Did you ever listen to a new record and want to tell everyone about it? That’s how lot’s of writers get started including this one. Influences can be what people I know exposed me to or maybe a band I stumbled onto that had something to say. Bands from the central coast to the bay are writing new music, evolving and taking us in new directions and sometimes familiar ones. Today I’m taking a look at 3 new local releases.
One familiar place bands take listeners in coastal towns is garage rock and Santa Cruz based the Shoobies do just that with their 4 track demo record that came out earlier this year.
Check out the song Mumbles or Refrigerator to get a sense of their sound. Mumbles is very much in the vein of bands like the Entrance Band or Ty Segall while Refrigerator shows a Rockabilly influence that can sound like Flat Duo Jets. Definitely a band making waves the Shoobies demo also features a pretty solid cover of the Sonic’s Have Love Will Travel.
Santa Cruz based The Shoobies released their first 4 track demo in April of 2017
One thing that’s for sure is there isn’t a shortage of bands playing Garage, Surf and Rockabilly, but guitarist/singer Jacob Ellzey, drummer Evan Hildebrand and bassist Alex Varelijian have carved out their space in the hullabaloo with their release. They will be performing at the Catalyst atrium on Friday, December 1st as openers for SF based Stone Foxes. Check them out!
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Also from Santa Cruz, Loos Leaf is a band formed by Elliot Kay and Lucas Heinel. Taking a nod from deep grooves, their first S/T release shows quite alot of promise. Check out Full Moon Dub for a chance to hear some of their deepest instrumental sound. Utilizing a series of loops this song showcases their big sound with heavy horns filling out the Dub synthesizer piping out keys sounding much like a melodica.
The song Nicaragua is the first single from the record and features the vocals of Samantha Stone and Barbora Buzinskaite. The song Boketto has some hooks similar to some of the pioneers of Neo Soul like the Brand New Heavies.
Weaving a blend of vocal and instrumental songs heavily drenched in jazz, soul, hip hop and fusion Loos Leaf is sure to take you on a journey of some more mellow up tempo jams that can help you better appreciate all of the talent budding from local artists. Loos Leaf have two upcoming gigs at the Crepe Place, on November 15th and December 6th. More chances to see a great new band.
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From Hollister comes a tall songwriter who is a talented musician and a friend. Zack has released several recordings over the past few years and has shown little signs of slowing down as he has performed across the central coast and as far away as Holland.
Freitas’ newest record is entitled Desolation Animals, a title that is loosely connected to the Jack Kerouac book Desolation Angels according to the artist. A record that goes in some new directions, Desolation Angels features songs like Dragonfly, one of the faster songs with Freitas pulling off some of his best vocals on the record.
Zack Freitas at the West End Celebration in Sand City
Two to Tango, like many songs by Freitas sound influenced by the 90’s and while having vocal characteristics of some of the more popular artists of that era like Oasis, his songwriting can at times be a bit more expansive with nods to bands like Teenage Fanclub or The Lemonheads.
Zack also tackles the theme song from Charlie and the Chocolate factory with his cover of Pure imagination. His version is acoustic and fairly straight up.
