Editor's Note: Fullerton rock four-piece Regrets & Brunettes are playing Thursdays this month at Gypsy Lounge in Lake Forest. Bassist/vocalist Robert Pavlovich shares his thoughts on last week's performance–and looks forward to Feb. 25.
Our third residency night picked up right where we finished up last week, with our slogan continuing to be “Don't just come to see us, these other bands are great, too.” Moostache kicked things off, and it turned out to be one of my favorites of the residency. They're four talented young guys from Huntington Beach who have a “shut up and play” attitude, producing a refreshing brand of rock where nothing in their sound seems to get lost or muddled. Cutting vocals, treble-rich bass, and plenty of guitar hooks certainly help the cause. Most impressive might have been their Zombies cover, “Tell Her No,” which they pulled off without a hitch. Suffice it to say, these guys are definitely on my radar now.
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Next up were our friends Downtown/Union from Eagle Rock. Drummer Jeff Electric introduced the band, announcing that some serious rock & roll was about to happen. With their pro chops and spontaneity, they easily backed up the talk and had the audience engaged throughout their set of tight, driving rockers. They played songs from their extensive catalogue, along with a slew of new songs of which are going through the final mixing stage with producer/engineer Scott Flammer. We're pretty familiar with Scott, after all, we've been rehearsing at his studio, the Rec Room in Anaheim, for the past 4 years, with him helping us with all of our recording in that span.
Originally from Sun Valley, Idaho, Olin & The Moon have been making a name for themselves in Echo Park over the past year or two, and we were definitely glad they could make it down to participate. It was apparent early on that stage presence was something they were definitely not lacking. David LaBrel's comments and banter were just part of making friends with yet another audience, a skill that can only come with a lot of touring. Their sound was even better, as they played a genuine, alt-country style with a banjo and pedal steel guitar in the mix, which is something you don't see a whole lot of, especially out of LA. They tend to draw Ryan Adams comparisons, but they reminded me of earlier Wilco, circa Being There. Their set was loaded with engaging songs from their Terrible Town album and elsewhere, as they left with the audience wanting more.
We took the stage sporting a lighter set of songs (for us) this time, courtesy of drummer/percussionist, Dylan Kato who had his turn constructing the set list. Left off were a few of our grittier rockers, replaced with keyboard tracks such as “Ragtime” and “There's a Chorus,” which we opened with. It seemed to mix well with the mood of the night as we left more room for Bivens' vocals to be heard, and perhaps some lyrical epiphanies were had. Fittingly, the cover selection of the week was “My Drug Buddy,” conceived from Richard and Anthony's mutual admiration for the Lemonheads. The song drew approval from the crowd. All in all, it was a great night, and we can't wait for the week to come as we'll also have a showing at Silverlake Lounge before coming back to close out the residency.
We're definitely planning on kicking things up a notch for a big close out show this Thursday, the 25th so we hope to see you there as we welcome back Foreign Press, and have Seasons and Manhattan Murder Mystery in from LA. This one should be a barn-burner, so make sure to get there early to see all the action.
Regrets & Brunettes perform with Foreign Press, Seasons and Manhattan Murder Mystery at Gypsy Lounge, Lake Forest, Thurs. Feb. 25, 8 p.m. Free. 21+
Click for Pavlovich's previous post.
Click for Regets & Brunettes' MySpace page.
