This past Friday night, Livingmore came into town to celebrate the upcoming release of their fifth studio album, the eponymous named album Livingmore at LAX. The band formed back in 2014 as a collaboration between Los Angeles based singer-songwriters Alex Moore and Spencer Livingston. I say came into town as the now married couple has since moved to Japan (though based on their bio, they still spend time in Los Angeles). If you're interested in how expats live or spend time scanning Zillow listings (both apply to me), you can see a reel of the home they purchased here.
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| Livingmore at LAX |
The band started up in 2014 and the first time I crossed paths with them was in 2017. They quickly became one of my favorite bands. In 2018, I saw them 6 times and in 2019 I saw them 5 times. I've also covered the band for both Buzzbands and US Rocker Music. You can see an early 2019 photo of the band in my Echo Park Rising coverage for Buzzbands here and you can read my 2021 review of their sophomore album Take Me here. In 2024, I covered their The Garden album release party at The Echo for US Rocker Music.
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| Livingmore at LAX |
That 2024 night was the last time I crossed paths with the band and so I was eager to see them once more. I was not the only one eager to catch the band as I noticed various band members from Aloud, Child Seat, and Glacial Palms in the audience.
Back around the 2018-2019 time frame, I mentioned to Moore that their sounded leaned either Americana-country or pop depending on the night. I would say that The Garden focused on their pop side. Based on their single releases for the upcoming Livingmore album, they're exploring that Americana-country side of their music. I would say that is especially true for their songs "To Be True" and "Ready To Escape."
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| Livingmore at LAX |
On this particular night at LAX, the band switched between the two genres. The emphasis was on songs from their upcoming album, but they also sang a number of fan favorites. I especially appreciated the fact that they opened up the set with the sweeping sounds of "Places." The audience loved it when they played "Memory Hill." When they played "Sharp," I remembered the thrilling joy of watching the music video for the song.
For their only onstage set piece, they had a red office phone. For their song "Resident Psycho," Moore picked it up as she sang. The crowd loved it as it fit perfectly with the song title. "Away Away Away" had me thinking of beloved Los Angeles band GROUPLOVE. During the song, I noticed that drummer Kyle Brian Abbott had an admiring smile as Moore sang the song.
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| Livingmore at LAX |
Perhaps the most meaningful moment of the set was when they went acoustic for "Sweet Louise," which was written by close family friend Dawn Hummer. She lost her home in the Woolsey fire in 2018. She was able to rent a condo that belonged to a woman named Louise who could no longer stay at the house due to dementia. Livingston told the story behind the song and the house, "It was still fully furnished with all the belongings and pictures on the wall of this incredible life this woman had lived . . . she [Dawn] had this realization that Louise had lost her home and that she had lost her home, both against their wills." It is the closing song of their upcoming album.
An important note is that Livingston also was showcasing his artwork at the venue. You can see a photo of his work here. That alone gave me flashback vibes to Pehrspace (2006 - 2016), which was an art-music hotspot.
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| Livingmore at LAX |
Opening up the night was Sonica, playing their first set as a band. Just like Livingmore's origin story, the band is comprised of the duo/couple Olya Sonica and Nick Santa Maria. They kicked off the night with a power acoustic rock set. Olya Sonica has been releasing music solo since 2022. Nick Santa Maria previously was in the moniker named band The Dirty Shirts that debuted in 2021. What did I notice? The couple were coordinated, dressed in black clothing and gold boots. When their set ended, Olya Sonica responded to the cheers with a trio of curtseys. Another interesting fact, Olya Sonica was born in Moscow and Nick Santa Maria was born in Dallas.
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| Livingmore at LAX |
Livingmore Setlist: Places, Resident Psycho, Away Away Away, Memory Hill, Kick It, Ready To Escape, To Be True, Sweet Louise, Sharp, Not That Nice, Dead Fruit, Gone Too Fast.
Sonica Setlist: FOMO, Flowers, High On Life, Don't Dream It's Over (Crowd House cover), Gin & Tonic, Snap Into My Rock n Roll, R. I. C. H. (Run I Can't Hide), Modern Fairytale.
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