Dolphin Midwives and Mordecai are teaming up for what’s sure to be an emotional and synth-driven night. The bands will be playing at the White Owl Social Club, Thursday December 27th. Listening to Dolphins Midwives puts you smack dab in the middle of a dark, calm night with the rays from a full moon kissing your brow. The sensitivity and depth present in the delicate strumming of the harp creates an intuitive and self-aware atmosphere. It puts you in touch with both the artist and yourself. Mordecai is known for their unique infusion of early 2000’s emo-ballads and electro-synth sensibilities. The band sounds like a more mature version of the songs you listened to in your bedroom as an angry teenager.

The sets start at 9, and the show is 21+. Tickets are free, so make sure to stop by!

-By Avril Carrillo 

Kayela J’s latest album Homage (Thank you) came out this fall, and you really need to listen to it. As the album title suggests, it pays tribute to her inspirations, with each song on the album dedicated to a different artist. Known for her own clever lyrical style and fast beats, Kayela brings a new twist to iconic styles such as Salt-N-Pepa and Lil Kim. With this album, Kayela J is well on her way to becoming one of the greats. 

Give Homage (Thank you) a listen below!

-By Nick Hartman

Kurt Foster and Michael Carothers are teaming up to form Sunday State, and they’re playing their debut show tomorrow, November 29th at The Fixin’ To. To get yourself ready for the show, check out their song “Slide". The song’s dark, jazzy undertones provide an excellent base for the warm and moody vocals. It feels like an alt-rock 90’s song that’s time-traveled to 2018. The time skip has done the song justice. It’s mature and well-seasoned. Dependable may not seem like the ideal descriptor for rock, but this song makes the argument that “dependable” is just what we need. The song hits all the right notes and beats, making it a smooth, easy listen. Foster and Carothers managed to create a song that is both new and creative, and an excellent classic rock song. It’s a difficult task, one they accomplished well.

The show starts at 8. Tickets are $7, and it’s 21+. Pacific Mean Time and The Curb & The Spurs will also be playing sets.

-By Nick Hartman

Juracán, the newest project from Pierre Carbuccia, has his debut album Niño coming out December 7th. Together with High Clouds, the single “Moraleja” was released November 16th. The song is oddly evocative of the small, lazy clouds you come across on a sad plane ride home. Carbuccia’s voice is layered with a tenderness born from a place of pain and healing. He cites bolero and merengue as inspirations behind his soundscape. Together, the styles produce a calming, but still infectious, rhythm. It’s a complicated, nuanced song that speaks well of the work Carbuccia has put into this album.

Juracán will be playing a small set as part of the Autonomous Series at the Bit House Saloon, along with Amy Bleu, Arbor Daze, and Omar Cripps tonight, November 21st. 

-By Avril Carrillo

If Courtney Love had decided she wanted to make psychedelic music instead of punk, I imagine it would have been quite similar to the music Mad Honey produces. The band has a number of songs up on their SoundCloudloud, each one full of grungey, trippy, angsty noise. Without a doubt, the band’s strongest song is “Don’t Forget to Smile.” Maybe I’m just a sucker for some good surf guitar, but those quick, tricky riffs really got to me. The swirling notes of resentment and disquiet dance circles around the fast, almost cheeky guitar solos. Mad Honey also has an unexpectedly potent sweetness underlying much of their music. This is true especially in “10th and Burnside.” The synth notes fall into the subdued cymbals like water droplets hitting your bedroom window. Given that we have a lot of wet weather heading our way this week, I’ll make sure to keep Mad Honey in mind for my rainy days playlist.

-By Avril Carrillo