Otik Records Halloween Covers Night

The Monolators, a trio from Los Angeles, recently issued Silver Cities, a double 12" EP, their 8th release since forming in Highland Park circa 2002. Silver Cities started from a challenge--it was one of a batch of songs written very quickly by Eli Monolator in May 2010 in an attempt to write and record a 5-song solo EP on an old 4-track deck in five days. The original version of the title song was spare, with just drum machine, one guitar, thudding bass, and vocals--but under the influence of (a) Krautrock cult group La Dusseldorf and (b) ABBA, the Monolators decided to re-record the song as a group using pianos, choral harmonies, synth leads, feedback, and swirling phaser effects. All of the other songs on the EP followed suit, and Luke Ehret (boxViolet)'s production allowed for a bigger, more orchestrated sound than anything the Monolators have yet attempted. For a band usually classified as 'garage rock' there's also a wider range of pop-informed and electronic styles than on previous Monolators records, from the Spaghetti Western/disco hybrid "I'll Be Glad When He's Gone" to the murky, dancey closer, a song about a girl with blue eyes, silver bangs, and a Ford pickup truck.

*THE RAMONES set*


The story of Sara Radle’s music career is one that began in San Antonio, Texas in the late 90’s but she is probably most known for being the reason The Rentals reunited in 2005.

In 1996, at the age of seventeen, she began carving out a name for herself in the Texas music scene with punk-pop trio Lucy Loves Schroeder and her own solo project. Eight years later, ex-Weezer bassist Matt Sharp played
a show with her in Dallas, and very soon after, he asked her to relocate to Los Angeles, CA in 2005 to re-form The Rentals. Radle and Sharp re-built the band from the ground up, wrote some songs together, recorded the group’s Last Little Life EP, and toured the world. Fans were sad to see Radle leave The Rentals in 2008, when she soon after joined Los Angeles-based indie-rock band Walking Sleep. With her September 2010 fourth solo album release, Four, it was time she returned to her true passion – writing and recording her own music.

With her upcoming fifth solo record, Same Sun Shines, Radle displays her full versatility as a musician by playing every instrument on the record, including guitars, drums, piano, and violin. She also entered new territory by engineering and mixing the record’s collection of ten infectious pop songs herself. “I’ve never officially released something I’ve recorded myself, so I was a bit nervous going into it,” says Radle. “But after fumbling around a bit, I found my way and I’m so happy with how it turned out. It was fun to figure out how to capture the songs the way they sounded in my head.” She jokes, “I guess I really created my ultimate control-freak fantasy with the way I made this record.”

Same Sun Shines continues Radle’s diary-entry lyrical style, using a mix of honesty, heart, humor, and bite to tell stories of love, loss, relationships, and even death. From intimate moments with scaled down instrumentation, to fully orchestrated arrangements that have you questioning how one person was able to make a recording that sounds as full as a room of musicians playing together, every song on Same Sun Shines reflects Radle’s unique signature style that mixes rock, 50’s and 60’s pop, Americana, punk, and classic country. The latter is apparent on her cover of Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys, a song made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. The Same Sun Shines version features big guitars and driving drums, and Radle in a duet with legendary indie singer/songwriter Mary Lou Lord. “I’ve been a fan of hers for years,” says Radle. “I wanted to sing this song as a duet with another woman, because I think it takes on such a great, bitter tone from a female perspective. I asked Mary Lou if she would sing on it, and I was delightfully surprised she agreed. Words cannot express how happy and proud I am to have her on my record.”

With the promising result that has become Same Sun Shines, Radle has a lot to be proud of these days. She took her new songs on the road for a national solo tour in early 2012, followed up by a Southwest full-band tour supporting Girl In A Coma and Pinata Protest in the Spring.

Sara is currently writing her next record and planning additional tour dates. Please stay tuned for an official announcement soon.

Haunted Summer crafts languid pop music, adorned with orchestral strings and electronic textures that recall Soft Bulletin-era Flaming Lips.-Candice Aman (KXSC Radio)

Their brand of dream pop feels timeless, with just the right amount of youthful nostalgia to woo your ears into submission. Moody’s smooth, light as air vocals captivate like a siren of the sea, while the arrangements are lush and seductive, but never pushy. It’s a delightful combination that has the power to fill any lazy summer day with an extra bit of magic. -Jacqueline Caruso (The National Deli Magazine)

There’s no question that whatever is haunting Moody and Seasons is steering the duo toward a beautiful place. -Kevin Bronson (Buzzbands LA)

Windswept vocals, sultry strings and spacey guitar blend together beautifully. The whole thing is mysterious and engrossing enough that it gets under your skin and stirs your own private nostalgia. -Billy Gil (Amoeba Blog)

members of The Do-Its and Shirley Rolls doing ELASTICA!

members of Bombon, Cochinas and LA Drugz doing WEEZER!