Jennylee steps out of shadow of Warpaint with killer solo show at The Echo

Jennylee steps out of shadow of Warpaint with killer solo show at The Echo
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
December 17, 2015

The Echo was pretty packed, as could be expected given the peanut butter & jelly-type complement that Warpaint and the buzzy LA music scene have enjoyed since the mid-2000s. There are Tumblrs dedicated to Jenny Lee Lindberg – she’s got that Silver Lake aesthetic to go along with her killer bass jams. Her solo project was received with a warm welcome as she worked through the material off the album, *as well as throwing in a Warpaint deep cut cover of “CC.” 

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Grimes, Warpaint, Mac DeMarco save Beach Goth day 1, marred by disorganization

Grimes, Warpaint, Mac DeMarco save Beach Goth day 1, marred by disorganization
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
October 27, 2015

Beach Goth was a huge clusterf*ck, but it wasn’t without its high points.

Grimes, the multi-talented musician who seems to do everything herself, debuted four new songs on the first night of the two-day festival that took place at the Observatory in Santa Ana.

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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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How subscription service Jukely can start the live music revolution

How subscription service Jukely can start the live music revolution
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
February 17, 2015


About a month or so ago, I saw news begin to appear that a “Netflix for concerts” was about to kick off in Los Angeles. As someone who went to 100 concerts last year, my interest was obviously piqued immediately.

Enter Jukely Unlimited. After trying the idea out in New York City, it officially launched in Los Angeles in mid-January. Since, the service has launched in San Francisco and next on deck is Austin. For $25 a month, you can get a ticket to a show every night of the week. For $45 a month, you can get a +1 to all the shows you decide to attend.

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Warpaint turns cozy Roxy gig into vibrant jam session

Warpaint turns cozy Roxy gig into vibrant jam session
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
February 9, 2015


If you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing hometown favorites Warpaint in Los Angeles (or anywhere for that matter), at some point in the evening, things turn into a ritual, almost tribal-like feel. Things were no different Sunday night at The Roxy Theatre, and this was surprisingly the first time these four had graced the stage of the infamous West Hollywood venue.

“So excited to be here at The Roxy!” shouted Wayman midway through the set. “Fucking amazing, never played here before. I don’t know why we haven’t played here before — it’s much better than anything we have over in Silverlake, right?”

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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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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.

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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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Death From Above 1979, Future Islands, & More to Headline Red Bull Sound Select's 30 Days in LA

Death From Above 1979, Future Islands, & More to Headline Red Bull Sound Select's 30 Days in LA
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
September 10, 2014

Ask any venue booker how difficult it is to set up one show and they’ll tell you it can be a huge pain in the ass. Extrapolate that over the course of 30 days in one city across multiple venues, and the task seems downright impossible.

Tuesday, Red Bull Sound Select announced that they’ve managed to do just that with their #30DaysInLA, a series of music-related events that will take place all across Los Angeles in November in mostly intimate venues with extremely affordable ticket prices featuring a number of more than solid acts involved.

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Warpaint's brooding girl-rock ignites Coachella crowd

Warpaint's brooding girl-rock ignites Coachella crowd
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 20, 2014


Los Angeles all-girl quartet Warpaint were a perfect selection for the Mojave Tent at right around sundown on Saturday night at Coachella weekend two.

The band’s brooding melodies and vocal harmonization made new fans out of many who may have been unfamiliar with their work. Vocalists Emily Kokal and Theressa Wayman provide a nice one-two punch as they alternated lead vocals throughout their set. The crowd appreciation for their set built as time wore on, and Warpaint was very appreciative and perhaps even blown away from the response they received.

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