From the category archives:

Whatnot

Jarvis Cocker Residency at Galerie Chappe in Paris, May 5-10, 2009

05.06.2009

Ah, Jarvis Cocker. What a brilliant and witty kook. If you are in Paris anytime from now through Sunday, May 10th, make sure to stop by Galerie Chappe [4 Rue Andre Barsacq, 75018 (+33 1 42 62 42 12 www.galeriechappe.fr)] from 12 noon til 6/7pm each day (maybe later some nights), where Jarvis Cocker and [...]

Jen & Abby, Creepy True Ghost Story Video

05.04.2009

Jen and Abby‘s Abby tells a creepy TRUE ghost story and the band jumps in to offer the musical scenery during Jen and Abby’s live session at Chessvolt Studios for Luxury Wafers. Jen and Abby’s off-the-cuff Creepy Ghost Story – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Bob Dylan (The Rolling Thunder Revue), Isis

04.25.2009

Live 1975 performance of Dylan’s Isis. Why? Just because. You’ll see:

You, Me & Iowa, Live@Chessvolt Studios Video: Goldfish

04.24.2009

Live in the studio for Luxury Wafers, LA’s cerebral, energetic You, Me & Iowa records Goldfish. First, get out of your chair and away from pointy furniture. Then click the play arrow. Once the video and music begin, you will irresistibly wiggle and shimmy about. You, Me & Iowa – Goldfish – Luxury Wafers Sessions [...]

Premature Trackulation: Death To Anders, For The Headless

04.20.2009

From Death To Anders’ Live Luxury Wafers Session, here’s an exclusive track – an LA/alt-country rocker, satisfyingly vigorous, that falls in somewhere between REM and Nirvana with just enough Dr. Seuss to leave you eager to turn the next page. For The Headless Stay tuned for more Death To Anders…

Luxury Wafers Videos on YouTube

04.19.2009

Did you know that all of the videos for Luxury Wafers are also hosted on our YouTube Channel, Luxury Wafers Video. Also cool, use your iPhone to watch our videos on YouTube. They appear even more marvelously crisp in iPhone format. We noticed that Vimeo is down today. To date, we’ve posted Vimeo videos on [...]

Coachella Webcast Schedule

04.18.2009

Pretty cool…if you can’t be there, definitely check out the Coachella Webcast. Saturday (2:30 – 10:30): Bob Mould Band, Liars, Dr. Dog, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Glasvegas, Drive-By Truckers, Calexico, Electric Touch, M.I.A, The Killers Sunday (3:00 – 10): James Morrison, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Peter Bjorn and John, Okkervil River, Paolo Nutini, Jenny Lewis, Public [...]

Coachella Webcast Reminder

04.17.2009

If you’re not free to bake in the desert sun with your favorite musicians this weekend, go to the Coachella Webcast. Friday Schedule (2:50pm to 10pm) The Courteeners, The Aggrolites, The Airborne Toxic Event, Alberta Cross, White Lies, Franz Ferdinand, The Hold Steady, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Morrissey, Paul McCartney.

Track and Video of the Day: James Jackson Toth, My Paint + Bonus Downloads

04.17.2009

Wild and free as the horse it describes, James Jackson Toth’s My Paint off his album, Waiting In Vain (Ryko). This exclusive, live version recorded at Chessvolt Studios for Luxury Wafers/Aquarium Drunkard in September of ’08. Bonus Downloads (Exclusive Tracks): Do What You Can Look In On Me Toth has performed and recorded as Wooden [...]

Coachella, National Record Store Day, Download

04.15.2009

Coachella starts Friday. It’s still not too late to buy tickets. Also this weekend is Record Store Day, Saturday, April 18th. At their site, you’ll find some very mellow Beatles podcasts, a listing of all participating stores, including 85 in California and stores from 16 international countries, and a  Dandy Warhols Download. And cool, Record [...]

Premature Trackulation: Obi Best, Tropical Fish

04.14.2009

Obi Best is the concoction of Alex Lilly. Clever pop, her voice is the hook, full of nuance, and while the songs come off fresh and girly, full of bubbly effects and wide-eyed innocence, Lilly clearly presents a whimsy colored by intellect and maturity. Jump into a fanciful aquarium of infatuation with Tropical Fish. Obi [...]

Track and Video of the Day: Anton Barbeau, You Can Move A Mountain

04.14.2009

Anton Barbeau’s energetic mojo is uparallelled. Joined vocally by Allyson Seconds, Anton inpires and lifts it all up in a playful, psychedlic kind of way with You Can Move A Mountain For more tracks, video and review, check out Anton Barbeau’s Luxury Wafers Session. Also, Visit Bag of Kittens’ Luxury Wafers Session, Anton and Allyson’s [...]

Converse Indie Contest Winners with Downloads

04.13.2009

C’mon, who hasn’t enjoyed a steady pair or ogled a fancy variety of Converse sneakers at one point in their lives? They’re the classic American fashion statement and kicker of choice among musicians and artists I know. I’ve got my filthy, worn-out red chucks on right now. (Hey Converse, send me some new chucks, size [...]

Track & VIdeo of the Day: The Transmissions, The Catch

04.13.2009

Strangely refreshing, like an earthen romp and a sleek razorblade all at once. Here’s a track from The Transmissions never before offered for download. The Catch This guy’s one of my favorites. He’s putting some seriously twisted videos of a whole different variety up on Facebook, too. See more video, get more tracks and read [...]

Premature Trackulation: Rademacher, Arkansas

04.10.2009

Rademacher from Fresno stars Malcolm Sosa on guitar with a velcro voice – part singing, part dialogue – that seems to have exerted its character heavily in the LA indie scene. Ever hear of The Henry Clay People? It’s certain they’ve been directly influenced by Sosa’s style. Greer McGettrick plays bass and sings backup vocals [...]

Justin Townes Earle, Live@Spaceland 4/2/09

04.08.2009

From his new album, Midnight at the Movies, Justin Townes Earle plays Someday I’ll Be Forgiven For This live at Spaceland in LA 4/2/09. Justin Townes Earle Live@Spaceland in LA from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Premature Trackulation: The Paper Raincoat, Rewind

04.07.2009

The Paper Raincoat is the quirky progeny of Brooklyn songwriters Amber Rubarth and Alex Wong. Their storyline developed around a central character (Grace) has blossomed into a string of songs told by the pair in narration of the character’s interface with and experiences in the world. The danger of a project such as this is [...]

Track & Video of the Day: Braden Land, Evangeline Tonight

04.07.2009

Unfalteringly rich acoustic guitar and complimentary harmonica frame Braden Land’s heartbroken lullaby, Evangeline Tonight, a beautiful song that glows with the obvious: Land is clearly tapped into a deep root. His timeless, enveloping sound should be compared to weighty predecessors Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Lowell George. Steady and grounded, Braden Land appears to reside [...]

Premature Trackulation: You, Me & Iowa, All In Good Time

04.06.2009

Spunky, uplifting and fun, You, Me & Iowa presents their music on an artistically sweeping canvas dashed with bright instrumentals and heady lyrical topics. Energetic and distinctive, the group has their own bold, saucy verve which they dish out in a busy style ala Talking Heads. The intro to All In Good Time sets the [...]

Premature Trackulation: Dame Satan, Salton Sea

04.06.2009

Rooted by deep, velvety bass, sweetly embellished with tambourine and radical drums (Brendan Sheehan) and just enough sixties flavored, super stoned Jerry Garcia-like guitar, Dame Satan lays down a spacious, nourishing feast in Salton Sea. Did I mention Andrew Simmons’ vocals, somewhat eerily and very nicely harmonized with by Michael Chopko, send electrified chills up [...]

Sasha Smith Video: Sneek

04.04.2009

Here’s a treat from seasoned boogie woogie/ragtime piano virtuoso Sasha Smith (February Fifths). Sneek tiptoes and cavorts through an entertaining musical mystery caper. Sasha Smith Myspace Sasha Smith – Sneek – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Premature Trackulation: The Traditionist, Driftwood Doll

04.02.2009

This 8-minute live track, repetitious yet far from tedious, is folk soaked to the bone with the ghost of Neil Young. Joey Barro (The Antiques) has become The Traditionist. He crows with fresh, reflective sadness, his voice strong and clear. I have to admit, Barro’s clunky appelation, The Traditionist, originally appealed to me about like [...]

Silver Darling Video: Brick and Mortar

04.02.2009

When we recorded Silver Darling, Live@ the Hangar in Sacramento, it was still freezing cold – both outside and in – as evidenced by their stylish wintry getups. This is the first recording of their new song, Brick and Mortar, a devilishy inspired tune with anxiety provoking, dramatically yanking electric guitar riffs, super-warm Rickenbacker bass, [...]

Premature Trackulation: Israel Nash Gripka, Evening

03.28.2009

Wrapping stories in threads of song, New Yorker Israel Nash Gripka tells sonic tales on guitar and harmonica with a Counting Crows vibe, heavily influenced by CCR and John Cougar Mellencamp. Evening reminds me of Mellencamp’s Pink Houses. It takes its time unrolling a heartfelt ballad filled with ironic hopefulness and disappointment.

Track & Video Of The Day: The Parson Red Heads, Got It All

03.28.2009

Step into peace and love and a warm, fuzzy vibe with The Parson Red Heads. 100% Fresh squeezed and authentic, this musical family, pared down sizewise for their live Luxury Wafers studio recording, is the closest thing out there to a current CSNY. Got It All basks in a sated flower-child glow reminscent of Nash’s [...]

Premature Trackulation: The Mayfire, I’m Sinking

03.27.2009

A hard-edged, grungy splash from The May Fire, I’m Sinking recorded live for Luxury Wafers, offers a good crisp wallow in pleasurable pain. Its NIN-ish screen of intensity blends with drawn-out Nirvana-like riffs, providing just the right level of chaos to keep lead-singer, Kat Tasso – a testy girl version of Sid Vicious – in [...]

Give Peace A Chance – 40 Year Anniversary of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In

03.25.2009

What a fantastically kooky couple. Can you imagine? During their honeymoon, John Lennon and Yoko Ono invited the press, the world, into their hotel room at the Amsterdam Hilton to promote World Peace via a week-long Bed-In! The hand lettered signs above their bed read “Hair Peace” and “Bed Peace”. You know the story. Click [...]

Track Of The Day: The Boxing Lesson, Lower

03.25.2009

Austin’s incandescent The Boxing Lesson dazzles with their Moogalishisly lush spacetrip Lower Get more – Read The Boxing Lesson‘s Luxury Wafers Session full review with video and mp3 downloads.

Video &Track Of The Day: Sea of Bees, Willis

03.24.2009

Sea of Bees haunts with a striking, wispy-weird Bjork-like recording of Willis. Read the full review with more downloadable audio and videos at Sea of Bees’ Luxury Wafers Session. Sea of Bees – Willis – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo.

Track of the Day & Video: Fast Heart Mart, Hey Love

03.23.2009

‘Fast Heart’ Martin masterminds the cunning concoctions of his self-named band, playing double necked guitar, harmonica and singing and playing like today’s incarnation of Woody Guthrie braided in with strips of White Stripes and Violent Femmes. The song, Hey Love treks with surrender through the adventure of life on a constant camel, interspersed with little [...]

Anni Rossi Video: Wheelpusher

03.23.2009

Anni Rossi – Wheelpusher – Luxury Wafers Sessions from Luxury Wafers on Vimeo. One-of-a-kind Anni Rossi records Wheelpusher Live@Chessvolt Studios for Luxury Wafers. Out there-awesome, Anni stands on and stomps a box while playing viola and singing an intriguingly pretty ode to biology and love. Lyrically odd and compelling – certainly unusual poesy – she’s [...]

New Other Lives Videos: It Was The Night and Don’t Let Them

03.14.2009

Existential folk rockers, Other Lives is back on the blog, so soon! If you saw the It Was the Night video I posted last week, please accept my personal apology for the technical error. Egad! If you didn’t catch the band then, this is the perfect opportunity to acquaint yourself with the saturated tunes of [...]

Track Of The Day: Mack Winston and the Reflections, Dreamer

03.14.2009

NYC transplants to LA City, Mack and his group are not only a classy bunch of lookers, but they also make humongously good music. The track, Dreamer, hints at Bowie with a big landscape and cool high vocals. Bonus – a nice extended instrumental outro. Catch ‘em at SXSW if you go or back at [...]

Track Of The Day: Theresa Andersson, On Your Way Down

03.13.2009

Simply singing and clapping her hands, Theresa Andersson from New Orleans by way of Sweden creates a remarkably huge Southern Baptist Choir-like tapestry with her soulful and piercingly accurate voice and some help from the magic of looping pedals in On Your Way Down. Andersson, an endless reservoir of energy and extraordinary talent, is a [...]

Come Together for Leopold And His Fiction

03.12.2009

Here’s a clip from an email to Luxury Wafers we got early this morning: We are in Los Angeles but have run into some very unfortunate luck and have had our equipment stolen. This was from Daniel James of Leopold and His Fiction, San Francisco Vintage Rock Band currently on tour and in our neck [...]

Track Of The Day + Video: The Bentleys, The Great Oscillator

03.11.2009

We first saw The Bentleys at Boardner’s for a Let’s Independent Show a looong time ago. Intrigued by their compelling rock-out combined with a sense of organization and core support, we invited them into the studio for a session, curious for more. The Great Oscillator sports straight groove plus plump guitar effect undertones with raw [...]

Track & Video Of The Day: The Union Line, Mama Don’t Care

03.09.2009

Gritty rock-n-roll and a sad-sack story, “She fixes supper for her lover, but she never leaves enough for you…” Mama Don’t Care rides an energetic tempo with cool keys, tight coordination, memorable guitar riffs and a raspy, worn-sounding vocal that lures you in closer for more. Read the full review of The Union Line’s Luxury [...]

Track Of The Day: Chris Robley, My Life In Film Festivals

03.07.2009

  Chris Robley takes you there with his gigantic energy in My Life In Film Festivals, a dramatic, multisensory experience replete with whistling, horns and a swirling groove. When the song’s over, you’ll wonder where you’ve been and what just hit you as you reach over to click replay. For more downloadable audio plus video, [...]

Premature Trackulation: Jim Bianco, Where and When

03.07.2009

An original fixture at Hotel Cafe and sweetheart to LA music lovers, Jim Bianco came into the studio recently dripping with mostly sad love songs to cause a fierce and hungry aching. Where and When falls to the sweeter side, plump with raw, boyish innocence. Jim’s memorable presence is huge and humble all at once, [...]

Track & Video Of The Day: The Bowmans – Make It Last

03.06.2009

The Bowman twins are back on the ground in the USA with a new album! Previously unrleased from the Bowmans Luxury Wafers Session Live@Chessvolt Studios, Make It Last is a playful track, ambrosial with harmonies and perky with the glockenspiel. Check out the Bowman’s Full Review with downloadable audio and visit The Bowman’s website, which [...]

Other Lives: It Was The Night

03.05.2009

A very cool crew, Other Lives from Stillwater, Oklahoma played and recorded a live session for Luxury Wafers back in the fall. Catch them in Austin for SXSW – they’ll be oozing weighty, contemplative tunes at various venues with free beer. And keep a lookout for their self-titled debut album, out April 7th, 2009. I [...]

Bag of Kittens Video – Allyson Seconds & Anton Barbeau – I Used To Say Your Name

03.05.2009

A groovy collaboration, Bag Of Kittens is Allyson Seconds, the moonbeam who brings honey velvet vocals and grounded female energy, and Anton Barbeau, the energetic, psychedelic, rock-pop-punk sunray on piano, guitar and driving Neil Diamond-esque vocals. (Pictured left with cellist Alison). Bag of Kittens joined us at The Hangar in Sacramento for an all day [...]

Video & Tracks Of The Day: Jake LaBotz, Tiny + Crow Jane

03.05.2009

Jake LaBotz is an original, one of the last authentic bluesmen out there. Check out his earthy version of Crow Jane. Read the full review with downloadable audio from Jake’s Luxury Wafers Session. The first time I saw Jake LaBotz live, it was 2005 in a little boardwalk-adjacent bar in Hermosa Beach. I was already [...]

Premature Trackulation: Kris Gruen, Nuschka

03.03.2009

Vermont-based Kris Gruen paints an intriguing black-and-white portrait of a love song with Nuschka, a semi-cryptic fortune-speak kind of story that resides next door to Sufjan Stevens and down the street from Bright Eyes. Stripped to guitar and his inviting voice, you wouldn’t mind this neighbor knocking on your door for a few fresh eggs [...]

Cowboy Killers Video, American Sky

03.03.2009

Live @ The Hangar in Sacramento, Cowboy Killers lay down a seemingly endless stream of trancelike, slightly jazzy rock-n-roll. Their vibe is vast as the sky, to which they allude in many of their songs. Cowboy Killers give  the feeling of hanging around in a lot of space. Cowboy Killers – American Sky – Luxury [...]

Video and Track Of The Day: One Trick Pony, Loose Talk

03.02.2009

One Trick Pony, Live@Chessvolt Studios, plays a watery, contemplative Loose Talk. The song is spacious in arrangement, emphasizing each hit of the drum, each violin line, each wispy backup vocal, contrasted by Randy’s melted marshmallow vocals and guitar. Read the full review of One Trick Pony’s Luxury Wafers Session with videos and downloadable audio.   [...]

Le Switch Video and Track Of The Day: Hard Talking

02.27.2009

Is it sacrilegious to continue to party Mardi Gras style by listening to Le Switch on Good Friday? A veritable carnival in a song, Le Switch swaggers when they rock in Hard Talking. As usual, this song highlights a strong, soulful performance by all. Please note the video gives special love to Joe on drums [...]

Premature Trackulation: Lovers, Don’t You Want It

02.27.2009

Portland based Lovers, like Two Nice Girls outta Austin in the early ’90s, appeals with innocent raw sexual energy and proud in-your-face queer identity. Carolyn’s lead vocal, weighty and rooted in confidence, maintains an all-natural, organic vibe. Check out the awesome drum sounds, too. Don’t You Want It  

Two Sheds, Two Tracks plus Video: Undertow & Mama

02.27.2009

It only takes a second to get hooked on Two Sheds’ killer sound. They’re like a shiny space blanket that comes wrapped in a one inch square – they tend toward the unassuming side yet once unwrapped they just keep on giving in a generous and long-lasting way. These songs are potent. If you want [...]

Bonus Track Of The Day + Video: The Transmissions, The Catch

02.24.2009

Christian Biel leads LA’s The Transmissions with dirty guitar and chilly vocals ala David Byrne inside a stainless steel sewer pipe. These guys are among my faves right now. The Catch is fiery and robotic, like Isaac Asimov on music. Check out their full review with more tracks and videos at The Transmissions, Live@Chessvolt Studios. [...]