The Second Howl
It was an early start to the day. They hit the stage at 12 noon. “Let’s make some noise.” It was time to rock out during the brunch hour. Someone in the audience yelled out, “Hey, too much rumble.” Lead vocalist, Natasha Jeanne, put her all into her vocals while making the pastel, 50’s SciFi movie fashion style look cool. Thumbs up: she gave a shout out to the sponsors.
Celeigh Chapman
A handful of dudes who perhaps were a bit too raucous, requested a shout out before her set. She obliged, “Giving a shout out to the dudesters . . . that might be a problem.” She and her band then broke into their country set. Her lyrics, inspired by growing up in Bakersfield, comforted, “Don’t be afraid baby, my heart is yours.”
Moses Sumney
He’s gotten a lot of well deserving press recently. When I caught him at The Bootleg during his recent residency, The Fold had opened up the much larger backroom theater to accommodate the crowd. “Thanks to my friend Josh for providing daytime ambiance.” I love his minimalist take on music. Lyrics: I don’t know if I’m worth it.
Wild Ones
They’re from Portland. To me, that’s all that needs to be said. Fleeting vocals. I wonder if they’ve ever played a set with another Portland band I’m really big on, The Lower 48. The two bands hitting the stage at say The Satellite would make for a nice night of Portland Music 101 for Los Angeles.
Music Break Time: I’m a big horse racing fan. I’ve followed California Chrome in his attempt to win the Triple Crown. As I was walking between stages, I saw that a local restaurant had the Belmont Stakes on their outdoor televisions. And so I took a 15 minute break. The patrons didn’t seem all that into the Belmont Stakes, but the waiter staff sure was and we held our breaths as California Chrome went the 1 ½ mile route. It just wasn’t to be. Heartbreak.
Tennis
“It smells like Denver out there . . . Do you all have water out there? I’m worried about you. That’s dangerous. “ Their sound has you thinking about driving PCH in a convertible. (Okay, maybe a real Tennis fan would say taking the yacht out for a sail.) Lyrics: It’s wrong I know, but I can’t let go.
Yuna
So during the middle of her set, she bent down during a break and a beach ball flew over her head. The crowd gasped at the symmetry of the two moving bodies. She stood back up and was baffled by the crowd reaction. “What happened?” She’s from Malaysia. I’ve never been to Malaysia, but I have been to Thailand. During my time in Thailand, I could never get properly hydrated. On the night I was leaving Bangkok to head back to Los Angeles, I was waiting for the subway and I couldn’t help but notice a young woman in a sweater. Wearing a sweater in what felt like 90% humidity? And so Yuna had a different take on the temperature than Tennis. “Are you hot? Well, I have a turtleneck on.” And there you have it, perspective. Lyrics: I thought I should let you know, I want you back.
TeamMate
This is a two piece, pop band. Noticed: One of their electronic instruments wasn’t working during the sound check. Why? It wasn’t plugged in. Ha ha. Technical issues. Lyrics: You fall for girls with boy’s names.
Noticed: A young girl was playing with her stuffed animal horse. So painful. That wasn’t the only painful California Chrome reminder. To show my support, I brought along my Santa Anita Park pen to write down my Make Music Pasadena notes. Within moments of California Chrome coming in fourth, my pen broke into pieces. I managed to get it functional so that I could continue my notes, but it was still eventually heading into the trash.
The Record Company
This blues infused rock band had the Memorial Park crowd dancing. Hey, when the lead singer puts that much energy into stomping, the crowd better go along. Lyrics: When I feel down by my occupation . . .
Eliza Rickman She’s a Make Music Pasadena tradition for me. In fact, I’ve followed her music career longer than any of the other singer songwriters/bands that played Make Music Pasadena. “My digital downloads are pay what you want. It has worked out pretty well for me. Some guy did download my music and paid zero. Then he asked me out on a date!!!” Lyrics: Seek you, see through. Calling for thee.
So Many Wizards. They call themselves dream punk. That sounds about right. I got to their set a song late. It was a song too late for this photographer. Old Towne Pub was packed to the entrance door. I managed to make my way to the side wall where there is a line of chairs. I took my chance and stood on one and snapped some really bad photos. Lyrics: I don’t need anything, just let me be.
Here’s waiting for 2015 . . .
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