A warm Thursday evening posed as a perfect backdrop for a night of interesting music. This bill was night three in a five night series of performances organized by our dear Devendra Banhart. Hypnorituals and Mesmemusical Miracles Hanging In The Sky was the name of this event and that is what the audience got.
The first band to take the stage was an acoustic act named Mountain Party. They seemed to be a blend of Mojave 3 and the latest Cat Power. Most of the songs were sung in Spanish and the group did have a charm that made you listen. Whenever a band incorporates the use of a pedal or lap steel guitar in their performance, it becomes very difficult for me to turn away.very difficult.
Soon thereafter, Devendra Banhart took the stage with Ryan Donnely to perform a short set of that barely passed above the radar. It really did seem at some points that the performers were just doing their own thing and a bunch of people just happened to be watching them. This proved to be a bit entertaining, but nowhere enough to get a crowd response.
It was at this point that I decided to venture out to get some fresh air and enjoy our semi-desert skies. In my absence a solo hip-hop artist by the name of Subtitle took the stage. My buddy Jacob said he was pretty entertaining. With nothing more than a Mac laptop and his “Skillz”, this visitor was able to get the crowd excited and ready for the main act of the night.
Seeing Mystic Chords of Memory brought back a few memories of seeing Beachwood Sparks perform one of their last LA shows at the Knitting Factory a few years ago. How quickly time flies, luckily some things remain the same. The setup of this act consisted of “Nobody” laying down the beat foundations while the Mystic Chords switched from playing Fender Jaguar guitars to keyboards. To boot, this line-up was joined by one of our favorites, Farmer Dave on keys and steel guitar. The ambience for their set was definitely there. The layers of music went well together and the band appeared to be having a good time. Perhaps the only technical problem, as the band kept pointing out at times, was that the PA system seemed to be loud at times. From the audience perspective, the bass was too loud for most of the set that muffled the songs. Besides that, the crowd really enjoyed how well these two genres of music blended. The electronic aspect with the electric yet folksy approach that the Mystics had was very powerful and was surprisingly catchy. A highlight of the set was the song “Memory”. The beautiful melodies combined with the many instrumental layers formed a very rich song that stayed in your head. Even though this set was not too long, it was very enjoyable and I’m sure the Mystic Chords of Memory added a few more fans to their list.
All in all, this was a very enjoyable night. Amongst good friends, enjoying the warm night air, the ambience of El Cid, and the music made everything fit well and go hand in hand. In hindsight, nights like these always seem to work themselves out perfectly. It’s like first hearing a lap steel guitar talking to you and telling you to relax and enjoy the evening. To let your worries go and enjoy the night.
