The Westwood Brewing Company has been a lot of things to a lot
of people. Just a quick glance at their Yelp page shows an outpouring of
adoration for the many memories made and lost in their 20 year run. Though they
no longer brew their own beer and may have an unabashed reputation for STD
contraction (A sign behind the bar reading "What do you mean? Lots of
people have gotten Crabs here!" was proof enough) the recent news of the
locales shut down, happening after the summer, has saddened many. Saturday nights performance by UCLA locals Bushystock however; showed that while BrewCo's
run may be ending, Bushystock's rock marathon is just beginning.
From the
moment Bushystock arrives I am taken by this groups openness. During their on
stage sound check you could sense that they were resisting breaking out in full
jam. Once all was ready they hit the monitors like a battle drum. This band is definitely in it,
believing in the rock; and the feeling is contagious. By the time they finish
up their first number they have locked you in the Jaws of Rock and refuse to
let go.
Throughout
their set Bushystock transmits the feeling of being in a beer and candy sloshed
late 60s rock club. Indeed, the comparison to a male fronted Jefferson Airplane
is not without legitimacy. On a trip to the restroom I fully expected to be
offered a hit of acid by a Dr. Gonzo character, an offer I would have readily
accepted; it would have been an experiential crime to refuse. However, my retro
fantasy was disturbed by two dude-bros meeting for the second first time,
("Didn't we drink together? I know
you bro, we definitely drank together!") This is UCLA after all.
The most
shining moments of a Bushystock performance is their improvisational jams.
Moving on the fly through licks and riffs the band remains poised and tight.
The group is led mostly through Gal Bushy's guitar twang and Jake Fields
bombastic drums. All the while peppered with the stream of conscious vocals of
their swagnificient frontman (self note: Charles-Shlomo is a sight to behold.
Rocking blue tie dyed jeans and a Bob Plantian hair doo, with Bonham mustache
to boot, it's hard not to become immersed in his retro presence.) These guys
are feeling it and before you have a chance to decide, so are you.
Suddenly
out of nowhere, as if to completely mindfuck the competition, the group breaks
out, mid-song, in a cover of Daft Punk's Get
Lucky. The effect is immediate. The crowd insatiable. Josh Sebo's bass line
confidently moving the groove of the master's creation. Kevin O'Neil's lush
synth work modernizing the entire
Bushystock experience; he nearly recreates Daft's modulated vocal performance
of that golden hook penetrating every air wave in the world right now. In that
moment you realize Bushystock is in it for the long haul. They can make you
feel like your dad's favorite band while at the same time bursting forth with
21st century pop sensibility. The Brew Company will be shutting its doors after
the summer, but Bushystock may just be gearing up to burst out the gate.
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