The Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park was vibrating on a Tuesday night, sending gentle guitar sounds and spirited melodies into pink skies. Having to go to work the next morning did not deter the crowd, nor my friend Sam and I, from a free concert by LA LOM and Thee Sacred Souls, two West Coast bands that delivered soul-infused beats all night long.
One of my mottos is, “If it’s free, it’s for me,” so the opportunity of a concert that did not require an entrance fee was my draw to the bandshell. This event and the whole summer lineup are presented by BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, an organization that sponsors events, classes, and community resources for artists, students, and creators.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! hired Saidah Blount as its new executive director for the 2024 season, bringing a fresh face to the artist curation process. Blount and her team will help expand BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! into the digital and multimedia space, developing the storied 46-year history of live performances at the Bandshell.
Los Angeles League of Musicians (LA LOM) opened the night with a captivating sunset-into-nighttime performance. The band is an instrumental group that Spotify describes as inspired by the “laid-back, soulful sound that defines Los Angeles.” Guitarist Zac Sokolow, bassist Jake Faulkner, and percussionist Nicholas Baker are all LA natives, so they know a thing or two about Southern California.
One of the songs I enjoyed listening to live is “Santee Alley,” which begins with distorted guitar strums that soon attract a percussion section and a walking bassline. The three dance together for a few moments before the melody comes in on the rhythm guitar and repeats in different octaves throughout the song, making it something listeners can easily move to.
The romantic allure and charm of classic Mexican Boleros and Cumbina Sonidera music inspires LA LOM music. As two genres commonly described as overly danceable, the crowd at the bandshell reflected that. Groups of all ages swayed to the rhythm, clapping and chanting, moving and grooving.
Towards the end of the set, two women who represented the band passed out postcards to advertise the release of their first full album. Bearing the band’s full name, the album is set to release on August 9 with 13 new tracks. Six of those have been released, and they all carry similar energy and affection but with new twists. LA LOM was not a band that I had heard before, but it is a band I will be listening to again.
LA LOM is currently on tour in the US, stopping in cities from El Paso to Pittsburgh. The European leg of the tour, which includes stops in the Netherlands, France, and England is set to begin on November 2nd.
After the performance, we scoured the concert grounds for some much-needed food and drinks. We found a nice patch of grass to sit on to pass the time between performances, and shortly after, Thee Sacred Souls took the stage.
If you know Thee Sacred Souls, you probably know “Can I Call You Rose?” a soulful ballad that produces all the charm of an old-time love song. The warm, retro vibe is established from the start, with high trumpets and slow drums lining the intro. Once Josh Lane opens it up on lead vocals, Viane Escobar and Astyn Turrentine greet him with sweet backup vocals that guide the rest of the track.
Can I call you Rose?
‘Cause you’re sweet like a flower in bloom
Can I call you Rose?
‘Cause your fragrance takes over the room, darling
The group’s on-stage performance was just as vibrant and cheerful as their record, and the crowd hummed and cheered gleefully together in a way that is sometimes inaccessible in New York.
The Sacred Souls have been touring North America and Europe since 2022, playing dozens of headlining shows. On their website, the band says that touring transformed them “from young musicians to a tight-knit, stress-tested band who knew each other like family.” The tour resulted in the band’s second album, Got A Story to Tell, set to be released on October 6.
The lead single and opening song from the album “Lucid Girl,” released June 18, is the band’s tribute to a tradition of pop and R&B ballads that “champion independent women.” The track started as an instrumental that drummer Alex Garcia wrote one Christmas morning “during a moment of quiet heartache and solitude.” After leaving the studio that morning, Lane thought of the term “lucid girl” and knew it would work with the track Garcia had put down.
“A good instrumental tells a story on its own,” says Lane, and what Garcia laid down that Christmas hit him instantly. “It was heavy, with some of the toughest drums and bass of anything the band had recorded, and Garcia’s title conjured the image of a woman who wouldn’t be held down.”
Like someone in a lucid dream, this woman did what she wanted, how she wanted.
There was a girl who fell for two
Herself, and then this man she knew
He said you have to choose
A love for me or you
She chose herself and then she grew
The entire album is imbued with characters and stories, and “Lucid Girl” sets the stage for what comes after.
You can catch Thee Sacred Souls at the Soundside Music Festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on September 28 or back in Brooklyn at the Paramount on November 8. They’ll also be in Europe during the beginning of August, and back doing US shows through mid-November. Not a band to miss!
PHOTO: Katie Cerulle
