Darker My Love at the Prospector

I lamented missing the most recent Darker My Love show at the Echoplex with the Soft Pack. I was shocked when I saw the listing of Darker My Love at the Prospector in Long Beach. Talk about a slam dunk. I wouldn't pass up this opportunity to see Darker My Love at the tiny Prospector.

Talia Rose



Talia Rose was a one woman tornado armed with a Fender Stratocaster and a microKorg keyboard. Talia fronted the Long Beach band Katie The Pest but is venturing down the solo route. A haunting microKorg song opened her set before opting for a cavernous dirty reverb guitar sound that was impressive.

Talia incorporated a couple of different tunings and unique chord voicings to maximize the effects of her minimalist sound. I wouldn't be surprised if she forms another band to flesh out her intriguing batch of tunes.

Darker My Love







A swirl of psychedelic colors were projected on the members of Darker My Love, which set the mood of the evening perfectly. I staked out a spot close to the stage to take in the torrential waves of fuzz. Darker My Love has been touring heavily behind their stellar sophomore album 2 and look to hit the road again starting February 21st with These Arms are Snakes.

It didn't take long for the band to find their groove as "Blue Day" howled ferociously. Rob Barbato (Bass/Vocals) was using his Gibson Hollowbody bass for the ground shaking groovy bass lines. Jared Everett (Guitars) had his trusty Guild hollowbody plugged into his Z Vex Fuzz Factory pedal complimenting Tim Presley's equally impressive setup of a (Vocals/Guitars) Fender Jazzmaster into a Big Muff distortion pedal.

Darker My Love embraces the psychedelic but know when to rein their songs in and not let the music needlessly wonder. In a live setting, Darker My Love expand their songs but infuse new elements to make the songs even more interesting. The fuzzy waves of "Northern Soul" washed over the crowd as Tim and Rob harmonized their vocals. Andy Granelli (Drums) pummeled the skins for "Talking Words" as the audience bobbed their heads along in unison.

"Helium Heels" from their self-titled debut album was sped up compared to the recorded version but would later unwind into a hazy outro. "Summer is Here" was scorching hot, as the song bordered on punk ferocity with Jared cutting loose on the lead guitar riff. Will Canzoneri (Clavinet/Organ) sprinkled various bits of organ and clavinet to spice up the overall tasty sound of Darker My Love. The pace was furious as Darker My Love shredded during "What's A Man's Paris" with Tim throwing in squeals of noise with his wah pedal.

"Fall" rocked with Rob adding his tumbling bass line while Tim and Jared created tapestries of noise. Darker My Love unsuccessfully tried to walk off the stage but the crowd wouldn't budge until they performed an encore. Ten noisy minutes later, I was convinced this was one of the best Prospector shows I have ever witnessed.