Detroit Bar, Honeypie, Melanoid & DallasA friend of mine recommended that I check out a venue called Detroit Bar, in Costa Mesa, so Frank and I ventured out there for a night of music. Detroit Bar is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall, but it has the feel of the kind of cool bar one would find in Silverlake. There is a large stage for a venue of its size (a big plus for bands wanting to play there) and plenty of space for a crowd of over a hundred people. The rest of the bar sports an indie/lounge vibe, with couches and a few tables from which the band can be watched. An added bonus: TVs that silently play classic Saturday Night Live musical guests between sets. A separate room towards the rear of Detroit provides a quieter area where people can chalk-up at the pool tables. HONEYPIE
Image borrowed from www.myspace.com/honeypiemusic
With microphone stands decorated in swirly floral vines to match the hometown influence of their music, Honeypie confidently played a slightly indie version of feel good folk rock. Tricia is their lead singer, who has a cute sexiness about her, as she shines through the music with vocal parts that reminded us of a slightly sweeter Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley. The band was tight and well-rehearsed; the drummer was noticeably a rocker who brought an important and energetic edge to the music; rhythm guitar and bass locked up with the drums; the lead guitarist, clearly well versed in country folk, played some pleasantly subtle but melodic riffs; organ added the final fantastic piece to the puzzle. Together the music was not quite predictable. Predictability often being a trait expected from country-influenced music, Honeypie was a breath of fresh air. MELANOID
Image borrowed from www.myspace.com/melanoid Suddenly the stage lights turn red and ominous. Mystery is afoot at Detroit Bar. Melanoid takes the stage. First and foremost, Melanoid plays their own unique brand of art rock that sits comfortably somewhere between the moodier side of Muse and the ambient side of Radiohead. John, the singer of Melanoid has a very soothing voice that swells into memorable melodies that make you want to learn the songs and sing along. The band as a whole proved that you don't need to go to the Hollywood Bowl to see professionals. While John sang and played guitar, the lead guitarist got experimental and made some amazing sounds come out of the six string. The drumming was unquestionably fitting and solid. The bass player used the entire neck of his instrument skillfully. The organ, played by the same person who played in Honey Pie, was amazing for the second time (see review below). While the musical style was art rock, it was a brand of which was quite comprehensive and gave the listener something to hold on to while they fell deeper into the creativity of Melanoid. DALLAS KRUSE
Image Borrowed from http://www.dallaskruse.com/dk/zionstudios.html Dallas Kruse, was the keys player for both bands this evening. Quite frankly, it was a pleasure to watch him bang on the black and whites. In each band he added a layer of sound that drastically enhanced the music. In addition it was clear to see that Dallas had a vast understanding of his instrument and music in general as he played his dynamics appropriately. We approached Dallas after the sets to simply shake the hand of a musician. We discovered that he plays in twelve local bands in addition to working on his own material and managing Zion Studios, located in Santa Ana. The Slater Sisters Blog officially endorses this go-getter! For music and more information on these bands, please visit our links section. Lauren & Frank  OUR EP IS HERE!
At long last! Our EP, "No More I'm Sorry" is available on our website. Go on and download 'em! We are very proud and happy to share these new songs with you.
www.theslatersisters.com/store See you at the EP Release Show tonight, all you L.A. people!  Our EP and our EP Release Show!
Hooooorraaayyy!!!! Our EP is now getting pressed! Right now! Right this second! And it will be available at our EP Release Show on Sunday!!! Where is this show, you ask? At the Viper Room, at 7:45. Parking is free on Sunset on Sundays. We are pre-selling tickets from our website for only $6.00. This price includes shipping! But you should order fast to get them on time!
Go to www.theslatersisters.com/store to purchase! Come grab your copy of our new EP, "No More I'm Sorry" See you there!  New York City, Here We Come!
First of all, Happy New Year!!!
We are very excited about what this year has to bring! All you New Yorkers, we better see your lovely faces at the Bitter End on February 3rd!!!! 10pm, with Special Guest Michael Lanning. You've seen him perform with the Trans Siberian Orchestra (he's also on their Lost Christmas Eve CD), he recently performed in Bonnie and Clyde at the La Jolla Playhouse, and he does tons of benefit shows for composer Neil Berg, and Rockers on Broadway. He is filling in on bass and some harmonies for us, and it's going to be awesome. It's our band's first show out of California, and we are all thrilled. It's also Dreux's first time in New York!!! Yaaay!!! In other exciting news, our EP is ALMOST READY!!! Just a few more weeks, and it will be available for purchase! Don't forget, you still have time to donate to help us get it pressed, and you will get a copy of the EP, and a SPECIAL THANKS on the inside cover! Go here to check it out and get involved while you still have time: DONATE Stay tuned!!!  Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!
2010! It's almost here! We are all very very excited about the new year. Our EP will be ready soon, we have a big, full-band show booked at The Bitter End in NYC on February 3rd, and lots of exciting prospects and adventures!
This is our last post for 2009, so we shall say, though a bit annoying, "See you next year!" (slight cringe) Here's to a new year! May it be prosperous, happy, and filled with love, laughter, and MUSIC!!!! All the best, Lauren, Jillian, Dreux, Frank, and Matt  A Lovely Discovery
Our engineers/producers/friends Matt and Lucy recently played us some of their music that they have written and produced. We were so impressed that we feel the need to share them with you. Not only do they know how to work the studio with ease and efficiency, but they are amazing songwriters and musicians, and two of the coolest people we have ever met. We feel blessed to have them working with us, and highly recommend them to anyone needing producers, songwriters, a guitar/bass player, or keyboardist.
Soooo, check out their myspace page here: www.myspace.com/therebelmovement (Our favorite song is "Somebody Else"; scroll down the song list to hear it). And be a Facebook FAN here: www.facebook.com/therebelmovement That's all for now. GushFest complete!!!  The EP Donation Challenge
As our EP nears completion, we are asking our friends/family/fans to help us get it to the finishing stages of printing, pressing, and packaging with our EP Donation Challenge. Example: a $20 donation will get you a Copy of our new EP and a "Special Thanks" on the inside sleeve of the EP.
You can be a significant part of our EP! Click HERE to get involved! Stay tuned! Lauren and Jillian  Baseball
I am watching the Yankees play the Angels right now. I was raised watching baseball and going to baseball games. My dad is the biggest baseball/Dodger fan on the face of the earth. My husband is a Yankee/Dodger fan. I really hope the Dodgers don't go up against the Yankees in the World Series for the sanity of my househould! If the Dodgers keep playing the way they have been, it shouldn't be a problem :)
Jillian  TOO Much Fun?
We don't believe there is such a thing. Lots of fun has taken place in the studio lately. Tons o' the stuff. We are getting close to finishing up vocals, and then we'll add more little fun extra things. This here blog post is about some of those little fun extra things. We started recording some percussion last week, and made everyone a little nuts with our fake percussion. Jill and I wanted to drive our drummer Dreux crazy by pretending to do some off-beat shakers and maracas. Our goal was to be taken "seriously", but no one bought it. Not for one second.
Here's a vid of some of our shenanigans: And here are some pics as well!!! Stay tuned as our recording gets closer and closer to completion!!! Lauren     Oh, Hello!We are here in blogger world! Yay and yay! Every session is filled with laughter and dancing and jokes and lots of coffee, as we are recording from 8 to midnight! Tonight we may start on some vocals, which Jill and I are very excited about, since we've been listening to the rough takes we did on the first day. And Jill can't wait to get her hands on a shaker or tambourine. I'm hearing some cowbell somewhere too....I got a feva, and the only remedy is more cowbell.... We are having a great time, and we can't wait for everyone to hear it!!! More soon, Lauren  
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