Home On The Range: Pony Farm live

PONY FARM

HYACINTH GIRL

MINI BEAR

TALEEN

LOT 1 CAFE, ECHO PARK, LA

18 JULY, 2015

A rare and ferocious summer rainstorm swept Brooklyn's Pony Farm into LA, greeting them with burning palm trees, graced by lightning. By nightfall, Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park saw but light sprinkles, and humid clouds sat overhead. By annexing another storefront, Lot 1 Cafe is perfectly suited for bands, and Taleen Kali (Tulips) organized the evening, spotlighting Pony Farm, captured in the midst of their Summer Adventure tour, with support from locals Hyacinth Girl and Bloody Death Skull. When the latter couldn't make it, Taleen made the calls and Mini Bear jumped in to lend a hand. While most of the bands were missing members or just plain suffering from sleep deprivation (Pony Farm), everyone was engaged, and the spirit shone through.

Last fall we met the band Tulips, opening for Chastity Belt in Lancaster, CA, and figured we'd cross paths again, sooner or later. In this case, it was in the form of a Taleen Kali solo set, as she kicked the night off with her own songs, jams from Tulips, and a cover ("Panda"). High points of the set were "Hollow Heart" and the closing ode to a departed friend, "Miles Away". Jumping in on no notice, Mini Bear performed as a duo, belying the "We're minimal tonight"declaration with a rich tapestry of darkwave sounds. "Techno Poly", from a forthcoming EP,  and "Nite Moves", (from 2013's Futurism), stood out. Hyacinth Girl put up a strong front, despite missing their lynchpin drummer. With two guitars, bass, sassy harmonies, and a clutch of often hilarious songs, they rode through the drummer void and came out on top, peaking with the ode to Governor Jerry Brown, "Do The Drought".

Having only heard the Rough Ponies demos, we took the leap of faith and were repaid a thousandfold, as Pony Farm essayed a captivating set. The trio, (Ariel, Kelly, and Lauren), were riding high with their new LP Charred Hate and Glitter catching up to them mid-tour, and they went on to showcase even newer songs, with "i don't like boys" and a california-themed song giving us something more to look forward to. With a cacaphonic intro giving way to "Swimming", it was off to the races. Every member brought something to the table, but there was a band chemistry beyond that that stood out the most. When they hit the bridge of "...boys", it was a moment of magic. The album is well produced, with the focus on highlighting the harmonies, but live, it's the muscular playing that takes over. Going forward, the band hits the I-10 trail through the Southwest and South, before heading back home. Thanks due to Taleen for her tireless organizing, and Lot 1 Cafe for hosting this special evening.

PONY FARM

HYACINTH GIRL

MINI BEAR

TALEEN KALI

Chastity Belt: Greetings From I-5

CHASTITY BELT

TÜLIPS

CEDAR CENTER FOR THE ARTS, LANCASTER, CA

18 OCTOBER, 2014

Chastity Belt (Seattle)

Tulips (Los Angeles)

This weekend brought an embarrassment of musical riches to California, leaving one to regretfully pick from SF's Treasure Island Music Festival, the Moon Block Party in Pomona, my town's own New Noise Music Conference, or Filter's Culture Collide party in LA. So how did I find myself tracking the back roads across the state and up highway 14 en route to the high desert? Seattle's Chastity Belt holds the answer to that question. In the midst of a west coast swing, they hit up Lancaster, CA to do an all ages show with Tülips, from Los Angeles. Spearheaded by Acerogami in Pomona, the foray into bringing curated shows to Lancaster drew a modest crowd in numbers, but they more than made up for it with enthusiasm, and stellar dance moves, to burn. The venue was the Memorial Hall at the newly renovated Cedar Center For The Arts, and it was breathtaking. While makeshift venues have their own special charm, every now and again it's nice to go upscale, and the bright sounding room would hold both bands in good stead. Tülips was a fine discovery, an LA quartet that holds down the garage punk end of the spectrum with verve, alternating between two songwriters, Taleen Kali and Angie Bloom. "Spring" was a highlight, appearing late in their set. Their sole release to date is a cassette single: "Hotspur/Wait" on Love You Just Records.
Formed in Walla Walla, and relocated across the state to Seattle, Chastity Belt have spun out a pair of EP's, Fuck Chastity Belt and Dude, and one full-length: No Regerts, on Help Yourself Records, with the album making the cut for our Top 25 last year, Their second LP is in the can and being readied for next spring. The set found Chastity Belt in an interesting place, with what would have been easy crowd pleasers such as "James Dean" or "Pussy, Weed, Beer" cast aside for more emotive tracks. Leading off with "Seattle Party", they didn't wait long to take a left turn, dropping in a new song before moving on to "Black Sail". With the tone established, they kept to it, turning in a set more melodic than raucous, including a moving version of "Full". The real eye-opener was the band interplay, with the quartet showing an impressive growth over the last few years. Guitarist and lead vocalist Julia Shapiro was an entrancing focal point, but attention to the rest of the band: guitarist Lydia Lund, and the rhythm section of Annie Truscott and Gretchen Grimm rewarded attention time and again, particularly Truscott's bass lines, which brought out the underlying melancholy. Shapiro's side project Childbirth remains a worthy repository for the more vehement songs in her output, and we had the pleasure of crossing paths with Childbirth not too long ago. Based on the evidence of this evening, the next Chastity Belt record should be one well worth keeping an eye on.

CHASTITY BELT

Julia Shapiro

Gretchen Grimm

Lydia Lund

Annie Truscott

TÜLIPS

miscellaneous

Becky (Acerogami) and the evening's DJ plot world domination...