by Brad Roberts
We got to say goodbye to The Parson Red Heads in three stages over the last couple of weeks. First there was the farewell show scheduled for Friday night, September 17th at Spaceland, then, suddenly, there was going to be another, a final farewell show, at The Echo four days later on Tuesday, September 21st.
By the time I saw The Parson Red Heads for the first time on December 4. 2006 at The Echo, they were already well established as a local band, having moved here from Oregon in 2005, and I was immediately drawn to their avant-hippy, indie-folk music. They took over the stage with a wild and celebratory set, dressed in their white clothes they reminded me of The Polyphonic Spree, but without the undercurrent of vague religious cultism that permeates the Spree.
Plus I found their music so reminiscent of '60's folk rock, but without a hint of condescension or pretension, that I just naturally gravitated toward it. During my growing and ever-accelerating interest in the local music scene, they kept popping up on stages at shows I was attending until, by the time of this first farewell show, I'd seen them 17 times.
Spaceland can get a bit of a gawker, suburban date crowd on a Friday night, so I was pleasantly surprised to walk in and see nothing of the kind. It was filled with the band's friends and family. I was also surprised to see The World Record finishing up a set, as Red Yellow Sparks had been listed as the opening band on the schedule. Apparently the bands switched places so the Tuesday Echo show could be the "red" show: The Parson Red Heads (photo by Jeff Koga on right), Red Cortez and Red Yellow Sparks. Pretty clever, except that I was late and missed a band I love to see.
Le Switch played a very persuasive set and I am now an unabashed fan. Happy they're playing an upcoming Radio Free Silver Lake event in November. The crowd was filled with bands, bloggers and friends and when The Parson Red Heads took the stage as a nine-piece, we knew this would be a special set. And it was, as band members past and present, crowded the stage.
Playing what amounted to a greatest hits set, they showed us why we love them. Each song was perfectly rendered and brought a pang of nostalgia to our hearts, remembering how often we've heard them. The mood was celebratory, the crowd ecstatic and the lingering feeling was one of... at least there's another show to go.
The mood at The Echo on Tuesday the 21st was more subdued. Where everyone had been in a party mood at Spaceland, here, there was a sense of a final farewell. Although word had gotten out that they would be appearing at a gallery opening on Friday night, September 24, showcasing the work of three L.A. music photographers, this was their last club date in town and by the time The Parsons went on, there was a full house and the exuberance level raised considerably.
Opener, Red Yellow Sparks, played an unexpectedly involving set. I didn't really know the band but It was difficult to engage anyone in conversation as the music commanded your attention. Red Cortez delivered a typically electrifying set of their soulful and raucous rock, beautifully. And between bands, out on the patio, Judson and Mary played a couple of sets of astonishing acoustic duets. Under any circumstance, they get the full attention of their audience.
The Parson Red Heads were a band of 11 this time and the sound was gigantic. Again we were surrounded by their friends and music compatriots who all seem as unwilling to let them go as I am. They were careening from song to song and around 12:30, after and hour and a half, I had to go. Local legend has them playing till 1:30AM, but I had a show the next night and had to get some sleep.
So on Friday I went over to the Ballard's Artwork Framing and Gallery (Aaron Ballard, at right, of both The Parson Red Heads and The World Record, runs this homey little gallery on Sunset Boulevard in Silver Lake) where there was an opening for the group photography show featuring the work of Sterling Andrews, Laurie Scavo and Jeff Koga. Ferraby Lionheart led off the musical entertainment with a quiet set of his distinctive folk music as a crowd squeezed comfortably into the narrow shop admiring the three unique styles of the represented photographic artists.
A hush fell over the crowd as The Parson Red Heads began their acoustic set and I mean it when I say it was one of the sweetest sets I've ever seen them play. Aaron began as lead singer on the first two numbers, the second of which was a stunningly beautiful new song, which he wrote. I had moved over to the door when they began and ended up standing among the band as they played, which was, in itself, an extraordinary experience. Evan playing guitar directly in front of me, Ferraby Lionheart standing beside me offering some gentle percussion, seeing both Brett Marie and Erin's eyes brimmed with tears as they offered sweet harmony, Sam's chiming guitar and mellow vocals, it was all very moving.
And the songs sounded so beautiful, it was the perfect way to see them for the twentieth time, and to say goodbye. I will miss running into Evan and Brett Marie at, oh so many shows, as fellow audience members. They see a lot of shows! And Sam, who I ran into many times on the bus toward Silver Lake, as he was getting off work at Amoeba and I was on my way to a show, where we would talk music, music, music the whole way. I would feel far more sad about their move to Portland if I didn't know, in my heart, that we will be seeing a lot of them in the future.
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