Abbot Kinney

The alt rock group Abbot Kinney bare their emotional prowess through this latest EP, The Night. The six track collection testifies as a clear representation of the bands musical influences developed from being in both the San Francisco and Los Angeles music scenes.

The first two tracks and subsequent singles from the EP, "Can We Become," and "It's the Middle of The Night," provide scattered elements of piano chords and fast-paced percussions, alongside endearing vocals. The track "Let Me In" contains visceral tones softly crafted to create a much more intimate setting — reminiscent of a 1993 Radiohead.
"I’m excited to share this collection of songs that traveled with me from Los Angeles to San Francisco. "Right before we started recording it, I was hit with a pretty frightening realization that I no longer identified with the "get rich or die famous" mentality but I had this collection of songs and co-writes. I was literally and metaphorically in the dark coming up with parts while simultaneously trying to connect with who I really was and I think that rawness is packed in there."
Comparably, the track, "We Can't Stop Now" presents this uplifting chorus combined with charming vocals and neon colored guitar hooks. It becomes this optimistic road trip anthem for cruising down the coast line.

"It was produced at my father Brad Swanson's studio Swansound Music which afforded all the musicians the ability to experiment freely. Our only goal was to celebrate the gift of music even if we got a little lost along the way."

When listening to the vocals carefully, you find that the EP also leaves lead singer Jared Swanson exposed and in a place of vulnerability. This is made evident in the track, "I Get Lost," which weaves soft-vocals with melodic piano play and a tender guitar riff that gently draws out these raw, buried emotions into the spotlight.

If this EP is any sign of the continuously evolving sound that's coming from Abbot Kinney, then fans can expect a plentiful future of honest indie and alt rock songwriting. - EARMILK

This song was added by Jason Grishkoff on Apr 11, 2016 as part of a playlist or news article. This means that we haven't yet reviewed it, but still think it's good enough to be on Indie Shuffle :) - indie shuffle

With a name like Abbot Kinney (which is a street in Venice, CA), it's no wonder that the band has some ties to the City of Angels. "It's The Middle of The Night," the indie-rock group's latest single off their upcoming EP, The Night, was written "one late summer night" in lead singer Jared Swanson's former Franklin Village studio apartment (which is in the Hollywood Hills, for those who don't know).

"It's a fun neighborhood with tons of artists and fun things to do," Swanson says, "and yet, we were talking in depth about loneliness." Swanson's existential conversation with his friend Jacqueline Epcar shifted to a discussion on vampires "who carry the most epic narrative of aloneness" and "watch on with envy as the living tragically abandon themselves to the urgency of love and mortality."

It was with this in mind that "It's The Middle of The Night," a guitar-propelled, upbeat pop-rock gem, was born. The San Francisco band is self-described as evoking "the tuneful intelligence of '90s college radio" with a bit of a Radiohead meets Jeff Buckly meets Muse sound.

In addition to "It's The Middle of The Night," the upcoming EP, which is available for pre-order, will include the singles "Can We Become" and "We Can't Stop Now."

Catch Abbot Kinney at Bottom Of The Hill on Friday, April 29, with Panic Is Perfect and Future Shapes. - SF Weekly

Abbot Kinney – “It’s The Middle Of The Night”
Kailyn leaves for a concert with her friends after a fight with Javi. - MTV

DotheBay is proud to premiere the newest single from local band and former Bae of the Week Abbot Kinney. “We Can’t Stop Now” is already making a splash having been featured on MTV’s techy reality dating show “Are You The One?" and "Teen Mom 2". It's an anthem-like, arena-worthy song, like much of Abbot Kinney's stuff, occupying a big space with driving percussion and bold melodic vocals. The song is being release in anticipation of their new EP coming early next year.

This LA-born melodic rock band has been good friends with the tight knit San Francisco indie music scene since they moved up here a few years ago and have definitely made the Bay their home. Check out our interview with frontman Jared Swanson from earlier this fall and listen to "We Can't Stop Now" below. - DoTheBay

The local music scene has had a bolster in the past year and a half from a group called Balanced Breakfast, which has brought people out of their solitary struggle for superstardom into an organized mass of collective talent and community. The success of this music industry meet-up, started right here in SF by Stefan Aronsen (also known as SF Intercom) and Andy Freeman, has been so strong that Balanced Breakfast meet-ups now happen in 10 other cities across the country. In addition to the 8am meetings, the founding SF chapter also hosts shows, including this one next Wednesday October 28th at the Rickshaw Stop, which will feature rockers Abbot Kinney, Travis Hayes and the Young Daze, and Vanwave, as well as a DJ set by Aronsen.

The all-ages show will be creating what they’re calling “an immersive Halloween experience” … check out the teaser video above & be as curious as I am … as well as some great music from local bands. Alt-rock Abbot Kinney will be releasing “Can We Become,” the first track off their upcoming EP The Night, a track currently being featured on KFOG’s Local Scene collection (and streaming below.) The band moved north from LA (where they sold out the Troubadour) a few years ago and has a polished but still gritty sound that evokes early Radiohead, with lead singer Jared Swanson’s vocals sounding Jeff Buckley smooth.

We’re giving away two tickets for you to get your Halloween on … but don’t worry, if you don’t win them here, you can still get $5 off at the door by showing up in costume. Show’s at the Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell Street, and starts at 8:00p. You can also get advanced tickets at $5 off the door price here. - SFcritic

DotheBay is proud to premiere the newest single from local band and former Bae of the Week Abbot Kinney. “We Can’t Stop Now” is already making a splash having been featured on MTV’s techy reality dating show “Are You The One?" and "Teen Mom 2". It's an anthem-like, arena-worthy song, like much of Abbot Kinney's stuff, occupying a big space with driving percussion and bold melodic vocals. The song is being release in anticipation of their new EP coming early next year.

This LA-born melodic rock band has been good friends with the tight knit San Francisco indie music scene since they moved up here a few years ago and have definitely made the Bay their home. - Do the Bay

Abbot Kinney is celebrating the release of their latest single "Can We Become" off their new EP The Night next Wednesday, October 28th. They'll be headlining a show presented by the local community Balanced Breakfast and we want to give you a pair of tickets! Abbot Kinney's music lies somewhere between the perfect production of LA and the rock n roll spirit of San Francisco. Featured on radio stations up and down the Pacific Coast (and landing a spot in a Bose commercial!), they've since been lured to the Bay Area by the artistic culture we value so much in these parts. Since their arrival, Abbot Kinney has continued to prove themselves to be contenders for highest potential in a local band and we're excited to see what they get up to next. Check out "Can We Become" below and read our interview with frontman Jared Swanson to learn more about this up and coming group:




Can you give a history of the band?
JS: I started Abbot Kinney with our guitarist Jeremiah Baca when I moved back home to Los Angeles from New York. He was really good at picking the vibe out of the air and I found self-reflective melodies that complimented his moody guitar parts. We wrote songs about relationships, heartache and evocative fiction. Then we formed a band with my father Brad Swanson on drums and Will Moore on bass. We played venues like Spaceland and El Cid in Silverlake during the 2008 to 2009 indie scene and we released our self-titled album in 2010 that was mixed by Matty Green who has worked with some of my favorite bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. The EP got radio play on KEXP, found its way into some placements on MTV and we developed a good following in LA, even selling out a show at the Troubadour. But San Francisco called. I serendipitously stumbled upon Patti Smith and Randy Newman at my first Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, and not long after that I packed my bags, sold my car and moved to the Bay Area. I couldn’t believe that there was a city where everyone had access to such incredible free music. Abbot Kinney is a constant evolution and has become my tale of two cities with rotating band members that I’ve come across both in LA and SF.

What are your favorite places to play around the Bay Area?
JS: Viracocha makes me feel like I’m playing in the Village in New York circa the early 60s. It’s an intimate listening room, beautiful and elegant and it has a killer bathroom. One of my best experiences there was playing Fog City Songwriters hosted by Travis Hayes. Rickshaw Stop has become my favorite place to see emerging bands and I get to play there for the first time on October 28th for our single release show.

Favorite album of the year so far?
JS: Beach House just came out with Thank Your Lucky Stars. That band isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they do what they do so well. I remember hearing Tori Amos’ Crucify for the first time on the radio when I was a teenager and it felt like her voice was reverberating in my heart. Beach House hits me in that same spot consistently. It’s slightly incessant and drenched in reverb but it feels really good and brings on all kinds of hallucinations.



What are you most excited for people to hear in your new single?
JS: The question of whether a particular relationship can become something real- on a Jeff Buckley level- is often on my mind. I met this girl at a party and we hit it off. As it turns out, she had dated the host of the party but she told me she couldn’t take him seriously because, “he only texted me at 3 in the morning.” When writing the lyrics for this song, I imagined this guy realizing he deeply cares for her and jumps in his car to go after her in a grand romantic gesture but gets stopped short by deadlock traffic. On an empathic level, the metaphor represented the inner gridlock I feel at times with intimacy. I brought a guitar riff into my father’s studio and we wrote, arranged and recorded the song in one day. I used to spend a ton of time scrutinizing tracks and never feeling finished. It felt really good to go with the flow and get everything in a few takes. My favorite tracks sound incredibly ornate with the most essential elements. When I write and record I really try to come from a place of expanding consciousness. I hope this song evokes the desire to seize the moment and conquer self-doubt. Life is the most rewarding when we take risks in the face of fear. The guy in this song softens at the end but it still feels too late. Don’t wait to tell that someone you love them or to change or to do what makes you truly happy.



What's the best/most unique part of working in the Bay Area music scene?
JS: The sense of community has been amazing. Within a week of moving here, I was invited to an early Balanced Breakfast meeting which is a local music meetup. I’ve been able to connect with many supportive musicians and music industry professionals through this community, and for the first time, took my band to SXSW. Musicians really support each other here which is different than what I’ve experienced anywhere else. Bay Area bands genuinely want to engage with each other. It’s also primed on a tech level to launch bands. If a few people decide to share something, everyone sees or hears it! - DoTheBay

Tell Jared Swanson that his brainchild Abbot Kinney sounds like Radiohead and he'll probably respond with an exasperated sigh.

Every blogger and their mom (and their mom) has compared the project to the seminal '90s alt-rockers, which is a little misguided and, perhaps, a bit unfair as well. How would you like to be considered a shadow of one of the greatest bands in the history of rock and roll? Yes, Swanson's voice does contain an ominous edge reminiscent of Thom Yorke and, yeah, the songwriter thrives on pushing the limits of a pop song, turning radio-friendly melodies into something more atmospheric, with palpable darkness creeping around the edges and worming its way into the lyrics. But no, the darkness never wholly obscures the underpinning hope, the sense that things may, after all, turn out OK, a sense you rarely feel from the interminable melancholia of Kid A.

The new Abbot Kinney EP The Night continues the trend of turning the pop song on its head with arrangements intricate enough to keep you coming back for repeated listens but not pretentious enough to scare off the casual pop consumer. Single "Can We Become" echoes his 2010 self-titled debut LP that excelled in mixing heavier rhythms with more ethereal vocal lines. Yet it's the meat of the EP that displays Swanson's growth as an artist. Tracks like "It's the Middle of the Night" crackle with bristling energy and forward momentum that somewhat belies the sense of loss and longing that permeates the words. Crushing ballad "Let Me In" lulls you into a dreamlike state that hovers between dispirited wakefulness and numbing nightmare, a song about pain and the arduous path towards recovery.

"We Can't Stop Now" is the real knockout, however. It's one of the catchiest songs in the Abbot Kinney catalog, racing ahead with a punchy drumbeat, swooning with mellifluous vocal harmonies and swelling with U2-esque guitar accompaniment. It's close to the best of '80s new wave, revealing the pop heart at the dark soul of Swanson's music. This is the dance-floor-scorching height he is capable of, and here it is attained without succumbing to cheap sentimentality or dumbed-down instrumentation in the process. - THE BAY BRIDGED

Abbot Kinney’s Halloween show at the Rickshaw Stop on 10/28/2015 was by and far one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it was the best show I’ve ever seen, not just in the local circuit, but nationally. With openers Vanwave and Travis Hayes and the Young Daze, the show was a Halloween spectacular like I’ve never seen. The first thing they did right was make it a costume party, and offer a discount for anyone who showed up in character. Once you were in the doors, you were among a sea of ghouls. There was a fog machine emitting the appropriate amount of creepiness, actors hidden in the shadows to scare unsuspecting guests, and my favorite—a video that played before each band’s set, painting the story of the haunted venue and the spirits of each band that frequented it. Not only was the talent phenomenal that night, but the creativity that went into making it a full blown experience created something that I know I’ll remember for the rest of my life. - BANDSINTOWN

Abbot Kinney, the Moth & the Flame and Lindsay Rae Spurlock at the Silverlake Lounge - Buzzbands.LA

On The Rise Music Series | Abbot Kinney | Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood - LA Weekly

It’s a common theme in LA that there’s a slow climb up to the holy grail of achieving your dream. Growing up in LA I’ve seen my friends, friends of my parents and many acquaintances go through all stages of this process. I love when I see amazing artists especially musicians shape shift into their original voice and rise above the rest. I love seeing the hard work behind the scenes start to reach fans that spider off their enthusiasm to more future fans.
I see a band on the cusp of vibrating a resonating buzz about the LA music Scene. This band is Abbot Kinney.

(No, the band is not based in Venice, given the famous street that is home to the happening First Fridays. The band is based in our beloved North Hollywood.)

The brains behind Abbot Kinney is LA native Jared Swanson. I met Jared when I was a teenager haunting the open mic night at Cozy’s Bar and Grill (unfortunately closed now). In those days, I never really knew Jared as a musician. I knew he was an actor and I remember him leaving to study theatre at Boston University.

Fast-forward to 2010 Jared played the Monday residency at Molly Malone’s in the Wilshire district. It was at that time that Jared formed the band Abbot Kinney. In the past years leading up to the present the band took many shapes. It is now that it seems that he’s recruited the perfect outfit to take the band to the next level.

Jared’s voice is dynamic, emotive and sweet. I would say his sound evokes comparisons to Jeff Buckley and Thom Yorke. The music hits hard but it is a nice juxtaposition to the tone of Jared’s melodic voice. The lyrics are poetic and introspective yet the music can range from dark and somber to an electricity lighting up the stage. The band consists of Frank Abraham on bass, Matt Barreca on drums, Jacob Thomas Moses on guitar and Ruby Biloskirka-Conley on keys. They are some of the top young players in the LA scene. Because of the proficiency of the players each part is important and the arrangements are seamless. The music isn’t for dummies but also not so far out to the avant garde...it sits comfortably within those lines. Most of the players are good friends and that tends to make for a good musical chemistry. Jared leads the band with excellent songwriting and a pro-active business mind that is constantly scheming to move the group into the next phase of the band’s career. It’s ambition like that that separates the dreamers to the achievers. I believe I will see this band do great things and I will forever enjoy to be a spectator to the journey upwards.

I would highly recommend buying this self-titled album on itunes. The whole album is absolutely wonderful but my favorite picks would be One is All You Need, Heaven and Hell and Hope. Buy the album here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/abbot-kinney/id468913768

Check out their video “That’s Not Me” directed by Nick Borges. It’s a brilliant video! - NoHo Arts District

Chers lecteurs, chères lectrices,
Aujourd’hui est un grand jour. Le lancement de la compilation des Découvertes et nouveautés du MurDuSon.ch est enfin prêt.

Cherchant à promouvoir toujours davantage des artistes méconnus que nous apprécions, nous avons eu l’idée, il y a de ça quelques temps, de sélectionner les meilleurs titres des Découvertes et nouveautés de chaque mois et de vous les proposer en téléchargement libre. Tout ça avec l’accord des artistes/labels, cela va de soit.

Il est donc venu le temps de vous présenter la toute première compilation.

D’un poids total de 109MB, elle est disponible sur deux sites d’hébergements (RapidShare et Mediafire) et ce, pour une durée maximale d’une année.

Alors, si vous voulez découvrir de la bonne musique, téléchargez-la et écoutez-la sur votre ordinateur, dans votre lecteur MP3 ou encore dans votre voiture !

En espérant que ce projet vous plaira et que vous apprécierez la musique que l’on a sélectionné pour vous.

Télécharger la compilation sur RapidShare.com.

Télécharger la compilation sur Mediafire.com.



Tracklist :

1. Rod Anton & The Ligerians – ‘Dreamin’ (extrait de l’EP « Angel« ) (Reggae, France)

2. Andrew White – ‘What I Hold‘ (extrait de l’EP « 11 Across : Violet » (Folk, Germany)

3. Robinson – ‘I’ll Be Fine‘ (extrait de l’EP « Fits & Starts« ) (Folk, USA)

4. Pierre Omer – ‘The End Of The World‘ (extrait de l’EP « The End Of The World« ) (Blues/Rock, Genève)

5. Captain Crimson – ‘Lonely Crimson Club‘ (extrait de l’album « Dancing Madly Backwards« ) (Blues/Rock, Suède)

6. Turbo Fruits – ‘Harley Dollar Bill$‘ (extrait de l’album « Butter« ) (Rock, USA)

7. Abbot Kinney – ‘Lonesome Dove‘ (extrait de l’album « Abbot Kinney« ) (Rock, USA)

8. Sea Wolf – ‘Changing Seasons‘ (extrait de l’album « Old World Remance« ) (Rock, USA)

9. Gregory Pepper And His Problems – ‘Breathe In‘ (extrait de l’album « Escape From Crystal Skull Mountain« ) (Indie/Pop, USA)

10. YesYou – ‘Frivolous Life‘ (extrait du single « Frivolous Life« ) (Indie/Pop, USA)

11. Substantial – ‘Check My Resume (feat. DJ Jav)‘ (extrait de l’album « Home Is Where The Art Is« ) (Hip-Hop, USA)

12. Akaustik – ‘Avec Ce Que J’ai (prod. Omerta Muzik)‘ (extrait de l’EP « Chacun Son Tour« ) (Hip-Hop, La Chaux-de-Fonds)

13. Seven Lions – ‘Cosmic Love‘ (remix du titre ‘Cosmic Love‘ de Florence & The Machine) (Dubstep, USA) - LeMurDuSon.ch

"Exhuberant" Jared Swanson dropped in and we immediately went off on an array of tangents- from finding inspiration in art and classic movies, to discussing how sometimes the best way to get recognized is by being your real, authentic self. Jared also shared a couple live acoustic tunes to help you get cozy. - BFF.FM

The Bay Area is home to a thriving and dynamic music scene and we’re honored to support it in a myriad of ways, including weekly airplay on our Sunday night new music program Soundcheck, the local band stage at BFD each year, special station live music events with local bands and promoting local shows via our socials and website.

Congratulations to these local standouts for landing on Live 105’s top 16 Bay Area bands of 2016. - Live105.cbslocal.com