Local Soul from Vintage Trouble

From KCRW volunteer Taryn Olsen-

What would happen if a Hendrix-esque guitar player of today met a James Brown-esque singer of today and decided to make music? How would their styles meet in the middle to make something new? I feel like the one-year-old LA band, Vintage Trouble, is one possible answer.

On Sunday night I went to what amounted to a modern speak easy on an unassuming street in LA and crossed over some threshold into a time portal – traveling back to the days when girls snuck guilty glimpses of Elvis gyrating on television. By the end of Vintage Trouble’s first song I felt like the teenage girl from years past hiding her Rock & Roll albums from her parents under her bed – like it was so sexy I shouldn’t be listening, much less watching.

Vintage Trouble describes who they are with words like “pelvis-pushing”, “live-wired” and “dirty-mouth’d.” They are undeniably all of those things and I would add “booty-shakin’” and maybe even “baby-makin’.”

With several residencies around LA, the group has cultivated a devoted following. While I generally don’t feel completely comfortable letting go enough to really get dancey (I’m talking about swinging your hips in ways that would make your Momma blush), I was doing the twist and shaking my body all over with the rest of the rowdy Vintage Trouble crowd all night long.

The group takes off this week to travel a bit in the UK where they have been received with open arms and have plans in the works to open for some big names this summer, but they have one more hometown show before they leave for several weeks.

You can find me at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica tonight and though I’ll try to resist, I’ll be dancing again – like nobody’s watching.

–Taryn Olsen