Song Spotlight: WYMN's Catching Flies (a night at Harvard & Stone)

In April 2022, I got invited to catch WYMN at El Cid. They played with an interestingly named band called Ghetto Garden. At some point, Ghetto Garden changed their name to TELAH! (the explanation point being part of their band name). I caught up with TELAH! at Echo Park Rising 2024 and I remember thinking the band members looked familiar. 

WYMN at Harvard & Stone

Back to WYMN, I think they took an extra long break in doing live performances after that El Cid set. Then I happened to notice the band popping back up in June of this year. They were playing a set at The Goldfish. I couldn't catch that set as I was off to the Greek Theatre that night. Then by chance I noticed that the band was playing an August Swyndle night at Harvard & Stone. Well, off I went. 

The band is fronted by Blaire Michael who somehow immediately recognized me after 3 plus years. Her backing band includes some well known Los Angeles musicians. Andy Hengl of Ramonda Hammer is on bass. Victoria Mandanas of Potty Mouth is on drums. Solo artist Monnize Wolff is on guitar. 

WYMN at Harvard & Stone

The WYMN set started off a little before they took the stage. Michael was hyped and was off dancing in front of the stage while opener Adrian Bourgeois was breaking down his gear. It has been awhile since I last saw Hengl playing in a band (been way too long since I last saw Ramonda Hammer). He was bouncing around throughout the set. He was wearing earplugs to start off the set, but those earplugs went flying at some point during the set. Mandanas was giving her band mates a concentrated stare down. Wolff was tucked away to the rear of the small stage and was often seen stretching her feet out to tap at her pedal board or leaning forward to provide backing vocals. 

Many of the band's songs are dreaming rock-pop tunes, but I'm highlighting a song that diverges from this: "Catching Flies." It is a brooding dusty road Western song with a gunslinger riding horseback under the heat of the day. 

WYMN at Harvard & Stone

Michael had this to say about the song on Instagram:

The song explores fear of intimacy and abandonment, climaxing with the realization that you cannot change the past or other people, but you can work on yourself.

Setlist (not necessarily in this order): Uh Huh, Mess of Me, Old Dogs, The Unknown, Catching Flies, Things I Don't Know, Ghost (August Eve cover).