4/7/13 El Rey Theater, Los Angeles, CA
The night started off with one man band, Phillip Roebuck. With a drum stapped to his back and chords attached to his boots, he played drums by stomping his feet while playing the bango and singing at the same time. Talk about coordination! I’ve never seen anything like it! Swampy gritty rock n roll soul with some bluegrass too.
Next up were Peter DiStefano and Carl DiStefano. At the beginning of their set, Peter quoted something that Jim Morrison said in 1968 about the future of music melding man and machine. Their set followed that idea and featured Peter on guitar, Carl on drums, vocals on machine and for some of the set, an ethereal beauty that only a woman can bring, Mikayla Taylor’s dancing. Rock n roll virtuoso electro!
Then it was time for the main event! Amidst cyber industrial stage props, Livan and his band enthusiastically took the stage and treated us to new music from their latest album, Beggars & Believers. Between songs, Livan told us that the album was inspired from the poetry of Lord Byron. Smart, dark, interesting industrial rock with a punk feel and a bit of pop the same time. That’s the best way I can describe it! For the encore, Peter Murphy joined the band to perform a few songs! It was a wonderful night of music!
