If you sit on that bench next to the bar in The Echo, the one that looks like half a back seat of a 1970-something Buick, you can watch the cars race along Sunset. There's a hole in the wall. I'm not sure why it's there, but the effect is mesmerizing.
After how many years of hearing that the Echo Park club is remodeling or has been remodled, The Echo is now in midst of a serious refurbish. Despite the hole in the wall and an intense smell of paint that hits primarily when one stands in the corners of the club, it already looks like less of a hellhole. Kids, you no longer see insulation and oversized tubes when you look towards the ceiling. I got to The Echo at 7:30, a half hour late for my interview with The Autumns. But, as any seasoned interviewer of bands will tell you, soundcheck is never less than an hour behind schedule, so my tardiness meant that I waited less than a half-hour before the band left the stage and were ready to answer some questions. I'm not sure how many times I have interviewed the band over the years. At least thrice. Confusion resides in the fact that I can't remember how many times the band came up to my show at KXLU for an interview and how many times they came up just to play live. Regardless, Matthew said that this piece is the most accurate history of the band from that period (late-1990s). Awesome.
After The Autumns interview ended, I had time to kill and half-a-side of blank tape remaining, so I decided to interview Pop Noir. Good times. Good stories.
After two opening acts, The Autumns played. The place was packed about as tightly as an average Saturday at Hang the DJs. Thus, it was near impossible for me to see anything. I guess I could have squeezed forward, but that would have required squeezing through a crowd and unintentionally touching people, which I am loath to do. So not goth. So I stood in the back, content with occasionally moving up to my tiptoes to look over the crowd of 6'5" blonde dudes in front of me. Judging from last night's show and the recent gig at Violaine, I am inclined to say that the band's new record will be their best yet. Fiesty is how I described the band's stage presence of late during our chat and I'm sticking to that.
In between The Autumns and Pop Noir, I was outside with some girl I had just met comparing notes on Autumns show. It's kind of strange if you think about it: Nobody has seen The Autumns just once.
Pop Noir played a nice, tight set following The Autumns. Nico is a great addition on the drums, as he really fills out the band's sound. I noticed a song called "Santa Ana" during the set that I think might be relatively new. Either I haven't heard them play it before or it never hit me prior to last night. Joe and Luke have obviously paid close attention in history class.
The band closed with "Paint it Black," which is the best version of the song I have heard yet. In fact, right after the song ended and I was about to leave, I ran into Matthew from The Autumns and he said, "Isn't that great?!" Yes, it is.
This year, L.A., you need Pop Noir and The Autumns on your radar.

Labels: Awesome Local Bands, Pop Noir, Show Reviews, The Autumns