Light FM: Josiah Mazzaschi
joined on stage by: Nicole Fiorentino (bass, vocals)
Sophia Male (keyboards, vocals) Byron Reynolds (drums) Stephen Becker (guitar, synth)
Influences
Phoenix, Mew, Broken Social Scene, The Cars, Grandaddy, Wire, Colin Newman, Missing Persons, Zombies, Arcade Fire, Eli Miller, Olivia Tremor Control, Cocteau Twins, Wolfgang Press, TV on the Radio, Neil Young, Jesus and Mary Chain, Earlimart, Clan of Xymox, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Kinks, Uriah Heep, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Felt, ELO, Queen, Bee Gees, ABBA, Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, PJ Harvey, Gary Numan, Psychedelic Furs, The Cure, etc.
Sounds Like
All of our reviews have compared us to The Cars, The Cure, Grandaddy, and The Flaming Lips
Born in the clutches of art school angst and bitter Chicago winters, Light FM began as a beacon of hope for song writer Josiah Mazzaschi a poppy bouquet of cheerful songs with meaningful yet dark lyrics heavy on retro synths and grand orchestration. Quickly gaining a name in the Chicago indie music scene as one of Chicago's most promising new bands and being compared to The Cars, The Cure, Pink Floyd and The Rentals. Light FM's first release, "This is the Beginning of my Golden Age" was heralded as "the post-punk antidote to radio's latest disease" (Time Out), a band that "pushes the bounds of sonic experimentation while at the same time making their songs catchy and accessible." (Daily Herald)
When Light FM moved to LA and released "Black Magic Marker" on Devil in The Woods Records, the band's accessibility, emotional depth and high production value soon attracted popular Hollywood shows like "Gossip Girl", "The Hills", "The Dollhouse", and "One Tree Hill". Returning to his indie roots, Mazzaschi is currently self-releasing his third album, aptly titled "Let There be Light FM" with the promotional support of Myspace Records "Friends and Family" program. Full of "sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids" (buzzbands.la) Light FM is returning to the stage with a residency at Spaceland in LA in October, also sporting a new lineup. After playing SXSW, the band took a break and regrouped with bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino (Veruca Salt, Spinerette), drummer Byron Reynolds (Sea Wolf, Everest, Possom Dixon), and keyboardist/singer Sophia Male. "Let There Be Light FM" will be available on iTunes October 13, 2009.
Click CD art below to preview or purchase on Itunes
Press
Review of 10/12/09 show at Spaceland There’s something special about the way feet look while dancing in black Converse—something slightly caterpillar-like—it’s as though something has happened at the ankles, like they’ve become unhinged. It allows the rest of the body to move in a more fluid way than it does when dancing in, say, cowboy boots or some other rigid form of footwear. I don’t spend my free time thinking about the physics of feet and shoes, rather, this is an observation I made at the Light FM’s Monday night residency (which continues until October 28th) at Spaceland, where I witnessed one of the most impressive displays of Converse-clad dancing I have ever seen.
Light FM, the brainchild of front-man Josiah Mazzaschi—who started the band while living in Chicago but has since re-located to Los Angeles—played the hell out of their new self-released record Let Their Be Light FM, which was not a surprise but was an impressive feat seeing as Mazzaschi only recently solidified his backing band, having played all of the instruments himself during the album’s recording. The five-piece, who have only played together for a few shows, were unbelievably tight, and seemed completely comfortable (albeit hot and maybe a little sweaty) playing underneath Spaceland’s multi-colored lights.
Speeding things up early on with totally radio-ready anthem “Friends Aren’t Friends,” Mazzaschi set a cheerful tone for the show, letting the lyrics fly over the crowd, who bopped along in that way only the driving melody of a pop song can make you bop (particularly one man in the front, the aforementioned Converse dancer, who perhaps bopped along harder than the rest of the crowd). Following “Friends Aren’t Friends” with “Black Magic Marker” from the band’s previous album, the crowd began to sing along and I realized, suddenly, that this was one of this first shows I’ve been to in a while where it seemed as though everyone in the venue was actually watching the band play with rapt attention, not looking around for people they might recognize, drunkenly making puppy eyes at a cute lady or gentleman, or some similar pursuit of the only semi-connected reveler. Each song jammed along harder than the last, and the combination of Sophia Male’s spacey, happy-go-lucky pop synths; Mazzaschi’s high, classic indie rock vocals; Nicole Fiorentino’s tight bass; and Byron Reynolds’ near-perfect drums, made for one of the best pop shows I’ve seen in a long time.
The polished performance combined with Mazzaschi’s casual stage presence, singing each song flawlessly and giggling while talking to the crowd, made it feel as though Spaceland was filled with his entire family and closest friends, while also feeling like we were in the presence of a band that really knew its stuff. The performance seemed incredibly earnest despite the musicians’ obvious mastery of their craft—which often leads to musicians coming off as disaffected and their performance seeming off-the-cuff and careless. Instead, Light FM revealed themselves as the best kind of band to see live—genuinely talented and committed to playing their songs well, but also fun and filled with youthful energy. It was clear that all five members of Light FM put their hearts into it, and the crowd certainly did the same. All you had to do to was look towards the front row, where you would find the most enthusiastic pair of dancing Converse in all of Los Angeles.
—Maud Deitch - LA Record
Buzzbands review of, "Let There Be Light FM" Less than a year after his underpromoted second album “Black Magic Marker” was released on the small indie label Devil in the Woods, Mazzaschi has another album ready. Aptly titled “Let There Be Light FM,” it’s a powerful 13-track array of sticky melodies, crunchy, fuzzed-out guitars and synths on steroids — imagine the Cars or MGMT with the sonic biceps of radio rockers such as Shiny Toy Guns. Yeah, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots with Moogs. -Buzzbands.la
Radiofreesilverlake's review of, "Let There Be Light FM"by Brad Roberts A big giant burst of sunny indie pop starts off Light FM's new CD, Let There Be Light FM and sets the stage for a beautifully produced collection of Josiah Mazzaschi's catchy melodies where the lyrics explore the darker and more mysterious aspects of human nature and together form the album's duality.
The sound of the album is not unlike an Earlimart album, which is to say one can feel the influence of Josiah's friend Aaron Espinoza in the polished production values and occasional orchestral sweep of the arrangements. It's a densely packed CD with 14 tracks that starts off with a bang with "Death Toll Rise". Immediately arresting, it's high spiritedness reminds me of the way The Happy Hollows' Spell begins, and that energy permeates the whole album.
After the last generation of Light FM disbanded, Josiah decided to record his new material by himself, with support from some musician friends here and there. The result is a tightly focused work, with the pop melodies in stark contrast to the personal, sometimes dark, reflection of the lyrics, luring you in till the brutal honesty of the words jumps out at you.
Highlights include "Death Toll Rises" about friends lost early, betrayal is explored in "Friends Aren't Friends", while "Down in the Park" deals with solitude. When the time came for the Spaceland residency Josiah put together a new Light FM which includes Nicole Fiorentino on bass, Sophie Male on keys and Byron Reynolds on drums.
I attended their October 19th show and was impressed with their cohesive precision as a live band. They recreate the recorded tracks with remarkable fidelity, really appeared to enjoy playing together and Josiah never sounded so good. Nice album art by Dave Williams, too. -Radiofreesilverlake.com
We're listening to "Friends aren't Friends" over and over and over again! You guys are awesome. So excited for the show @ Spaceland Monday, see you then!
we had the best time playing with you guys last Monday! Can't wait to see you rock again in a few days! <3 black magic marker. thanks for everything! xx
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