If you’ve lived and driven in LA for any considerable time, you’re familiar with the carpool lane interchange between the Southbound 110 and the Westbound 105. If you’re not terrified of heights or earthquakes, it’s one of the best drives in LA — for about a minute, it separates from the rest of the freeway and points drivers straight towards the sky.
It was here that I first heard So Many Wizards. Their song “Fly a Kite” came on KXLU right as I made my ascent, and the song had a lifting quality to match my experience on the road.
Since then, So Many Wizards itself has been ascendent, becoming one of the most treasured bands in town. Their new 7″ is bound to get them even more attention, and it’s being released tomorrow during a show at the Smell featuring the band and guests Michael Nhat, Halloween Swim Team, Heller Keller, and the Lyfe Sux Kill Yrself DJ Squad. You can RSVP on Facebook.
I asked the SMW’s Nima Kazerouni and Erik Felix to share some inspirations with me. Click the link to see what they said…
Surfer Miki Dora
Nima:
Black Tambourines: “For Ex-Lovers Only”
Erik:
This Black Tambourine song pretty much encompasses everything I look for in music — a balance of ugly and pretty sounds. The guitar distortion soars heavily over the entire song, the sweet melodies of Pam Berry sit back coyly with feedback peaking in during the choruses and bridges, and the drums bang hard and sometimes inconsistently. It’s not tightest performance but it doesn’t matter, because it’s sincere and I feel like that is the most important thing when creating.
Moses Campbell: “Drop D Not Bombs”
Erik:
Moses Campbell is one of those bands that reminds me of why I love music, and more specifically, live music. The first time I saw them, I walked into the middle of their set at the Smell with 40+ under 18 year-olds bouncing off the walls and screaming every word. There was a certain spirit that night that is rarely captured. I could tell that the group really meant what they were playing and that the audience really believed in what they were saying. To this day, they’re one of my favorite live bands.
France Gall: “Baby Pop”
Nima:
France Gall is one of my favorite pop singers of all time. Her music and persona is seamlessly so cool and silly all at once. This music video basically sums that all up. The background dancers and singers are so great and awkward and France Gall just does her thing like it’s no big deal.
The Hickey Underworld
Erik:
The Hickey Underworld was this house that was off Magnolia in Long Beach. I didn’t find out about it until about 6 months before the house got shut down. This was during a time in my life when I had moved back into my mom’s house in San Pedro after graduating school and was flat broke. The only things that would cheer me up would be catching a show at Harold’s around the corner or hearing about a show at the Hickey. I tried to make every show that they had after that.
It got me excited for multiple reasons. For one, the place served as a haven for me when I couldn’t afford to drive up the 110 to go to the Smell or Pehrspace. Secondly, it got me really excited about the great things happening in my area, my old High School being a couple bridges away. Coming across these communities of musicians and artists is always inspiring. It makes your realize that there are great things happening everywhere, maybe even a block away from you. I recently found out that my friend Nick was one of the guys that started it.
I was truly bummed when they got evicted; I felt like there was so much more to discover.
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