Interview with La Sera: Discussing their new record and the role Ryan Adams played in producing it

Interview with La Sera: Discussing their new record and the role Ryan Adams played in producing it
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
April 4, 2016

If you read anything about indie pop darlings La Sera‘s new record Music For Listening to Music To, you undoubtedly will see the name Ryan Adams somewhere in the first paragraph (like I did just now), maybe even the sub-headline. While Adams worked his magic on the production side of things, newly-married Katy Goodman and Todd Wisenbaker put the songs for the album together and had them ready to go, before showing up at Adams’ PaxAm Studios to record between Coachella dates last year.

I spoke with both members of La Sera (who play the Fonda Theatre on May 23 with Titus Andronicus) over the phone last week about the fourth La Sera record. First, it was Goodman on the phone. When asked how they came up with the cheeky name for the record, Goodman let me know it was Wisenbaker’s idea and she tried relaying the question to him in another room of their house.

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Top 20 Badass Frontwomen in Indie/Underground Music

Top 20 Badass Frontwomen in Indie/Underground Music
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 24, 2016

There’s an almost infinite amount of killer women fronting bands these days. We’ve done our best to put together our list of our 20 favorite bad asses that currently front their own bands, while also including some of our favorite lesser-known acts that have the potential to grow into being some of the better known ones. We got some good insight from our readers via social media, as well as from our own staff. Here’s our list in no particular order.

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SXSW 2016 (Friday): Willie Nelson’s party weathers the storm; CHVRCHES, Deftones rock SPIN showcase

SXSW 2016 (Friday): Willie Nelson’s party weathers the storm; CHVRCHES, Deftones rock SPIN showcase
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 19, 2016

Friday was a wild day for SXSW goers everywhere. The afternoon came and went without issue, but when the evening started rolling in, a nasty storm came along with it. All outdoor showcases were postponed and later shut down due to the weather. I myself was nowhere near Austin at the time, instead an hour west at Willie Nelson‘s ranch for their annual Luck Reunion, itself delayed by the inclement weather. Check out the recap of Friday, which features performances from Willie Nelson, Jenny Lewis, CHVRCHES, Deftones, and Lucius.

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Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins deliver ethereal nostalgia at Immanuel Presbyterian

Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins deliver ethereal nostalgia at Immanuel Presbyterian
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
February 1, 2016

The tinted windows of Immanuel Presbyterian’s Cathedral Sanctuary in Los Angeles, California served as the backdrop for a trio of rare performances over the weekend.

Jenny Lewis — the established indie queen of southern California — and The Watson Twins turned back the clock in celebration of their 2006 album Rabbit Fur Coat. Lewis also brought along holdover help from that album M. Ward, who himself opened the show with an entertaining 40-minute set.

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Jenny Lewis brings The Voyager tour to close at Observatory

Jenny Lewis brings The Voyager tour to close at Observatory
Mark E. Ortega
Ellenwood-EP.com
August 27, 2015

Along the way, I managed to see Jenny Lewis play 15 stops on this tour. From festival stops at Coachella (twice) and Hangout and Sasquatch and Life is Beautiful, to a half-dozen shows in LA, to shows in the OC, Oakland, Petaluma and Pomona, I saw Jenny Lewis “more days than I’ve seen my mom this year,” as one friend put it to me.

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Sasquatch! 2015 Roundup - the good, the bad and the surprising

Sasquatch! 2015 Roundup - the good, the bad and the surprising
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 26, 2015

This past Memorial Day Weekend, I flew from Los Angeles to Seattle for my first ever Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge. I found a ride and camp mates via a ride-sharing site and arrived Thursday mid-afternoon, with the music kicking off Friday and extending all the way through the Monday holiday. It was my first four-day festival experience.

What made Sasquatch stand out from the rest of the festivals I’ve been to? It’s pretty much ONLY camping. It’s loads different from my previous music festival camping experiences at Coachella the past two years.

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Foo Fighters shred day one of Hangout Fest, but the ladies rule the day

Foo Fighters shred day one of Hangout Fest, but the ladies rule the day
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 17, 2015

he Foo Fighters took their role as Friday headliners at Hangout Fest seriously, pulling out all the stops in a two-plus hour set on the main stage.

“We’re going to play as many songs as we can until they kick us off the f*cking stage,” rock god Dave Grohl said early in the band’s set — and he delivered on that promise. The Foo Fighters played 19 songs, from their biggest hits to a couple covers including Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” They dragged out some intense solos and breakdowns in almost every major song, bringing the crowd to the point of exploding a number of times before dialing it back.

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Hangout Fest 2015 brings bands -- and DJs -- to the beach

Hangout Fest 2015 brings bands -- and DJs -- to the beach
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 14, 2015

Grimy Goods contributor Mark E. Ortega is embarking on a six-week music festival tour around the United States. After a stop at Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Mark’s next stop is Gulf Shores, Alabama for Hangout Fest. Here’s a preview of the festival below.

There’s that old saying about how you shouldn’t bring sand to the beach — but they never said anything about bands (or DJs). Hangout Fest is a unique festival in that it takes place right on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with most people (myself included) staying in condos that are located near the festival entrance.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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Staff Picks: Grimy Goods Best Albums of 2014

Staff Picks: Grimy Goods Best Albums of 2014
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
December 19, 2014


1. Sharon Van Etten – Are We There (Jagjaguwar) 
This is clearly Van Etten’s best and most expansive work to date. On previous efforts, she stuck with a less is more approach but incorporated a much fuller sound on this release. The common use of a piano brings an added element, and Van Etten takes a more hopeful approach to dealing with heartbreak and moving on in many songs. There’s not a single weak link among the 11 tracks, which you can stream here.

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Ryan Adams and Jenny Lewis take chemistry from studio to stage at Fox Theater

Ryan Adams and Jenny Lewis take chemistry from studio to stage at Fox Theater
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
December 14, 2014

It wasn’t enough that Ryan Adams produced Jenny Lewis’ career-defining album The Voyager released earlier this year. Adams went ahead and brought Lewis on tour with him — and the magic that was made in the studio translated to the stage Thursday night at the Fox Theater in Pomona.

Lewis took the stage first and started her set the way she usually does with the last single from her days as the frontwoman of Rilo Kiley, singing “Silver Lining” to the awe of the crowd. Lewis was wearing her signature white blazer emblazoned in rainbow colors that graces the cover of her critically-acclaimed 2014 album that was produced at Adams’ Pax-Am studios.

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The Nine II Five: Volume Two

The Nine II Five: Volume Two
TheAudiologist.net
December 5, 2014




Remember mixed tapes? Mixed CDs? Recording songs off the radio? Nowadays, it’s too easy to try and make a playlist on subscription-based streaming sites that spiral out of control.

Every playlist I’ve made climbs to crazy numbers, sometimes into the hundreds. This can be nice, for many reasons. But there was a certain difficulty and passion that came all my life with making mixed CDs. There’s an art to it — being able to move from track to track without something feeling far too out of place.

925… It’s the area code where I grew up in northern California’s Bay Area. It also works as “nine-to-five”, commonly known as the working person’s grind Monday-through-Friday. I’m taking that number and using it as the formula for a mix I hope to continue creating every week.

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Life is Beautiful day one capped by -- what else -- a Kanye rant

Life is Beautiful day one capped by -- what else -- a Kanye rant
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
October 25, 2014


Downtown Las Vegas’ second-year music festival Life is Beautiful kicked off Friday capped by a typically awesome and rant-filled Kanye West set.

Now three days after being just two in its inaugural year, the festival has grown in more than just length of time. The festival grounds felt like they have doubled in size and there was a much larger international contingency than last year as well. Two British gals from London told me they came out to Vegas specifically to see Kanye.

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An interview with Craig Nyman: Get to know Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas

An interview with Craig Nyman: Get to know Life is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
October 9, 2014


Last October, Las Vegas played host to the inaugural Life is Beautiful Festival — a two-day fiesta of music, art, food, and learning that took place on the city streets of the rejuvenated downtown Strip. The festival was such a success that this year’s festival has been expanded to include a third day and will take place Oct. 24 through Oct. 26, headlined by Kanye West, Foo Fighters, and Outkast.

This has made extra work for Craig Nyman, the Head of Music and Live Performances for Life is Beautiful, who is tasked with putting together the music lineup along with Another Planet Entertainment for the unique and up-and-coming festival. After talking to Nyman for this feature, it became clear immediately that the additional workload was exciting rather than stressful.

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Jenny Lewis takes fans on emotional roller coast at The Roxy

Jenny Lewis takes fans on emotional roller coast at The Roxy
Mark E. Ortega
May 8, 2014
GrimyGoods.com


Tuesday night, Jenny Lewis debuted her new band at an intimate show at The Roxy in West Hollywood as she begins playing new songs from her forthcoming album, The Voyager.

Lewis took longtime fans of hers on an emotional roller coaster, mixing in new songs with songs from her days as the front woman of Rilo Kiley as well as select songs from her earlier solo albums. Fans waited anxiously for an hour once doors opened, swapping Jenny stories like they were baseball cards. One fan at the front was believable in saying he hadn’t missed a Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley show in California in about a decade as he recalled opening bands and song selections with impressive memory.

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