Tag: Los Angeles

LISTEN: Heather Anne Lomax, “Heart Don’t Lie”

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Artist: Heather Anne Lomax
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Heart Don’t Lie”
Album: All This Time
Release Date: May 1, 2020

In Their Words: “This is a song about love and longing. It is a song of yearning and of the unseen ties that bind two souls, regardless of space and time. It’s about ‘memories, pressed between the pages of of my mind.’ I think I wrote this song in ten to fifteen minutes while up late at night, probably around two or three in the morning.” — Heather Anne Lomax

Photo credit: Neil Kremer

BGS 5+5: Mapache

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Artist: Mapache (Sam Blasucci and Clay Finch)
Hometown: Glendale, California
Latest Album: From Liberty Street
Rejected band names: La Cabañita, Sam & Clay, Clam. Not sure why we thought Mapache was any better than the rest.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

All of the above really. Everything going in and out of the psyche is what we tend to be writing in our songs. The books we read play a big role in what we write, things like Sy Montgomery’s The Soul of an Octopus, Kon-Tiki, Charlotte’s Web, Christian Wiman’s Joy anthology. Lots of films, too, like young Kiefer Sutherland in The Lost Boys, Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas, Frozen II, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Seems Like Old Times, and lots of others.

Other art forms like gardening and painting as well. I’ve only recently started painting and I know that it looks dreadful to anyone else who sees my finished products, but they look nice to me and allow me to open up in other ways that eventually come back around in their turn to our music as well. — Sam

What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?

Not until after our second record was recorded and we had been traveling and playing music for about four years. It’s a lot of questioning constantly of whether or not this is really what I want to do and I’m happy about that. I think it has taken time for me to realize that it is actually something I can do. I feel like now I’m committed to it and that I really do want to do it because it feels right. But I won’t ever really stop wondering. I think the wondering is what gives you the reason to do it anyway.

Many musical moments in the past have lead me to love music the way I do now. Raffi in my crib, hearing my dad’s guitar solos, our first battle of the bands in high school, our first time recording anything or trying to learn how to sing harmonies — those are all growing pains for me musically. Painful in some ways looking at the level of our talent back then but definitely key in figuring out our taste and what we want to do with music. — Sam

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

I think my favorite moment on stage happens fairly often: It’s when Sam and I look at each other and start laughing, usually mid-song, and I think it’s because in the same weird moment we sort of realize how strange and funny and awesome playing music on a stage is. Some other favorite moments were playing in Spain and having the crowd sing along to our songs in Spanish, having Jonathan Richman watch us play a set, sharing the stage with Beachwood Sparks, and anytime we get to play in Big Sur. — Clay

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I spend a lot of time in the ocean. This leaves me pretty sunburned and sleepy a lot of the time, and when it’s really good I see waves rolling when I close my eyes. Feeling like this and playing music is the best. — Clay

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

The best pairing of food and music is at El Compadre in Echo Park where you can watch Trio Los Principes and eat beans and chips and drink flaming margaritas. The trio is truly one of the most badass bands in LA. Sam and I like to go like to meet up with our buddy Tim Hill there and plot world domination and watch Dodgers games. — Clay

Photo courtesy of Mapache

LISTEN: Water Tower, “Fly Around” (Feat. Willie Watson)

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Artist: Water Tower
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Fly Around” (ft. Willie Watson)
Album: Fly Around
Release Date: April 3, 2020 (Single); April 24, 2020 (Album)
Label: Dutch Records

In Their Words: “Recording the track ‘Fly Around’ for our debut album of the same name, we felt like Willie Watson was the best person to help us render a version one of our favorite traditional tunes. Willie has been a strong voice and and an old-time cousin guiding us along on our musical path since we first met him in 2005, on our first tour as The Water Tower Bucket Boys (thank goodness we kicked the bucket). Willie not only has a heart of gold, but he brought us in for a meal that time when we FIRST came to Los Angeles. We felt it was appropriate to ask him to contribute some of his most beloved verses to this old chestnut that has carried us through the roadways of the world.” — Kenny Feinstein, Water Tower

Photo credit: Kenny Feinstein

LISTEN: Elijah Ocean, “Good Clean Livin'”

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Artist: Elijah Ocean
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Song: “Good Clean Livin'”
Album: Blue Jeans & Barstools
Release Date: May 1, 2020

In Their Words: “I wrote this song a few years back while working a casino in Las Vegas. It started from a snippet of a conversation I overheard and ended up being about an addicted gambler who finds salvation through the modern American dream. I originally recorded a version for my barn record, but it didn’t make the cut. So I wound up recycling the pedal steel (played by my good friend Philip Sterk in Nashville) and re-tracking everything else in my home studio in LA. I was basically trying to find some middle ground between The Byrds and Alan Jackson.” — Elijah Ocean

Photo credit: Sean Rosenthal

Avi Kaplan Comes Full Circle to Folk Roots on Solo EP, ‘I’ll Get By’

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Growing up near the Sequoia forests of Northern California, Avi Kaplan gravitated toward the low-key albums by John Denver, Bill Withers, and Simon & Garfunkel in his parents’ CD collection. But in time, the term “low-key” took on a whole new meaning as his baritone voice dropped dramatically upon starting high school. Suddenly possessing a clear, thundering bass range, Kaplan discovered a newfound confidence and rare vocal ability that ultimately led him away from the dream of becoming a choral director to joining the a cappella group Pentatonix.

After six years as a member of that Grammy Award-winning group, Kaplan parted ways with Pentatonix in 2017 and essentially went off the grid for a year. Now living in a cabin in the woods outside of Nashville, he is ready to reconnect to his roots — as he did on his new album, I’ll Get By. With a speaking voice that’s as resonant as you’d expect, Kaplan caught up with BGS by phone.

BGS: I’ve read that you had an early interest in folk music, so I was curious to know if you’d consider this is a full-circle moment, coming back to the music that you grew up loving?

AK: Oh yeah, absolutely. I grew up listening to it and it’s always the music that I’ve listened to throughout my life. And it’s always the music that I’ve written as well. I had a departure when I went and did the Pentatonix thing, but it definitely is a full-circle thing. It’s really surreal for me.

You released “Change on the Rise” about a year ago and it sent you on the path to this record. Why did you choose that song to usher in this stage of your career?

In the past I’ve written a lot of songs that are softer and maybe on the prettier side. A little fire, a little less power, and more about the soft, serene beauty of folk music. I really wanted to come back with something that just had a little more fire in it, because it was really reflective of where I was in my life. I felt like I really got my fire back. I didn’t want to come back with something people had already heard from me. Even then, people hadn’t heard much from me in general, when it came to a solo voice, or my voice out of its lower register. So I wanted to come back strong.

What was on your mind when you wrote “I’ll Get By”? That seems like an anthem of this record.

Thanks, man. Whenever I write a song, I don’t listen to it for a while. Then I come back and listen to it again so I can hear it on fresh ears, without the critical ear. When you’re in the writing situation, you’re criticizing everything you’re doing, so I had to get myself out of that. And when I listened to it again, I got emotional. It was something that really felt special to me. It felt really strong to me. It felt like it was conveying exactly what I was going through at that time, and hopefully something that would help other people get through the same type of thing.

On another song, “Chains,” there’s a lyrical reference to needing peace, and phrases similar to that. Were you needing peace and quiet to keep on going?

Oh yeah, absolutely. I was living in L.A. for about seven years and I’m just not a city guy in general. But when I wasn’t in L.A., I was touring non-stop. I was always going, so I really feel like I lost myself and I lost touch with the things that I loved the most – hanging out with my family, being in nature, all that stuff. … It was about a year after I left the group that I really started delving into writing. I wanted to do some healing first, but even through that, I was still healing just from a lot of stuff I was going through. So yeah, absolutely I was in that spot.

What did that healing process look like for you? What were you doing that year?

Well, I left the group and I just took some time to do the time to do the things that I’ve been longing to do. So I camped a bunch. I moved out of L.A. and moved into a cabin in Tennessee. But before that, I went back out to the Sequoias, where I’m from, and did a camping trip there. I did a lot of time in the Eastern Sierras and the Mojave Desert, and up in the mountain lakes.

I also went to Holland. I went to Germany and did a bunch of nature stuff. Then I went to Israel and I went hiking out there as well. So, I kind of went all over and just got away from everything as much as I possibly could. I just sought out to heal and find myself again, and just do work on myself. It was really important at that time. It was something that I needed more than I even knew.

Why did Tennessee become the place you ultimately settled?

I knew that I wanted to do music still. And really Nashville is the only music city where you can drive like 15 minutes outside the city and be in the country. And that’s where I wanted to be. That was a huge reason and also my sister lives out here. Also, with the music that I’m doing, I would say it’s more of a hub than I would say L.A. or New York anyway.

So, all signs pointed that way. I never had a doubt in my mind either. It was like, “OK, now it’s time for me to move out to Tennessee. I need to get a cabin out there and be in the forest.” It was all very clear to me what I needed to do. I didn’t exactly know how I was going to get into a place where I was good again, but I knew that’s where I needed to go to do it.

You mentioned earlier that you’re singing in a different part of your range on this record. But not a lot of people can sing as low as you. When did you realize you can do something that very few people can do?

It was my freshman year of high school. I joined the choir when I was in eighth grade but I was a baritone back then. And over that summer between eighth grade and freshman year, my voice changed big time. So I remember coming to the choir room and my choral director was extremely excited to hear my voice because it’s hard to find basses and that’s very much needed in choir. So he was a huge inspiration for me and a huge advocate for me. He helped me realize how different it was and how I could utilize it. I owe a lot to him, definitely.

It sounds like music education in your school is a cornerstone of your development.

That’s huge for me. Now I run a summer camp for high schoolers based around harmony and a cappella, music, songwriting, and all that, because that was such a huge inspiration to me. It changed the course of my whole life. It’s always been something that’s been important for me. Before I joined the group I was on track to be a choral director. I was also studying opera, but being a choral director was the dream, just because it had such an impact on me.

Was country music an influence for you growing up?

I didn’t listen to actual country, like Garth Brooks and that type of thing, but I loved bluegrass. I loved John Denver. Bluegrass is more of what I listened to when I was younger. And the Sons of the Pioneers, old-school country. There was actually a band in my hometown that was very similar to them called that Sons of the San Joaquin that I listened to a lot.

What was your entrance point into bluegrass?

I really started delving into it when I was a bit older. What’s funny is that I got on the Bluegrass Situation’s YouTube channel and I just went down a rabbit hole. I was blown away by some of the newgrass that was going on, and by some of the old-school. I think one of my favorite videos that you did was the one of Tim O’Brien. That blew me away. I love it so much! I would watch it all the time.

Then I started getting into Hot Rize, and an album with Tim O’Brien with Darrell Scott, and then I got into Elephant Revival, then Mandolin Orange, and I kept going down and down and down. I really delved into it and fell in love with it even more because it felt like my roots. I had grown up with that kind of thing, but I had gotten into more of the contemporary modern folk with Iron & Wine and Bon Iver.

I’m a huge fan of bluegrass and I tell people all the time that bluegrass musicians are world-class musicians. They are truly virtuosic. So unbelievably talented. It’s amazing to hear music that I love with such virtuosic musicians. That is something that is always very inspiring to me – a musician’s musician, someone who is really amazing at their craft. And that is definitely what bluegrass is about.

I wanted to ask about auditioning people for your band. What are you looking for when you pick a band?

I’m always looking for vocals. Harmonies. That’s the most important thing to me. Especially with my music, it’s not the toughest stuff to do, instrumentally speaking. With this album, the drums are actually more complex than I thought they were going to be, but at the end of the day, it’s nothing crazy. The harmonies are really where I’m looking for the strength. Yeah, that’s it – harmonies, 100 percent, all the way.

Photo credit: Bree Marie Fish

BGS 5+5: Kerry Hart

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Artist: Kerry Hart
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Latest album: I Know a Gun
Personal nicknames (or rejected band names): KerBear

Which artist has influenced you the most … and how?

I have been most influenced musically by Peter Gabriel. The record I first burned into my brain was So. Each song dances, a lush landscape of emotion and movement and melody. The sounds painted visuals for me, the percussion is ever present but gentle, structural and textured, the layers of melody and counter melody, the sense of time and place. His voice is used not just to tell the story, but to give it depth and color. The significance of the lyrics, a feeling of humanness, and a lack of perfectionism. These are all things I took into my expression of my experience of the world.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc. — inform your music?

I was fortunate to grow up in New Jersey, just outside of New York City, and I was exposed early in my life to live theater, to actors and plays, to paintings by the masters, to poetry and to poets and to live jazz. I always possessed a love for novels and I really tend to think that each of my songs happens in a time and place to a “someone,” a character if you will, and I can see clearly that my expression in music has been absolutely altered by my exposure to artists in real time, expressing themselves right before my eyes. My live performance aesthetic is definitely inspired by the sensation that what you are about to share with us will only ever happen now, in this time and space. It’s ephemeral. You have to be there or you will miss the bolt of lightening in our hands.

What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?

I have a very consistent meditation practice that is the basis of my well-being. Before any musical work, writing, rehearsing, vocalizing, tracking, or a performance for an audience, I do my meditation to really drop into my center column and root into the Earth and awaken my breath and my vision. I sort of leave myself to a degree, I leave the me that is bound to my story, bound to my life’s joys and burdens, and I breathe into more of an everyman space. I like to move in music from a place of high compassion and passion, so I come to the work both more awake and more in a dream. In music, there is incredible latitude to welcome the truth. I really try and honor that, as I believe it serves the songs.

What’s the toughest time you ever had writing a song?

I think each and every song has a moment where there is something tough about it, except for those gems that land fully formed like gifts. There is no room for playing small with songs. The song and the audience need me in humility and in power to properly honor taking up their sweet time with my creation. I think living in that resonance is a challenge, staying positive against life’s lesser fortunes – and that is before you get to the heavy lifting of crafting a verse, refining your hook, editing out what is superfluous to the flow of the thing. But wow, I love the hard days as much as the best ones. Song life is a trip.

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

I never feel like I am hiding when I play the character that is the singer of the song. Each one is me, thru different colors of the kaleidoscope. Which is not to say my songs are autobiographical. Most are not, but in each one I find the kernel of truth where I can align with the narrator of the song’s tale, and then I leap from there with total abandon. There are single lines in the work that are right from my direct experiences but truly most often, the blend of my emotions from life with the way others move through time and space is where the magic tends to happen. Writing for me is a sacred process. What I need to come through usually does, for me and for the characters in each composition. I love to meet the pieces of the puzzle.

Photo credit: Lauren Dukoff

BGS 5+5: Dustbowl Revival

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Artist: Dustbowl Revival
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Latest Album: Is It You, Is It Me
Rejected Band Names or Nicknames: “When I was first trying to figure out the band name, we asked the audience at the first ‘show’ we played at the old Brown Derby in LA. I almost went with the name of the first album, The Atomic Mushroom of Love, but that would have been too much.”

Answers by Z. Lupetin of Dustbowl Revival

What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?

As nerve-wracking as it was, I’m super glad we had the cajones to try and record our live record Lampshade On at The Troubadour in LA and The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Both spots have such history and it felt like we were floating while doing it. Two of the most intense, rowdy, and giving crowds we’ve ever played for. Truly I almost freaked out and messed up the first few songs at The Troubadour — it meant so much to me to be there — but the energy is palpable on the record and that was worth it. Recording live is like trying to play music on a tightrope with your eyes closed.

What other art forms — literature, film, dance, painting, etc — inform your music?

I can never stay in one medium for long. It’s like only eating Italian every meal for the rest of your days — there are so many storytelling mediums that are so worth our time. Short stories are a forever favorite. I am also a playwright and I’ve always seen a lot of overlap between performing music and creating dialogue and stories for theatre. Why can’t conversations be had in the middle of a song?

I’ve always had a macabre sense of humor and the work of writers like Edward Albee, Christopher Durang, Sam Shepard and poets like James Tate and short story masters like Etgar Keret and Peter Orner seem to scratch an itch I try to get to with my songwriting — telling stories of normal people in deeply strange and emotionally epic situations trying to figure things out the best they can. Can magical realism be a genre in music instead of Americana?

Which elements of nature do you spend the most time with and how do those impact your work?

I adore hiking up mountains when I can and maybe it’s the Pisces in me, but I have a visceral need to be near an ocean or a big old body of water (I grew up by Lake Michigan). Jumping in lakes, ponds, oceans, weird hotel pools, you name it, I do it as much as possible to reset my brain. Riding waves thirty blocks from my house is among the most purely joyful things I know to do. I find myself bringing the sea and the sky and the limitlessness of space into a lot of songs accidentally. My grandfather was a part of the space program so maybe his curiosity was passed down to me in some way.

Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?

I’d love to share a few hot dogs and some fries with John Prine. I share his love of a good dog — being from Chicago, the simplicity and perfection of a Vienna beef sausage on a steamed poppy seed bun with all the fixins and the spicy sport peppers for extra crunch and tang — it just can’t be beat. It’s the first thing I get in the Chicago Midway airport on layovers. Also John is a lesson in well-spiced simplicity!

How often do you hide behind a character in a song or use “you” when it’s actually “me”?

This is a tough one as my bandmates (and my mom) will often question if a song and its story are personal or simply a fantastical vision of something I wished could happen or feared might happen. Initially the opening song on our new record, ‘Dreaming,’ was about a baseball closer who blows the biggest game of his life. It wasn’t personal at all of course, and when we changed it up to be more about a performer who panics in the bright lights it did feel more grounded and emotionally real, because it came back to being a version of me. Not me exactly.

I do get nervous before shows. I’ve never almost died out there (not yet!), but I strongly feel starting with a seed of truth and letting your imagination (or paranoia) run wild creates the most unique story. I’m very lucky — I came from an insanely supportive and artistically curious family — but that doesn’t mean I don’t see the tragedy and darkness that lurks within our family history if one looks hard enough. People are complicated and often don’t reveal what’s really going on. I tried to uncover that in our tune ‘Sonic Boom.’ What if you told the person you loved most what was really going on inside? Stretching the truth can still be personal — and creating fantasies maybe can help us find out who we really are.

Photo credit: Shervin Lainez