I came across OP ED at Echo Park Rising last year. Megan Tracy suggested that I catch them as one of the members of the band is Marlon Rabenreither. He fronts the band Gold Star and both of us are fans of the band. The rock-punk set was so dynamic and awesome that I put them on my list of favorite new bands of 2025 (see link here).
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| OP ED at Gold-Diggers |
I noticed that the band, fronted by Danny Dodge, was playing at Gold-Diggers to celebrate their debut EP with the wryly titled EP by OP ED. It was time to celebrate the release with the band. Without any introduction, the band launched right into their set with the opening track off the EP, "Poetry About Narcotics." Right from the start, you knew it was going to be a fun night of music as Danny Dodge put on an antics filled performance. His microphone stand basically fell apart in the middle of the first song.
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| OP ED at Gold-Diggers |
His performance would have made physical comedians throughout history such as Jerry Lewis to Lucille Ball to Steve Martin to Jim Carrey proud. He kept it simple before dialing it up. During "Subordinate," he picked up his setlist and stuck it on his already sweaty face. He then started to bite on his microphone wire, letting the microphone dangle. It went falling to the ground. These were just minor set-up pieces for the big payoff.
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| OP ED at Gold-Diggers |
Prior to the set beginning, duct tape was placed next to his microphone stand. My assumption was that he was going to tape the setlist to the stage floor. That was a totally bad assumption, because in the middle of the set, he grabbed the duct tape and started to wrap it around his head, turning him into a mummy. The tape was wrapped around his eyes, ears, chin and hair. He must have left a little room for him to see, because he kept on singing and performing like he was able to see everything. The Gold-Diggers stage has a couple steps down onto the floor and he just walked off the steps and into the crowd at one point. When he removed the tape, he just ripped it off and I just couldn't help thinking, "How much hair got ripped off and what about his eye lashes?" He did have some trouble totally removing the tape from his body as it got wrapped around his back. He told the crowd, "Nobody help me. I need to learn."
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| OP ED at Gold-Diggers |
Audience moment of the set. A guy was involved in a solo mosh pit. A female friend came from the side and gave him a shoulder shove and the two enjoyed their duo mosh pit.
The band played an 11-song set -- potentially in a slightly different order than what was shown on their setlist. Their songs are speedy quick as they pushed through their set a minute or two under the thirty minute mark. As far as the crowd knew, time flew by at hyper speed, because the night was over in a flash.
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| OP ED at Gold-Diggers |
Their Spotify bio has this description about the band, "They sound kinda like the Kinks on speed. They live in Los Angeles, if you can call it living. They are completely and utterly ambivalent to your interest in the subject."
Setlist: Poetry About Narcotics, Subordinate, Pomp & Splendor, One to One, Stress Test, Rank Amateur, Me & My Mates, Inept Pimps, Pure Cop, Death Wish, Snitch Angels.
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