The Go! Team @ The Echoplex

While most of Southern California was watching TV or listening to the radio about information on the wildfires in the seven-county area, a six-piece group from Brighton was burning down the Echoplex at a sold-out show.

Grand Ole Party, a San Diego trio that I can best describe as a combination of club rock and the voice of a leading Broadway lady. Although it's hard to tell the songs apart sometimes, all three musicians are talented, and lead singer/drummer Kristin has one of the best voices I've ever heard.

Following Grand Ole Party were Bodies of Water, a band which literally overnight has received a better opinion from me. Live, the L.A. 8-piece (although they play with 10 people sometimes) sounded pretty lousy, despite the decent acoustics of the Echoplex (compared to its upstairs counterpart, where it's hard to discern a guitar strumming from a bomb exploding). However, upon listening to the same songs on their myspace, I have to say that they're not all that bad when they're in the studio. I highly suggest them to anyone who may be a fan of Arcade Fire-ish bands.

These two acts still couldn't compare to the performance given by The Go! Team just two hours after the opening act. The band plays just like you'd imagine, as if a cheerleading squad led by Sonic Youth ran onstage, leaping and dancing. If The Go! Team had been in charge of my high school marching band when it came to organizing pep rallies, maybe I'd have a bit more school spirit. But more on the concert.

Despite being the driving force of the band, Ian Parton is probably the most physically reserved of the musicians during the performance except for the meek Ky Fukami who mostly plays drums except for her shy but sweet solo tune toward the middle of the set. Ninja gives the band a necessary edge of attitude and energy and does a great job of rallying the band and the audience into a powerful, can-do frenzy. The members constantly rotate their formations as everyone shares duties on drums, bass, guitar and whatever else is necessary, including keyboards, glockenspiel and harmonica.

One of the best things about watching The Go! Team perform is that there is never a dull moment. There's hardly even a moment to breathe, as Ninja works on ways to warm up the crowd with her eccentric dancing and chant rallying, drawing cheers from even the most reserved members of the audience. The band doesn't let up in their technical ability and, with the help of some quick soundboard work to integrate Parton's ingenious samples, provide a sound that's unique but remains true to the album. The bass combines the soul of the motown and funk roots of the music while being ripped through a guitar pedal rig that would make Kevin Shields blush, giving the band the necessary gritty bottom. Parton, Kaori Tsuchida (who is teaming up with former Minuteman Mike Watt for their awesome project, Funanori) and Sam Dook (Who also trades off with Ian for drumming duties) bring the Sonic Youth-influenced guitars, with noisy, cutting guitar playing with no concern for the physical integrity of the instrument. Before leaving the stage, Ian Parton takes a few moments to provide the audience with random noise from his Jazzmaster before dutifully throwing it into Fukami's drum set, only to return for a two-song encore and more equipment damage, this time at the hands of the entire band. The two drum sets provide the polyrhythmic energy without the Slipknotesque suck, setting up the backbone for the band.

Overall, The Go! Team provided a stellar performance without letting up. The band is playing at this very moment on KCRW, but you can always get the podcast. The band's sounding great, so I'd certainly suggest it to anyone interested.

The band are playing a free in-store at Amoeba Music tonight at 6 PM so if you already missed out at The Glass House and The Echoplex and still want to hear The Go! Team, hurry up and beat the traffic today, it sounds like it's gonna be a good one. For those of you that aren't in Los Angeles, The Go! Team only have a handful of North American performances left before they tour Europe, Japan and Australia. Here's the list:

10/21 6 PM Amoeba Instore (Hollywood)
10/21 8 PM Paradise (Boston)
10/27 8 PM Bowery Ballroom (New York) *SOLD OUT*
10/28 8 PM Studio B (Brooklyn)
10/30 8 PM 9:30 Club (Washington DC)
10/31 8 PM Theatre Of Living Arts (Philadelphia)
11/1 8 PM The Phoenix (Toronto)