Ooh-la-la, it’s Allah-Las Live From Apogee Studio.
Ooh-la-la, it’s Allah-Las Live From Apogee Studio.
Video directed by Angie Scarpa, all photos by Michael Quintero.

Allah-Las: KCRW Live from Apogee Studio

Intimate performances, fresh sounds, and candid conversations with a view.

Written by Marion Hodges

Formed in 2008 by a group of garage rock-obsessed Amoeba Music employees, LA’s Allah-Las have since cemented their place as foreman of the city’s robust psych scene. From the jump, we’ve been all-in on the addictive nature of their shambolic, guitar-forward charms and deadpan vocals, and in 2011 it was not at all uncommon to encounter spins of their earliest singles, the Nick Waterhouse-produced “Catamaran” b/w “Long Journey.” By the time their self-titled debut album followed in 2012, they’d built a sense of intrigue around their live shows, provocative band name, and associations with the likes of Waterhouse and the then-burgeoning record label Innovative Leisure.

More: Nick Waterhouse: KCRW Live From Apogee Studio (2019)



Over the course of five albums, and a brief detour to Brooklyn indie rock record label Mexican Summer, Allah-Las have deepened their sun-kissed SoCal-garage sound and ascended to elder statesmen of the LA rock scene. Their 2023 LP, Zuma 85, marks the band’s return to Innovative Leisure (by way of the band’s own recently-launched imprint Calico Discos) and a more expansive, exploratory sound than anything they’d ever tried before, thanks to a renewed sense of experimentation post-COVID. Their shaggy guitar stylings and off-kilter humor still abound (see album highlight “Jelly”), while simultaneously incorporating farther-flung influences like the yearning of Roxy Music and the synth-leaning sounds of Krautrock. 

More: Allah-Las: KCRW Live From The Basement (MBE, 2014)

Get the all killer, no filler version of the goods as Allah-Las — Miles Michaud (vocals, guitar),Pedrum Siadatian (lead guitar, vocals), Spencer Dunham (bass, vocals), Matt Correia (percussion, vocals), Tim Hill (slide guitar, keyboard) — take to Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studio for a KCRW live set of Zuma 85 cuts, including the aforementioned “Jelly.” Plus, the title track, “Sky Club,” “Right On Time,” and “The Stuff.”

More: Explore KCRW Live From sessions

This KCRW Live From session was recorded and mixed by Bob Clearmountain at Apogee Studio. Learn more at Apogeedigital.com



Credits:

KCRW Music Director: Anne Litt
Director/Editor/colorist: Angie Scarpa
Director of Photography: Vice Cooler
Camera Operators: Vice Cooler, Dalton Blanco, Angie Scarpa
KCRW Engineer: Nick Lampone
Executive Producer: Ariana Morgenstern
Producers: Anna Chang and Liv Surnow
Digital Producer: Marion Hodges
Digital Editorial Manager: Andrea Domanick
Art Director: Evan Solano

More from KCRW

Critics review the latest film releases: “Challengers,” “Uncropped,” “Egoist,” and “Alien” (re-release).

from Press Play with Madeleine Brand

In a shocking turn of events, the New York state Appeals Court has overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction. What led to the ruling?

from The Business

Ahead of crushing her Coachella debut, Faye Webster went Live From KCRW HQ with highlights from her 2024 LP “Underdressed at the Symphony” — here’s the video.

from Live From

KCRW's all-music channel blending the collected talents and tastes of all KCRW's DJs into a single voice streaming 24 hours a day.

from Eclectic 24

KCRW's signature music program features new releases, live performances, and artist interviews hosted by Novena Carmel.

from Morning Becomes Eclectic

Not gonna lie, we are HUGE fans of the LA-based band of brothers The South Hill Experiment, born at the end of 2022 and named after their studio on South Hill St. in DTLA.

from Today's Top Tune