''L.A. Record'' is an independent
music magazine
A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music and culture in music cognition, music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount with ...
originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a poster inside. The magazine is available to the public free of charge at local community spots in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
.
History
The magazine was founded in 2005 by publisher Charlie Rose (not the TV personality), DJ and writer Chris Ziegler, Fuck Yeah Fest promoter
Sean Carlson (involved from 2005 to 2007) and photographer
Dan Monick. Their first issue featuring the Rolling Blackouts was set up as a parody of the
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...
' self-titled album cover. The cover and concept was chosen because the Rolling Blackouts were playing with the New York Dolls at the 2005
Sunset Junction Street Fair. The tradition of recreating album covers was developed by other bands who also wanted to recreate their favorite record cover. While there is no official rule, it has appeared in every issue. Now the publication is known for interviewing many local LA bands before they become popular in the mainstream including the
Cold War Kids
Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, guit ...
,
Spindrift,
Health
Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...
,
Flying Lotus
Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), better known as Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker, and rapper. He has released seven critically acclaimed albums: ''1983'' (2006), ''Los Angeles'' (2008), '' Co ...
, Moonrats, and
Blank Blue. In January 2009, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' recommended the ''L.A. Record'' as a resource to readers who would like to "separate the wheat from the chaff in the world of striving L.A. musicians" and lauded it for its "photography, promiscuous taste from avant-noise to vintage soul, eager but not worshipful writing and rad pull-out posters of
RZA."
It concluded its first volume, a 29-issue run which began in August 2005 with the Rolling Blackouts, in March 2006 with
Melvins
Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...
collaborator and solo artist
David Scott Stone. The second volume of 46 issues, also a weekly broadsheet, began in February 2007 with
Big Business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly ...
and concluded in December 2007 with
AntiMC, leaving 75 total poster issues.
For the third volume, which began in March 2008 with
Pocahaunted on the cover and
BARR on the poster, ''L.A. Record'' began publishing monthly as a sixteen-page newsprint magazine with a poster as the centerfold. The website was also redesigned to make room for more content in February 2008.
Other visual contributors include photographer
Chrissy Piper who shot several covers for Volume 1 and
Erik Brunetti (owner and founder of
FUCT),
Ashkahn who did design work on several covers.
In August 2008 the magazine printed what may have been
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...
' last known interview.
Magazine
The magazine has come in three types of format. It was first a broadsheet format containing an interview with a musician from Los Angeles, also featured on the cover. There is also an interview with a visiting band on tour, and other reviews or previews of local music, art, film, comedy and entertainment events.
The next format type was a monthly magazine which includes several interviews with local and touring bands as well as album reviews, original artwork, illustrated comic reviews of shows and records and expanded interviews. Also each issue includes a 22 × 32 inch poster featuring a local Los Angeles artist recreating an album cover of their choice. In May 2010, editorial staff announced that the magazine will be turning into a quarterly, which will feature local bands in addition to touring artists.
The first quarterly came out on July 31, 2010, and featured Flying Lotus on the cover. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti was pictured in a center gatefold.
The magazine is also known to release
vinyl 45 singles. The first one by ''L.A. Record'' writer and musician
Devon Williams was released in summer 2007 to high acclaim. As a small but growing magazine it is becoming accepted and read among other industry magazines
Website
The website features live reviews and album reviews that are updated multiple times a week. While some of these reviews are reprints of items published in the newspaper, many of them are unique to the website. The site also hosts videos and mp3s of local artists.
References
External links
''L.A. Record'' official site
{{Authority control
Monthly magazines published in the United States
Music magazines published in the United States
Quarterly magazines published in the United States
Magazines established in 2005
2005 establishments in California
Magazines published in Los Angeles
Professional and trade magazines