Waxahatchee Takes LA, pt I

AN EVENING AT ELOY AND ALI'S:

WAXAHATCHEE

KATE BERLANT

GIRLPOOL

GIL OZERI and JOHN GEMBERLING
 MEGAN KOESTER

KYLE GILBRIDE

27 APRIL, 2015

Nestled on a hillside in Glassell Park, Los Angeles, the humble abode of Eloy Lugo and Ali Koehler served once again as host to an electrifying evening of acoustic music and comedy. Putting their own particular stamp on the house show scene, the evening encapsulated their family approach to crafting shows, featuring a stellar lineup, including comedians Kate Berlant, Megan Koester, and a great improv set from Gil Ozeri and John Gemberling. Representing the music side were Kyle Gilbride and current tour mates Girlpool and Waxahatchee.

On the music side, the ball got rolling with an acoustic appearance from Kyle Gilbride, member of Swearin' and Indie producer of note. Cutting down to the core of his songs raised the emotional stakes, and a moving take on "Curdled" raised a high bar for the evening to come. When misfortune struck and he went blank on the lyrics for "Empty Head", it couldn't have happened in a better place, as Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield was perfectly placed for prompts. He pulled it off, and if anything, it underlined the familial nature of the evening.

New Philadelphia residents Girlpool returned to their home base, previewing songs from their forthcoming LP, Before The World Was Big, and their guitar and bass sound, heavy on the harmonies, is just right for the setting. The title track and "Chinatown" stood out, as well as an eagerly received version of "Plants and Worms" from last year's self-titled EP. Sadly, after this LP comes out, moments like this will become all to rare, and are to be cherished. Girlpool aficionado Willow Smith made the scene, adding an extra panache to the proceedings.

Setting the stage for a sold out appearance at the Roxy, Katie Crutchfield dialed up Waxahatchee magic in solo form, working through an acoustic set before a locked in audience, and the major focus point became reminding oneself to breathe. Not content with her barely a month old Ivy Tripp, Crutchfield premiered a brand new song, along with acoustic renditions of Ivy tracks, "La Loose" and "Summer Of Love", as well as American Weekend standards "Bathtub", "Grass Stain", and finishing with her staple "Noccalula".

 WAXAHATCHEE

 

 

 

GIRLPOOL

 

 

 

 KATE BERLANT

 

 KYLE GILBRIDE

 

 

Vivian Girls: The Last Waltz

VIVIAN GIRLS

w/AQUADOLLS/COLLEEN GREEN

CHURCH ON YORK

LOS ANGELES, CA

14 FEBRUARY, 2014

It was a bittersweet Valentine's Day as we gathered at the Church On York in LA to bid farewell to the Vivian Girls. As its members cycled into new projects, the band's fate became apparent, and they decided to make it official and give their fans some closure with a series of goodbye shows in NYC and LA, featuring Mark II of the band, lineup-wise, with OG members Cassie Ramone and Katy Goodman joined by drummer Ali Koehler, who replaced original drummer Frankie Rose. Since 2007, the band released three LP's, each with an increasing professionalism without sacrificing any heart. It's a natural life-cycle for a band, but that doesn't make the parting any easier.
Joining in for the evening's festivities were the Aquadolls and Colleen Green, whom we first caught up with in 2012 as part of the Jeff The Brotherhood/Diarrhea Planet traveling cavalcade of fun, and we'll meet again shortly in the company of Portland's Thermals. Last year saw the release of Sock It To Me on Sub-Pop subsidiary Hardly Art.
The Vivian Girls L.A. farewell was all one would hope for, high intensity from the get go, and lump in the throat at several points. It didn't take long for the cable-strewn altar steps to turn into a frothing pit, and as stage divers took flight, the speakers perched perilously on tripods quivered, but stood strong. Through their monitors the sound was good, but as one traversed the hall the high ceilings played havoc, and it was rough going hearing at the back of the house. At the end of the day though, it was the spirit of the show, and a band honoring its roots that couldn't be dimmed.

VIVIAN GIRLS

first stage diver prepares for flight...

 

AQUADOLLS

COLLEEN GREEN

Just to bring things full circle, here's a blast from the past, some memories from Vivian Girls appearance at Coachella in 2009:

Upset Goes Back To School

UPSET

ECHOPLEX, LA

21 NOVEMBER, 2013

Thursday night saw the return of Upset to the Echoplex, not a month after their last appearance here, but with a difference: more shows under their belt, and in good company, touring with label mates/label anchor Screaming Females. It was a more assured Upset that hit the stage, spinning through the same set in different order, (from their debut LP She's Gone), plus their Guided By Voices cover. The crucial difference was the mood, at once looser and more ferocious. "Oxfords and Wingtips", (below), remains their signature song, and "Never Wanna" and "You And I" retained their double-timed thrash. Jenn Prince took the spotlight for her "Game Over", and Ali shed her guitar for the aforementioned GBV cover, "Chasing Heather Crazy", putting full focus on the vocal. As always, the powerhouse rhythm section of Rachel Haden and Patty Schemel carried the day, with Haden's melodic touch shining on "She's Gone", and Schemel, frankly, turbocharged every song. While the tag of 'supergroup' gets tossed their way because of the players' diverse backgrounds, the tricky part is growing up the band in public, and the key to their success at this point would appear to be their chemistry. Hopefully it won't be too far down the road when we check in again with Upset...the status report for now is full steam ahead.

Upset Runs For The Roses...

UPSET

ECHOPLEX, LA

24 OCTOBER, 2013

With only a handful of shows under their belt, Upset set the table for their debut album She's Gone, released next week on Don Giovanni, with a blistering set that answered all questions. Leader Ali Koehler was a winning combination of humble and asskicking, making jokes about her guitar volume and the newness of the group, but don't be fooled: the veteran drummer from Vivian Girls and Best Coast might be standing up front for a change, but she knows the drill. Leading off with album opener "Back To School", they settled in quickly, taking "Never Wanna" at a breakneck pace that trumped the recorded version, and revealed the band's secret weapon, ex-Hole drummer Patty Schemel, who kicked the band forward at every turn, and whose fortitude undoubtedly allowed Koehler the peace of mind to proceed up front.
Shifting gears down to first single "Oxfords and Wingtips", where their harmonies won the day, and it wasn't long before audience members pushed forward to present the band with their first onstage flowers. The remainder of their nine song set maintained the energy. Jenn Prince, (La Sera), was lively on guitar, lending a sublime solo to the title track, and Rachel Haden played supersub on bass for this date. She was loose and right in the groove with Schemel the whole set, and one hopes that her schedule will allow this arrangement to be permanent. The seeds are there, and it's scary to think how overwhelming this band will be a few dozen dates down the road.

 Related news: In addition to their debut LP, Upset also appears on a cool split single of Guided By Voices covers, out now on Salinas Records, along with Screaming Females, Swearin', and Waxahatchee.