The Bootleg Theater, what a fitting name. The interior, which resembles an abandoned farmhouse with hipster decor, was once a bra factory. Residing in an uninviting area of Filipinotown, the venue is almost indiscernible from its neighborhood of shabby buildings. So to enter it on a Sunday night and see 30 hipsters watching The One AM Radio perform on the rickety stage was an unexpected twist.
The Los Angeles trio brushed through their quirky, though derivative indie pop with an anemic pulse. If they were thrilled to be at the Bootleg, as singer Hrishikesh Hirway proclaimed several times in between songs, they sure weren’t showing it. After stepping down for the night, the one-man Helios (Keith Kenniff) took stage with his laptop. Nearly 45 minutes later, the ambient musician finally began his set. No doubt that Kenniff is a talented man. His instrumental music speaks in shades no words could ever emulate. More impressively, Kenniff manned a laptop, synthesizer, mixer, guitar and drum set all by himself, proof that all it takes is one determined mind to fill a room with music.
It’s too bad that Kenniff’s music didn’t require more time on acoustic instruments. Ninety percent of his presence relied on building loops through his keyboard and twiddling knobs on his mixer. By the end of the set three fourths of the hipster crowd was sitting Indian-style on the ground like it was story time in preschool. If I learned anything from Kenniff’s set, it’s that some music wasn’t meant for the stage no matter how large the sound is. No one should have to sacrifice their entire night for an experience they can more purely achieve on their iPods.
At a quarter to 11, the baton passed to Lymbyc Systym brothers Jared and Mike Bell. I was pleasantly surprised to see the duo accompanied by violinist Christopher Tignor, as I wasn’t sure how only the two of them would recreate the energetic onslaught from their albums. Jared and Tignor sound-checked some very familiar licks, and I knew the audience was in for a treat.
Without introduction, the band immediately burst into “Ghost Clock,” the hit off their recent album Shutter Release. Tignor’s extravagant and furious violin added the perfect acoustic layer to Jared’s arsenal of synthesizers, an enhancement to Lymbyc Systym’s already stellar sound. “Ghost Clock” was a primo foreshadower of what was to come. While Mike beat the living pulp out of his drum set during fan fave “Love Your Abuser,” synth-slamming Jared could barely confine himself to his bench. Audio-visual contradictions abound, the ferocity of the trio’s energy equaled each epiphanic song’s meandering melody.
For a tour supporting their new album, the brothers opted to fill the night with older material. An avid enthusiast of Love Your Abuser and Field Studies, I was in my glory. “Processed Spirits,” “Notations” and “Narita” were as compelling live as I knew they’d be. The highlight of the evening was surely “Astrology Days” and its confused, offbeat patchwork of chords. Mike demonstrated his xylophone skills in the song’s first half, then got the crowd clapping in unison during the warm-up to the climax. The set clocked in at only 45 minutes, but carried the satisfaction of an entire evening of their music.
The duo said their thanks and exited the stage to sell merchandise and CD’s. The set ended without an encore, a reminder that Lymbyc Systym hasn’t yet transcended small venues. Even so, I felt like I just got out of the Hollywood bowl. Jared and Mike are on to something larger than independent theaters in Filipinotown, and perhaps the next time they visit, they’ll have the privilege to fill a larger room with their unprecedented instrumentals.
by Jory Spadea
