haunted building. buildings are like ten times as big as houses. so i predict its going to be ten times as haunted
Saturday Oct 10th
Wizard Wolves
Magick Orchids
Michael Nhat
Urrea
Grandpire
Halloween Swim Team
Werewolf Haunted Building Party
5419 Cleon Ave
Los Angeles, CA 91601
free drinks all night
Here’s LA Record’s review of Saturday’s show at Werewolf Gallery / 4300 Loft. Halloween Swim Team, Michael Nhat, Magick Orchids and Grandpire played. Very good times:
Werewolf Art Exhibit is a traveling gallery that showcases the art and performances of some of the most exciting up and coming artists and bands in L.A. Tonight’s edition brought an impressive turnout to the 4300 Loft in Baldwin Hills. It was nice to see an event like this go off so well outside the stronghold of the downtown loft party scene, miraculously leaving much of the downtown snobbery behind.
First up was Grandpire, an instrumental trio whose intricate guitar work and jerky morphing rhythms reminded me of early Battles mixed with the face-searing guitar work of Spencer Heim from Hella. Their excellent musicianship, tight interplay between instruments, and creative leads were refreshing in the face of so many new bands that seem to skip learning to play before starting a band.
Halloween Swim Team took the stage next, and from the very start of their set the trio made the gallery setting their own, creating an impressive atmosphere with their vintage synths and melodies that instantly rope you in. Their confident presence and well crafted songs gave them the air of a band performing at one of L.A.’s large theaters. I would describe their sound as somewhat similar to experimental synthpop, although not entirely unclassifiable, it would be hard to describe with a list of less than ten bands, though some touchstones that immediately come to mind are Air, Can and Suicide. In my mind HST are easily one of the best new bands in L.A. Their recordings are great, but their live show adds a rawness and intensity to their extremely unique sound that sets them apart from all other comers.
Michael Nhat’s setup was extremely modest, bringing only a CD player and some notes with him on stage. His unassuming and mellow demeanor made it almost shocking when he tore loose on the mic. Reading his lyrics off of sheets torn from a legal pad, Mr. Nhat ripped through a brief but exciting set of party jams. The cleaver lyricist got the crowd going with his Jay-Z-with-a-library-card rhymes, and heavy electronic beats that at times reminded me of a hip hop Ariel Pink. He impressively recontextualized a sample of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Black Tongue,” making better use of the phrase than its creators.
Closing out the night were Magick Orchids, who gave a great performance that walked a fine line between experimental noise and sound collage. The band played with chaos and control, building immersive soundscapes that could be simultaneously beautiful and disorienting. Their use of saxophone and processed sounds to create an unusual fantasy environment made them the perfect closer for the surprisingly great Werewolf party. Here’s hoping they return to the 4300 Loft for another round of art and music again soon.
—Michael Cameron