“Bluegrass Girl” by The Get Down Boys

Some bluegrass bands claim to be only “roots influenced” and mix in messy funk jams –but not The Get Down Boys. These Culver City guys are as pure to the genre as a mason jar is to sweet tea. Armed with a guitar, banjo, upright bass, and dobro they strike their instruments with such a ferocity that they can turn any room into a floor stomping hootenanny. And their harmonies always stay intact (but sometimes they just let their instruments do the talking). Here’s a sip, with “Bluegrass Girl”:

The Get Down Boys will perform at the WitZend at 7:00 PM tonight as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, Phoebe Bridgers, The Californian, Jacqueline Caruso, Halfbluud, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

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“Say It Twice” by Halfbluud

After his bands Red Cortez and Just An Animal became defunct, Harley Cortez was content to being musically quiet and instead focus on making art and film. But a true artist cannot stay dormant. As Halfbluud, he made a make shift studio behind his Echo Park adobe and recorded the Shibuya EP with production by Richard Swift (The Shins, Cold War Kids) and Dre Babinski of Miracle Days and Hunter Hunted. The shoegaze-inspired songs have a lo-fi lure and at their core is a pop sensibility that carries your self-conscious to a new dreamscape. Let “Say It Twice” soak your soul:

Halfbluud will perform at the WitZend at 4:00 PM this Saturday, June 22 as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, Phoebe Bridgers, The Californian, Jacqueline Caruso, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

Halfbluud on Facebook, Halfbluud on Twitter, Halfbluud on Soundcloud, Halfbluud on Bandcamp

“Walk It Off” by Jacqueline Caruso (Premiere)

Jacqueline Caruso has finally decided to release music as just herself. Formerly one half of Thurlow with her husband Augustus Green, she went on to release a solo album under the moniker Swan that produced a collection of hushed sincerity but perhaps never unleashed Caruso’s authentic persona. No longer hiding behind a project, Caruso moved to the Arts District and conjured the same happy inner muse she discovered when playing her great-grandmother’s baby grand piano as a child. The result is piano-driven fizz-pop filled with such an effervescent that it makes Caruso sound like the genuine romantic she truly is. Here’s her first single “Walk It Off”:

Jacqueline Caruso will perform at the WitZend at 3:00 PM this Saturday, June 22 as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, Phoebe Bridgers, The Californian, Halfbluud, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

Jacqueline Caruso on Facebook, Jacqueline Caruso on Twitter

“How Long” by The Californian

The question can be heard all over SoCal: Who is The Californian? Is it a band? Or just a man? Or a mindset? Perhaps it’s all this at once, and more. Hollywood-based singer-songwriter John Graney says he started the project as a means to escape vices and “maintain sanity,” but we all know that it’s his alter ego –a public persona he dons when playing smooth pop surf rock. Currently recording a new album, The Californian can be caught performing his new songs such as “How Long” around town:

The Californian will perform at the WitZend at 2:00 PM this Saturday, June 22 as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, Phoebe Bridgers, Jacqueline Caruso, Halfbluud, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

The Californian on Facebook, The Californian on Twitter, The Californian on Soundcloud

“In The Shadow Of Your Father’s House” by Lost On Purpose

Lost On Purpose is actually a self-prescribed therapeutic outlet for Los Feliz denizen Will VanderWyden’s multi-instrumental ADD that started in 2003 with his first album aptly titled 1st. A few more releases later, he recruited fellow The Ross Sea Party bandmate Jacquelyn Thropay and inadvertently turned them into a side project. Their seventh album, Ronin, was mixed by Jon O’Brien (Young The Giant) and is scheduled for release on July 9th. The album continues their rustic folk-pop roots and is superbly distinguished by VanderWyden’s deep baritone voice that blatantly recalls The National‘s Matt Berninger. Here’s the leaked track “In The Shadow Of Your Father’s House”:

Lost On Purpose will perform at the WitZend at 5:00 PM this Saturday, June 22 as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, Phoebe Bridgers, The Californian, Jacqueline Caruso, Halfbluud, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

Lost On Purpose Official Site, Lost On Purpose on Facebook, Lost On Purpose on Twitter, Lost On Purpose on Soundcloud, Lost On Purpose on Bandcamp

“Waiting Room” Music Video by Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe Bridgers likes to keep her hair short and her lyrics heavy. The Pasadena-raised songwriter might only be a teenager but her songs carry a lifetime’s worth of emotional scars. Having just graduated from high school, she plans to record her debut album in Nashville soon. But for now, she’ll crush your heart with each verse on her latest single “Waiting Room”:

Phoebe Bridgers will perform at the WitZend at 1:00 PM this Saturday, June 22 as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl. Also performing is Lipstick Lumberjack, The Californian, Jacqueline Caruso, Halfbluud, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

Phoebe Bridgers on Facebook, Phoebe Bridgers on Twitter, Phoebe Bridgers on YouTube, Phoebe Bridgers on Vimeo, Phoebe Bridgers on Tumblr, Phoebe Bridgers on Bandcamp, Phoebe Bridgers on Soundcloud

“Desert Balloons” by Lipstick Lumberjack

One look at Lipstick Lumberjack and you’ll understand how their moniker perfectly captures the collective personality of Sam Sobelman and Katherine Donovan. With fire-red hair (and lips) Donovan delivers a complimenting sultry edge to Sobelman’s rustic tones. But what doesn’t make sense is how these denizens of Orange manage to look and sound like they belong in a Sequoia treehouse. Their self-titled EP was recorded in a bedroom and released last year.

Now they are releasing a new track every month this year and calling it the Year of Lumberjackery project. The latest single is the dreamy roots track “Desert Balloons”:

Lipstick Lumberjack will perform at the WitZend as part of Free Bike Valet‘s showcase for the Venice Music Crawl this Saturday, June 22 at noon. Also performing is Phoebe Bridgers, The Californian, Jacqueline Caruso, Halfbluud, Lost On Purpose, Jim And Sam, The Get Down Boys, Steffaloo, and The Cerny Brothers. And it’s FREE!

Lipstick Lumberjack on Facebook, Lipstick Lumberjack on Twitter, Lipstick Lumberjack on Instagram, Lipstick Lumberjack on YouTube, Lipstick Lumberjack on Bandcamp, Lipstick Lumberjack on Soundcloud

“Woman” by Bom Bom

Sophie Stern and David Greenbaum met while students at Berklee College in Boston, but at some point they moved back west to Venice Beach (or Malibu? or Santa Monica?) and became transient beach bums called Bom Bom. They claim their bombastic pop-driven single “Woman” came to them in a dream and was shamelessly influenced by ’90s R&B –but that’s quite obvious after hearing Stern’s gung-ho vocals and buoyant beats.

Bom Bom will be “droppin’ love” at Jubilee this Saturday, June 8th.

Bom Bom on Facebook, Bom Bom on Twitter, Bom Bom on Soundcloud

“Cut It Out” Music Video by Kitten

Los Angeles has always bred a burgeoning rock scene, and every once in a while it’ll send someone into the national market. The city’s next rep is Kitten. Not since the Silversun Pickups‘ breakout has there been such a strong buzz about an Echo Park band and Elektra president Jeff Castelaz (formerly of Dangerbird Records) was one of the many who noticed. Maybe the allure is their youth (frontwoman Chloe Chaidez is only 18) but it’s probably their brooding synth-pop that’s at times an unapologetic throwback to ’80s new wave –an era that predates their birth. And while their songs may tend to have somber beginnings, they often turn radiant due to one consistant asset: Chaidez’s searing voice. Their debut EP, Cut It Out (Elektra) was released last year but expect their full-length soon.

Here’s the EP’s title track music video directed by Hana Ardelean and Jen Szilvagyi (of Tiger Tiger Studio) that follows a night out interrupted by spontaneous lust:

Kitten will next perform at Jubilee on Friday, June 7th.

Kitten’s Official Site, Kitten on Facebook, Kitten on Twitter, Kitten on YouTube, Kitten on Soundcloud

“Chutes And The Ladder” by Dream Panther

Together, Huntington Beach native Nick Kosearas and South Los Angeles native Greg Sheran are Dream Panther. Born out of the FLMY art collective, the duo claims their respective ethnic heritage (Greek, Central American) and neighborhoods influence their sound, but in what way we may never know because their psychedelic beat trips carry a universal pop appeal that they self-describe as “post-gangster soul wave.” Their debut EP, Beyonce’s Child, was released today via Chill Mega Chill Records.

Here’s their first single “Chutes And The Ladder”:

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