Brandon Welchez of Crocodiles
The
Che Cafe with its Shepard Fairey graffiti facade and its middle of
the woods locale was the perfect venue to hold a gathering of SoCal's
buzzed laden bands:
Pearl Harbor,
Best Coast,
Dum Dum Girls, and
Crocodiles. The cabin-esque feel and small stage makes the Che arguably the best venue in SD to listen to garage-rock sounds and to find
a dozen flannel clad scenesters rocking to the muffled beat.
I was caught off guard by how much I loved Best Coast and Pearl
Harbor's lo-fi infused music. They used pre-recorded drums, and despite
Best Coast's apologies that their newly appointed drummer could not
make the show, both bands sounded amazing.
Dee Dee of Dum Dum Girls
Early technical
difficulties of a faint mic made Dum Dum Girls' words inaudible
for a few songs, but that did not deter the kids (and I mean kids – there were
sprinkles of pre and teenage hipster youth on this rock and roll cake) from bobbing
their heads and buzzing out to the catchy tunes of former
Grand Ole Party drummer/singer Kristin Gundred aka Dee Dee. It should be mentioned the band recently signed with the legendary indie label
Sub Pop. Congrats!
As for the only full male band of the night (I dig that ratio) the Crocodiles truly brought the heat. Turning their set red as the crowd raged, forming a mosh pit filled with sweaty Gen Ys.
The internet and blogs are right to be abuzz, these SD bands got pop,
melody, and some crackle.
Thanks to Brady Pacleb for the rad pix!