sherraine balzer | more photos below

Silverlake, my life and home, has always represented a mecca of musical tastes and Mondays in November are no different. Seeing as how the Silverlake Lounge and Spaceland are in such close proximity to one another, I attended both venues in order to make the most out of a Monday.

I made it over to Spaceland just in time before it crowded up. Upon entering the venue, I noticed more musical equipment than I imagined the stage could ever contain. The place filled up quick thanks to the buzz of the night’s “special guest.” In the venue’s dimly lit rooms, the music shined from Dirt Dress, Happy Hollows, and—wait for it—Julian Casablancas.

Dirt Dress, a trio of indie rockers, started the evening off by playing on a stage too small to contain their large sound. The group played in an idiosyncratic style. Jose the bass player, for example, would play riffs and then chord changes while Noah the guitarist would strum a single chord—on an electric twelve string no less—until the bass was ready to return. Random yet very unique. Also in attendance was the band’s label Paper Made, selling the group’s three-part cassette series Perdido en la Suciedad. (Dirt Dress will be playing November 19th at the Echo Curio.)

After the opening set, the room was filled with so much anticipation, it was spilling out the door. The line to get into the building stretched from the entrance to the 7-11 down the block. The crowd stared at a kick drum as we listened to a tenor-voiced man behind Spaceland’s shimmery curtain deliver instructions to the stagehands. Soon enough, the kick drum was uncovered, revealing Strokes alumnus’ Julian Casablancas’ name. The band geared up, vamping on a riff before the singer energetically took center stage and kicked things off.

In previous interviews, the singer had told the listeners not to be surprised at the absence of guitars and the presence of synthesizers on the new record; however, there sure were a lot of guitars on the stage. Let me run down the set-up: two double-decker synths (making four synths in all), a drummer, a percussionist with all the amenities—wood blocks, tambourines, and a drum pad that doubled the drummer’s rhythms—no bassist but two guitarists, and then one of the synth players and the percussionist would pick up guitars from time to time!

Julian’s set was a sort of synth-y dream pop. He’s said the new album’s intent is to “bridge the gap between traditional and modern music” and at times it does. Each song features a dense texture, like a Van Gogh painting—all melody and large choruses. The set’s highlights were the dramatic “Tourist,” the poppy “Left and Right,” the single “11th Dimension,” and the song “Four Chords of the Apocalypse” which was reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

It was so strange to see Julian in Silverlake. To me, the Strokes were better suited as a small-venue band because when they played in large arenas, the group looked like little action figures on a stage. This we could chalk up to fame and stardom. But at Spaceland, we could see the man face to face. In the hallway, after informing the singer I was writing a review of the show, he admitted he’d be a little reluctant to read it in a few days due to what seemed to be a fear of bad press. After handing him an L.A. RECORD sticker, our conversation went like this:

Julian Casablancas: Oh wow! I’ll put this on my car.
You have a car?
Julian Casablancas: (laughs) What’d you think—I had a driver?’
I thought one of the limos would pull up and you’d climb out. Or a helicopter would land atop the building and you get lowered down.
Julian Casablancas: Ha! That’s funny. Well, thanks—I’mma go find my woman.

Afterward, I noticed a beat up car with a handicapped sticker on the license plate blocking the driveway. Just then, Julian and his small entourage climbed into the car and drove away. This action—despite the preferred parking he received—still left us to realize how down to earth he really is. Julian plays the Palace Theatre two more Fridays this month.

Eventually, it was time for the band that describes themselves as small but is of course large in our hearts. Happy Hollows took the stage, which had been cleared of the gear that cluttered it before. Kicking things off with their rollicking and rolling music, the band had the whole room begging for more. Luckily for the crowd, Happy Hollows have the November residency at Spaceland. For those who have never heard the band before, Sarah describes the sound as “crystal, that when it cracks, is full of bubbles and ponies … and stuff.”

Even though I love Happy Hollows, the road called my name and I traveled back up it toward Silverlake Lounge. When I arrived there, I was informed that I missed Shakey Graves, a solo artist who played with only an acoustic guitar yet was still capable of enthralling the crowd. Following Shakey Graves was the Amanda Jo Williams group, who collectively play a very stylized brand of “rural-folk.” In addition to her already stellar lineup of musicians, Lemon Sun’s and He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister’s Robert Kolar joined his girlfriend Lauren “Little Feather” Brown on stage for percussion on a song; additionally, the room was full of musicians such as drummer Pipe from both Lemon Sun and HMBSMS and Leslie from the Badgers, giving the evening a warm feeling that I imagine the original C.B.G.B.’s possessing long ago.

Hosting the night of folk-in fun was the band Mississippi Man, who, according to their Myspace page, are actually just from Los Angeles. But that doesn’t matter! The music takes us somewhere else all together with its blend of vocal harmonies, nicely balanced guitars, keys, big-beat influence, and spot-on song structure. I strongly suggest listening to this band live at least once. They will be at the Silverlake Lounge every Monday this November.

Closing out the night were Dietra Kruschev. Hailing from Long Beach, the group plays downbeat—in contrast to upbeat—minor key songs. The groups sound was exemplified by their instruments: Fender semi-hollow body guitar with finger-picking by Aaron, low-end bass from Jeremiah, sparse and spooky Wurlitzer and Farfisa keys (like a Rhodes but not) and xylophone-esque bells and background vocals by Katie then and drummer Ramon who doesn’t play with sticks but rather mallets and a 26 inch vintage kick drum he inherited. Unique indeed. Even though I watched two individuals describe the sound as “funeral music” as they proceeded to leave the building, the band didn’t deny the resemblance; additionally, after discussing these early departers, we all decided that such a comment was a compliment since most avant-garde styles are rarely understood in their time. I suggest seeing the band or at least listening to them once before you die. Dietra Kruschev is set to play Alex’s Bar in Long Beach on November 15th.

—The Cigarette Bum

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