Hunnypot alum IAMEVE launched her first video, the ethereal “Starman.” With absolutely stunning CGI work, the music video is the first chapter of a transmedia project titled “The Everything Nothing. The eclectic video boasts a broad range of influences that are hard to narrow down to just a few adjectives. (PG-13) Steampunks in Space, maybe? However you might choose to describe this video, it will most certainly leave you on the edge of your seat for the next chapter. Check out this press statement about IAMEVE and “Starman”:
“IAMEVE is a spell-binding storyteller who merges electronic music textures and visual dreamscapes. “Starman” was co-produced with David Christophere of the classic electronic music outfit Rabbit In The Moon, and the video was directed by Thor Freudenthal (Percy Jackson, Diary of A Wimpy Kid). The video’s Starman is played by Keon Alexander, beloved on FX’s Tyrant. The surrealistic love story is told in this mesmerizing music video, with IAMEVE painted in sacred geometry by body artist Michael Rosner.
IAMEVE, the mysterious creator who lives inside “Starman’s” painted other-word, has a unique backstory. With her deep love of fairy tales, visual art, and a diverse musical background, she found herself a Stranger in a Strange Land: Los Angeles – the story city. Shortly after arriving, a massive accident left her with a bionic elbow and unable to play guitar or piano.
“Lying there still, it caused me to open up to untested ways of creating because I needed a new set of tools to keep going. Electronic production had always been a passion and something I had experimented with, but this caused me to move fully in that direction. It freed me up and gave me an entirely new soundscape that feels so much more in tune with the world I am creating.”
With influences including Rodin, Bowie, Terry Gilliam, Dali, Kate Bush, Geiger, Lewis Carroll, Tim Burton, Tolkien, and Dune, “Starman” and upcoming, The Everything Nothing video series and EP will extend the fantasy of inner and outer space across Los Angeles and beyond.”
Deep in the enchanted forest, there were once animal masked muted shadows and a mysterious glowing orb. Zooming out there was this magnificent drone view of a suburban city, a moody dusky scene that looks like Alice in Wonderland, underlying with raw production of synths. To immerse to yourself to this experience, explore your inner self with Ishi’s “Bring The Thunder” music video.
“Bring The Thunder” is from Ishi’s fifth independent release Juno. As Dallas Observer Pete Freedman from DC9 at Night puts it, Ishi’s music has their own “folktronic” sound. Soaking grooves in the organic instrumentation of tradition folk music, the five-year Dallas Observer Music Award act consists of Co-Founder / Vocal JT Mudd, Co-Founder/Collaborating producer Brad Dale, and Merla, Rocky Ottley, Paul Escalante and Johnathan.
Fifty percent of all digital proceeds of Ishi’s third EP Juno will go straight to Music Is Our Weapon, a nonprofit organization that provides a sustainable source of digital music programs for those battling cognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer's and dementia, PTSD, Autism, Parkinson's, and other cognitive disorders. What a nice thing that they are doing to utilize the power of music as medicine.
Take a spin of Ishi's "Bring the Thunder" video above!
It's not very well known but Azealia Banks is a big fan of ours and was trying to give Russell Crowe our latest compilation this week. I heard he didn't enjoy it. Too bad for him.
Hunnypot Live! #352 gave the "M Word" (Music) to all in attendance and those who tuned in to the live stream Monday night.
Hot Tub Johnnie started the show with great tunes and tales, Piel returned to the hot tub tell more stories and capture our attention, Amara had us on pointed toes with her emotional electronics, Flavia charmed and alarmed us with her illuminating dance rock, Senator was elected to wash us in a rock sound bath and Capyac book ended the dance party with seriously sick beats. 10-17-16
-J. Gray
When Tiki Lewis moved to Los Angeles from Chicago, she had no idea she'd meet Johnny Burkes and they'd subsequently join forces together to make some of the most memorable music in the world today, but through a combination of vision, empathy, melody, and rhythm, their sound has evolved into just that. While curating an absolutely remarkable stable of collaborators, they have played live shows that have made a distinct mark on a town filled to bursting with others who have fallen short of that and conversely inspired people all over the world with their online audio and video presence.
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Born in a small suburb city just outside of Los Angeles, Amara found her voice at a young age through poetry. Concerned about her brash introspective self expression, her parents enrolled her in ballet which opened the door to musical theatre in middle school and ultimately gave her all the tools necessary to create art. Her lyrical depictions of social issues and personal intimate struggle have lead audiences to refer to her as "wise beyond her years" and "an expert at expressing and invoking real emotion.
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Flavia is an electronic pop artist based in Los Angeles. Her debut EP, Embers, mixes dark pop and futuristic R&B, exploring the borderland of yesterday's soul and tomorrow's electronica.
Inspired by her vivid dreams and her love of space and the desert, FLAVIA takes her listeners on a magical journey guided by her lush vocals, her poetic lyrics cut to the core with their vivid imagery and emotional pull. She keeps you under her spell while her ethereal party-pop beats keep you dancing.
FLAVIA started to write music at a young age in Ireland and Italy where she spent her formative years. Having moved often growing up,, she feels the closest thing to home base is her music, "It's a part of me," she says, "I couldn't escape it even if I wanted to."
FLAVIA has toured and performed live on TV and radio across the United States and Europe, her live show is an encompassing experience with colorful visuals and energetic dance moves, fresh off of recent shows at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and Pop Brixton in London, FLAVIA will soon be releasing her long awaited EP, Embers.
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Senator’s sound draws from impressive but almost contradictory influences that range from his love of grunge (he credits Kurt Cobain and Beck as his biggest influences), to his childhood obsession with musicals and his appreciation for classical music. Senator’s debut album, slated for a 2016 release, is a hybrid of all of his inspirations that seamlessly fit together, almost cinematically, creating a magical blend of sound.
Pixies. Tiny, “a little mischievous, a little playful, a little not-too-serious.” Their music could be a slice of surf punk plus a piece of alternative rock.
This music video is a truck stoppy movie on the road. It features monochrome intense shots of the posse bashing on, with cuts of a woman in red, standing on the side of an empty highway somewhere in France, streetwalking. And later with snaps of the woman in red, red light...
The smoke spitting Black Francis took it easy with stumbling and moaning “um chagga lagga on the side of the road”, then slowly gone wilder, and wilder. To where he yells “It’s starting to hit me” -- like a fierce tsunami chasing after him, and it’s out to get him.
The Head Carrier album marks the drama of the group with Kim Deal and Black Francis, and also first appearance of bassist Paz Lenchantin after Kim Shattuck, who was asked to leave the group a short few months into replacing Kim Deal. One of the tracks "All I Think About Now" was a thank you letter to Kim Deal co-wrote by Lenchantin.
Watch the video, and get Frank.
Danny Brown is theatrical, raw and unfiltered. He is known for his distinctive characters: one defined by a deep voice and more serious subject matter, and another high-pitched wacky character, all for partying, fame, and everything that comes with it. I became a fan after listening to his album Old a couple years back, and I’m honestly a little ashamed to be so late to the party. His new album, Atrocity Exhibition digs deep into the rowdier of his two personas, playing up the drama and of course, packing in tons of bangers including the pulsing “Really Doe” (featuring the beloved Kendrick Lamar) and soon to be dance floor breakdown “Pneumonia.” I, like many, been listening to his album on repeat almost exclusively since it dropped. For a rapper with such personality and such a great new release, I had high expectations for his live performance.
The crowd was one to tackle, as seeing between the plethora of 6-foot-or-taller men and catching a breath amongst the nicotine vaporizer smoke and suffocating testosterone was challenging before the dancing even started. The opener was decent but painfully cliché, and honestly made me question whether this show would live up to the expectation I built it up to be. However, when the lights shifted into place for his approaching set all my doubts went away, and I was tingling with excitement.
His set followed a pattern I had never seen before—working through his top hits from oldest to newest. Thus, as I am so much more knowledgeable about his more recent work, it took me a while to really get into his set. His performance was much simpler than I expected, with just a solid blue backdrop, and nothing on the stage but the DJ setup. Additionally, he had almost no interaction with the audience between songs other than when he stuck out his iconic pointy tongue and proudly thrust his hand in the air in a “rock on” symbol. However, something about his goofy presence was so endearing, the crowd went wild after every song. When he rapped he crushed every line, and even when he had the audience finish the lyric (one of my biggest pet peeves with rap shows) he looked so blissfully entertained that I never got sick of it. By the time he got to songs from the Atrocity Exhibition the audience’s energy was through the roof, and nobody in the crowd could stand still. I danced until I was drenched in sweat, going back and forth between moshing in the pit to getting down with my friends and then to the perimeter of the pit again. In the end, I could not have been more satisfied. With his simple set, likeable personality, and raw talent, Danny Brown has now become my definition for the perfect, quintessential Hip-Hop show.
-Veronica Irwin (Hunnypot Editor at Large)
@vronirwin
Photo Credit: Subterranean Suburbs
Known for his collaborations with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters, Doyle Bramhall II, aka DB2, is a distinctive left-handed guitarist, who plays his instrument strung upside down, and bends strings downwards.
Influenced by his late father, the legendary drummer Doyle Bramhall, DB2 had lifelong collaborations with Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan. At the age of 18, he played with the Fabulous Thunderbirds with the Vaughens, then later formed the Arc Angels with Stevie Ray’s drummer Chris Layton, bassist Tommy Shannon along with Charlie Sexton. In his Flesh tour with Waters, he replaced Pink Floyd's lead singer and guitarist in the Pink Floyd songs. That’s flair.
DB2 is finally matching his impressive guitar skills with his songwriting knack, by putting his life stories in a complete package in 2016. Rich Man is DB2’s first release since 2001, playing multiple roles as singer, guitar player, songwriter and producer of his fourth studio album.
Shot in just two hours at a LA recording studio Lucy’s Meat Market, the video features the ever finest drummer James Gadson. The lines call to “recognize the consequences of your own behavior.” Enjoy your four minutes of blues power with retro graphics in the above video!
Our next video pick comes from the band, Babes. Their new video for “Wild Dreams” stars famed fitness and flexibility figure Jujimufu, with art by Protobacillus. The video showcases Jujimufu’s unique approach to fitness-- making it fun. He kicks, flips, and spins his way through psychedelic art. Coupled with Babes’s easygoing track and positive quotations from Jujimufu framing the screen, the video is a pleasant romp into the potentials of the human body.
The five piece is made up by siblings Aaron, Sarah, and Zach Leigh, and Jeffrey Baird and Bryan Harris. “Wild Dreams” comes from their full length album Untitled (Five Tears), currently available on SoundCloud, iTunes, or wherever you listen to music. Succinctly summed up by the band, “We play love songs cuz we feel bad and it makes us feel good.” If you find yourself feeling bad but don’t have the time to learn how to play an instrument or sing, give Babes a call on their hotline, 470-BABES-77 to talk.
Hot Tub Johnnie will be DJing at The Satellite on Monday, October 24th. Musicians Kosha Dillz, Mars and the Massacre, Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Pablo Dylan, and Alastair will be performing at this free event. With the vast range of sounds on tap, this show is bound to have something for everyone.
The Satellite is located at 1717 Silverlake Blvd in Los Angeles. The free show is ages 21+ and doors are at 8:30p.m. with show time at 9. Though the party will be going until 2a.m., make sure you get there in time to see these amazing artists. For more information, visit the event page here.
Kosha Dillz:
“His tracks, mainly produced via Jesse Shatkin (Sia, Murs, Santigold) have landed in various placements from Bud Light Superbowl commercials to the upcoming Sundance 2016 select The Skinny. He is even a playable character in NBA 2k11 / 2k13alongside Drake and Snoop Dogg, and his music has appeared on every website from Brooklyn Vegan to Billboard Magazine. He raps in Spanish, Hebrew, and English.”
Mars and the Massacre:
“Formed in early 2013, the group of martians has already gained a strong following in Los Angeles, being known particularly for their entrancing and unpredictable live shows. Members switching instruments is a common sight at a Mars and The Massacre show, as are bowed guitars, strange 1950s sci-fi samples, television sets, projectors, remote controls as picks, fake blood, and even fire dancing.”
Black Crystal Wolf Kids:
"Inspired by the audience participation of the Flaming Lips, the anything-goes attitude of The Henry Clay People, and the over-the-toppedness of 80s tribute bands like Fast Times, Black Crystal Wolf Kids are the world's first indie-rock tribute band, paying costumed, sing-along-encouraged homage to the best music of right now (from MGMT to Phoenix to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) as well as indie's storied past (Pavement; the Pixies; et al)."
Pablo Dylan:
"Pigeons and Planes, recently called Mulholland Drive "A New Anthem For The Kids" As a producer, LA-based artist Pablo Dylan has worked with OG Maco, A$AP Rocky, D.R.A.M., and Raury, but his favorite band is The Clash and he names Kanye West as an influence. His skill set and eclectic taste inform a sound that wouldn't have made any sense 10 years ago."
Alastair:
"Originally from Glasgow Scotland, Alastair has almost as much whiskey as he does electronic music running through his veins. His inventive style vaporizes minds on dance floors throughout San Francisco, Burning Man and beyond. Alastair tastefully blends the sounds of smooth Deep House with the rolling melodies of Tech House, dirty synth-driven Techno and unique flavors of Indie Dance/Nu Disco. This makes Alastair's sets a complex and vivid journey every time he takes the controls."
Hilariously saucy, Steel Panther are more than just a group of psychotic heavy metal musicians. They also live the exaggerated on-stage personae that parody the stereotypical 1980s "glam metal" lifestyle. This time they decide to take down Cheap Trick’s “She’s Tight” and make it their own, featuring cameos of the original band’s frontman Robin Zander.
Pillow fights spit feathers, Steel Panther’s videos flares up with fly people. Paris-Michael Jackson (King of Pop’s daughter), Bobbie Brown (who claims to be Lexxi’s mom now), Tony Palermo from Papa Roach are all cameoing in the video!
The band says, “‘She’s Tight’ is Steel Panther’s ‘sexified’ version of the Cheap Trick song”. It was a dream came true for Michael Starr when his hero Robin Zander agreed to appear in the video.
Don’t miss this cover of the 1982 track with skin that’s left out of the classic hit, with hints of sexy highlights.
Greta Kline is a sort of kid-wonder, posting upwards of 45 albums and EPs on Bandcamp and releasing her first album under the alias Frankie Cosmos, Zentropy, by age 19. Additionally, by this time in her life she had already had a stint as bassist of the indie-synth band Porches with boyfriend/lead singer Aaron Maine. Their relationship is one which many Frankie Cosmos-aged fans like myself ogle over, and the cross references between their music definitely helps. Now 22, her aesthetic is that of a cutesy twelve-year-old boy, but with a touch of the muted, New York “sad girl” that makes her music so endearing. Through her social media presence I felt like I personally knew her, and when I entered the venue and found her socializing amongst the crowd it was pretty surreal.
Her two openers gave me mixed feelings. I definitely enjoyed Soar, but also felt like their sound was more of the Girlpool-esque angsty girl rock that is popping up all over the indie scene right now. Iji received much more mixed reviews amongst my friends. They’re a spunky disco surf-rock type band, with a Growlers type aesthetic and a keys/guitar combination that somehow reminded me of Vampire Weekend. In contrast with Frankie Cosmos they were surprisingly happy and upbeat, and when they brought Frankie on for a set the crowd turned into a small party. However, they were too sugary-sweet for a lot of my friends, and after coming home and listening to their music afterwards, I have come to feel the same way.
However, Frankie was infinitely better than I expected. Not that I was waiting for anything bad, but I expected the somewhat low-key performance that I see from so many other lyrical indie-rockers today. Instead, she was upbeat, quirky, and playful. She stood on her tip-toes to get to the mic, and her go-to dance move was a straight-legged hip-rocking sway between outstretched fists, mixed with a bunch of spins and hopping around. In short, she danced like a sugar-high twelve-year-old, and I couldn’t stop grinning. She played all her hits, starting with the new and then (to the audience’s delight) working her way towards the old. She was charming, charismatic, and performed with an honesty that complimented an intimate venue like the Starline Social Club perfectly. I left feeling uplifted, refreshed, and in a genuinely good mood. I will definitely be seeing her the next time she comes through town.
Veronica Irwin (Hunnypot Editor at Large)
@vronirwin
Photo Credit: Zach Gomez