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Miranda Lee Richards
By Terry Westhoff
In a small, intimate setting, a young musician/singer gives a personable, warm performance that left a feeling only a few musicians can achieve. The feeling was almost indescribable, but it felt like delight mixed with charm mixed with ennui, but in a good way. This is possibly the best way to explain the music of Miranda Lee Richards. At times, her music evokes past heartache, jubilant joy, and emotional gestation. Judging from the reaction of the crowd, Miranda's performance certainly struck these feelings. The audience gave Miranda loud cheers after each song, and listened intently during the more poignant ones.
The Hotel Café provided the perfect atmosphere for Richards' soft, somber performance. The small, informal venue kept the audience close to Richards by allowing them to hear every note, chord, and beat from her and her band. The audience was literally a few feet from the stage, which allowed them to connect with Richards and her lulling sound. She started the show off with a one of her more faster-paced, upbeat songs about the optimistic affects of love and the power it has on each person. From this point, Richards grasped hold of the audience and guided them through her songs as if each member was floating on a cloud.
Her more notable songs that resonated through the room and left a lasting impression with the crowd were Hideaway, and her lead single, Early November. Hideaway carries a slow, calm beat lead by Richards' skills on the piano as she sings about being saved by love. What leaves the lasting imprint is the ending of the song. As the beat winds down, Richards ends with dark, solemn chords from the piano that create an exquisite sound unlike anything else in her songs. The ending to Hideaway drew a big reaction from the crowd and even Richards' herself proclaimed her strong feelings toward the eccentric sound. Early November, which is her best song, topped off her performance and was the highlight of the night. The distinct sound is fast paced and picks up speed toward the end of the song. A heavy bass, Richards' own acoustic guitar accompaniment, a twang electric guitar, and her soft voice makes the song stand-out from the rest. The solid beat and shifts in rhythm must the best reason why Early November is her lead single and drew the most attention from the audience.
Richards closed her set with a solo performance of Last Day of Summer. The song was fitting for a last impression on the audience. The song has a slower-paced sound that allows Richards to wind down her performance and finish on a compelling note. In the end, Richards did draw a strong reaction from the crowd.
There doesn't seem to be a specific category to focus Richards' sound. Her music comprises of a wide spectrum of genres from folk to country, to soft alternative with even a mixture of blues. Her sound is similar to Mazzy Star, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams, and even The Sundays. To be comparable with those artists is a great honor and Miranda Lee Richards is deserving of that recognition. Her music is definitely worth a listen. She will be performing weekly at Spaceland in February for those who wish to hear her live.
http://www.clubspaceland.com
Sarah Hethcoat Doesn't Do Bullies
By Staff Writer
Los Angeles' singer/songwriter Sarah Hethcoat is a women to watch. You may have heard her tracks "Show Me" and "Every Time" on "The Hills." Driven with a force, Hethcoat works at her musical craft every free moment of the day and is building up a string of show dates. This October, Hethcoat released her new EP "Nobody Likes a Bully," produced by Dave Cobb (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Chris Cornell).
Hethcoat's songs are about recognition of growth in oneself. They're very reflective. They center on learning to love and growing from the trials and tribulations.
Musically, for the entire EP, producer Cobb looked to the 60s for the inspiration. Drums were covered in sheets, the way Ringo Starr used to do to give them a muted "handsy" sound. The sound channels influences from David Bowie to the Bee Gees to Phil Spector and The Ronnettes to Cream to even Lou Reed.
Sarah Hethcoat gives Valley Scene the rundown…
VS: Tell us about your new EP "Nobody Likes a Bully." Why that title?
SH: I think the title really represents the journey I've been on, the people I've encountered both professionally and personally. I think it's a universal theme that anyone can relate to, whether you encounter a boss, a friend, lover, relative, anyone who masks their own insecurities by trying to put other people down. The EP as a whole is really about that recognition, understanding that despite all of that we have the power within us to grow, to not succumb to old patterns and behaviors, to not be discouraged and derailed by others, and personally for me finding the strength and courage to keep going!
VS: What is your favorite song on the EP?
SH: That's a tough question. The truth of the matter is I just want to keep writing and growing, so I think my favorite song is yet to come. I'm having so much fun with my band working the songs live and creating the show that it changes everyday! I'm playing guitar now too, instead of just piano, so it's really exciting and I can't wait to start touring! But for this EP I can tell you that "I Got You" was a real starting point for us. I had originally written it as a ballad and it never quite felt right, then Dave and I sat with it and turned it into this rocking empowering song, the viewpoint changed entirely for me which was amazing. That release really helped shape the tone of the other songs on the EP.
VS: How is this new EP different from your past works?
SH: The major difference has been in the process itself. Even though my older works contain my own songs too, they were really influenced by whoever happened to be playing on them, mixing them, recording them. Don't get me wrong, I love collaborating, but ultimately I had songs that really weren't me. My sound was missing. So I took the time to meet with several producers, spoke to them about timing, sounds and textures went through my entire catalog, cleared time to write and collaborate. Even when it came time for the mastering I sat in on that session and had the final say, so I was able to really spearhead the effort to make sure it was precisely how I intended it to be.
VS: Why did you and producer David Cobb look to the 60s for musical inspiration on this album?
SH: It wasn't so much that we specifically looked to the 60s or even a specific genre of music, we simply created a feel and sound that matched the tone of my stories. We ended up having a very honest production with minimal effects I think. The EP contains stories of vindication, hurt, heartache, hope, love, raw emotion, the struggles of growing you know, we just wanted the music to reflect those attitudes, so at times it's gritty and dirty, at other times ethereal and open.
www.sarahhethcoat.com
www.myspace.com/sarahhethcoat.
The Smashing Pumpkins
By Jonathon Freeman-Anderson
The Smashing Pumpkins rocked through the San Fernando Valley in full force! Some may just want to call it the Billy Corgan show because he is the front man of a full piece band including a horn, string, and percussion section and CEO of "Pumpkins Inc.," but there is no denying the energy, power, and classic quality of a Smashing Pumpkins concert. Respectively, if the Pumpkins were to stop recording albums and exclusively tour for the rest of the career then there would be absolutely no problem with that. They have the ability and the experience. Performing live the classic hits, as well as, through intense, instrumental jams that may have been rehearsed, but have an improvised feel, the Smashing Pumpkins can effectively bombard the world with their sound as long as they feel like it. It is unfortunate that in a recent statement to the Chicago Tribune, Billy Corgan said that the band would not be producing more albums, as he feels that their last effort, Zeitgeist, had an overwhelmingly negative fan response. That may be his opinion, but this critic enjoys that album as much as Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, and does not just "drag through the two singles and skip over the rest."
Singing along through most of the show, the crowd went word for word with most of Corgan's brilliant lyrics. The mood permeating through the amphitheatre was one of dark revelry and a magical nostalgia to a style of rock that maintains itself as one of the most important staples in rock history. Representing one of the few last bastions of 90s rock, The Smashing Pumpkins remain strong re-invigorating their sound with new ideas, as well as, maintaining their classic nature. Applying themselves to the 21st century lesson in rock history, they have returned for their 20th anniversary tour and sound as if they have always been slightly ahead of their time. Maybe now is the best time to drop new Pumpkins material on the world, but alas the fans will have to hope each exclusive "single," (most recently G.L.O.W.) will fulfill their pumpkin hunger. Of all the bands still around from that 90s surge of alt-rock, at least they have not relegated themselves to the never-ending attempt at re-hashing and re-capturing the old magic that made their original albums successful. Rather, The Smashing Pumpkins are embracing new sounds and styles of rock similar to Queens of the Stone Age, or Muse, and attempting, somewhat successfully, to remain on the current edge of the mainstream rock scene. One would suppose that the Pumpkins are maintaining themselves on the better quality side of that current edge of the mainstream rock scene. The music is simply visceral and that dark energy provides a comfortable release for fans that cannot properly be explained through a review. Their show is so engaging that it is an incomparable experience to any other live act.
Performing, the band did not repeat a single song, but they cover the entire gamut of hits and a few surprises to whet any fan's appetite. Where the tendency for Los Angeles audiences at most rock concerts is to express a feeling of egotistical apathy where they are "too cool for school," trying as hard as possible to discourage enjoyment of the music, at this show, this was not the case. It seemed as if every fan was a die-hard. It was as if everyone gleefully brought their angst, and sang-along. Though covering the entirety of the massive stage, Billy Corgan led the band to create an intimate, hypnotic landscape beckoning the audience in as he danced around in a dress, eerily reminding one of an older "Jack Skellington." Covering hits like "Cherub Rock" and "Zero," and then plowing through extended, heavy jam sessions matched in intensity by an epileptic light show, the fans were ridiculous in their exuberance for the band. They gave a solid front-to-back standing ovation. Cheering on the ecstatic group, Billy Corgan said, "Don't give up on us yet. We've got a lot of music left in us."
Clearly, with such an unmatched dynamic by most groups since the Pumpkins conception on the scene 20 years ago, no one, and maybe now their mother, wants to see Billy and his Smashing Pumpkins going anywhere. Here is to the sweet, sad, dark, gleeful, twisted, and delirious fun that is The Smashing Pumpkins. May their beautiful and dark sound swallow the masses into symphonic submission as their Ipod buds, stuck on maximum volume attack their delicate ears, making them bleed to Billy Corgan screaming, "Wanna go for a ride?"