(from An Invitation out now on Everloving)

I admit that I arrived to the event a little late due to delays that do not deserve to be mentioned here. But by the way people were buzzing around I knew instantly that there was something in the air at Spaceland. Sure, bands like Electrocute, Willoughby, Lady Tigra, Hard Place, the Polyamorous Affair and the Bird and the Bee would create a lineup that had the ability to draw out a super-bubbly crowd. But there was something different than just any other night at the small Silverlake club on a Tuesday. People were excited, and they were excited for Obama. It was incredibly reassuring to be in a place where I knew everyone around me understood how I felt about the current state of politics and were enthusiastic about making a change—and listening to good music. The height of the night was unarguably when Inara George took the stage with the Bird and The Bee. The place was packed and everyone was dancing their Obama-loving asses off. After their performance, a raffle took place and the crowd thinned out and I made my way to the tables set up in the back of the room. There were representatives from Rock the Vote with voter registration applications, people with information on how to get involved with the Obama Campaign and even some people from Planned Parenthood educating people on the facts of Prop 4 and McCain’s negative voting record regarding women’s issues and rights. Though I couldn’t help but feeling like I was doing good just by being there, I took advantage of the opportunity and signed up to volunteer. All in all, the night was entertaining and educational. The crowd had a great time and enjoying great music and helping to Obama boost morale in the Silverlake scene.

—Taylor Loftin

M83 @ The Echoplex
Hard Place @ Echo Curio
Superdrag @ The Troubadour
Abe Vigoda / PWRFL Power / AU @ The Smell
Mates of State @ The Henry Fonda

Hard Place
Get Your Hopes Up CD
World Famous in SF

Hard Place are consistently compared with Devo (the wackiness), Sparks (the punk-style humor) and Queen (the sexy awesome total rock ‘n’ roll vocalists). But musically Hard Place is closer to the likes of Glass Candy, Peaches—if Peaches went arena rock—and even touches of Swedish art rock act the Knife. (With a sharper edge, if you will.) The title track of this first EP starts like the smoke-filled stage entrance of a gorgeous dual-gendered hair metal band with Huizenga’s lustrous voice complimenting Cristy’s rather precise guitar shredding. The rest of the album is electronic rock with great lyrics (“A pearl necklace is better than a diamond ring!”) all delivered with humor, genuine talent and skill. This is the kind of album you put on full blast in the car on your way to the dance club when you’re ready for an auto danse party. “The Photographer” is a bit of a Kraftwerk throwback with full-tilt Top 40 catchiness and “Better in Leather” is like an updated “Sex Dwarf.” Hard Place’s first album might not yet be as epically enduring as their influences, but right now they sure as hell are a fun band to listen to and watch.

— Chesney Higgins