Liquid Kitty is known for many things- Punk Rock BBQs, $4 Pabst Blue Ribbon, and their neon “martini and cigarette” sign that draws folks to an otherwise nondescript section of Pico Blvd. But on Sunday night September the 2nd, they’ll be known for hosting one of the grooviest (as in “great groove” as well as “happening”) bands in the LA area.
The New Corvairs‘ musical melange has its roots everywhere from lowdown blues to British Invasion to second-line New Orleans beat, and an eclectic sound similar to the glory days of Warner Brothers records circa the early 70s.
The musicians have an impeccable pedigree- guitarist Ira Ingber (younger brother of Elliot Ingber, original member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention and The Fraternity of Man of “Don’t Bogart Me” fame, a.k.a. Winged Eel Fingerling in Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band) has played with Captain Beefheart, Bob Dylan, and Van Dyke Parks; Bay Area guitarist Stevie Gurr has played with Elvin Bishop and Dr. John among many many others, as well as his wonderful acoustic duo Emith. Other band members (Carl Sealove, Scott Babcock and Bobby Crew) have played with the likes of Randy Newman, Brian Wilson and Rita Coolidge.
It’s the music they make that makes them special, however- the intricate musical interplay that’s tight as can be but also rhythmically playful- these are musicians that know how to “play the spaces”- is often punctuated by Ingber’s stinging slide solos and Gurr’s remarkable dynamics that always perfectly time both tension and release. The material includes a fair amount of originals along with their unique taste in covers that could include anything from Randy Newman to old soul to the Meters to Beefheart’s most beautiful song, “My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains” to…well, I haven’t been able to think of anything they don’t do well, let’s put it that way.
Imagine a band with three or four different strong lead singers, the intricate harmonies of a tight pop band, a seemingly endless repertoire and the ferociousness and wild abandon of a good garage band- and then quit just imagining it. Go to Liquid Kitty (11780 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064 310-473-3707) on Sunday night right around 9 p.m. and stick around for a few sets. They play all night.
