Low End Theory rumbled their 2nd annual festival on August 8th with their massive subwoofer system. They’ve been rumbling the LA music scene and beyond for the last couple of years. Low End heavyweights and newcomers shared two stages at the Shrine Expo Hall. They shook attendees with their beats and mesmerized them with their visuals.

        Residents were on full display: Daddy Kev, Daedelus, D-Styles, with Nocando mostly handling MC duties. There was also a batch of newcomers and those who’d made a name for themselves: Nosaj Thing, Teebs, Open Mike Eagle, and Flying Lotus of course. They were all on display, contributing their unique flavor of beats and rhymes to the Low End collective pot. Nosaj had a melancholy-like adventurous rhythm to his set while Daedelus followed with an awakening set of booming bass and string compositions accompanied by his animated performance. The energy just flowed from then on, with Gaslamp Killer creating a real-life image of what Charles Manson would look like if he were into dropping body-numbing beats. Thundercat brought a different animal, same beast type of energy with his set, slowing things down for his wild bassed-out jazz. Earl sliced through a set of heavy depression and angst, with the crowd responding properly to the slower tracks. Then the performer we’d all been waiting for, the one who gained a loud “wow” from the audience as soon as the curtain backdrop fell to reveal Lotus’ Performance Cube. Flying Lotus blended content from his You’re Dead! album with Kendrick Lamar tracks and a general collection of spastic, spaced-out sounds complemented by the hypnotic wave of visuals that he seemed to travel through. It was truly a sight to behold, one that wonderfully capped off the night.

        Low End didn’t grow out of already-present money or much established fame, but from persistent dedication and a belief in the sound coming from the Airliner every Wednesday night in L.A. Seeing Nocando and Gaslamp Killer interact between sets, delighted that their dreams were coming true, was a unique experience in itself. Also, seeing the numerous smaller acts that are making a name for themselves within the scene was also a unique experience. Having Open Mike Eagle, Jon Wayne, Milo, Samiam, and countless others make waves here and onto the future is what Low End has always been about. So until next years festival! We’ll see how Low End Theory will continue to shape the musical landscape one Wednesday at a time.

Last Wednesday, the Constellation Room in Santa Ana neared capacity, buzzing in anticipation for the perfect summer show.  Santa Monica based indie pop outfit, Cayucas, appeased, playing their new set of sunny, nostalgic tunes from the recently released Dancing at the Blue Lagoon. 

Seattle based Hibou (pronounced “ee-boo”), Peter Michel’s (previously of Craft Spells) solo project, opened the show with a perfect blend of Captured Tracks-like shoegaze and west coast inspired jangle pop. Any words from Michel were few and awkward, such as describing the song “In The Sun” as a song simply “about being in the sun,” with a confident nod. However, it was the scarce interactions that made the band that much more captivating. Despite the few already dedicated fans in the crowd requesting their favorite tracks, it seemed like many were being introduced to the sounds of Hibou, and loving it! The crowd bopped and swayed, under sunset hues of pink and yellow. The only chatter in between songs too sunny to be from a band whose home is infamous for its rainfall, was of praise. They played several songs, safe to assume, from the self-titled album out September 18 on Barsuk Records, in addition to the entire Dunes EP. By the end of their set, the excitement to see Cayucas was high, but it was also a set that a large proportion of the audience hated to see end.

Cayucas walked onto a tropically lit stage of blue and greens, to the sound of a single chord slammed out on a grand piano, a big movie-like opening, like opening track “Big Winter Jacket.” The band immediately jumped into their dance-worthy single “Moony Eyed Walrus.” The brothers’ previously expressed intentions to create fun evenings were clear as they played “Hella,” down to the recording of crashing waves, joking that the audience should not be confused by the word as its a NorCal thing. After a few more songs from Dancing, the quintet took you back to a poolside long ago playing favorites from their debut release, Bigfoot, under cool blue and sunny yellow lighting. The set slowed down a little as the band played the ballad “Blue Lagoon (Theme Song),” but picked back up as guitarist and bassist, Ben, requested everyone dance to “Dancing at the Blue Lagoon.” Even with the small lull, energy was high from beginning to end as crowd members of all ages (teens to 50s) twisted, cheered, and to the great surprise of the band, hopped on stage to shimmy and shake before trying to surf off into the sea of people. Cayucas brought their set to a close with songs from the second half of Dancing, including the most experimental one on the album, “Backstroke,” that Zach jokingly called their “hip-hop track.” Being only night two of their national tour, the band seemed extremely comfortable playing the new tracks, encouraged by the audience’s positive reception. However, it was the older tracks that stole the show. Having had more time to spend with the songs of Bigfoot, allowed the band to revitalize them into something quite dreamy. Fan favorites like “East Coast Girl,” “High School Lover,” and “Cayucos” remained relatively the same, but “Deep Sea” and “Will ‘The Thrill’” took on a whole new life. These songs were given denser instrumentation and somewhat melancholic nuances, allowing them to be breezier and leaving the audience dazed and swaying. By the end of the set, it was clear that the goal the brothers have expressed in previous interviews: to make an album that was fun in a live-setting, was a success!  The crowd responded through movement and shouts of approval much more than at previous Cayucas shows I have attended.

Though Hibou utilizes much more reverb and has more noticeable pop elements than Cayucas, the pairing was as sweet as Coca-Cola and ice cream, dripping with nostalgia, in the summertime. If you want to experience such sweetness for yourself, Cayucas is set to play their homecoming show August 14 at the El Rey Theatre in LA, with Hibou.

To hear more about Cayucas and Dancing at the Blue Lagoon, tune into go by the sun, Monday, July 27 between 3 and 5pm for an interview with Zach Yudin.