here that it's memorable bass-line meanders behind Reno’s singing and showcases well what he can still do. Most Impressive.
Reno paused to interact a bit with the crowd and expressed some concern about his ability to even play this show! You see, currently in Southern California we’re smack-dab in the middle of our wildfire season, and he mentioned he couldn’t even talk the day before! With our single-digit humidity and smoke in the air, Reno likened the weather here in SoCal to that of a “Popcorn fart”! After giving the crowd a quick chuckle, Reno continued on with the set sounding just as well as he did years ago; showing no ill-effects from Southern California's abrasive air quality.
Reno and the boys plodded on and finished strong with the aforementioned “Working for the Weekend” which had kept everyone up, singing and dancing. The night ended with rousing applause and satisfaction all around. What a show!
Loverboy didn’t overwhelm with extravagant stage and lighting, but after seeing them it’s clear that didn’t have to. The well-fed crowd was treated to an upbeat and flat-out fun show that failed to disappoint. If you’re in the mood for a show that’ll take you back a few decades, get you off your seat and dancing in the aisles, then Loverboy is definitely the ticket! Keep your eyes open and check them out on their next pass-through. You’ll surely be “Loving Every Minute of It”!
How can I convey information and feelings about the music video for "Spotlight" by Communicant? It's a newer music video from the band. It's full of big sounds. The rich compressed percussion, thick guitar tones, right reverbs and hooks; It's got great hooks. This song can get you to dance. This video might make you want to roller-skate or make out with a synthesizer, maybe?
Dig the song as much as we do? Catch Communicant live on November 25th at Hunnypot Live.
-J. Gray
It’s been almost a decade since the first time I saw Jesse Keeler & Al-P, the Canadian duo known as MSTRKRFT (pronounced “Master-Craft”). Nearly 10 years after they played at Los Angeles’ last Electric Daisy Carnival in 2010, they were back in LA. Academy LA was hosting MSTRKRFT’s EP debut Release Party and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity see these two guys throw down a live set.
After a bit of a hiatus, MSTRKRFT teamed up with Deadmau5’s mau5trap label to drop a 4 song EP entitled, Sunshine Of My Life. This dropped on October 18th, 2019, right in the beginning of their tour with Deadmau5. As they make their way from the southwest up to the northeast, both opening sets for Deadmau5 and headlining shows along the way, MSTRKRFT unveiled this new EP as a draw to their act. They used this specific show on October 19th, 2019 in Los Angeles as a night to showcase this EP (amongst other material) in live format.
I made my way to the venue excited for MSTRKRFT, but I’ll admit I didn’t know who the opening act was. Once I got through security and entered the main room, I was greeted by the dark eerie beats of local Los Angeles DJ, Joey Zander. There’s a feeling you get when you walk into some of these venues. Joey Zander’s use of haunting samples and creepily soothing synths coupled with beat driven LED visuals on the ceiling of Academy LA’s main floor sent a chill or two down my spine. We were in for one of those nights.
One thing I noticed from Joey Zander is he never picked up the microphone to speak to the crowd. The entire time I was in there, he let the beats do the talking. As we neared midnight, Zander teased the crowd by lowering his BPM, only to raise it again. The lights in the venue even went white bright for a few split seconds to signify the end of the set, but the bass lines kept rolling. He played with the crowd’s emotions as the anticipation for MSTRKRFT grew. I turned away from the DJ booth for a moment, and when I turned back, there were two different men in the DJ booth. Again, without saying a word to the crowd, Jesse Keeler & Al-P opted to communicate with the room with nothing but beats.
I had listened to Sunshine Of My Life on my way to the venue a few times. It’s only 4 tracks and totals 26 minutes and 37 seconds. I gave it a couple of spins on my drive into the city. I knew MSTRKRFT gave the electro-house and dance-punk a bit of a break and returned to some old school techno influences. But you can never fully grasp what a live set is going to sound like just by hearing the EP. Once they mixed those tracks in with some of their older material, I saw a whole different side to MSTRKRFT. They maintained their same classic MSTRKRFT ambiance, but they committed to a darker dance vibe than I was expecting. They delivered a no-bullshit two-hour set of a combination of hard repetitive techno kick drums, screeching synths, and never-ending deep basslines. When they gave you a break from their haunting samples, they delivered an onslaught of hi-hats to keep your body moving into the wee hours of the night.
Shout out to MSTRKRFT for an amazing EP release party. It was great to see them in action after so long. It was also great to see them push limits and expand as artists while regressing to some of the origins of EDM, paying homage to some old school elements of techno. Kudos to the venue too. The show would not have been what it was if it wasn’t for that massive monstrosity of an LED panel hanging from the ceiling from the DJ booth all the way to the back of the main room. The venue was a match made in heaven for a duo like MSTRKRFT to deliver a night that Los Angeles won't soon forget. I sincerely hope these guys make another run down here soon. Their show was simply awesome!
The Songery just released a music video for the song "The Dark". It's dancetastic, it's a little edgy and it's fun. Shine a light on "The Dark" and boogie down the block.
The Hunnypot Live community at The Mint has been an absolutely warm, fun, creative and uplifting biweekly that I have had the honor to be apart of. As a music supervisor networking event, each night is carefully curated to have musicians/bands/artists that are on the cutting edge of music showcase their talents.
What the Hunnypot crew has done is create a place for artists, music-lovers and any curious onlookers to come and congregate and celebrate music and artistic expression. There is a mingling of the occasional label and manager that artists come by, but in its purest form, all have come to hear organized and unorganized notes that make bodies move and hearts thump.
All genres of music can be heard at Hunnypot Live. So many great bands and artists have been discovered by new fans. It is a platform that has brought together music enthusiasts to their highest place. It's importance lies in live performance which has been utterly replaced by YouTube and online videos. It brings a community that cares about music together to listen to and discover music together.