(click image to see more photos of The Sads at agnes b.)
On Friday April 11th, L.A.’s agnes b. boutique in brought together Brent Stewart’s photography from the set of writer/director Harmony Korine’s (Kids, Gummo) upcoming cinematic love story Mister Lonely, as well as the musical stylings of The Sads.
I don’t usually find myself perusing the high class fare and all too expensive goods (to me at least) of Robertson Blvd., but the night’s opening reception was an exception. On the walls amidst the chic couture you could find production photos from Harmony’s film. Some were big prints of the film’s stars, some were small snapshots of candid moments, and some were even just photocopies. The photos were nice to look at as I tried to avoid glancing at price tags, but the real buzzing excitement came from the anticipated performance by The Sads.
Almost as out of place as the bowls of Lay’s Sea Salt and Vinegar potato chips and accompanying bowl of cherry tomatoes (actually a great combo), The Sads were set up to perform right in front of one of the large store front windows giving passer byers a glimpse into a cross section of high fashion and low-fi musical creations. Aska Matsumiya (also of the Moonrats) first took the “stage” and began singing while on the keyboard, she was soon joined by guitarist/Moog/modular synth player David Scott Stone as they performed the first song of the evening. At the completion of the first song, the duo soon turned into a quartet as drummer Dan Monick and guitarist/vocalist Aaron Rose picked up their instruments and headed right into their next song, “Pas Deux”.
I’ve heard all The Sads’ songs to date, and as you may have guessed, they come from a place where sadness may dwell. But seeing them perform live and feeling the energy the band was exuding actually made me feel the opposite, quite happy. The sound was great for a clothing store; the beats were heavy, the vocals were heard, the band was tight, and the children were really into it. And when I say children I don’t mean that as a euphemism for the adult audience, I mean the children who were not even 7 years old who were performing interpretive dances when they weren’t banging along with the accompanying beats with whatever they could get their little hands on.
The Sads performed a mesmerizing set that I honestly can’t say I was fully prepared for. A set of musical economy with massive feeling that made me forget I was standing next to a rack of $7000 jeans.
Check out more of The Sads at www.thesads.com
Check out Harmony Korine’s film Mister Lonely at www.misterlonely.co.uk
*There actually were no $7000 jeans. At least to my knowledge.
