My favorite new Aussie dance-pop band Strange Talk is doing a small US tour this week, with two dates in California and a few dates in New York around CMJ.

The band, which formed after a former classical violinist (Stephen Docker) and a DJ/Producer (Gerard Sidhu) met at a house party in Melbourne, released their self-titled debut EP on Neon Gold in 2011 and is working on their full-length album which is due out in 2013. In the meantime, they have released a few singles, most recently "Cast Away," and have been busy remixing tracks for other artists, including Foster the People, The Naked and Famous, and The Temper Trap. They also found time to record a pretty amazing version of "Roxanne" by The Police (listen here).

If you're in San Francisco, you can catch Strange Talk tonight at Rickshaw Stop (get tickets here). Or join me tomorrow in Los Angeles at The Echo (get tickets here). Don't forget to bring your dancing shoes!

They'll be in New York for a few dates too:

October 17 - Mercury Lounge (CMJ Windish Showcase)

FYF Fest released set times for this weekend's festival in downtown LA. Download the pdf version to help plan your days (and get damp in your sweaty pockets). Still don't have tickets? Get 'em while you can at Amoeba Hollywood! They're $89 +$4 fee and you can pay with cash or credit card.

Dave Stewart shot an episode of What's In My Bag? at Amoeba Hollywood recently. Atlhough he may best be known as half of the Eurythmics, he is an incredibly accomplished producer and songwriter, not to mention being an author and filmmaker on top of all that. The man has worked with legends, from Nelson Mandela (on the 46664 campaign) to Mick Jagger, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and a ton of others. Oh, did I forget to mention that Mr. Stewart also started a band called Super Heavy with Mick Jagger, A.R. Rahman, Damian Marley, and Joss Stone?


Needless to say, he had a lot of great stories to share with us, including how Mick Jagger can't help but behave like "Mick Jagger on stage," complete with all his signature dance moves, even when he's in the recording booth. Can't wait to see the video when it's finished!

A good friend of mine from Minneapolis introduced me to a local band called Poliça earlier this year via a performance video from Minnesota public radio station The Current. I loved the song (the name "Wandering Star" also caught my attention as it's the name of one of my favorite Portishead songs), but what really got my attention was the double drummers!

But I have to admit I didn't follow through to discover more about the band until I went back to Minnesota this spring. I heard Poliça on the radio there and responded to the music again, this time vowing to listen to the whole album when I came home. Which I did, on repeat.


The band consists of vocalist Channy Leaneagh (formerly Channy Casselle), bassist Chris Bierden and drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson. But the other important person involved with the band is not technically a band member. Instrumentalist Ryan Olson, who was in Gayngs with Leaneagh, helped shape the band from its very start. The two started working on songs together, with Olson providing electronic beats and Leaneagh singing the melodies, even before there were actual words and lyrics. Then Olson brought in Beirden to lay down bass lines, and contacted Ivascu and Christopherson about being the new band's drummers. Together, they became Poliça.

A few things strike you right away when you listen to their music. One is that Leaneagh's vocals are manipulated by effects pedals and auto-tune, which she says adds drama and allows her voice to be viewed more as an instrument. The second, is the overall mood of the album - dark, slightly aggressive, and beautiful. And slinky, if that could be considered a mood. See the video for "Lay Your Cards Out" as an example.

Amoeba Hollywood was buzzing with some recent "What's In My Bag?" guests.

First, we had Serj Tankian, solo artist and frontman for System of a Down. He was particuarly interested in film music, including composers Ennio Morricone and John Williams. His choices were mostly from the jazz room, although he did select a Sigur Ros album and Mondo Cane by his friend Mike Patton. Serj actually came in that day inquiring about the experimental section which is now located in the jazz room, so technically Mondo Cane is also a jazz room pick. As for the rest of his picks and what he said about each one, you'll have to wait for the video!

Serj just announced a North American tour in support of his new solo album, Harakiri. You can see him live in Los Angeles September 28 at Club Nokia.
 

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