1 SPACE MTN
Scene & Unheard
Issue #27
Los Angeles
By Elizabeth Barker & Amber Drea
Published: March 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
SPACE MTN
LABEL: Aeronaut/Nightlight
PLAYERS: Dina Waxman (bass, vocals), Chris Jacks (guitars, keyboards, programming), and Andrew Platts (drums)
INFLUENCES: The Replacements, Pavement, and PJ Harvey
SOUNDS LIKE: Music-box melodies echoing Belly and Throwing Muses, swirled into atmospheric pop that’s alternately fierce and fragile
THE LOWDOWN: One-time Lemonheads bassist Dina Waxman fronts this 3-year-old trio between being a script supervisor for movies like Fight Club and Some Girl. Fall 2005 saw the release of Space Mtn’s debut album, A Drawing Of a Memory Of a Photograph Of You, a moody collage of bouncy guitars and dreamy electronica.
URL: spacemtn.com
THE SHARP EASE
LABEL: olFactory/Soft Spot
PLAYERS: Paloma Parfrey (vocals), Dana Barenfeld (bass), Christene Kings (drums), Aaron Friscia (guitar), Anika Stephen (saxophone)
INFLUENCES: Nina Hagen, Allen Ginsberg, Anne Sexton, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, and Lydia Lunch
SOUNDS LIKE: Classic riot grrl glossed up with Pixies-like snarly guitars, dancey drumbeats, and 24-year-old Parfrey’s hellcat, high-drama vocals, á la Elastica
THE LOWDOWN: In April, olFactory, also the label of downtown L.A. punk epicenter the Smell, will release a follow-up EP to the Sharp Ease’s 2005 debut full-length, Going Modern. A West Coast tour is planned for spring.
URL: myspace.com/thesharpease
BOYGIRL
LABEL: They don’t have one yet.
PLAYERS: Sisely Treasure (vocals, keyboards), Kaz Gamble (keyboards, bass, drum machines, turntables), Houston Bernard (guitar), DJ SOJU (drums), Raistalla (dancing, percussion), and Galen Hooks (dancing, percussion)
INFLUENCES: Missing Persons, Gentle Giant, Björk, Marlene Dietrich, Andy Warhol, Brooklyn, Berlin, and Hollywood
SOUNDS LIKE: Dark and sexy electro pop; Madonna and Deee-Lite produced by Warren Fischer
THE LOWDOWN: While boygirL continues to be label-less, the band keeps busy playing shows with Andy Bell of Erasure. Treasure also was cast in a lead role for an indie film about L.A.’s music scene, and Gamble produced a single for rapper Cazwell, which was released on disco label West End in February 2006. The band’s self-released 14-track demo is available online.
URL: boygirl7.com
AMBER RUBARTH
LABEL: She doesn’t have one yet
PLAYERS: Amber Rubarth (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano)
INFLUENCES: The Animators (who produced her album), Joel Ackerson, Gabriel Mann, Justin Farren, Bright Eyes, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits
SOUNDS LIKE: Jazzy folk pop akin to Ani DiFranco and Sarah McLachlan
THE LOWDOWN: Formerly a chainsaw wood sculptor, Rubarth taught herself to play guitar and started performing at open mics just three years ago. “Rising,” from her debut full-length, Something New, was the only song by a female artist included on Intellective Records’ Unbelievably Unsigned Volume 1. Her next album will be piano-based.
URL: amberrubarth.com
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