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.

Click here to read the rest...

Shaky Knees wraps up with psychedelic performances from Tame Impala, Spiritualized

Shaky Knees wraps up with psychedelic performances from Tame Impala, Spiritualized
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 11, 2015

The final day of Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta was a departure from the punk and angst of the previous two days. The music seemed to fit the mood of people winding down their weekend, mellowing out in the shade of the many trees that occupied the park.

Most of the angst of the day came in the form of SoCal band The Mowgli’s in the Buford Highway tent. They’re a bit GROUPLOVE meets Dashboard Confessional — and they knew how to get the crowd into their show. Singer Colin Dieden found himself in the crowd for the set-closing “San Francisco,” and though the sound was rough at times (as it was all weekend in the tent), they overcame it with unbridled charisma.

Click here to read the rest...

Shaky Knees Festival out to prove rock 'n' roll isn't dead

Shaky Knees Festival out to prove rock 'n' roll isn't dead
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 6, 2015


Grimy Goods contributor Mark E. Ortega is embarking on a six-week music festival tour around the United States. That all begins with Shaky Knees Music Festival this weekend in Atlanta, and Mark has a preview of the festival below.

Let’s face it: there are an insane amount of music festivals these days. After seeing the level of success festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo have obtained, festivals have sprouted up all over the States, attempting to position themselves as one of the top-tier music festivals in the country. So the question is: what makes Shaky Knees special?

Click here to read the rest..

Ryan Adams provides Sunday's alt-rock vibes and witty banter

Ryan Adams provides Sunday's alt-rock vibes and witty banter
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Most of Sunday’s performances at Coachella were electronic flavored and the main headliner Drake was hip-hop, but festival stalwart Ryan Adams made it clear rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay.

Adams poked fun at the noise bleed from across the way and provided sarcastic banter in between performing songs from his fantastic self-titled album from last year, plus a few from his time backed by The Cardinals.

Click here to read the rest...

12 Coachella Acts You Must Experience at Sunset - Music to Fit Your Mood

12 Coachella Acts You Must Experience at Sunset - Music to Fit Your Mood
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 9, 2015


There’s few things better than a sunset on the Polo Fields during Coachella. Depending on what sort of mood you’re in, any number of choices at the moment the sun begins to fade could be the right one for you. This guide goes over what might be the best fit for whatever you’re feeling at the moment.

Sunset takes place between 7:12 and 7:14 PM all three days according to Accuweather.com.

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...

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.

Click here to read the rest...