CANNONEERS OF THE NEW COMMAND, LEMON SUN, TIMOTHY MORALES, AND DUNIVEN ON MONDAY JAN. 3RD AT THE ECHO, 1822 WEST SUNSET BOULEVARD, LOS ANGELES. 8:30PM/ FREE/ 21+.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okcan_Osc3I

Last night on TV during a marathon of Run’s House, a familiar face appeared on a Power Gig commercial. Further investigation has revealed that it’s Rob Kolar of He’s My Brother She’s My Sister and Lemon Sun. For anyone wishing they could see him without pants on, here’s your chance.

—Georgia Dorge

As the general public leaves the Night Dive crowd emerges. Grab a drink at our coffee cart or, if you prefer, guests 21 and over can enjoy a cocktail. The entire Aquarium will be available for exploring*, so check out the Aquarium’s nightlife and see how 11,000 animals spend their evenings.
Enjoy the sounds of an eclectic mix of music as DJs will be spinning throughout different areas of the Aquarium, as well as live performances by favorite local musicians. In addition, the Aquarium of the Pacific has partnered with Arts Council for Long Beach to invite local artists to display and sell their pieces.

Performances by:
Lemon Sun
Jail Weddings

Guest DJs: Chris Ziegler (L.A. Record), 
Jesse Gomez
, Secret Affair DJs, 
Lithuanian Prince

When: Friday, Jun 25, 2010
7:00 pm–10:00 pm

Cost: $11.95. Aquarium members get in FREE.

Tickets: You can purchase tickets online for this event. Ages: 18+. Alcohol will only be available for purchase to those 21 and over who have valid ID. RSVP: (562) 590-3100, ext. 0

Last night Imaad Wasif got a ton of gear stolen from his van at the Holiday Inn Downtown San Antonio, including a Pea-Soup-green 1978 Fender P-Bass with Antigua finish and black pick guard and bridge. And just last week, Rob Kolar got his black Gretsch streamliner, a historic reissue with cat eye F holes (and a tweed strap) stolen at a Lemon Sun show in Fullerton at The Continental Room. His experience resulted in a dirty gang rumble and a shameless kick in the face [a whole gang vs Rob]! The thief in both cases remains at large, but who is to say it is not the same person. A sucker for fuzzy psych, so enraptured by classic rock revival music, he must target its purveyors until they are instrumentless and the world explodes in silence and solitude.

You can bring any leads to Lemon Sun at The Roxy on Thursday, where the band will open for Crash Kings. Imaad Wasif plays the Fonda in July so there’s a little more time to nab his culprit.

Thursday night the Echo hosted Lemon Sun’s album and video release party, with Red Arrow Messenger and Leopold and His Fiction joining as openers. The Echo was almost empty when Red Arrow Messenger started playing. Their blues-tinged folk-pop and tight harmonies were lost on the Echo, as few people were there to hear it. The handful of  people who were there refused to come anywhere near the stage, with the exception of one guy who danced alone right in front of lead singer Jesse Nolan, screaming the words to every song, much to Nolan’s amusement.

Leopold and His Fiction followed, and with frontman Daniel James’ arrival on stage came tons of girls shrieking and vying for his attention. This San Francisco-based blues-rock trio played a strong, high-energy set that inspired the crowd to dance. James’ moody vocals brought to mind Jack White of the White Stripes backed by twangy ’60s era rock guitar. I was baffled by how bassist Micayla Grace could play a rock show in high heels. I guess she’s just that good.

Red Arrow Messenger and Leopold and His Fiction were fun and all, but the show was all about Lemon Sun, no question about it. Lemon Sun’s effortless charm instantly hooked the crowd. The members of Lemon Sun are confident, seasoned performers who know how to bring an audience together. Lead singer Rob Kolar’s voice was strong, reminiscent of Britt Daniel of Spoon. Lauren Brown of He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister came on stage to tap dance, but unfortunately her tap dancing was entirely drowned out by the music. Highlights from the set include “Touch the Lightning,” a cover of “Melt With You,” and the closer, “Three Words.”

After their show, Lemon Sun premiered their new stop-motion video for “Touch the Lightning,” directed by Emily Wilder and featuring lead singer Rob Kolar and a very persistent suitcase full of lightning. The song itself is incredibly catchy. “Touch the Lightning” is inspired by Graham Hancock’s Supernatural, a book about the evolution of human consciousness and connecting with the spiritual world through various means of mind expansion. Wilder’s interpretation involved an ungodly amount of still photographs painstakingly pieced together into a three-minute long video.

—Lainna Fader (words + Lemon Sun photos)

Lemon Sun’s new music video for “Touch The Lightning” pits singer Rob Kolar against a mysterious suitcase. Director Emily Wilder stitched together a bajillion photos for this stop-motion creation. As a song and video, “Touch The Lightning” takes the subtle approach to trippy.

Astra Heights hit the stage on time and amongst cheers as Mark  (lead vocals) announced, “It’s been a while, we’re really glad to be back.” “How Little We Know” started off their set proving the strength that all of their voices possess individually and as a whole, delivering a powerful and deliberate performance.  Their set-up was captivating, including two female back-up singers, a stand-up bass, and Timothy juggling keyboards, guitar and piano.  Things got a little mellow during “When the Ground Gives Way,” as  Astra Heights’ powerful harmonies and the distant echo effect on Mark’s voice created a soothing and calming atmosphere for the concentrated crowd.  Mark’s flirtatious mic moves created the proper visual during their fourth song, “The Push.”  By this point, the guys loosened up a bit and were more active on stage.  In general, their set felt laid-back and more like a sound check, but this surely did not mean that you could not see the sweat from drummer, Lyle, or that the power behind the guys’ harmonies wasn’t at one hundred percent.  The crowd’s response was consistently positive and excited, featuring shouts like “Timothy I love you!”  Their sixth song, “Ticking,” had the band showing off some of their signature dance moves—James and Timothy playing back to back to Lyle, Mark singing with his hands, James moonwalking and lots of hip shaking amongst all of them.  Astra Heights incorporates many elements of an old rock band—long and complex instrumentals that are very focused and strong, combined with great vocals and distinguished beats.  Mark prefaced “Let’s Go Boys” saying, “This is for everybody who moves out to L.A. and thinks they’re going to make it big…suckers!”  This energetic song finished off their big set with powerful snare rolls, bass riffs, and psychedelic keys.  Their individual personalities were prevalent as James continued his bobbing dance, Bernard remained intensely focused on his guitar, and Timothy embellished his signature slick dance moves.  There were a lot of joyful smiles and movement intensifying the juxtaposed complex and focused instrumental riffs and vocals.  Naturally, the crowd wanted an encore with comments like, “That last song was so good, they were good!” and “They’re excellent!”

Lemon Sun brought instant energy that electrified the since-dispersed crowd.  It was only a matter of seconds before the crowd caught onto Lemon Sun and got roped in.  Their set featured psychedelic wall visuals that complimented their melodies and styles as well as the overall vibe of the room.  Timothy—yes he plays keys for both Astra Heights and Lemon Sun!—took a moment to thank the crowd, “It took [Astra Heights] a year to make [Ship of Theseus] and this is the most beautiful sight we could ask for so everybody dance your fuckin’ asses off and thanks for coming!”  Lemon Sun’s second song, “The Answer,” had quite a captivating instrumental breakdown that continued to pull the crowd further into Lemon Sun’s energy.  All of the guys were extremely energetic; Rob playing in Timothy and Patrick’s faces and rolling around on the stage floor while Timothy shimmied, Felipe pounded, and the great alternative entertainment of Patrick’s singing expressions.  They were all smiles the entire set!  During “Telephone,” Rob lost his hat amongst his exuberant dancing on and off his knees, letting his long curly hair droop over his face as he sang.  Everyone in the crowd seemed to be dancing to the songs almost unconsciously.  The set was going so well that Scott bowed half way through to which Rob responded, “Scotty bowed and we’re not even done yet!”  “Same Old Ground” featured the skilled tap dancing of Lauren Brown while Timothy and Patrick shared a mic for harmonies.  The band was very talkative resulting in instant crowd interaction, like a pick request half-way through the set.  Felipe proved his endless multitasking skills by breaking out his shakers while continuing to play drums as did Timothy who managed to clap with his Newcastle in hand and keep up with harmonies.  They all looked very happy performing which incidentally played into the passion emanating from both on and off stage.  “Wanna Have You” had the band emitting fervent energy—Timothy jumped into the crowd while playing his tambourine, Rob paced and wobbled about the stage pulling his best rock-and-roll moves, knocking over the mic stand yelling “Everybody let’s party!” and Felipe on his feet clapping and hammering his drums.  The song continued to blend in and out of Lemon Sun’s cover of “Melt With You” so well that it sounded like a real recorded remix of the two songs.  Again, Scott bowed at the end of the song, removing his bass in satisfaction.  Without needing to catch his breath, Rob shouted to the crowd, “If you like Supergrass, please make your way to the stage, but you better know the fucking words!  Anyone with sideburns, long hair, looks greasy—that’s great!”  About seven people joined Lemon Sun on stage for the show finale—although they seemed to be quite shy, especially in comparison to the wild moves of the band.  Rob and Tim shared a mic as they danced together and Patrick moved back and forth between his mic and Felipe.  Lemon Sun executes such an energetic show, you don’t even have to know their music to be completely sucked in and enjoy their performance.

—Britt Witt