Terraplane Sun is a band you don’t want to miss. The blues-rock quintet has an upcoming feature on the NBC’s show 1st Look LA. They will hold there second residency at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas coming this winter November and December. With Las Vegas and several live dates in Amsterdam, Terraplane Sun has been embarking on their west coast tour with shows at the Echo, Bootleg Theater, Hotel Cafe, Malibu Inn and more to come.
When The Rescues play Hotel Café, they sell it out. Not only do they sell it out, they are given an encore, which avid music lovers know is a very rare occurrence in intimate Los Angeles venues. The superior songwriting team of Kyler England, Rob Giles, Adrianne Gonzales, and Gabriel Mann has been shaking up the music scene since the release of their debut album, Let Loose The Horses. The individually accomplished singer/songwriters are making a name for themselves as a collective unit, with their flawless harmonies and clever lyrics. Prior to the band’s recent Los Angeles show, we chatted about their many song placements on popular TV shows. The fabulous foursome also told us about a superfan in India bringing them overseas to play a show and shared their “unique” method of deciding who gets to sing what on stage.
Since it opened up in 2000, Los Angeles’ Hotel Café has been a hotbed of singer/songwriter activity, routinely turning out quality shows for audiences of no more than 200 people. With a super intimate floor plan, great lighting and sound, and $9 glasses of Knob Creek, it’s one of my favorite venues in the city, and like Largo or Spaceland (R.I.P.), one of the few spots that curates consistently amazing lineups. Last Friday night the Making Friends Tour rolled in, featuring a trio of West Coast talent in Jenny O (LA), Holcombe Waller (SF) and Barcelona (Seattle). Since I got there early enough to cop one of the few candlelit tables—complete with waitress service—you know the Knob Creek was flowing.
Breanne Düren, the bubbly touring background vocalist/keyboard player for Owl City, has recently released an EP of her own. The 5-song disc, Sparks, debuted at number 3 on the iTunes pop chart on its May 3rd street date. Düren, who is currently on tour promoting her latest project, will be jumping back on the road with Owl City and opening up the set for several dates in major cities along the way.
Before her set at Hollywood’s Hotel Café, Düren sat down with ChinaShop to chat about her new solo career. She discusses leaving college to jump on the road for what she thought was a 2-month stint with Owl City, which turned into an opportunity that any artist would kill for, as well as how her experience touring inspired the songs she wrote for Sparks.
Sierra Swan definitely doesn’t fit the mold of the typical cookie cutter singer/songwriter. She’s dark, mysterious, and has an attitude about her. Sierra is no stranger to the recording industry. In 1997, she was signed to MCA as a member of Dollshead. In 2000, she launched a solo career, which led to a stint on Atlantic Records. After catching the ear of Linda Perry, Sierra found herself landing a deal at Interscope Records. Since her debut album and time with Interscope, Sierra has gone on to release an EP titled “Coward,” as well as “Queen of the Valley” and “Girl Who Cried Wolf.” She’s done some amazing things such as collaborate with Billy Corgan and travel to Liverpool with Ringo Starr to sing and play keys on an album.
Sierra took the stage at Hotel Café on Monday January 31st and showed Los Angeles that she is back and ready to reemerge behind the spotlight. She may have recently had a baby but is that hasn’t seemed to slow her down one bit. Also on the evening’s bill was a set of cover songs by Linda Perry as well as Heather Porcaro. Sierra has been working hard on some very exciting projects. A recent endeavor was collaboration on a project with her musician father, Billy Swan, which they recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis.
There was typical preshow chaos backstage with musicians busting in left and right but Sierra and I managed to squeeze in a conversation about motherhood, songwriting, and the exciting new EP she just recorded with her father.
So & So is Amie Miriello, Brandon Rogers, Bana Haffar, Adam Hanson, and Jay Dmuchowski – who prefers to be called Raisin Higgins. The band came together when Amie, an established singer in the Los Angeles area, and childhood friend Jay teamed up with producer Rob Wells to form the ultimate songwriting team. It wasn’t long after that the duo sought out the perfect partners in crime and the project matured into a full-fledged band. With the addition of American Idol Season six contestant and soulful singer Brandon, Adam on drums, and bassist Bana, So & So came to fruition in September 2010. The feisty five and I sat down for some laughs as they discussed their new album on the horizon and big tour plans for 2011. In between interview questions and technically off the record, the band and I bonded over intimate descriptions of their colons and jokes they have painfully refrained from saying in front of Mormon audiences.