Radars to the Sky, One Trick Pony, Rademacher, The Hectors: Concert Review and Photos

BeatCrave presented a show with our friends over at I Promote Good Bands on Friday night at The Echoplex with Radars to the Sky as headliners and The Hectors, Rademacher, and One Trick Pony for an awesome lineup. As some of the bands in Los Angeles who have been making music for years, the night was filled with some fantastic sets and guest appearances. For those of you who missed out because of rain or Broken Bells, we’ve got a quick re-cap on the night and a great live photo gallery for you below!

Although they filled in last minute for Mississippi Man, The Hectors joined their friends in the lineup with quite ease and as an opener. With Corinne Dinner on vocals, it’s hard not to notice how different this band is from others who have a female as a lead singer. Dinner always manages to be more of a female version of Stephen Malkmus and Liz Phair combined than a tragic Gwen Stefani. The Hectors played a solid set making those dueling guitar lines a signature sound of theirs as they also premiered some new songs off of their upcoming album.

Next up was well-respected local band, Rademacher, who never fails to play an amazing set. It’s not a surprise when one can compare a local band to a band with such prestige as Talking Heads. Conversational tones among jagged guitar licks and tricky bass lines filled the room. Forget the fact that The Echoplex is dangerously spacious for a “small venue” on the east side. Even with a recent lineup change, it’s obvious these guys are not phased much by change, because apparently, change can be a very good thing. With Malcom Sosa as lead vocalist now, it’s nice to see how Radmacher has experimented with their sound.

Radars to the Sky, another beloved local band, took their place on stage not only as headliner but they took it with force and charm. Vocalist, Andrew Spitser, ironically wore a uniform shirt that actually said “Andy” on it as he hopped about on stage and eventually succumbed to the floor’s gravity in passion. Their schedule may have gotten a bit more sparse than usual, but this band’s presence undeniably pulls you in whether you’ve just walked in the venue or come back from the smoking patio. There is almost an intense Morrissey-like sense of regret in Spitser’s vocals and it’s only amplified as guitar riffs spiral and keyboards splash some substance within the crashes of rhythm that is magnificently going on during any one of their songs.

However, the night did not end with Radars to the Sky. As splendid as their set was, One Trick Pony took the stage to close out the show and it was nice change of pace and sound. Although a bit softer and organic in a sense, their set as a last band could have also qualified themselves as a headliner. Swooping melodies within vocals and violin simultaneously offered a classy air among the beats that drive any of their moody folk tunes. Pretty is an amateur’s choice of word when it comes to describing this band because the combination of Williams’ vocals and the powerful up-tempo songs is more than just pretty.

The night was rounded out with special guest appearances from Death To Anders and Walking Sleep (formerly known as Flying Tourbillon Orchestra). Check our photos from the night out below!

Photography by Carl Pocket