Al Harper, How???, Oceanography

Wed., 4/17

Al Harper, How???, Oceanography

8pm, $12 adv., $15 door, 21+

Al Harper

Like an heirloom Central Valley bush sunflower, native to Al’s hometown of Bakersfield, California, the seeds of A.O.L. were cultivated over many mighty seasons of heat, movement, and seeking the sun. The formative influence of the twang and heart of the Bakersfield Sound, mashed up with the as-seen-on-TV Sounds Of The ‘70s tapes her dad bought to blast on coastal road trips, is an Al Harper calling card that bobs and weaves throughout her songbook. With seriously siren vocals that defy comparison, honeyed with a Chrissie Hynde-meets-Harumi hum all her own, A.O.L. plays like the culmination of what Al promised to further nurture in herself after the release of her pandemic LP, Promises I Kept.

https://alharper.bandcamp.com/album/the-analemma-observation-league

How???

"How???" is the new project by Alex Tebeleff (Gold.fix) and Matt Dowling (Swoll). The production duo emerged following work on the last album from longtime DIY touring stalwarts Paperhaus, moving their homebase to Los Angeles. Built on two core principles—strong songcraft and utilizing the studio as an instrument from the outset — the Americana Electronica sound that came out of the process is both refreshing and familiar. Their self-titled debut album is set to release on April 19th via Misra Records. 

In live performances, they may appear as a two-piece with electronics or expand to a ten-piece ensemble with horns. Echoing songwriting legends like Bob Dylan and more recent spiritual contemporaries Animal Collective, How??? allows the songs to evolve and grow over time in a live context. By blending diverse influences from country (Townes Van Zandt) to art rock (Roxy Music) to hip hop (Kendrick Lamar), How??? shows how music serves as a transcendent universal language that unites rather than confines us to everyday categories of community and culture.

https://www.instagram.com/notnothow/

https://www.facebook.com/notnothowmusic

https://www.tiktok.com/@notnothow3

Oceanography

http://oceanographymusic.com