PREVIEW: MAKE MUSIC PASADENA
Make Music Pasadena is stacked with wall to wall music on over 20 stages. I’ll highlight just a hand ful of bands here.
Cults play the Old Pasadena Indie Rock Stage at 4 p.m. This is a band that I flew across the Atlantic to catch. I first caught one of their sets at FYF and decided I’d fly off to the U.K. to catch a much more personal set at Rough Trade Records. You don’t believe me? I have an Intraffik post to prove it!!!
At 5 p.m., there are two awesome bands hitting two different stages, Milo Greene and NO. Milo Greene will be at the Old Pasadena Indie Rock Stage while NO will be at the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena. I love to rotate around on Monday nights in Los Angeles to catch various residency bands. I don’t usually stop at the same place twice in a month, but for Milo Greene I stopped by twice at The Satellite. And last year when Sunset Junction got cancelled, my music needs were satisfied by heading over to Dangerbird Records to catch their set. My love for NO is well documented. If they played too early for you on Sunday at Silver Lake Jubilee, you get another chance to catch them in a late afternoon time slot.
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NO
Milo Greene"
honeyhoney
Grouplove
Black Flamingo
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At 6 p.m., there is a massive traffic jam of bands hitting with Grouplove at the Old Pasadena Indie Rock Stage, Honeyhoney at the Levitt Pavilion Pasadena and Black Flamingo playing the Majestical Roof Courtyard Stage. Good luck with having to make a decision there. I know I’m conflicted. The last time I saw either Grouplove or Honeyhoney was when each had separate residencies at Bootleg Bar. I do have a longer history with Honeyhoney. I still remember the first time I caught honeyhoney at what was then known as Spaceland. I heard “Little Toy Gun” and was hooked. As for Grouplove, their Bootleg residency show was the first time I saw them. The place was packed. There were smiles throughout. If you listen to the radio for an hour, you’re more than likely to catch their song. As for Black Flamingo, I recently did a post on them when they played with NO. Do you want to hear demons and angels joining in harmony?
And here are some quick shout outs: Happy Hallows plays at noon. The Lonely Wild at 2 p.m. Grimes at 5 p.m. Caught at Ghost at 6:30 p.m. Shadow Shadow Shade and Ross Sea Party at9:45 p.m. Robotanists are also playing their first show in some time at Make Music Pasadena
OUT TO SEE: BLACK FLAMINGO, NO, RAW GERONIMO
Three bands that I love playing on the same night. What are the chances of that happening? (Okay, maybe it isn’t that rare of an event, but it does provide a reason to write a post on Intraffik!) That’s what happened on a recent Monday night at The Echo when Black Flamingo and Raw Geronimo shared the stage with the March residency band NO.
I ran across both Black Flamingo and Raw Geronimo last year. I caught Black Flamingo at Silver Lake Jubilee. Raw Geronimo was a chance encounter. I was at The Standard in Downtown Los Angeles to support a friend’s poetry reading. Afterwards, a group of us headed up to the rooftop where Raw Geronimo was getting ready to play a set. I also ran into our Intraffik editor who was there specifically to see Raw Geronimo. As for NO, I first heard about them last year when I read somewhere that they did a house show during the Sunset Junction cancelled weekend and that they drew a massive crowd. I didn’t get to catch one of their sets until this year, however.
Of the trio, Black Flamingo (pictured below)hit the stage first. Their music is layered with a gothic chanting sound that tempts you into believing you’re in an ancient London church, but in reality you’re being enchanted out in a dark forest.
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Noticed after their set: I believe Black Flamingo must hold the record for quickest clean-up after finishing a set at The Echo.
Comment of the night: “Make sure you stick around for Raw Geronimo. I’m a connoisseur of girl fronted bands.”
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NO played the 11 p.m. slot. This band hasn’t been around for that long (two years, I believe), but I swear the front man and the whole band in general plays with unbelievable confidence and poise. When lead singer Bradley stepped out onto those speakers that line the front of the stage, you couldn’t help but feel drawn to him. As for their sound, it demands your attention.
NO (pictured above) had a number of special guests for the night. A violinist. The Echo Park Community Choir. There was also a toy accordion that briefly held the spotlight. The place was packed with folks having to stand on top of the benches that line the back walls.
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Raw Geronimo closed out the night. Yes, way past my normal bedtime during a school night, but they did represent the last of the trio and there was no way I was going to miss their set. Their music is raw, just like their name implies. And for a photographer like me, they’re a dream. Laena, the lead singer, is the ultimate contortionist. Who knows what she’ll do next. It is a fun challenge trying to guess how to best capture her. It doesn’t really matter if I am only able to capture one or two good photos of her. What matters is the challenge of trying to capture her in the camera frame.
*thanks to The Echo for having these three bands.