First show of the new year kicked things off in a grand way, taking it down to LA to check out the Lodge Room. For a small space, it had an inviting openness and Glasgow's Spook School wasted no time in pushing the sonic limits, kicking off with a full throttle "Still Alive" from their latest LP.
Great Grandpa (Seattle) came up next, dialing up the material from their debut EP and last year's full length to staggering dimensions. The one shot represented here reflects on camera difficulties, not the band, and the beauty of the night, presented by Sid The Cat, is that all of these bands are worth catching on their own.
Diet Cig, (New Paltz, NY), expanded beyond core duo Alex and Noah to include a keyboardist and Spook School's bassist, reinforcing the family feeling of the tour. From my vantage point up front, despite the colossal energy release, the show met Alex's professed desire for a safe space, and hopefully benchmarks a standard for all gigs, from DIY on up the food chain.
It took a bill the like of Elvis Depressedly, Mitski, and Eskimeaux to get me to make a mid-work week sojourn to the Echo, in Echo Park, LA, and it was a trip well worth making, as the trio of bands winds their way down the west coast before heading to the desert. Making the return trip up the coast in time for work meant selling out the headliner, so much apologies to Elvis Depressedly, and we'll look forward to their return. Kitty was added on as opener, and she did her damnedest to get the party started, making the best of a borrowed computer and a more rock oriented crowd. Kitty faced them down with her laptop anthems, faring better on the uptempo numbers ("Marijuana"). Downtempo "Florida" seemed overlooked by the talkers in the audience, but was the standout of the set.
With the just-released It's Okunder her belt, Eskimeaux (Gabrielle Smith) took the form of a band, including Told Slant as drummer, and they proceeded to shred the well-produced LP versions of the tracks, investing them with an unexpected vigor. Kicking off with "Alone At The Party" and "Folly", Eskimeaux exerted full control on "The Thunder Answered Back", and it's always impressive to see a supporting act pull off a singalong, "Broken Necks", but by then the spell was cast. Finishing up with "I Admit I'm Scared", Eskimeaux raised a considerable bar for the evening.
If there was a person up to the challenge, it would be Mitski Miyawaki, whose late 2014 release Bury Me At Makeout Creek has been a staple all through this year. The album marked a shift from the orchestrated grandeur of her first two LP's to a more guitar-based approach, while not sacrificing her singular songwriting. In the current lineup, Mitski plays bass and anchors, in every sense, a powerful trio. Kicking off with "Townie" and "First Love, Late Spring", it was alternatively funny and harrowing, with "Francis Forever" and "I Don't Smoke" also standing out as highlights. The towering "Drunk Walk Home" ruled all, and her closing cathartic screams seemed to mark a natural end to the set. Who the hell could top that. But Mitski carried on, breaking out "Class of 2013" from her previous LP, Retired From Sad, New Career In Business, and finished up new LP closer "Last Words of a Shooting Star", a mic drop in song form if ever there was. It was one of those nights that sold out for a reason.
