HOLLYWOOD BOWL 2023 KCRW FESTIVAL
Portugal. The Man • Chicano Batman • Say She She
Sunday, August 6, at 7 PM
KCRW DJ Anne Litt, host
Portugal. The Man started off playing hardcore in Wasilla, Alaska. Now they’re a chart-topping, Grammy-winning, festival-headlining rock band whose song “Feel It Still” seemed to top every radio chart on Earth. They may be on top of the world, but they’ve still got their feet on the ground, playing a sharp and catchy form of modern rock touched up with influences from electronic music, R&B and whatever else they can get their hands on. Chicano Batman are LA’s house band. The East LA group has an incredible knack for bringing together the sounds of LA County’s Latinx communities: Delfonics-style soul, Afro-Cuban rumbas, wobbling funk-jazz. It’s all held together by the socially conscious lyrics of Bardo Martinez, who sings with the sweet soulfulness of Curtis Mayfield. Say She She’s discodelic soul takes inspiration from the defiant hitmaking of Nile Rodgers & CHIC—the name is a nod to the group’s “Freak Out”—and their up-tempo grooves, sticky hooks and dreamy harmonies are a natural fit to kick off a big night at the Bowl.
Sunday, August 13, at 7 PM
KCRW DJ Chris Douridas, host
Producer, songwriter and performer Maggie Rogers' shows are equal parts euphoric and intimate and have become one of her strongest calling cards. A mesmerizing live act, Maggie has built a global fan base after headliner shows on both sides of the Atlantic, and now her path winds its way to Hollywood for her Bowl debut. Alvvays’ latest album, Blue Rev, is a revelatory set of songs that Pitchfork calls “a feast” and “a deep dive through the history of pop and rock” in their Best New Music review. The Toronto power-pop group’s lightness of touch and Molly Rankin’s lyrics may make it all seem effortless, but these songs are expertly crafted, the result of a five-year writing and recording process. The end product is a compulsively lovable joyride confirming the quintet’s place atop a new generation of winning, whip-smart indie rock.
My Morning Jacket • Fleet Foxes
Sunday, August 20, at 7 PM
KCRW DJ Raul Campos, host
Join My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes for an incredibly special night of music under the stars as the two bands link up for their first ever co-headline show. Rolling Stone calls Fleet Foxes’ latest album Shore “the most immediately rewarding Fleet Foxes record since their brilliant 2008 debut” and The New York Times has called My Morning Jacket “the new kings of expand-your-mind, religious-experience rock.” Be there as the bands come together on the same stage for a beautiful night of music.
Pixies • Modest Mouse • Cat Power
Sunday, September 17, at 7 PM
KCRW DJs Anthony Valadez and Novena Carmel, hosts
Arguably no band has had a bigger impact on alternative music in the United States than Pixies. After founding in Boston in the 1980s, they quickly developed a sharp, caustic sound: Their instantly recognizable music is bright, loud and beautiful, with notes cribbed from punk, folk and surf, and was a major influence on Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, The Strokes, Weezer and so many more. Their 1989 album Doolittle was called one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone, ranked fourth on Pitchfork’s list of best albums from the 1980s, and was called the second-best album of all time by NME. Isaac Brock’s cracked cosmic lyrics and angular guitar attack made Modest Mouse one of the fiercely beloved underground bands of the 1990s. For nearly 30 years, he’s served as indie rock’s resident backwoods philosopher, equally flummoxed by the infinite space of the universe and by his own good fortune of having a place within it—a conflicted but ultimately uplifting mindset made manifest in hits like “Float On” and “The Ocean Breathes Salty.” Chan Marshall’s work as Cat Power has defied genre and convention, bringing together folk, punk, blues and soul. The rawness and immediacy of her music—the honesty of her songwriting and the forthrightness with which she delivers it—have made her an essential artist. You can hear her legacy rippling through the work of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, Angel Olsen and Soccer Mommy, while her devotion to the song as an artform has led her to shine her light on covers of songs by Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey and more.
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs • Los Auténticos Decadentes
Sunday, September 24, at 7 PM
KCRW DJ Ro “Wyldeflower” Contreras, host
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are a force in Latin American music. Over nearly four decades, they’ve constantly evolved, moving through and incorporating sounds from the worlds of ska, reggae, rock, rap and salsa. There is, quite simply, nobody who sounds like them, and they’ve collaborated with everyone from Celia Cruz and Rubén Blades to Mick Jones of The Clash. On their El León del Ritmo tour, they celebrate the 30th anniversary of their mega-hit “Matador,” a barreling anthem that blew the doors off of MTV Latino when it debuted. Rockers Los Auténticos Decadentes became one of the Americas' greatest bands by forging a wide-open style that encompasses ska, cumbia, reggae, bolero and more. That open-mindedness has made them one of Latin America’s most influential groups and won them a multi-generational fanbase that’s drawn to their high-energy, joyful cathartic sounds.
Tickets
Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl 2023 summer season are available online at hollywoodbowl.com or via phone at 323 850 2000. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office. Programs, artists, prices and dates subject to change. Ticket limits may apply.
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About the LA Phil
Under the leadership of Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Philoffers live performances, media initiatives and learning programs that inspire and strengthen communities in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra is the foundation of the LA Phil’s offerings, which also include a multigenre, multidisciplinary presenting program and such youth development programs asYOLA(Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). Performances are offered on three historic stages—Walt Disney Concert Hall, theHollywood Bowland The Ford—as well as through a variety of media platforms. In all its endeavors, the LA Phil seeks to enrich the lives of individuals and communities through musical, artistic and learning experiences that resonate in our world today.
About the Hollywood Bowl
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922 and plays host to the finest artists from all genres of music, offering something for everyone. It remains one of the best deals anywhere in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many classical and jazz performances. In February 2023 the venue was named the Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year at the 34th Annual Pollstar Awards, an honor bestowed 15 previous times. The Hollywood Bowl was also named Amphitheater of the Decade at the 32nd Annual Pollstar Awards, as well as Top Amphitheater at the 2017 and 2018 Billboard Touring Awards. For millions of music lovers across Southern California, the Hollywood Bowl is synonymous with summer. hollywoodbowl.com
Sophie Jefferies, SJefferies@laphil.org
Holly Wallace, HWallace@laphil.org
Laura Cohen, LCMediaPR@gmail.com
Kassandra Winchester, KWinchester@laphil.org