Thee Sacred Souls
Image description: Lead singer Josh Lane sings out into the crowd with an extended ensemble, illuminated in warm green and yellow lights.
Never failing to posit a romantic air into the crowd, Thee Sacred Souls have venerated themselves as deployers of the timeless Oldies. Static lines protrude through everyone at the fox when Josh sings, and the statuous Sal Samano bursts the ear with those sticks. “Weak For Your Love” stood out to me in particular.
I would argue it is not an uncommon opinion that art about catastrophe is always the easiest, since it does not become easily boresome. It produces that which we all feel, because pain is universal; and everyone wants to see themselves within that which stands beside, in front, and sometimes below them. The San Diego band are a passionate group of musicians, and they kept everyone’s eyes wide open. Many beers passed around as I secured my spot; I like to stand in the back and watch everyone watch the stage. The red lighting casts what seems to be a political hue, and so they are a band of love. And what is a band about love if not a band about being free. The keffiyeh proudly worn, put a smile of solidarity on everyone’s face through and through the song: “It’s Our Love.”
Image description: Lane closes his eyes while singing into a microphone, with bassist Sal Samano and drummer Alex Garcia behind him.
I especially liked the orchestra who made several appearances on the left hand of the stage,
And I think we all could agree it is in fact easier said than done, to tell the truth— what an impressive set list. They really do bring about a glimmer in the room, and they expel so much passion, my favorite being “Overflowing.” I love watching devoted fans. Skin crawls on itself in admiration when you see them, and for once (save the people recording the entire concert and posting to soon to be skipped stories), people can enjoy a moment without existing digitally.
Image description: Lane reaches out into the crowd, the audience gathered around him with vinyl copies of the band’s self-titled album.
They are not performers really. It comes out naturally. Like living through feel, they flow. To produce and then live with it, as they do, feels different to me than a summary of all practices leading up to the day they walk out on the platform to ride the train. It may be an accumulation of both discipline and true purpose, this making of music. And I found the sound guy fascinating, we need to give the tech men more credit; like the focus of a fly he keeps the buzz going as he injects the room with such charisma, I like the technique behind that trade. Thee Sacred Souls, a charming number of seven, I am no good with the conditional parameters of objective music analysis, but surely the semiotics, harmonies, and timbre were all on point. We all have learned, at some point, that there are certain sonic gestures carrying meaning through music without the explicit lyrical presence of it; and this band provokes and carries generations of what has led up to now, while simultaneously bringing something new. I am speaking of The New Birth, and Bootsy, and Al Green, The Equatics, and the endless others. And then tension within the cadence of this cocoon to the ears brings the biggest applause among the individuals becoming one in the Fox Pomona Theatre.
Image descriptions: Assorted trio of photos of the rest of the performers, with Samaro in the middle and Garcia on the left.
