From sounds echoing Pavement and The Clash to ones emerging from a cappella harmonies, the Hammer Museum’s final “Also I Like to Rock” concert will showcase the complementing flavors of modern indie rock.
The concert will feature headliner The Henry Clay People, Lady Danville and 89.9 KCRW DJ Chris Douridas.
The Henry Clay People, formed by brothers Joey and Andy Siara, performed at this year’s Coachella and Sasquatch music festivals. The band will perform songs from its first three albums and its EP, “This Is a Desert,” which was released this spring.
According to The Henry Clay People singer, guitarist and songwriter Joey Siara, the band’s indie and punk sound is influenced by bands like The Clash, The Replacements and Tom Petty. He also said that the band refuses to use set lists in its performances and selects songs as they go along.
“It keeps the band on its toes and the audience on their toes,” Siara said. “Why would anyone come back if the show was the same every time?”
Siara also said that in recent years, The Henry Clay People has developed a reputation for changing its musical approach mid-song. When unsure of how to play a requested song, Siara has called audience members onto the stage to sing the rest of it.
“We’d get 45 seconds through a song and give up and say, “˜Hey you, why don’t you come sing it?'” Siara said.
Although Siara said the band’s performance style is flexible, members maintain an overarching philosophy behind shows. According to Siara, the only difference between the audience and the band is that the band carries instruments.
“Most audiences see us … as a bunch of … regular, boring, nerdy guys. I think because of that the audience … is more likely to be active and talk and be bratty and fun,” Siara said.
KCRW DJ and former musical director Douridas will play songs before, between and after the live sets.
According to Douridas, he will put on a variation of his Saturday afternoon show, which plays music that receives little attention elsewhere.
“KCRW’s audience has such a hunger and thirst for the new,” Douridas said. “I’m excited to see who will come.”
Because he receives more than 20 albums a day, Douridas said he will be playing songs that he has never heard before. And, like The Henry Clay People, he does not adhere to set lists.
“I like a balance of classic, older, offbeat and … brand new (music),” Douridas said. “It’s like the search for the perfect wave. It’s a continually elusive proposition.”
Indie-pop group Lady Danville, who recently toured with Dashboard Confessional and Jack’s Mannequin, will open the show.
The band formed in 2007 after members Michael Garner, Dan Chang and Matt Frankel met each other at a tryout for UCLA’s Awaken A Cappella.
According to Kevin Bronson, creator of Buzz Bands LA and curator of the July concert series, The Henry Clay People and Lady Danville’s differing styles will complement one another.
“You’d think it’s like mixing oil and water,” Bronson said. “(But) both bands have a very collegiate intelligence about them.”
According to Bronson, the first two nights of the series have each had a total turnstile count of more than 1,500 people.
“There have been times in the past where there’s a line three blocks long to get into the museum because people want to see the band, and it’s a free show (with) a great vibe,” Bronson said.