By 7 p.m. on Friday, Zebulon — Frogtown’s independent venue — was already filling up. Hosted by Alternative Press and Marshall, the evening was not only a free live show but a celebration of independent artists, their community in Los Angeles, and AltPress’ Fall 2024 Issue — not to mention a West Coast continuation of our triumphant fall showcase just weeks prior in NYC.
While attendees spilled into the indoor-outdoor space, DJ and alt-pop artist Sam Austins was starting the night off with zeal and energy from the DJ booth, and our custom AP Newsstand was buzzing. At the door, the audience had been handed an AP x Marshall “scratch-off” and could collect a host of goodies from both brands, including the new magazine.
Read more: 24 of the most exciting rising artists to watch in 2024
Jordan Knight
We heard a few say that they hadn’t held the magazine in their hands since childhood, taping pages to their walls in Warped Tour days. Friday was an opportunity to relish a new experience with the publication, print media, and truly see two legacy brands working to firmly plant themselves in the present, and recognize the wildly talented, independent alternative artists in our communities — as well as the venues that support them.
Our LA lineup continued to explore the umbrella of alternative music, including a wide and fluid reach of sounds and genres. The first to take the stage was Reckling, the garage-punk band fronted by Kelsey Reckling, who kicked and screamed in a pair of leather short shorts — and also daylights as a scientist, and is getting her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology. The room was packed out — a tall, lime-green mohawk had started a mosh pit. Punk in its purest form, an immaculate way to embody Los Angeles’ alternative scene.
Oakland’s King Isis was up next, with an experimental, Afrofuture-inspired amalgam of alt-rock, R&B, and indie-pop. Forever unpredictable in the most creative and inspiring ways, halfway through the set, King Isis gave us all goosebumps with a raw, punky rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.”
Slow Hollows capped off the night, with a moving, slide-guitar heavy acoustic set. He played through beloved old tracks, and hit new ones from his latest project, Bullhead — his debut as a solo artist under the moniker. Guttural and soft, fresh and eerily nostalgic, Austin Feinstein recalled timeless sounds of Jackson Browne, tapping into some variation of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young ensemble while keeping the music very much uniquely Slow Hollows.
You can find, and get to know, all three of these artists in AP’s Fall 2024 Issue, and experience our fall showcase events in NYC and LA through the video above.
