Los Angeles was alive and well Thursday night at The Echo to celebrate the vinyl release of LA/SF-based band, The Soft White Sixties’ new bilingual single “Brick by Brick/Piedra a Piedra.” The KROQ locals and Spaceland presentation featured a lively line-up to the likes of Veronica Bianqui and NY locals, Guards, to set the mood.
Vintage-psych vibes eloquently brought attendees out from the dark corners of The Echo as Veronica Bianqui opened. Playfully absorbing her energy on stage, each track flowed from one to another, noting the beautiful harmonizing from Bianqui’s backup singers to crunchy guitar chords. Taking moments to graciously thank the crowd with her PBR in hand, as well as LA’s own Lauren Ruth Ward — who was caught dancing in the crowd — Bianqui’s genuine appeal and melodic vocals were needed for the night.
New York’s Guards followed suit of Bianqui and brought a moody-wave of feels through explosive layers of indie-rock, slightly leaning towards the power pop realm on some tracks. The ensemble disclosed this was their first performance in some time yet didn’t display any amount of hesitation once intertwined within their own music. “We let an algorithm decide our playlist”, joked Richie James Follin as the band prepared to play their next song that seemed to be “popular” on Spotify.
Finally, The Soft White Sixties came on stage with an insane amount of slated vitality. Octavio Genera, Aaron Eisenberg, Joey Bustos, Ryan Noble, and Rob Fidel approached the stage with a confident, welcoming excitement. Doused with floor lamps on stage and “soft white six” bulbs to match, the band began without hesitation and dove into “The Sky Isn’t Falling.”
Frontman Genera flourished on stage and carried an alluring presence that kept you wanting more. Gliding across stage through the melodic soundscape, Genera’s momentum was never on a low, constantly swinging his microphone and pouring shots of energetic bliss into the crowd.
Collectively as a band, each member was mesmerizing on stage and added their unique dosage to the overall performance. By the time “Brick by Brick” came into play, Genera spoke of their partnership with Central American Resource Center (CARECEN-LA)– a local organization that provides immigrant integration programs and immigration legal services — donating a portion of show and vinyl sales to this organization and thanking everyone who helped. Melting Spanish towards the end of the track, TSWS became conductors on stage, having all under their light.
Versatility was key to their set, slowing it down by “Tell Me It’s Over” that fittingly had Genera sporting a road-worn Fender Strat. Despite the track’s slight opening lull, the emotive hurt that flowed within the Western influence, became as potent as the band’s usual high paced tracks, exploding with strong verses and breaks.
As they once again thanked the crowd and CARECEN-LA, The Soft White Sixties left a strenuous amount of love that dripped from their spirit and vigor that encapsulated the night.
More photos:
Set list
The Sky Isn’t Falling
Sorry to Say
Follow Me
The Overpasss
Brick by Brick
City Lights
Tell Me It’s Over
Don’t Lie to Me
QOTPC
SF
No1 Like U BB
Miss Beverly
Read the Original article here on Girl Underground Music