Amazing Night: Beach Slang and Lithuania Rock L.A.

The Boys of Beach Slang, L to R: Ed (Bass), JP (Drums),
James (Vocals/Guitar), Ruben (Guitar)

 Last night my girlfriend Teri, our friend Todd and I went to the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles to see the sold-out show of Beach Slang.

The first opener was Brooklyn's Worriers, who play a great set.  Next up was Philadelphia's rock trio Lithuania, who really blew me away.  I bought their new record Hardcore Friends after the show and am now a fan for life.  I highly recommend checking them out.  That record is available now on iTunes.

Then Beach Slang, a four-peice band also from Philly, came out and delighted the packed house for what must have been at least 2 hours.  They told us that they played every song they knew of their own, added in four great covers, and then played two of their most popular songs, "American Girls and French Kisses" and "Punk or Lust" a second time each to close out the incredible show.

It was a special treat for me, because I've known James Alex, the frontman and primary songwriter for the band, for years, dating back to when I was in my old band Victor Bravo, and James was in one of his early former rock outfits Cordova.  From the first time I ever saw him play at the old Knitting Factory in lower Manhattan, I've known what nearly everyone who has ever seen him knows - that he is an extremely gifted and talented songwriter and rock performer, born to be on stage and thrill audiences.  He also happens to be one of the sweetest, nicest and most genuine guys I've ever met.  A pretty incredible combination.

I was so happy that Teri, Todd and I could be there last night to witness such an amazing show.  Beach Slang are officially big, with their most recent record getting rave reviews from SPIN magazine, Stereogum, Pitchfork and Rolling Stone Australia. But it's reasonable to assume that they will continue their incredible journey and get bigger still, and in my opinion they deserve every ounce of success coming their way.

If you haven't heard their music yet, check it out and buy their 2 amazing EP's, Who Would Ever Want Anything So Broken? and Cheap Thrills on a Dead End Street, and their brand-new LP, The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us, all available now on iTunes.  Hear for yourself this band's infectiously catchy rock music and James' raw and magical lyrics.

I hope Beach Slang and Lithuania come back to L.A. again real soon, so I can rock out with them again.  Until then, I'll be blasting their records and singing along.

Share |