Gangi Wrap Up Residency at Spaceland

It was great to have the day off on Monday, May 25, 2009, so I was primed for the Gangi show at Spaceland that night. Also wanted to prepare myself for a week in which I could go out every night, there's so many good shows.

As soon as I got off the bus and began heading up Silver Lake Blvd. Scott Schultz caught up to me and he's brimming with good news, the basics of which I revealed in my last column. I'm so excited for him and for the city of Los Angeles.

I saw Lyle Nesse, half of Gangi, as I was going into the club and congratulated him on the residency. He told me last week's installment had been a highlight. I'm sorry I missed it. I asked what's next for Gangi, and he said he and Matt will be hibernating for a little while to finish up their next album.

Local Natives are a local band that play poppy indie pop, avoiding the saccharine by really strong playing and clever songwriting. (Pictured above in a photo by Benjamin Hoste) They also go for four-part harmonies, similar to Fleet Foxes, which they achieve quite readily. I was impressed enough to pick up their EP, which features a good sample of their range and includes their beautifully sung cover of "Warning Sign" by Talking Heads, which they performed to perfection in concert.

Gangi literally blew Spaceland off earth with their set. Going back to the original arrangements of "Ground", "Subject Positions " and a rousing rendition of "Animals" that had Matt Gangi leaping around on the counter tops, they sounded great and powerful. Then they launched into an astounding version of the new song, "Gun Show" and it's concussive beat which ultimately blew the sound out. It cut their set down to five songs, but each was delivered with such precision and passion, everyone in the very large crowd was impressed.

I waited around a little while, but it began to look like the sound was gone for the evening, so everyone politely cheered the band one more time and I made for the exit. I hope the Gangi boys aren't too disappointed, and on the last night of their residency, because what they gave us was pure gold. Above, the guys are seen hibernating and working on their next album (I suppose) in a shot by Sarah Forbes Keough.

whrabbit