Patrick O'Heffernan | Music Junkie Press

An audience-pleasing Jack Kovacs debuts “The State Line” at Hotel Café by Patrick O’Heffernan

October 23, 2014

Hollywood. You come to a live show to get something extra you don’t get by listening to an album. Jack Kovacs gave that something extra to us Saturday night at the Hotel Café, he gave us himself, in words, music and conversation. Billed as an EP release party, Kovac’s appearance Saturday night was less of a party and more of a gathering of friends as he debuted his new EP, “The State Line”. The crowd was tight and intimate at the storied venue, relishing his music and his just darn plain friendliness. In a world in which many performers are uncomfortable talking and seem at times to hide behind their music, Kovacs was not only comfortable conversing but in his wheelhouse. He obviously loves people and we loved him. Kovacs and his six person band took us on a melodic and introspective look into the mind of a young songwriter just beginning to discover his power. He has learned to inhabit the in-between spaces that separate public musical expression from internal contemplation. The result on [Read More]

Kat McDowell’s USA debut Rise Above is a winner from the first note by Patrick O’Heffernan

October 13, 2014

The thing about Kat McDowell is that she is just plain fun to listen to. And remarkably, she is fun to listen to in two languages, English and Japanese. And that’s not an easy thing to accomplish, given the difference between the two languages. But Kat McDowell does it so well that in any language her music can make you sit up and take notice, or just let you happily tap your feet. Either way, she is a musical force on a fast track. Born in Japan, raised mostly in New Zealand, with many parts of both cultures inside her, she combines pop, J-Pop, calypso, rock and a positive musical attitude in a mixture that is like sunshine to listen to. She built a successful career in Japan and now is in the USA, Los Angeles to be geographically exact, enjoying its surf (she is avid surfer), its plethora of recording assets and a world class population of collaborating artists. The first fruits of that relocation, the album Rise Above, is due out in [Read More]

Through the Universe: Ben Jaimen takes us on an E-ticket ride. By Patrick O’Heffernan

October 10, 2014

Los Angeles. Ben Jaimen is very, very good and his US debut EP, Through the Universe, demonstrates that in spades. A native of Germany with family in Israel and Argentina, Jaimen moves easily among those and other countries, picking up musical influences while retaining a certain humble cosmopolitan air. Music training in Israel and London, summers teaching to disabled barrio children in Cordoba, recording in Germany and LA, he has seen and given a lot. He has sung to a million people at the Brandenburg Gate in Germany, written and recorded hundreds of songs, and played gigs from Berlin to Tel Aviv. A pop rocker who writes and performs with the precision of a seasoned professional, he knows how to hold a crowd or lay down popular tracks. Most important, he is also determined to live and sing with integrity and to be his own man. With Through the Universe he is very much his own man; he has produced a musical E-ticket ride and trust me, you will love every twist and bump. [Read More]

Ben Jaimen on his debut in the US, world music and giving back. By Patrick O’Heffernan

October 5, 2014

Ben Jaimen slides into the back both seat of an out of the way table at the Sofitel Hotel In Beverly Hills. He has just finished a 4-song set introducing his debut EP, Through the Universe, to a US audience. Jaimen is big in Europe, especially in his native Germany where he has sung before a million people at the Brandenburg Gate. But tonight he was entertaining a modest crowd, shrunk slightly because of the closure of one of LA’s most important freeways. Nevertheless, with luminaries like Marla Maples and the German Deputy Counsel General sampling sliders and Jaimen song-named drinks, it was a good beginning for this handsome, humble and very, very talented 27-year old.. Jaimen was sporting a fashionable 5 o’clock shadow, red pants, a peace symbol t-shirt and a heavy studded leather jacket, despite a warm evening approaching 70 degrees as he settled in and opened a bottle of water. But he didn’t stay settled for long, as a constant stream of pretty girls, well-wishers, and new fans dropped by, still tingling [Read More]

Ben Jaimen comes to America. Can very good become great? By Patrick O’Heffernan

October 4, 2014

Ben Jaimen can’t escape his fans, even though he is just being introduced to the US. A tall, olive-skinned 27-year old with a fashionable five o’clock shadow and a brilliant welcoming smile, you would not know he just bblew away the crowd at his CD release party with perfect pitch pop rock. A native of Germany with family in Israel and Argentina, Jaimen moves easily among those and other countries, picking up musical influences while retaining a certain humble cosmopolitan air. Music training in Israel, college in London, summers teaching music to disabled barrio children in Cordoba, he has seen and given a lot for such a young man and it shows in his eyes and his smile So it not surprising that a conversation with Jaimen is punctuated by pretty girls asking for his autograph and hoping for hugs (they got them) and couples who just want to stop by an out of the way corner table say “hi”, bask in his reflected glow and add to it with their accolades. They are all [Read More]

Witzend Celebration of founder rocks and refreshes legendary venue.

September 16, 2014

By Patrick O’Heffernan, Music FridayLive! Venice, CA. Apparently rumors of the demise of LA’s famed Witzend music venue are, as the saying goes, greatly exaggerated. In fact, the memorial of the death of the legendary club’s founder, Jeb Milne, held Thursday night was a strong signal that not only are the rumors that it could become a high end restaurant not true, but that the new owners are bringing fresh life to the storied site, starting with a blowout party populated with unrivaled talent. The Witzend was created by Jeb Milne in 2009 in a collection of buildings in Venice CA that had once housed the famous (or infamous) Mad Dog Restaurant and Bar frequented by Jim Morrison, Gregory Hines and other rising entertainment stars. Jeb, a multi-talented Renaissance man, musician and animator, originally bought the buildings for a animation studio. After 2 years of negotiations with the City, he got a permit to open the Wtizend music venue and the West Side has never been the same. The Witzend became the center of [Read More]

An Interview with Jeff Nisen of Lose Control by Patrick O’Heffernan

August 29, 2014

Los Angeles. Patrick O’Heffernan. Lose Control just wrapped up a 40-day tour which they delightfully chronicled on their web site in daily (well, almost daily) tour notes. Following the band on the tour has been almost as much fun as listening to them, and they are a lot of fun to listen to. This is heavy metal, but with a few twists, including dual guitar leads. Everybody in the band is very, very talented and nobody in the band is egotistical – they play together like clockwork and the result is a sound of beauty. Jeff Nisen co-founded the band with A.J. Bartholomew down the road from me in Hermosa Beach in 2011. They had been playing music together since they were in middle school together. They each formed their own separate bands after high school and then they reunited after honing their heavy metal skills. Drummer/producer Mike Sutherland joined soon thereafter. Lose Control came to life and started working on a debut album , Lose Control EP, released in 2012. The band didn’t stop for a [Read More]