RACHAEL YAMAGATA plays The Constellation Room Oct. 22 and Teragram Ballroom Oct. 26; photo Laura Crosta

Rachael Yamagata brings her emotionally charged music to SoCal this month, appearing at The Constellation Room Oct. 22 and Teragram Ballroom Oct. 26.

Yamagata, when asked how the tour was going so far as she prepares for California, responded very positively.

“The tour has been excellent,” Yamagata reported. “I’ve got a brand new line-up of musicians mostly based in California.”

This music line-up features Michael Chaves on the Electric guitar, Adam Kovic playing the drums, Brandon Walters providing the bass and Anne Simpson on the keyboard. The latter two are both in the band “My Name is You” with Walters also playing for the band “Lord Huron”.

Despite this, Yamagata said she was happy to be able to convince them both to set aside time to join her tour.

“They opened for me on a fall tour a year ago and they’re just incredible musicians so I took them as my lineup and I’ve got them involved.”

One member of this line-up which Yamagata places great emphasis on is John Alagia. She mentioned that, despite “popping on and off the tour” due to how busy he is, he will accompany the band into California.

“He’s actually my longtime producer who worked on my very first record Happenstance. He did my very first independent release Chesapeake, Heavyweight EP, and he and I co-produced Tight Rope Walker, the new record together as well and he also did some sections on Elephants…Teeth Sinking into Heart.”

The songs on these albums have proven invaluable in helping Yamagata become a household name in the music scene. Besides becoming recognized for appearances in films and many television shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” the songs are also known for their somber, emotional explorations of human intimacy.

Songs such as “Over” and “Nobody” on her latest album, Tightrope Walker, still touch upon this favored subject. But Yamagata notes that musically they are quite different compared to her previous songs. This difference is something the singer eagerly looks forward to bringing to the stage.

“It’s always very interesting to me to figure out how to perform the songs that have very different production flavors for me, particularly on this record. We’re playing with certain things like electronic samples and sound. We’re weaving in some Philippe Petit quotes referencing, of course, the real famous tightrope walker.”

Yamagata derives not just enjoyment from singing her music but even more when sharing it onstage with others. She always does her utmost to guarantee that each of her concerts is a unique and fun experience for those who attend.

“My main goal at a live show is to make them spontaneous and to never offer the same thing twice. There’s a few shows where I’ve just jumped offstage and had some crowd interaction. They really love the sections from the heartbreak ballads and the Arcade Fire-esque delivery of massive background vocals and high energy things.”

The enjoyment of the crowd is instrumental in helping Yamagata find what can best be described as a sort of musical serenity. Being able to achieve it through her music is empowering and is what helps provide an invaluable means of personal motivation.

“There is a moment where I find that on-stage you can almost bend the energy… you can feel a moment when it’s all in sync with the audience, the band, the song, the vibe of the room and that’s what keeps me on the road and looking for it because it’s very, very much based on the energy.”

OTEP play the Observatory Aug. 29; photo Paul Brown

OTEP’s upcoming show at the Observatory in Santa Ana Aug. 29 is to be a sweet homecoming for the band, as it was first formed in Los Angeles by lead singer Otep Shamaya. It will also mark the final night of the current tour.

“Coming back to California to play, it’s almost indescribable,” Shamaya said. “We play in so many places that we love but California’s my home. So to be able to come back and play in front of the place I started, it’s really a very proud moment no matter how many times we go there. It feels like an accomplishment; a dream come true to return home triumphantly.”

OTEP’s latest album Generation Doom is the band’s latest success and the main driving force behind the current tour. The album reached #7 on Billboard Rock Chart and #109 on the Top 200 Albums.

Forming in 2000, OTEP has firmly established itself in the music scene for its charged, unique and energetic style. This isn’t just limited to their music but is also true of their fans.

“We played a club once with a canoe on the wall,” Shamaya recalled. “They pulled the canoe off and then they crowd surfed inside the canoe in front of us. That was pretty wild.”

Granted, such incidents aren’t a common occurrence. But typically, OTEP concerts tend to be very lively in regards to both.

“I guess it’s similar to a religious experience but it’s also like a political rally, “Shamaya said. “It’s also like a meeting of the senses.”

Were you to listen to their music, either in concert or recorded form, it’s easy to classify it as heavy metal. Although Shamaya admits that metal is a major influence for the band, she finds this association to the genre unflattering.

“I think that’s unfortunate, not only for my band, but also the genre,” Shamaya said. “We don’t represent metal traditionalists because we’re not a metal band. We’re more of a fusion band or a hybrid band. We bring in lots of different styles and influences and things that inspire us.”

Shamaya actively encourages other musicians to contribute their influences to the band’s already unorthodox and amalgamated style. As to the influences she contributes, Shamaya gave out an impressive list.

“I do scream, I do a lot of the emo stuff, but I learned that from the Deftones. Chino Moreno was sort of my guru in that one. Song structure… I learned from bands like Nirvana, The Doors and Radiohead. Stylistically as a vocalist, most of my heroes were east coast underground hip hop M.C.s.”

Shamaya’s rebellious style and personality is another integral ingredient that’s help contribute to the success of OTEP’s music.

“Growing up with a name like Otep and being an Irish girl in four neighborhoods wasn’t always fun. I got made fun of a lot,” Shamaya recalled.

“In those days you either had to run or fight. I could run, I’m a pretty good runner, but I didn’t run good enough. I liked to fight, so I ended up fighting a lot.”

Even today, Shamaya’s always up for a good fight. However, rather than throwing fists, she fights through the music of her band.

Many of OTEP’s songs like “Smash the Control Machine” and “Rise, Rebel, Resist” are the band’s most popular songs with powerful lyrics urging people to fight against elitism’s many forms, namely bigotry and war. They remain steadfast favorites among her fans and at live performances.

Besides also campaigning for veganism and animal rights, Shamaya, herself a lesbian, is well-known for being a stalwart advocate for the LGBT community both musically and off-stage. Helping people come to terms with their sexuality has been very rewarding.

“I’ve had people thank me for giving them the courage to come out to their families, to their friends,” Shamaya said.

“Because it’s still a very scary world to come out, even in our current environment, especially since [Donald] Trump has happened.”

OTEP will release two new videos while resting up before heading to Europe.

“One [is] for a song called ‘Zero’ and another for a song called ‘Equal Rights, Equal Lefts,’ which is very important to me personally because it deals with the LGBT community.”

PANIC! AT THE DISCO plays Sleep Train Amphitheatre Aug 3, Santa Barbara Bowl Aug 5, Irvine Meadows Aug. 6; photo Shervin Lainez

Don’t panic but the innovative Panic! At The Disco is bringing their unique experimental style to SoCal in August as part of their co-headline tour with indie rock band, Weezer. The band will be playing at Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista Aug. 3, Santa Barbara Bowl Aug. 5 and Irvine Meadows Aug. 6.

Founded in 2004 in Las Vegas, NV, Panic! At The Disco began as a high school rock band founded by four childhood friends: Ryan Ross, Spencer Smith, Brent Wilson and Brendon Urie. Their rise to the mainstream is due to the band’s unique, genre defying approach to song making: combining music styles into all manner of unorthodox amalgamations, often critiquing society.

“This is Gospel” for example combines pop with emo rock resulting in a downbeat and sobering song about the alienating nature of conformity. Compare this to the 2015 song “Hallelujah!” which mixes 60’s style pop with traditional rock-n-roll. The more mellow and uplifting tone aids in providing a more inspirational message encouraging people to take responsibility for their behavior.

A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, the band’s debut album, despite being a double platinum album, is still considered “the most polarizing albums of our time” according to Billboard. This is owed to the wildly mixed reception the album received for attempting to blend pop music with stylings of vaudevillian melodies whilst exploring taboo topics.

PANIC! AT THE DISCO

The album’s lead song “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” one of the band’s most endearing songs, best exemplifies this polarization. The song is a blend of baroque pop and emo rock providing a strangely high-spirited tempo while simultaneously exploring the touchy subjects of adultery, the sanctity of marriage and human fallibility.

However, experimental songs like these have helped Panic! At The Disco earn awards, accolades and a dedicated fan base. They have continued to do so with their latest album, Death of a Bachelor. The album’s single “Victorious,” has recently appeared at the top of iTunes Top Songs chart as well as Billboard + Twitter’s Trending 140 chart.

MARISSA NADLER plays The Casbah Aug. 2, The Echo Aug. 3; photo EbruY ildiz

The eloquent, innovative and sometimes psychedelic Marissa Nadler is coming to SoCal to play The Casbah in San Diego Aug. 2 followed by The Echo in Los Angeles Aug. 3.

These appearances form part of the acclaimed new age folk singer’s current tour across North America in support of her latest album, Strangers, along with the release of her latest music video for the song, “Janie in Love.” Nadler will also be accompanied by the bands Wrekmeister Harmonies and Muscle and Marrow.

Born in Washington D.C., Marissa Nadler’s uniquely evolutionary based approach to folk has made her a notable figure in folk music. Her songs often explore the complex subject of love. Her music incorporates traditional folk but mixes its classical acoustic style with elements of both alternative rock and electronic effects.

Her latest album, Strangers, exhibits the current iteration of her style. Its most noteworthy track “Janie in Love” is a song about break ups and the regret than can ensue from them. What might normally turn out to be a traditional folk song is instead transformed under Nadler into a more hypnotic, moving and admittedly psychedelic song encapsulating the heartbreak made by past relationships.

What ultimately makes her songs so effective is Nadler’s mezzo-soprano voice, which is an invaluable factor providing her multitude of songs a powerful and uniquely beautiful tranquility.

It’s a voice that, unlike her music style, has not changed since her first album, Ballads of Living and Dying, debuted back in 2004. Her cover of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem “Annabel Lee,” featured on the album, utilizes her distinctive voice and her skillful acoustic guitar abilities to help enrich the classical, gothic love ballad.

Feats like that resulted in writer James Reed, in a 2004 review for Boston Globe, describing Nadler’s voice as one that “in mythological times, could have lured men to their deaths at sea.” But as we exist in modern times, Nadler’s voice and constantly evolving style instead has helped in winning fans, award nominations and praise from critics.

The phrase “folk is dead” is inaccurate where people like Nadler are concerned. On the contrary: folk is simply evolving and Nadler’s just helping to keep the ball rolling.