Love Grenades: Something Explosive
Los Angeles has always been known for its spectacular ability to constantly produce unique, innovative and influential artists of all shapes and forms, especially when it comes to music.
From the dirty, grungy street punk scenes to the glamorous, celebrity-ridden Hollywood nightclubs, L.A. truly has it all.
One band in particular that shows the amount of diversity that this great city can spawn is Love Grenades, an electro-punk band from the streets of L.A. headed by front woman Elizabeth Wight. And while Wight is one of four people that make up Love Grenades, it is without question her band.
"I write all the lyrics, the guitar, the drums and the samples," said Wight when asked about her role in the band. When playing shows, Wight arms herself only with a microphone despite the fact that she is the one and only writer of the group. And for good reason it seems, as when playing a show Wight does not stand still even for a moment, singing and dancing along to her own music without rest.
"It doesn't get tiring, I just run out of breath," said Wight about her constant movement on stage. "I've studied opera and all sorts of other music," she said "so I really like to sing perfectly, but I just love to dance!" The non-stop energy produced by Wight on stage also reflects the music she plays and the way her presence on stage infects the crowd with the desire to dance along with her.
"I like to think that the crowd will only get into it if I get into it," she said. "And I used to play to empty rooms all the time, so I know what it's like to play to a dead room. And I don't like it."
When asked to put her band into a genre, Wight hesitated. "Someone called us Disco Noir once, and I kind of like that. Even though I don't know what it means," she said. Ultimately though, Wight's punk rock roots most definitely show through in her music with the raw energy and excitement that can be felt simply by walking into a room where she might be playing.
Her voice has a very interesting feel, being reminiscent of Xene (of Los Angeles punk band X) at times; one might even be able to hear a bit of Ella Fitzgerald other times in her voice, but Wight's main influence, according to her is Debbie Harry of Blondie fame, who is without question her closest match.
As far as lyrical influences, Wight said "I read poetry a lot, mostly about love, and that's what all of my songs are about. Love." As for the name of the band, Wight said that the term "love grenade" was originally a lyric in a song from one of her previous bands that she liked. "I have kind of a twisted view on what love is," Wight said, "and that's what love grenades means. Booooooom..."
So if you like punk, electronica or both, check out Love Grenades at http://www.myspace.com/lovegrenades to hear some good music. Their next show will be on Mar. 7th at Create:Fixate in Los Angeles. See you there!