LOS ANGELES

Historical Monument 157:



After meeting up with Onyx's mama for some delicious food and a romp at the craft store, we braved the veritable labyrinth of Los Angeles monday-night traffic to our show at Historical Monument 157. Located in a seemingly drab stripmall spangled block near Lincoln Park-- this towering Victorian manor is an immaculate gem that may be visible only to those who already know it exists. Simply put, Historical Monument 157 is a portal into a world constructed entirely of pure magic. The interior is awash with bold colors, ornate friezes, and lush fabrics that maintained a subtle glow in the dim, ambient lamplight. Residents of HM157 were impeccably dressed in an array of finery, and their dispositions echoed their shimmery attire. The plunking, howling sounds of prewar blues, folk, and early jazz effected a timelessness that suited the spirit of the evening's performances perfectly. Outside, an expansive backyard patio (be-speckled in white faerie lights) is lined in glamorous Airstream trailers. Dreamy! I was, obviously, quite taken with this house; this universe-within-a-building-within-a-city.

The evening began with the wedded belly-singing-love-howlers, Homesick Elephant. These sweethearts made the walls vibrate with their ecstatic harmonies and sweet-syrupy-drizzling songs. We played to a full house, and our stomping seemed to make the house shiver. I felt our voices tangle in the center of the room as we sang--jangling up the staircase and calling spirits from the corridors. Continuing on the theme of exorcism-- Feather Beard was a tumultuous, if not climactic, finale to the evening. The patinaed voice told stories in a warm male vibrato that culled the spirits of the underworld from their loamy rest, and gracefully strung together images of macabre fantasy and hilarity. The evening became increasingly absurd,(perhaps this corresponds directly to the intake of "magic water" by the band members) culminating in a bathtub ghost-ballad sing-along which was perhaps the crowning moment of the evening. Abba-Surd!


Thank you, Historical Monument 157!