Rademacher at the Echo

Fresno flag bearers Rademacher scored a coveted residency at the Echo in support of their recent JAXART EP release of ERA. The line up of this night was extremely solid with support from Light FM, Radars To The Sky, and The Broken Remotes.

Light FM





Light FM played a set that was worthy of their own residency. I originally caught Light FM back in January 2008 at Spaceland and could tell they were extremely tight. Light FM is gearing up for the release of their album Black Magic Marker which will be celebrated with a release show on Oct 21 at Boardner's.

Kim Haden (Synthesizers) was bouncing back and forth between her Korg MS2000 and Roland keyboard that was strategically covered by a Light FM sticker. The sinewy synths of "Sleepy Hallow" mixed perfectly with the tight guitars and round cutting bass lines . Josiah Mazzaschi (Vocals/Guitars) was rocking out on his Gibson SG for "Black Magic Marker" which was replete with oohs and aahs matching the ping pong synthesizers. Their new album was just released yesterday.

Radars To The Sky





Radars To The Sky wrapped up their own residency at the Echo back in April. They have been playing consistently around Los Angeles opening for The Airborne Toxic Event and hitting up Sunset Junction. After the release of two strong EP's, I hope Radars To The Sky is working on upcoming full length album to distribute to the masses.

Radars to the Sky have continued to sharpen their live performances as they bit into the crowd with "Victoria". Seamus Simpson (Guitars) had some guitar cable problems but was helped out by Josiah from Light FM. The winding build up of "I Might" exploded into a cacophony of guitars and keyboards as Kate and Andrew Spitser traded off vocals. "You Take It To Heart" is another dynamic ranging song that starts with xylophone and ends with a chorus of vocal harmonies. They capped their set with a cover of a Rademacher song that had Seamus switch to the drums and Kenny on vocals.

Rademacher





I have been meaning to catch Rademacher for quite sometime but always seem to have a conflicting show. I did catch Greer McGettrick (Bass) of Rademacher before when she played with Flowers Forever at the Glass House. I never caught their prior incarnation as a four piece but was intrigued by sparseness of their current setup as a power trio.

Malcolm Sosa (Vocals/Guitars) unraveled quirky notes from his guitar that would carefully occupy strategic spaces within their songs. Malcolm's tone and attack immediately reminded me of Pavement circa Slanted and Enchanted era. Was he out of tune? Did he care? Maybe he was out of tune. Yes, he cares. "What Yr Used To Back At Home" bashed and slashed through four minutes of jangle rock. I will try and catch Rademacher again on October 20th with Death To Anders and Le Switch.

The Broken Remotes





I try to keep an eye on the local bands but I was clueless when it came to The Broken Remotes. They have my attention now as they played a finely distorted guitar heavy set. Jon Leahy (Vocals/Guitars) was rocking a Gretsch guitar backed by the pummeling drums of Amy Wood. The Broken Remotes have two albums I will be checking into titled Throw Me The Keys and Tonight's Last Stand. The evening was closed out with some members of Rademacher and Light FM jumped on stage for some background vocals.

Radars To The Sky at the Detroit Bar

After catching Pinback at the Samueli Theater, I booked it down to the Detroit Bar in hopes of catching Radars To The Sky and Aushua. I unfortunately missed all of Aushua but arrived to catch a good majority of Radars To The Sky.

It was only a few days ago that I caught Radars To The Sky with The Republic Tigers at Spaceland, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to see them again at the cozy Detroit Bar. Radars To The Sky was gearing up for the big opportunity of opening up for The Airborne Toxic Event at the El Rey Theater. I didn't get to hear the outstanding cover of New Order's "Age Of Consent" but was highly impressed by their new bassist Dave Marchese who returned from his trip to New York.

It is interesting to track bands in the local scene because it is entertaining to watch them grow. Radars To The Sky played with a sharp intensity as if they were playing in front of a sold out audience at the El Rey opening for The Airborne Toxic Event. This type of devotion and emotion reveals a lot about Radars character. The intertwining voices of Andrew Spitser and Kate Spitser during "I Might" was intoxicating as the song kicks into overdrive. A slow methodical build up for "Big Bang" would give way to an explosion of sound and feedback. Radars To The Sky play the Sunset Juntion festival this weekend as well as stopping by during the Death To Anders residency at the Echo in September.

The Republic Tigers at Spaceland

The Republic Tigers dispensed some addictive auditory treats when I saw them a few months ago at Spaceland. I ended up acquiring their release Keep Color and quickly became very familiar with the album as it has been on steady ipod rotation for quite a few weeks.

Radars To The Sky




Radars To The Sky continues to harness the buzz they built up after wrapping up their successful Echo Residency in April. Spaceland was filling up nicely as the members of Radars To The Sky took the stage. Andrew Spitser (Vocals/Guitars) announced early on that they were without their usual bass player but had some excellent help from members of Death To Anders, The Hectors and the Flying Tourbillon Orchestra. "Victoria" had its usual sense of urgency with Seamus (Guitars) and Andrew rapidly strumming their guitars. Andrew introduced "Sunk My Teeth" as a response to his brother going to Iraq, as the song had was equally biting in the music as well as the lyrics. A familiar hyperkinetic drumbeat became instantly recognizable as a cover of "Age of Consent" by New Order. Kate Spitser (Vocals) and Andrew traded off vocals as Kate closely matched the classic synthesizer patch. "Big Bang" was an appropriate closer with its slow build up before ending in a sonic explosion. I also managed to catch their set at the Detroit Bar on July 31st after Pinback which I will post in a few days.

The Republic Tigers





Keep Color is one heck of debut LP from The Republic Tigers. "Feelin' The Future" plays like a cross between the Shins and MGMT as the chorus blasts out of the stratosphere with vocal harmonies. Tightly woven guitar parts infused with another batch of glorious vocal harmonies make up a strong foundation for "Made Concrete". The Republic Tigers ventured back to their self-titled EP for the electronic tinged track "Drums". Kenn Jankowski (Vocals/Guitars) and Ryan Pinkston (Guitars) both had extra drums set-up for them as they pounded away for a thumping version of "Sinkin' Annie Down, Down, Down, Down". Bubbling electronic elements percolated through the air as the intro to "Golden Sand" morphed into a frenzied blast of guitars and urgent vocals. "Give Arm To Its Socket" is one of my favorite songs from the album as it has the perfect mix of guitars and electronic programming that ruminates in your head all day. Shades of influence from Travis can be identified in the song "Buildings & Mountains" due to its memorable acoustic guitar riff and delayed vocals. Adam McGill (Guitars) had a Epiphone B.B. King "Lucille" guitar plugged into an Electro Harmonix Memory Man while Adam McGill (Guitars) alternated between a Fender Jazzmaster and an acoustic guitar. Spaceland did not budge when The Republic Tigers didn't come back for an encore. The Republic Tigers were happy to oblige as they came out for another song to cap a perfect evening.

Radars To The Sky at the Echo

The line up was stacked high for the Radars to Sky residency Monday night at the Echo. I was feeling a little under the weather but was determined to catch one heck of a line up.

The Transmissions



Christian Biel (Guitars/Vocals) has to be one of the more expressive guitarists/vocalists in the Los Angeles area with his compelling performance leading The Transmissions through a tight set. Christian manages to fill up their sonic landscape with a mixture of howling overdriven and space tinged guitar tones from his Fender Telecaster. Corey Lyons (Bass) and Denise Duncan (Drums) did an excellent job keeping pace with Christian's hyper-kinetic riffs and movements. Christian also had a bevy of effects pedals including a Electro Harmonix POG and sampler to help propel his sound into another galaxy. "Over Saving Mountain" had a prog like feel with it pulsating laser keyboards as Christian methodically sprayed guitar notes throughout the song. I will keep a close eye on the Transmissions.

The Henry Clay People






The pictures above can only partially explain the event that is The Henry Clay People. The Henry Clay People didn't really need to expand their sound but added Joe Napolitano from Le Switch on keyboards and Jonathan Price from I Make This Sound to really hit the audience over the head. Andy and Joey Siara are the local version of the Gallagher brothers with their penchant for antagonizing each other on stage and general debauchery. You couldn't help but raise your whiskey shot to the air as the band ripped into "Working Part Time" as the guitars jangled at high volume. Andy Siara (Guitars/Vocals) was sporting a shiny Fender Telecaster Deluxe in lieu of his Fender Jazzmaster and coaxed some rocking twang from his amp. I also appreciate the random cover songs they throw into their sets as they tackled the Traveling Wilburys "Handle With Care" and Andy did his best impersonation of Roy Orbison. The band also coaxed the audience into a barrage of well timed jumps whilst rocking out. The Henry Clay People will be visiting the residencies of Le Switch and Mezzanine Owls next month so make sure you catch at least one of those shows.


Radars To The Sky





The Henry Clay People are a tough bunch to follow but Radars To The Sky proved to be extremely worthy of their residency at the Echo with a compelling performance. They list some of my favorite bands as influences like Archers of Loaf, Pavement, Grandaddy and The Smiths. Andrew Spitser (Vocals/Guitars) has a distinctive voice that slightly reminded me of the Smoking Popes. "Victoria" was a dynamic blast of frantic guitars and bouncy keyboards that were pulled together nicely by Andrew's longing vocals. "Sunk My Teeth" had plenty of false starts and stops with excellent contrast between Andrew's Fender Stratocaster clean guitar blasts and Seamus Simpson's slightly distorted Les Paul. I was highly impressed by their Pixies cover of "Alec Eiffel" as this song does not immediately jump out as one to cover but Radars To The Sky nailed it. "Selfish Kids" was a new song that reverberated loudly and bounced around the Echo. "Wave By The Sun" has to be one of the more off kilter tunes in their catalog as the guitars ricochet around your skull as the song has a slight Pavement alt country vibe. I will try and swing by their last night of their residency at the Echo on April 28th.

Death To Anders





I was excited to see Death To Anders as I still have their album Fictitious Business in constant rotation. Rob Danson (Guitars/Vocals) got immediate points for being one of the few Los Angeles guitarists with a Paul Reed Smith. This is not to take away anything from Nic Ceglio (Guitars/Vocals) who was strumming his red Fender Telecaster. Death To Anders played a quiet set that capped the night perfectly. As much as I was dying to hear "Ghost Rock", it wouldn't have fit the mood of their set. "Doll" had a sharper edge to the song as it closed out with a fury of squalls. "Camera Lens" sounded even more fractured and urgent with its angular guitars. I was hoping Sarah Negahdari from the Happy Hollows would jump up on stage but she was busy dancing in front of the stage and cheering them along. I need to catch them again to hear the elusive "Ghost Rock".