West Hollywood, California (March 8, 2010) - I hate to be selfish, but I love that you can still see a great show, on the Sunset Strip, and get away cheaper than a movie. Every musician who is true, keeps playing. Maybe they make it, or maybe they make a very few people really happy once in awhile. 
Strange Familiar Photo by Walter Tabayoyong. WeHo News. |
That means it’s not much of a stab in the dark to just step in on a show at random, and love it; and you don’t really have to stay out until 1 am to do it. A lot of very talented people are struggling to build a living here, so even the early shows or showcases will give you your ten bucks worth, most of the time.
I never know which night I might have free, so it was just luck that I had a few hours Thursday evening, February 18. I looked around at some club rosters for that night, and I ran across The Strange Familiar, who were playing the Viper Room.
I was going to be in the neighborhood early, and it was perfect for me that they were playing at 8. There was a sizeable lineup outside, as the Viper had just opened, but it didn’t take long for them to start filtering in.
The Viper room main stage has just enough room in it to have a sizeable crowd, if not too big, and still feel like a neighborhood bar. For an early show, it was a more industry type crowd, and right away I thought I might be in for a cool night.
I suppose every band starting out looks for that precipice where it’s not about dragging your friends to every show, and you’ve got some attention.
Strange Familiar Photo by Walter Tabayoyong. WeHo News. |
The Strange Familiar have a bit of a hold on you as the curtain goes up, with melodies and instrumentals that belie their quartet. Visually stunning in their college-poster looks and styles, they only get part way with that ‘marketability’ before you realize how engaging the arrangements, and vocals are.
Kira Layden softly powered out the first few lyrics, and right then I knew I was going to hang around. It was clear I was hearing someone who’d been at it for a while, and knew what they were doing.
There’s wonderful opportunity now for a band to augment their sound onstage with software, but there’s a temptation to just add instruments and effects.
I thought The Strange Familiar added a letterbox frame to what was already very good: they added arrangements and production that didn’t overwhelm, and gave the sound a stadium quality without trying too hard.
Yes that means the songs can match the record more easily, but these guys are jamming without it.
Strange Familiar Photo by Walter Tabayoyong. WeHo News. |
Songwriting will out any attempts to get away with a floor show, and I was definitely humming “Courage Is.”
I come from a small-town, AM-radio boyhood, and Kira, with her pop, yet rock vocals seems to have started out on my car radio, and ended up as a living video.
“Courage Is” is definitely a catchy melody, but the song had more insight in the lyrics to make it more an anthem. “…let me be what’s underneath. Courage is when you’re afraid, but you keep on movin’ anyway.” It has a lot of very pop elements, but, so what? You believe it.
“Gravity” is one of the songs where the subtleties of the production were really nice. Kira harmonizes with her own vocals, and I loved how it blended. “You and I were meant to be. It’s more than love to me; this is gravity.”
Strange Familiar Photo by Walter Tabayoyong. WeHo News. |
I heard more than one song that I remembered, and Jeff Andrea pulled your glaze to the frets more than once with guitars. Kira played keys, with Frank Freeman on bass to Nicholas Sainato’s drums.
“Still Have Time” shook it up a bit with a real bend toward the electronic, and that will prove to be a good side of The Strange Familiar if they let it, I think.
The ensemble was just enough to give you a taste of what a real road show would be like, and these guys will sell tickets.
On my way out I got to talk to Kira. She laughed a bit thanked her friends. You get a sense from her that through all the things success might bring them, they’d rather do business on a handshake.
Check out their songs on MySpace (/TheStrangeFamiliar) and watch your listings: take a chance on your Strip.
Sean Patrick is a blogger, musician and WeHo News’ Sunset Strip reporter. Catch his blog at www.SeanPatrick.us.
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