First Listen: Cherry Glazerr

Cherry Glazerr is an LA-based band made up of Clementine, Hannah, Sophia and Sean. While initially they appear to have a relatively basic sound Clementine Creevy's voice is unique and moving, in ways reminding me of Courtney Love (Hole) or Allison Mosshart (The Kills/The Dead Weather). Creevy brings power to the words she sings just like her predecessors. Her lyrics also explain life events that anyone can relate to: singing about friends, pets, sunglasses, and comfort foods like grilled cheese.  My favorite song is "Teenage Girl," so be sure to check it out on their Bandcamp page.

The band's instruments create a lo-fi and indie sound that is a pleasure to listen to on a day where you just need something to quiet your mind and that can relate to your daily life.

I am so glad to have discovered this band because they bring a new sound that isn't common on today's indie scene and no one has a voice quite like Creevy's. Also, I totally wish that they would go on tour and hopefully play a DC venue with another LA band that I love, The Entrance Band. Well, a girl can dream right? 

First Listen: The Boxers

I was stumbling around on Facebook band pages looking for some new music to listen to. I saw that the Illinois-based band The Orwells endorsed a fellow Chicago band called The Boxers. Since I have been recently obsessed with The Orwells I knew that I would have to give The Boxers'  album a listen.

Take a look at their album, Manorisms, and listen to my favorite songs, "Swamp Drank" and "Dirty's Girls." 

"Swamp Drank" offers a pop-rock sound that I found pretty catchy from my first listen. Vocalist Duncan Lee offers a sound similar to Julian Casablancas' from The Strokes and the guitars sound like The Beach Boys. I think it is really awesome when a band pulls from influences from many time periods and turns it into their own exclusive sound.

"Dirty's Girls" clearly exhibits some of their influences such as classic bands such as The Beatles to contemporaries like Deerhunter (also one of my favorites!) This song is a slow indie song with a cool guitar solo and great bass line sure to capture the hearts of any alt-rock fan.

It is great to listen to a band in their early days and hear such a creative meld of instruments and lyrics. The Boxers have a wide range of influences which gives depth to their album. Manorisms can be downloaded for only $5 at the link above.

Rock and Restaurants Does Boston: The Friendly Toast Restaurant Review

After a fabulous summer in DC I am back to Massachusetts (home) for a few weeks before the school year starts. To start off my vacation my parents and I went to The Friendly Toast in Cambridge, MA's Kendall Square. The Friendly Toast is an interesting restaurant with decor from the 1950s and a lot to look at while you are waiting. My wait was about 35 minutes which wasn't too bad and speaks to how popular the restaurant is on a Saturday morning. 

The Friendly Toast's menu is as unique as the restaurant's decor, making for some difficult decisions. Luckily, when I dine with my parents we always get three different dishes and so we can try as many items as possible. I decided to order the "Drunkard's French Toast" with a creamy Grand Marnier & raspberry sauce. They also offer your choice of breads, so I opted for their oatmeal bread. My Mom ordered the "King Cakes," which came with this description "two mini pancakes with bananas and chocolate chips inside and peanut butter in between; encircled by a side of bacon or vegetarian bacon, but Elvis will roll in his grave." I loved their witty humor, especially their definition of mini pancakes. My Dad decided on the "Pumpkin Pancakes" with Raisinettes.

All of these dishes sounded great on the menu and they were amazing! I love when a restaurant can take something as typical as french toast or pancakes and turn it into a unique dish you can't get anywhere else. To say we were stuffed was an understatement. I really enjoyed my french toast because I love raspberries and paired with the orange-flavored liqueur was such a good combination. The "King Cakes" were so rich and the peanut butter melted in between the cakes; which gave it a frosting-like consistency. 

Also, once seated the service was pretty quick and our server was very friendly. I would definitely return to The Friendly Toast when I come home again. I will just make sure that I do not have any plans for lunch and make sure to have a light dinner.

SKATERS and The Orwells @ Schuba's Tavern August 3rd 2013

Each year that I go to Lollapalooza I make sure that I go to one after show because I get to check out a Chicago club that I haven't been to before as well as get to see a few more bands in a more intimate setting, compared to the larger stages in Grant Park. The SKATERS and The Orwells concert jumped out as the best combination of bands and I definitely do not regret my aftershow decision.

Schuba's was cool, it was small and the show had sold out. SKATERS started off the show with a lot of good songs to get the crowd ready for The Orwells. "I Want to Dance (But I Don't Know How" got the crowd tapping their feet and many were even singing along. I also enjoyed their outfits, a mix of ripped jeans, Hawaiian shirts, and punk band t-shirts. 

The Orwells graciously made their way to the stage by pushing right through the crowd. If it wasn't already hot enough in the small tavern, the audience got a little bit closer, to each other and the stage. One of the greatest things about seeing The Orwells in Chicago is that they are playing their home city. From the suburbs of Chicago, Elmhurst to be exact, and the guys have a lot of experience playing at local clubs. They also have quite the fan base which is always great to see because it always makes the concerts more fun when everyone is singing along. Right from the start the crowd loved it because the band started off with the favorite, "Mallrats (La la la)." The pit formed and Schuba's became a sweaty mess of twenty-year olds and spilled beer, but would you expect anything less for a punk show?

Some of my favorite songs of the night include the pop-punk song "In My Bed" and "Other Voices," which remind me a lot of the Strokes. The Orwells (in various interviews) explain that their influences include the early years of Jack White when he was involved with the White Stripes, The Strokes, and The Stooges. When the Orwells played their Lollapalooza set the next day they closed with the Stooges cover, "I Wanna Be Your Dog," which was electrifying. I've heard many words to describe an Orwells concert: astonishing, energizing and enticing. If that doesn't sum it up I don't know what would. I can't wait to catch them on their fall tour with FIDLAR. I hardly find tours where I like both bands and I think that the Orwells and FIDLAR is an unbeatable combination. 

Classic Rock Magazine Awards: Who am I voting for?

I am excited to say that two of my favorite bands from 2013 are nominated for Classic Rock Magazine's Awards!

This year, The Virginmarys released their amazing album "King of Conflict." The three friends, Ally Dickaty, Danny Dolan and Matt Rose, are from Macclesfield, England. Their sound combines elements of grunge, blues and 1970s classic rock, whilst providing meaningful lyrics that encompass a lot of their experiences and opinions. Their album is up for Classic Rock Magazine's "Album of the Year."

Secondly, Deap Vally is up for "Best New Band." Boy, do they deserve it. They are playing the festival circuit this summer and have been to Glastonbury, T in the Park, Lollapalooza and Osheaga to name a few. They also landed spots on tour with Queen of the Stone Age and Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club for later this year. They sing about lying and cheating boyfriends, standing up for yourself as a woman (and making your own money), and a lot of other relatable topics. 

I have been lucky enough to meet the members of The Virginmarys and Deap Vally. They are truly dedicated and interested in their fans so give them a little something back by helping them win these awesome awards.

You can vote here:  Classic Rock Magazine Awards

Lollapalooza 2013: An Overview

After a 2 hour flight delay I rushed from O' Hare to my downtown hotel room and straight to the gates of Grant Park to make sure I didn't miss any of the bands I was ready to see. Needless to say, I may have been a little eager. 2012 was my first year at Lollapalooza and to say I had a good time is a bit of an understatement. From the second that Jack White's Sunday night set at Lollapalooza 2012 was over I knew I had to make this into an annual trip. Spending time in the beautiful Chicago summer weather with 100,000 of your newest friends, eating signature Chicago food such as deep-dish pizza and Rainbow Cones, and discovering new artists as well as hearing from your favorites is a pretty awesome way to spend 72 hours.

Lauren's Lollapalooza 2013 Schedule

Friday
Deap Vally
Jessie Ware
Band of Horses
Queens of the Stone Age
Frightened Rabbit
The Killers

Saturday
Planet Hemp
Reignwolf
Matt and Kim
Ellie Goulding
Heartless Bastards
The Lumineers 
Mumford & Sons

AFTERSHOW @ Schuba's Tavern with Pujol, SKATERS and the Orwells

Sunday **My favorite day of the festival**
Rivals of the Peacemaker
The Orwells
SKATERS
Alex Clare
Wavves
The Vaccines
Vampire Weekend
Phoenix

Best Up and Coming Band(s): Deap Vally and The Orwells

I just could not choose. I started listening to Deap Vally about a month ago and they are two rockers from LA who have a great set of songs. My favorite being "Bad for My Body" which now has an awesome video. They got the first day off to the best start and got me into the festival mood. They are touring with Queens of the Stone Age and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club later this year so I am hoping to catch them at some point on the east coast. 

Also, the Orwells kicked ass on stage. They are made up of 18 and 19 year-olds from Elmhurst, Illinois which made the show even more fun because they have plenty of local fans. Even though the band was at the 1:00pm time slot everyone was into the band, fronted by Mario Cuomo who has a fascinating presence on stage and clearly captured the audience. Here is on of my favorites: "In My Bed".They even closed their set with a cover by The Stooges. **See more on their after show concert review later this week**

Best Headliner: Phoenix

I really like listening to Phoenix so I knew they would put on a great show, but they went above and beyond. The show was amazing! They are the perfect mix of indie rock meets pop meets dance music. The crowd was loving it and unfortunately the end of their set meant the end of Lolla, but it was okay because it was a high note to end on.


All in all I had an amazing weekend at my second trip to Lollapalooza. This is slowly turning into an annual tradition and I hope that I can make it again next year. The dates have already been announced, August 1-3, 2014, so mark your calendar and now you only have 359 days to countdown to one of the best weekends of the year.