Joshua Pressman

Coconut Records Nighttiming Young Baby Records Released: May 19th, 2007 Coconut Records is the irresistible, pop-rock brainchild of actor/musician Jason Schwartzman. When Schwartzman quit playing drums for Phantom Planet to star in the Mike White-written Fox sitcom Cracking Up (eew), it heavily divided their fan base. There were the fans that stuck with Phantom Planet despite one of their central songwriters leaving and there were the fans that foreboded the end of the Phantom...

I called my friend today to tell him that I attended The Format's show last night at the Avalon and he promptly responded with, "Wow, so you went to a real pop-punk show last night?" Yes, I did and I survived. Although I wouldn't place The Format and Limbeck in the pop-punk genre, their fan base and roots are set firmly in those pre-pubescent yesteryears. Both of these bands have been sitting on a pile...

I swore I had never been to Boardner's before, but I realized I was completely wrong as soon I entered the dark bar. I had never explored the depths of the sprawling bar and so I was surprised to discover a small outdoor venue in the back. Amidst the "posh" clubs and red carpets of Hollywood Boulevard, a slew of fantastic LA bands performed with emphatic precision. Signal Hill opened the show with an...

Friday night was my first night back in the states from my vacation in Europe and it was strange. Needless to say, I've been sleep-deprived and delirious for days now. Echo Park is screwy place to be the day you get back from vacation. Between witnessing some dude walking down the street with a 5 foot long boa constrictor and a Jenny Lewis induced-frenzy, I felt even more delirious. With the Jenny Lewis connections...

I'll admit that it's nearly impossible to abstain from bias while reviewing Nomo & Nino Moschella. They're considerably under-appreciated by the masses. Nomo's show at Spaceland on Sunday was representative of that. Although they played a flawless set, chock-full of soulful improvisational instrumentals, the fact remains that the attendance did not suffice. So, I decided to attend the following show on Monday at Temple Bar with hopes of experiencing them in a more lively...

Friday night's "celebration" at Safari Sam's was testimony to the tremendous impact Sea Level Records has had upon the local Los Angeles music scene. As reported previously, the foremost indie record store decided to throw in the towel after their influential 5 1/2 year reign. So, party, celebration--any word used to connote remote contentment would simply be a misnomer. As friends of Sea Level sporadically graced the stage to eulogize, it became harder to...

Let me preface the following review with: I've never seen Grand Ole Party, Everest, or Sea Wolf perform live before. Last night's show at The Echo was exceptional. However, I noticed a palpable disparity between Sea Wolf fans as I traveled from the back to the front of the brimming room. In the back, I experienced insouciant veterans, who felt as though the set list dragged a bit, but ended with a bang. In...

Last night's show was underwhelming. Not in terms of performance, but in terms of turnout. Given, the show was up against NME's David Bazan extravaganza (ouch). I feel compelled to expose the flaws in order to prove that Acute deserves much, much more. As I arrive fashionably late, I walk into the Troubadour and my jaw drops. There's no more than 50 people inside as Acute began their set with the upbeat 'Rip Your...