Photos by David Thornton.
Long Beach-based band Fathers & Suns are the cool breeze that wafts into your apartment on a summer afternoon, rustling the drapes a bit as you float in and out of a glorious nap. Imagine if the Faces had transplanted to Laurel Canyon, hired Antonio Carlos Jobim to play guitar, and asked Brian Eno to produce and you get an idea for the sounds this band makes. Rough and reedy vocals are held aloft on a sea of sugary sounds that make you feel like you’re sailing over the ocean, and everything is held fast by a togetherness between musicians that is rare.
I caught the band live on two occasions in the past few months, the first at Fingerprints (where I work); the second at The Prospector. Although I was working during the first show and thus was distracted, I was struck right away by how tight these musicians are and by the specific style of the sound.
In particular, acoustic guitar is featured on every song and it does well to give a sense of lift to the heavier rock songs in the set. Also, lead vocals are shared between Arturo Bandini and Jesus Lara, which lends variety to the songs as well as providing ample opportunity for some very sweet harmonies. All of this rides smoothly on the bed provided by the interlocking Luis Renteria on drums and Jay Penev on bass.
At The Prospector I could focus more on the performance of the band and give the songs the attention they deserve. They started out with “Being the Rooster,” a very dynamic piece that starts with a lilting acoustic guitar, building into a funky groove with appregiated electric guitar sprinkled on top, before dropping into a half-time breakdown that builds into the sweet spot bridge section: roo ka koo ka koo-learn to fly away; doodle doodle do sing your heart today is sung in close harmony with such an endearing and naive charm that you could actually believe this is the pining of a rooster trapped in a coop.
Another highlight is the ska flavored “Me No Like No” that sounds like a cross between The Talking Heads’ “Flowers” and the Beatles’ “Obladiblada” with the lead guitar line from the Clash’s version of “Pressure Drop” thrown in for good measure. It works and is quite bubbly and dance-worthy. Speaking of dancing, Father’s & Suns seem to have already developed a good sized following, as both shows were packed with people grooving to the music.
Fathers & Suns straddle the world of rural folk perpetuated by contemporary bands such as Deer Tick, Dawes, or Middle brother with one foot in the California waters of acts such as Donovan Frankenriter, Matt Costa and Jack Johnson. I expect to see them on a bill with some of these bands someday soon, but for now catch them in your local Long Beach dive while you can. Father & Suns are definietly a band worthy of your attention.
Fathers & Suns plays Wednesday January 9 at Portfolio (2300 E. 4th St.) and Friday January 11 at Viento y Agua (4007 E. 4th St.). Buy Father’s & Suns new album, Mama Provides, at fathersandsuns.com.
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