Sweater Girls 8/19/12 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photo: Sweater Girls Facebook page)

Earlier this month, Sweater Girls opened for Seapony at August 19th installment of "Part Time Punks" at the The Echo in Los Angeles. We weren't terribly familiar with Sweater Girls before this night's performance (though, the name did ring a bell), but we were pleasantly surprised by their brand of indie pop twinged with punk. They have recently released their first full-length LP Were Here..., several songs from which were showcased in tonight's set. Setlist below:

Sticks and Stones                    

Haven't Got a Clue                  
Fast Forward Time                    
Fingers Crossed                      
I'm a Little Dinosaur              
Infatuation                          
Curry Crazy                          
Pretty When You Smile                
Now You're Gone    

Download here (MP3) FLAC files available by request.

 Sweater Girls - Pretty When You Smile (live, 8/19/12) by recordingla

Seapony 8/19/12 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA.

                             

(Photo: Seapony Facebook page)

This past Sunday night, Seapony headlined The Echo's weekly "Part Time Punks" series. Seapony's music, mainly their 2011 debut release Go With Me, has been in heavy rotation at Recording L.A. headquarters for quite some time, and we were happy to see the Seattle-based band back in town after touring here almost a year ago (we caught their in-store set at Origami Vinyl) - so, this show was quite a treat. Featuring a mix of older songs and new ones from their upcoming LP Falling, the show was a great showcase of their "new-wave shoegaze"-type sound, capped off by an encore of The Field Mices' "Emma's House." (P.S. - if you like what you hear here, I encourage you to check out the releases from their old band Transmittens) Setlist below:

Sailing

So Low                      
I Really Do                  
Be Alone                    
No One Will                
Prove to Me                  
Blue Star                    
Sunlight                    
Dreaming                    
With You                    
What You Wanted            
What You See                
Nobody Knows              
E: Emma's House

Download (MP3) here.

 Seapony - With You (live, 8/19/12) by recordingla 

Jesca Hoop 8/11/12 - Zoey's Cafe, Ventura, CA.

(Photo taken by blogger via Instagram)

It's been a long time since we last wrote about Jesca Hoop - well, January 2011 as a matter of fact. In the ensuing time, Ms. Hoop released her third full-length album The House That Jack Built back in June, and is currently finishing up a mostly West Coast-area tour to promote it. Tonight's stop at Zoey's Cafe in Ventura was a very intimate one with a crowd of approx 30-40 seated people, and highly reminiscent of her Hotel Cafe shows of yesteryear. While her current tour does feature a band, tonight's show only consisted of Jesca on guitar, with Leslie Stevens (of L.A.-favorites Leslie and the Badgers) providing background vocals on most of the songs performed. As one of Ms. Hoop's mentors Tom Waits has said in the past, "her music is like going swimming in a lake at night," and with this show we are inclined to agree. Setlist below:

D.N.R (song incomplete, fades-in due to battery swap)

Whispering Light                          
"Banter"                                  
Murder of Birds                          
Hospital (Win Your Love)                  
The Kingdom                              
"Storytime"                              
Born To                                  
Dig This Record                          
"Banter"                                
The House That Jack Built              
Tulip                                  
"Banter/Improv song"                    
Peacemaker                              
"Banter"                                
Hunting My Dress

Stream or download the full show here.