Erica E. Phillips

Denisse Guerrero; Credit: Giovanni Solis

Belanova – Conga Room – 9/22/11

Belanova The Conga Room 9/22/11 Better than ... anything without keytars and handclaps. Belanova plays that perfect kind of bouncy, synthy pop -- the kind you might get ready to before hitting downtown in a new pair of heels, or the kind you might find yourself shamelessly howling in the......
Ramón Amezcua (Bostich) and Pepe Mogt (Fussible); Credit: Nacional Records courtesy photo

Bostich + Fussible Bring The Tijuana To L.A.

It's surely not their city's architectural beauty that keeps a firm grip on Tijuana-based folk-tronic duo Bostich + Fussible. But the city's well-guarded Bohemian underpinnings -- independent art galleries, all-hours clubs, and bars where you can order the beer-and-a-joint special for a buck -- have supplied Ramón Amezcua (Bostich) and......
León Larregui; Credit: Lauren M. Whaley

Zoé at Club Nokia, 7/30/11

WHO: Zoé WHERE: Club Nokia WHEN: 7/30/11 Better than ... a posse of 'stachioed hipsters loitering on a street corner, though Zoé could likely disguise themselves as such. As the lights went down for Zoé Saturday night, there was a restless electricity in the crowd. Cloaked in faint clouds of......
Ximena Sariñana; Credit: Erica E. Philliips

Ximena Sariñana at The Echoplex 7/16/11

WHO: Ximena Sariñana WHERE: The Echoplex WHEN: 7/16/11 Better than... the movies. Cut from a similar dainty-floral-patterned cloth as Zooey Deschanel and Jenny Lewis, child actress turned cheerful indie darling Ximena Sariñana has led an equally charmed life. The daughter of a prominent writer-director pair from Guadalajara, Sariñana landed her first silver screen role......
Andrea Echeverri; Credit: Lauren M. Whaley

Aterciopelados at The Conga Room 7/14/11

Review by Erica E. Phillips WHO: Aterciopelados WHERE: The Conga Room WHEN: 7/14/11 Better than ... the real thing? Maaaaybe not. But maybe. Tal vez. If you were expecting Colombian fusion feminist rocktress Andrea Echeverri to open the night with a roof-raiser, well, you may need a little lesson in......
Fher Olvera; Credit: Timothy Norris

Live Review: Maná at Staples Center

Review by Erica E. Phillips For more photos, see "Maná @ Staples Center." WHO: Maná WHERE: Staples Center WHEN: 6/23/11 The long-haired, tattooed, tight-pants-and-open-black-leather-vested members of Mexican pop rock group, Maná, are as legendary as their music. Flip a radio dial in any major U.S. city and you'll hear lead......