2012: The year of Instagram

12.31.2012

2012 was the year of Instagram.  Was it because they were bought by Facebook for a billion dollars? Nah...  It was the year is Instagram because there was no other app I enjoyed using than the one they created. And I'm not alone on this one. Over the past year I've seen a good percentage of my Facebook friends fall in love with the app and a majority of my friends have developed an artistic eye because they're searching their surrounding to artistically represent what they were currently doing. My Instagram friends (and real ones) provided photos of sunsets, sunrises, concerts, quiet evenings, food, celebrity sightings, vacations, weddings, births, holidays, new boyfriends/girlfriends, breakups, heartache, airports, clouds from airplane windows, foreign lands, gifts. People used Instagram to announce births, deaths, engagements, marriages, work milestones, anniversaries. Anything of importance that could be  photographed was Instagrammed. 

Biffy Clyro at The Satellite in Silverlake

12.14.2012

Last week I had the fortune of getting in to the super small Biffy Clyro show at The Satellite. I have to admit that I hadn't heard of this band until my friend told me about their show at The Satellite. So I dug around and their music was great. When comparing bands it helps me reference other bands that sound similar and Biffy Clyro's sounds is a hybrid of Muse and Bush. Biffy Clyro's guitar heavy sounds makes for great live music and it doesn't hurt that Simon Neil, Biffy's front man, is as charismatic as they come. Without a doubt these guys are on the up and up. Check them out if you can. 

enjoy the photos! 

Other Lives at The El Rey 11/3/201

11.29.2012

I was introduced to Other Lives about a year ago when my friend Melissa sent me some tracks. I give them a listen and immediately went out and looked for anything they had released. They only had a couple of songs online, but knew that I needed to buy a copy for myself. In fact the album i bought is still sitting next to my desk as I type this out.

In early November I had the opportunity to catch this Oklahoma band at The El Rey Theatre and it was an impressive performance. Their light show set up had a lot of pulsating lightbulbs adding a dramatic feel to an already intense performance.

The El Rey's been a stepping stone for a lot of bands before they go on to play bigger venues in the city of LA and Other Lives is deserving of a bigger venue and more fans. Check them out if you haven't. You'll won't regret it... unless this isn't your type of music. ENOUGH WITH WORDS! check out the photos below!

ENJOY! 

JJAMZ at The Troubadour 11/07/2012

11.28.2012

JJAMZ (pronounced JUHJAMZ) is an All-Star group comprised of Z Berg (The Like), Michael Runion (The Elected), Alex Greenwald (Phanton Planet), James Valentine (Maroon 5), and Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley). JJAMZ released their debut album, Suicide Pact, through Dangerbird Records and has quickly become one of LA's favorite bands. JJAMZ has hit a couple milestones very quickly in a short amount of time. They had a June residency at The Satellite. Released their first album in July. And now they have a slot opening up for No Doubt during their 7 Night stand at the Gibson Amphitheater. There's no denying that this band has staying power. Enough with the words! Scroll down to check out their photos from their gig at The Troubadour. 

Enjoy!

Posted by m
mjambriz@gmail.com

Cowboys and Indies Night 2: Ryan Darton and The Wildebeasts

11.27.2012

Ryan Darton's been hustling at this music game for a while since he left Kid Theodore/Toy Bombs to pursue his solo career and he's doing it right. He's out there playing shows and showing people the product that he's made. I am a Moth is a great album that was recorded in the place I currently live and I have seen this album take shape to what it is now... a solid album with heartfelt songs from start to finsih. His live shows will only make you fall in love with the shows more. 

Ryan Darton and The Wildebeasts made the trek up to Utah to perform at Velour alongside The Devil Whale, Ferocious Oaks, and EYES LIPS EYES for Cowboys and Indies and these are the photos from his set. 

Check these out and Check out Ryan Darton's site for more music. 

posted by m
mjambriz@gmail.com

Cowboys and Indies Night 2: EYES LIPS EYES

A couple weeks ago Velour Live had their annual Cowboys and Indies show where they showcase a wide range of Utah based bands. This year they had two nights with The Moth and The Flame headlining the first night and EYES LIPS EYES headlining the second night. Unfortunately I missed night one as I was catching up on sleep, but you better believe I was ready for night 2. I took the hour drive south to Provo and the night was full of great bands. The lineup consisted of Ferocious Oaks, Ryan Darton and The Wildebeasts, The Devil Whale, and EYES LIPS EYES. It's always good to see shows in other cities and see the crowd's reaction to live music and Provo is consistently a great place to see kids have fun. Hope these photos convey the energy of that night. 

Enjoy!

Ghostwolf and ƎXOE

10.10.2012

Now that the dust has settled a little bit, I can revisit these past few weeks with a clearer mind. Nothing catastrophic happened, but if you know me I can get really caught up and backed up with some of my work. But that'll be a post for another day.

Ghostwolf (SA Martinez, Evan Anderson, Ryan Siegel) announced a 3 city tour starting in LA then onto Omaha and ending in NYC. These shows were a long time coming and it was great to see these shows come together and so many people come and support them. I remember hearing the first demos at SA's house years ago and immediately asking him for a copy of it. That request was shot down quick, but not because he didn't want me to have the songs, but at some later date he wanted to re record them and give them a proper release. As you know 311 tours A LOT and what little time they have off is probably spent with family and gearing up for the next tour. So the wait for me to hear Ghostwolf again was well over a 5 year wait. That was about the time Ryan and Evan really started getting ƎXOE off the ground. I would hear songs here and there as they were being finished and finally when Lunar Halos was released, Ghostwolf was no longer a project. It was an entity. These songs aren't just put together haphazardly, they are amazingly crafted songs with substance. So you could imagine how happy I was to hear that they were planning these 3 shows.  Ghostwolf would be accompanied by 3 amazing musicians in Kenny Schwartz, Dan Ellis, and Sherman. I'm glad I got to be a fly on the wall during this run of shows. (I couldn't make it to Omaha). 

The photos below were shot in Ojai before their show in LA at Molly Malone's. 

Global Citizen Festival NYC

10.08.2012

Last weekend in New York City was amazing. As someone who's been diagnosed with FOMO (Fear OF Missing Out), New York can be a difficult place to visit because there's so much to do and it's impossible to get to everything on a travel checklist. For me it was probably one of the best trips I've ever had to New York. I was able to check off a lot of my "to-do" items and see almost everyone I wanted to see and do everything I wanted to do. One thing that I was fortunate to see was the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park. I had to cut out a little early, but I was able to catch K'Naan, Band of Horses, The Black Keys, and a bit of Foo Fighters' last set. Again, last weekend in New York was amazing and the thing that made it all possible was timing. Timing really is everything!

ps this was only the beginning of an amazing night... stay tuned.

Enjoy!

K'NAAN

FYF Day 2

9.10.2012

FYF Day 2 was equally as awesome as the first. Headliners were a bit polar opposites. You had The Refused, a Swedish hardcore band, then you had Beirut who is considered to be a Baltic folk band. FYF really is a festival for everyone.

Hope you enjoy these photos! Make sure to tweet or facebook the link to this post using the social media buttons on the right side. Also find me on Twitter and Instagram under the @mjambriz handle! 

Enjoy!

Beirut

FYF Day 1

9.09.2012

FYF Fest felt like it was about a year ago, but it really it was last weekend.  FYF Fest has been around for 8 years now and it's grown to be a well respected festival. It's a relief that Angelenos don't have to drive into the desert or fly somewhere for a decent music festival. All you have to do is take the Metro Gold Line and walk two blocks to the Los Angeles State Historic Park and you're in the middle of FYF! Now that FYF Fest 2012 is gone, I'm excited to see what they have up their sleeve for next year! Until then pleas enjoy these photos while you're party is reached...

The Refused

311 at Irvine Meadows aka Verizon Wireless 08.24.2012

8.27.2012

Irvine Meadows or Verizon Wireless holds a special place in my heart because it's the first place I ever saw a concert. My sister Irma took me to Lollapalooza in 1996. This is back when Lollapalooza was a traveling festival instead of having its home base in Chicago, Il. That day I saw Metallica (headliner), Soundgarden, DEVO, Rancid, The Ramones, Screaming Trees, and the Shaolin Monks (no, not Wu-Tang) and I pretty much fell in love with the live music. 

I don't remember how many times I've been to Irvine Meadows, but without a doubt this is the venue where I've seen 311 the most. And like always, they dominated. The energy was great and the people were having fun. 

Here are my photos from that night enjoy!

If you like this shots, please share the link by using the social media buttons in the right column. 

Thanks!!! 

311 Red Rocks 08.19.2012

8.23.2012

Red Rocks Amphitheater in Denver Colorado is one of the most amazing concert venues that I have ever been to. When you add an amazing live band like 311, the place goes off. I was fortunate enough to be a fly on the wall as the day progressed leading up to showtime. Here are my shots.

If you like this shots, please share the link by using the social media buttons in the right column. 

Thanks!!!

Pre show