I caught a great show on Tuesday night at the Echo. First off, I’ve got to say that the Echo has become one of my favorite places in Los Angeles to see a show. Not only do they consistently book some of the best local and touring artists, their sound system is quite good for a small(ish) venue, their staff is usually pretty friendly, and their patio is a spot where I’ve run into some of the most interesting and creative people Los Angeles has to offer. Sure, there’s plenty of Eastside hipsters abounding, but largely everyone’s there to see a good show and have a good time. Stop by and you’re almost always guaranteed to see at least one good band on any given night.
Tuesday night was the record release party for locals Division Day. I mentioned back in June that they were releasing Bear Trap Island on Eenie Meenie Records. Well, the poor guys ran into a whole host of setbacks, but the record’s finally out. I hadn’t seen Division Day play in a while and I forgot how enjoyable they are. They’ve got some new tunes in their set, many of which have been added to the official release of their album, and I really like where they’re headed. As a band, they’re writing is only getting better and as performers, they’ve definitely got the audience rocking out. They’re at their best when they loosen up and just rock, particularly vocalist Rohner, and the show had plenty of good moments like that. By the time you read this, the guys should be on tour, so check ‘em out if they stop into your town. In the meantime, enjoy a great Depeche Mode cover they recently did.
The Mae Shi, who went on before Div Day, are a local band I’ve been meaning to mention for a while now. This four-piece defies description, which is often the pedigree of a band worth listening to. At their core they are a punk rock band, but to classify them as punk rock is to do them such a disservice. The Mae Shi don’t just play music, they play with music. Listen to these guys and you realize that they seem to have unlocked a mystery that eludes most musicians their whole lives. The key to writing music is to keep it simple, keep it short, and have a good time doing it. Not that this is a joke band…far from it. But just because you should take it seriously doesn’t mean they have to. Guitarist Jeff Byron will disappear from the stage and then you realize he’s standing next to you in the audience, playing his guitar wirelessly… live, few bands are more fun to watch. And on record, their albums are the sum of a million brilliant ideas crammed into minute-and-a-half songs. Their new album HLLLYH should be out soon, and I’m eager to hear it.
The Eulogies opened the show, but I had to be fashionably late and missed them. People were saying good things about them, so I’ll have to take them at their word. I promise to show up on time next time, fellas.
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If you enjoy these tunes, tune into my radio show on kxlu 88.9fm 10a-2p every monday. we’re also streaming live at www.kxlu.com.
