Killer whales and stenciled birds (Portlandia would be proud) moved with Oliver Newell’s painted upright bass, as he kicked a sparkling bass drum behind him that matched his rainbow converse shoes. The locomotive percussion was reinforced by tap-dancing drummer Lauren Brown, who played the drums with all her limbs like a rock n’ roll Fred Astaire atop a bass drum on its side. Cellist (and Scott Pilgrim VS The World cast member) Satya Bhabha also joined the band on a few songs, weaving his silky strings into the swaying sound.

As the moon rose along with the bar tabs, the audience became more and more a part of the band, as they clapped, sang, shouted and counted off with Rachel and Robert—one girl even held up a lighter. As Aaron Robinson sipped on a straw through his giraffe mask, he commented on the liquid sociability: “It’s almost cocktail hour!” After the encore of Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On,” the band packed up their gear in bags and vintage suitcases and lingered to converse with friends and fans.

—Shannon Cosgrove

LA’s own He’s My Brother She’s My Sister started the night off right at The Troubadour with their infectious energy from real-life brother/sister Rachel and Robert Kolar. Lauren Brown is mesmerizing handling tap dancing and percussion at the same time. Headliner The Blow (Khaela Maricich) not only gave us music, but comedy, dance, quick wit and had one girl almost charge the stage. Photos from July 15, 2011 by Debi Del Grande.

He’s My Brother She’s My Sister:

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The Blow:

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Like this, with the Blank Tapes.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGbHsoG-2mU

Or like Jib Jab. Remember this from He’s My Bro She’s My Sis at Xmas?

Give yourself a good reason to escape town this weekend by winning tickets to The New L.A. Folk Fest Desert Weekend. See He’s My Brother She’s My Sister, Amanda Jo Williams, Tommy Santee Klaws, and Turn On The Sunlight this Saturday night at Pappy & Harriet’s, and on Sunday morning wake up for Mia Doi Todd, The Driftwood Singers, and Emily Lacy at Joshua Tree Saloon. In between fill your time with a bunch of enlightening experiences the Fest has laid out.

To win tickets, email LAFolkFest with your most memorable escape from L.A. story. So if you’ve ever driven to Idyllwyid in the middle of the night, drank tea with a desert rat on route 10, or met aliens on your way to Vegas, this is your time to shine. Pretty sunsets make a good story, too.

He’s My Brother She’s My Sister “Tales That I Tell”
(from their self-released, self-titled EP out now)

On their self-titled seven-track EP, He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister forego a singular vision and instead deliver an album of duality. Brother and sister Robert and Rachel Kolar represent two distinct faces of the band. On the first track, “Tales That I Tell,” Rachel sings like a woman scorned, her confident if not slightly intimidating drawl backed by hoof-clopping percussion and muscular acoustic guitar. It’s a track that’s fairly straightforward and after a full listen, isn’t really indicative of the EP as a whole. The other face is Robert, most fully realized on the song “Coattails.” Like a Johnny Cash-infused version of the Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town,” the song walks a line between rock ‘n’ roll and down-home folk. The vocals echo brazenly and really drive the track forward, frenzied and shouted. And while these two tracks stand as distinct visions, everything else is the intertwined mix of the two, most excellently represented on the cover of “Moonage Daydream.” The languidly strummed dirge rolls along, picking up drums and duetted vocals and, finally, a Mexican horn section which would have no trouble feeling at home in the credits of a Sergio Leone film. He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister is a two-headed snake of a folk band, and both sides are loaded with venom.

—Steven Martinez