Tuesday, May 12, 1998
Village Voices
MUSIC: Local bands take to the streets, playing back-up for the
Westwood Village Film Festival
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Contributor
On Thursday night, as Westwood residents strolled about the
Village, browsing the shops and grabbing a bite to eat, musicians
began to set the stage for the night’s festivities. Vans rolled up,
cables rolled out and "roadies" put the amps in place. Westwood
Village came alive with the sound of instruments tuning up.
"Where do we plug in? If I move the car, I think can I play in
the street," Mike Taklender, drummer for Caboose, wondered
aloud.
UCLA Campus Events enlisted Caboose, a local blues-rock trio,
along with four other bands, to provide live entertainment for the
Westwood Village Film Festival. Each band stationed itself in front
of the Mann theaters showing classic films, playing on average
hour-long sets with mostly original material.
At the Mann Westwood fourplex, screening a variety of films,
including John Ford’s "The Grapes of Wrath," and the more
contemporary student favorite, "Pulp Fiction," Collective Harmony
prepared to provide classic jazz tunes.
One block away at the Bruin theater, Scenario 34’s large
ensemble set up, ready to crank out hard-driving R&B funk and
get customers in the mood for some "Saturday Night Fever."
At the other end of the Village, at the Festival theater,
Caboose’s high-octane tunes promised to give ticket holders for
"Taxi Driver" a way to pass the time as they waited for doors to
open.
And up the street at the Plaza, the alternative rock band
Retracide had the duty of providing ’50s covers featured in "Rebel
Without A Cause."
Retracide’s Dave Nunez, with his guitar’s volume turned down
low, spontaneously broke into a lazy strumming of the Troggs’ "Wild
Thing," his quiet vocals punctuated with chuckles as his bandmates
arranged themselves around him. Drummer Joe Picarella joined in,
tapping his snare in time with the relaxed rhythm, using only his
palms for drumsticks. As crowds began to form at all the various
theaters, the bands neared readiness.
Back at the Regent, the site of the Clark Gable classic, "It
Happened One Night," patrons heard no music. A black Ford Probe,
loaded full of music paraphernalia, sat at the curb and three
casually dressed students stood, arms crossed and leaning against a
planter. These students made up The Last Band, an all-UCLA group
acclaimed for their performance the previous week at Spring Sing. A
minor scheduling snag put their set-up plans on hold, so all they
could do was wait for things to straighten out.
Formed only one month ago, The Last Band do not have the look of
a pre-packaged, highly orchestrated act.
"We’re just three talented, good looking gentlemen who got
together and wrote a song," said guitarist Jason Miller with a wry
smile.
In fact, The Last Band is so loosely put together, the song in
question doesn’t even have a name. After playing this one number,
they planned to improvise the rest of the evening. The evening had
potential to end early for the trio, which also features Danny
Thorp on bass guitar and Barrett Yeretsian on drums.
With the gear finally set up and the details all set, Thorp,
also an upright bassist for the UCLA Orchestra, began to thump away
on his bass in a hip-shaking funk riff. After a few bars, Yeretsian
unhesitatingly joined in, playing his drum set with authority,
crashing the cymbals and pumping the bass drum at full speed. A few
rays of the slowly setting sun sneaked their way over a building
roof, glinting off the shining silver trim of the black kit, its
drums pitted with hard use.
Miller, fiddling with his guitar, watched his fellow musicians
for a little while before lighting into a ’70s-inspired rhythm
guitar that could have been lifted straight from an Isaac Hayes
song. The light-gold Fender Stratocaster seeming like a child’s toy
in his capable hands, Miller worked his way through the song,
splitting time between well-grooved rhythms and smooth leads. The
result: a slick upbeat blues tune that not only drew the crowd in,
but made them move, too.
"They’re loud, but nice," said Christine MacNaughton, waiting in
line for the movie.
The Last Band worked their way through their signature number
with ease. Thorp provided solid groundwork, and Yeretsian used
nearly every drum in his set, making for a diverse and pleasing
beat. Once finished with the only song they had in their
repertoire, the group seemed to temporarily hit a stumbling block.
After conferring with the others for a minute, Miller turned and
strode back to his amp. Placing a tennis shoe on the black wah-wah
pedal, he began a slow, well-calculated rock, strumming muffled
strings and then laying out a Hendrix-esque lead figure. As the
band picked up behind him, it became clear that improvising their
way through the night would not be a problem.
When the playing stopped around 7 o’clock, both the group and
its listeners seemed satisfied. They stowed their gear, film
viewers proceeded inside and the gig was officially over. With a
whole two performances under their belt, The Last Band kept things
in perspective.
"This has definitely been our best show ever," Miller
laughed.
Though The Last Band was definitely the highlight of the
evening’s entertainment, they were not the only game in town.
Caboose’s blues garnered positive reviews over at the Festival.
"I like the singer, he’s got personality," Eva Solorio gushed,
referring to singer-guitarist-harp player Steven Martini’s growling
vocals.
Retracide’s set ended early, with their loud sounds earning a
few complaints from local residents. The band’s manager guessed
that they were "too much for the old people."
On a different note, Collective Harmony’s jazz tunes entertained
at the Mann Westwood. Their location was less than ideal, being
nearly crowded into the street by passers-by. This did not faze
drummer Solar Saleh, whose set was nearly run into by a woman
walking past.
Saleh, without losing the rhythm of the cover of Thelonious
Monk’s classic "Straight No Chaser," set down a stick, picked up
his hi-hat cymbal, moving it out of foot traffic and continued
playing while moving through the air. On-the-go play aside,
Collective Harmony also exhibited strong musical ability.
Overall response to the event seemed to be positive. Apart from
Retracide’s early exit, the evening’s concerts succeeded,
entertaining concertgoers and providing the bands with a good
opportunity to showcase their talents. The bands themselves
appeared satisfied, especially Scenario 34, who continued their
’70s scene even after patrons had already entered the theater.
Photos by MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
(Top right) Danny Thorpe, bass player for The Last Band,
performs outside of the Mann Regent during the Westwood Village
Classic Film Festival. (Above) Barett Yeretsian drums for The Last
Band. (Top left) Mike Babcock of Scenario 34 performs at the Mann
Bruin.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Barett Yeretsian drums for The Last Band.
MICHAEL ROSS WACHT/Daily Bruin
Mike Babcock of Scenario 34 performs at the Mann Bruin.