It’s a School Night with Voxhaul Broadcast and Robotanists at Bardot

LA natives Voxhaul Broadcast stole the show Monday night at Bardot with their incredibly abundant energy and engrossing sound. Delivering an infectious set that was saturated with powerful and passionate vocals layered over psychedelic guitars. David Dennis (lead vox/guitar) possesses amazing range and sounds like Jeff Buckley reincarnate with a dash of Hamilton Leithauser from The Walkmen. Pouring every ounce of their hearts into each and every song.



The band is as tight as a sailor’s knot with a very charming stage presence while they engaged with the audience in banter. Almost every person in the place was on their feet and bouncing around. Voxhaul Broadcast is comparative to the old school 70’s progressive jam bands with a definite surf rock vibe. It’s clear that they are influenced by the music of The Doors and The Beach Boys. A layer of soul floats on top of Voxhaul Broadcast like whipped cream on a sundae.

The Robotanists closed the set out with a more melodic style reminiscent of Radiohead with a female singer. A little electro pop synth mixed in underneath lead vocals of the sun kissed bleached blonde Sara E. Deblanke. Drawing the audience in like kittens to a saucer of milk. The mike stand covered with a strand of sparkling star shaped Christmas lights that danced to the beat of every song.



At Bardot it feels almost like the band is playing a private show in your living room. Crimson walls surround the lush vintage style couches and armchairs scattered throughout. As soon as you make your way up the staircase to the club that sits atop Avalon, you are transcended to another place in time. Chris Douridas (kcrw), MFG, and Valida present School Night every Monday at Bardot and it’s free if you RSVP at www.itsaschoolnight.com.

The best thing that I’ve personally experienced from New Jersey since Birch Beer – Steel Train!

New Jersey indie rockers Steel Train released their third album today on their new independent label Terrible Thrills, coupled with Terrible Thrills, Vol. 1 featuring covers of all 12 tracks on the album by female vocalists including Tegan and Sara, Amanda Palmer, and Scarlett Johansson.



In a heartfelt blog on the bands website (www.steeltrain.net) singer Jack Antonoff (vocals/guitar/piano/drums) tells the story of where the band started and how they got to this eponymous release today. Jack met Daniel Silbert (guitar/backing vocals) and Evan Winiker (bass/backing vocals) at a private Jewish school when they were 10 years old and dreamt of being in a band. It wasn’t until years later that they got back together and hooked up with Jon Schriffman (drums/percussion) and Justin Huey (vocals/piano/wurlitzer) to form Steel Train.

The overall spirit of Steel Train is clearly influenced by early Beatles and Elvis Costello. They seems to take the best bits of modern sound from bands like Vampire Weekend and MGMT and mix in their own secret sauce to create and exhilarating resonance. Although Steel Train has more of a pop sound their lyrics are jolting and passionate, reminiscent of Radiohead.

The song S.O.G. Burning in Hell creates a waterfall of harmony that pours over you creating the most rejuvenating outlook and inner motivation. The chanted repeating lyric “And I pick up the pieces and run…” particularly makes me feel like I could start over again no matter where I am in life.



Song writing skills are abundant in this bunch of jersey boys. Perfectly illustrated in the song You and I Undercover with the lyric “so if you’re gonna leave, you cut the cords to those you know will love you back.” Slowly building on a lightly playing piano to lead and then breaking into an epic rumble that drives right in to your heart like cupid’s arrow.

Discovering Steel Train today felt like coming upon a lemonade stand on a blazing hot summer day, a pleasant surprise and unbelievably refreshing in so much of today’s stale music climate. Their DIY attitude and newly formed independent label embody the devotion that these East Coast boys have to their music. Having formed the label precisely to preserve the integrity of the album they released today. You can listen to it on their website for free and if you like it, you should buy it.