All photos in this post are attributed to Adam Thomas and are among the photos posted in the Facebook album of The Echo (Echo Facebook album).
Last night, I made my way from The Valley to what feels like the mecca of Indie/Alternative music in Los Angeles – Echo Park. Echo Park has recently gotten a reputation for being the center of the music and art scene in LA, and upon returning back to this city after being in other cities around the country and the world, I can honestly say that reputation holds merit.
The Echo and The Echoplex lay at the center of the neighborhood just blocks away from the park, surrounded by hip restaurants, book stores, and record stores. The borough in itself is a place to spend copious amounts of time in, if you are interested in the Indie/Alternative scene.
But last night I was not just going down to Echo Park for the scene, I was going to see a couple of my favorite bands reigning over the current Indie/Beach/Garage Rock scene. Getting in line at The Echo, I stood eagerly anticipating the show ahead of me.
I went to see Tacocat, one of my favorite bands from the Seattle music scene I’ve grown to know and love since I started college there. But upon arriving, I became excited to see The Regrettes name was on the ticket too.
Opening for Tacocat, The Regrettes appeared on stage with their highly stylized fashion: Front woman Lydia Night wore all pink, including a large fuzzy jacket, a pink dress, and even her guitar; lead guitarist Genessa Gariano emerged in a two-piece sea foam green shirt and skirt also matching her guitar; and bassist Sage Nicole wore an all-black dress to match her bass too. At first glance, it was clear that this band did not lack any flair.
But their music didn’t lack any flair either—which is surprising considering Night (who writes most of the songs) is only fifteen years old. The band immediately pulled out their Garage Rock and retro sound with a more polished tone to it, and later broke into their 90s girl-Punk sound with Night channeling Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. Maxx Morando on drums showed off his talent with effortless solos and syncopation accentuating the brilliance in the rest of the band’s musical elegance.
“A Living Human Girl” by The Regrettes
“A Living Human Girl” by The Regrettes
Website: http://www.theregrettes.com
Tacocat took the stage in none other than their sequined and lively garb complimenting their funky, brightly colored hair. Emily Nokes on lead vocals and tambourine bounced around the stage in her pink fringed shirt, while Lelah Maupin on drums, Eric Randall on guitar, and Bree McKenna on bass came out with full energy, epitomizing their reputation for short, punchy, beach-punk songs.
Although Tacocat’s tour follows the release of their newest LP, “Lost Time,” which was released in April, the highlights of the band’s set were songs from their second studio album, “NVM,” which came out in 2014 on Hardly Art. Their song, “Psychedelic Quinceañera,” pulled from mariachi instrumentals and harsher vocals and stood out as having a more unique sound live than their other music. “Crimson Wave,” my favorite track off “NVM,” sounded better than it did recorded on the album. The mostly 20-something audience seemed to think so too—I didn’t see one person standing still in the crowd. When the members of the band weren’t singing, dancing, and playing their feminist inspired, zestful music, they were wittily bantering along the stage with one another about the subjects of their songs and their nostalgic times together. 
If you’re looking for a tour highlighting two high-powered, girl-fronted, retro-inspired, young, and lively bands, make that spontaneous trip down to San Diego to see the band tonight (7/20) at The Soda Bar, or tomorrow (7/21) in Long Beach at Fingerprints Records - where Tacocat will put on a FREE show!
Facebook: http://tacocatdotcom.com
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