Review: Zebulon reverberates with Tremours' Album Release Party set

Tremours celebrated the release of their debut album Fragments at Zebulon last Wednesday night. I first came across the band in early 2022 when they opened up for L.A. Witch at the Lodge Room. I got to cover the night for Buzzbands, which you can read here. I learned later in the night that Tremours' vocalist and guitarist Lauren Andino had joined L.A. Witch on guitar.

TREMOURS at Zebulon

I had a Q&A with the band after the set, which was later posted on my Instagram page. A little over three years have passed since that interview, but I think it is still relevant and fun post so here it is:

Q. What's the story behind how your band started? A. It was an accident.  You know... girl [Andino] meets boy [drummer Glenn Fryatt].  Girl plays guitar, boy plays drums.  We had complete opposite styles of playing, and somehow those layers made sense being together.   

TREMOURS at Zebulon

Q. What’s a dream venue/festival you’d love to play at and what about it intrigues you? A. Dream festival would be Glastonbury because it’s the best in the world, and we want to find the secret piano bar.

Own fun fact. We hope to someday visit Yellowstone National Park in the winter months.  Not necessarily to play a show, but to have a long walk in the snow and sleep in a cabin by a fire afterwards.

I'll have to ask them one day if they ever made it to Yellowstone National Park in the dead of winter.

TREMOURS at Zebulon

Since that date in 2022, I've continued to follow the band and Andino (via L.A. Witch). A specific highlight was in 2023 at  Happy Sundays Long Beach when the two bands played the festival. Andino, of course, doing double duty. That was a fun festival that also included The Paranoyds. 

The band is shoegaze to the core with whammy bar guitar playing, and electronic beats interspersed between bass drum kicks and cymbal taps. The band started the set with two songs from their 2022 Affectations single release and then zeroed in on their Fragments album release. A light show was provided by Bill Gazer. The visuals splashed across the white screen in the back of the stage and bled to the walls on either side, giving the set a touch of a psychedelic feel. Andino's vocals topped off the music with a dreamy feel. Those vocals drifted towards the Twin Peaks Roadhouse bar band in songs such as "Landing In Rome." Since I am a numbers guy, I had to notice that the band played songs 2 through 7 from the album. 

High Tatras at Zebulon

High Tatras opened up the night. Since I recently saw A Complete Unknown, I practically think that every band sounds like Bob Dylan (okay, an over-exaggeration). There is a side character in that movie named Johnny Cash. Lead singer Nic Abodeely vocals find inspiration in those years explored in the movie. 

Interesting fun fact about the next two singers that were on the bill: Izzy Outerspace and Lauren Lakis. I first came across both at Harvard & Stone. For a split second there, I thought I also first came across High Tatras at Harvard & Stone, but it was Silverlake Lounge instead. I crossed paths with Lauren Lakis in 2018 and she's been a favorite of mine ever since. You can read my review of her A Fiesta and a Hell album release party for US Rocker here. She has a shoegaze-punk rock genre mix going. And what is more punk rock than breaking your guitar pick during a set and make a call out into the audience for a replacement? 

Lauren Lakis at Zebulon

I crossed paths with Isabelle Baumgartner who releases music as Izzy Outerspace in 2023. Technically, I first saw her set at The Goldfish. Here's the story about The Goldfish night. I was attempting to jump from The Moroccan Lounge to The Goldfish. I actually did want to catch Izzy Outerspace. I started off at The Moroccan Lounge to cover Taleen Kali's record release for Buzzbands. Then I drove all the way to The Goldfish and walked in for maybe the last minute of her set. With that, I'd say Harvard & Stone was the first time I came across her. A minute really doesn't count. Like Tremours, Izzy Outerspace has the dreamy vocals. And hey, I couldn't help notice that the bassist of the band was saying hello to nearly every person near her -- a lot of friends out to support the bassist.   

Izzy Outerspace at Zebulon

Tremours setlist: On The Wall, Affectations, Postcards, Landing In Rome, Port Children, Dark Glasses, Tracers, Circulation Sound.

Lauren Lakis setlist: Watch  You Run, Leave Your Window, I Fall Apart, Keep Your Woman, Terror Tears, Right Now, Loud Voices, Take My Hand.

Izzy Outerspace setlist: Beautiful Blur, A Bird, Lip Service, Warm Summer, Romance, Unworkable, Mourning, Takes Time.

High Tatras setlist: Fire & Ice, Natural Man, Thundaclap A Scrappa, BM, Cult Of Me, Saturday, Berlin (A Lou Reed cover), Heavy Rain.