Ozma/Earlimart/Slowreader

live in Los Angeles (2003)

jonathan

By 7:30, the slow-moving line of hipster-emo kids was snaking down the sidewalk on Wilshire Blvd in the heart of the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles, the Saturday evening traffic mockingly flowing by steadily to the left. Each person was subjected to a pocket search and thoroughly frisked before being allowed into the historical El Rey Theater, but still, the tinge of pre-show buzz and excitement was in the air, and no one I saw complained much.

Slowreader actually took the stage while I was outside waiting for the El Rey staff to locate someone from that band to clear up a slight guest list issue (your Punknews writer wasn't on it), but unfortunately no one from the band or Fueled by Ramen was to be found, so I went ahead and paid to get inside.

The El Rey Theater is a historical landmark in Los Angeles, a once glamorous movie palace now transformed into a live music venue. Chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and the former theater aisles provide a nice halo around the sunken dance-floor area. I made it inside to catch the beginning of Slowreader's second song, and Rory Phillips and Gabe Hascall seemed situated onstage. This was my first time seeing Slowreader play, and admittedly, as an Impossibles fan, it was rather odd to see the Rory and Gabe relaxed with acoustic guitars playing melancholy music more akin to Elliot Smith than the raspy dynamic rock of their former band.

The crowd responded accordingly. They were stiff and mostly still. A few kids were nodding along, but there was no motion on the floor. I do not yet own a copy of Slowreader's debut album, not out of vengeance or spite–I'll take a new direction over no Gabe and Rory at all. I just prefer the Impossibles-type rock over the chilled-out acoustic sound, but the Slowreader set included a good number of the tracks from their album. Gabe serenaded the stagnant crowd with a startlingly smooth live voice while Rory was delegated mostly to just guitar work. For a few songs, like "Sweetest Suffering" (recognized this one), Gabe migrated over to the keyboard on the right side of the stage, creating some diversity in the sound, but opening a weird triangular gap. For me, and for what seemed like everybody else in the room, the highlight was the closer, "So This Is It." Yeah, it was still Slowreader onstage, but this song is Slowreader saying, "We can still rock Impossibles-style." Rory's raspy screams got some of the crowd moving around, and just as that song functions as the last on the album, it was quite a way to close a set.

Slowreader was better than I had expected, and they really piqued my interest in their album (which I will be returning to). Maybe I'm just a sucker for Gabe and Rory's music. Maybe I'm just an old Impossibles fan from Texas. But Slowreader sounded fantastic live. When you think about it…the band is kind of like the Impossibles (at least Return-era) on a lot of weed.

After the set, I had the chance to speak with Rory for a bit, and after I told him I was from Punknews, he completely covered my ticket charge from the Slowreader Merch booth. I was impressed. Rory is a warm and personable guy, completely approachable and just all around cool. We chatted a bit about Slowreader and his experience on the tour.

"It's been great so far. It's been really cool to be out on the road and just play some acoustic guitar and be with friends."

I asked him about Slowreader's different sound as compared to his work in his other bands.

"I don't want to write the same album over and over again. I mean, like, AC/DC has written the same record fifteen times," he said, leaning over to speak into my ear over the crowd noise and Earlimart's setup.

"You want to keep progressing," I said.

"Yeah, exactly."

We talked briefly about his experience in the Stereo and the Impossibles, and how both were meaningful for him. We talked about Austin, his hometown, and he said that this tour had gotten off to a great start there in Texas. He mentioned his new startup band, 20goto10, and how he still wasn't sure how the band would sound or what exactly it was going to be like.

"What about any ska influences on your new stuff? I asked." You basically abandoned that completely when the Impossibles got back together."

Rory brushed his shaggy hair out of his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I mean for me, I kind of stopped playing that stuff when I was 20. I mean it was great when I was younger, but I kinda lost interest."

He went on to say that ska was just too easy and it didn't challenge him musically. He feels he can do more. (For more goodness, you can check out a great full interview with Rory and Gabe from Slowreader done earlier by Scott