L.A. band Nightmare Air are back in town! They’re playing a few shows in support of a brand new vinyl release (Goodnight Records) for last year’s debut album, High In The Lasers. It’s not out until March 25, but it will be shipped out on March 11 to those who preordered. There’s also a special package available that includes the “California Adventure Pack” (band branded frisbee and koozie).
If you’re in or around NYC, you can see them performing tomorrow night (Saturday, Feb. 22) as part of the Goodnight Records showcase, and they’ll have the new vinyl available at the show. This is at Death by Audio (49 S 2nd St, Brooklyn) with The Big Sleep, KNTRLR and Sun Club. Nightmare Air are on at 10pm.
They’ll be at Elevens in Northampton, MA on Sunday night (2/23) and at The Middle East (Upstairs) on Monday night, 2/24. In Boston, they’re up second to last, with inAeona headlining and André Obin and then Lehnan opening.
Here is the second installment in my four-part Eastside L.A. midyear band round-up. I’ve decided this will be my “last hurrah,” so let’s make it a good one. These are all fine bands and are highly recommended. Have a listen and see them live if you can. This time I feature Fort King, George Glass, Halfbluud, Haunted Summer, Ima Robot, Leslie Stevens, Local Natives, Many Embers, Marvelous Toy, Nightmare Air, Northern Youth and One Trick Pony (or rather, Randolph Williams’s solo projects). Here we go then, marching bravely on.
Ah, the ups and downs and overall strangeness of being in an indie rock band. One day, it’s supporting The Airborne Toxic Event in big sold out love fests and the next, it’s a hard slog middle slot at the living room-sized P.A.’s Lounge in that hipster enclave, Somerville. Actually, I think P.A.’s knocked a wall down recently, so make that a large living room. If you need to have your face melted with a densely layered psychedelic-tinged full-on noise party, Nightmare Air can most definitely help you out.
They released their debut album back in March, and have some East Coast and West Coast dates planned for this month. Go see them. At P.A.’s they’re listed as second band up after Joe Turner & the Seven Levels. Tennis System is headlining. For now, turn up the volume on the video below, and imagine what this will sound like in a small room. Yowsa.
5/8 — PA’s Lounge — Somerville, MA — w/ Tennis System (L.A.), Heaven (NYC) and Joe Turner & the Seven Levels
5/9 — Shea Stadium — New York, NY — w/ Tennis System and Dead Leaf Echo
5/10 — Union Pool — New York, NY — w/ Tennis System and Heaven
5/13 — The Barbary — Philadelphia, PA — w/ Tennis System
5/15 — On the Rox (The Roxy) — Los Angeles, CA
5/20 — The Echo — Los Angeles, CA — w/ Torches (residency)
5/30 — Silverlake Lounge — Los Angeles, CA — w/ United Ghosts (residency)
6/14 — Toronto, Canada — NXNE Festival
IMPORTANT: SHOWS AFTER 3/29 DURHAM, NH HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO AN IMPENDING AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT (TOUR) (congratulations guys!)
A noisy and beautiful psychedelic assault comes to Allston tomorrow night.
Nightmare Air is a band I’ve written about before in musings, as part of my annual Eastside L.A. Roundups. They’re noisy, spacey, psychedelic, powerful, and they just released their debut album, High In The Lasers. It’s an otherworldly adventure from Dave Dupuis (guitar, vocals) and Swaan Miller (bass, vocals). Both have a rich history in L.A. bands—Dave is in the band Film School, and Swaan put out an acoustic album in 2003, later released on Important Records. Jimmy Lucido joins them on drums for a full sonic assault and a wall of glorious space and distortion. Vocals veer from ethereal to paint-peeling, and the effect is hallucinatory. It was mixed by Dave Schiffman (Nine Inch Nails, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Mars Volta) and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Sonic Youth, The White Stripes). They’re currently on tour across the U.S., about midway through (having just performed sold out shows in Cali with The Wedding Present and with fellow L.A. Eastsiders The Happy Hollows. Next up are visits to Boston, Brooklyn, New Hampshire, Maine, the Midwest and Denver, beginning tomorrow night at Great Scott in Allston.
They began back in 2008 after a Film School tour, releasing their debut EP in 2009 and touring the U.S. and Canada in support of it. They pulled off quite a feat last year for a little indie band, embarking on a 3-1/2 month, 9-country world tour with no label and no booking agency, and even before their debut album. Happily, they now have a label—two, in fact. Their debut is available from Vinyl Junkie in Japan (with alternate artwork and bonus tracks), and Saint Marie Records everywhere else. Shake off those winter cobwebs in a major way, and go see them live if you can.
(top left to bottom): Nightmare Air, Malcolm Sosa and Kim Haden, Local Natives
Hello fellow Eastside L.A. enthusiasts. It’s been nearly a year since I’ve done this (February, to be exact), so it’s time. My rules for inclusion are as follows: the band has to have had something vaguely resembling an update within the past few months or some clear indication that they have not in fact broken up or gone into semi-hibernation.
By those standards, the following bands are “MIA” and presumed gone (if not, please let me know): Autolux, Death To Anders (but see below) and Just An Animal (formerly Red Cortez; see Harley Cortez and Calvin Love solo projects below).
I have also decided, after this update, to let go of those bands who have defected to Brooklyn (or other parts), but I will of course continue to cover my favorites separately. So without further ado >>
Being as how it’s Valentine’s Day, I thought I should show some love for those Eastside L.A. bands I really like (the ones that live and/or play there – you know who you are). Let’s see what you guys have planned for this year. I’m so sorry I’ve neglected you… can you forgive me?
One Trick Pony (photo by Zoe Ruth), Princeton (photo by Laura Heffington), The Sweet Hurt, The French Semester (photo by Olivia Hemaratanatorn), Sara Lov (photo by Paige K. Parsons), and Wait. Think. Fast.
Here’s “part two” of my latest installment of really awesome Eastside L.A. bands (see part one, in case you missed it). Please forgive the brevity, but there’s just so much amazing music going on out there, I want to mention as many as possible. As I become more familiar, I’ll do larger profiles and maybe review new music when it comes out. And certainly, if any of these guys make the cross-country journey to these parts, I’ll be sure to let everyone know! As always, if there’s anything or anyone I missed who deserves mention, please pass it along.
