CUTTY FLAM
The show got off to a high energy start with the San Fernando Valley rockabilly band, Cutty Flam. The band is self-proclaimed "Prom Punk" and describe themselves as the "Rock n' Roll sound track to a 1950's B-Movie starring Ritchie Valens opposite Betty Page and directed by Quentin Tarantino." The band played their half-hour set which included tracks from their recently released recording "Robot Heart."
SUMMER TWINS
We are huge fans of this band, having just caught a show at
Alex's bar in Long Beach a few weeks prior. We were really excited to see them
live, again, blending flawless harmonies
into their sweet, dream pop style. The Riverside based band mixed songs from their debut album, EP and threw in a few excellent new songs for good measure. We caught a cool surprise on video toward the end of the evening in the Constellation room. The Brown sisters took the stage with Vicky and the Vengents and played a cover of "Baby That's Me" from the 1960's band, The Cake.
MYSTIC BRAVES
Mystic Braves are a quintet of psychedelic retro rockers based in Echo Park, Los Angeles. They played a half-hour set of 1960's inspired sounds with big harmonies, jangly guitars and a garage rock sensibility.
NICK WATERHOUSE
Nick Waterhouse's performance was easily one of the highlights of tonight's show. He took the stage looking a little like Buddy Holly and seamlessly mixed blue-eyed soul with 1950's guitar rock. He is an excellent musician, songwriter and vocalist on his own, but what makes his live show even more spectacular is the collection of top notch musicians that he surrounds himself with. At one point in the evening the Huntington Beach native mentioned that early in his career he would have been happy to play in front of 50 people. He went on to say that he could have never imagined playing in front of the packed house that was there to witness this show tonight.
The act that everyone was waiting for, including the bands on this night's roster, was the incomparable and legendary Ronnie Spector of the famed 1960's, Doo-Wop trio, The Ronettes. The exhilarating 45 minute set included highlights such as Ray Charles' "What'd I Say," a dedication to Joey Ramone, "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory," "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love" and the crowd favorite, "Be My Little Baby."
The Colton based band, Vicky and the Vengents, have been receiving heavy airplay from legendary LA Disc Jockey Rodney Bingenheimer on his KROQ radio show. Vicky and The Vengents describe themselves as a "Psychedelic Maltshop Punk/Pop/ Rock n' Roll group" which is a perfect description of the band's sound. They are fronted by the powerhouse vocals of Vicky Tafoya and the punk rock guitar of Matt Beld. The band played a a 12 song set which included their new single "Sha Na" out now on Groovers Records. The band also played an amazing cover of "Baby That's Me" by the band The Cake. Sisters Chelsea and Justine Brown of Summer Twins joined them on stage for the song. Click on the link below to view this performance.
KING KHAN & THE SHRINES
One of the last acts to take the main stage wound the crowd up instead of down. King Khan is a James Brown style stage spectacle. Adorned with large Vegas-style head dresses and capes, the fun never ends with the party getting started on stage and infecting the crowd. The audience went into a frenzy, stage diving and crowd surfing to show their enthusiasm. King Khan one-upped the crowd stripping down to his skivvies.
THEE OH SEES
The evening closed out with a loud and furious bang when the San Francisco band Thee Oh Sees took the stage. The sonic power of the band seemed to channel an early Nirvana. The crowd was going absolutely nuts during their set and moved up and down as one huge mass that was collectively in sync with the band.
