With enough rock and roll to supply an avalanche, the Spirit Vine, Dirt Dress, Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band, and Allah Las show proved to many of us why Echo park is at the nexus of art and music. This fine bill was booked and brought to us by none other than L.A. Record.
Starting off the night was Spirit Vine, a group of psychedelic blues rockers who play epic songs with dynamic crescendos that got the audience stomping and hollering for more. Their subject matter tackled topics of voodoo and gritty love—nothing strange for traditional blues. But the band does something unique by blending the familiar format with their own style creating something new altogether. Spirit Vine’s innovation only affirms band manager Rebecca Balin’s description of their sound as a “revival of the revival.”
Following them was Papermade Records’ own Dirt Dress. For those who have yet to see the group, they are a trio of indie enthusiasts who constantly challenge the conventions of the sounds three people can make. Something in the way bassist Jose and drummer Raymond lay down the harmonic foundation for guitarist and singer Noah to riff over always makes the group’s collective sound huger than the trio appears.
The touring headliners Mt. St. Helen’s Vietnam Band play what singer Benji calls “mathrock” due to the band’s use of compound meter—which switches rhythm from the common 4/4 to 3/4 and back again, using seven beat measures rather than two measures of four beats each. This, in combination with lyrics deep enough to get lost in such as “When you love something you lose the thing you loved the most,” left us enthralled. We watched, fixated, especially when the Farfisa player started wailing on an extra floor tom and cymbal or when she came out with a shaman looking percussion stick and tripped over stage monitors—something she said happens at each show.
Last, but not least, was the surfy, soulful Allah Las—who broke us from our statuary states and got us moving again. As band member Miles puts it, “We like to have fun,” and so does everyone who goes to an Allah Las show. With Spencer’s pummeling bass, Pedrum’s taste for guitar tone, and jangly songs such as “Tambourine Dream,” the Allah Las make music that can’t help but work one’s feet into a dancing frenzy.
—Steven Carrer
1 abby // Dec 14, 2009 at 12:08 pm
spirit vine is kinda watered down. they kinda enact the tropes, but they’re a pop band. i think they need to go deeper and take some chances and maybe really hit the blues rather than make it so digestible. when they play, people feel they can go to the bar and get a drink and kinda have the band in the background. they’ll need to step it up a notch if they wanna be a headliner.
2 groucho // Dec 14, 2009 at 12:25 pm
i am in agreement they do need to step it up but overall they have the ability to do that so they just need to flip the switch
3 Edwina // Dec 14, 2009 at 1:31 pm
ahhh! what nice constructive criticism! holiday cheer!
4 GD // Dec 14, 2009 at 2:12 pm
honestly, ya, these are nice, constructive comments. spirit vine is a pretty young band on the scene and it’s great they’re playing a bunch, and once they get gutsier they will keep audience attention.
5 Edwina // Dec 14, 2009 at 2:57 pm
yes but how do they compare to the vines?
6 groucho // Dec 14, 2009 at 4:28 pm
dirt dress is pretty good too
7 shopony // Dec 14, 2009 at 10:09 pm
allah las are awesome, best new band I’ve seen in awhile.
8 groucho // Dec 15, 2009 at 10:38 am
i saw the allah las play once at the smell w/ a random fill in drummer from the crowd and it ripped! the guy was in his mid 40s and prob a session musician or something
9 oliveoil // Dec 15, 2009 at 11:44 pm
allah las are the grooviest band i’ve heard in a while. their tunes get stuck in your head like glue. can’t wait to hear their album and see more of their live shows. definatley want to see more of them. allah las rock!!!!
10 ian // Dec 16, 2009 at 8:55 am
dirt dress blew every other band off the stage!
11 ph // Dec 17, 2009 at 11:58 pm
allah las are the best!
12 PEE FAD // Sep 10, 2010 at 1:16 am
Life is dorky
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