Waxahatchee Takes LA, pt II

WAXAHATCHEE

GIRLPOOL

UPSET

THE ROXY, LA

28 APRIL, 2015

A rare incursion to the west side of LA found us checking out the refurbished Roxy on, as they say, the fabulous Sunset Strip for the Waxahatchee tour, with support from Girlpool and Upset. Well into day two of major sleep deprivation, all it took was a quick pre-show visit to Mel's Diner to put things right. Just weeks ago we saw Upset in a beach side rec room, and the graduation to the same stage Bruce Springsteen laid waste to 40 years ago was a thing to behold. And hold their own they did, careening through their set to an already stuffed house.

Having seen Girlpool primarily at house parties or all ages spaces, the question was how the transition to a full bar show would go, especially given the intimate nature of their music. Having done tours opening up for Jenny Lewis, and now Waxahatchee, it turns out there was not a worry to be had, as they dialed up the sass, and kept their focus throughout the Talky McTalksters, and emerged unscathed from the "typical LA audience". Bonus points for spilling the beans on being part of the as-yet officially announced FYF lineup for 2015.

As for Waxahatchee, the big news for this tour was the super sizing of the lineup to a quintet, and the onboarding of Allison Crutchfield (Swearin') to round out the lineup. On the heels of 2013's Waxahatchee/Swearin' tour, one held out hope, and for those who never got to see the sisters together onstage in their PS Eliot days, it was a dream come true. Obviously there was no hitch in the getalong stylistically, and the skeleton of the set was built around the brand new Ivy Tripp, beginning with the double-shot of "Breathless"/"Under A Rock" and ending with "Bonfire". "<" and Cerulean Salt's "Lips and Limbs" got hypercharged readings as well. Katie returned to the stage after the main set for a brief multi-song acoustic encore, touching on material new and old, holding the now-tamed audience rapt.

WAXAHATCHEE

GIRLPOOL

UPSET

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

 

 

When A House Is A Home...

RADIATOR HOSPITAL

UPSET

BENNY THE JET RODRIGUEZ

GIRLPOOL

ROGIE'S HOUSE, BOYLE HEIGHTS, EAST LA

20 SEPTEMBER, 2014

your host, calling a point of order...

Memorable house parties seems to be a recurring theme this year, and last weekend's was a corker. Rogie opened up his house in Boyle Heights on a steamy Saturday night, and Eloy Lugo upped the ante on his previous All Dogs/Upset booking to welcome Philadelphia's Radiator Hospital, as well as locals Upset, Benny The Jet Rodriguez, and Girlpool. The 'bandstand' stood at the foot of the driveway, penned in by guest houses and a fence, and one was hard pressed to make a people count, but jam-packed will suffice. Shooting from next to, and at times underneath a teetering speaker pole, lit only by the security light on the back of the house, it was worth every second of drama, and hopefully the energy of the evening comes through. Cultural/generational note: the boys at the check-in table seemed taken aback, then thrilled when i dropped a case of beer with a weighty ch-chunk on the table. Have the unwritten rules of house shows have gone the same way as paying for music? Interesting... A long ways away from the College Rock days, but once the bands kicked in, it was as ever... Settling into the scene, i caught up with my usual suspects, then staked out a spot.

"A stacked bill" was an observation that stood up, as the night started with Girlpool. With the recent double-barreled blast of signing to Wichita Records and getting their song "Jane" pimped by Pitchfork, Girlpool is stepping into the deep end. As evidenced, their live show is the converter, and the passion is infectious. They covered most of their self-released EP, (reappearing in November through Wichita), including "Blah Blah Blah", (below), "Jane", and "Slutmouth". Their spiky, confrontational songs are matched only by their ability to put them over. Next up for Girlpool is a strong dose of the road, along with a pending UK/Euro tour. The Long Beach punk trio known as Benny The Jet Rodriguez hit the afterburners and came out flying, repping last year's LP Home.Run hard out of the gates. Spearheaded by Lauren Freeman on guitar, (she also pulled double duty as the new recruit in Upset), "Alley Cat" was the number that got the bodies flying. As noted at their last appearance, LA's Upset is in a period of transition, and based on this rough and ready set, things are starting to come to fruition. The chemistry with relatively new Rachel (Slutever) and very new Lauren (Benny The Jet Rodriguez) is gelling, and the band previewed new material that plays to their strengths. Even after a kazillion listens, "Oxfords and Wingtips" retains its otherworldly power, and served as the anchor of the set.

The scary part is, that only a few albums in, it seems like a Radiator Hospital set is jammed with 'hits', and one rues what isn't played, unlike most bands at that point who play everything and some hastily organized covers. Band is the operative word here, as Radiator Hospital is Sam Cook-Parrott, and on record, an ever-evolving cast of cohorts. On this tour he's brought that cast to life, in the form of a crack band, and they added a savage edge to Torch Songs live, crashing through the tunes with a raucous joy, pausing only to verify the safety of the audience on a comfortingly consistent basis. Kicking off with "Cut Your Bangs", there was no looking back, just a full throttle blitz that included a rousing take on "Our Song" from last year's Something Wild that threatened to push things over the edge. "Fireworks" brought brought it down with a bittersweet romp, and provided an unexpected high point for the evening, as the bodies stopped churning long enough to make an emotional connection. And that was the beauty of the night, to take these songs that are heard almost as a private vice, and give them a new life.

GIRLPOOL:

BENNY THE JET RODRIGUEZ:

UPSET:

RADIATOR HOSPITAL:

misc.

meeting of the minds: Sam (Radiator Hospital) and Eloy