Local Natives at the Silverlake Lounge

Whoever booked the Silverlake lounge for the Local Natives residency probably should get a raise. I haven't seen the Silverlake lounge this packed since the Silversun Pickups secret show. The Local Natives have the deck stacked in their favor as their residency is being presented by KROQ Locals Only, Buzz Bands, Metromix LA, Citizen LA and the Fold.

The Meeting Places



The Meeting Places really impressed me when I saw them with Film School and The Pity Party back in August of 2008 at Spaceland. Those who didn't make it to the Silverlake lounge on time missed another stellar set by The Meeting Places.

Laura Llamas (Keyboards/Vocals) is the latest addition to the band. Laura's sparkling background vocals underneath floating keyboard lines expands their already dense sound. "Love Like The Movies" and "On Our Own" were some of the many stand out tracks along with the debut of a few new songs.

"Millions" had Arthur Chan (Bass) tapping the fretboard of his bass for a hypnotic groove accompanied by the noise washes of Scott Mcdonald (Guitars) and Chase Harris (Vocals/Guitars). Hopefully, they can get a residency around town to help expand their fanbase.

Dusty Rhodes and The River Band



I was unaware that Dusty Rhodes and the River Band had such an enthusiastic following. Silverlake Lounge was bursting at the seams by the time they setup the stage. Dusty Rhodes and the River Band are signed to Side One Dummy records and I unfortunately missed them awhile back when they played at the Orange County Museum of Art Orange Crush concert series.

Dusty Rhodes and The River Band played an inspired set pulling from such genres as southern rock, folk and Americana. I can only draw a comparison to a car collision between The Hold Steady, Arcade Fire and Ra Ra Riot. After Dustin Apocada pulled out the accordion, all bets were off. Dustin Apodaca (Vocals) wasn't the only one singing vocals as Edson Choi (Guitars/Vocals) and Kyle Divine (Guitars/Vocals) took their own turn at the microphone.

It should be noted the Ikey Owens from the Mars Volta produced their first album. This is brought up in relation to when Dusty tore into his keyboard for a mini-prog rock solo that reminded me of Europe's "Final Countdown" during one of their songs. Dusty mentioned they were working on their second album. It was good to see The Local Natives bringing some bands based in Orange County to the east side.

Local Natives




I have to admit it was nice to see the Local Natives play to a full Silverlake lounge. Local Natives have long been on my radar when I previously caught their prior incarnation as Cavil at Rest back in November 2007 with The Airborne Toxic Event and Castledoor on a free Monday night residency at the Detroit Bar.

While The Airborne Toxic Event have enjoyed a huge leap into the national scene by selling out the Henry Fonda, I wouldn't be surprised to see The Local Natives follow the same upward trajectory. While I was originally impressed with the work as Cavil At Rest, The Local Natives have honed their sound and reformulated their sharp tunes.

One thing that immediately grabs your attention about the Local Natives is the fact that Taylor Rice (Vocals/Guitars), Kelcey Ayer (Vocals/Keyboards) and Ryan Hahn (Vocals/Guitars) all could be lead singers in their own right. They strategically harmonize and alternate their vocal parts into a singing juggernaut. It is a gutsy move to cover Talking Heads, but The Local Natives pulled it off flawlessly with their cover of "Warning Sign". The Local Natives have a few more dates left at the Silverlake Lounge and I recommend you get there early for a good spot.

Film School and The Pity Party at Spaceland

Some of my favorite Los Angeles based bands played together for a banner night at Spaceland. The number of effect pedals that collectively cluttered the stage on this particular night must have hit one hundred. I couldn't have been any happier.

The Meeting Places





I unfortunately missed the return showing for The Meeting Places at the Silverlake Lounge. I was excited that they were added to the bill with The Pity Party and Film School as their textural soundscapes started off the evening. I can only describe The Meeting Places as a cross between the song structures of Lush and noisy shoegaze of My Bloody Valentine. I have had a few discussions about guitar pedals with Scott Mcdonald (Guitars) and he impressed me with his use of Roger Mayer pedals. Chase Harris had an equally impressive setup as he had some Analog Man pedals in his arsenal. Their double Fender Jazzmaster attack was extremely effective as they worked through "Love Like The Movies". "Where'd You Go" filled all of Spaceland with ripples of dense reverb. The Meeting Places are currently working on new material and hopefully they will debut some new material next time I catch them.

The Pity Party






The Pity Party perservered. An unfortunate bicycle accident claimed the talented finger of M (Guitars/Vocals) who was bandaged and battered. Luckily, The Pity Party has a lot of friends in high places as they recruited Will from The Deadly Syndrome, Hiram from The Human Value and Jason 71 from Eskimohunter to pitch in sonic reinterruptations of the fractured songs of the Pity Party. "H.O.T.S" was an adrenaline pumping rocker as Heisenflei (Drums/Vocals) started off so fast that they started the song over again. Jason 71 added some interesting octaves to "Love Lies" to fill out the sound as M was stationed behind the microphone singing along. I enjoyed the reengineered versions of the songs and started to think that someone should orchestrate a cover show featuring a slew of Los Angeles bands. I implore you to visit the Pity Party myspace page and purchase their Orgy Porgy EP which should expedite the healing of M's finger.

Film School





Film School wrapped up another US tour with a hometown blow out at Spaceland. They have been touring since early July and were a finely tuned noise wrecking machine. I have come to the conclusion that after every time I see Film School it is my favorite show. My number of reviews for Film School is rapidly approaching the 20's as they wind down the touring cycle for Hideout. I was absolutely floored when Lorelei Plotczyk (Bass) played the descending bass line for "Harmed" which is one of the few songs I haven't heard live. "Sick Hipster Nursed By Suicide Girl" is still one of my favorite songs and drowns the listener in sound. Film School will head out to the UK with British Sea Power for a number of dates before they head back into the studio to work on the next record. I can easily testify that they have come a long way since I first saw them almost a year ago at Spaceland. I am sure they will dazzle the UK with their massive wall of sound. I can only hope that I get to hear their follow up to Hideout soon.