Could this day get any better? Huell Howser is DJing on KCRW. How did this happen!? We speak now with KCRW Music Publicity Director and Guest DJ Producer/Booker Rachel Reynolds, the person responsible for this occurrence and an industry publicity personal favorite of the Losanjealous editorial staff. Indeed; not only is it Huell Howser Guest DJ Day today, it is also Rachel Reynolds Appreciation Day as decreed by Losanjealous, 22 June 2011 Anno Domini. Like most all things KCRW, Rachel brings quality to the equation (whatever the equation). Read on…

Greets, Rachel! How did you originally become involved with KCRW? How long have you worked for the station, and what do you do?

I feel like I’ve been involved with KCRW since I first started listening. I heard it in a friend’s car about 10 years ago (within a year of moving to LA) and I was totally hooked. KCRW and its DJs were what made me feel OK about the move to LA, it was like a friend I could always turn to. And I’m not saying this just because I’m the Music Publicity Director (a job I’ve held since 2007). It’s 100% true.

I was hired in late 2006 to work in the pledge drive department. I BEGGED them to give me the job. Then, the publicity position became open and since my background was doing PR for indie bands, I jumped on it!

My job is to make sure people know about all the incredible things we’re doing, both programming-wise and out in the community with events. My goal is to spread the word far and wide in hopes of growing our listening audience and our membership base. There are still far too many people out there who don’t know about the station, but would love it if they did. I also edit KCRW’s Music Blog, which is a great way for us to promote bands we’re digging, as well as the Guest DJ Project, which taps into the musical passions of creative folks outside the music business.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

»continue reading Huell Howser Guest DJs on KCRW Today: The Losanjealous Interview with the Person Responsible

On tour for their forthcoming album It’s a Corporate World (truer or timelier words haven’t been “record-titled”), Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. will be gracing the stage of The Echo on June 3rd, bringing NASCAR fashion into the Hipsterism of West Coast Williamsburg (Echo Park). The recording and songwriting project of Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott, DEJJ have a way of weakening the knees and pleasantly surprising audiences with whistled anthems of the Midwest.

Last year’s Horse Power EP gave listeners a cross hatched neon indication of their full length album potential, with tracks like “Nothing But Our Love” and “Simple Girl” being sound down payments on our attentions and fandom. Combining echoes of Brian Wilson remembrances and drawing heavily on Motown influences, the group has successfully synthesized a dreamy originality that has eluded strong categorization and inspired a number of sub-pop and pseudo genres. It’s a Corporate World promises not to burst our speculative bubbles, but make the summer swoon and us with it.

The Detroit duo took some time between shows and costume changes to talk beginnings, middles, and dividends.

How did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. come about?

Two men born in the same city- one of those men had the guts to call the other.

What were some of your early creative influences?

Motown, The Beatles, Paul Simon, Robert Frost, Procol Harum, Rachmaninov, and old cars to name a few. Anything with a strong sense of melody and a loud muffler.

What are some of your guilty musical pleasures?

We have none. Why should anyone feel guilty for listening to what his/her ears find enjoyable?

Have you ever met or spoken to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

»continue reading Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. Comes to the Echo, June 3rd

What with Wanda and Jack setting fire to the El Rey again this evening, we thought it only fitting to redirect your eyeballs to this 2008 off-the-cuff chat with Wanda, by Daiana. Photos by Daiana as well. Enjoy. Maybe go poke around the archives, find a few photos of Jack shredding to go along with this, or something. -Ed

(UPDATE: Sung’s pics now up.)

» A Hotel Room Chat with Wanda Jackson, First Lady of Rock N’ Roll

We interviewed Bill Frisell, the Seattle-based guitarist and all-around nice guy, a few months ago. He’s coming back to LA with another new trio – this time with Eyvind Kang on viola and Rudy Royston on drums (we’ve got a shot at tickets for you at the end of this article). The new trio plays several new compositions and a few choice covers on his new album, Beautiful Dreamers. Losanjealous caught up with Bill in the Bay Area after a long flight from Vermont.

Q: We always seem to catch you as you are getting onto or off a plane – where are you now?

BF: I am in the Bay Area, I think (laughs) – I just got here from an artist residency in Vermont; way, way up in northern Vermont almost to Canada. I was there for about a month, just writing music.

Q: Just writing – not performing?

BF: Right, just writing. I‘ve never done anything like this before. I was the only musician there – the rest of the people were painters or sculptors – and I just had this big, blank, white room.

Q: That must have been great – do you have a full recording setup or just a guitar?

»continue reading Bill Frisell Plays Largo: The Losanjealous Interview

Bill Frisell, legendary jazz guitarist, is debuting a new trio on the west coast, including a show at Largo on April 13th. We caught up with Bill in the Seattle airport just as he was putting his belt and shoes back on. He was delightful and excited to talk about his new band.

BF: Hello?

Q: Hi Bill – this is Dave from losanjealous.com – is now still a good time to talk?

BF: Sure – I am just here at the airport.

Q: Nowhere better than SeaTac for a nice conversation about music, huh?

BF: (laughs) Right. Are you calling from England?

»continue reading Bill Frisell: The Losanjealous Interview: Bill Frisell Trio Plays Largo April 13

Orpheum 13 October 2007 by Valerie

HEADS UP & REMINDER
Devendra Banhart & the Grogs @ The Wiltern Wed Mar 24

Devendra Banhart is currently touring with The Grogs in support of What Will We Be, his latest album (and his first for Warner) which was released late last year. His new website launched one week ago; stream the full album over there. Since he will be at the Wiltern this coming Wednesday, we threw a few questions to Devendra last week. His answers below.

You’ve spoken about it elsewhere, but in a nutshell what were and are the biggest differences about recording and touring under Warner, compared to everything you’ve done prior?

DB: I’m not sure what the difference is quite yet. Perhaps a bigger infrastructure, which I know is obvious. It’s just that all the labels I’ve worked with have given me complete control with the exception of a few unfortunate moments (“I Feel Just Like a Child” and “Heard Somebody Say” videos, I’m lookin’ at you…..and puking into the abysmal travesty that you are while you puke into my heart and eyes forever.)

So how did this label change affect the actual album. Or did it?

»continue reading Devendra Banhart Plays Wiltern This Wednesday: The Losanjealous Q&A: “I Would Trust Aziz With My Life… But Not My Sandwich”

Back in 1997 Anthony Lovett and Matt Maranian wrote and published what eventually became my favorite Los Angeles guidebook. That book’s name was (and is) LA Bizarro. A few years ago on this website I talked to Matt about the original book’s undertaking (fun interview with Matt here). Since that time the two authors have now revised, updated and significantly expanded that original tome, and their collective output was published by Chronicle Books just this fall. In the 2009 updated edition of LA Bizarro (available at the time of this writing and sitting right up there at #2 on the LA Times nonfiction bestseller list this week, no less) they talk about the new, they talk about what was, they elaborate on the “merits” of the Orange County-based Viacom/ Paramount/ Rusty Pelican Restaurants, Inc. international chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in sordid detail. (Write San Clemente today to find out how to open your own Bubba Gump!)

Alongside pearls of Los Angeles wisdom and hilarious anecdotes, the 1997 edition of the fabled book offered to the casual reader severe eye strain by way of its off-kilter typesetting and color palette (black-on-green, white-on-black). And, though that incomparable strained-eye feeling was perhaps a part of the appeal of the original volume due to the fact that full passages were on occasion very difficult to read – almost as if the authors didn’t really want to tell you what they were in fact telling you at the time – my aging, internet-scarred eyes are oh-so-thankful for the the cozy, old-fashioned, black-text-on-white-background legibility of the 2009 edition. I’m also thrilled because these guys clearly share our sensibilities, and vice-versa: numerous joints we’ve mentioned over the years here and there on our site also appear in this new book (Norwood Young’s House of Davids and the downtown Piñata District, to name but two); inversely, countless joints that first appeared in the original edition of LA Bizarro eventually showed up on our website a decade later, come to think of it. Guys, let it be known: You have an open invitation to blog, right here to our seven readers, any time you desire. Victor’s setting up your logins; your password is the two-word title of LA Bizarro, page 142, new edition.

Today we chat with both authors – nay, tastemakers – about the book’s recently-released revised edition and Los Angeles in general. In the below conversation, Tony’s answers follow the initials “ARL” (“A” as in Anthony, get it?) and Matt’s answers follow the initials “MM”.

Neither of you live in Los Angeles now (Simi’s close; Vermont may as well be Indonesia) and yet you felt compelled to return, research and release an updated guidebook about Los Angeles. Without repeating the intro to the new book verbatim…why is this?

»continue reading A Conversation with Anthony Lovett and Matt Maranian, Authors of LA Bizarro

REMINDER
Matt & Kim @ El Rey Thu Aug 27 (tonight!)

Interview with Matt from Matt and Kim
By The Experience Gallery

They only intended to play in the privacy of their own bedroom until a friend made them play in front of others. They have since developed a reputation for putting on energy-packed live shows that get everyone on their feet and bouncing to the music. We caught up with Matt on the road heading towards Los Angeles for tonight’s show at the El Rey and their first appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in support of Grand, their second album released earlier this year.

Hi, how are you?

I’m good.

Do you prefer performing in smaller venues or larger ones?

I think there is something about both that makes it desirable to go back and forth. You play a festival where thousands of people are there you have a certain energy there; where there are so many people cheering and singing. But it is difficult to see a person in the mix. It becomes more abstract. Whereas you play a small show where there are less than 500 people there you start picking out faces and seeing individual reactions. It is a different sort of feeling. You kind of want to do both and we are in the position to do that right now.

You have so much energy on stage and you don’t need a lot of space. Even your “Daylight” music video has you playing in a small space. How do you bring so much energy wherever you play?

»continue reading Losanjealous Interview: Matt from Matt and Kim

HEADS UP
Daryl Hall & John Oates: Up Close and Personal Tour @ Nokia Theater
Wed Sep 2
Daryl Hall & John Oates @ Morongo Casino Resort and Spa
Fri Sep 11

A few weeks back, John Oates played an Agoura Hills nightclub with a pair of local Upright Citizen’s Brigade girls. We gave you an interview tease at that time. Now that Oates is set to return to town with Daryl Hall, the pair of them with a comprehensive boxed set release looming on the horizon (74 tracks, 16 of which are previously unreleased; four discs, more than 40 years of material on seven different labels), we’re pleased to finally publish the full transcript of that conversation. Below, find candid insights regarding Michael Jackson, American roots music, probably-drug-addled 1970s music videos, nude photo shoots, mustaches, beards, emus, alpacas, and the aging process. Ladies and gentlemen, John Oates.

John! Timely question first. I know that you guys were involved with USA for Africa, and I was wondering if you could talk to me about your interaction with Michael Jackson, or if you have any favorite Michael Jackson moments.

USA for Africa and “We Are The World”… that evening was pretty special, you know, and it’s already been documented so many times, and so accurately. What I recall about it is that Michael was pretty retiring; he didn’t assert himself very much during that thing. I think he left it up to Quincy Jones to kind of run things, and he was very quiet, and he did his thing. He really wasn’t making his presence felt in terms of being the frontman, so to speak; it was more Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones. But Michael came to a bunch of Hall and Oates shows when we’d play in LA. And I remember one time he came backstage in the dressing room after the show, and he said, in that little squeaky voice, you know, he said (chuckles) “Oh, I like to dance to ‘No Can Do’ in front of my mirror, in my bedroom…”

(Ryan is laughing.)

…which I thought was pretty cool.

No arguments.

Needless to say, I think the groove affected him. He liked the groove of that song.

»continue reading John Oates: The Losanjealous Interview: “The Mustache is Not Me, and I’m Not the Mustache…”

HEADS UP
George Thorogood & The Destroyers w/Jonny Lang @ The Greek Sun July 26

Destroyers frontman George Thorogood, acutely aware of his place in the pantheon of rock and blues, has at various times in the past likened his musical output to a car dealership and a cheeseburger franchise, arguing that the business is thriving because all customers still get a quality cheeseburger (and/or car) at the end of the day. George and The Destroyers will play hits, catalog standards and songs from the new album The Dirty Dozen, which drops on Capitol/EMI this coming Tuesday, July 28, at the Greek this evening. George will also stop by Guitar Center tomorrow evening for a free story-and-song session sponsored by Gibson guitars.

George! How are you?

Bad. I’m bad.

Some things never change. So you’re playing the Greek on Sunday. I just read in the LA Times that it’s one of your favorite venues here in town.

We’re playing on Mick Jagger’s birthday. And…we’re going to invite him. I don’t know if he’s going to show up, but the invitation’s out there. (laughter in background)

Are you going to give him some sort of shout-out, on stage?

I might. You never know. This is the entertainment capitol of the world, you know. You never know who’s going to turn up. I did a thing at the House of Blues, and Bruce Willis and John Goodman poked their head in to say “Hi.” It was pretty cool. Another time I was working there and my wife came in and said, “You know who wants to meet you out there? Johnny Rivers.” Los Angeles. It’s a cool place to work, you know what I mean? You never know who’s out there checking your ass out, so you gotta hunker down.

You’ve just played two nights with Jonny Lang on this tour. How did those dates go?

So far so good. I knew there weren’t going to be any disappointments with Jonny Lang; he’s a first-rate entertainer in his own right, you know? In my mind he’s really just starting his career. He was no flash-in-a-pan, but he was attention-grabbing when he started. As far as him maturing into what it is he’s going to be, if he chooses to have a lengthy career, I think he’s coming into it now.

Ok, enough formalities. I want to get an answer now to a question I’ve had for years regarding your take on “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.” You basically tack an extended play onto the front of the song. Long before the guy ever goes inside a bar, the protagonist is running around, hustling, dodging the rent lady. Where’d you get the idea for this, sort of, dodgy character avoiding paying his rent?

»continue reading George Thorogood: The Losanjealous Interview: “You’re Going To Have To Legalize Dope And Tax It.”

You There! WIN ONE OF OUR GRAND PRIZE PACKAGES at the end of this article! What you’ll get: a SIGNED Forbidden Zone (remastered! in color!) DVD, a SIGNED Forbidden Zone poster and tickets to the screening of your choice this weekend at the Egyptian. Contest ends end of day Thursday (7/16).

HEADS UP AND SHRUNKEN
Richard Elfman’s Modern Vampires & Shrunken Heads @ Egyptian Theatre Fri Jul 17
Richard Elfman’s Forbidden Zone @ Egyptian Theatre Sat Jul 18

As previously mentioned, three contemporary classic Richard Elfman films will be screened by American Cinematheque at the Egyptian this weekend: Modern Vampires (“Uncut and fucking scandalous!” in the director’s own words) and Shrunken Heads Friday; Forbidden Zone on Saturday. Q&A and special guests both nights. We speak today with director Richard Elfman about the film Modern Vampires.

Richard, thanks for joining us. First off: Why the name change from Revenant to Modern Vampires? (I like both titles.)

I like both titles too. People didn’t know what “Revenant” meant. Shrunken Heads was originally “The Call of Mr. Sumatra.” Distributors changed that name.

Without giving too much away, you tackle a host of social issues in this film, which might ultimately be seen as an updated take on the classic vampire story. You’ve got abusive trailer park stepfathers, interspecies gang rape, crack-smoking vampire hunters, racist vampires, fascist-paranoid van helsingisms, and bisexual and lesbien acceptance among vampires to name but a few. With all of these issues packed into the film, what was the most important point you hoped to address in the film?

»continue reading Richard Elfman on Modern Vampires and This Weekend’s American Cinematheque Retrospective: The Losanjealous Q&A

HEADS UP
John Oates w/Special Guests Garfunkel & Oates (Female UCB Comedy Songwriting Duo) @ The Canyon Club, Agoura Hills Sat Jul 11

Hang on – two girls from the UCB who call themselves Garfunkel and Oates are opening for John Oates in Agoura? How exactly did this happen again? In Oates’ own words:

They are amazing. I’ve seen them on the web, but never seen them live. We have a little surprise planned…

I discovered them on the web, emailed them, and said, “Hey, you guys are amazing! I’m going to play the Canyon Club, do you want to come out and open for me?

We’ll have an extended conversation with solo artist John Oates, one half of the bestselling rock duo Hall and Oates, hitting the site soon. Stick around.

» John Oates’ 1000 Miles of Life is out now
» Garfunkel and Oates (official site)

Today we chat with legendary bassist and Yes founding member Chris Squire about his upcoming 2009 summer tour with Asia, Rock Band The Game, Six Flags, Bobby Fischer and much more.

Tough questions first. You had leg surgery back in February, which cancelled the remaining dates of the Yes tour at that time. After you recovered, we got the announcement of the tour with Asia taking place this summer. And now, most recently, we have an announcement that Jon Anderson will be apparently touring, solo, over in Europe this summer. Here’s the big question I’m reading on a lot of message boards: Is this an indication of you guys finally saying, “I don’t know if we’re going to be able to all tour at the same time” ? Or what’s going on, here?

When you say he’s touring Europe, I think he’s going on vacation to Paris, and he’s just doing a couple of odd shows here and there, just keeping his foot in the water (what do I mean?)…just him and acoustic guitar, from what I know, so it’s not really like he’s touring.

Actually he’s announced nine or ten dates as of now.

Oh, he has? I didn’t even know about any of that. I got the impression he was just doing some odd casual shows. Like, I believe he did one up in the central coast last weekend, actually. Just kind of impromptu appearance in a bar, with his guitar, sounds like that’s what it is. But, I don’t know. (laughs) Enlighten me; if there’s more of a tour going on, I don’t know about it.

The YesWorld website has finally added a link to his tour dates underneath your tour dates, so it definitely looks like two different tours going on this summer. Thus all the chatter.

Oh, ok. Yeah. Well, as I’ve said, as far as I know, he’s just keeping his hand in really, I suppose, while he’s still in recovery.

It sounds like you guys are happy with the lineup that you have right now. What do you say to sort of placate the people that are worried that you have the “Jon understudy” (Benoit) and Oliver Wakeman instead of Rick (Oliver’s father – ed) out there? Or do you not even worry about any of that, and just go out there.

»continue reading Chris Squire of Yes: The Losanjealous Interview

I’m happy to report the smashing success of The Bird and The Bee, Haim, The Damn Sons, and [Post-foetus] at the Tricot Showroom. The Fire Marshall almost shut it down, but FMLY came to the rescue. Out of respect to FMLY members Cameron Rath and Cody Silberfein, I wave my awkward pre-show experience walking up and down the winding staircase, wristbands, everybody wait outside, form two lines on the side, keep this middle area clear, one hour delay thing to just say thank you. Fuck the paddy wagon, rock the house.

I learned about FMLY that evening, described by Gray on the staircase as “a music collective, an art collective, basically throws shows, dedicates itself to bringing music back into prominence and is for the people.” Anonymous people found this show through your own Losanjealous, LA Weekly, KCRW, The Onion, Santa Monica something or other, The Bird and The Bee MySpace page, and THEFMLY.COM. The mostly under 21 audience came to honor their local band favorites, not necessarily The Bird and The Bee. Elijah said of Haim, “They’re very good. They’re like a girl pop band with testicles.” Most people to whom I spoke said that they’re REALLY good. Someone else said he did not know much about the Bird and The Bee, that he had one of their albums, “the, um, laser one” (Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future), and he was there to support [Post-foetus]. “I don’t really know them that well. I don’t really know them,” said another.

The next thing I knew, I was striking up a rapport with Serena of Serena Interiors. We discussed her Eastern positive outlook, meditation, new journeys… and then we were friends. This is something that happens at FMLY events, but how was I to know.

Inside, I appreciated the large loft Tricot: loud as hell, bricks for walls, open bar left, juice cage right, and up front, everyone around a ground level stage. The Tricot slowly filled with people. I tried to find out the name of the first band. No one knew it was [Post-foetus]. I noticed a Macbook Pro running noises and keyboard drops, a cellist with three guitar pedals near her chair, drums, two guitarists, a bassist, and front man Will Wiesenfeld. This singer, writer and recordist performed syncopated hand claps while uttering primal screams and chants over the six piece accompaniment.

I caught up with him after his set:

»continue reading The Bird and The Bee, Haim, The Damn Sons, and [Post-foetus] at the Tricot Showroom, March 14, 2009