Artist/Band Spotlight #10: P!STOL P!STOL

Friends -

If the Lords of Dogtown moved from Venice to Redondo Beach and started a band, they would call themselves:

P!STOL P!STOL

Offical P!stol P!stol MySpace Page
www.PistolPistol.com




{Samuel Lippke, Photographer}

MEET THE BAND:
Ash Riser - Lead vocals/Guitar
Matty James - Bass Guitar
Kian Shabestari - Guitar
Keith Beatz - Drums


WHO ARE P!STOL P!STOL?
These strapping, young hoodlums come from the school of hard-knocks but they don't want your tears, they want your anger and your eagerness to fight for change. Yeah, they speak loving about the dames in their life, but they also look to the future and discuss serious issues that plague the street of L.A.

I would say P!stol P!stol sounds like the Arctic Monkeys when they are having a bad day because they they realised 20 years of smoking cigarettes makes the voice a wee-bit scratchy. I think P!stol P!stol and The Neighborhood Bullys should book gigs together because they play music along the same wavelength. These guys put on a great show and they love to play music!

As stated on their web page: We are the new generation of broken homes and shattered dreams, we are as real as it gets; young, poor, influenced by this city, and disgusted with this country. Look out world were coming for ya...We are the mighty P!STOL P!STOL.


LISTEN UP:
The Cause was JUST RELEASED!!
CDs are available for $12 at live shows.
You can also buy individual digital tracks directly from their site.


FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:
"La Policia" Official Video
CSU Long Beach's Winner of the 2007 Cal State Universities Media Arts Awards



WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE P!STOL P!STOL, TOO:
***Catch on to these guys while they are young, because you don't want to be one of "those" people who becomes a fan years down the road when they are big and famous.
***They bring a rowdy crowd everywhere they go, so you might get a concert and a punch in the face, all for the price of admission.


UPCOMING SHOWS:
Jun 13 2008 7:00P THE TORRANCE CIVIC CENTER Torrance, CA
Jun 23 2008 9:00P DI PIAZZA'S Long Beach, CA


Thanks!
Julia

PS - Want to be the first to see these Monday reviews? Send me your e-mail address and check out my MySpace page!

Artist/Band Spotlight #9: IVAN IVES

Friends -

Sorry kids, there won't be any Silverlake pop/rock today. Today's musical guest comes to us from the Urban world, no, he comes from Russia, well...both! This man is not new to the hip hop scene in L.A., but hopefully he will soon be your new MySpace top friend.

This week's spotlight shines brightly on IVAN IVES!

Ivan Ives's MySpace Page: All music available for purchase on MySpace
No Threshold Records: Simple site, but FREE download of "Eat Pop and Die Mixtape"



MEET THE MAN:
Ivan Ives - Rapper


WHO IS IVAN IVES?
We should all hang our heads in shame that we don't know Ivan Ives yet. Shame on us for paying so much attention to fun, pop rock bands and artsy, funky garage bands. We have been ignoring the urban world and all those men and women who keep the beats bumpin'! Let's not dwell in the past, but move forward and learn our lesson.

Ivan was born in Russia but grew up on the playgrounds of Brooklyn, New York. Before ten-years-old, his parents moves him again to sunny Los Angeles, where he has remained. He was raised in a household filled with classical music and little Ivan studied classical piano for many years. Music was routine around the Ives's household, but high school brought new friends, new experiences, and Snopp Dogg's "Doggie Style." Little Ivan would never be the same.

It is hard to describe your first love, but for Ivan there was something in the way the beats and drums echoed that hypnotized him. He decided that he wanted to make music that has a real message, utilizes skilled lyrics, and works against the stereotypes that plague hip hop. Ivan doesn't rap about guns and hoes, because that was never his life; he doesn't rap about drugs or ghettos, because he would be lying. He feels like he has some greater purpose and his music will help him realize and achieve it. Hip hop/rap music is his outlet for introspective discovery and commentary on the current social scene. He is proud of the work he has created, but he assures me that he won't waste lyrics to prove it: "I'm not jerking myself off about how great I am."

Ivan has had his fair share of media attention. The list of reviews and interview includes URB online's "Next 1000;" Ground Control Mag; CDReview.com featuring Iconoclast; RacketMag.com; Beats, Me?; The Review Busters; Sit Down, Stand Up; Capazine.com; Rolling Stone with a free download of the single "Victory;" and now Julia's Artist/Band Spotlight!



Ivan releases all of his music on his own indie label No Threshold Records.


LISTEN UP!
Eat Pop and Die (2008)
The I.V. League Vol. 1 (2007)
Iconoclast (2007)
The Prelude EP (2007)
TAP - W (2007)
LA Heat (2007)
Deus Ex Machina (2006)
TAP - Self Titled (2005)
Fork Music Vol. 1 (2005)


FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE:
"Got It"


"Let You Know" w/ I.V. League


"The Recipe"



WHY YOU SHOULD LOVE IVAN IVES, TOO:
***He's different but he's not a novelty.
***Wu-Tang's Cappadonna appears on his Iconoclast album, so he has respect from the inside.
***Ladies, did I mention that he is like 6'5" and has perfect skin??


UPCOMING SHOWS:
May 26 2008 8:00P ISGOODMUSIC.COM studio performance Los Angeles, California
Jun 7 2008 9:00P Private Party w/ 2Mex Humboldt, California
Jun 8 2008 10:00P The Red Fox w/ 2Mex Humboldt, California


Thanks!
Julia

PS - Check out the new artist spotlight every Monday on my MySpace page! Let's be friends!