Quick Hit Artist Interview: Kilo Tango

 

Kilo Tango at Little Joy

Interview with the artist. Enjoy:

When did you make the decision to start performing music? I made the decision to start performing music when I dropped out of college. I had a strong desire to write and play music and no interest in school. I felt like my true calling was in music so that’s when I really started to go for it.

What band/artist (past or present) would you most like to open for and why the choice? Mazzy Star. They are one of my all-time favorites and they heavily influenced me in their sound and lyrics. Hope's vocals are soft and vulnerable yet so captivating. It made me more confident in my voice in that I felt mine was similar to hers. Their songs were just so easy for me to relate to and they have that feeling of nostalgia and melancholy that I adore.

Little Joy: Lavalove, Easy Sleeper, and Cook

It was off to Little Joy to catch some bands. I'll be honest that the main reason I headed out to Little Joy on this particular night was to once again catch Lavalove (a band I first ran across a few weeks back). I wasn't alone as the venue filled up for their set. Lead singer, Teala Rose Coy, has some enchanting vocals that wonder around the music in the most interesting directions. As I mentioned previously, the music reminds me of a former Los Angeles band called Summer Twins. One thing I noticed was that lead guitarist, Jenny Quay, knows how to pose perfectly for a photo. I got a rather cool photo while she purposely set the pose and then gave me a look to see if I'd nod that I got the shot. I did indeed nod back. In the audience was the band Moonily, which recently opened up for The Paranoyds at The Echo. 

Lavalove

Cook started the night off with a solid jazz set. There was no singing, just a straight off musical set where improvisation took the lead. They were followed by Easy Sleeper who took a turn towards indie rock: both in fashion and sound.

Cook

Easy Sleeper

Little Joy: Dutch Honey, The Night Owl Collective, and Satellite Repairmen

A night at Little Joy brought together some diverse music styles. Dutch Honey and The Night Owl Collective brought the rock with some Spanish influence. Satellite Repairmen hooked it up with some free flowing jazz.

Dutch Honey had the guitars playing cool melodies with vocals that shined. Vocal leads were shared by three of the band members.

Dutch Honey

The Night Owl Collective had the coolest one-liners. When it came to their music, "Drink more beer. We sound better when you're drunk." When there was a demand for an encore, the response was, "The next band is up. The next band is up. We can't be dicks. We can't be dicks."

The Night Owl Collective

Satellite Repairmen sent the audience home in a relaxed mood. Their songs were in the 10 plus minute range and just hit the relaxing notes just perfectly.

Satellite Repairment

Little Joy: Lavalove and Hair

It was off to Little Joy to catch Lavalove and Hair on a Tuesday night.

Lavalove is a perfectly named band, because the music so aligns with the band name. The music is as hot as lava, but as soothing as love. This four female band has you thinking back to a former Los Angeles band called Summer Twins (the duo twins now perform under Chelsea Rose and Easy Love). The vocals are youthful while the music carries a minimalist feel. What did I notice: when wanting to take some photos of the drummer, I could have sworn that the bassist edged away just a touch to allow me to have a cleaner angle.

Lavalove

Hair came on next with some 1970s rocking music and . . . hair. Well, maybe just one of the band members has the 70s hair look down. The music had you pumped up and the band put on a stage show to match. The guitar and bass were swung in every direction that was possibly allowed on the small Little Joy stage. And the drummer locked in the corner of the stage was hitting those cymbals with all his might.

Hair

The two bands were like polar opposites: low key pop tunes versus rocking stage action. Yet, both were so solid and made for an excellent night of music.

Little Joy: Mitchell Manburg, Kilo Tango, Slite of Hand

It was off to Little Joy for the first time since Echo Park Rising 2019. I went there to catch Slite of Hand, which is fronted by Jonny of Spare Parts for Broken Hearts. I got there in time to catch part of Mitchell Manburg's set. He was celebrating his EP release. He had a nice group of friends in attendance. If I heard correctly, he moved out of Los Angeles during the pandemic and so this was a return visit, as well. His fingers really played those guitar strings.

Mitchell Manburg

Kilo Tango came on next with some "bummer" songs. She said that she was singing songs that she wrote during the pandemic. She did have one less depressing song. Her 11 year-old nephew told her that her songs were too depressing so she wrote an upbeat song for him. Her vocals waifed across the small back room of Little Joy.

Kilo Tango

Slite of Hand then hit the stage with a violin and guitar. The set list was a mixture of non-vocal songs, a song sung in Spanish, a cover and songs about $13. The audience was more than appreciative, even encouraging when Jonny hesitated about playing one of his non-vocal songs. In the audience were a number of familiar faces such as Caitlin Dee of Pipe Dreams. It was nice to recognize so many people and realize that slowly, but surely the LA music scene is coming back.

Slite of Hand