intimate and thought-provoking artist portraits
Photo courtesy of the artist Originally appeared on Irvine Weekly. The daytime hustle of an artist does not define them. Ask them what they do and their secondary answer may include terms like “day job” or “paycheck,” but rarely “career.” It carries too much weight. It suggests that so-called work life is fulfilling and secure. It pretends that there is only one path in a … Continue reading TheKhue and the Experiments of a Working Stiff
Photo Credit: David Black Originally appeared on Irvine Weekly. Alex Lilly’s new album is called 2% Milk, but she would never touch the stuff. “I’m trying to drink less [of it]…But when I do have milk I definitely have whole milk.” Two percent is just watered down anyway. It reflects a part of society that bothers her; throughout our conversation on a frigid afternoon at … Continue reading Alex Lilly Confronts Ambivalence on 2% Milk
Originally appeared on the 405, with the title The 405 Meets Royal Teeth; view archived article here. We all have something to prove, whether just to ourselves or to society in general. On that note, Louisiana-based Royal Teeth have a lot to say with their new single, “Show You What I Can Do.” It features a fiery verse from the force that is Tunde Olaniran, … Continue reading Royal Teeth Prove Themselves With New Single “Show You What I Can Do”
Originally appeared on Grimy Goods. Sean Draper is a clever experimenter. The first thing you notice about her, especially if her forthcoming record is your introduction to the project, is the wordplay in her album title and moniker. Then you will be hit by the technicolor waves of fuzz and noise. Bothy is Pander Sera’s debut LP due out next week. In honor of the … Continue reading Pander Sera Wants to Rattle Your Sternum
Originally appeared as ‘The 405 meets A Fragile Tomorrow’ on the 405. For the Kelly brothers, the title of their band’s new record, Generation Loss, works twofold: as a commentary on how contemporary politics are eroding our nation’s youth and also as a reference to the loss of their mother. Sean, Dom, and Brendan Kelly are joined by Shaun Rhoades and Josh Kean to form A … Continue reading A Fragile Tomorrow Wonder How to Dance in Crisis
Originally appeared as ‘The 405 meets Cub Sport’ on the 405; view archived article here. The road to Cub Sport’s self-titled record has been anything but smooth. The band went through a moniker change, split from their label, and weathered personal revelations as they penned and released two EPs and two full-lengths too. Now LP3 is upon us, and represents a fuller, more introspective group of … Continue reading Cub Sport, d’aprés Cub Sport
Originally appeared on the 405 as “The 405 Meets Honors”; view archived article here. Honors, a Toronto-based band not-so-coincidentally named after a virtue, values qualities like trust, perseverance, and brotherhood. Yet their new album was borne of vices. The alternative pop group just released Feel Better, a moving 9-track LP written during what began as a dark moment, particularly for lead vocalist Patrick Gillett. Depression … Continue reading Honors & the Significance of Feel-ing Better
Photo Credit: Mathieu Young Originally appeared on LA Weekly. People call this a young city, and in a way, they’re right. “L.A. is all about reinventing itself, and abolishing the history of the past,” Sean Woods of the California Parks Department tells me as we stand, sweating, beneath the Baker Street Viaduct. The Metro Gold Line whizzes by, gracing us with a merciful breeze. I glance … Continue reading Viaduct Sunset Series Puts L.A.’s History Centerstage
Originally appeared on the 405; view archived article here. It took Laura Jean Anderson some years of adjusting to feel comfortable in her own skin. She was always a fish-out-of-water, growing up in a traditional Mormon household…in the grunge haven of Olympia, Washington. Hovering between these communities, she felt fully accepted by neither, which made her double down on her eccentricities. Fast forward to what … Continue reading The 405 meets Laura Jean Anderson
Originally appeared on the 405, view archived article here. To follow Young & Sick is to be invested in more than just a musician. The Holland-born and LA-based artist, né Nick van Hofwegen, is a songwriter, producer, and visual artist who has just put out his second EP of 2018, following a lengthy gap in music releases—under his Young & Sick moniker, that is. He … Continue reading The Multitudes of Young & Sick
Sawdust & Gin 