Just Like Vinyl
The Cat Club
January 19th 2011
The El Rey Theater in Los Angeles is an approximately 700 person capacity venue. The Gibson Amphitheater across town can hold upwards of 6,000 concert attendees. Thomas Erak formerly of Seattle stalwarts Fall of Troy has graced both of these stages and many other across the country playing to capacity crowds opening for heavy-hitters like Deftones, Coheed and Cambria, Poison the Well, Rx Bandits, and many others, not to mention their own headlining tours often sold out mid-size venues during their heyday. Tonight as he returns to Hollywood with his new band Just Like Vinyl following the breakup of the band he started in high school the atmosphere is decidedly different. The Cat Club sits on The Sunset Strip sandwiched between The Whiskey and The Roxy, two decaying relics of LA’s hedonistic rock and roll past. I’m admittedly a bit dyslexic and bad with numbers, but there couldn’t have been more than 100 or so people in attendance for tonight’s gig, their second in Los Angeles.
Also of note; this time there is no record label. Their merchandise selection consists of three items; Simple two-color T-shirts featuring the band’s logo and their self-released and produced new album on either cd or, you guessed it, vinyl. Thomas is unabashedly optimistic about all of this as he sips a Jagermeister and cranberry (a.k.a. red-headed slut) at The Rainbow before taking the stage. “Not having a trailer on our van is honestly the best thing ever!” he exclaims as we observe other bands loading into the nearby venues struggling with the air-tight parking situation. The conversation ranges from pop-culture (shake weights, Sammy Hager’s Cabo Wabo tequila, Black Swan) to reminiscences of old friends and tours past. Filling out the line-up of his newest endeavor are Jake Carden on guitar and vocals, Henry Batts on bass and backing vocals, and Jay Beaman on drums. Thomas and Jake proceed to soak up the atmosphere as more and more friends arrive to join the pre-show festivities. In these surroundings I can’t help but think back to the first time we met some five years ago while Fall of Troy were touring behind their seminal second album Doppelganger. He was a mere 21 years of age and already recognized by the music press as an incredibly innovative guitarist and song-writer playing to hundreds of adoring fans every night and winning over countless new ones in the process. Their confessional third album Manipulator found the group exploring a broader musical landscape while maintaining their baser strengths. Following the departure of founding member Tim Ward the group soldiered on with The Phantom on the Horizon e.p. and what would turn out to be their fourth, and final, full-length In the Unlikely Event…
Back inside The Cat Club its Hollywood butt-rock business as usual as the tribal-tattoo sporting and dread locked crowd take in the sound of regurgitated hard-rock riffs and faux anxiety. As luck would have it, the show is running late and the band is pressed for time. Just as I’m thinking to myself “wow, times sure have changed.” the band takes the stage and bursts into their first blistering number. It becomes immediately clear to me that the more things change, the more they can stay the same; all of the strengths of his former group are present in spirit yet Just Like Vinyl eschew the chaotic post-hardcore thrash tendencies of Fall of Troy in favor of a more restrained and structured attack. The blistering fret-work that put Thomas’ name on the top of so many aspiring guitarists’ favorite players lists is still omnipresent yet with Jake Carden on second guitar and vocals filling out the sound and providing a counter-balance to Thomas’ unrestrained assault the dizzying finger picking no longer muscles out the rhythm section. If anything Just Like Vinyl’s sound is fuller, warmer, and more accessible. The band attracted a small but dedicated group consisting of friends and die-hard fans, all of whom seemed well aware that seeing them so early in their career and at such a small establishment is the stuff of potential legend, a real “I was there moment”. As the band powers through “Death of the Sheep”, perhaps their best known number thus far, the crowd coalesces around the stage, singing what words they know at the top of their lungs while dancing and throwing their hands in the air. The exact number of songs performed escapes me due to the fact that I was completely immersed in their performance yet everyone who witnessed this show can all agree on one thing; their set was way too short.
Though it was disappointing that they didn’t have more time that evening I see it as a great preview of what’s to come from these guys. As for me, witnessing a short performance like last night’s guaranteed that I will be in attendance at their next gig, front and center. Do yourself a favor, if this is the first you are reading about these guys get their record and go see them on this tour, they return to LA (and the stage of the El Rey) in March with Dance Gavin Dance. Go see them now, in a small and intimate place. You’ll thank me when you’re able to say “I was there” a few years from now.
Just Like Vinyl and The Memorials (ex-The Mars Volta) Freedom Tour 2011
Jan 20 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
Jan 22 Phoenix, AZ @ Warehouse 201
Jan 24 Austin, TX @ The Parish
Jan 25 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s
Jan 28 Atlanta, GA @ The 5 Spot
Jan 29 Nashville, TN @ Tba
Jan 30 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
Feb 01 Philadelphia, PA @ The Grape Room
Feb 02 New York, NY @ Sob’s
Feb 03 Boston, MA @ The Church
Feb 04 Hamden, CT @ The Space
Feb 07 Baltimore, MD @ The Sonar
Feb 08 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Feb 09 Columbus, OH @ Skully’s
Feb 10 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vollrath
Feb 12 Minneapolis, MN @ 400 Bar
Feb 14 Milwaukee, WI @ Mad Planet
Feb 15 Madison, WI @ The Frequency
Feb 17 Chicago, IL @ Martyr’s
Feb 18 St. Louis, MO @ Cicero’s
Feb 19 Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
Feb 21 Wichita, KS @ Rock Island Live
Feb 23 Denver, CO @ The Marquis
Feb 24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
Feb 26 Boise, ID @ Visual Arts Collective
Mar 01 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Mar 02 Portland, OR @ Someday Lounge
Dance Gavin Dance, Iwrestledabearonce, In Fear and Faith, Just Like Vinyl U.S. Tour:
Mar 10 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
Mar 11 San Diego, CA @ Soma
Mar 12 Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues
Mar 14 Lubbock, TX @ Cactus Courtyard
Mar 15 McAllen, TX @ Never Say Never Fest
Mar 16 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Mar 17 Austin, TX @ Red 7 at SXSW Artery Party
Mar 18 Austin, TX @ SXSW Artery Showcase
Mar 19 Dallas, TX @ South By So What
Mar 20 Tulsa, OK @ ACM at UCO
Mar 22 Louisville, KY @ Headliners
Mar 23 Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar BarMar
Mar 24 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
Mar 25 Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar 26 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Mar 27 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
Mar 29 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Mar 30 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
Apr 01 Chicago, IL @ The Metro
Apr 02 Minneapolis, MN @ Station 4
Apr 03 Omaha, NE @ Sokol
Apr 04 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
Apr 05 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Sound
Apr 07 Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory
Apr 08 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
Apr 09 Oakland, CA @ Metro Operahouse
Just Like Vinyl Online:
Official Web Site
Myspace
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