Check Out Kisses During Their West Coast Tour

View All Photos | photo by Olivia Hemaratanatorn | KISSES

Kisses, the dream pop duo from Los Angeles, announced last week that they will embark on a seven city west coast tour that began Friday night in San Diego, CA. Tonight they play Crepe Place in Santa Cruz, CA. The tour is in support of their debut release The Heart of the Nightlife which will be released in the U.S. on November, 16th. The album has already come out in the UK to glowing reviews.

Kisses is made up of lead singer and songwriter Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson, keyboards and backing vocals. Together they have created a sound reminiscent of early days of new wave music with a hint of ‘70s disco thrown into the mix while at the same time keeping their sound very current and fresh. Front man Kivel says that he likes to write songs that take people out of their every day lives.

“Great pop music is about escape. Kisses is about entering into another world,” Kivel explained.

Kisses by Kisses

Kisses wraps up their west coast jaunt on Thursday, November 11th in San Francisco at Popscene. You can get the latest information and pre-order The Heart of the Nightlife here at the band’s Web site.

Tour Dates:

11/10 Blue Lamp, Sacramento, CA
11/11 Popscene, San Francisco, CA
12/04 Mondrian, Los Angeles, CA * (DJ Set)
* = w/ Jens Lekman

More Chances To Dance Onstage With Girl Talk

Everybody’s wondering when the new Girl Talk album is going to drop, but what they don’t know is that Gregg Gillis’ craft is patience.  Girl Talk is at its best when you already know everything he’s going to put out.  So just wait, keep listening, and let it sink in because you’re listening to the new album right now and don’t even know it.

Girl Talk is notorious for outrageous live performances that masterfully blend pyrotechnics and on-stage stripping with audience participation in the form of leg-humping.  If you want a piece of Gregg Gillis’ thigh, here’s a slew of recently announced opportunities:

Fri. 11/12/10 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium

Fri. 11/19/10 – Buenos Aires, Argentina @ Hot Festival

Sat. 11/20/10 – Sao Paulo, Brasil @ Planeta Terra Festival

Fri. 12/3/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

Sat. 12/4/10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

Wed. 01/05/11 – Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues

Thu. 01/06/11 – Columbus, OH @ LC Pavillion

Fri. 01/07/11 – Covington, KY @ Madison Theater

Sat. 01/08/11 – Louisville, KY @ Expo Five

Mon. 01/10/11 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues

Thu. 01/13/11 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues

Fri. 01/14/11 – Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall

Sat. 01/15/11 – Dallas, TX @ Palladium

Mon. 01/17/11 – Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall

Tue. 01/18/11 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant

Thu. 01/20/11 – Birmingham, AL @ Workplay

Fri. 01/21/11 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle

Sat. 01/22/11 – Charleston, SC @ Gaillard Municipal Auditorium

Mon. 01/24/11 – Knoxville, TN @ Valarium

Tue. 01/25/11 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore

Thu. 01/27/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Disco Rodeo

Fri. 01/28/11 – Norfolk, VA @ NorVa

Sat. 01/29/11 – Richmond, VA @ The National

Mon. 01/31/11 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head

Tue. 02/01/11 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club

Fri. 02/04/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

Sat. 02/05/11 – Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theatre

Thu. 02/24/11 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5

Fri. 02/25/11 – Providence, RI @ Lupo’s

Sat. 02/26/11 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues

Mon. 02/28/11 – Portland, ME @ State Theater

Mon. 03/01/11 – Montreal, QC @ Metropolis

Thu. 03/03/11 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Hall

Fri. 03/04/11 – Chicago, IL @ Congress

Mon. 03/07/11 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum

Tue. 03/08/11 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave

Fri. 03/11/11 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre

Mon. 03/14/11 – Missoula, MT @ Wilma Theater

Tue. 03/15/11 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox

Thu. 03/17/11 – Portland, OR @ Roseland

Fri. 03/18/11 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater

Sat. 03/19/11 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theatre

Mon. 03/21/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Palladium

Tue. 03/22/11 – San Diego, CA @ SOMA

Wed. 03/23/11 – Tempe, AX @ Marquee

Give The Wombats Your Email, Get A Song

It’s an age-old practice — bands have songs you want to hear, they want you on their mailing list — the solution: barter.  If only politics were so simple.  The Wombats are freshly mastering their upcoming sophomore album, set for release February 2011 on three different labels, with four different producers.  Not as simple.

After the success of “Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves),” which became the band’s highest charting single in several English and a German-speaking country, they must be feeling pretty confident about the new record.

The Wombats have another preview track to offer, “Jump Into The Fog,” for the paltry price of your email address.  The song represents stylistic changes for the band on the new album, including a more dance-able rhythm section and some darker lyrics, with hooks intact.  Give it a listen HERE.

Playtime!: Empires in Brooklyn, NY – CMJ 2010


We caught up with indie up and comers Empires after a photoshoot during CMJ. I’m not going to lie, if I had to find this studio in Brooklyn again I would never make it. It’s on the edge. The roads are paved with cobblestone. I’m glad I made it out there though where we filmed a Playtime! session with the band that was truly incredible. Enjoy!

“Spit the Darkness”

“Bang”