Amanda Raya

Amanda Raya's favorite spot at the Grove: the water fountain

 

AMANDA RAYA

At The Grove

189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles (Mid-City West)

At first Amanda Raya may seem like your typical 14-year-old. She loves shopping, Taylor Swift and communicating via Twitter. Once she starts talking about her music, however, it's clear that the pop singer-songwriter is more passionate about her craft than most teens are about anything.

"I love working on my music, creating and recording it," Amanda says. "I am really passionate about my music. I want people to connect with my songs, I want them to be memorable to many people."

Her drive and determination bring her all the way to Los Angeles from her home in Toronto, Canada, during summer break to do promotion for her first single, "Without No Doubt," which released last month. Although, the trip isn't that much of a sacrifice when you ask her: She takes every opportunity to express how much she loves the City of Angels.

"I love L.A.! I have family here, so we visit whenever we can," she shares. "I really like to go to the Americana at Brand, the Glendale Galleria mall and the beach in Santa Monica. When I was here in April we went to Universal Studios, which was really cool."

Today we meet at another of her favorite places in Los Angeles, the Grove. You never know what celebrities you might run into at the retail and entertainment complex. "Extra" is filmed here during the week, and there are free concerts throughout the summer (Sara Evans on July 17, Capital Cities on July 24 and the Backstreet Boys on July 31). Amanda's primary mission when she's at the Grove is shopping, though, and her favorite store is Forever 21.

"I really love the scenery here at the Grove, especially the water fountain when they do the water show with music," she admits. "It's just such a nice place to walk around." 

It's a sweltering day, so we take a seat in the shade to talk about her influences, future plans and even find out what a typical Saturday might entail back in Toronto.

"I would normally try to hang out with some friends. I'm on my phone a lot. If I have a lot of homework, then I would do some homework, but usually I like Saturday to be my chill day, so I wake up at about 12:30 p.m.," she says with a laugh. "On weekends, I sing all of my songs and try to go over them so that I'm prepared for any performances that might come up."

There's that strong work ethic shining through again. A fierce will is something that Amanda has cultivated since birth. Although she is visually impaired, she is far from handicapped. If anything, her impairment has made her even more fiercely determined to achieve her dreams.

"I think my positive attitude helps, but mostly it's my friends and family that have been so supportive with my music," she insists. "It's great to have them around because they're a really big part of this for me. I'm so grateful to them for being so supportive."

One of her sisters lends her voice to contributing background vocals on "Without No Doubt," which, Amanda says, makes the song even more special. Music is a big part of their household, with the sisters singing around Amanda playing the piano or listening to songs together. She first picked up the piano by ear at age 5 and recently started learning the guitar.

"I've always loved piano since I was young; it came naturally to me when I started taking lessons," Amanda remembers. "I play classical piano, too, so I have composed some classical pieces."

Currently she's completely focused on writing pop material, though, and it's usually a melody that will first sprout in her brain before lyrics begin to grow. Such was the case with the beginnings of "Without No Doubt."

"I can't just sit down and say, 'OK, now I'm writing a song.' That doesn't work for me, it has to come naturally like when I wrote 'Without No Doubt' during grade 8," she confesses. "I was sitting in class, and the tune just came to me. I kept on working on it, and then I performed it for our middle school talent show. My former grade 5 teacher fell in love with it and passed it along to who would eventually become my manager."

Aside from promoting the release of "Without No Doubt," constantly practicing and prepping for performances and gearing up to record more of her songs, straight-A student Amanda is set to begin high school in the fall. She has already signed up for vocal class and hopes to continue performing in school productions.

While she loves Broadway musicals like "Wicked" and "The Sound of Music," she is really into pop music, specifically Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Adele and Alicia Keys. She just attended a Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran concert in Toronto and came away with a lot of inspiration.

"Taylor Swift said a lot of inspiring things at the concert that I will remember. When she was young she always wanted to grow up because she thought bullying was just a school thing, but as she got older she received a lot of criticism. One critic even said that she couldn't sing, but nothing knocked her down," Amanda tells before reflecting on her own experiences. "It's just like me, even if people might say one bad comment about me, I won't let that knock me down. I won't give up. I will continue putting my music out there and being who I am."

Like I said before, Amanda Raya is anything but your typical teenage girl. She is on the road to becoming a true force to be reckoned with.

"Without No Doubt" is currently available from iTunes. For more information, visit amandaraya.com.

New Release Tuesday 7/9/13

July 9, 2013

MUSIC RELEASES

The Candles – La Candelaria (The End)
When considering the pedigree of frontman Josh Lattanzi (Juliana Hatfield, Ben Kweller, Albert Hammond Jr.), it's no stretch as to why SPIN named the Candles as having the "Best Out of the Shadows Set" at SXSW. And after listening to the New York fivesome's sophomore effort, it's clear that they are more than ready to step into the spotlight. Named for a historic neighborhood in Bogota, Colombia that Lattanzi visited while on tour, La Candelaria grabs you from the steel-guitar in opener "Blind Light" and sing-along chorus of "Believe You Now" through the head-bop inducing "What Happens Next." Catch them live when they pass through Los Angeles for a performance at the Hotel Café on July 19.

letlive. – The Blackest Beautiful (Epitaph)
After more than a decade, the L.A. heavy hitters are still going strong. With the release of their highly anticipated third album, the "soul punk" band, headed by Jason Butler – who came in at No. 1 on Kerrang's list of "The 50 Greatest Rockstars in the World Today" – are as sonically aggressive and intense as ever. While Butler passionate screams cause mosh pits to spontaneously erupt, his melodies are just as evocative of emotion on tracks like "White America's Beautiful Black Market," "Banshee (Ghost Fame)" and "Virgin Dirt."

Maps – Vicissitude (Mute)
Mercury Prize-nominated James Chapman returns with his third effort, which is the direct result of the three-year period he took for personal reflection and rearrangement after the release of 2009's Turning the Mind. He says, "The whole album is about change; it's about dealing with a struggle – whatever that may be – and ultimately coming through it." Vicissitude's 10 tracks take you from the soaring melodies of opening track "A.M.A.," uncontrollable dance beats of "You Will Find a Way" and depths of the title track. 

The Octopus Project – Fever Forms (Peek-A-Boo)
It's pretty much impossible not to smile when listening to music from the Austin quartet. Their fifth full-length continues to delight with experimental pop songs that are sure to be the life of any party. Go ahead, give "Whitby" or "Sharpteeth" a listen, and see if you can resist the temptation to get up and dance with a huge grin plastered on your face. Impossible, I say.

Also available – Adlib's Bad Newz; Airhead's For Years; araabMuzik's The Remixes, Vol. 1; Botzy's Buck Fotzy; Ciara's self-titled; Daughn Gibson's Me Moan; Freddie Gibbs' ESGN; Greenhouse's Bend But Don't Break; Hebronix's Unreal; Lantern's Rock 'N' Roll Rorschach; Like Moths to Flames' An Eye for An Eye; Mount Eerie's Live in Bloomington, September 30th, 2011; Preservation Hall Jazz Band's That's It!; Robert Pollard's Honey Locust Honky Tonk; Scud Mountain Boys' Do You Love the Sun; Skylar Grey's Don't Look Down; Thundercat's Apocalypse; Tony Touch's Piece Maker 3: Return of the 50 MC's; Various Artists' Sweet Relief III: Pennies From Heaven; Western Lows' Glacial

DVD RELEASES

Film – Admission stars Tina Fey as a Princeton admissions officer who encounters a college acquaintance played by Paul Rudd and a student he thinks deserves a place at the school – and might be the child she gave up for adoption 18 years ago; Harmony Korine directs James Franco, Selena Fomez and Vanessa Hudgens in Spring Breakers

TV – Finding Bigfoot: Volume 2; Gator Boys: Season 1; The Legend of Korra - Book One: Air; Portlandia Season 3; Unforgettable: Season One; Warehouse 13: Season Four

Music – Mindless Behavior's All Around the World
Also available – Assassins Tale; Boy; Crazy Kind of Love; Dead Man Down; The Expelled; For Richer or Poorer; The Gatekeepers; The Host; Mr. Hockey: Gordie Howe Story; The Power of Few; The Tower; Tyler Perry's Temptation; Women Who Kill; Would You Rather

STREET SIGNS - Quinceañera

Theresa Powers' 1996 mural dedicated to the rite of passage for 15-year-old Latinas was threatened last year when Señor Fish moved into the former Pescado Mojado location at 1701 West Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. When the new owners began renovating the Logan Street side of the building where the Quinceañera mural sits, Powers had OK'd its removal, so the bottom-left portion was sandblasted away. Upon further thought Powers changed her mind, and artist Kiki Giet began restoring the piece.

Events for June 27-July 10, 2013

Get with THE PROGRAM

FRIDAY, JUNE 28

The Heat

FILM

In Theaters
The Heat reunites Bridesmaids director Paul Feig with Melissa McCarthy and throws Sandra Bullock into the mix, as the two women must partner up to catch some elusive criminals; A documentary on early-'70s punk pioneers, A Band Called Death; Pedro Almodóvar's I'm So Excited!; Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, Zoe Kazan and Emily Watson in Some Girl(s); Roland Emmerich helms the action-packed White House Down, starring Channing Tatum as a cop and Jamie Foxx as POTUS. Also in theaters: 100 Bloody Acres; Byzantium; Copperhead; How to Make Money Selling Drugs; The Secret Disco Revolution

SATURDAY, JUNE 29

FILM

The Breakfast Club @ Exposition Park (South Los Angeles)
Join Street Food Cinema for a screening of the Brat Pack drama. Written and directed by John Hughes, The Breakfast Club stars Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Ally Sheedy as a group of unlikely friends trapped together in Saturday detention. Local band Fallen Riviera plays a set before the screening, and food trucks like Slummin Gourmet, Belly Bombz, and the Melt Bus are going to be on hand all night.

FOOD

L.A. Street Food Fest @ The Rose Bowl (Pasadena)
The fourth annual tasting event's line-up includes over 100 food, beverage and clothing/accessories vendors. For $50 you get all you can eat and drink from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. from places like the Grilled Cheese Truck, Starry Kitchen, Yuca's, The Churro Borough and Peddler's Creamery.

SUNDAY, JUNE 30

Toby at Canter's (Gary Baseman)

ART

Gary Baseman Bus Tour – Departs from Skirball Cultural Center at 10 a.m.
I am so sad that I will be out of town this weekend, or else I would definitely take this tour with one of my favorite L.A. artists, Gary Baseman, as he shares some of the locations that are meaningful to his life and career. You'll visit his childhood neighborhood, Wacko in East Hollywood and Canter's Deli where his mother worked for over 30 years. The tour is led by Jim Heimann, friend of Baseman, an L.A. historian and the executive editor of TASCHEN America. If you can't make the tour, please visit his current exhibition, Gary Baseman: The Door Is Always Open, at Skirball through Aug. 18.

DRINK

Art Beyond the Glass II @ Los Angeles Athletic Club (Downtown)
Dozens of Los Angeles' top bartenders not only share cocktails but their art, photography and music as well. Teams like Bombay Sapphire (Chris Ojeda, Kate Grutman, Mia Mastroianni and Nathan Burdette) and Pisco Porton (Brady Weise, Brittini Rae, Chris Amirault and Daniel Zacharczuk) work together in the Invention Bar or showcase their cocktails at satellite bars. Proceeds benefit Art Share LA.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 3

FILM

In Theaters Today
The sequel to the 2010 hit, Despicable Me 2 features the voices of Steve Carell, Kristen Schaal, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand and Steve Coogan; Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer star as Tonto and John Reid in Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger. Also in theaters: Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain

MUSIC

Fleetwood Mac @ Staples Center (Downtown)
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers last toured in 2009 and embarked on this current trip in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Rumours' release. Expect to hear all of your favorite songs from the landmark album, as well as many other hits.

THURSDAY, JULY 4

Americafest

FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATIONS

3-Day Celebration @ Hollywood Bowl  (Hollywood) – Featuring Josh Groban, patriotic music from the Los Angeles Philharmonic (conducted by Sarah Hicks) and a thrilling fireworks display on July 2, 3 and 4

4th of July Fireworks Show (Marina Del Rey) – A 20-minute display over the marina

All-American Fourth of July @ The Queen Mary (Long Beach) – Explore the ship, live music, games and activities from the 1920s, '40s, '60s, '90s and the present, cocktails, treats, fireworks at 9 p.m. and a screening of Independence Day

Americafest @ The Rose Bowl (Pasadena) – Music, food, TNT motorcycle stunts, performances by Mariachi Divas and Kenny G, as well as fireworks at 9 p.m.

Block Party @ Grand Park (Downtown) – Hosted by KCRW's Anthony Valadez, performances by Get Lit, Ethio Cali, Jungle Fire and La Santa Cecilia, food trucks and a light/pyro show after sunset

Late Night & BBQ @ Aquarium of the Pacific (Long Beach) – Visit the exhibits at night, eat delicious barbecue and see a fireworks display.

Pacific Palisades Fourth of July Parade (Pacific Palisades) – Parade begins at 2 p.m., Chris Shiflett (Foo Fighters) and the Dead Peasants concert at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks spectacular at 9 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 6

FILM

Roman Holiday @ Hollywood Forever Cemetery (Hollywood)
Cinespia screens the William Wyler classic, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, as an escaped princess and the reporter who discovers her. DJ Carlos Nino spins before and after the movie. If we can't all go on holiday to Italy this summer, we might as well revel in the sites of Rome on display in this film.

MUSIC

The Hootenanny @ Oak Canyon Ranch (Silverado Canyon)
The 19th annual music and kustom car festival returns to Orange County with hundreds of local vendors, food, drink, classic cars, the Hootenanny Pinup Contest and performances by Social Distortion, Face to Face, Murder By Death, Old 97s, Nashville Pussy and more. Keep the Fourth of July festivities going all weekend long.

L.A. HAVENS - Scoops

 

SCOOPS

712 N. Heliotrope Drive, Los Angeles (Wilshire Center) 323-906-2649

It's no secret that ice cream is No. 1 on my list of culinary vices, and as the temperature rises, so too does my craving for the sweet treat. Whenever I visit a new city, I make it a point to sample the ice cream purveyors. From Luv-It Frozen Custard in Las Vegas to Bi-Rite Creamery in San Francisco, I've tried them all. Of all the parlors in Los Angeles, Scoops is my absolute favorite for the incredible range of flavors that are infused into each batch of homemade gelato and sorbet.

Nestled in a strip of shops near Los Angeles City College, Scoops was opened in 2005 by flavor master extraordinaire Tai Kim, who obtained his bachelor's degree at CalArts before attending Portland's Western Culinary Institute. Each morning, Kim devises a new list of flavors to be sold in the shop that day, ranging from their trademark Brown Bread (caramel gelato mixed with crunchy Grape Nuts cereal) and more familiar Apple Pie to the exotic Yuzu Mint and Dirty Chai.

His unique spins on ordinary, tried-and-true combinations, such as Banana Coconut, Pistachio Sour Cream and Guinness Chocolate or Guinness Coffee, have made Scoops incredibly popular throughout the city. In addition to branches in Palms and Highland Park, you can have a scoop for dessert at restaurants like the Golden State. While my go-to flavors are Salted Chocolate and Chocolate Peanut Butter, I am also a fan of the Oreo Carmel and Strawberry Balsamic. There are usually three or four vegan flavors available, like Earl Grey Tea and Soy Chocolate, and even a few gluten-free ones as well.

Another great thing about Scoops is that, like most gelato shops, one scoop is actually two. So for $2.90 you can try a scoop of two different flavors or just enjoy two servings of your favorite. They offer free toppings of chopped peanuts and rainbow sprinkles, too. If you only want one scoop, you can order the Kids Scoop for $2.25. They also do shakes, sorbet slushies and floats, as well as ice cream cakes. They only accept cash, so make sure to stop at an ATM before experiencing some of the best gelato you'll have in your life.

New Release Tuesday - 6/25/13

June 25, 2013

MUSIC RELEASES

Bosnian Rainbows – Self-titled (Sargent House)
The debut album from the union of the Mars Volta's Omar Rodriguez-López and Deantoni Parks, Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender and Kudu's Nicci Kasper, who came together last summer. Rodriguez-López's trademark dissonant guitar chords, anchored by Parks' solid drumming and Kasper's work on the keys, provide the perfect soundscape for Gender Bender's hypnotic and chaotic vocals on trace like "Turtle Neck" and "The Eye Fell in Love." The band celebrates the release and kicks off a worldwide tour tonight at the First Unitarian Church with Sister Crayon in tow.

Dessa – Parts of Speech (Doomtree)
The Twin Cities native cements her status as the reigning queen emcee of the Doomtree collective with her third full-length release. From the pulse-pounding and lightning quick raps of "Warsaw" to the hauntingly reflective "Call Off Your Ghost," Parts of Speech shines as her most intimate and moving work yet. But make no mistake, the album isn't just introspective, its beats are guaranteed to make you dance, too. Bask in her insane talent live when she stops at the Troubadour on July 13.

Hockey – Wyeth IS (self-released)
Brooklyn-based Ben Wyeth and Jerm Reynolds isolated themselves in upstate New York for 22 months to write and record their sophomore album. The resulting 11 tracks explore the duo's love of vintage electronic beats and expand upon it, from dream-like opener "Wild Style" to the hand-clap inducing "My Mind" and on through the last seething beat of "Defeat on the Double Bass Line." Catch them in the midst of their U.S. tour July 26 at the El Rey.

Hugh Cornwell – Totem and Taboo (Red River) The former guitarist, singer and main songwriter of the Stranglers returns with his first studio album since 2008's critically-acclaimed Hooverdam. Cornwell enlisted the legendary Steve Albini to engineer and mix Totem and Taboo, which captures the raw grittiness of his guitar on songs like "The Face" and "Love Me Slender" and his in-your-face, honest vocals on tracks such as "I Want One of Those" and "God is a Woman."

India.Arie – SongVersation (Soulbird/Motown)
If you have yet to delve into the work of the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, what's wrong with you? From her childhood in Denver, Colo., music has coursed through her veins, breaking through to the masses in 2001 with the release of her debut, Acoustic Soul. She continues to soothe the soul with her fifth full-length studio album. SongVersation will have your head nodding from the onset of first single "Cocoa Butter" and leave you breathless and inspired with "Break the Shell."

Middle Class Rut – Pick Up Your Head (Bright Antenna)
I've been a fan of Zack Lopez's and Sean Stockham's live performances since seeing them perform with their first band in the early 2000s, and they've continued to cultivate an explosive on-stage chemistry on through the development of MC Rut. Their follow-up to 2010's No Name No Color, Pick Up Your Head captures their live energy on roaring tracks like "Leech," "You Don't Belong" and first single "Aunt Betty." They'll be part of this year's Uproar Festival, which sweeps through Verizon Amphitheatre Sept. 13.

Also available – Airhead's For Years; August Burns Red's Rescue & Restore; Bass Drum of Death's self-titled; Booker T. Jones' Sound the Alarm; Bret Michaels' Jammin' with Friends; Eklipse's A Night in Strings; Evidence's Green Tape Instrumentals; Forever the Sickest Kids' J.A.C.K.; Frank Lenz's Water Tiger; Hawthorne Heights' Zero; Jay Sean's Neon; Jillette Johnson's Water in a Whale; Junclassic's BLVD Backdrop; Larry and His Flask's By the Lamplight; Light Heat's self-titled; Lightning Dust's Fantasy; Little Lonely's self-titled; Locrian's Return to Annihilation; Mavis Staples' One True Vine; Natalie Cole's Natalie Cole en Espanol; Nate Young's Blinding Confusion; Palms' self-titled; Perhapst's Revise Your Maps; Queensryche's self-titled; Rose Windows' The Sun Dogs; Skillet's Rise; Slum Village's Evolution; Smith Westerns' Soft Will; Solar Year's Waverly; Spirits of the Dead's Rumours of a Presence; Stone Gossard's Moonlander; The Transplants' In a Warzone; Wale's The Gifted; Wise Blood's ID; Wrekonize's The War Within; Wyld Bunch & DJ Brans' Unbreakable

DVD RELEASES

Film – 50 million people in the United States (one in four children) don't know where their next meal is coming from. Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush's A Place at the Table – with insight from experts that include nutrition policy leader Marion Nestle, sociologist Janet Poppendieck, Tom Colicchio and Jeff Bridges – is one of the most important films Americans can watch this year; The Incredible Burt Wonderstone stars Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Jim Carrey, Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin; Halle Berry, Evie Thompson and Abigail Breslin in Brad Anderson's The Call; Based on the true story of Chilean ad exec René Saavedra (Gael García Bernal), No dramatizes his campaign to win the country's presidency.

TV – Cesar Millan: Leader of the Pack; CSI: NY - The Final Season; MADtv: Season Three; Todd & the Book of Pure Evil: The Complete Second Season

Music – Alicia Keys' VH1 Storytellers; Jane's Addiction's Live in NYC; Jethro Tull's Around the World Live; Tanglewood - 75th Anniversary Celebration

Also available – As Luck Would Have It; Battledogs; Black Pond; Blood of 1000 Virgins; Crashout; Crawlspace; Dead Souls; The Fartist; Flashback; Hangar 18; Hansel & Gretel Get Baked; In the Family; Into the White; Killer Mountain; Lesser Blessed; Lord of Darkness; My Best Enemy; Phantom; Pusher; The Rambler; Supporting Characters; Upside Down; Zombie Ass: Toilet of the Dead

STREET SIGNS - War By Numbers

Ever since I came across Shepard Fairey's War By Numbers in 2008, I've coveted a print of the painting to hang on my wall. The innocent little girl captured in the piece reminds me of a character from a children's book, although in Fairey's world, the rose she's stopping to smell stems from a grenade and war bombers loom over her head. Each time I pass the print of it posted on an electrical box in front of Michelangelo Ristorante at 2742 Rowena Avenue in Silver Lake, I can't help but smile because I love getting to see it all the time.