Los Angeles has one of those vibrant music scenes where people can start jamming together, magic is felt instantly and all of a sudden you have a new band. That’s what brought together locals Johnny Zambetti and Ben Rothbard, the duo who formed The Palms.
The band had their first headline show at the Troubadour on Tuesday night in front of an enthusiastic crowd, and it’s easy to see how this is a band that can go pretty far. Rothbard’s vocals at their deepest call to mind Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant, and his falsetto reminds me of Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos.
“Push Off” is the song that launched them all the way to No. 1 on HypeMachine’s Most Popular Track list and their newest offerings suggest it won’t be the last time. Their show was accompanied by some fun visuals that matched their psychedelic but alt-rock-radio ready brand of tunes. The duo also tours as a four-piece.
The band had a solid group of supporters singing along to every word, including new tracks from their latest offering, the mixtape-branded Mulholland Dr. “Levitate” was a personal favorite. The song “Don’t Waste My Time” is also a nice fast-tempo lyrical storm in the vein of many of Cage the Elephant’s massive hits.
The band also played their cover of Lana del Rey’s “Love” for the first time, giving an interesting and unique take on the alt-pop classic. Give their interpretation a listen below! And keep a lookout for more local dates from them as a band, you’ll want to catch them on the way up.
Photos by Jacqui Gaball
