The Noise Train

Sam Outlaw is a Los Angeles based bad ass country boy. Here are some photos from a recent concert at the Troubadour here in LA. Ballads, love songs with a folky twist. Sam Outlaw and his band put on a good show. Make sure to catch them next time they’re through your town.

Photos by Braedon Flynn

Los Angeles based Wildcat Wildcat has been getting a lot of buzz lately and there is good reason. Made up of keys, base and drums, harmonized falsettos, they bring a fun sound that leaves you wanting more.

Wildcat Wildcat is a band not to miss out at SXSW if you’ll be there. They’re playing Filter Magazine’s Cedar Street Showdown and a few other shows. Below are some shots from a recent show Wildcat Wildcat played with a video below:

Here’s a video of their song, Mr. Quiche played live at a Pacific Festival pre-party show:

Wildcat Wildcat – Mr. Quiche from Braedon Flynn on Vimeo.

Listen a new song by Wildcat! Wildcat! here: “Please and Thank You”

Been listening to a lot of Lord Huron lately. Loving their sound and these videos below are so great. Take a watch. And get their album.

In the Open: Lord Huron – When Will I See You Again from In the Open on Vimeo.

A couple Fridays ago I had the pleasure of seeing Gardens and Villa at The Observatory in Santa Ana. This was my third time seeing these incredibly talented guys. Each time I’ve seen them it’s been a completely different experience. The first time was super low key at a record shop in Hollywood, the second was at Coachella. Each show was as exceptional as the other, but very different. This last time seeing them was definitely the most powerful, and perhaps my favorite. They played on the smaller stage so if felt more intimate, but not any less exciting than if it were on a large stage. It was a great mix of intensity and intimacy. What I thought would be a very mellow crowd, turned out to be pretty rowdy which added greatly to the experience. I strongly recommend you go see these guys while their shows are still inexpensive, because there going places for sure!

Words and bottom images by Dominick Alonso

We at The Noise Train were out in NYC for some shows and had the pleasure of catching Dry the River play at the Mercury Lounge, and glad we did. Frontman Peter Liddle has a stunning voice, sweet and melodic. From just listening to their record, you’d picture the band being a mellow group who sound good but you are in for a surprise at a live show. The band members have a 90′s grunge look to them with a stage presence that could have rivaled Nirvana back in their day. Energy and passion exudes from the band as they play their hearts out. See the photos below as evidence.

Dry the River is currently on tour through the UK and back in the US with the Alabama Shakes in July, they’ll be performing at Lollapalooza in August and Austin City Limits in October. You need to catch them live.

Photos by Braedon Flynn

Last Friday, Delta Spirit rocked the Halls of the MusicBox in Hollywood. It was the tail end of a tour for the bands new, Self Titled Album, which is an album that did not disappoint in the least bit. The Tijuana Panthers opened up the show, and did a great job setting the tone for the evening. Following their performance was Waters, who had no problem taking things to the next level. The energy and passion of lead singer Van Pierszalowski, former front man of Port O’Brien, was captivating. Then Delta Spirit took the stage and blew our already high expectations. Their stage presence exceeds that of a lot of bands these days, really going for it, giving us some good old rock and roll. From standing on the piano belting lyrics to smashing watermelons during the encore Matt Vasquez has a commanding presence! In all, the evening was a phenomenal display of passionate musicians doing what they do best, and the perfect balance of talent and entertainment.

All Photos by Braedon Flynn
Words by Dominick Alonso

Shortly after completing their back to back tours in Japan and Australia, My Morning Jacket are taking their celebrated, live show back on the road this August with the announcement of their North American tour, with Band Of Horses in support.

Click HERE to download “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” live from MSG featuring Ben Bridwell (Band Of Horses)

We recently caught Bowerbirds perform to a packed house at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. The North Carolina natives are currently promoting their most recent release “The Clearing”. Having lived in North Carolina for years, I was personally excited to see how the Los Angeles scene would take to fringy, Southern folk; they did not seem disappointed. Their music is incredibly personal, often reflecting on the relationship between band-members (and partners) Beth Tacular and Phil Moore. In their live performance, you can hear their earthy, Appalachian influences blended with complex songwriting that sounds both traditional and contemporary, and feels authentic in both Raleigh, NC and Los Angeles, CA.

Photos and Words by Taylor Woods

Dry the River recently opened for Bowerbirds at The Troubadour in West Hollywood. This UK-based band just released their first album “Shallow Bed” to solidly consistent reviews. Not knowing what to expect from their live performance, I was genuinely blown away by both the energy of their performance and the sophistication of their songwriting (especially considering they only came together in 2009). While comparisons to UK-folk demigods Mumford & Sons are fair, Dry the River stands apart from the folk scene, drawing from a wide array of influences and an energetic, youthful stage presence; this was especially highlighted during the band’s single “No Rest.” You can check out their album, ‘Shallow Bed‘.

Photos and words by Taylor Woods

Here’s a video for a new single by Dry the River – ‘New Ceremony’

We went out to see Wolfgang Gartner perform one of his notorious live sets at the Observatory in Orange County this past weekend and it was a hell of a show. Wolfgang Gartner is an respected producer by other EDM artists, fans and musicians from all genres and we were fortunate enough to get to see him live  in action once again.  If you aren’t familiar with Gartner’s unique, progressive house sound, you will soon get infected by his recognizably complex layers of glitchy, synth-driven beats and  fast paced drum kicks that spread through your entire body like a dance contagion.

Gartner dropped his heavy weight tracks such as Ménage à Trois and Illmerica, and the crowd responded in unison with deafening roars and swaying dance moves. From the front to back, not a single party-goer was there to do anything but throw their hands up and bounce. An intense energy built as the beats kept dropping and it was undeniable that the crowd was loving each track throughout the set. Although there was one raver who came for something more than just the party atmosphere and electronic music: animal awareness.

The die hard EDM fan I’m speaking of is gradually becoming the mascot for Southern California’s EDM scene and this raver gone hypeman, a.k.a. “party panda,” was there in full force to toss confetti and get the crowd amped from behind a giant panda head mask (think Deadmau5 but without the big ears). We’ve seen him at dozens of EDM shows ranging from Wolfgang Gartner at the Music Box in Hollywood and at Identity Festival in San Diego, but despite being an endangered species, we hope to see a lot more of him as concert season begins to heat up.

Special thanks to our friends at Ultra Music and the Mitch Schneider Organization for making it happen for us. Also, big up to Le New Shit for helping us out with the show and they get all the photo credit in this post! We had an incident at the show and lost some gear that night so we didn’t get any shots of our own.

With further delay, here he is: The one, the only, the champ!