speed of dark

"Local" music for me usually refers to the Los Angeles alternative (that's the "alt" in alt-gramma) music scene even though the city is a couple of hours' drive away from where I live. Friday night I took the opportunity to connect with a truly local music event just a few miles from where I live in western Riverside County, California.

Local promoter Full Value Entertainment had put together a show with five bands, held in a local elementary school auditorium. It was literally an all-ages show, with a few children looking as young as eight galloping around the hall. Most everyone else seemed to be from mid-teens to mid-20's. The room environment was sparkling clean--no smoking, drinking, or other mind-altering amusements--and playful and casual. For example, I've never seen anyone playing duck-duck-goose in the back of the Troubadour between sets, but they did here, and I'm not talking about the little kids.

Watching the acts was like musical archeology, starting with bands still trying to find their sound, working up to the older pros who've got all the moves down pat. For a venue not designed for rock shows, with poor lighting and unremarkable acoustics, things went pretty smoothly. Each band had to move their own equipment on the stage, set it up, do a quick sound check, and then play. No warming up. To their credits, they all performed their own songs--no covers. That's brave.

First band up was Humility, a young foursome whose greatest distinctions at this point are winning the battle of the bands in nearby Temecula and having the youngest drummer I have ever seen perform in a rock band. Scott, just 14 years old, is pretty decent on the skins. The band has been together only three years, with several changes in lineup already. The boys played loud power-rock with great enthusiasm and energy, but the melodies and vocals got lost in the noise in this live performance. At one point guitarist/keyboardist Mike Pulliam accompanied a song on Irish pennywhistle, an instrument that if incorporated more often could add a unique quality to their music.
Check their myspace page for a very nice little demo song called "Moonlite remix."

Next was The Trade, a five-piece from just up the interstate in Riverside, with several years over Humility and a lot more whiskers on their chins. Not surprisingly, they list Depeche Mode, the Cure, and New Order among their influences. Dressed in classic goth black, this band demonstrated more cohesiveness and stage presence. Singer Chris Lopez (in photo) left the stage with his cordless mike and prowled the room as his voice continued disorientingly from the speakers on the stage.

The Trade have just released a self-titled five-song EP, and they will be appearing at the Texas Rockfest next month, which runs concurrently with South By Southwest in Austin. For afficionados of traditional rock, this could be a band to watch.
The Trade: White Noise
Check myspace for more songs and their full tour schedule
website





The third band was Mouthful of Snow, which to me had the most complex lyrics and interestingly-crafted songs of the first four bands.

Singer-songwriter Kyle (in photo) has made brave attempts at some progressive arrangements that didn't quite synch in the live performance. The band has been recording and expects to have a CD by the end of next month.
Check their myspace page to listen to the demo of "Keep Running."







Next was Panima (pronounced "panama" like the canal), another five-piece from Riverside. This group sounds a lot like Homegrown used to when they were more punk-rock than ska. Panima have good rapport with their audience and demonstrate excellent timing in playing their arrangements. They have scored three dates in SoCal this June on the Van's Warped Tour and hope to have an album out before then.

Panima: Wake Up
Check their myspace to stream four songs and a video.



The headliners on the bill were Orange County band Limbeck, whom I last saw about a dozen years ago (see this post). Since then, they have become a country-rock band with a completely different sound even though they have changed only one band member in all that time. They have toured almost non-stop, although they recently took almost a year off to record a new album due to be released April 10. Friday's show was just the start of a long schedule that has Limbeck playing almost every night until mid-May. Part of that schedule includes a date at sxsw

The set included older favorites like "Comin' From Tuscson," "Honk and Wave," and "Sin City" as well as songs from the new CD: "Big Drag," "Parking Lot," and "Let's Get Crazy." I saw Anthony, lead singer of Humilty, focused on Limbeck's performance, and he should pay attention to these guys because they have paid the dues to earn their chops.

Limbeck: Comin' From Tucson from Hi, Everything's Great (2003)
Limbeck: Big Drag (2007)

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