L.A. Witch
The world may not have asked for an alt-country goth-pop band, but female trio L.A. Witch is all about defying expectations. Sounding for all the world like San Diego’s own Dinettes as if produced by Meatloaf’s sound architect Jim Steinman, the West Coast trio is definitely a product of their L.A. environs, albeit as that city existed around 50 years ago, in the days of Phil Spector and the Doors. Not that there’s any Manson or Vampira style Hollywood witchery going on. Their name isn’t meant to evoke the supernatural so much as riotous West Coast girls in charge of how they look and sound.
Their self-titled debut album was just released on Suicide Squeeze Records, but many of the songs have already been heard as singles released over the past several years. Particularly evocative of their overall leather-clad sound is the opening track, “Kill My Baby Tonight,” a fuzzy power rocker with teeth that would be beyond the capabilities of drifty ’luded-out acts they’re too often compared with, like Mazzy Star and Portishead, none of whom could crunch a riff if you deep fried it in oil first. Their impending show at the Casbah on December 22 is just the latest date in what’s been around two years of constant touring, though this will be the first leg where attendees will be able to pick up their CD at the merch booth, as well as a pink vinyl variant pressed in a limited run of 1500 copies (each of which includes a download card for a digital version).