Jenny Lewis delivers mini-Rilo Kiley reunion, HAIM collab at Coachella

Jenny Lewis delivers mini-Rilo Kiley reunion, HAIM collab at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Longtime Jenny Lewis fans like myself had been waiting for what happened Sunday at Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre for a long time.

Fellow former Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennett showed up to play guitar on “Portions for Foxes,” as his new project Night Terrors of 1927 performed earlier in the day. Sennett gave a spirited effort, though his timing was a tad off having probably not performed the song in awhile since the band disbanded in 2007.

Click here to read the rest...

Hozier joined by Este Haim at Coachella, covering The Time's "Jungle Love"

Hozier joined by Este Haim at Coachella, covering The Time's "Jungle Love"
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

One of Coachella’s best surprises Saturday was when Hozier brought out Este Haim to perform a cover of The Time’s “Jungle Love.” But the rest of his 50-minute main stage set proved he’s not a gimmick, or a one-hit wonder.

Still, Coachella in 2015 hasn’t exactly been known for big surprises and Este’s entrance to the stage was well-received. “That was so fun, holy shit,” Haim said at the end of the song.

Click here to read the rest...

Broods excite fans (and famous friends) at sold-out Fonda Theatre performance

Broods excite fans (and famous friends) at sold-out Fonda Theatre performance
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
March 6, 2015


Just 13 months ago, New Zealand sibling synthpop duo BROODS were playing their first American show at Bardot’s It’s A School Night. On Thursday night, their career reached another plateau as they sold out the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood to an assortment of excited fans and famous pals that packed the place from the floor to the balconies.

Taking in the show on the evening was a group of of ladies in the balcony that included Taylor Swift, Ellie Goulding, Este Haim, and actress Chloe Grace Moretz. On the way into the venue, I also saw fellow New Zealander Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous. You know you’re doing something right when you’ve got so many peers turning into fan girls.

Click here to read the rest...

The 20 Hottest Women in Indie Music (and then some)

The 20 Hottest Women in Indie Music (and then some)
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
February 18, 2015


As we noted in our 20 Hottest Men in Indie Music feature last month, it’s hard not to fall in love with a talented musician when they’re on stage giving you a memorable performance. Now it’s time to give the accomplished ladies their shine.

The 20 Hottest Women in Indie Music:

Click here to read the rest...

Top 20 Favorite Shows of 2014

Top 20 Favorite Shows of 2014
Mark E. Ortega
Medium.com
December 27, 2014


Not counting music festivals, I managed to see exactly 100 live concerts in 2014. Previous to this year, I had seen in the ballpark of 25 concerts, I think? I couldn’t have ever expected to see this many shows, but thanks fo relocating to Los Angeles as well as picking up freelance work writing about music, I was able to make it to a shit ton of concerts. In August, I saw live music for seven straight days, something I wanted to do my whole life. I upstaged that by seeing shows 10 straight days in October, and all of a sudden in December, 100 seemed a realistic goal. I hit that mark with the Dec. 20 Saves the Day & Say Anything show at House of Blues on Sunset.

Click here to read about my 20 favorite concerts of 2014...

Ten Favorite Festival Sets of 2014

Ten Favorite Festival Sets of 2014
Mark E. Ortega
Medium.com
December 6, 2014

In 2014, I had the luxury of attending a solid number of music festivals, almost exclusively in coverage for GrimyGoods.com. I went to Coachella for the first time (life-changing, weekend two), as well as FYF Fest, Made in America Festival, Sunset Strip Music Festival, and made a return to Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas. I decided to put together my list of my ten favorite sets from across all of those festivals, a much tougher task than I initially thought it would be.

Click here to read the rest...

Ten Best Live Cover Songs of 2014

Ten Best Live Cover Songs of 2014
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
December 1, 2014

Having been fortunate enough to see around 100 concerts in 2014, not to mention a good number of music festivals, I had the opportunity to see some musicians pull out some pretty bad ass covers during their live sets. After much deliberation, I’ve broken down my Top 10 for the year, which was no easy feat.

Click here to read the rest...

HAIM the darlings of Coachella day one

HAIM the darlings of Coachella day one
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 19, 2014


The aptly-described “three sisters and a mister”, Valley band HAIM rocked their set just prior to the sun setting on day one of Coachella weekend two.

HAIM’s live show sounds a smidge different from their studio work. It’s more rock than R&B, a rock n roll Wilson Phillips if you will. Surprisingly, oldest sister Este toned down the Blink-182 style between song banter, restricting most of her talk to how crazy it was for them to be playing the festival after a decade as just attendees. The talented trio of sisters proved Friday night why all three are the type of girls you’d want to bring home to your mom. Danielle is killer on the guitar and she possesses an attractive high amount of confidence. Youngest sister Alana has the best moves as she swayed back and forth while playing the keyboards and also banging a drum on occasion.

Click here to read the rest...