KITR - InTraffikRadio's Podcast

Spring has hit L.A. and with Spring comes the return of the GRAND OLE ECHO ("GOE") at the Echo (http://attheeacho.com).  The Grand Ole Echo is the Spring and Summer long friendship-sparking Americana, Alt-Country, Bluegrass, and Country (not to mention beer,whiskey, and pizza) filled afternoon "down home style" shows doubling as "congregations" of sorts for the individuals (fans, artists, and musicians alike) that comprise the L.A. and surrounding areas of these musical genres.  

Kim Grant (owner of KG Music Press and one of the GOE original and current producers in collaboration with the Echo's Liz Garo) and Justin Smith (drummer of Old Californio) recently came into the studio and along with Special Guest Jennifer Gibbons gave us the low-down on this year's line-ups, how the GOE originated, what to expect for those who've never been to one of these shows, etc.

This episode featured music from:

Paladino "Mexicali"
Mark Lennon - "Before the Fall"
Michael and the Playboys - "Last of the Honky Tonks"
Whispering Pines - "Come and Play"
The Far West - "Either Drunk and Cold"
Old Californio - "Jewels and the Dross"
Marvin Etzioni featuring Maria McKee - "You Possess Me"
Damngivers - "Plan on Me"
Cliff Wagner and the Old #7's - "I Miss You"
Brian Spence and the Transcendent Hula Hoop - "Call Me Down" (unannounced but played after Cliff Wagner's track)

Also, the blogs/online magazines mentioned were: http://turnstyledjunkpiled.com and http://southlandserenade.com

GRAND OLE ECHO SCHEDULE (all shows start at 5pm):

(visit http://kgmusicpress.com/thegrandoleecho.cfm for latest updates and rest of schedule)

April 15:  Jeremy Little, Nearly Beloved, Old Californio/ Backporch:  Walter Spencer and Friends
April 22: The Sunshine Brothers, Jennifer Gibbons, The Far West/ Backporch:  Cliff Wagner's Old #7
April 29:  Loves It (from Austin), Christopher Lockett, The Fur Traders (record release party)
May 6:  Angela Bruyere, Brian Spence and the Transcendant Hula Hoop, Grant Langston & The Supermodels/ Backporch:  Hot Club de LA
May 13:  Ben Redell, Stephen David Austin, Wheelhouse/Backporch:  The Earthworm Ensemble with Larry Santoyo
May 20:  Guest Curator Julie Richmond (Carolina Chickadee) with some bands from Texas and The Swamp Coolers on the backporch!
May 27:  No Show:  Memorial Day...go and get yourself to a BBQ!
June 3:  Skyline Drive, Chris Shifflett and The Dead Peasants, Whispering Pines/Backporch:  The Coals

Listen to our interview with Celeste Kim, whom you may also know from local L.A. Powerpop/Punk band Underwater City People, and her Producers Nathan Jenkins and Taylor Martyr (both of Action Go Now). With a new EP that debuted January 15th, Kim is ready to make her mark in this new world of music that she has always been a fan of and she joins us in studio to discuss her shiny super-new project Sparkalize! 

Tracks by Jeff the Brotherhood ("Bone Jam"),Lykke Li, Foster the People ("Pumped Up Kicks), Cloud Control ("Ghost Story"), and The Bees ("Winter Rose") were played during this episode as well as "Lucky Charm," "Belong", "Romance Not War," and "Party Girl" (Title Track) all tracks from the Sparkalize Party Girl EP.

Here is a little more information on this new project:

Sparkalize is a new electro-pop project via singer/songwriter Celeste Kim. Emerging from the Kiss or Kill LA underground rock and roll scene with indie pop punk band Underwater City People, she returns to her first crush: dance music. As a minor, getting into dance clubs and raves by way of fake id’s, tons of makeup, and stilleto heels helped her get her fix. The intoxication of the bass on the floor and the floating synths has had her hooked ever since. Sparkalize is her love affair.

Celeste has toured as keyboardist and as a back up singer with major artists such as Savage Garden, Coolio, and Rebekah Del Rio performing on stages all over the world, as well as on the Tonight show.

Recently she sang and played bass with 3 piece indie punk/rock group Underwater City People which allowed her to tour the US, gain national exposure on prime time TV shows and win an award for 'Best Pop Single' at the LA Music Awards.

Now, longing to focus on her love of dance music, Celeste has teamed up with producers Nathan Jenkins and Taylor Martyr (Action Go Now) and Jonathan Paul (redCola, Obtain) to record her debut solo EP “Sparkalize.”

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We’ve been fans of AgesandAges for a little while now (as well as frontman Tim Perry’s previous band Pseudosix) and are excited to have them stop in on the intraffikradio.com studios during their current West Coast Tour. They’re probably one of the only bands we’ve heard capable of pulling off such wonderful 7 part harmonies without sounding like a church choir or a glee club throughout their well-crafted songs.

*Please note that this interview originally aired last Wednesday prior to their Spaceland/The Satellite show (w/ fellow Portland bands Typhoon and Brainstorm) so please ignore the constant mentions of that show as it has already occurred.

We discussed (among many other topics): their current tour, their show that was occurring that night with fellow Oregon based tour mates Typhoon and Brainstorm (presented by JaxArt at Spaceland/The Satellite ), their forthcoming debut album Alright, You Restless (available 2/18 via Knitting Factory Records), recording the album in 8 days with producer Kevin Robinson (who you may know as one half of Viva Voce), the Portland music scene, their thoughts on Portlandia, What they did on their day off from touring, and much more!

They also braved our technical set-up and performed three live tracks on-air (on-web?) to give you a preview of their live shows and their forthcoming album.

Those songs were: “These Elbows” “No Nostalgia” “Under a Cloud Shaped Like a Tomb”

And believe us, they are even better in person. So, if you’re near somewhere that they might be playing definitely go catch them, we highly recommend it! If you’re near Portland, their official CD Release Party occurs on Feb. 11th at Mississippi Studios w/ Billygoat and Arch Cape. If you’re not, then you’ll have a chance to catch them at SXSW, and also when they hit the road again this time for a month long tour in April with the band Lake.

Helping us kick off our  SECOND “Growing Up in…” intraffikradio show was Jodie Schell (from L.A./Philly band the Shakers) and Frankie Pedano (from L.A./Philly band Fat City Reprise) “GROWING UP IN DETROIT AND PHILADELPHIA” Guest DJ Set.

During their Guest DJ set you’ll hear music from: Prince, The Eagles,  The Temptations, Little Eva, The Beatles, The Doors, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Portishead, The Flaming Lips, Fiona Apple, Melanie, Al Green, and many others as well as their own bands Fat City Reprise and The Shakers.  You’ll also hear about how their families influenced them musically and how they met each other.

Saturday November 13th you can catch Fat City Reprise and The Shakers (with Black Carl, Red Circle Underground, and Lonely Drunks) at the Cat Club in LA (8911 Sunset Blvd. ). $5 Cover, 21 and over.

Wednesday, November 24th you can catch both of the bands (with Sinai and Stonethrown) at the WMMR Gobblaroo Music Festival in Philadelphia. All Ages. Visit www.wmmr.com for more info.