Sunset Junction 2009 Review: Day 2

Sunset Junction continued for Day 2 on a pleasant Sunday afternoon. It was still hot but my comfort level was much higher than it was during the previous day. The sun was just hot enough and it set just at the right time providing the perfect breeze for acts such as Fool’s Gold, The Sonics, and Built To Spill.

The ticket booth was all ready to go and going through the media guest list was as easy as pie yesterday. My photographer and I walked in just in time to see Love Grenades kick the festival off.

Check it all out in our recap of Day 2! Of course, we have more live photo galleries for you as well!

Love Grenades

Liz Wight of Love Grenades is downright sexy, and so is their music. Although they were the first to open and there wasn’t that huge of a crowd yet, Wight was not afraid to dance her ass off and sing out like the diva that she is. Dressed in gold hot pants, and a black off the shoulder tunic topped off with a blue sparkly belt, the gal was a live pin-up beauty dishing out mad music credibility.

The band, Love Grenades, is also not a stranger to the pages of BeatCrave. They were inducted into both our Know Your LA Bands series and BeatCrave Fav series. They are an absolute pleasure when you need to hear some good dance music. The best thing about Love Grenades is that although they are very electro-heavy, Wight backs those beats up with her rich, dark, sultry vocals. This is an excellent quality when so many electro-pop artists tend to have bright, thin, and airy voices. Not only can she bring the color to the melodies, but she also has an amazing range enabling her to reach any note as well.

Their transitions were also tight going from “Tigers in the Fire” to “Young Lovers.” It was great because the entire set seemed like one big song. Seeing Love Grenades live is simply a good time. If you haven’t checked them out yet, you are missing out. I highly recommend it.

Nico Stai

How is this guy not signed to a label? Nico Stai is, without a doubt, one of Echo Park and Silverlake’s most beloved acts and once you see him live there’s no need to wonder why.

Stai and his band are the quintessential indie rock band of Los Angeles, and we probably couldn’t be more proud to know he’s from this city. It’s funny to know that his tag-line on MySpace right now is “Like alcohol,” because that’s exactly what he and his band members are like. They play these incredible songs that make you feel good but a little loopy because it’s got so much soul and angst at the same time, you’re not really aware of what you’re really feeling. Nico Stai live is like having a really good buzz after a few beers – your ears are perfectly happy and you feel like you’re up for anything.

Night Horse

As a writer, it’s not hard to make comparisons between bands sometimes. In Night Horse’s case, it’s impossible not to compare them to the biggest classic rock band in history (besides The Beatles). Night Horse is Los Angeles’ very own Led Zeppelin – no joke. As lead singer, Sam James Velde, said hello to the crowd he proclaimed, “Fuck New York. LA is where it’s at.” Then when he asked how we were and someone blatantly replied with a “Tired,” he reprimanded that poor soul with a “Fuck that. You need to go home then. There’s no time for any of that here.”

Classic rock riffs, hippie lead singer, and don’t-give-a-fuck attitude is what made up the band, Night Horse. Their set was intensity times 100 compared to the last few acts. The guitarist and bassist really liked taking the Captain Morgan position on top of their monitors and Velde continued to up his stage antics. First, he came down near the crowd, then he went and stood on top of the large speakers at a very dangerous height. They were making sure we got our $20 worth with their set. Night Horse was riding their happiness in making the Sunset Junction lineup.

Local Natives

If you’ve ever read BeatCrave in general, you KNOW I wasn’t going to miss these guys. Their current Spaceland residency is the talk of the town. Ladies and gentlemen, Local Natives is my ultimate top pick for LA music. If you haven’t heard of them, click on their name above and listen to them now. Better yet, go to their Spaceland show tonight and hear them live for yourself. If you can’t go tonight, then you have one last chance to see this amazing five-piece set next Monday.

Local Natives should be on the pages of every blog, every music publication, and even on TV with the amazing sound they produce. In fact, everyone should take note and constantly cover them like we do here on BeatCrave. Not only have they been featured in our Know Your LA Bands series, but they have also been a BeatCrave Fav. We also have a review of a live show from the Spaceland residency. In fact, after tonight we’ll even have concert photos for you and a review of their EP as well!

The photographer and I were still chilling with our Tecates at El Cid when we heard the band go on stage, but even from afar, I could hear harmony goodness. When we finally got up front and center, it was ridiculous percussion-heavy soulful anthems for every person watching. Melodies like theirs are hard to find and when they’re sung in three-part harmony, and sometimes four-part, the hot sun burning your skin at the festival didn’t even matter anymore.

With a crowd consisting of local friends and fans, Local Natives brought in the largest gathering of the afternoon. Although I had seen them live many times, they continue to unveil new brilliant songs that are worth it every time!

Fool’s Gold

Bands like Fool’s Gold make me smile. My photographer for the day agreed: “These guys are going to be huge!”

Although many people may liken them to Vampire Weekend for their Afro-pop sound, Fool’s Gold is much more massive in so many ways. First off, when I counted how many members there were on stage, I got a total of eleven people! There were eleven people of all ages playing all the different instruments you could possibly imagine. Also, they’ve got an unbelievably talented saxophone player and for that thought to come from a person who is not in to saxes for the most part, this is the highest form of flattery.

At times, their set would take on a new age vibe that sounded almost as if it came from a Southeast Asian origin. Whatever I was hearing made me feel like a total hippie, and I loved every minute of it!

Sure; Fool’s Gold has had mentions on Pitchfork, but that’s just Pitchfork. Fool’s Gold is bound to dominate all music scenes everywhere.

Tiny Masters of Today

What a name… what a name. They are tiny but they are not the masters of yesterday nor tomorrow – only today. They are the masters of now – of being in the moment. As I sat in the shade, I was shocked to learn how young this band was! They are completely underage, most likely still in high school (maybe even middle school???), and managed to get an evening spot in the Sunset Junction lineup? Impressive to say the least! I had heard the name tossed around for a while and have only heard great things about this band, but to finally put it together was a complete revelation.

Signed to Mute Records and known for pulling Fred Schneider of the B-52s and Kimya Dawson on stage, these kids are SO ahead in the game it’s unfathomable. Then once I got over how young they sounded, I realized this is what Sonic Youth or Pixes might have sounded like if they had gotten together in high school. (…Um middle school?)

Yeah, there may have been only three chords in all of their songs… Vocalist, Ada, may have also been holding a bass that was bigger than her entire body but with lyrics like “You say yes, I say no/You say stop, I say go/You say up, I say down/You say smile, I say frown/Stickin’ it to The Man, stickin’ it cos I can/Stickin it to The Man, every day,” I’m rooting for them!

Mika Miko

I didn’t ever think I could like an all female punk/noise band more than Vivian Girls, but apparently I was wrong. I frequently listen to Mika Miko, but to see them live in a festival setting was just mind blowing. With four girls on stage and one male drummer, punk attitude was shouted from the stage and it was the epitome of girl power. Their songs are deliciously short, great for punk kids with ADD, and so fun to watch.

Not only did they include a saxophone on a couple a songs (this started to become a trend for the day) but they actually had a red telephone for a mic! I don’t know what else is cooler than wearing a cat-faced t-shirt (labeled “Cattitude”) tucked into skinny jeans and shouting into a red telephone/microphone, but if there is, let me know. (Make sure you check back for the rad photos!)

Of course, with a reputation associated with The Smell and new punk, the teens were bound to go crazy. For the first half of the set, it was just a lot of crazy dancing in place but towards the last half, moshing took place. As a person in front of the stage, I made sure to move to the side and witness this glorious silliness. I like to watch ‘em but not actually participate. Mika Miko, red telephone mic, teen moshing? Congrats to Mika Miko for an awesome set.

The Sonics

The best thing Sunset Junction did this year was book The Sonics and that’s the complete truth. Although the headlining act, Built to Spill, was coming up, I was beginning to think the Tacoma-Washington-based band would hold the the largest crowd of the night. With all ages and fans of every sort, The Sonics played a fantastic set. One young fan even shouted “Turn that fucker up!”among the excitement.

They played everything from “Louie, Louie” to “Psycho” to “The Witch,” and the crowd was just eating it up. Their dirty raw lyrics mixed in with their incredible musicianship on stage was almost too much to handle. After nearly four decades, The Sonics still had it.

Saxophone, keys and harmonicas were put to their best use and it’s no wonder why they are considered to be one of the first punk rock groups to come out from the Pacific Northwest. With girls wanting to climb over the barricade, The Sonics proved they had right to be loved in the music community – for probably as long as they live.

Built to Spill

Apparently the emcee had to go home early because Built To Spill didn’t have an introduction. What started out as a sound check eventually turned into one of the most mellow introductory tunes of any set. Of course, Built to Spill fanatics probably didn’t think they needed one. Everyone was there to see them as the headlining act and perhaps no words would be able to describe their anticipation.

After their first song, the band let us know that they too, got, one of the million FYF flyers out there. In a monotone voice, they announced “FYF Fest. September 5th. Save our state parks.” This was followed by a confused expression as if they had no idea what the hell FYF Fest was. (Perhaps it’s because they added that unnecessary letter to the name!)

The members of Built to Spill didn’t talk much. They all seemed like quiet souls but their music spoke volumes. With vocalist, Dough Martsch, the band played a gorgeous rocking set, and nobody in the audience seemed to be disappointed with this year’s line up.

Sunset Junction 2009 Day 2: Check.

See photo galleries of every band at Sunset Junction!

Photo by Darren Kim