With all the anger and depression most rock bands endorse in their lyrics, The Juliana Theory stands out as one that takes pride in its optimism. “We like to generate a hopeful sense to our listeners. We’ve never been a grim rock band,” said bass player Chad Alan. “We just write about life and what’s […]
Author Archives: Jess Rodgers
Los Angeles-based Rilo Kiley come home for show, tell stories through lyrics
With Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennet chanting “you can do it, Jenny” to his decidedly taciturn band mate Jenny Lewis, the soft-spoken vocalist and guitarist Lewis created a distinctly informal atmosphere for a phone interview. Lewis and her band mates are careful not to take their roles as musicians more seriously than required. The L.A.-based […]
One Beat
Picture a half-naked man, wrapped in only a loin cloth while he plays an 800 pound drum alone on the stage of Royce Hall. This act, along with another piece in which players drum while sitting on the floor in a half sit-up position for about 10 minutes, is a piece by Kodo, a taiko […]
Four Labeque hands to make for a musical evening
The French-born pianists Marielle and Katia Labeque bring their musical passion to pieces in nearly every genre. The sisters’ willingness to learn from experts in various fields contributes to the repertoire that earns them critical acclaim. “Just to go and discover new music and composers is very important,” Marielle said. “I don’t want to plan. […]
Matranga stays humble with audience interaction
Jonah’s Onelinedrawing is not the typical gathering of musicians that you’d expect to see on stage. The group regularly includes singer and guitarist Jonah Matranga and an R2D2 tape recorder that plays drumbeats, not to mention the frequent unplanned friends that jump up to join him. “The best thing that I can bring to any […]
UCLA ensembles to add spark to Christmas carol canon
Don’t be surprised to hear carols about inviting a goblin home for Christmas, or a song about enjoying the holidays in a tropical climate replacing the usual white Christmas fantasies this Saturday. Strongly influenced by Grimm’s Fairy tales, the collection of eight songs in composer Roger Bourland’s and lyricist William MacDuff’s “The Crocodile’s Christmas Ball […]
Raining Jane to play for Habitat benefit
The four women who make up the band Raining Jane are an eclectic group, with interests and time commitments ranging from volleyball to cello performance. But they still have time to promote humanitarian causes with their music. Laughing and praising each other’s individual accomplishments after a late night rehearsal was one way the band showed […]