The rain let up the other night. Was it a receding storm? A parting of the Heavens? Or was it because we were at Spaceland where Lemon Sun opened up for the Hotrats while people such as Har Mar Superstar, Thom Yorke and some of his Radiohead band mates, and Britt Daniel from Spoon watched along with a packed venue of fans? I like to believe the latter.

Lemon Sun—featuring several members from He’s my Brother She’s my Sister—were a fine fit for the English imports that night. Not only did their blend of garage rock compliment the headliners, but with their cover of Supergrass’ “Pumping on Your Stereo,” the band truly found a niche in the hearts of the dancing audience.

Now, what do you call something that isn’t necessarily a super group nor a spin-off? Oh yes, The Hot Rats. Featuring guitarist/singer Gaz Coombes and drummer Danny Goffey of the British band Supergrass, the power duo play entirely “cover” songs. Here, the word cover receives quotes around it because during their encore, the band played the Supergrass song “Caught By The Fuzz,” and is it really a cover if they play in the original band?

While the stage was decorated with mannequins and Christmas lights, the boys in the band dressed themselves in sailor outfits. Making use of an array of pedals and confusing the audience in the back who were unfamiliar with the group’s setup, the two filled the venue with the sound of a full band as they launched into the Velvet Underground’s “I Can’t Stand It.”

Their new album, produced by Nigel Goodrich of Beck and Radiohead fame, features The Hot Rats playing covers of classic vintage rock and roll. And for this reason, many of us weren’t too surprised to find the aforementioned celebrities mingling amongst the crowd. Some of the show’s highlights were The Cure’s “Lovecats,” Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up”, Sex Pistols’ “EMI”, Bowie’s “Queen Bitch”, The Beat’s “Mirror In The Bathroom”, and The Beatles “Drive My Car.” The last two songs mentioned were not featured on their record, and they were especially pleasing to fans. My personal favorite had to have been The Beastie Boys’ “Fight for Your Right” which received a revamp from its original raw groove to a chord progressing anthem.

—Steven Carrer

The people came out in droves, brimming out of the venue to catch a glimpse at one of Mika Miko’s three sold out shows at the Smell before the band called it quits. In a full out family affair, the lineup consisted of Paris Hilton Motherfuckers, Le Joshua, Pearl Harbor djing in the main room and the guerilla band HNMR, who hijacked the alley and set up outside the Smell—all showed their love for L.A. favorites Mika Miko.

Now, if you take one part party, one part spectacle, one sound person to work the iPod, the singer from Okie Dokie and the electric Haley, you would get the inimitable Paris Hilton Motherfuckers. The duo rhymed along to hip-hop beats while working their way from the stage to the crowd and asking us “Who wants to get Shasta-ed” while passing a three liter bottle of the stuff around to each willing to partake. Nothing says party like Shasta Cola! And taking an ironic twist on upper class society by parodying it in their lyrics, the twosome sang songs about “Newport Beach: the new outer space.”

Suddenly, the lights were dimmed and a huge curtain was draped over the back section of the stage which read “GOD SAVE LE JOSHUA” in bleeding white letters. Because the openers didn’t have any equipment, the few minutes between the bands were devoted to a long ambient backing drone that Le Joshua entwined in their set before launching into their take on thrashy hardcore. And days after the show, I still find myself on the rails about this band. While finding it near impossible to find much on the group, their following rivaled that of the headliners as seen and heard with the hand clapping frenzy and sing-alongs that went on. Perhaps if you took
that same Shasta bottle from earlier, shook it up and opened it, the stream of carbonation that would flow out would be Le Joshua.

Paris Hilton Motherfuckers by Travis Moore

And last, but certainly not least, were Mika Miko, who understandably milked their last shows by waiting more than an hour after the last band to begin playing; and once they did start, played for an hour plus. During their set, the band went through their line-up changes over the years by letting alums Katelyn Hall and Dean Spunt drum for a few songs; also in attendance was the band’s trademark red telephone microphone.

At the zenith of their youth, the members of Mika Miko are unbridaled as they play their blend of Riot Grrrl punk that sounds like a foot in the face feels. But when your record company pays for you to tour Japan and the band can sell out three straight nights at the very integral Smell have you hit the slope of the peak? Why stop at all? With the rise of bands such as Abe Vigoda, No Age, and Mika Miko who all helped the Smell flourish and began a music scene over the years, and now with the demise of Miko Miko as they hang up that red telephone for the last time, it leaves fans wondering what comes next. If our music scene were a game of Jenga and someone took out the bottom blocks, would the tower topple? It’s possible but doubtful. But
one thing is for sure, without the bottom foundation, we would have nothing. On behalf of musicians everywhere who are trying to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, thank you Mika Miko. We Love you. R.I.P.

—the Cigarette Bum (Steven Carrer) with help from Animal

Kicking things off were Smell first-timers Peg Leg Love. Previously a two-piece, the band recently added a bass to their already solid line-up. The new player, Mindy, moved to town from Iowa two months ago, but by the sound of it, she’s always played in this band. I’d call the band “nothing but treble;” with the amp and guitar of frontman Ilir, the treble was up and the bass was down to produce an aggressive, twangy, surf style. Such is complemented by their drummer Travis, whose playing is reminiscent of Animal from the Muppets. After the show, Travis showed me his hands, which had popped calluses and were dripping blood on the snare—to which he commented “That’s how you know it was a good show.”

Next up were The Younger Lovers, which is the solo project of Brontez from Gravy Train on guitar and vocals, who described the sound as “2012.” Although the group is a solo endeavor, Brontez plays with his Oakland roommate Paul on bass and the two have a chemistry that works. In order to play in Los Angeles, The Younger Lovers recruited nineteen year old drummer Paul. Altogether the band lives up to their name with songs such as “Kiss Me on the Bus” that have a bubblegum, punk-ish, almost Ramones-esque sound. A fun comparison would be to listen to the songs “Hey Jody” and “Danny” off of Gravy Train’s latest release—which were written by Brontez and re-recorded with The Younger Lovers. The group also described their style as pop but their songs lacked hooks which prove the essence of the genre. Regardless, the band is very fun to listen to live or on record. The Younger Lovers have a vinyl and CD which feature the Newest Romantic LP and California Soul EP together off of Raw Sugar records.

As usual with Cobalt Cranes, their set was solid. In fact, some songs featured impressive breaks and time changes—proving the band was so tight, it could turn on a dime. Mid-set, in a moment of whimsy, Tim switched his guitar and bassist Kate took off her shoes. I guess she hadn’t seen the vermin in the room earlier. The sound was almost hypnotic as Kate and Tim harmonized their vocals while lead guitarist Mateo played licks that mimicked their vocals in a melodic and, at times, call and response way. The band plowed through their music flawlessly like a snow shovel in a Los Angeles August.

When fellow Smell regulars Bastidas went on, guitarist Henry customarily donned his woolen, tiger, luchador mask and poncho. For those who have never heard the band, they are chaos incarnate. Their set on Saturday night was one of their more experimental ones. They strayed from their hook-oriented songs and caught the bus to a place musicians are constantly trying to catch up to. Henry has a whole arsenal of effect pedals that can make his guitar shriek or squeal, but the great thing is, he doesn’t need them. Bassist Sonya and Henry used a processor to add warbles and waves of reverb over their vocals. Despite heavy bass from the Mexican bar adjacent to the Smell, the band was able to pull off their set—which Sonya described as refreshing because they hadn’t played the Smell since July.

Earlier in the night, many friends of Bastidas had heard that the band was taking a permanent hiatus. This word came from an unmentionable band member. As I helped the drummer Lee carry equipment in, I noticed the stool of his drum throne falling off its axis. Did this metaphor truly mean the end of the group? After talking to Henry, the band squashed the rumors. Yes, they are taking a time-out from shows—but only to focus on their new EP. The EP is set to be released on the band’s own Fantastica! record label. And even though the D.I.Y. group is taking a break from the spotlight, they are set to play the Smell showcase at Southwest by Southwest next year. Check them out November 21st at Silver Factory Studios because it may be the last time you can for a small while.

—Steven Carrer