Carina Round at The Hotel Cafe. She was excited, thrilled to play the Hotel Cafe. And why not? A sip of whiskey and she started a set with her duo backing her up. There is something about live music that makes you wonder what goes through a band’s mind as they set out to tackle their performance. The thing about Carina Round, is simply this, she belonged on the Hotel Cafe stage last night and the people in the audience made their best efforts to make her feel that. She delivered a performance worthy of the “indie” label because she just kept it real, stripped down, doing it her way.

The thing about this type of performance is, we demand it. Its real, simple, personal and you get to the know the band a little. Rather then just go through a hurried set, Carina Round, was part therapist last night, talking about relationships, part word smith, joking with us, about some of the word choices we make in this country, and part comedian, as she just engaged us all. But ultimately, she was a serious performer with a message and fierceness to match her short set.

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Just a few words. The reason is because I do not want to cheapen or influence others with what I say. But simply put, you put the beautiful singer/songwriter Lex Land on stage and within, oh maybe 30 seconds she will light up the entire room. The sultry, voice keeps you consumed for her entire set. She has been doing some shows regularly at The Hotel cafe and last night I finally got a chance to see her for myself.

Last night was a happy accident, I showed up early and here was one of the local artists we have been mentioning on Loudvine.com for a while but always missing her. So I sat down and watched her perform.

What a treat to listen to her last night. A sweet, and I mean sweet voice, accompanied by her bassist and drummer, she fills in the cracks, touches you were you like to be tickled so deeply, you almost feel embarrassed when someone finds your spot. Lex Land found my spot last night. She found it with a voice that bounced off the Hotel Cafe brick walls and lingered in the air. Over and over and dam it felt so good. This girl is going to blow up, mark my words. Her tenderness, vocals need to roam and her time will come. While the attitude is so very LA, her sound is worldly.

She can do it all, from classical to acoustic, all in such a loving way, like soft a hand on your back that gently guides you. You trust it, her voice that is. You do not know where it is going to take to take you but you know you will be in a happy place after listening to her sing live.

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Ok. Very fired up. Its not everyday Kraak & Smaak hit you up and say, please sit down with us. Ok, so maybe it was someone on their “team,” but seriously who cares, its Kraak & Smaak.

So I drop in the copy of the new album, “Plastic People,” the latest album that has them doing promotions in the United States for a few shows and I just let the album take me where it is supposed to take me. Kraak & Smaak in town for a bunch of promotions including the Jimmy Kimmel Show, decided to have a sit down with Loudvine.com(INTERVIEW HERE)

Kraak & Smaak have been around for a while, they have a sweet discography that includes “Boogie Angst” and now the dynamic Kraak & Smaak has dropped “Plastic People” for all of us to relish in. Kraak & Smaak continues to grow up with a fiercer sound. Building off the karma that comes along with playing across the world to large crowds, Kraak & Smaak have built up postivity by simply giving people what they need, good and inspired live sets. When you factor in all those experiences, combine it with an amazing collection of korgs, rhodes and mix it in with being able to digg from one of the worlds sickest vinyl collection to sample from, Kraak & Smaak on “Plastic People” continue to make music that shows they are growing, not staying static, and striving to take the next step in their own musical evolution. And we are better off because of it.

This latest album has eclectic, wide ranging sounds, from some eastern infused beats to more pop-ish sounds. “Plastic People” is still lined up with the funky bass lines that Kraak & Smaak are known for bumping loudly. “Plastic People” will run through you like good music is expected to, causing you to experience a wonderful hour of sounds that makes you wish you were on some dancefloor watching Kraak & Smaak spin live for you and a few of your closest thousands of friends. There is a communal feel that will connect, that feeling of wanting to share this music with others, throughout this album. You can feel it, from the title track “Plastic People, ” to “Ain’t Gonna Take it No More” to “Squeeze Me.”

The need to connect, “stripped down,” to its very core, allows Kraak & Smaak to connect their sound with people all over the world. Kraak & Smaak make music for the people. You hear their distinctive tones on this album that will inspire you to finish your late nights with “Plastic People” still playing over and over again. “Plastic People” shows you that Kraak & Smaak, continue to grow make fun, funk, and captivating music that will still resonate in your entire being long after you have turned it off. “Plastic People” shows they have matured and their sound, as it always has been is ready for the US and beyond on an even bigger scale.

With a sound that now borders on sexier, heavier lounge, Kraak & Smaak tackles “Plastic People” with the same deep, probing bass and vocals and samples that continue to set Kraak & Smaak apart from others. They are true to form, making organic and good music and will guaranteedto get any party and dance floor moving. Music is supposed to uplift us. Take us away, create a fun, happy place to take us to. The album “Plastic People” does all these things. I can only imagine what their set @ the Henry Ford Music box on Friday, November 21st will be like.

We are lucky to have them in Los Angeles as they make their way up the pacific west coast to San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and so many other great cities. I know they will leave the audience seeking that legendary Kraak & Smaak sound that makes you want to just forget everything else and let the music take hold of you.

Kraak & Smaak talks to Loudvine.com about a few things.

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Last night was my inaugural Everest experience. I’d heard a handful of their songs online, but seeing a band live almost always casts it in a new light. For Everest, this is especially true. Their music fuses Neil Young-dusted Americana with a brand of ethereal indie. Granted, the less-than-great speakers on my computer maybe didn’t convey all the textures, but live I realized just how panoramic their sound is.

I got to The Echoplex just as Indie Check 1-Tuesday’s night was getting a proper intro. The Henry Clay People were on stage, bouncing around, hammering out song after song about that weird transition between post adolescence and adulthood, with equal parts heart and wit. They got the crowd riled and ready for what was next.

Everest came on, and the audience immediately grew. Everyone who’d been hanging out by the bar or waiting in the wings came up close. With 6 people (including 3 guitarists), the band easily occupied the large Echoplex stage. True to their sound, they began easy, nothing too mellow or too hard. Behind them, they were accompanied by a very cool visual: across a huge screen, artistically-rendered snow drifted over a mountain. The hypnotic huge-ness of it nicely mirrored what was happening on stage. Without much swinging or jumping, the band created full soundscapes around their otherwise straightforward songs. The visual and aural together lifted the set’s more lyrical, romantic tunes into something greater.

About a quarter of the way into the set, the singer brought out his friends, the Watson Twins (you may also know them as, well, The Watson Twins). For indie geeks, it was a big moment. They lent some pretty harmonies to the chorus of a song, before leaving just as quickly as they entered.

Typically I enjoy watching bands that are a little more energetic, but Everest didn’t need to be. In fact, it would’ve been kind of weird if they were all over the place. They peppered in just the right amount of upbeat songs to keep the set from stalling, and they seemed to be having a blast through all of it. The singer at one point even told the crowd, “This is just about the most fun I’ve ever had.”

And now, after seeing them, I can finally say that I — wait for it — conquered Everest.

Written by B. Soika
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Ok, I have two different kinds of socks on, my girlfriend just left me for someone else and I’m late to the show. My first assignment with Loudvine.com. Now this is a piece about a guy who grew up on hip-hop with a little rock sprinkled in getting thrown to the wolves and cracked over the skull by some good Punk Rock. Shit, what have I been missing?

I’d had a tough day and this turned out to be exactly what I needed. Live music has that ability to help people like me, it really took my mind off things.

I walk into The Echo, already I get a sense I am about o be part of something special. Really special. Right away I notice a woman in a pink striped dress (Josephine of Love is All) as she jumps on stage and just, quickly, seemed to kill any doubt in mind that I was not going enjoy myself. Everything about her made me want to move as she didn’t miss a beat playing crude, probing sounds from her old beat up Casio keyboard which she jokingly named, “Honey I Shrunk The Keyboard” that made me hang to every note.

I realized that there’s something so untouched when it comes to this scene. No corporate ventures or saturated glamour. It is just raw emotion and expression. For someone who grew up on the other side of things it was a true breath of fresh air. At a hip-hop show it’s formulaic, you know what to expect, like, “Put your hands up!!, Say hell ya!!!” And while it works, you know its coming.

As Love is All’s set was going it, place people were just doing that without being told. They were feeling it and I was feeling it. There is something so powerful about live music and tonight at the Part Time Punk show it was no different. Halfway through the show I realized that Love is All is one of new my favorite bands and I was going to pick up the disc before I left. I am not a punk rocker and and know very little about punk rock but this was something I’ll remember for a long time. After all, punk rock is a state of mind and Love is All is about it and they so show that attitude when on stage.

I enjoyed myself for many reasons but one reason most of all. In a venue such as The Echo and with its easy unscene-scene, I knew this was a celebration of good music. This was evident by the crowd, as if it was  as it should always be about, just the live music. In other words, tell me when the next all day punk-rock festival and when I can hear great bands like Love is All is and I’m there to cover it for Loudvine.com.

Written by J.Towers.
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In the past couple years I have noticed something—rappers, underground and mainstream alike- have made an interesting addition to the live show criteria. Now more than ever, rappers seem to have really taken to incorporating live bands and instrumentation into their shows.

In previous years, the formula was basic to get your crowd hyped and moved–you would get a DJ to play your CD, bump your beats, have four or five colobos where others would rap your stuff loudly, and of course pay your respect to Tupac and Biggie. Plus, of course, any rapper worth anything would constantly remind the crowd they were the realist rapper living, and if time permitted, have their posse’s crew jump on stage and get their 15 seconds of fame in. You had to, it was expected. Whatever the order, you could always count on all these things at any live hip hop show.

Then something wonderful started to happen. Hip-hop based groups like Gym Class Heroes, The Roots, and N.E.R.D., became the next wave of hip hop performers, that embraced a new, more refreshing, a great alternative and started really using live instrumentation and creating a more live musical feel on stage. And while I have been to plenty of hip hop shows in my day, actually too many to count, some of the first first hip hop shows with a live band left me wondering, if it would get better.  But then along the way Black Milk happened and I knew the answer. Yes! There was real hip hop, live on stage with a purpose. They were following in the tradition of some of the early pioneers but doing it their own way.

Equipped with a DJ, drummer, a keyboard player, and an MPC (which Milk frequents throughout his set to jam with his band), Black Milk has pulled off a well orchestrated live show to promote their already buzzing second album, Tronic (fatbeats). When watching and listening to him live, you get a great sense of growth and creativity from Milk. Lyrically he’s proven himself amongst his Detroit peers like Slum Village and Royce Da’ 5’9, and from a production standpoint he has shown that he can hold his own. With Tronic, Milk has managed to step out even more on the creative end to hand listener’s a dose of more complex arrangements and classic, head nodding beats, as can be heard on Give the Drummer Sum and Hell Yeah. These Dilla inspired grooves translated really well on stage, and I would know, as I just saw him at The Knitting Factory. Another thing I noticed, Milk really trusts his band mates and this can be seen when Milk let’s his band take over into a montage of instrumentals that leaves you wanting more.

Milk’s passion and versatility, continues to raise the bar as a performer. This could be felt and seen as he went from MC to MPC to MD (Musical Director) and his ability to keep the crowd engaged and hanging off his punch lines was equally impressive during his set the other night at the Knitting Factory. Aside from Milk’s anticipated performance, local artists U-N-I and Those Chosen hit the stage earlier in the evening along with local heavyweight (and I do mean heavyweight) Bishop Lamont. Milk and Lamont previously released a free mixtape called CalTroit with DJ Warrior which received a lot of attention nationally.

As Milk’s set wrapped up, he thanked Cali for all their love and support and introduced his band. As he was wrapping up the introductions, gun-shots rang out over the PA system from the DJ’s track. Black Milk, like those digitalized buck-shots, is here to stay and keep fans on their toes. The next generation of hip hop with a great live band is here to stay. Not bad for my first writing assignment for Loudvine.com. And sorry, my camera crapped out so there are no pixs.

Written by A. Landon
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I have been running a bit late dealing with my emails lately. Funny thing happened today, I randomly clicked up and down, down and up with the scroll bar in my inbox, and it ended up on this email touting Elisa Toffoli. So I downloaded the files and started listening to them.

So just a few very brief words about Elisa. So here we are, talking about an Italian girl, and finally on tour on the west coast in support of her new album, “Dancing.” All part of her own musical journey. A journey that shows honesty and a singer stretching herself to make beautiful music, the way she likes it. Personal and truthfully. So while you probably know the name of the song uploaded for you guys, it’s a new, fresh approach.

Elisa Toffoli, “Wild Horses”

As many of you know, lately, I have really been into whole singer-songwriter thing, acoustically. I like the vulnerability and the fact that you just cannot fake your way through it. Either you have it or you do not. And Elisa has it. A great sound that accompanies a voice resonating with a soothing tenderness that soothed my travels back to the left coast through turbulent skies and a constant call from the captain to buckle my seat belt. Elisa’s voice and ability to share just a bit of herself made my flight that more calming.

And I am so glad I read this email about her. So I have plenty of time to tell you that Elisa will be performing at The Roxy on Wednesday night, November 19th. Go check her out.

So. Back to basics. So back. So basic. I took one and half weeks off from going out. And while that might seem strange for a guy trying to build a cool music site, I just needed to do it for two reasons. First to catch up on my sleep. But secondly and more importantly, so when I re-emerged from this self-imposed hibernation, I would be a better person and back to doing what I love–listening to live music and sharing it with all you guys.

The purpose of what I am working on at Loudvine.com got away from me for a while. So there it is, just brutal honesty. And really, what better to re-emerge then listen to The International Noise Conspiracy at El Cid Last Night. The band is in town for a few shows promoting their album, “The Cross of My Calling, ” dropping later this month. One more walk to the restroom back stage pre-show, I needed to be totally relaxed as I did not want to miss one second of this show, and I notice the band is finalizing their play list and almost ready to do this. There was a sense of anticipation in the air and the El Cid is beaming with eager onlookers who are ready to rock. And as we could hear the band warm up even behind the dj music, the crowd easily filled in and we all waited with increased anticipation as The International Noise Conspiracy’s set grew nearer. As the band gets ready to take the stage, I think we all know its very close now. I scanned the faces of so many others in the crowd, its is obvious to all of us and I know we are about to witness something special. Very special. Packed unto the tiny wooden floor and next to the beautiful, intimate stage, The International Noise Conspiracy finally emerged from behind the red, old school theater curtains. Our moment was finally here.

And it so it goes. Out emerges The International Noise Conspiracy, minus their lead singer and they just go into a three minute jam session, almost a tease, to get themselves warmed up and us along with them. We are all purely pumped with this.Their matching purple valoore suits definitely set a nice fashionable mood and the band starts to gain momentum as lead singer, Dennis Lyxzen meandered unto the stage in his matching purple outfit, complete with cape. Man, I am certain this is what it must have felt like to be in some great English club circa 1966, where you just knew you were part of something new and exciting. Witnessing something so special, so real, and so personal. As the band’s set exploded, I was left wondering what the hell it was that had gotten me down earlier today? And seriously, who the fuck cares, The International Noise Conspiracy was eight feet in front of me giving me the ultimate performance.

The International Noise Conspiracy continued to match the intensity they started their set with throughout their performance. It was great to be at this show and just focused on nothing else but the amazing live music and vibe evolving right in front of me. These rockers mixed the realities of their everyday lives, like mortgages and getting older, by performing a mix of new and old songs that made us all feel a bit younger last night. The amped El Cid crowd was a all left with a “Bang Over,” a new Swedish phenomena that only happens when you listen to The International Noise Conspiracy live. For those of you that missed them last night, they also have upcoming shows at Club Nokia tonight and Eagle Rock Center on Friday. I would not miss them again, the “Bang Over” you leave the show from the night before with will surely help you get through your next day knowing what an amazing experience it is to see The International Noise Conspiracy live.

Beck Opening up the Club Nokia on Sunday, November 9th 2008. Enough said!

Beck