SUNDAY, MAY 20: Veer Right Young Pastor had a lot against them. A guitarist was gone, out touring with Lavender Diamond. And the microscopic crowd they played to mostly consisted of bar regulars and members of the two shitty bro bands that they were opening for. They could have phoned it in, fucked around with the 11+ delay pedals the guitarist/vocalist had, and improvised for twenty minutes. What was there to stop them? Thankfully, they didn’t. Their set was tight, albeit short, and by the end they had the whole bar’s undivided attention. They had problems, though: the singer comes off a little too much Animal Collective at times, without enough inventiveness, and the mid-set instrument switch was more awkward than impressive. It’s rad that you guys both play guitar and drums, but what’s the point of showing it off? Being a good band (and from Long Beach) is so rare, however, that ultimately none of this matters. VRYP are going to do well for themselves if they keep making the music they are and steer clear of the self-indulgent bullshit lesser bands love so much. (HK)