Brock Osweiler tops Week 11 Players of the Week

Brock Osweiler tops Week 11 Players of the Week
Mark E. Ortega
NFL.com
November 25, 2015

If Brock Osweiler only remains in the lineup a few more games, he'll go back to the bench with some new hardware after earning AFC's Offensive Player of the Week in Week 11.

Osweiler led the Denver Broncos to a 17-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on the road in his first career start, throwing for two touchdowns and 250 yards on 20-of-27 passing with nary a turnover. The fourth-year quarterback has been waiting patiently for his opportunity and he certainly made the most of it on Sunday.

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Alvvays just what the hipster factory at the Echoplex ordered

Alvvays just what the hipster factory at the Echoplex ordered
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 23, 2015

Thursday night at the Echoplex, I saw something in live music that is almost as rare as seeing a unicorn.

Amidst a sea of hipsters, I saw a bro in a trucker hat atop another bro’s shoulders. This I haven’t seen since Chet Faker at Coachella weekend two [proof]. I guess that’s just the sort of behavior that Molly Rankin and her kick ass lo-fi rock band Alvvays — that’s with two v’s — inspires.

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Halsey rips industry at first sold-out Fonda show, teens scream, riveting alt pop performance

Halsey rips industry at first sold-out Fonda show, teens scream, riveting alt pop performance
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 20, 2015

Wednesday night marked the first of two sold-out shows at the Fonda Theatre for rising alt-pop star Halsey, touring in support of her highly-acclaimed debut full-length album Badlands.

It’s been a meteoric ascent for the 21-year-old. This marked the fourth time I’ve seen her perform live, beginning with an early-day timeslot at May’s Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She’s since sheared off most of her hair and enjoyed a boundless supply of press, turning her from a sleeper pick into a bonafide breakout star.

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Hot Band Alert: No gimmick — Teenaged rockers Regrettes are completely for real

Hot Band Alert: No gimmick — Teenaged rockers Regrettes are completely for real
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 18, 2015

A couple of months ago, I saw a teenaged rock duo called Regrettes open up for Kate Nash at the Echo and was surprised at how competent and legitimate they were – even more-so after learning they were just fourteen years old. A gimmick guitarist Lydia Night and drummer Marlhy Murphy definitely are not.

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Sonos Play:1 speakers are slick, inconspicuous, easy to operate — a must-have for music lovers

Sonos Play:1 speakers are slick, inconspicuous, easy to operate — a must-have for music lovers
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 12, 2015

I recently moved into a nice new spot in mid-city Los Angeles and it’s a great four-bedroom house with a big backyard.

One of the first questions I had was – how best am I going to utilize this space for when I want to play music? Sonos sent me two of their Play:1 speakers (priced at $199) and I paired it with the Play:5 that my roommates already had, and the results were more than I could have hoped for.

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A dapper Leon Bridges takes Fonda Theatre on a sonic trip through time

A dapper Leon Bridges takes Fonda Theatre on a sonic trip through time
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 10, 2015

When I was a kid, I bought a CD called Billboard Top Hits: 1961. It was a compilation album that featured songs like Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me,” Dion’s “Runaround Sue,” and “Blue Moon” by The Marcels. I wore through my copy of that album by playing it so many times.

Though doo-wop and soul was at the forefront of popular music in the early 1960s, it has certainly fallen back in today’s times. On Monday night at the Fonda Theatre, the fast-rising Leon Bridges helped a sold-out crowd time travel back to a time where music was thriving – though Bridges’ brand of music is more in tune with the likes of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding.

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An interview with Meg Myers: figuring things out as she goes along

An interview with Meg Myers: figuring things out as she goes along
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 10, 2015

Meg Myers has long been on our radars as an up-and-coming musician in the alt-rock scene, particularly as she’s made her ascent while living in Los Angeles. She’s drawn comparisons to acts like Alanis Morissette and Fiona Apple but in an interview we did with her last year, she told us her influences were more along the lines of Nine Inch Nails and Alice in Chains. Her debut full-length self-titled album Sorry more than lived up to the buzz generated by her preceding EPs, and now she’s on the road as part of a headlining tour in support of the album with a stop at the El Rey on Tuesday, November 17.

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Ryn Weaver, HOLYCHILD and ASTR prove to be a triple threat at Belasco Theater

Ryn Weaver, HOLYCHILD and ASTR prove to be a triple threat at Belasco Theater
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 9, 2015

The more shows I go to, the less over time I’ve managed to get to a venue in time for the night’s first opener. On Saturday at the Belasco Theater in downtown LA, I made sure to get there early enough.

Ryn Weaver had moved on from selling out the El Rey just a few months ago to a headlining spot at the Belasco, a sizable venue on a Saturday night in LA. This show had support from HOLYCHILD and ASTR — two acts with considerable promise and reputations as live performers — both for whom I could attest to.

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Video Premiere: Watch Regrettes’ new video “Hey Now!” from their UK tour with Jack Off Jill

Video Premiere: Watch Regrettes’ new video “Hey Now!” from their UK tour with Jack Off Jill
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 9, 2015

Teenaged rockers Regrettes just recently toured with Jack Off Jill all across the UK last month and have put together an awesome music video for the song “Hey Now!” chronicling their trip more or less. The song appears on their Hey! EP and is available via iTunes, Spotify and Amazon. It was also recorded by Blank Tapes member Matt Adams.

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Sylvan Esso proves worth the wait at #30DaysInLA show at Fonda Theatre

Sylvan Esso proves worth the wait at #30DaysInLA show at Fonda Theatre
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 4, 2015

If there’s one thing I’m a bit iffy on with Red Bull Sound Select’s #30DaysInLA series, it’s the tendency for the headliners to not go on stage until really late at night.

I realize they are trying to get people in the doors to see the opening acts — as Red Bull put together this concert series for really cheap tickets in an effort to highlight artists they’re trying to “break” (hence the blue fluorescent BREAK MUSIC signs you’ll see at all of these events throughout November). But looking around the Fonda Theatre, you could see people were growing anxious as 11 pm approached and electro-folk darlings Sylvan Esso hadn’t taken the stage yet.

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Grimes kicks things off right for #30DaysInLA at sold-out Mayan gig

Grimes kicks things off right for #30DaysInLA at sold-out Mayan gig
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 3, 2015

The first legitimate live performance of Red Bull’s much-anticipated second installment of #30DaysInLA – the series of events that take place across every day of November – saw producer/songwriter Grimes aka Claire Boucher turn up a blistering hot sold-out show at the Mayan Theater.

Walking out onto the stage at 10:15 PM with her signature multi-colored hairstyle, some butterfly wings and a skirt — as well as some backup dancing help, Grimes jumped right into new material with the track “Laughing Without Being Normal.” She dusted a lot of her new stuff off for the first time a few weeks prior at Beach Goth, but this felt a little more special in the magnificent confines of the Mayan, a true downtown LA treasure. Her new album Art Angels will drop Nov. 9, so this was quite the sneak peek.

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Jacoby Jones released by San Diego Chargers

Jacoby Jones released by San Diego Chargers
Mark E. Ortega
NFL.com
November 3, 2015

Jacoby Jones' time in San Diego has come to an end.

The ninth-year wideout was cut by the Chargers on Tuesday, the team announced.

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Out from under the microscope: an interview with rising pop-star Ryn Weaver

Out from under the microscope: an interview with rising pop-star Ryn Weaver
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
November 2, 2015

Last June, a song exploded in the music blogosphere that had tons of people asking one question: Who the f*ck is Ryn Weaver?

When the wildly addictive “OctaHate” arrived on the scene last year, there was very little information out there on the talented singer-songwriter behind the track. Now almost a year-and-a-half later, the 23-year-old pop star has performed at many major music festivals (from SXSW to Coachella to Bonnaroo and many in between) as well as appearances on late-night TV.

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