Bradford Cox of Deerhunter foto © Justin Hollar

Our first post in this new feature is a sweet bit of indie-rock from Atlanta, GA (my hometown) based group Deerhunter.  This song, “Agoraphobia,” was featured on their 2008 album Microcastle, one of the best releases from last year.  “Agoraphobia” is defined as an abnormal fear of open or public spaces.  On the face of it, much of that comes across in the lyrics to the song, where it seems the subject wants to be locked away, perhaps in an asylum, isolated from the world.

However, when I listen to this song, especially the way Bradford Cox sings the beautiful use of alliteration in the opening, I’m strangely reminded not of a person who is scared of being in public and wants to be alone, but instead someone who is madly, blindly, obsessively in love (more…)

Get Your Mojo Working At Gris~Gris!!!

I am very pleased to announce that I’ll be starting up a new weekly at a legendary spot in downtown Los Angeles, beginning Sunday August 2nd. The night is called “Gris Gris,” and it will go down every Sunday night from 10pm-2am at La Cita, located at 336 S. Hill St.

This night will feature a variety of styles, Soul, Funk, Latin Bugalú, Salsa Dura, Yé-yé, Mod, Beat, Psych, Proto-Punk, Tropicália, Ska, Rock Steady, Reggae, and other Rare Grooves to recharge your mojo and start the week off right. We’ll primarily focus on original sounds from the 1960s & early 1970s, but also include contemporary artists that channel the spirits of the past.

This breakdown turned out to be longer than I thought it would…couple of important things to note about the first set. The opening song from Gary Bartz, “JuJu Man,” is not only one of my favorite tracks from him, but it’s also an apt song of celebration for the new weekly that I’m starting at La Cita in downtown Los Angeles, called “Ju Ju” on Sunday nights, 10pm-2am, starting August 2nd (full post on that coming shortly). (more…)