Q&A: Abe Vigoda uses more “choruses and stuff”

In the last year and a half, the particular din made by L.A.’s own Abe Vigoda — a steely, punky, happy sort of noise — has been emanating in ever-broadening swaths from Downtown’s renowned all-ages venue, The Smell. The quartet is currently on the road into August, supporting February’s Reviver EP (PPM). In this interview, guitarist Juan Velasquez talks about touring, the Vampire Weekend comparisons, and the band’s next album.

The entire band actually lives inside of the original Abe Vigodas left eyebrow.

The band actually resides inside of Abe Vigoda's left eyebrow.

Feature: Dirty Projectors interviewed by SMS

The Dirty Projectors may be responsible for the year’s best album, a manic and schizo piece of art-pop released last month titled Bitte Orca. It’s the kind of record that begs a lot of questions — thoughful questions that couldn’t, say, be crunched into the 140-character limitations  of a Twitter post, or squeezed to the parameters of a series of SMSes. And yet, the latter is exactly what went down when, after ducking my best attempts to conduct a proper interview, DP’s David Longstreth at last offered his undivided attention — via text message. Click here to read the story (via LA Weekly), which unfolds this modern narrative in the context of the new album’s importance.

Vamos a Guatemala!

Howdy there web friend. Things will be a little quieter around Funny Ha Ha for a little bit, as this blog’s sole author/editor is heading to Guatemala tomorrow morn. I’ve got a ton of fresh work dropping while I’m gone, starting with this somewhat unusual Dirty Projectors piece, Balls Deep In The R&B (via LA Weekly). I’ll attempt brief updates from time to time but all bets are off until my return. Fresh jungle air is calling…

Feature: Glasser’s Spectacle, Meet Miss Mesirow

I’ve been enamored with the music of Los Feliz-based Glasser, a.k.a. Cameron Mesirow, for some number of months now, but I’ve mostly gazed from afar. There’s something about her humble-but-bejeweled, dreamy electronic folk-pop that begs to lie undisturbed, like a reflecting pool. Flowery language, I know, but it serves to say that when I finally got the chance to talk to Miss Mesirow, my fears were quelled: to know her music’s story is not to know her songs’ secrets. And discovering that her father is in Blue Man Group is a bizarro sidenote.

Check it all out for yourself at LA Weekly (also on stands). You can also listen to Glasser’s “Apply” in the Lala player.