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A Few Things Past
Once a month the pop rock band JamesTowne plays Brennan's pub in Marina Del Ray. The band has that Goo Goo Dolls pop sensibility and vocalist Jimmy Mastandrea has the voice and presence to pull it off. The band carries the torch of a tried and true sound with little variation, which is why it doesn't take to long to get what they're doing. So, it's no surprise that people are quick to get up and dance while the rest of the crowd hovers around to get a good look. JamesTowne is really close to a winning "formula" but there's something missing. While the music doesn't quite reach out and grab the audience, there's a lot of good stuff going on, especially their cover of the Rainbow Connection.
Mai Bloomfield, who you might know from Raining Jane, played an acoustic show with some guests at Genghis Cohen. The singer songwriter played material not traditionally performed by the band. Accompanied by Becky Gebhardt, Raining Jane's Bassist, playing the banjo, and on other tunes with Carlos Calvo on guitar and vocals, Mai showed off her phenomenal voice. With plans to do other acoustic shows, she's one to catch. Also check out Carlos Calvo who performed a track from his record, Past - Present - Future, with Mai, which was great.
The Nukes recently relocated from San Francisco to LA and played their first LA based show at the Whisky. The band is as raw as they get playing a Stooges punk style with some current pop rock elements. The strengths of the band are in the energy, the straightforward rhythm section and melodic guitar.
Mara held a CD release part at the Hard Rock Café at the Beverly Center. The Piper Downs opened the show with their normal high-energy antics. Mara performed with Jeddrah and Kenny from the band Jed, along with some other seasoned musicians. This was mara's first full band live performance, and it was great. Mara is on with her CD and adds that edge that keeps you going back to live shows.
Just a few of the things caught in the past. Check out James Towne, Mai and the band Raining Jane, the Nukes, the Piper Downs, Mara and Jed at their respective websites.
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Article by: Seth S.
Submitted: April 2002
Email: Seth@thelamusicscene.com
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