There are spirits summoned by blue light, with drum skins, guitar strings, and then wailing voice breaks the motion and all hail Jubilee Singers from Pasadena, California. The psychedelic, hurling through the atmosphere, making contact with the rain soaked patrons of the Echo, it all seemed very unintentional, very communal in a city of wait-for-the-bio-pic-movie persons. But word on the street is that there’s a female chaunteuse in this band – nowhere to be found on that night. Does this subtract from the overall experience? Nay, as the piano keys were still tapped, the harmonies still barely there and all the comparisons rampant – from PandaBear to a sinister, electro Tom Petty – the future for Jubilee Singer holds much promise.
Music Go Music, or MGM as the kids on the street call them, hark back to the bygone days of the 70s, when sythns answered questions in songs, bass lines worked double overtime and guitarists wore heavy mustaches and so did their guitars. MGM is voiced by Gala Bell, a Valkyrie who wore flare on her suspenders at the Echo show, but managed to cut a swath through the crowd with her swelling high register. There was lightning in the air, in our teeth, Torg on guitar, Alex Lifeson patron soaring with riffs, and Kamer Maza tickling the ivory keys for all to see (Gala and Maza are husband and wife from Bodies of Water, but for the sake of this, lets go with the alter egos.) Maza did band-roll call during the set and you wonder could the crowd get any louder and they did. They danced (not to the point where their pants were danced off, but it was close) and the ultimate test – asking for a drink on stage – was a success as several were couriered from the bar to the stage. If ever the words Music Go Music happen to be displayed in a marquee near your home (and you don’t mind suspender flair) then go, GO, see the time machine in action
It’s a grand spectacle when band members trade off on positions, like a new shift is coming in during a set – this was the case for Wounded Lion. A few moments the band waned, I wondered what’s the point, but they reminded what a simple, yet powerful rock, whine and thump does. Whine in the vocals, thump in everything else. Think Talking Heads and you’ll have already pointed yourself in the right direction. Their self-titled debut is soon to drop, so break out your Detective hats, gumshoes, cause you may have to go searching.
