There is much to be said about the local music scene and all of the talented residency shows that are within our grasp. June 9th at The Echo was a prime example of this. Each artist on the lineup had their own energy and were spot on for their performances. This was an incredibly powerful lineup and one of the best residencies I had been to in a while.
Pisces came out of the woodwork to start the show and it was all kinds of magical. If you haven’t heard of Pisces then you’re in for a real treat. Sarah makes her intricate finger picking look so easy and when it is layered with her voice it really makes for the perfect folk combination. Her talent might be familiar to some of you as she is the frontwoman for Happy Hollows but keep in mind these are two separate amazing projects that each stand strongly on their own. You still get the amazing vocal range and content in the songs but in different lights. I feel like with Pisces you get to see a bit more of the soul come through the folk side of things. Often Pisces is backed up with Happy Hollows members as was the case this night and you get to feel that extra interconnectivity which is an added bonus. That performance left this spectator feeling whimsical, keep your eye out because Pisces will be releasing new music soon!
Then you had Darklands, which features members of Spirit Vine who captured the essence of rock similar to that of Jefferson Airplane’s vocals with a grungier rock amp that goes to 11. Watching the performance you saw a singer who took the stage and made it her own. There was no lack of performance or talent anywhere in The Echo that night.
L.A. Witch followed up Darklands and they are always a treat. Their low-fi jangly tunes often remind me of The Growlers with more intense baselines. You can tell that the singer is singing from her soul and that this band has great flow with each other. They have a way of getting their message across through music without being sharp, just straight forward lyrics and amazing music.
Last but not least was Joel Jerome & Babies on Acid, who opened up with an absolutely magnificent cover of The Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever. Seriously that cover was mind blowing and I have seen a lot of covers in my day. They rocked the house and finished off the night on a pleasant note. You left The Echo with your head a swirl of magical musical memories. Everyone was spot on that night and it makes me look forward to all of the upcoming summer residencies around town.
– DJ Zomb-E