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LA Rock

Frantic Romantic Wired the Sunset Strip with Electric Nostalgia – An Interview

Frantic Romantic has etched their name into the curb of the Sunset Strip, not with brash declarations but with steady sparks of authenticity and instinctive showmanship. In this interview, the Hollywood-based outfit opens up about their transition from San Jose to the heart of LA’s most iconic rock corridor, where stages like the Viper Room, the Troubadour and Whisky A Go Go have become part of their regular rotation.

They discuss the electric charge of sharing those rooms with crowds who live for the moment, their evolving Cyberpunk-tinged aesthetic, and the curious scenes and strangers they’ve encountered along the way. From a child’s first gig in Tijuana to run-ins with LA industry figures, it’s clear their rise has been anything but ordinary. For a candid glimpse into a band that thrives on momentum, reflection and chaos in equal measure, read the full interview.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Frantic Romantic, and congratulations on making waves on the Sunset Strip — it’s always a pleasure to speak to artists who are genuinely embedded in the scene they’re shaping.

You’ve made the leap from San Jose to Hollywood and hit iconic venues like the Viper Room and the Troubadour. What’s surprised you most about the live scene since making that move?

Growing up in the Bay Area, it was very common for us all to dunk on Los Angeles and/or Southern California in general. It was often just the culture up there. Having been down here in LA for some time now, I think we can all agree that there is an undercurrent of, for lack of better terms, magic to Los Angeles, and especially to certain parts of Hollywood and its surrounding areas. You feel it when you’re on the Sunset Strip playing a show on a Saturday night, or driving down Highland Avenue early in the morning before rehearsal, or hitting up Canter’s or the Rainbow Room at like 2am after you’ve played a show.

Breaking into the Sunset Strip circuit is no small feat. Has playing these legendary venues changed the energy of your performances or how you approach your setlists?

It’s hard not to geek-out when you see your name on the marquee for a place like Viper Room or Troubadour. I remember being a teenager and dreaming of playing these places. Seeing them in movies, or hearing about them in biographies. There is a definite energy to them. There’s a sense that you’re with a crowd that enjoys being out, and enjoys being a part of this moment you get to share with them.

You’ll soon be hitting the stage at Whisky A Go Go, which has a reputation for hosting acts on the brink of something big. Any nerves, or are you taking it all in stride?

Every individual in the band handles the ritual a bit differently. I tend not to really think about any of it until I’m actually there, and then for the couple of hours before the show, I tend to get really nervous. The moment we go on stage and the set starts, any kind of worry, expectation, really any outside feelings at all just leave me. I think that’s why I enjoy doing shows in the first place… one of the few occasions where I can just be in the moment.

Touring inevitably introduces you to all sorts of characters. Have any encounters with fellow bands, venue staff or scenesters left a lasting impression on you, whether hilarious, strange or unexpectedly wholesome?

There was a show we played in Tijuana, Mexico, once, and after our gig, a dad came up to us with his son, who must’ve been maybe 5 or 6 years old. This was his first concert ever. The kid was really excited and got a copy of our album. We all autographed it, and I leaned down and gave the kid a high five and thanked him for coming out. That really meant the world to me.

As a band based in Hollywood now, do you feel a pressure to match the city’s image, or are you more focused on holding onto your roots and letting the music speak for itself?

There’s never been a conversation between the members of the band to match any image that would make us more Hollywood. We do think visually about music, and narratively, and it’s naturally molded over time into this kind of Retro Future, Cyberpunk aesthetic. For example, I woke up one day compelled to find myself a turquoise leather jacket… so I made it my life’s mission to find one until finally, three months later, I was able to locate one.

Your band name, Frantic Romantic, immediately paints a picture. Where did the moniker come from, and how do you feel it reflects your sound or ethos?

Before 2018, we were Skyway View, which was a project our guitarist, Ruben, had since maybe 2009, and the name had been thought up by a previous member. When I first met Ruben, I was in another band, and he was in Skyway View. I eventually dissolved the band I was in and joined his band. Flashforward to 2018, and the tone and style of our band were already there, but we felt the name no longer fit what we were doing. By that time, it had become clear that Ruben and I had become the two principal members, so the mentality behind the name “Frantic Romantic” was to have a word that described Ruben’s writing with a word that described mine. Ruben, being the romantic one, it was a no-brainer. Me, being the manic one, we eventually settled on “Frantic.”

You mentioned it’s starting to feel like a movie, which definitely tracks with the venues you’re playing and the pace you’re keeping. If you had to pick a scene from your recent tour life that felt completely surreal, what would it be?

Can’t say too much about who is involved with this, but we’ve had our share of people courting the band, whether they be producers, managers, labels, etc. The conversations, as I write this, are ongoing. All I can say is always be careful, and have an entertainment lawyer ready that you can trust. Mark has saved us from a lot of potentially band-killing scenarios. In addition, I’ve met and befriended musicians who I only knew from their actual records, and here they are just in Hollywood and a part of the scene.

Stream Frantic Romantic on Spotify and connect with the artist on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

Eco-Rock Resurgence: The Lürxx’s ‘We Are the Weeds’ Unleashes a Green Rebellion

We Are the Weeds by the Lürxx doesn’t give you a love them or loathe them option; no rock fan could be impervious to the thunderous punch that melds the raucous energy of sleaze rock with a sharp environmental edge.

With their roots firmly planted in the Hollywood glam punk scene, this duo not only revitalises the rock and roll ethos by championing the protection of the natural world in addition to smashing the system. Their music bridges the raw vibe of the 1980s Sunset Strip, reminiscent of legends like Twisted Sister and Guns N’ Roses, with acoustic nuances that echo the Quireboys and Dogs D’Amour all the while being amplified by an energy that’s uniquely their own.

The intoxicating and impactfully dynamic nature warrior punk rock opera is evidence of the duo’s ability to stir the soul and do so without resorting to shaming the listener into action, the installations of zany punk vocals around the classic 80s rock tones ensures the vocal performance perfectly aligns with the spirit of the track which explores the relentless resilience of nature, symbolised by weeds—the unacknowledged heroes of the ecosystem. It’s a powerful metaphor for persistence and survival in a world quick to dismiss the underdog.

Stream the official music video for We Are the Weeds on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Space out with the rock-licked soul in Church Burglars’ kaleidoscope of psychedelic shoegaze, Fairy Tale Ending

If you take your rock classically cut with a twist of spacey psychedelia, explore the riff-carved cosmos in the standout single, Fairy Tale Ending, from Church Burglars’ debut album, Subconsciously Conscious.

With soaring riffs as strident as the licks orchestrated by Slash’s fair hands fused with the soul-lavished euphonic sensibilities of the Flaming Lips and Pink Floyd, Fairy Tale Ending is a prog-rock meditation on the highs and lows of diehard romanticism. The endlessly caressing vocal lines which have more in common with the Shoegaze pioneers than your average rock outfit draw you right into the gravity of the bitter-sweet release, which stands as a testament to the LA-based outfit’s determination to make real music for real people.

After the founding members met at Berklee College of Music in Boston shortly before the COVID pandemic, frontman Mike Foltz used the international live music breather to travel to LA to record the debut LP independently with the exception of a few lead guitar parts laid down by Alec Grugel. With the full line-up finalised, Church Burglars are making waves in the live circuit; grab any opportunity to see them in an intimate setting before you have to join legions of fans filing into arenas to witness the virtuosity of Foltz.

Fairy Tale Ending is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zarah established herself as the powerhouse innovator the modern rock scene has been crying out for in her latest single, Blind Woman

Following the critically acclaimed reception of her debut single, What Have We Become? the LA-residing soul rock evocateur, Zarah, has proven she’s far from a one melodic masterpiece wonder with her sophomore single, Blind Woman.

The classic rock cuts may have been stripped back in Blind Woman, but the yearning atmosphere that drifts between the enticing tension in the instrumentation and her dynamic vocal range, which can deliver everything from the raw timbre of Lydia Lunch to a rock-licked iteration of Kate Bush’s high register, is a lesson in sonic alchemy. She’s a siren of pure power and soul.

In addition to Zarah Maillard’s singer-songwriter achievements, the powerhouse of charisma, creativity and talent is a novelist, television personality, producer, and performer, who has performed with Goo Goo Dolls.

If you can’t get enough of Blind Woman, your appetite for Zarah’s synthesis of classic and modern rock will be sated upon the release of her debut LP of the same title. We can’t wait to get lost in the escapism of it.

Blind Woman will officially release on October 27; stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rich Kid Express became the voice of volition in their symphonic with sleaze hard rock hit, U Never….

Under The Purple Lights by Rich Kid Express

The Carolina-hailing hard rock prodigal son, Rich Kid Express, glammed up symphonic synth rock in his slick with Sunset Strip sleaze EP, Under the Purple Lights, featuring the volition-driven single, U Never….

With whammy-laden guitars that sound like they’ve been torn from a Slayer hit punctuating the harbingeringly dark synth lines and an edge of antagonism that continues to slice through the KISS-esque atmosphere with every verse, hard rock scarcely hits harder.

There’s nothing quite like pouring all your contempt into a creative work in terms of catharsis but for hard rock fans who need iconic outfits to be their voice of vindication, there’s plenty of resolve in U Never…. which uses its razor-sharp teeth to tear through the deception and manipulation of the kind of exes we always come to regret getting in bed with.

Stream and purchase the EP in full via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

WD-HAN drove their listeners towards progressive action and revolution in ‘Something’s Gotta Change’

In this year alone the LA-hailing rock outfit, WD-HAN, has riffed right across the rock spectrum with their diverse discography. With their latest single, Something’s Gotta Change, the chameleonic powerhouse turned their vitriol towards political punk-rock to deliver a viscerally empowering hit. If any single has what it takes to spark an anarchist revolution, it’s Something’s Gotta Change.

Starting the hit with the sobering fact that more people are enslaved today than ever in history was an efficacious way for WD-HAN to drive their listener’s compulsions toward progressive action. The collective rise in individualism and apathy created the perfect storm for oppression; we’ve sat back and watched how the marginalised have been attacked – it is only a matter of time before injustice meets everyone who can’t afford to escape into space.

Believing that the issue of human trafficking deserves attention resulted in the release of one of the most impactful anthems we’ve heard this year. The track was created in support of the Foundation for a Slavery-Free World and Operation Underground Railroad. 

Something’s Gotta Change was officially released on August 11th; stream it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Escape down the rabbit hole with In Search Of’s symphonic rock opera single, Tea Party

If you thought that Tim Burton’s take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland was surreal, brace yourself before going down the rabbit hole with the chiptune/symphonic rock opera of an LP, Alice and the Wonderland, by the aural eccentrics, In Search Of.

With symphonic scores that stampede in the same vein as FalKKonE, hyper pop hooks and a little bit of honkytonk flair for good measure, the standout single, Tea Party, is pure exhilarant insanity.

The Tale of In Search Of becomes all the more endearing upon learning the LA-hailing duo is a father and daughter duo, comprising Michael Raitzin and his daughter, Michelle Ray, who has accumulated over 3.5 million streams on Spotify with her velveteen vocal lines and ability to spin a story so viscerally that In Search Of reach the pinnacle of escapism music.

In our dystopic new reality where madness is a sure sign of sanity, there has never been a better time to jump on the hype of the peddlers of obscurity, In Search Of.

Stream the debut LP from In Search Of on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

WD-HAN evoke rock n roll nostalgia while paying an ode to the compassionate in ‘Good Man’

It has been a while since a track evoked tears and chills in me; WD-HAN did all that and more with their latest soulfully nostalgic rock n roll single, Good Man, which was officially released on April 7.

Somewhere between Buckley and Springsteen, the sentimentally humble single starts with an acoustic intro before the track builds into an orchestrally full-bodied rock rendezvous. Yet the same emotional intensity from the prelude runs right into the outro after the colossally arresting alt-rock crescendo.

Lyrically, it is such a bitter-sweet reminder of how this world chews up and spits out the most sensitive dreamers that traipse across the jagged teeth of their landscapes but the soulful optimistically bright vocal performance gives a potent shot of persuasion that you should stick to your compassionate guns. The conceptually layered single also touches on the paradox of the best of us being full of self-doubt and those proclaiming to be good is often a major red flag.

Stream Good Man on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

South Carolina’s Jimmy Swagg seeks salvation in his latest rock hit, St. Mary

After decorating The Whisky A Go-Go and The Viper Room with his righteous rock gravitas, one of the hottest acts in LA, Jimmy Swagg is here with his salvation-seeking melodic rock single, St. Mary.

St. Mary does away with the usual Rock n Roll cliches and makes a spiritual aura the centre of sonic gravity in the intricately paced admission of frailty, which never gives way to self-piteous ennui. Instead, Jimmy Swagg trailblazes with his canderous outpour of vulnerability that is laced in hope for redemption around the slick riffs and tension-building rhythm section. It is a sanity saver of a playlist staple if we ever heard one, and his international fanbase is more than inclined to agree.

St. Mary is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shake Yourself From Complacency with Control Shift’s Proggy Hard Rock Hit, Awake

If the past few decades have taught us anything, its that there is no better breeding ground for hard-hitting rock than LA – case in point, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Ali Rizvi.

The latest single from Control Shift, Awake, exudes a Velvet Revolver & Stone Sour-Esque seductive angst while asserting its originality via its progressive nature that runs in the same energetic vein of A Perfect Circle, Tool & NIN. It isn’t every day that we find commercial potential against complete authenticity, but notably, Control Shift is unapologetically the full package.

Awake will officially release on May 20th; you can check it out by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast