SXSW season is upon us, thus opening the floodgates for Austin-bound bands to trek across the U.S. in the largest musical showcase of the year. But few have as much of an odyssey ahead of them as Echo Park-based garage rock label Lolipop Records. This year they’ll be uniting with booking/touring agency Onward Indian again on a expansive caravan tour that crosses four different state lines into Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico for a total seventeen stops.
But before hitting up the open road to perform at venues like Phoenix’s Trunkspace or Las Vegas’ Neon Reverb Festival, they’ll be kicking off the tour with a show tomorrow night at Costa Mesa’s Wayfarer bar. And as a taste of what’s to come for the rest of the tour, the night promises a stacked lineup: Brooklyn-based fuzz poppers BOYTOY will be headlining; Friendly Males will be providing their lo-fi garage punk, along with Long Beach surf-pop rocker Rudy De Anda; last but not least is the crooning power of garage pop quartet Janelane. Other bands joining the caravan at various points will be The Gun Hoes, Tamar Aphek, Glitter Wizard, Death Hymn Number 9 and more.
It’s no small wonder that the Lolipop name has already established a solid reputation for itself across the globe by this point, but the team are grateful for the support and tour management from Onward Indian, who they’ve partnered with since 2012. Onward Indian bands following along on this SXSW journey are Go!zilla, Max Pain and the Groovies, London’s Thee MVPs, Thelma and the Sleaze, Germany’s The Roaring 420s, and more.
Lolipop co-founder Louis Filliger notes that this is the label’s “most ambitious tour,” and foresees a lot of hectic craziness along the way; but then again, that goes with the territory.
“Going to the south is a big deal for all these bands and it’s a fun experience to have together. You never return without great memories and some not great memories. So let’s see what happens.”
So anyone wishing to give the bands a proper send-off should head on over to the Wayfarer tomorrow night, while trailblazing fans who want to follow along and hold their own caravan, heed Filliger’s tips on making the best trip out of it: “Pack your music players with your favorite jams, make playlists that will make the drive epic! A camera might be a great idea. The drive crossing New Mexico is quite a sight.”
Lastly, the number one rule of road tripping in a group— which for Filliger is a hard-earned lesson from previous caravanning trips: “All for one and one for all.”
Lolipop Records & Onward Indian Touring SXSW Caravan Tour show at the Wayfarer featuring BOYTOY, Friendly Males, Rudy De Anda and Janelane, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa, www.wayfarercm.com. $5-$8, 21 & over.
