Nina Ljeti and Kills Birds have just released one of L.A.'s most exciting rock debuts in years.
At 3 p.m. on Sunday, the crowd at Desert Daze looked a little dusty and bedraggled. The psych-rock festival — a genre favorite that’s grown into a regional powerhouse — was on its last legs of the weekend. More fans were drying out their hangovers on the beach at Lake Perris State Recreation Area than winding up for a rock set.
“This is actually our first festival,” Ljeti said backstage, sweaty but composed a few minutes after their set. Even in the pulverizing heat, she wore tiny jewels around the rims of her ice blue eyes, giving her an uncanny shamanic quality.Kills Birds, clockwise from bottom center: Nina Ljeti, Jacob Loeb, Bosh Rothman and Fielder Thomas.
Right from the start, she was shaped by that outsiderdom, an experience she brought with her first to film and then to the L.A. rock scene that would eventually turn into Kills Birds. Talking to her, you can feel a low hum of wariness about how the L.A. entertainment biz works. One first pass at making their record turned into a battle of wills with an overbearing producer, and they had to start over.
She figured it out enough to earn early renown as a filmmaker — she directed James Franco in her debut feature, “Memoria,” and played Patti Smith in Franco’s “Zeroville,” alongside Seth Rogen and Will Ferrell. “People are really tired and they want something new,” Ljeti said. Loeb agreed. “Escapism really turns me off,” he said. “This band is for people to exorcise that. We want our shows to be 30 minutes a day for people to not feel OK.”A lot of that feeling comes from Loeb’s guitar savagery, a hard turn from what fans may have previously heard in the Echo Park-er’s gentler L.A. indie combo Golden Daze.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Country Singer Cam Makes Surprise Pregnancy AnnouncementThe 34-year-old musician and her husband, Adam Weaver, announced the pregnancy in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
Read more »
Taika Waititi on How 'Thor: Love and Thunder' Will Up the StakesExclusive: ThorLoveAndThunder director Taika Waititi reveals that he was only just getting started in Ragnarok!
Read more »
Kevin Smith Calls Working With Ben Affleck Again a 'Dream Come True'Exclusive: Kevin Smith is *very* excited to have Ben Affleck on set for the JayAndSilentBobReboot.
Read more »
'Resident Evil' Stuntwoman Amputee Blamed for Motorcycle AccidentA stuntwoman lost an arm during filming for 'Resident Evil' but the production co.'s telling her to kick rocks.
Read more »
Katy Perry Has Steamy Romance in 'Harleys in Hawaii' Music VideoTake a look at the singer's smoldering new video to accompany her latest single!
Read more »
Miley Cyrus Gets a Bleeding Heart Tattoo Amid Cody Simpson RomanceThe Slide Away singer debuted some edgy new ink on her Instagram Story on Tuesday.
Read more »