Lovejar

Lovejar is a funky rock 'n' roll trio out of Corona, Calif. Their most recent disc is a nine-track album with almost as much soul as it has swagger.

Lovejar performed at a night of music called "The Experiment" at the downtown Long Beach bar, The Cellar, on Sept. 1.

The album, entitled "Are You Listening?" is a mash of many styles and genres, rendered through the mature instrumentation of brothers David Paul and Mikey Mike and their drummer, Pharaoh Merchant.

The first track is a potential single and sing-a-long called "You're The One." The song has the driving tempo of bands like The Mooney Suzuki and the sneering girl-loving tone of "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" by Jet.

There are also a couple ballads on the album that sound much bigger and more mature than the young trio appears. David's soulful vocals and very polished guitar technique shine on songs like "Why Don't You" and, "Why, Why, Why?"

When his vocals and guitar solos hit just right, David escalates the band to level on par with southwestern power blues band, Los Lonely Boys.

The band also dabbles in Reggae, as it is almost obligated for a Southern California-based band. The song ,"All of This is All I Need" is a light shuffle rhythm much like two-tone bands The English Beat or The Specials, who were famous for popularizing this sound in the late '80s.

"Were We Paid?" is a song that hearkens to The Pixies and sticks in your head. The simple vocal melody is a welcome comfort in a song filled with waves of subtly changing rhythm and time.

The best things that the album has to offer, however, are the funky and upbeat tracks, "The Way I Feel About You" and "What You Want." The tight-string work of the two brothers combined with David's honest songwriting channel "Tower of Power" from their funk hey-day.

In "What You Want" a lyrical maturity is demonstrated when David says that a man pulls a knife on him and demands his money or his life to which Paul responds, "I got no job, no car, no house, no beautiful wife and I sure ain't got no money, so mister, you sure don't want my life."



For more information on Lovejar, visit their website at Lovejar.net. - TheDaily49er

Every Wednesday night at The Cellar in downtown Long Beach, a woman named Ms. Kiwi performs experiments on the public. Ms. Kiwi is the emcee for The Long Beach Experiment, which is a combination of live music, art, spoken word and everything in-between.

Last Wednesday, The Experiment featured two live bands, a DJ and an art show by eight visual artists of mixed media.

The beats for the background were provided by local DJ, The Dope Show, who spun funky, old school R&B and underground hip-hop, as well as some alternative to blend in with the genres of the other performers.

Ms. Kiwi started the night off with a sad poem, which she wrote herself and rarely shares at The Experiment. After her melancholy poem, the upbeat and rambunctious trio, Lovejar, took the stage.

Lovejar, comprised of drummer Pharoah Merchant, and brothers David Paul and Mikey Mike, rocked all the way through their album "Are You Listening?"

From charging and heavy blues to a funky stomp and reggae feel, the band stayed energetic even with a very small crowd. David's voice had a bluesy maturity beyond his years and added much credibility to the music that the fresh-faced brothers performed.

After a brief intermission with more tunes by The Dope Show, as well as more poetry by Ms. Kiwi, five-piece coed hipster-folk band, The Clouds, took the stage.

Before the stage however, The Clouds took to the cube shaped leather seating in the center of The Cellar and performed a very intimate acoustic song about La Llorona.

The song perfectly showcased the Regina Spektor-esque voice of lead female vocalist, keyboard player, and flautist Catrina Downing.

Guitarist Jose Serna and drummer Alvaro Rodriguez accompanied Downing on acoustic guitar and accordion, respectively.

The Clouds' set was a wash of sounds. With two female keyboardists who sang in chorus and also incorporated flavors of melodica, flute, xylophone, and hand clapping, the band sounded almost as ethereal as their moist mascot at times.

The art on display ranged from large paintings on canvas to leather work and pen and ink drawings.

Curator K. Howell has been showcasing art in The Cellar since March 2009 and shows some of her own work at the experiment.

If anybody wants to get involved with The Experiment, Howell said, "They should go on Facebook and join the group ‘Los Angeles Emerging Artists' because that's who I tell first when I have a show that needs artists."

The Cellar is located at 201 E. Broadway, with parking available right across the promenade. - The Daily 49er