photography by Ward Robinson I’ve seen The Entrance Band before, and they are really good. A power trio full of the jammy heaviosity of early Blue Cheer, but modern, nimble, sexual. This show was different, though. This show was special. This was a real rock and roll show, a brilliant gut wrenching pagan festival. Bootleg [...]

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Introducing someone to a band you know backwards and forwards is almost like watching someone lose their virginity. Awkward, confused, they make funny noises and shy remarks; their eyes widen as they try following different rhythms; a little sweat breaks on their upper lip; their hips quake. “It makes me feel warm…There’s a lot of them…” My friend’s simple statements suggested she was deeply involved in revelation. “I feel love.” She also commented, “It sounds like Simba being born…”

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photo by dan monick | logo by erik brunetti L.A. RECORD has been lucky enough to watch Low End Theory grow into one of the most exciting and vital music communities in Los Angeles, and some of our favorite interviews (and memories!) come from Low End Theory artists and residents like Flying Lotus, Gaslamp Killer, [...]

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photography by aida daneshvar

Amazing Baby and The Entrance Band performing at The Troubadour on September 23, 2009. Additional photos of The Entrance Band by Ward Robinson.

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Have you ever stood five feet away from a napalm explosion during the height of the Vietnam War? That’s pretty much what standing in the front row at an Entrance show is like. As the band took the purple-lit stage, bassist Paz Lenchantin gave drummer Derek James a high five and they both smiled, as if in on a secret. I figure that’s pretty much what I’d do before every show if I was about to play these songs live.

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Fans of Prayer of Death should understand that The Entrance Band sounds quite different, occasionally flirting so closely with alt-rock sonic textures that the band’s voice becomes a little less distinctive. Blakeslee is making a conscious effort to explore new directions with this band, whether fans of Prayer of Death agree with it or not, and who can blame him? The Entrance Band will definitely give second thoughts to those fans who painted Blakeslee as a morbid death rocker. But there are times when it’s hard not to miss a little of the menace and danger of Prayer of Death, even as you wish the band all the creative freedom in the world. Sometimes it’s a kick to get spooky, and this album is more groovy than gruesome.

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Farmer Dave Scher is almost the Chris Darrow of his day, thanks to collaborations with Elvis Costello, Jenny Lewis, Nobody and the Mystic Chords of Memory, dios, Miranda Lee Richards and more. He is currently basking in the happy after-effects of his new solo album Flash Forward To The Good Times. This interview by Thomas McMahon.

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The Entrance Band came together around guitarist Guy Blakeslee and spent two years writing their new album on stages across California. They have just signed to Ecstatic Peace and hope to go to towns no band ever visits. They speak now just before leaving for many months of tour. This interview by Chris Ziegler.

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