Tag: kamikaze palm tree
Love at the Lodge Room: Habibi in Highland Park
Rob Shepyer
March 12, 2022
There was a time in the early 2010’s when the worlds of garage rock and psychedelic indie music were still male dominated arenas. Of the few bands that broke the gender mold in garage rock and made fans want to see more women in the spotlight at these low lit shows, New York’s Habibi is both one of the most important and under-recognized outfits. Combining Iranian romance and cool with lo-fi East Coast indie rock was always a recipe for uniqueness and trendsetting. related content: Dream James: Arooj Aftab at Lodge Room The word Habibi, which means “My Love”, signals warmth and acceptance. Just the vibes their shows emanate, especially this one at the Lodge Room, which showed a chiller, more laid back side to garage rock than many in Los Angeles are accustomed to. Our garage rock is heavy and fuzzy while New York’s is more atmospheric. Habibi’s realness felt like New York, the music had no inclination to rush anywhere and was firmly grounded in the moment. They’re much more The Velvet Underground than The Doors. The Lodge Room was the perfect venue to host this event. Something about the sacred imagery and architecture becomes very beatnik under
Read More
Heavy on the Cool: Dry Cleaning at Teragram Ballroom
Rob Shepyer
November 14, 2021
Raybans, iced coffee, and cigarettes high atop Manhattan on a gloomy day spent people watching on a fire escape. A Jim Jarmusch movie plays on mute in the living room while the last Dry Cleaning vinyl, New Long Leg, spins in your bedroom. You jot down lines of poetry that don’t rhyme or make sense but you feel inspired and accomplished behind your shades and thin, unmovable lips. This scene, which I just imagined, plays out in black and white, an experimental piece of imagination meant for celluloid and inspired by the sounds of Dry Cleaning, a band with the New York spirit of No Wave and South London post punk heart. You hear shades of Television, Joy Division, Portishead, Talking Heads, The Modern Lovers, Lydia Lunch, Iggy Pop’s more recent stuff, Sleaford Mods, and Kim Gordon. related content: Chicano Batman Bring A Crumb Home To The Shrine Dry Cleaning is all the rage. Before I committed to covering the show, a friend asked if I was going to see that band everyone likes right now at Teragram. When I asked which band he was referring to, his reply was simply “Dirty Laundry”. When I saw the hype around Dry
Read More