The Soft White Sixties dropped the new physical release of their single “Brick by Brick” at a headline gig at The Echo on Thursday night, and shared some other new material from an upcoming new record scheduled to be released this year.
They kicked off their set with a really psychedelic sounding track with guitar and keyboard riffs that sounded right out of a Muse song — it was spectacular. It sounds like the five-piece is really broadening their sound even more from the rock and soul vibe they’ve mastered — first in the Bay Area and now since relocating to Los Angeles two years ago.
The crowd at this show was one of the hippest I’ve seen all year — I’d reckon that half the people there looked like they were in a cool band of their own. They played another new psychedelic-sounding song that reflects their roots and their new home — “I still love you, San Francisco, I am now an Angeleno” singer Octavio Genera roars during the chorus. The band still reps the Bay, a San Francisco Giants logo is emblazoned on their drum kit, but they are full-fledged Angelenos now.
Another new song saw Genera go full falsetto for the duration, singing “I can’t believe you’re my girl” — all of this new material has me excited to hear the full record that hopefully will be out by the summer. The band mixed these new songs in with some old favorites, like “Miss Beverly” (my favorite track from their last EP), “Sorry to Say”, and “Don’t Lie to Me” (which you may have heard on an episode of Shameless a few years ago).
The show also benefitted the Central American Resource Center, a local organization that provides immigrant integration programs, immigration legal services, and fosters civic participation and community engagement on immigration policy, education reform, and workers’ rights.
Opening the show were a couple of really strong acts — local favorite singer-songwriter Veronica Bianqui was first up and then three-piece NYC band GUARDS. Both are quality enough names to headline their own shows in LA, but joined a bill that was one of the best top-to-bottom to begin 2018.
Photos by Tim Aarons
Veronica Bianqui photos courtesy of Veronica Bianqui
