Showing posts with label Foster The People. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foster The People. Show all posts

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Halloween Costume Party at Vanguard (10/26)

Dust off your costumes, lingerie and face masks because Halloween weekend is starting.  Kicking off the party-filled, action packed weekend are the fine friends of Collaborative Media as they host their 7tn Annual Halloween Costume Party at Vanguard.

With a line up that boasts a live set from The Presets, Vito & Druzzi from The Rapture spinning the electronic wheels of steel, Miami Horror doing their DJ thing, along with Foster The People's Smims & Belle, Etienne De Crecy and DFA's Surahn - it won't just be the costumes that are dirty.... the dance floor will be too.  I'm talking filthy, filthy, filthy because it will be warmed up by Mobroder, Dirty Dave, Guns in the Sun, Arod, Wishengrad, Frankie Wilde and more.  

The ragefest goes until 3 am - but the freaks start coming out at 9 - so get there early!   Buy tickets here.   If you're lucky, maybe we will send you for free - just hit up contest@supergoodmusic.com to get in on the ticket giveaway or tweet out @supergoodmusic @CollabMedia @therealpresets


Friday, November 11, 2011

The Echo Turns 10!


Voted by Filter Magazine as one of Los Angeles’s top 5 music venues, The Echo is coming-up on it’s 10th anniversary this December 3rd.


An eastside gem, the Echo has featured prime artists such as Beck, Band of Horses, The Decembrists and Vampire Weekend. Its helped launch the careers of acts with their notorious free residencies - including recently Foster The People (resident in early 2011).


Whether musical karma or just the vibe and standards of it’s surrounding, if you see an unknown artist at the Echo, chances are they could blow up soon after (Chain Gang of 1974, Tic Tic Boom!, Polaris At Noon, Cassettes Won't Listen and many more are all playing the residency this month). But the Echo wears many hats; a venue that showcases fresh talent, hosts legit dance parties and simply remains a prime spot to hit the bar on a weekend night (Funky Sole, the free DJ fueled soul-funk dance party event on Saturdays is always good). It drew such attention that it ultimately opened Echoplex downstairs.


To thank all fans of the Echo in celebration of their 10 years, SUPERGOODMUSIC is excited to giveaway tickets to a few shows at this favorite hot spot in the next coming weeks.


Starting tonight, a few of you had the chance to win tickets to the Echo for 11.11.11, featuring Austra, Grimes and Baron Von Luxxury! It’ll be an evening filled with ornate and highly creative sounds from the underground disco beats of Baron Von Luxxury to the catchy synth-gothisms of Grimes, and Canadian trio Austra.


If you missed out on that - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears with support from Sheepdogs is gonna stir up a stage of funky rock-soul and hot harmonies in the Echoplex downstairs. Its $18+ and tickets are $17 at the door. Unfortunately we don't have tickets to giveaway to that show - but I promise it will be excellent. Just check out this video from Black Joe Lewis - "Livin In The Jungle" - if you're not convinced.




Thursday, November 3, 2011

"Call It What You Want" Music Video

Foster The People dropped their latest video from Torches - "Call It What You Want," which is actually my favorite song on the release. Its anthemic, catchy and the hook makes a statement. Foster displays the sexier parts of his vocal range and the song's temperament lends itself well to their concerts...and you could add video to that.



This video mostly stars the Marks, Pontius and Foster - but its playful, well shot and features a handful of cool camera tricks (a mid-air floating Pontius, Foster's head in a fishbowl, the hose on Pontius). I particularly like Pontius' love affair with the mirror and the hose on him playing drums in the bathtub.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Foster The People (SUPERGOODMUSIC Exclusive Remix) & Other Summer Gems (Kosha Dillz & Tic Tic Boom!)


It seems like light years ago that I predicted Foster The People’s smile music was the sound of the future. Having premiered “Pumped Up Kicks” in SUPERGOODMUSIC’s Concert Blast in early 2010 and claimed it would be the next big thing – its been validating seeing it rise up the charts.


The bands two consecutive sold out shows tonight and tomorrow at El Rey Theatre shouldn’t come as a surprise given their album Torches blazed to number 8 on the Billboard charts, the album moved over 50,000 units and “Pumped Up Kicks” climbed to #1 on the alternative charts. That said, the sell out happened long before those sales figures were in – perhaps a testament to the band's vast array of festival performances on the calendar (Coachella, Sasquatch, Glastonbury, Outside Lands, etc.) or their home grown hype fueled by not only our blog’s love, but support from influential stations like KROQ. BTW, if you dont have tickets to their show - they are doing an after party with the Dance Right crew at La Cita. RSVP if you want to get in.


If you were part of the clan that got tickets to the shows – then you’re in for a glance at one of today’s emerging electro indie rock dance-pop acts. Foster The People’s electro rock-pop (indie doesn’t befit a band signed to a subdivision of Columbia) performances bear clear influence from electronic bands like Miike Snow, Cut Copy and others, as do the directions of some of their remixes – including this exclusive SUPERGOODMUSIC hosted gem “Pumped Up Kicks (Polaris At Noon Remix).”


The intro keys portend the dreamy danceathon that explodes at forty-six seconds into the song and from there, the anti-hero jam takes flight. If PUK was the Song of Summer 2010 as we, BlackBookMag and countless other bloggers had suggested, this remix might just be the right rework of that hipster anthem – ready to bear the title of Song of Summer 2011.



For another local LA band that is pumping out music worthy of consideration (and are friends of Foster The People’s drummer Mark Pontius) check out Tic Tic Boom! Their latest release “Bees” is a cute little indie offering that is ripe for summer. Their recent acoustic performance on Hunnypot Radio turned a lot of ears and brought questions on when their acoustic EP will be recorded (soon) and when their next performances are (The Central SAPC on July 27th with Kissing Cousins and Correatown). If you have not checked this band out yet – visit their website at www.ticticboommusic.com and get "Bees" for free from their bandcamp page.


Also worthy of summer rotation, but of a totally different music vein, are Weapons of Audio's "If You Want Me" off of their Bipolar record and the just released RZA track that features new LA resident and rising hip-hop MC, Kosha Dillz as well as the legendary Kool G Rap. RZA dropped “Operator” on his facebook and soundcloud page for #WuWednesdays yesterday – giving crowds of heads a hot potato to marinate over after July 4th BBQs were officially over. The unexpected release of "Operator" came on the same day as Kosha's teaser for his documentary dropped that follows him through some of his trials and tribulations as one of the hardest working MCS in hip-hop.


Read more about Kosha Dillz on his website Kosha Dillz World.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Get Hip To Gardens & Villa: Playing Tonight at Bootleg

Get hip to Gardens and Villa because these boys aren't going anywhere. Equipped with a quiver of flutes, vocals with great range and a vibrant indie band - this troupe may just be the next thing to hit out of Los Angeles.

Not only are their live shows highly entertaining (and occasionally reminiscent of Jethro Tull), but their recordings are solid. I really dig "Black Hills" for which they made a music video

Black Hills by Gardens & Villa from Secretly Jag on Vimeo.



The band hits the road with L.A.'s latest breakout, Foster The People, but I'm thinking that Gardens and Villa could steal the thunder. The lead vocalists voice is a bit more polished and less annoying. Plus, it feels more indie wholesome.

And, unlike Foster The People, who have many songs that unfold into similar jungle jams that have Foster playing one drum rather poorly (i.e. "Broken Jaw", "Helena Beat", etc.) - Gardens and Villa's jam sessions have real chemistry and don't all sound the same.

You can catch these cool cats with a bunch of other indie all-stars tonight at Bootleg Bar. They are joined by White Arrows, Milo Greene and Dangerbird Records' Eulogies. Should be awesome. And it is FREE!!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Pictureless Observations from LA's Music Scene

So, I foolishly have hit the town the last few nights sans camera. While that means we don't have pictures to share from our escapades - there are still stories, highlights and bands worthy of mention since our last update.

Saturday night brought us to the second night of Flying Lotus for the epic introduction of Lotus with a band. With Lotus flying high off the release of Cosmogramma, the night was one to be remembered. Not only was there a Cosmogramma themed design-your-own-tee-shirt station in the back of the Echoplex, but there were Cosmogramma images being projected on walls both inside and out. The whole night had a very artistic avant-garde feel to it - which was only further emphasized by the improvisational saxophone playing of Ravi Coltrane.

Looking at the bill for Saturday night, I did not anticipate that we'd go from Gaslamp Killer to Coltrane's quintessential jazz in a matter of an hour, but it happened. Spanning the spectrum of multiple genres, the night became a melting pot of experimentation, collaboration and last, but not least, people. There were all sorts of heads out - from electro freaks, to hip-hop heads, to music critics, to seeming jazz aficionados. While the eastside is more often the locale for finding a mixed bag of people - this was one of the more diverse crowds I'd seen at a show recently. Although we tuckered out at the end of Flying Lotus' set, we were happy to have witnessed Flying Lotus' first full band performance. If you failed to make it - you can check out some free flying lotus downloads from www.rcrdlbl.com right here - http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Flying_Lotus/music - including his remix of Kanye West's "Love Lock Down."

Sunday we took the night off from concerts, but we were back at it again on Monday with stops at the Libertine and 14 Below. The Libertine, hosted Hunnypot Unlimited's radio show with guest Foster The People, who unfortunately cancelled their performance due to a band member's personal issues. Nonetheless, "Hot Tub" John Anderson asked the questions and produced some nuggets of information about the recently signed and rising LA indie-electro-soul buzzband. From Libertine we made an obligatory stop at Pinches Tacos (best Carne Asada taco in town), before heading to the westside to meet up with A/J and Dak of Saint Motel for Glen & The Sunshine Gang at 14 Below.

Arriving at 14 Below, A/J, Dak and I bumped into @berkorules of @theviperroom before witnessing the crazed unitard party that is Glen & The Sunshine Gang. With half the band in skeleton themed unitards, it was a spectacle to be seen. That picture was only made more graphic when the pantsless keyboard and effects player removed his shirt and started dancing in his tighty whities in the middle of the crowd. I was particularly down with their juiced up version of "We Didn't Start The Fire", the classic song from Billy Joel's Storm Front album. Glen, their front man, who began the song by jumping off stage in his not so flattering to the crotchal region all red unitard, gave a performance that can only be described as rock star. What this band might lack in great songs they make up for in great (and energetic) live show. Although I can't say SUPERGOODMUSIC will be rocking out to Glen & The Sunshine Gang tracks on a regular basis - we do look forward to seeing the band again and intend on being a bit more intoxicated to enjoy the balls to the wall party that is GTSG.

Last night we ventured to The Roxy in hopes of catching both Ironheel and Bigelf. Ironheel includes band members (Jim) that hail from Boom D's hometown of Shaker Heights, but unfortunately, SUPERGOODMUSIC missed their performance. We did happen to catch Vas Defrans and Bigelf - both loud, but both worthy of The Roxy's stage. Bigelf not only had big sound, but big make-up, big hair and a big wardrobe. For reference the lead singer - whose name I do not know - was wearing a striped scarf and a jacket, with a mane down to at least his shoulders and more eye make-up than you've seen since Cats. (Okay, the Cats reference is an overstatement, but I'm just saying - homeboy rocks the make-up hard). We caught most of their big performance but left a little early to attempt a run at seeing Steve Aoki and Special Guest at Dimmak....which was thwarted by Frankie & Johnny's scrumptious pizza and a desire to watch LOST. (BTW - LOST finally answered some questions!)

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Twenty-Foster Hours To Go

(Photo by Ashley Sears)

That's right, a little more than 24 hours to go until Foster The People take stage, please brains and make fans at The Viper Room on Wednesday February 24, 2010. It's never too early to start getting hyped, especially when so many other people are doing the same and buzzing about the band as evidenced by their popularity on hypem.com.

Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" is currently sitting in the Top 10 most popular on hypem.com, propelled by its recent appearance in NYLON TV's coverage of Anna Sui during fashion week. All Mark Foster and his people needed was a vehicle for their music to be absorbed, and like lightning the 20 something artist from the suburbs of Cleveland and his band of People are making a serious buzz. You can check out the cool video from Nylon TV here or see it on YouTube here.

Not only are they turning eyes on NYLON TV and ears on hypem.com, but they expect to turn some heads at their show at The Viper Room. It just so happens to be Mark Foster's birthday celebration (the guy was actually born on leap year day) so you can only imagine what might transpire. If it is anything like their performance at the Stand Up benefit, you can expect some impressive vocals from Mark and some inspiring and creative improvisation from the entire band.

To top that off - the band just announced that they will be performing 2 shows in Austin, TX during SXSW - once on March 17th at a Music & Tech Mashup Event at Rusty Spurs along with other rising acts from Los Angeles like Saint Motel and Odd Modern, and on March 19th at the Rooftop Riot! at The Blind Pig on 6th Street where they will be sharing the stage with Andrew W.K. himself as well as other buzz bands including Glint and Little Girls.

Help the band continue building their buzz by giving them a heart on hypem here.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Breaking News - Foster The People Stand Up For The Kids In Venice


While we're working late at night on the Concert Blast, I just needed to share with the supergood community how exciting it was to see Foster The People this weekend at the Stand Up Charity Benefit.

Mark and the band were on fire. Mark kicked it off with some solo piano and guitar playing, where he charmed the crowd as he always does.




After several songs, Mark was joined by the rest of the band, including Reazon on his MPC 2000 XL.

As the band opened into a fuller sound, the room quickly became much more full. The bartenders were dancing, the temperature was rising., famous people were in the house (Desperate Housewives cast members as seen below, William H. Macy) and children were even gathering around for the performance.



In addition to covering material from Mark's previous work with the Rondo Brothers, the band also did the debut performance of "Pumped Up Kicks" which is available for download at the bands site - http://www.fosterthepeople.com/




The band treated the crowd to an impromptu version of "Get Up, Stand Up" that featured some improvised vocals by Mark (singing) and freestyles (Reason) that drew tremendous applause.

At the end of the night, you could feel a buzz in the crowd as if something special had happened. This band is poised to do big things in 2010. "Pumped Up Kicks" will be featured in NYLON's online coverage of Fashion Week and the band is currently working on confirming a date or two at SXSW - so interested parties should definitely holler at them! Don't miss out on the next special performance from Foster The People (and the second chance to hear the sure-fire hit "Pumped Up Kicks" live) at The Viper Room on February 24th. It will also be Mark's birthday celebration - so I might expect something wild :)