Burger Records is well-beloved as an all-caps champion of garage rock and countless other genre-defying rock weirdos in Southern California and beyond. Besides the annual Burger Boogaloo in Oakland, Burger has ties to the Bay Area in the form of some great one-off shows. This Friday, the Brick & Mortar Music Hall boasts a sweet Burger-studded lineup, with the Abigails headlining and some fellow Burger bands supporting.
The folks at Burger are always the best at genre monikers for the bands they support. For example, they’ve called this LA-based 5 piece “Honkey Tonk Lee Hazelwood” and “Rugged Satanic Outlaw Country.” Sweet, accurate, and to the point! The Abigails put out their second record Tundra on Burger in late 2014 and have been playing handfuls of shows since. They too match the caps lock enthusiasm of their label, and their music (like the track “Twenty Nine” below) is all deep croons and peculiar twangy guitar licks.
This Burger band hails from Portland, OR — but they still embody that certain California garage rock aesthetic, and they consider LA as their adoptive home. The band is comprised of White Fang bandmates and childhood friends Rikky Gage and Kyle Handley, who also run brother label to Burger, Gnar Tapes. Similar to The Abigails, their fourth record Hot Afternoon was released on Burger in late 2014. And strangely enough, they have a Bay Area connection too: this album was produced by Sonny Smith of Sonny and the Sunsets and was tracked in San Rafael. Simply enough, their music is timeless and lovely jangle rock to the core.
The Pesos are somewhat elusive within the scene, or at least on the web, but still a beloved part of the Burger Records extended family. They’ve played at a few festivals like Burger-A-Go-Go and Burger’s 2014 NYE Party, but here is a great chance to finally see them on their own. Their record Carpet Dope was put out at the end of 2014 on Long Live Death Records. Like their lineup-mates, they stay true to their musical heroes. In this case, they play a sweet modern spin on retro garage rock and power pop jams that’s absolutely lovable.
The Abigails, The Memories, The Pesos
Brick & Mortar Music Hall
January 22, 2016
8pm, $12-15 (18+)
