AMERICAN PANCAKE: Pics: Surf Curse, The Lovely Bad Things, Sad Girl and Jurassic Shark @ The Teragram Ballroom in LA on Jan 2nd.

Surf Curse, The Lovely Bad Things, Sad Girl and Jurassic Shark @ The Teragram Ballroom in L.A. on Jan 2nd.

When I posted up the Poster for this show put on by the guys at Penniback Records / Media several weeks ago I knew it was going to be pretty epic. I mean, how could it not be. The beloved Surf Curse from Reno, Nevada felt more like an LA punk band to me. I mean, I had caught their numerous shows at the Smell and their legions of adoring So Cal fans were definitely amped for this show. The OC's Lovely Bad Things have shared bills with Surf Curse at different venues in the past and definitely on the Smell stage as well. The formerly 4 piece is now 5 with a fuller sound blending punk and 90's post rock and they have been sporting new material as of late. Jurassic Shark out of Monrovia (CA) has also shared the Smell stage with The Lovely Bad Things and their style of punk feels both surfy and almost 90's Brit post rock at times. Sad Girl is the most LA band of the bunch and you can feel it in the brash sock hop punk that feels leather clad and a bit dangerous.

I can't think of 4 bands that fit together so well while being distinct. They share similar fan bases. The punk cross pollination is strong and soooo, yes... it pained me that a die hard California boy was going to miss this show as I was over 2000 miles away. From all the accounts and loving reflections on Social Media, this show was beyond stellar, sold out and is a huge feather in Penniback's cap. The Teragram Ballroom which seems to of been not that well known until the recent Queens of the Stone age and Eagles of Death Metal shows sounds like a great venue. Next time I am in LA I will try to catch a show there.

So as a transplant to the East Coast, eh South etc. I was pretty voraciously looking for clips and pics of this show and luckily found a photographer whose artfully shot pics absolutely kill. Her name is Joanna Bautista (@www.jocaflannel.com) and her passion for capturing moments of pristine indie energy is the real deal. You can see it in the way she frames her shots and captures the interplay, the emotional connection between performers and their audience. Her shots are not static but alive. She has graciously allowed me to post up some pics. Each group of pics will have a link to her site where you can view more of them fully rendered in all their post punk glory.
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Enjoy-
Robb Donker

Surf Curse- more pics here http://www.jocaflannel.com/surfcurse